10 years ago
On Saturday, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval spoke at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
Here are the highlights:
- Security is more than tanks and aircraft.
- India is engaging with nations with conflicting interests.
- The challenge for us is to engage with countries diplomatically.
- Have to ensure that war does not remain a necessary option.
- There are 800 million people in India below the age of 35. We have problems of urbanisation and youth.
- Police modernisation is crucial for securing India.
- Good governance is fundamental to eliminating problems of labour, employment and other issues.
- Will of the nation is the will of its people.
- The country has to start now for technological upgradation.
- If India's economy rises at 8 or 9 per cent, India will be very secure.
- Cyber space is going to be the new frontier. We are aware that we have got experience and scientific capabilities. Cyber war will be fought on a different level.
In Conversation With Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman
Former India cricketers Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman spoke on Saturday, at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
Former India cricketers Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman spoke on Saturday, at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
- The situation we were in, there was nothing in my mind: VVS Laxman (on 281 knock)
- Realistically, we had no chance to win the Eden Test. We never gave up. It was a miracle: VVS Laxman on 281
- Adelaide Test win was another miracle. Kolkata win inspired the team: VVS Laxman
- My mother-in-law said we will win the Eden Test vs Australia. Never believed her: Sourav Ganguly
- We never realised that we will win the Eden Test vs Australia till the last seven overs: Sourav Ganguly
- The Eden win versus Australia changed Indian cricket. It gave the team a lot of steel: Sourav Ganguly
- My biggest challenge as a captain was to tell either Harbhajan or Kumble that you are not playing: Sourav Ganguly
- Captaincy is not an easy task. You have a lot of answering to do: Sourav Ganguly
- No matter how much I tried, always ended up reading the newspaper: Sourav Ganguly
- The best thing was the boys always thought for good of Indian cricket: Sourav Ganguly
- A good leader identifies match-winners and that's what Sourav Ganguly did: VVS Laxman
- Sourav is emotional and Dhoni is not. That's the only difference between them: VVS Laxman
- India must put runs on the board to win Test matches. That's an area of concern: Sourav Ganguly
- First Test in Brisbane will be important for India. The team is capable of winning: Sourav Ganguly
- India haven't prepared well enough for the Test series in Australia: Sourav Ganguly
- Dhoni should stay captain till World Cup. He has his problems as Test skipper: Ganguly
- Lord's win vs England should inspire India in Australia. Team must be consistent. Exciting times ahead: VVS Laxman
- 264 in a ODI game was unreal. Rohit Sharma's innings speaks about the quality in the Indian team: Ganguly
- Even in Australian conditions, India will be tough to beat in ODIs: Sourav Ganguly
- Got a young, clean team when I became captain. So never had issues like match-fixing: Sourav Ganguly
- Should always go out on a high. You will always miss the feel of a bat hitting the ball: Ganguly
- India will win the World Cup final. The core of the Test, ODI teams is same and they will be well prepared: VVS Laxman
- Hardest thing for Virender Sehwag was to defend: Sourav Ganguly
- Dealt differently with Yuvraj. Had to get back him back to the hotel early every night: Sourav Ganguly
- Laxman did puja every morning, I didn't. When you are young, one does a lot of things that you later regret: Ganguly
- Fast bowling has a lot to do with attitude. It is also about role models. Pakistan have the better ones: Ganguly
- If you ask a young boy what you want to do, he will say I want to bat like Tendulkar. Who wants to bowl fast?: Ganguly
'Want to Ask Pakistan - is ISI a Non-State Actor?': Rajnath Singh
Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke today at the Hindustan Times Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke today at the Hindustan Times Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
- We will not leave a single stone unturned to meet the internal security challenges of India.
- There are many challenges, and since we have a federal structure, we need the support of the states.
- I want to ask Pakistan - is ISI a non-state actor? Who helped Osama bin-Laden? Who is helping Hafiz Saeed?
- Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan but not being handed over. The culprits of 2008 Mumbai attack are not being acted against.
- ISIS is radicalising people through social media. We are developing a system to check this.
- Cyber crime is a big challenge for us, one of the hurdles we face are due to servers not being in India but we have a strategy in place to deal with that.
- There is an integrated action plan to deal with the scourge of naxalism.
- There are numerous insurgent groups in the North-East whom we are asking to lay down their weapons.
- Happy to inform you ANVC, a Meghalaya insurgent group, has agreed to give up arms.
- If we try to raise infrastructure along the border, China and Pakistan tend to object. But still we're building roads, developing infrastructure.
- There are many parts of our borders that remain porous - we are trying to make greater use of technology to ensure border security.
- Our police needs to be more people-friendly and we're training them for it.
- Coastal police stations are being set up and their jurisdiction being defined.
- Give us time and wait, I can't make our strategy public. We will try to build up diplomatic pressure: Rajnath Singh on pursuing Dawood Ibrahim.
- We try to persuade Pakistan, but we will also build pressure to hand him over. The previous governments have also tried: Rajnath Singh on pursuing Dawood Ibrahim.
- There is a democracy in our country - and we have told the people of J&K to debate on Article 370 - has it benefited them?
- Our opponents are trying to create a sense of fear in the people of J&K.
- Why is Article 370 an election issue? we feel that development is a more important issue.
- We want good relations with all our neighbours. I feel the deadlock will be broken sooner or later: Rajnath Singh on India Pakistan relations.
- Atal ji used to say, friends change but neighbours don't; But when your neighbour acts against you we protest in a diplomatic way.
- If Pakistan's stand is clear, then our stand is clear as well: Rajnath Singh on talks with Kashmiri separatists)
- As far as AFSPA is concerned, we need more time to take a call on it. No decision has been taken on whether to withdraw this (AFSPA) law.
- RSS is not an external force. I am a volunteer of the RSS, and the PM is a volunteer of RSS.
- If we belong to the RSS, then how will the RSS influence us? I could understand people saying that if there were people with other ideologies trying to influence the government
'Faced More Criticism After Trust Vote Than in My Entire Political Life': Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke at the Hindustan Times Summit in New Delhi today.
Here are the highlights:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke at the Hindustan Times Summit in New Delhi today.
Here are the highlights:
- I think in our quasi-federal structures, not just the centre but that states which have to perform.
- Of late, I see a sense of competitiveness amongst the states - to progress, to attract investment, to move forward.
- Like India, Maharashtra also has a human dividend - 57% of the population in the state is below 25.
- On certain issues, we have to work in tandem with the central government.
- If the 'Make-in-India' dream has to come true, Maharashtra has to contribute.
- When I took over, in designated industrial areas, you needed 76 permissions to start a single unit and to get them, you needed one to three years.
- We have decided to bring down those 76 permissions to 20-odd and put them on a single IT platform... and a few months if you want to start a unit, you will be able to get permissions in 1 - 3 months.
- Maharashtra has decided we will be the biggest players in the digital India movement.
- 2015 will be Digital Service Year for Maharashtra.
- We will ensure e-governance at all levels.
- We have decided to have a Right to Service Act so that everyone in the government can be held accountable.
- All powers were in the Mantralaya. We don't need power - we need to empower the officers and hold them accountable.
- 25,000 villages in Maharashtra that are drought-prone.. we have decided to make the state drought-free in 5 years.
- We will be using technology to ensure farmers get relief when there is a drought.
- Once Maharashtra changes India will change.
- We will provide 24x7 power, Maharashtra would be load-shedding free.
- Urban infrastructure is a major issue - 50% of Maharashtra lives in 265 cities and the rest in 44K villages.
- We have fast-tracked all development projects of Mumbai.
- Very soon, you will see a makeover in Mumbai - yesterday I cleared 72 kilometres of two corridors of Metro rail.
- I'm perceived as a very soft person and I am soft. So when someone asked me about heading the administration, I said I can be ruthless as well. That was about being a tough administrator.
- In politics, we cannot say how long parleys will last...we have stopped speaking to the media on the talks but I can tell you that they'll reach a definite conclusion.
- We neither said yes to NCP's support nor did we say no.
- The other alternative was to stand my ground in whatever situation I was in and let my action speak louder than words.
- There will be no vindictiveness but whatever action needs to be taken will be taken (on investigation into scams)
- There are some cases in which there are blatant actionable errors in which we will act.
- There are some cases which appear morally wrong but are not legally actionable so we will put that before the public.
- Faced more criticism in the three days after the vote of confidence than I have in 22 years of political life.
- Neither the Shiv Sena or the Congress had initially demanded a division of votes...when a motion is cleared and we have moved on, we can't come back...you can't get transparency by breaking established procedure.
- The average age of Maharashtra's population is 27 years and for this new generation, caste doesn't matter. What matters to them is development, education, jobs.
- Even today, caste plays a role in politics but it has reduced. So if we keep giving caste, religion importance then this generation will make us obsolete.
- RSS doesn't advise me on how to run the government, there is no question of that.
- For us Hindutva isn't a religion, that is a very narrow vision.
- When we meet RSS leaders, we talk about the country, not how to run government.
- Smaller states is part of the political ideology of my party.
- As chief minister of Maharashtra, my priority is to solve the agrarian crisis in Vidarbha.
- I have to work towards 'moisture security' in the region.
- Need centrally sponsored schemes to create a development standard in each state.
- The participation of the states in centrally-sponsored schemes is important...these schemes need the states' contribution - need to create instruments so that states that are debt-ridden can participate in these schemes.
- We have to work on East-West connectivity in Mumbai. But it is not just providing roads, we need to integrate our transport systems.
- I remember 2000 songs -- I can't sing but my wife can..so we complement each other.
- I had modelled for a garments in 2004 -- Atalji saw that story on NDTV and called me... When I met him in Delhi, he patted me on my back and said, 'Aao Model MLA'.
Arnold Schwarzenegger on "War" With Sylvester Stallone
Popular Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke at the Hindustan Times Summit in New Delhi today.
Here are the highlights:
Popular Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke at the Hindustan Times Summit in New Delhi today.
Here are the highlights:
- Thanks to the Hindustan Times for inviting me.
- Its wonderful to be here in India.
- You have to have a clear vision and then go after that vision.
- My parents had no interest in body building.
- But I wanted to be a world champion in body building.
- My parents had no interest in body building, they wanted me to have a regular Austrian life.
- My goal was to become the greatest body-builder of all times... and then how can I take that name and fame and be involved in something - and that is how I got involved in the fitness crusade.
- I fought with Sylvester Stallone for a decade - we hated each other... it was war straight, all the way through.
- But finally in the late 90s, we became friends... I'm competitive so I need to put up a picture and say I want to get rid of this guy!
- Finally, when we became friends then we made movies together, we're partners in Planet Hollywood.
- It was the greatest joy to serve the people of California as Governor.
- Everything that I've achieved is because of America, it is the land of opportunity.
- I wanted to give something back.
- I've had many failures but what makes you a winner is when you fail, you get up again, dust yourself and you keep going.
- When I came to the US in 1968, I was beaten in the Mr Universe in Miami Florida. I cried all night. I was 21.
- Eventually, I got back again and I thought I'm in America to beat all the body-builders. I moved to California - trained with American body builders and beat them at their own game.
- I figured out how to be successful through sports: Big Vision, Dream Big - it is the only way to get to the top.
- Don't be afraid to fail. Don't look for shortcuts. Don't listen to naysayers.
- It is extremely important that we protect the environment and it doesn't matter what country we're in.
- We need to get off fossil fuels as fast as possible. People are still in denial about fossil fuels, we have to fight through all that.
- Don't always think about yourself, give something back to the community.
Aamir, Deepika in Conversation with Karan Johar
Bollywood stars Aamir Khan and Deepika Padukone in conversation with Karan Johar at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
Aamir Khan:
Deepika Padukone:
Bollywood stars Aamir Khan and Deepika Padukone in conversation with Karan Johar at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
Aamir Khan:
- Late 70s and 80s were disappointing -- the disco era
- I feel that from the late 80s onwards there is a gradual change that has been happening very organically
- Our understanding or definition of mainstream cinema has been changing, has really widened now
- Audience has also changed and the filmmakers have brought in fresh voices
- Film advertorials are silly
- I don't care about big budgets
- It is very important how we predict women in films and media
- On Shah Rukh Khan: Khans are compared because of the common surname
- Not all blockbusters are good movies
- On reshaping cinema - I met this American writer once and she said some things which made a of sense to me. She asked 'what does the creative person give to the society?'
- I feel entertaining society is not the end of our responsibility
- Our responsibility is to create heroes, motivate people, touch the good and make you glow
- We will also infuse fresh oxygen into this country - this is my vision for this country
- No matter how much I expose, you'll still be more interested in Deepika (responds to Q about PK transistor)
Deepika Padukone:
- Did not feel the pressure in my debut film
- Every film I have done has been a learning experience.
- Everything that I have learnt is from my spending physical time on the sets, with directors, co-stars and my own mistake
- The most important thing is to learn from our own mistakes
- Insecurities can also be very very productive
- Competition does not bring you down
- I am the happiest when I am on a film set, when I am working and it has always been about achieving more
- Katrina Kaif is one of the most hard-working people I've ever met
Arun Jaitley on Making India a Superpower
Arun Jaitley speaks during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
Arun Jaitley speaks during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
- Not much grievance against the decade of 50s and 60s, it was 70s and 80s that was a lost opportunity
- If I look back the last 67 years, I'm quite willing to accept that early years after independence resources were not enough
- The quality of political debate in India has to change
- Things did begin to change in 1991 and it's a great lesson that we have to learn from the last 23 years and the decades before that
- The quality of political debate in India has to change
- The mindset of polity has to change - it can't be how can I block reforms. All institutions must change with the changed times
- State governments have to realize there is a very important role for them - the country grows if states grow
- Extremely important that the credibility of the decision-makers is always there
- The environment in the country has to be conducive for growth.
- Despite a great desire to reform since 1991, structurally education is one sector that has been kept out of the reform process
- Face with two contrary trends - credit offtake not taking place and the stream of international visitors
- In the medical sector shortages remain
- Rural infrastructure is an area where we have not concentrated in a big way, tribal areas remain neglected
- What was considered a touch-me-not area, we decided to open up the Railways. People have to decide whether they want a world-class railways or a ramshackle one
- On opening up the Defence sector: seems to be a lot of interest in people teaming up with counterparts in India
- We're on the verge of opening up our insurance sector a little more - and focus of debate has to shift from how do I block it to what are the consequences of my action
- Those who are supposed to pay taxes must pay, unsustainable demands won't get you revenue
- Unsustainable demands earn us a bad name
- Indirect taxes do remain a challenge as our manufacturing sector has to grow
- My proposal for GST is almost ready and hope to introduce it in this session of Parliament
- Global economy still patchy; India is coming back as a 'preferred destination'
- We're at a crucial stage where we mustn't exhaust our patience
- Once the political leadership is decisive, the rest of the decision-making also become simple
- The RBI is a very responsible institution and has served this country well.
- This is one of the strengths of the Indian system- we're able to put across contrarian viewpoints publically
- My unhappiness is participating in this discussion doesn't mean X slams Y... that is how it gets reported
- Moving on with the economy is a very serious subject, you don't have to sensationalise it
- Some of the more challenging decisions - like undoing tax decisions - and tax legislations are only in the lower house - undoing not the compensation part but the procedural part of the land law, I think is a big problem and will require a lot of effort
- If we are able to take the right decisions, global investors are going to increasingly look at us
- Pleasantly surprised that a large number of Japanese institutions are willing
- I'm principally for privatisation of sectors where the government can get out
- Governments taking commercial decisions can never do it in an oppressive environment
- As far as domestic black money is concerned, sectors in which it operates is not unknown - jewellery, real estate, mining...
- As far as money stacked abroad is concerned, one has to be cautious of adventurist solutions, legally follow the right course
- On Supreme Court censure for CBI chief: Governments have to be careful making these appointments
- Just look at the manner in which such institutions have been used
- Look at what we have done with the CBI - appointments made to have pliable directors
- Economic reforms must be blended with competent and clever politics
Nitin Gadkari on Creaking Infrastructure, Rickety Development
Addressing the HT Leadership Summit, Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, says prosperity of a country comes from its roads.
Following are the highlights of his address:
Addressing the HT Leadership Summit, Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, says prosperity of a country comes from its roads.
Following are the highlights of his address:
- Prosperity of the country comes from its roads
- There was a standstill on projects of at least Rs. 2,80,000 crore
- After the new government came in many projects have been cleared, but projects worth Rs. 50,000 crore are still problematic
- Within two years -Roads and Shipping, Inland Waterways -I'm confident that these will contribute at least 2% of the GDP
- Driving licenses to be issued by a computer and not RTO. There will be a transparent no corruption system
- Will start buses based on bio fuels. Will encourage all alternative fuels
- Within 2 years, we will do at least 30 kilometres in a day...I'm confident that this is the target for me and I will complete it
- There are some things in my hands and for some questions I have no answer. Railways clearances have already been solved
- I'm confident we'll succeed in converting all problems into opportunities
- Every year we have accidents because of wrong designing... we will rectify that... to save the lives of the people - the government will spend on improving design, take responsibility of safety
- In NHAI there is no axis control system - you can improve the quality of the road but this is a mistake with design
Can't Build Nation by Ignoring Children: Kailash Satyarthi
Kailash Satyarthi is an internationally acclaimed child rights' activist and pioneer in the fight against child slavery. Winner of 2014 Nobel Peace Prize and renowned for inclusion of child labour to global social and political agenda, Mr Satyarthi spoke about building a child-friendly world during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi today.
Here are the highlights:
Kailash Satyarthi is an internationally acclaimed child rights' activist and pioneer in the fight against child slavery. Winner of 2014 Nobel Peace Prize and renowned for inclusion of child labour to global social and political agenda, Mr Satyarthi spoke about building a child-friendly world during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi today.
Here are the highlights:
- For many years have been reading about this summit, didn't know I was going to speak one day
- We live in a world where millions of children are sold and bought like animals
- This sentence took me 15 seconds, and in that time one child has died somewhere due to malnutrition
- A nine-year old in Pakistan who was making footballs told me his dream was to hit a football one-day
- In Ivory Coast, boys and girls working on cocoa farms told me they'd never tasted chocolates
- If you can comfortably ignore these children, how can you shape the country?
- See the faces of invisibility, listen to the sounds of silence - for centuries, these children have been voiceless
- Respect childhood, notice the ignorance around you and respect it
- There is a child inside you - if you are truthful and honest, if you are helping others and caring - if you are true, it is because child is still alive inside you
- Childhood means simplicity - look at the world with the child's eye - it is very beautiful
- We the adults make it complicated - we make it violent. We're responsible for poverty and not the children
- Knowledge is power. You can't think of sustained economic growth in a country which has less than 40% of its population educated
- Every year of secondary schooling adds to 20-30% of additional earning - one single year of schooling for a farmer helps in 20% addition to his crop.
- One billion children living in a situation of violence and war
- We can't keep our eyes closed - we talk of terrorism and global warming... no problem in the world is isolated
- There is an inter-connectivity in problems and therefore inter-connectivity in the solutions
- How are we going to liberalise our minds and souls? With compassion
- India is the land of 100 problems but is the mother of one billion solutions
- We have to make a little more effort and we will find the solution to every problem... we're the land of Mahatma Gandhi
- Quotes Gandhi: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win
- I have great regard for the judiciary in this country- but I'm focusing more on collective responsibility
- You can't post policemen and labour inspectors in every nook and corner - I'm talking about social responsibility, social audit
- If people in this hall decide now to put an end to the scourge of child labour, it is achievable
- When I took the first step giving up a career as an electrical engineer, my mother was crying, my friends thought I was mad
- For me peace is a fundamental human right of every child, it is inevitable and divine
- Peace is not a diplomatic issue across the table. In India and Pakistan, eventually the people to people relationship - and if we prioritize education and rights of children - no one can stop us...
Hamid Karzai on Afghanistan's Moment of Reckoning
Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai speaks to NDTV's Barkha Dutt about Afghanistan's moment of reckoning during the HT Leadership Summit, 2014 in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
Hamid Karzai on relations with India:
Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai speaks to NDTV's Barkha Dutt about Afghanistan's moment of reckoning during the HT Leadership Summit, 2014 in New Delhi.
Here are the highlights:
- Very happy to be in India once again
- Challenges that India and Afghanistan face are not of our heritage and values - it is to remove human suffering
- Afghanistan like India is an ancient country with a rich heritage and proud history
- Afghanistan has been a cross-roads between continents and connected people throughout history
- Today Afghanistan has transformed from a stateless geography to a pluralistic state
- Afghanistan suffered from invasions, foreign interferences, extremism that inflicted massive suffering on our country and society
- A generation of forward-looking young Afghans have emerged and thanks a great deal to India having helped us in this regard
- We have an independent and very vibrant media, you'll be surprised
- Afghanistan today is the home of all Afghans
- Terrorism remains a serious challenge not only to Afghanistan but the whole region
- Afghanistan like India is a country of panchayats - we call them 'jirgas'
- We will continue to follow a peace process that will allow the Taliban to come back to their own country
- My stance against certain elements of US and NATO presence was principled
- Afghanistan wishes to have an enduring partnership with US and our western partners
- Security on prosperity depends primarily on the region becoming free of radicalism and terrorism - must address the sources from which forces of terrorism draw their sustenance
- India has participated in every aspect of rebuilding our country
- India has been a valued partner in nation-building in Afghanistan
- I thank the Prime Minister of India, PM Modi for his continued commitment to Afghanistan and its people
- Afghanistan will not allow proxy war between India and Pakistan on its soil - and I'm sure India won't do that
- India will be there to educate our children, build dams, not to wage a proxy war against Pakistan - so I'll give a reassurance to Musharraf that he did not worry.
- Pakistan is a very close neighbor of Afghanistan - we have tremendous connectivity, people-to people relations - we're almost like twins..
- We will engage with Pakistan as a sovereign, independent state conducting our own foreign policy and that will not be compromised
- The Afghan people would love to be friends with America - but as equals. One very poor and one very rich but that should not reduce the dignity.
- US should have gone to the sanctuaries of terrorism, not Afghanistan
- I stood up against the U.S. because I wanted them to correct their behaviour with Afghanistan
- I told President Obama they should not be running with the hare and hunting with the hound
Hamid Karzai on relations with India:
- Don't need Indian boots on the ground - as a matter of fact don't need any boots on the ground.
- India is well situated to train our officers, civil services and fulfill Afghanistan's need of military equipment
- India, as any old civilization is, a cautious country - I believe there is more that could be don
- I'm a former president. I have a lot more freedom today but not free to say everything or anything
