As has been done for the past three general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its election manifesto after the Indian National Congress did. Released a week later, the BJP manifesto was nearly twice the length and included several interesting promises, based on the programmes undertaken by the incumbent government.

With several ambitious promises, including free immunisation for children and pregnant women, and the Jal Jivan mission – an equivalent of the Ujjwala and Saubhagya scheme to provide piped water to every household (aptly titled Nal Se Jal), the manifesto makes its priorities clear.

However, what is crucial in both manifestos is the importance given to transport and infrastructure. The BJP manifesto can be accessed here; infrastructure is on page 20. The Congress manifesto can be accessed here; infrastructure is on page 14.

While both of them have made similar promises such as increasing highway lengths, modernising railway stations, setting up an urban transport policy for roads, railways, electric vehicles (EVs), buses, ride-sharing, pedestrianisation and cycling, the former has set deadlines of 2022 for major works including gauge conversion, electrification and offering WiFi at major stations along with metro rail in 50 cities by 2024.

The BJP has also mentioned that it would expand connectivity with high-speed rail (HSR) and modern trains such as Train 18 (Vande Bharat Express). It has also pledged to double the number of commercial airports in India – currently at 101, up from 65 in 2014 – in five years.

This is where the BJP would need to do some introspection. While road construction, railway augmentation and all are fine, do we need to focus that much on the aviation sector?

The last few months has not been a great one for Indian aviation. The crisis hitting Jet Airways has deepened, finally resulting in founder Naresh Goyal agreeing to step down as chairman of the debt-ridden carrier. Jet isn’t the only one though, for the state of the Indian aviation industry is not too great. The other two major carriers – IndiGo and SpiceJet – have been posting losses too, while the story of Air India is one that is too well known to mention.

In the aftermath of the airstrikes in north India, both Indian and Pakistani airspace were closed briefly in February. As if all this wasn’t enough, the Ethiopian Airlines’ 302 flight crash has resulted in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in India. Simultaneously, the DGCA has also grounded several Airbus A320 Neo planes using Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines due to in-flight engine shut-downs.

While the aviation industry sorts its mess out, this gives us a great opportunity to reflect on the much-touted “airline killer” Bullet Train project. Plans for the High-Speed Rail (HSR) are currently restricted to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor (MAHSR), while other corridors haven’t moved beyond the proposal or approval stage. Other proposals including an extension of the corridor to Nasik and Pune and the Maharashtra government’s plan to connect its two capitals with one are also still on paper.

So, What Is The Issue? The primary issue with any new project in India is that officials generally wait for the first leg of a project to be complete before beginning on extensions. While the HSR corridors in India are being surveyed and have also got approval, there is nothing more that is happening.

The reason behind why the HSR project is stuck within the confines of the 505- km is relatively easy to ascertain. Japan is funding the project with a cheap loan. While this is not the first time Japan is exporting its Shinkansen, it is the first time it is being done for such a large project. Japan’s ‘rail diplomacy’ is primarily due to the grip that China has over the HSR market and is aimed at countering that, especially in the Indian subcontinent.

Along with this, the trainsets to be used, the Shinkansen E5, which is manufactured by Hitachi and Kawasaki, will be imported from Japan. Various Japanese agencies are pumping in a lot of money to build infrastructure in India while the Japanese firms will invest in manufacturing facilities in India to build metro rail coaches for the next phase of the Chennai Metro. This can easily be extended towards manufacturing HSR trains as well.

Given the hostility of our neighbours and the current state of our aviation industry, the government’s top priority right now should be to implement a pan-India HSR starting with the largest cities. What if a national emergency or war-like scenario erupts on the western front? That would kill the airspace over Mumbai, currently the second busiest airport in the country.

The crux of the matter is that the aviation sector in India is currently in a tight situation. With Jet Airways pulling out of major domestic routes, airfares are bound to go up. An editorial in the South China Morning Post even claimed that it would be cheaper to fly to London than to Delhi.

While the MAHSR corridor is ongoing, other corridors need to be prioritised, preferably shorter ones. For this, the key determining factors should be the existing capacity of trains, buses – especially high-end and premium ones – as well as the economies of these cities. For instance, Mumbai-Pune should be the next logical extension of the network.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is well beyond capacity and while plans are on to augment that with a new tunnel, it isn’t enough. The Maharashtra government is also toying with the idea of the Hyperloop, but again, till the technology is proven, it isn’t an option.

Further, Pune acts as a larger gateway to south India with the Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad-bound highways all meeting at the city. Similar lines need to be explored for Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar, Mumbai-Aurangabad-Nagpur-Raipur, Pune-Hyderabad-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Chennai.

At the southern end, the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor is a densely populated one with hundreds of premium buses – both state-run and private – thriving on the roads on a daily basis. While the highways are in top condition with a new expressway coming up, the sector warrants an HSR line.

The nearly 350-km journey currently takes anywhere between five and eight hours, depending on traffic. From Bengaluru, the line can be expected to Hubli-Dharwad and Belagavi, both upcoming cities while the line from Pune can be extended towards Kolhapur and then meet its southern arm.

It’s Not Just The High-Speed Rail Sector While the Congress has remained tight-lipped about it in their manifesto, the BJP has stated that it aims to build metro systems in 50 cities in the next five years. While ambitious, a metro may not be required everywhere. Smaller scale projects including a light rail system (as has been proposed for Dehradun and Nashik) and suburban rail networks too can be taken up.

Despite Mumbai burning its fingers, the Monorail is still a viable system, so long as the right firms get involved. Of the four metro rolling stock manufacturers in India – Bombardier, Alstom, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and Titagarh Firema – the former two also manufacture high-speed trains, trams and streetcars.

According to the horizontal alignment of the MAHSR corridor (available here; requires Google Earth to view), not all stations are near the main cities. Among these, while the Vapi station is located in the enclave of Dadra of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Surat station and Thane stations are quite far from the cities themselves.

The next priority of the governments (central, state and at civic levels) would be to improve connectivity to the HSR terminals from the centre. In the case of the two terminal cities, the Mumbai terminal will be connected to Line 2 of the Mumbai Metro while Line 3 will run about 2 km away.

The Maharashtra government has also asked the railways to prepare a feasibility study to connect the Western and Central lines along the city’s suburban rail through Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) where the HSR terminus is coming up. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had in early 2016 even proposed a ropeway connecting Bandra and Kurla railway stations through BKC. Keeping these developments in mind, construction of two major flyovers connecting to the Western and Eastern Express Highways are also in full swing.

Along with this, perhaps a small-scale personal rapid transit (PRT) system or automated people mover (APM) could be considered in the vicinity to ensure optimal connectivity.

At the Ahmedabad end, both the Kalupur (Ahmedabad Junction) and Sabarmati terminals lie adjacent to existing railway stations which will be connected by the partially-operational Gujarat Metro. But what about the other stations?

The Thane station is located a good 19 km away from Thane city near Diva, while the Surat station is located near Kamrej, around 16 km from the city centre. Other stations such as Virar, Boisar and Valsad are located quite closer to the cities.

Preparations are currently on for the construction of a 29-km-long circular metro in Thane. The state should consider building a spur of this line towards the HSR station. In the case of Surat, the existing BRTS network can be extended to Kamrej, but a direct metro line connecting the HSR terminal to the city centre and then proceeding towards the upcoming DREAM City and then the airport needs to considered.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last year announced future expansions of the Mumbai Metro towards the Vasai-Virar region, which should ideally connect the existing railway stations and the HSR terminals. These can also be linked to the upcoming ferry terminals in the vicinity.

Vadodara is probably the luckiest city with its HSR terminal coming up right next to the existing railway station. Talks are already on between the civic administration and the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) to link the terminal to the upcoming Urban Transport Hub ‘Jan Mahal’ located across the tracks.

But Why Build So Much Rail Infrastructure? If one looks at how Japan’s Shinkansen network changed lifestyles, it shows us that the Japanese are today living in small towns away from major cities and commuting by train for work. The MAHSR corridor has the potential to do that, especially given Mumbai’s high-priced real estate. The HSR’s passenger base should not be looked at as travellers carrying baggage for a holiday, but the everyday crowd commuting from home to work. Building more lines will help bring down costs indirectly through indigenous production of rolling stock, signalling equipment and simultaneously create more jobs. Giving additional commuting options within cities will not only help the long-distance commuter but also those travelling within the city.

Private operators should be welcomed in rail operations, too. The Shinkansen is a privately-owned system, owned by several corporations that succeeded the Japan National Railway. As this author has written before, private rail operators in India are adept at ensuring maximum capitalisation of all available assets.

The time has never been as ripe as it is now for India to go full steam ahead into the rail world.

The mission is called NG-11. It is the eleventh cargo flight for NASA by Northrop Grummanand will be the company’s longest one to date. The NG-11 mission is also the final cargo mission for NASA by Northrop Grumman under the agency’s Commercial Resupply Services 1 program. To mark the occasion, Northrop Grummannamed the NG-11 Cygnus the S.S. Roger Chaffee in honor of NASA astronaut Roger Chaffee, who was killed in the Apollo 1 fire alongside crewmates Gus Grissom and Ed White, Jr.

Mice aboard: The mice aboard Cygnus are at the core of one such study, which aims to test the effectiveness of an anti-tetanus vaccine. The rodents are split into two groups of 20; half will receive the vaccine in space and the other 20 will not receive the vaccine. Scientists will study the mice to see how the animals responded to the vaccine once they are back on Earth.

Other experiments: Other wild science experiments on Cygnusinclude testing out two robotic systems; Seeker, which is designed to hunt for air leaks on the Space Station, and Astrobee, which aims to help the station’s staff with tasks such as inventory and maintenance. There’s gear to build pristine ZBLANfiber-optic cables in space, and a prototype for a novel air scrubber that removes carbon dioxide from the station’s atmosphere.

On the exterior of the Cygnus are small CubeSats that will be deployed after the spacecraft leaves the space station this summer. The Antares rocket’s upper stage also carried 60 so-called ThinSats (tiny satellites) were built by elementary and high school students; one NASA CubeSat (called SASSI2) was built by students at both universities in Indiana and Illinois.

It was discovered with the help of the GREAT spectrometer aboard SOFIA in the envelope of the planetary nebula NGC 7027. Despite its importance in the history of the early Universe, HeH+ has so far escaped detection in astrophysical nebulae — cloud of gas and dust in outer space.

Key findings: Helium hydride ion (HeH+) was the first molecule that formed when, almost 14 billion years ago, falling temperatures in the young universe allowed recombination of the light elements produced in the Big Bang. At that time, ionized hydrogen and neutral helium atoms reacted to form HeH+.

How and when was it formed? During the dawn of chemistry when the temperature in the young universe had fallen below 4000 Kelvin, the ions of the light elements (hydrogen, helium, deuterium and traces of lithium) produced in Big Bang nucleosynthesis recombined in reverse order of their ionization potential.

Helium combined first with free electrons to form the first ever neutral atom. At that time hydrogen was still ionized or present in form of bare protons. Helium atoms combined with these protons into the helium hydride ion HeH+, the universe’s first molecular bond. As recombination progressed, HeH+ reacted with then neutral hydrogen and created a first path to the formation of molecular hydrogen — marking the beginning of the modern universe.

Background: The lack of definitive evidence of its very existence in interstellar space has been a dilemma for astronomy for a long time. The discovery of HeH+ is a dramatic and beautiful demonstration of nature’s tendency to form molecules.

What are Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)? Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), also known as green energy certificates or tradable renewable certificates are proof that energy has been generated from renewable sources such as solar or wind power. Each REC represents the environmental benefits of 1MWh of renewable energy generation. When you purchase RECs, renewable energy is generated on your behalf.

Significance: It is a market based mechanism which will help the states meet their regulatory requirements (such as Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs)) by overcoming the geographical constraints on existing renewable potential in different states. RECs unbundle the electricity component (commodity) from the green/environmental attributes of the power generated from renewable sources. Both the components can then be traded separately.

Thus, RECs help in incentivizing the production of renewable energy over and above the RPO state limit as tradable certificates are not constrained by the geographical limitations of commodity electricity.

Need for removal of GST: RECs are being charged GST, while bundled power (RECs plus electricity, irrespective of source) or even just electricity are devoid of the same. Cost of electricity generation from renewable energy sources is classified as cost of electricity generation (equivalent to conventional energy sources) and the cost of environmental attributes. REC is the environmental attribute of the electricity derived from RE.

As per regulations, RPO compliance through REC is at par with sourcing electricity directly from RE. Therefore, GST applicable on the sale of RECs negatively affects its parity with similar electricity sale alternatives, be it conventional or renewable.

Moreover discoms, the major buyer of RECs (around 50-60 per cent), do not get GST credit; and the increase in their cost of RPO compliance will translate to increased tariff for the end consumer.

Performance of various countries: The index has been topped by Norway again for the third year, followed by Finland and Sweden at second and third positions, respectively. Only 24 percent of the 180 countries and territories were classified as “good” or “fairly good”, as opposed to 26 percent last year.

Of all the world’s regions, Americas (North and South) suffered the greatest deterioration, falling by 3.6 percent, in its regional score. The Middle East and North Africa region continues to be the most difficult and dangerous for journalists.

Syria (174th) continues to be extremely dangerous for media personnel and as does Yemen (168th). The Asia-Pacific region continues to rank third last. The number of murdered journalists was extremely high in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Disinformation is becoming a big problem in the region.

Observations on India: India’s rank dropped down to 140th from 138th in 2018, two points below the previous year. As per the Index, one of the most striking features of the current state of press freedom in India is violence against journalists including police violence, attacks by Maoist fighters, criminal groups and corrupt politicians.

The media coverage in the sensitive regions like Kashmir continues to be very difficult. Even the entry of foreign reporters is prohibited in Kashmir and the Internet is often disconnected there.

About World Press Freedom Index: Published annually by Reporters Without Borders since 2002, the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries. It is based on an evaluation of media freedom that measures pluralism, media independence, the quality of the legal framework and the safety of journalists.

It also includes indicators of the level of media freedom violations in each region. It is compiled by means of a questionnaire in 20 languages that is completed by experts all over the world. This qualitative analysis is combined with quantitative data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists during the period evaluated.

Critics say they fear that the changes will further limit the space for dissent after a wide-ranging security crackdown.

What are the key changes? An amendment to Article 140 of the constitution extends the presidential term to six years from four. An outright bar on any president serving more than two terms will change to a bar on serving more than two consecutive terms. The amendments provide for the creation of a second parliamentary chamber known as the Council of Senators. It would have 180 members, two-thirds elected by the public and the rest appointed by the president.

Article 200 of the constitution on the role of the military is expanded, giving the military a duty to protect “the constitution and democracy and the fundamental make-up of the country and its civil nature, the gains of the people and the rights and freedoms of individuals”.

The amendments also create the post of vice president, allowing the president to appoint one or more deputies. They task the president with choosing head judges and the public prosecutor from a pool of senior candidates pre-selected by the judiciary. They further create a quota setting women’s representation in parliament at a minimum of 25 percent.

Concerns: Critics say the amendments are driven by Sisi and his close entourage, and by the powerful security and intelligence agencies. They also fear the changes thrust the armed forces into political life by formally assigning them a role in protecting democracy.

Context: The United States Department of Justice has released the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. The report looks into alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 Presidential elections which saw incumbent US President Donald Trump rise to power.

The report states that the Russian government-sponsored efforts to illegally interfere with the 2016 presidential election, but did not find that the Trump campaign or other Americans colluded in those schemes.

Context: Nepal’s first satellite NepaliSat-1 was recently launched into space from the Virginia-based station of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the US.

NepaliSat-1 will collect information about the country’s topography and Earths magnetic field. The satellite is equipped with a 5MP camera to capture Nepal’s topography and a magnetometer to collect data related to the Earth’s magnetic field. The satellite was developed by two Nepalis Abhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Context: China is planning to observe an international fleet review on April 23 at Qingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of founding its naval forces. Nearly 60 countries are sending naval delegations for the fleet review, including India (INS Kolkata and INS Shakti), Japan, South Korea and others. The United States declined to be part of the show.

What is it? Naval fleet reviews intend to not only gather forces from other countries but make a statement about a nation coming of age in this domain. Such shows are intended to enhance confidence building. They as well seek to legitimize the official stance on various “core interests” but also seek consent and respect from other navies. These go a long way in ushering conventional deterrence in the region. Domestically, fleet reviews suggest to the coalescing of forces in supporting maritime agenda of the nation and the leadership.

Context: The Asian Tea Alliance (ATA) was launched in Guizhou in China. What is ATA? Asian Tea Alliance (ATA) is a union of five tea-growing and consuming countries. The members of the alliance are the Indian Tea Association, China Tea Marketing Association, Indonesian Tea Marketing Association, Sri Lanka Tea Board and Japan Tea Association.

ATA plans to work towards enhancing tea trade, cultural exchanges, technology exchanges as well as globally promoting tea. It will also work towards enhancing global consumption of tea, while creating a sustainability agenda for the future of Asian tea