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India and UN
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- India was one of the founding members of the UN.
- India has contributed soldiers to peacekeeping missions in Korea, Egypt, Congo, Somalia, Lebanon, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
- Part of G4 (Brazil, India, Japan, Germany- primary motive is to gain an UNCS permanent seat), G77 (a loose coalition of developing countries for better bargaining; now has 134 members, not 77).
- India was amongst the most outspoken critics of apartheid and racial discrimination in South Africa, being the first country to have raised the issue in the UN (in 1946).
- In 1953, Vijaylakshmi Pandit was elected the first woman President of the G4 United Nations.
- Kashmir issue: In 1948, the United Kingdom, which was hoping to avoid being seen as unfriendly to a Muslim state after the creation of Israel, used pressure tactics on its allies France, Canada, and the US to support the Pakistani viewpoint that Kashmir’s accession to India was disputable and had to be put to the test of a plebiscite. To this day, Indian strategic commentators and critics of Nehru bemoan his cardinal mistake of taking the Kashmir dispute to a UN that was packed with pro-Pakistani partisan powers. Nehru did not appreciate that the UN was an institution of power politics, not an impartial police force.
- Security Council members of the US, United Kingdom, and France tried to prevent India from forcibly absorbing the Portuguese colony of Goa in 1961. But for the Soviet Union veto in favor of India, Goa would’ve become a disputed territory like Kashmir.
- Following the 1962 conflict with China, India became involved in two wars with Pakistan and entered a period of political instability, economic stagnation, food shortages, and near-famine conditions. India’s role diminished in the UN which came both as a result of its image and a deliberate decision by the post-Nehru political leadership to adopt a low profile at the UN and speak only on vital Indian interests.
- Demand for a permanent seat on the SC (described in the SC section above).
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India and the IMF
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- India hasn’t taken any funding from the IMF since 1993, and all repayments for past loans were completed in the year 2000.
- India has about 2.75% shareholdings and ranks 17th in voting rights amongst 24 voting constituencies (India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka form a single constituency).
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India and the World Bank
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- India is a member of IBRD, IDA, IFC, and MIGA, but not of ICSID.
- Main assistance by IBRD has been provided for roads and highways, energy, urban infrastructure (including WATSAN), rural credit, disaster management, and financial services.
- The major sectors of IDA assistance provided are health education, agriculture, and poverty reduction sectors.
- A key feature of the current strategy of the World Bank in India is its focus on supporting low-income and special-category states, where many of India’s poor and disadvantaged live.
- The new strategy proposes a lending program of $3 billion to $5 billion each year over 2013-17. 60% of the financing will go to state government-backed projects. Half of this, or 30% of total lending, will go to low-income or special-category states.
- India represents IFC’s single-largest country exposure and has a portfolio of about $3.6 billion in India.
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World Trade Organization (WTO)
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- India participates in global trade negotiations through the WTO.
- It advocates for fair trade practices, especially in agriculture, and supports the interests of developing nations.
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Group of Twenty (G20)
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- India is a member of the G20, a forum for major economies to discuss global economic issues.
- G20 summits provide a platform for India to engage with other influential nations.
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Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
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- India seeks membership in the NSG, a group that regulates nuclear trade.
- NSG membership is crucial for India’s access to advanced nuclear technology.
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