India uses PPP to improve infrastructure for ASEAN connectivity 

NEW DELHI, Feb. 17 (PIA) --- To advance its connectivity with the rest of the South Asia region, India is aggressively pursuing infrastructure development across its landlocked country by way of Public Private Partnership (PPP). 

Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India’s Planning Commission, told journalists from Southeast Asian countries that the Indian government has just recently opened its doors to the private sector in implementing the needed infrastructure projects. 

Said projects include roads, ports, railways, airports and telecommunications. 

“Right now we are thinking of also including PPP in education and health but this is all tentative for now,” Ahluwalia told the visiting journalists on Feb. 14. 

He said the Indian government is keen on using the PPP as a strategy to hike the country’s growth rate without depending too much on government funding. 

India has been embarking on massive infrastructure development in the last few years in an effort of providing a seamless transition to its role in the northeast region, particularly to its nearest Asian neighbors, Myanmar and China. 

Ahluwalia said that port connectivity with any of the countries under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is something his government is exploring. 

In its website, the planning commission reported that a funding investment of US$494 billion was conceived based on the 11th Five Year Plan between 2007 to 2012 with investment sectors focused on telecommunications, electric power, water transport, road, rail, air, water supply, and irrigation. 

To meet these demands, India’s government struck a partnership with various private sectors for the implementation of said infrastructure facilities. 

“We are following the PPP so we don’t spend too much government money yet bring in as much private money as possible,” he stressed. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental) 

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Joint team from city, prov’l LGU of NegOr seize 90 illegally collected sacks of sand 

By Jennifer C. Tilos 

DUMAGUETE CITY, Feb. 16 (PIA) -- A joint team from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) together with the Provincial Environment Natural Resources Division (ENRD) seized 90 illegally collected sacks of sand from the Banica River in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. 

Dumaguete City ENRO Officer Dick Encabo said his team and the ENRD immediately went to the site after receiving a report on the ongoing activities along and near the spillway of Barangays Taclobo and Bagacay. 

Upon the arrival of the team, the illegal extractors hastily left the area, Encabo disclosed. 

Residents of the area were then informed by the team about the provincial ordinance prohibiting individuals to collect sand along Banica River without permits from the Department of Environment & Natural Resources (DENR).

Encabo clarified to the residents the implementation and enforcement of the provincial ordinance. 

In the aftermath of Typhoon Sendong, sands from uphill have piled along the Banica River attracting illegal extractors to collect the sands without the necessary DENR permit. 

Encabo explained to the residents living near the area that illegal sand quarrying can damage the riverbed and endanger their lives as well. 

The continuous illegal collection of sand from the river would cause soil erosion, resulting to floods, said Encabo. 

“Kadtong nanginabuhi sa pagpanguha ug balas diha sa suba sa Banica, mangita nalang sila ug laing trabaho, kay dili mi magpanuko sa pagdakop nila kon dilin sila motuman sa balaod (Those who depend on illegal quarrying for income should find another means of livelihood because we will not hesitate to apprehend them if they do not follow the law),” Encabo warned. (FCR/JCT/PIA-NegOr) 

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More needs to be done for AEC realization by 2015’ 

By Rachelle M. Nessia with reports from Habhajan Singh, The Malaysian Reserve 

NEW DELHI, Feb. 16 (PIA) --- Panelists during the recently-concluded Delhi Dialogue IV in India agreed that there is still a long way to go for the realization of the Asian Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. 

Some of the challenges raised during the dialogue include trade barriers, lack of trust among Asian neighbors, low intra-regional trade share and the development divide. 

Tariff and non-tariff barriers were among the issues that emerged at the panel discussing the economic integration of Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) during the dialogue held Feb. 13 to 14 in New Delhi. 

The two-day dialogue was themed “India and ASEAN: Partners for Peace, Progress and Stability 

Dr. Sok Siphana, an advisor to the Cambodia government and one of the dialogue panelists, said the rising non-tariff barriers in the trade of goods and lack of settlement channels remain one of the challenges faced by Southeast Asian nations as they move towards firming the AEC. 

"In the trade of goods, the tariff reduction program is on track, but non-tariff barriers are on the rise," Siphana said. 

If left unchecked, he said the new non-tariff measures could nullify the benefits from tariff reductions. 

"You can get information on tariff rates by picking up a book or other sources. But for non-tariff restrictions, it is not easily available," he told the conference. 

Another panelist, Isabel Guerrero, former country economist in the Philippines and currently Vice President of the World Bank Group South Asia Region, echoed Siphana’s observations as she lamented that in spite of trade agreements among the South Asian countries, major trade barriers remain. 

She also cited behind-the-border restrictions, weak logistics, and poor market access for lagging regions as additional issues that beset economic integration in the region. 

The panelists called for ASEAN and India to put into place measures that will dismantle said barriers in order to achieve full regional integration. 

Dr. Siphana, in his talk, described as 'praiseworthy' ASEAN’s economic growth in the last few years. 

In 2010, its merchandise trade value jumped from US$ 1.54 trillion in 2009 to US$ 2.04 trillion in 2010. 

During the same period, Asean's exports of commercial services to the world jumped 139% to US$162.8 trillion, he said. 

Foreign direct investment (FDI) reached US$75.8 billion in 2010, doubling the 2009 level, and growing at an annual average rate of 19%, according to figures given by Dr Siphana. 

However, he noted that Asean intra-regional trade stands at 25% has to be pushed to 40%, which is still lower than the 68% intra-trade among the 27 European Union (EU) members. 

With the advent of the AEC in 2015, Siphana said the implementation of numerous measures identified in the AEC Blueprint, ASEAN single window and trade facilitation must be accelerated. 

A recent scorecard survey on the readiness of AEC blueprint found that the region has completed 75% of its total first implementation period in 2010. 

AEC was formulated when ASEAN leaders during the Bali Summit in October 2003 announced that AEC shall be the goal of regional economic integration. 

If realized, AEC is seen to unify a market of more than 600 million citizens with a combined gross domestic product of nearly US$2,000 billion. (RMN/PIA Negros Oriental)