5 NOVEMBER 2014: MMS to get highest honour in Japan

Ø  In an unusually candid report the Pentagon has openly criticised Pakistan for using militant groups as proxies in a war against a “superior” Indian army, a step that could mark growing strategic closeness between Washington and New Delhi since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office. In its report on “Progress Towards Security and Stability in Afghanistan,” tabled in the U.S. Congress the Pentagon said, “Afghan and India-focused militants continue to operate from Pakistan territory to the detriment of Afghan and regional stability. Pakistan uses these proxy forces to hedge against the loss of influence in Afghanistan and to counter India’s superior military.” The report also strongly hints that the terrorist attack on the Indian consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, in May, was deliberately timed to coincide with Mr. Modi’s swearing-in.

Ø  The government’s “Make in India” programme and Russia’s “Eastern pivot” will meet as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin will discuss more cooperation on energy, the co-production of fighter aircraft and nuclear cooperation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. During the visit on Wednesday, Mr. Rogozin will chair the 20th commission (IRIGC-TEC) along with Ms. Swaraj, as well as draw up the plan for “deliverables” for President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Delhi, expected in December for the annual India-Russia summit. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected at the end of November as well. “Each of these fields, from defence production to nuclear and space programmes, are fields India is looking to Russia for closer cooperation, and so Mr. Rogozin’s visit is important,” The Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) being jointly developed by India and Russia is once again in focus as the Russian Deputy Premier Dmitry Rogozin lands in New Delhi on Wednesday, the visit comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s tour to India

Ø  It isn’t just the Lok Sabha where Muslim representation has fallen to an all-time low, Muslim representation in State Assemblies is falling steadily too. After last month’s Assembly election results, Maharashtra is down from three Muslim ministers and 11 Muslim MLAs in the earlier Assembly to nine legislators and no Muslim ministers in the present Cabinet. The BJP, which swept to power in the State with 122 MLAs, fielded just one Muslim candidate, who lost. Haryana, meanwhile, is down from five Muslim MLAs and one minister to three MLAs and no minister. The BJP, which won 47 seats to form the government, fielded only two Muslim candidates both of whom lost. The situation in these two States is similar to that in the other seven States where the BJP is either in power or in alliance – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab. These nine States, which account for over a third of India’s population, have only 22 Muslim MLAs among 1,359 legislators. So while Muslims make up 8 per cent of the population of these States, they account for less than 2 per cent of MLAs. Chhattisgarh and Goa have no Muslim MLAs, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat have one each. This is a significant change from how these States’ outgoing Assemblies looked. Leaving out Andhra Pradesh, whose boundaries changed, there were twice as many Muslim MLAs in the remaining eight States’ outgoing Assemblies as there are today. On the other hand, there are 52 ministers in the 13 big States not ruled by the BJP, making up 16 per cent of those States’ total ministerial berths. While Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir leads with three-fourth of its ministers Muslim, Kerala, Assam and Uttar Pradesh follow. Non-BJP-ruled States have 300 Muslim MLAs, who make up 13 per cent of their Assemblies.

Ø  In its mid-year review of the economy, the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) lowered its 2014-15 growth forecast for India to 5 per cent. In July, the think tank had forecast 5.7 per cent growth. The lower projection is despite the 5.7 per cent growth in the first quarter after two successive years of sub-5 per cent growth.

Ø  A bizarre object in the centre of the Milky Way which has puzzled astronomers for years is most likely a pair of binary stars that merged together, a new study has found. The object, known as G2, in the centre of Milky Way was believed to be a hydrogen gas cloud headed toward our galaxy’s enormous black hole. Having studied it during its closest approach to the black hole this summer, University of California, Los Angeles astronomers believe that they have solved the riddle of the object.

Ø  Japan will bestow its highest imperial honour on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Tokyo in recognition of his efforts at bettering ties between the two nations. The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers will be conferred on Dr. Singh at a ceremony in the palace.