Editor′s Note

The last few weeks have been marked by major tectonic shifts in the political landscape of the world; from the US presidential race to India's very own big bang announcement of the demonetisation of its Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. While the dust around all these storms is nowhere near settling down, there has been an equal hive of activity around India's inbound investment scenario. This edition of 'India Investment Journal' brings with it the usual mix of news, views, analysis, interviews and reviews to track the economic trajectory of the world's fastest growing large economy. This time we dig into the oil and gas sector of India, which has immense potential to attract global investments but it is only now that it seems to be finally getting on with the task at hand. The man at the heart of the unshakeable drive needed to make the industry truly tick is Dharmendra Pradhan, minister for petroleum and natural gas. He speaks exclusively to 'IIJ' during his roadshow around the world about the ambitious goals he has set for himself and why he believes energy justice for every citizen of India is within reach. Besides the interview, there is a wealth of data around the key milestones in the sector and an analysis by experts on what more needs doing. Our other spotlight is on the recently-concluded India visit by British Prime Minister Theresa May. While the Acting Indian High Commissioner to the UK tells 'IIJ' that the tour was a success because it has moved the India-UK relationship to the next level, the general vibe has been of a rather muted prime ministerial tour of a country no longer content with mere symbolism. We take stock of why there remains a lag between the expectations and actual delivery of this so-called “special relationship”. There is also a snapshot of India-Russia ties against the backdrop of the recent BRICS summit in India and India-EU ties against the Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) summit in Brussels. The US India Business Council (USIBC) chief gives his take on what India-US ties could look like under a new American President and a young ethical hacker from India talks about how Brexit has opened up the arena for Indian cyber-crime warriors. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) section this time features two very divergent views - one on social entrepreneurship and another from the Mahindra Group. Our State Focus this time is on Madhya Pradesh, the so-called heartland of India. The state's chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, gives an impassioned first person account to the 'IIJ' on how far his once backward state has come. We present an Expat's Guide to its capital city of Bhopal and an interview with the Indore-born Deputy Mayor for Business in London, Rajesh Agrawal. There is, as always, something for all our readers in the pages ahead.

Aditi Khanna is the Senior Editor of India Inc.