Two Stories From India That Caught My Eye

Both are from the BBC. 

First - I was vaguely aware that India's traditional caste system was still prevalent, but I was under the impression that discrimination against Dalits (Untouchables) had largely fallen by the wayside.  Apparently I was wrong.    The traditional prejudices are apparently strong enough that many Indian Hindus are converting to Buddhism or Christianity to escape them.

Thousands of people have been attending mass ceremonies in India at which hundreds of low-caste Hindus (Dalits) converted to Buddhism and Christianity.

The events in the central city of Nagpur are part of a protest against the injustices of India's caste system.

By converting, Dalits - once known as Untouchables - can escape the prejudice and discrimination they normally face.

Of course any time religion is involved there has to be some backlash:

Laws against conversion

Similar mass conversions are taking place this month in many other parts of India.

Several states governed by the Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, have introduced laws to make such conversions more difficult.

Hundreds of Dalits converted to Christianity and Buddhism

The states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have all passed laws restricting conversions.

Gujarat has reclassified Buddhism and Jainism as branches of the Hindu religion, in an attempt to prevent conversions away from Hinduism eroding the BJP's bedrock support.

Now it may just be me, but I am thinking that if I was a Hindu and a Dalit, and the local government told me I couldn't convert because they wanted to keep kicking me around I might vote against them.  This doesn't seem like a winning electoral strategy to me.

Second - India and the EU have agreed in Principle to a trade deal that will eliminate 90% of tariffs in 7 years.

The European Union and India have agreed to negotiate a bilateral deal on trade and investment. [...]

The agreement would aim to eliminate 90% of tariffs within seven years of the agreement coming into force, he added. [...]

Trade between India and the EU is currently about 40 billion euros ($50bn; £27bn) each year.

Goods, services, investment, trade facilitation, commerce and industry would all be covered said Indian trade minister Kamal Nath.  [...]

I don't think this is going to work out quite the way Europe envisions. 

Currently India is going through an Economic boom driven in part by the low cost of labor.  However the cost of labor in India is rising, in China also, and with the removal of tariffs trade will increase.  That however,  may lead to wage and cost inflation in Europe as people try to buy the newer cheaper goods / services.  Too much inflation leads to a recession.  That's bad news for Europe.  

tags: India, Current+Affairs