Like him or not, you have to feel sorry for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. He is not merely preparing India for the future, he is sinking under the accumulated rubbish and filth that successive governments have failed to tackle in the 67 years since independence.
When he came to power a year ago, Mr Modi knew he had to clean up the Ganges, the Hindu holy river. Everyone knew that the Ganges had become a fetid sewer on account of the untreated human sewage and industrial waste that had been dumped in it for decades.
Mr Modi made it a key policy to clean the river. It was a huge job, of course, given that the river covers 2,500 kilometres.
But even before he gets started, a new report by the Central Pollution Control Board has said that the number of polluted rivers in India has risen in the past five years from 121 to 275.
The report blames increased sewage from a rising population. Indians generate many millions of litres of sewage every day and the country’s treatment facilities are unable to cope.
There lies the rub. What have the governments of India's constituent states been doing all these years? Why haven't they set up more sewage treatment plants?
Do they not plan for their cities and their development? Did they never consider the rising population and the attendant implications for sewage?
Sometimes it seems the people in charge of India are in a drug-induced torpor, able to move only in slow motion. Take the decision to clean the Ganges. It is long overdue but the labyrinthine and inert bureaucracy will slow its execution.
But it’s more than red tape; it’s a psychological condition. Indians act only in extremis, when the problem escalates into a do-or-die crisis, when their backs are up against the wall and they have absolutely no choice but to act.
That is what happened with the Ganges.
Frankly it’s been neglected for so long it’s anyone guess if the river will ever be clean. The same thing has happened with the issue of New Delhi’s air quality.
For years, no one bothered. Reports and warnings were ignored. It’s only now that the authorities are paying any attention, when residents are having difficulty breathing and the World Health Organisation has declared Delhi to be the most polluted city on the planet with levels of dangerous small particulate matter six times the WHO’s recommended maximum.
Of course, ordinary Indians are to blame in equal measure. Sanjay Singh, a boatman in Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges, told me that all the bathers in the river ignore the prominent signs on the ghats prohibiting them from soaping themselves in the water or shampooing their hair.
“If I go up to them and point to the signs, they just say ‘who are you?’ and continue polluting the river they hold sacred,” he said.
What’s missing is civic sense and pride, a desire to play one’s part in keeping the surroundings clean, concern for future generations and a sense of collective responsibility. It’s each for himself.
As a result, towns and cities all over India are hideously, irredeemably ugly, with not a single pleasing edifice, surface or exterior. But no one even notices because many Indians have lost their aesthetic sense, their appreciation of cleanliness and beauty.
So, blackened buildings with broken windows, peeling plaster, a tangled mass of electricity lines, piles of rubbish on broken pavements and a decrepit landscape are the norm.
It was not always thus. The ancient cities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa were models of town planning with granaries, public baths, a town hall, wide streets, reservoirs and a drainage system.
The absence of urban planning, bureaucratic sloth and flaws in the culture mean that there isn’t just the Ganges to clean but 275 rivers.
Amrit Dhillon is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
