Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Civil Services News January
Civil Services News January
Mandeep Mittal
B. Tech, M. Tech IIT Delhi
9891403625
mandeep.iitd@gmail.com
Contents
National News
Highlights of Barack Obamas visit to India .................................................................................................... 5
Indo-US Nuclear Deal ............................................................................................................................ 16
Indo US Nuclear Logjam ..................................................................................................................... 20
Health as a Fundamental Right................................................................................................................. 22
Governments move to block 32 websites draws flak ........................................................................................ 25
NITI Ayog .......................................................................................................................................... 25
Consumer Protection Act in shambles ......................................................................................................... 31
Amendments to Land Acquisition Act ......................................................................................................... 33
Section 66A of the IT Act ........................................................................................................................ 35
Indias preparedness to fight Ebola ............................................................................................................ 36
Government freezes accounts of international NGOs ....................................................................................... 39
Bifurcating top post in PSBs expected to bring in transparency ........................................................................... 41
Xaxa Committee Report ......................................................................................................................... 41
Net Neutrality .....................................................................................................................................44
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tatas 175th birth anniversary ....................................................................................... 45
Vibrant Gujarat Summit .........................................................................................................................46
Sterilization Deaths ............................................................................................................................... 47
Educational qualification for contesting local body elections ..............................................................................48
Voting rights for NRIs ............................................................................................................................48
MMDR Amendment Ordinance, 2015 .........................................................................................................49
Armed Forces facing a fund shortage ..........................................................................................................50
Rise of the Lone Wolf ............................................................................................................................ 52
Operation Chakravyuh ........................................................................................................................... 55
Freedom of speech and expression ............................................................................................................. 57
Chief and members of CBFC resign alleging interference .................................................................................. 58
Katchatheevu ..................................................................................................................................... 60
MHRD directive to institutions over MoUs ................................................................................................... 61
Decontrol of Urea ................................................................................................................................. 62
Tejas ................................................................................................................................................64
Annual Status of Education Report ............................................................................................................64
SC lays down rules for BCCI elections ......................................................................................................... 65
Centre set to unveil housing for all plan ....................................................................................................... 67
Women in Indian army ..........................................................................................................................68
January 2015
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International News
Peshawar attacks and Indias potential role in maintaining peace in Af-Pak border areas............................................ 73
Nepal to join Silk Road initiative ............................................................................................................... 75
Growing Opium production in Myanmar ..................................................................................................... 78
Terror attack on Paris magazine kills 12 ...................................................................................................... 79
Sri Linka elects new president ................................................................................................................. 80
Thaw in relations between US and Cuba ...................................................................................................... 81
Military courts to be established in Pakistan .................................................................................................83
UNFCC Conference 2014 ........................................................................................................................84
Findings of a study on inequalities in distribution of wealth conducted by Oxfam .....................................................86
Israel-Palestine conflict comes under ICCs watch ..........................................................................................86
Quantitative Easing in Europe ................................................................................................................. 90
Pakistani Taliban ................................................................................................................................. 92
India-Russia summit 2014 ......................................................................................................................96
Reservations in Education and Employment .................................................................................................98
Assam Violence.................................................................................................................................. 101
Iterview with Shubhankar Dam .............................................................................................................. 105
Skill Gaps in the Indian Labour Market ..................................................................................................... 108
January 2015
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More Autonomy to be Given in Decision Making to DPSUs and OFBs for Better Performance .................................... 134
Strategic partnerships is a big step to scale skilling initiatives in India: Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy .................................. 135
Smart cities are all about 4 S and 4 P...................................................................................................... 136
PM's remarks at India-US CEO Forum ...................................................................................................... 137
US-India Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region ....................................................... 137
Joint Statement during the visit of President of USA to India ''Shared Effort; Progress for All'' ................................. 138
India-U.S. Delhi Declaration of Friendship ................................................................................................. 140
Recommendations of High Level Committee on restructuring of FCI...................................................................141
PMs address at Economic Times Global Business Summit .............................................................................. 146
Novel Superabsorbent Hydrogels Technology ............................................................................................. 149
Achievements of the Department of Science and Technology ........................................................................... 150
Economy
Small banks and Payment Banks ............................................................................................................. 152
Coal workers Strike ............................................................................................................................ 153
Index of Industrial Production ............................................................................................................... 155
Indias trade deficit with China ............................................................................................................... 155
Urijit Patel Committee and inflation targeting ............................................................................................. 156
RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points .........................................................................................................157
Some basic concepts of Economics .......................................................................................................... 158
Goods and Services Tax ........................................................................................................................ 160
Government wont appeal pro-Vodafone tax order from High Court ................................................................... 162
World Economic Forum ....................................................................................................................... 163
After Make In India, PM to launch services initiative .................................................................................... 165
Trans-Pacific Partnership ..................................................................................................................... 166
Science
What is the difference between GSLV and PSLV? ......................................................................................... 169
India-based Neutrino Observatory ........................................................................................................... 170
Meningitis: Indian vaccine will protect infants in Africa .................................................................................. 171
Crowdsourcing ................................................................................................................................... 171
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During three meetings of the India-US contact group spread over 45 days, India gave a legally-worded assurance
that the suppliers will not be liable under tort law claims a civil wrong addressed by awarding damages. This
assurance to US companies, GE and Westinghouse, is said to have broken the logjam.
Asked whether the Attorney General of India will give the assurance in the form of a memorandum, Joint
Secretary (Disarmament and International Security) Amandeep Singh Gill, who negotiated with the US on the
nuclear liability issue, said: That is work in progress.
On the issue of right to recourse under the India nuclear liability law, India is going to create an insurance pool of
Rs 1,500 crore which will take care of the suppliers liability. This pool will be created by General Insurance
Corporation and four other insurers who will put in Rs 750 crore while operators and suppliers will provide the
remaining Rs 750 crore.
We have an administrative arrangement with Canada and that has been the template for finalising our
administrative arrangement with the US, Gill said. India is learnt to have stuck to its position of allowing only
IAEA inspectors for tracking nuclear material.
For couple of years the deal has been stuck on the fact that the US insisted on "nationality" tracking of fuel and
equipment to make sure it stays in the civilian sector and not cross over into India's strategic programme. India
has opposed it on grounds of sovereignty. India has committed to more intrusive verification by IAEA by signing
the Additional Protocol. India provides all its information to IAEA and has offered to provide these to US. Till
now, America had disagreed. The US has now stepped off the bench to allow the nuclear deal to be done. This
issue has been holding up the India-Japan nuclear agreement too.
January 2015
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The two sides also noted the growing cooperation between their law enforcement agencies, particularly in the
areas of extradition and mutual legal assistance, to counter transnational criminal threats such as terrorism,
narcotics, trafficking, financial and economic fraud, cybercrime, and transnational organized crime and pledged to
enhance such cooperation further. The President and the Prime Minister also noted the serious risks to national
and economic security from malicious cyber activity and agreed to cooperate on enhancing operational sharing of
cyber threat information, examining how international law applies in cyberspace, and working together to build
agreement on norms of responsible state behavior.
The Leaders committed to undertake efforts to make the U.S.-India partnership a defining counterterrorism
relationship for the 21st Century by deepening collaboration to combat the full spectrum of terrorist threats and
keep their respective homelands and citizens safe from attacks. The Leaders reiterated their strong condemnation
of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with zero tolerance and reaffirmed their deep concern over the
continued threat posed by transnational terrorism including by groups like Al Qaida and the ISIL, and called for
eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their financing, and
stopping cross-border movement of terrorists.
The Leaders reaffirmed the need for joint and concerted efforts to disrupt entities such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba,
Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and the Haqqani Network, and agreed to continue ongoing efforts through the
Homeland Security Dialogue as well as the next round of the U.S.-India Joint Working Group on Counter
Terrorism in late 2015 to develop actionable elements of bilateral engagement. The two sides noted the recent U.S.
sanctions against three D Company affiliates. The President and the Prime Minister further agreed to continue to
work toward an agreement to share information on known and suspected terrorists. They also agreed to enter
discussions to deepen collaboration on UN terrorist designations, and reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the
perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai to justice.
January 2015
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The President and the Prime Minister also noted the positive cooperative engagement between the Indian and the
U.S. authorities with a view to working together to counter the threat of IEDs and to develop counterterrorism
best practices.
January 2015
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area, consistent with its policies, to support private sector involvement for those entities in contributing to Indias
clean energy requirements.
iv. Launching Air Quality Cooperation: Implementing EPAs AIR Now-International Program and megacities
partnerships, focused on disseminating information to help the urban dwellers to reduce their exposure to
harmful levels of air pollution, and enable urban policy planners to implement corrective strategies for improving
Ambient Air Quality in the cities keeping in view health and climate change co-benefits of these strategies.
v. Initiating Climate Resilience Tool Development: Jointly undertaking a partnership on climate resilience that
will work to downscale international climate models for the Indian sub-continent to much higher resolution than
currently available, assess climate risks at the sub-national level, work with local technical institutes on capacity
building, and engage local decision-makers in the process of addressing climate information needs and informing
planning and climate resilient sustainable development, including for Indias State Action Plans.
vi. Demonstrating Clean Energy and Climate Initiatives on the Ground: Additional pilot programs and other
collaborative projects in the areas of space cooling, super-efficient appliances, renewable energy storage, and
smart grids.
vii. Concluding MOU on Energy Security, Clean Energy and Climate Change: Both countries concluded
negotiations on a five year MOU to carry this work forward, to be signed as early as possible at a mutually agreed
upon date.
Economic Growth
Prime Minister Modi and President Obama expressed confidence that continued bilateral collaboration will
increase opportunities for investment, improve bilateral trade and investment ties and lead to the creation of jobs
and prosperity in both economies. In this regard, the Leaders agreed to continue to strengthen their broad-based
partnership for development through stronger trade, technology, manufacturing, and investment linkages
between the two countries and triangular cooperation with partner countries, and that continued efforts to
maintain labor standards as per domestic law and agreed international norms will make these linkages more
durable. The two sides also committed to continuing to cooperate on the finalization of the Post-Bali Work
Programme in the spirit of the Doha mandate.
The President and the Prime Minister affirmed their shared commitment to facilitating increased bilateral
investment flows and fostering an open and predictable climate for investment. To this end, the Leaders
instructed their officials to assess the prospects for moving forward with high-standard bilateral investment treaty
discussions given their respective approaches.
The President and the Prime Minister also welcomed the fifth annual U.S.-India Economic and Financial
Partnership Dialogue in February, in which the countries will deepen their dialogue on macroeconomic policy,
financial sector regulation and development, infrastructure investment, tax policy, and efforts to combat money
laundering and terrorist financing.
The two sides agreed to hold a discussion on the elements required in both countries to pursue an India-U.S.
Totalisation Agreement.
President Obama commended Prime Minister Modis "Jan Dhan scheme to prioritize financial inclusion for
Indias poor. The Leaders noted Indias intent to join the Better Than Cash Alliance.
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multilateral development banks for infrastructure financing. Prime Minister Modi appreciated the efforts of the
U.S. Treasury for cooperating with the Ministry of Finance on the Task Force on Resolution Corporation set up in
pursuance of the recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission.
January 2015
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issues, and reaffirmed their commitment to stakeholders consultations on policy matters concerning intellectual
property protection.
President Obama and Prime Minister Modi agreed to further promote cooperative and commercial relations
between India and the United States in the field of space. The leaders noted the on-going interactions between
their space agencies, including towards realizing a dual frequency radar imaging satellite for Earth Sciences, and
exploring possibilities for cooperation in studying Mars.
The Leaders took note of ongoing U.S.-India space cooperation, including the first face-to-face meeting of the
ISRO-NASA Mars Working Group from 29-31 January 2015 in Bangalore, in which the two sides will consider
opportunities for enhanced cooperation in Mars exploration, including potential coordinated observations and
analysis between ISROs Mars Orbiter Mission and NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission
(MAVEN). The Prime Minister and the President also welcomed continued progress toward enhanced space
cooperation via the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group, which will meet later this year in India.
Under the umbrella of an implementing agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department
of Atomic Energy of India, the Leaders welcomed expanded collaboration in basic physics research, and
accelerator research and development.
The Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and announced specific
actions at home and abroad to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including a CDC-Ministry of Health Ebola
and GHSA preparedness training, expansion of the India Epidemic Intelligence Service, and development of a
roadmap to achieve the objectives of the GHSA within three years.
The Leaders also committed to multi-sectoral actions countering the emergence and spread of antimicrobial
resistance (AMR), and cooperation in training of health workers in preparedness for infectious disease threats.
The Leaders agreed to focus science and technology partnerships on countering antibiotic resistant bacteria and
promoting the availability, efficacy and quality of therapeutics.
The Leaders welcomed further progress in promoting bilateral cooperation on cancer research, prevention,
control, and management and agreed to continue to strengthen the engagement between the CDC and Indias
National Centre for Disease Control.
The President and Prime Minister also welcomed the upcoming completion of an Environmental Health,
Occupational Health and Injury Prevention and Control MoU between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Indian Council for Medical Research to further collaborative efforts to improve the health and
welfare of both countries citizens.
The Prime Minister and the President also agreed to expand the India-U.S. Health Initiative into a Healthcare
Dialogue with relevant stakeholders to further strengthen bilateral collaboration in health sectors including
through capacity building initiatives and by exploring new areas, including affordable healthcare, cost saving
mechanisms, distribution barriers, patent quality, health services information technology, and complementary
and traditional medicine. The President and the Prime Minister pledged to encourage dialogue between the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and its Indian counterparts on traditional medicine. The Leaders also
pledged to strengthen collaboration, dialogue, and cooperation between the regulatory authorities of the two
countries to ensure safety, efficacy, and quality of pharmaceuticals, including generic medicines.
The Leaders also agreed to accelerate joint leadership of the global Call to Action to end preventable deaths among
mothers and children through a third meeting of the 24 participating countries in India in June 2015. As host,
India will showcase the power of new partnerships, innovations and systems to more effectively deliver life-saving
interventions. They also lauded the highly successful collaboration on a locally produced vaccine against rotavirus
January 2015
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which will save the lives of an estimated 80,000 children each year in India alone, and pledged to strengthen the
cooperation in health research and capacity building through a new phase of the India-U.S. Vaccine Action
Programme.
January 2015
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the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group. The
President reaffirmed the United States position that India meets MTCR requirements and is ready for NSG
membership and that it supports Indias early application and eventual membership in all four regimes.
The Leaders expressed concern over the Democratic Peoples Republic of Koreas (DPRK) nuclear and ballistic
missile programmes, including its uranium enrichment activity. They urged the DPRK to take concrete steps
toward denuclearization, as well as to comply fully with its international obligations, including relevant UN
Security Council Resolutions, and to fulfill its commitments under the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party talks.
The Leaders welcomed recent progress and noted the criticality of Iran taking steps to verifiably assure the
international community of the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme, and agreed that this is an
historic opportunity for Iran to resolve outstanding concerns related to its nuclear programme.
Highlighting the United States` and Indias shared democratic values and recognizing the important role of
women in their societies, the Leaders looked forward to reconvening the Women Empowerment Dialogue as early
as possible and reasserted their zero tolerance for violence against women. The Leaders also looked forward to the
reconvening of the Global Issues Forum.
The President and the Prime Minister also reaffirmed their commitment to consult closely on global crises,
including in Iraq and Syria. The Leaders agreed to exchange information on individuals returning from these
conflict zones and to continue to cooperate in protecting and responding to the needs of civilians caught up in
these conflicts.
President Obama reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member,
and both leaders committed to ensuring that the Security Council continues to play an effective role in
maintaining international peace and security as envisioned in the United Nations Charter. They also committed to
accelerate their peacekeeping capacity-building efforts in third countries.
January 2015
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US Totalization Agreement," a joint statement issued after a meeting between PM Modi and President Barack
Obama said.
Mann ki Baat
Sharing the Mann ki Baat radio platform with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. President Barack Obama said
governments and leaders today cannot rule through a top-down approach, and should instead reach out to people
in an inclusive way and engage in dialogue with citizens about the direction of their country.
Mr. Obama was responding to a question about how leaders should adapt to a world in which young people were
global citizens with information at their fingertips. Answering the same question, Mr. Modi emphasised on the
power of youth, saying Communists used to say earlier, 'workers of the world, unite.' I think today it should be
youth unite the world.
Mr. Modi had started the Mann ki Baat radio platform in October as a way to directly communicate with people.
Latest edition of the programme was a historic joint address with Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama described India and the
U.S. as natural partners who were making a lot of history in a short time. He added that he was honoured to be
the first U.S. President to visit India on Republic Day.
Over the course of 35 minutes Mr. Modi and Mr. Obama fielded questions that had come in from across the
country ranging from their personal inspirations to their vision for a shared future. Mr. Modi took the first
question on what Mr. Obama's name meant, explaining that 'Barack' in Swahili meant 'one who was blessed.'
January 2015
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Mr. Obama then gave an opening address before taking questions himself: People are very excited in the United
States about the energy that Prime Minister Modi is bringing to efforts in this country to reduce extreme poverty
and lift people up, to empower women, to provide access to electricity, and clean energy and invest in
infrastructure, and the education system. He added that on all these issues the U.S. wants to partner India since
they are similar to what he himself is trying to achieve through his policies.
When asked if they had ever dreamt of reaching where they are today, both Mr. Modi and Mr. Obama replied in
the negative. Mr. Obama said that their respective stories were an example of the incredible opportunities
available in both countries.
I think both of us have been blessed with an extraordinary opportunity, coming from relatively humble
beginnings. And when I think about whats best in America and whats best in India, the notion that a tea seller or
somebody whos born to a single mother like me, could end up leading our countries, is an extraordinary example
of the opportunities that exist within our countries, Mr. Obama said
Mr. Modi was also asked to compare his two visits to the White House: One as a visitor standing outside the fence
and then as a visiting premier. Mr. Modi said he never thought he would set foot inside and on his first official
visit, Mr. Obama gifted him a book of speeches by Swami Vivekananda at the Chicago World Religions Conference
in 1894. The gesture, he said, left him deeply touched.
To a question on why his two daughters didn't accompany him to India, Mr. Obama said they had school and
couldn't leave. However, he said they were both deeply influenced by the Indian freedom movement and how it
influenced the non-violent civil rights movement in America. I am quite sure that they are going to insist that I
bring them back the next time I visit, Mr. Obama said.
January 2015
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the United States approached the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to grant a waiver to India to commence civilian
nuclear trade. The 48-nation NSG granted the waiver to India on September 6, 2008 allowing it to access, civilian
nuclear technology and fuel from other countries. The implementation of this waiver made India the only known
country with nuclear weapons which is not a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but is still allowed to
carry out nuclear commerce with the rest of the world.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill to approve the deal on September 28, 2008. Two days later,
India and France inked a similar nuclear pact making France the first country to have such an agreement with
India. On October 1, 2008 the U.S. Senate also approved the civilian nuclear agreement allowing India to
purchase nuclear fuel and technology from -- and sell them to -- the United States. U.S. President, George W.
Bush, signed the legislation on the Indo-US nuclear deal, approved by the U.S. Congress, into law, now called
the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act, on October 8,
2008.
January 2015
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The Guidelines are comprised of two parts, each of which was created in response to a significant proliferation
event that highlighted shortcomings in then-existing export control systems. Part I lists materials and technology
designed specifically for nuclear use. These include fissile materials, nuclear reactors and equipment, and
reprocessing and enrichment equipment. First published in 1978, Part I responded to India's diversion of nuclear
imports for supposedly peaceful purposes to conduct a nuclear explosion in 1974. Part II identifies dual-use goods,
which are non-nuclear items with legitimate civilian applications that can also be used to develop weapons.
Machine tools and lasers are two types of dual-use goods. NSG members adopted Part II in 1992 after discovering
how close Iraq came to realizing its nuclear weapons ambitions by illicitly employing dual-use imports in a covert
nuclear weapons program before the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
At a May 2004 meeting, NSG members adopted a "catch-all" mechanism, which authorizes members to block any
export suspected to be destined to a nuclear weapons program even if the export does not appear on one of the
control lists.
To be eligible for importing Part I items from an NSG member, states must have comprehensive IAEA safeguards
covering all their nuclear activities and facilities. In the case of Part II goods, IAEA safeguards are only required
for the specific nuclear activity or facility that the import is destined for.
Because the regime is voluntary, NSG members may ultimately make a political calculation to proceed with a
transfer that violates the guidelines. For instance, Russia transferred nuclear fuel to India in January 2001 even
though 32 of 34 NSG members earlier declared that the shipment would contradict Russia's NSG commitments.
Members are supposed to report their export denials to each other so potential proliferators cannot approach
several suppliers with the same request and get different responses. NSG states are expected to refrain from
making exports identical or similar to those denied by other members.
In 2008, the NSG agreed to exempt India from its requirement that recipient countries have in place
comprehensive IAEA safeguards covering all nuclear activities. The United States pressed for the exemption for
three years to allow nuclear trade with India, and some NSG members were reluctant to agree to such a rule
reversal. The waiver commits each NSG member to regularly inform the group of certain approved transfers to
India and invites each country to share information on their bilateral nuclear cooperation agreements with India.
NSG members periodically review the Guidelines to add new items that pose proliferation risks or to eliminate
goods that no longer require special trade controls. An annual plenary, which is chaired on a rotating basis among
members, is held to discuss the regime's operation, including possible changes to the Guidelines. All NSG
decisions are made by consensus.
Membership - Any state that conducts exports appearing on the Guidelines may apply for NSG membership. A
potential member is evaluated on its proliferation record, adherence to international nonproliferation treaties and
agreements, and national export controls. All existing members must approve an applicant for it to join the
regime. There are several countries with nuclear programs outside the NSG, most notably India, Israel, Pakistan,
and North Korea.
January 2015
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to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective
international control."
Non-nuclear-weapon States Parties undertake not to acquire or produce nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive
devices. They are required also to accept safeguards to detect diversions of nuclear materials from peaceful
activities, such as power generation, to the production of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. This
must be done in accordance with an individual safeguards agreement, concluded between each non-nuclearweapon State Party and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Under these agreements, all nuclear
materials in peaceful civil facilities under the jurisdiction of the state must be declared to the IAEA, whose
inspectors have routine access to the facilities for periodic monitoring and inspections. If information from
routine inspections is not sufficient to fulfill its responsibilities, the IAEA may consult with the state regarding
special inspections within or outside declared facilities.
The NPT is the most widely accepted arms control agreement. Only Israel, India, and Pakistan have never been
signatories of the Treaty, and North Korea withdrew from the Treaty in 2003. The provisions of the Treaty,
particularly article VIII, paragraph 3, envisage a review of the operation of the Treaty every five years.
Last year India voted against the provisions of draft resolutions that would have required it to accede to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In its explanation of vote, India said it cannot accept the call to accede
to NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state.
"India's position on the NPT is well-known. There is no question of India joining the NPT as a non-nuclear
weapon state. Nuclear weapons are an integral part of India's national security and will remain so, pending nondiscriminatory and global nuclear disarmament,"
In its explanation of vote, India said it remains committed to the goal of complete elimination of nuclear arms.
"We are concerned about the threat to humanity posed by the continued existence of nuclear weapons and their
possible use or threat of use. India also shares the view that nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation
are mutually reinforcing. We continue to support a time-bound programme for global, verifiable and nondiscriminatory nuclear disarmament," it said.
123 Agreement
The Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, also known as
the Hyde Act, is the U.S. domestic law that modifies the requirements of Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy
Act to permit nuclear cooperation with India and in particular to negotiate a 123 Agreement to operationalize the
2005 Joint Statement.
Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act of
1954, titled "Cooperation With Other Nations", establishes
an agreement for cooperation as a prerequisite for nuclear
deals between the US and any other nation. Such an
agreement is called a 123 Agreement. To date, the U.S. has
entered into roughly twenty-five 123 Agreements with
various countries.
After the terms of the 123 agreement were concluded on
July 27, 2007, it ran into trouble because of stiff
opposition in India from the communist allies of the
ruling United Progressive Alliance. The government
January 2015
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survived a confidence vote in the parliament on July 22, 2008 by 275256 votes in the backdrop of defections by
some parties. The deal also had faced opposition from non-proliferation activists, anti-nuclear organisations, and
some states within the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
January 2015
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However in pursuing the safety of supply, Section 17(b) goes too far in keeping liability for suppliers entirely openended. If liability on suppliers is unlimited in time and quantum, the possibility of getting adequate insurance
cover will reduce. Even if such insurance is available, it could make nuclear energy economically unviable
Countries with a history of nuclear power have in place mechanisms to provide for insurance coverage through
international insurance pools where insurers, operators and states share the risks of an accident, providing access
to a wide pool of compensation. There are about 26 such pools in existence, which also provide reinsurance to
each other. Insurance pools typically require members to be signatories to an international convention (such as
CSC), and to allow reasonable inspections of their nuclear installations.
Finally, Section 46 of the CLND Act contradicts the Acts central purpose of serving as a special mechanism
enforcing the channeling of liability to the operator to ensure prompt compensation for victims.
Section 46 provides that nothing would prevent proceedings other than those which can be brought under the Act,
to be brought against the operator. This is not uncommon, as it allows criminal liability to be pursued where
applicable. However, in the absence of a comprehensive definition of the types of nuclear damage being notified
by the Central Government, Section 46 potentially also allows civil liability claims to be brought against the
operator and suppliers through other civil law. While liability for operators is capped by the CLND Act, this
exposes suppliers to unlimited amounts of liability. Obtaining insurance coverage for any future liability costs on
account of claims by victims in such a case would be next to impossible.
Section 46 should thus be limited to criminal liability, and should clarify that victims who suffer on account of
nuclear damage can institute claims for compensation only under the CLND Act and not by recourse to other
legislations or Courts. A clarification issued by the Attorney Generals office, if not an amendment to the law itself,
will provide much needed assurance to suppliers while furthering national interest.
January 2015
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The draft document highlights the urgent need to improve the performance of health systems, with focus on
improving maternal mortality rate, controlling infectious diseases, tackling the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases and bringing down medical expenses among other things. The policy statement also
assures universal access to free drugs and diagnostics in government-run hospitals.
However, it proposes to make public health system as pre-paid services instead of social service. A corollary of
viewing public services not as free, but as pre-paid services is that quality of care would take the center stage .
India spends just 1.3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on public health care, and even including
expenditure on private health care, the figure stands at 4.3 percent. Comparative data show that in terms of health
care expenditure as a percentage of GDP, India significantly lags behind Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.
January 2015
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Since independence, India has twice drafted a National Health Policy frameworkonce in 1983 and then in
2002which have guided the approach towards the health sector in Five-Year plans.
*Provisions for health are not mentioned directly in constitution except in schedule seven in State list (6.Public
Health and sanitation; hospitals and dispensaries) but indirectly in The Preamble , Fundamental rights(14,15, 21
and 47) , Directive Principles, Union List, State List, Concurrent List.
Comments on the Draft National Health Policy
Over 63 million persons in India face poverty every year due to healthcare costs alone with the share of out-ofpocket (OOP) expenditure on healthcare as a proportion of total household monthly per capita expenditure being
6.9% in rural areas and 5.5% in urban areas in 2011-12. In view of this, the central governments draft National
Health Policy (NHP) 2015, which is in the public domain and open to suggestions and comments until 28
February, is particularly significant. The draft NHP intends to make health a fundamental right and therefore its
denial a justiciable matter. It hopes that this will give a push for more public health expenditure as well as for the
recognition of health as a basic human right.
Undoubtedly, this is a welcome proposal but the right to education, which was declared a fundamental right in
2009, comes immediately to mind. The parallels with healthcare are many: the quality of education in government
schools and the quality of services in public hospitals and primary health centres; the insistence, as a result, of
even poor parents on their children attending private schools, however badly run; the beeline to private hospitals
even by poor patients; and the small and large glitches in the implementation of the law. The lesson is obvious:
what looks excellent on paper becomes a different proposition when it has to be put into practice.
The draft policy proposes increasing the expenditure on healthcare from its present level of 1.04% to 2.5% of
grossdomestic product (GDP) in the next five years. This increase is, however, way below the requirement but
what is not convincing is the explanation for keeping it at 2.5%: the healthcare systems low absorption capacity
and inefficient utilisation of funding. Incidentally, the government got a lot of flak for the temporary cut of 20% in
the 2014-15 healthcare budget. The draft policy hopes to create a health cess (similar to the education cess) on
liquor and tobacco products. One will definitely need to examine whether such a cess will be even close to
adequate. Nevertheless, the draft policy promises that there will be universal access to free drugs and diagnostics
in hospitals even as it notes the fact that the national health programmes leave out 75% of the non-communicable
diseases and not all communicable diseases are covered either.
However, it does seek to broaden the definition of primary healthcare to accommodate reproductive and child
health as well as some non-communicable diseases. The draft also seeks to involve panchayati raj institutions in a
big way and lists seven priority areas to get the community and media to participate. Among these are the
Swasth Nagrik Abhiyan (of which the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a part), the Nasha Mukti Abhiyan (anti-tobacco
and alcohol measures), Yatri Suraksha (prevention of accidents) and Nirbhaya Nari (against gender violence, sex
determination tests, etc).
According to the draft policy, the private sector provides nearly 80% of outpatient care and 60% of inpatient care.
However, while noting the many concessions by the government to build a positive economic climate for the
healthcare industry and hoping to intervene and to actively shape the growth of this sector for ensuring that it is
aligned to its overall health policy goals, the draft does not go anywhere near spelling out the forms of
intervention, whether institutional or regulatory. Whether it is the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and
Healthcare Providers or the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act of 2010, the response of
the private players has been far from enthusiastic.
The draft has just one paragraph on mental health noting that it needs urgent attention since the gap between
service availability and needs is widest here with 43 facilities in the nation and 0.47 psychologists per million
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people. It includes the Mental Health Bill (there are a few others too) among those that need to be reviewed.
Considering the state of the mentally ill in this country, this section needed to be much more comprehensive and
well thought out.
Ultimately, the devil is in the detail. Indias public health services need so much more basic infrastructure,
medical and paramedical personnel, ironing out of the implementation wrinkles in the health insurance schemes
like the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, promoting computer-enabled systems to reach out to patients (like
Tamil Nadu has done), straightening out of the corruption-ridden system of procurement and distribution of
drugs, these among a long litany of requirements. The private sector needs a massive dose of regulation and
monitoring in almost all aspects, from pricing to crooked third-party administrators to patient-care standards. At
the government level, there has to be a deep commitment to make health-for-all a deliverable right, starting with
plugging the leaks and poor utilisation of funds under various schemes. All this must come before the claim to
make the right to health a justiciable right.
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NITI Ayog
Government has decided to establish NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) to replace
Planning Commission. NITI Aayog will seek to provide a critical directional and strategic input to the
development process.
The centre-to-state one-way flow of policy, that was the hallmark of the Planning Commission era, is now sought
to be replaced by a genuine and continuing partnership of states.
NITI Aayog will emerge as a "think-tank" that will provide Governments at the central and state levels with
relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy.
The NITI Aayog will also seek to put an end to slow and tardy implementation of policy, by fostering better interministry coordination and better sentre-state coordination. It will help evolve a shared vision of national
development priorities, and foster cooperative federalism, recognizing that strong states make a strong nation.
The NITI Aayog will develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these
progressively at higher levels of government. It will ensure special attention to the sections of society that may be
at risk of not benefitting adequately from economic progress.
The NITI Aayog will create a knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurial support system through a collaborative
community of national and international experts, practitioners and partners. It will offer a platform for resolution
of inter-sectoral and inter-departmental issues in order to accelerate the implementation of the development
agenda.
In addition, the NITI Aayog will monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes, and focus on
technology upgradation and capacity building.
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Through the above, the NITI Aayog will aim to accomplish the following objectives and
opportunities:
An administration paradigm in which the Government is an "enabler" rather than a "provider of first and last
resort"
Ensure that India is an active player in the debates and deliberations on the global commons
Ensure that the economically vibrant middle-class remains engaged, and its potential is fully realized
Leverage Indias pool of entrepreneurial, scientific and intellectual human capital
Incorporate the significant geo-economic and geo-political strength of the Non-Resident Indian Community
Use urbanization as an opportunity to create a wholesome and secure habitat through the use of modern
technology
Use technology to reduce opacity and potential for misadventures in governance
The NITI Aayog aims to enable India to better face complex challenges, through the following:
Leveraging of India`s demographic dividend, and realization of the potential of youth, men and women,
through education, skill development, elimination of gender bias, and employment
Elimination of poverty, and the chance for every Indian to live a life of dignity and self-respect
Reddressal of inequalities based on gender bias, caste and economic disparities
Integrate villages institutionally into the development process
Policy support to more than 50 million small businesses, which are a major source of employment creation
Safeguarding of our environmental and ecological assets
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Part time members (Maximum of 2) They will be from leading universities, research organizations and other
relevant institutions on a rotational basis
Ex Officio members - Maximum of 4 members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the Prime
Minister
Special invitees - They will be nominated by the Prime Minister and will be experts, specialists and
practitioners with relevant domain knowledge
Chief Executive Officer - Appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, at the rank of Secretary to the
Government of India
Secretariat - If deemed necessary
Present Composition:
1. Chairperson: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
2. Vice Chairperson: Arvind Panagariya
3. Ex-Officio Members: Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Suresh Prabhu and Radha Mohan Singh
4. Special Invitees: Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Zubin Irani and Thawar Chand Gehlot
5. Full-time Members: Bibek Debroy & V. K. Saraswat
6. Governing Council: All Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories
7. CEO: Sindhushree Khullar
How is Niti Ayog different from Planning Commission?
Parameter
NITI Aayog
Planning Commission
Financial clout
Full-time
members
The number of full-time members could be The last Commission had eight full-time
fewer than Planning Commission
members
States' role
State governments are expected to play a more States' role was limited to the National
significant role than they did in the Planning Development Council and annual interaction
Commission
during Plan meetings
Member
secretary
Part-time
members
were
The big difference is, as mentioned above, the States will now have a greater say. Previously it was the Planning
Commission that formulated plans and then asked the States to implement them (provided they agreed), this time
the States themselves will be able to actively participate in the planning so that there is no communication gap and
the plans can be implemented effectively.
Regional councils will be formed to address specific issues particular to those areas impacting the local
populations. Issues of national security that were ignored so far, will be incorporated at various levels of economic
strategy and policy. All the necessary technological upgrades will be implemented and the functioning of the
Aayog will be brought at par with any world-class organisation involved in nation building.
It is believed that since the policy decisions will be made from the bottom of the pyramid and then move upwards,
they will be more realistic and human-centered rather than something being prepared from an ivory tower.
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an obvious one, was that in an economy in which the means of production were largely privately owned, there
were no effective mechanisms for the realisation of the plans formulated by it.
Various instruments were tried, such as a licensing policy, to make the private sector conform to the overall plan.
But these, as is well known from a host of official committees, were ineffective, which also resulted in a significant
trend towards centralisation of capital, and hence an increase in wealth and income inequalities. This fact had so
alarmed Jawaharlal Nehru that he had set up in the late 1950s the Mahalanobis Committee on inequalities. In
short, planning in India was hamstrung from the beginning.
There was however a second flaw of the plan process. The Planning Commission, though it was meant to effect
national economic planning, was a central government entity with no representation from the states. It thus
went against the spirit of federalism, and gave expression to that strand of thinking within the Constituent
Assembly which saw the central government as the continuation of the British imperium. While neo-liberal
economists have gone to town over the constricting of private initiative that planning in India involved (though
the private sector itself had asked in its 1944 Bombay Plan for substantial public investment, to be financed not by
taxing capitalists but through deficit financing and to be handed over to capitalists after the teething troubles were
over), not much is ever heard about the constricting of state government initiatives under Indian planning. And
the crucial point here is this: the constraints on state governments will be tightened rather than loosened in
the Niti Aayog era.
To be sure, only the outline of the Niti Aayog is available till now, but the indications are already quite clear. There
are, as is well known, three main channels through which funds get devolved from the centre to the states:
through the Finance Commission, through the Planning Commission and through discretionary transfers. Barring
the Finance Commission which is a constitutional body, the other two channels basically express the discretion of
the central government; and even in the case of the Finance Commission, since the centre appoints its members
and ultimately fixes its terms of reference, the central writ is all powerful, a fact that had caused Amaresh Bagchi
to submit a dissenting note to the Eleventh Finance Commission when it laid down conditionalities (in keeping
with the neo-liberal predilections of the centre) for making available to states even such resources as were
constitutionally their due.
Likewise the proliferation of centrally-sponsored schemes handed down to the states where they have to
contribute a certain share, which is itself arbitrarily fixed by the centre, has further taken away the freedom of
state governments to make their own state plans.
Even so, however, the three bodies, the Finance Commission, the Planning Commission, and the Ministry of
Finance, can be ranked in that order in terms of the looseness of the restrictions they impose on the transfers
effected through them from the centre to the states. The disappearance of the Planning Commission, which would
mean that what used to be plan transfers would now be doled out through the finance ministry, would entail both
a possible reduction in the total magnitude of transfers, and a definite increase in the centres control over states
plans.
There is a second reason for believing this to be so, and that has to do with the abolition of the National
Development Council (NDC), where the state chief ministers were represented. This, though not a constitutional
body, had a commanding presence, where the states, deriving strength from one another, made a definite impact.
Since its decisions, which included the ultimate approval of plans, were taken through a consensus, the centre was
often forced to yield on certain matters (though this did not prevent it from flouting the unanimous views of chief
ministers on some occasions, such as the funding of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan). The elimination of the NDC is a
major blow to the power of the states. While the governing council where chief ministers are to be represented is
likely to be a purely formal body concerned with the governance of the Niti Aayog, rather than with basic
development issues, the meetings of the regional councils are likely to be occasions where the states supplicate to
the centre for this or that favour. The regional consultations that are supposed to replace NDC meetings are more
January 2015
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likely to be occasions where the states supplicate to the centre for this or that favour, rather than serious
challenges to central schemes and programmes.
It may be argued that the Niti Aayog will entail neither a reduction in the amount of resources available to the
states, nor any increase in the centres control over state plans, since it will be open to the states to tie up with
capitalists, both domestic and foreign, to work out investment projects of any description and any amount. But
that is precisely what is meant by an increase in central control over state plans. The centres forcing states to go
in for public-private partnerships (which the Manmohan Singh government had tried to do unsuccessfully), the
centres forcing states to vie with one another to attract private capital to their territories, the
centres imposition of the neo-liberal model on all states by ensuring that resources available to each state, which
the concerned state government can spend on a plan of its own choice rather than on a plan in keeping with what
the centre considers development, are minuscule: all this is precisely what is meant by the centralisation of
economic powers. The Niti Aayog era will mean that states will not be allowed to go their own ways, not even to
the extent that the Planning Commission era had allowed. Centralisation will be the mechanism for imposing neoliberalism on the country at large.
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at Mumbai went over twice a month. One reason for posts remaining vacant is that the remuneration offered is
not attractive enough for magistrates to agree to serve on the fora. Curiously enough, the proposed amendments
of 2014 specify a salary for the commissioner to be appointed under the new Consumer Protection Authority on
par with secretaries to the government (with five deputy commissioners drawing joint secretaries salaries). If
raising the pay is an option, why create a fresh Consumer Protection Commission (as the amendment proposes)
instead of making salaries more attractive for those serving on the existing three-tier mechanism? The
amendment also suggests clubbing of adjacent district fora, and activists wonder how this could facilitate speedy
resolution of complaints. The existing three-tier mechanism was well intentioned, but official apathy, not its
design, has reduced its effectiveness.
Focus on Justice Lost
In the enthusiasm of the earlier years, some important landmark orders were handed out under the CPA. For
example, courier companies used to restrict their liability in case of delay or loss, to just Rs 100, by printing a
small declaration to this effect on the receipt. This was overruled by precedent setting orders awarding higher
compensation in cases where the complainant was able to prove loss and deficiency of service.
Educational institutions mention on their receipts that fees once paid will not be refunded under any
circumstances but the NCDRC has struck this down and students who withdraw without attending a single class
have received refund orders under the CPA in several instances.
Dry cleaners receipts used to say their liability for any loss or damage was restricted to Rs 100, but this too has
been challenged and adequate compensation ordered to be paid.
Multiple Degenerations
Earlier, complainants used to receive intimation through postcards about dates fixed for a hearing. No such
intimation is now sent. Even self-addressed reply cards sent with complaints are not mailed back. The registrar of
each forum used to be authorised to sign as notary for affidavits required to be submitted, at no cost to the
complainant. During the hearing of the complaint against Sony, the Bangalore forum did not even have a
registrar. Finding a notary involved additional expense. Such steady degeneration of facilities and entitlements
marks the working of most of the fora around the country. In spite of having computer facilities (unlike in the
early years) the fora do not seem to keep abreast of precedent setting orders from around the country.
Complainants are expected to cite orders to support their claims, which the average complainant cannot. Lawyers,
with access to legal journals, have an unfair advantage, when they are engaged by manufacturers against
complainants with grievances about faulty gadgets or deficiency in service which the consumer courts ignore.
Justice Patnaik of the Orissa State Commission observed in a complaint by Arati Mohanty and Pramodnath Das
that the trader.cannot put a condition at the time of selling that under no circumstances will the money be
refunded.
The union minister for consumer affairs had sent out a circular to all state chief secretaries in 1999, saying that the
clause goods once sold cannot be returned or exchanged is unethical and to be forbidden. Neither the states
chief secretaries nor the union government have bothered to enforce this far-reaching order, and consumers
continue to be at the receiving end of an exploitative relationship as buyers of goods and services, 15 years after
such a directive from the highest authority. As one columnist put it, the slogan Jago grahak, jago (wake up,
consumer, wake up), coined by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, needs to be reworded, to awaken the
department itself, if the gap between the intentions of the Act and its implementation is to be bridged.
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The present amendments bring all these exempted 13 Acts under the purview of this Act for the purpose of
compensation as well as rehabilitation and resettlement. Therefore, the amendment benefits the farmers and the
affected families.
Industry
Farmers
January 2015
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Social impact :- The consequences to human populations of any public or private actions that alter the ways in
which people live, work, play, relate to one another, organize to meet their needs, and generally cope as members
of society. The term also includes cultural impacts involving changes to the norms, values, and beliefs that guide
and rationalize their cognition of themselves and their society.
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Economic reforms and liberalisation have made India the worlds third largest economy. There is no sign that our
health and economic experts realise its implications in terms of health of the people; so too in the context of the
African Ebola epidemic. India has donated over $10 million, but in general remains indifferent to the epidemic,
with the only response being the narrow and immediate self-interest of screening of passengers from affected
countries at airports. Our leaders are not thinking into the future.
Cubas response is inspirational. A country of 11 million people, it sent 165 well-trained healthcare professionals to
Sierra Leone and 296 to Liberia and Guinea (In the Medical Response to Ebola, Cuba Is Punching Far Above Its
Weight, Washington Post, 4 October 2014). Cubans not-so-good English was a minor handicap. Cuba has some
50,000 health professionals working in 66 countries; this is at once medical diplomacy and expression of
solidarity with those in need. An estimated $8 billion is Cubas income from this export of medical expertise.
Cubas own healthcare is one of the worlds best in quality and equity. We have good English but poor
understanding of health diplomacy.
It is an eye-opener to learn how China reacted. In addition to several rounds of monetory donations totalling over
$10 billion, Chinese infectious disease experts have established two mobile laboratories in Sierra Leone and a
state of the art bio-safety-assured 100-bed hospital in Liberia. Earlier they had sent several teams of
epidemiologists and experts in infection control and personal protection. China is making sure that they hone
expertise combating deadly diseases, and earn West Africas goodwill bonus for business success to grow from
strength to strength. Chinese military scientists have also developed a candidate vaccine; this is in addition to two
other candidate vaccines from the National Institutes of Health in the United States and the firm,
GlaxoSmithKline.
To become a world leader, India must learn to behave like one; that requires a realistic world view. The
importance given to human health is strikingly different in Cuba and China from that of India. Will India be
judged as an enlightened well-wisher of underprivileged African nations? The countries named above and several
European counters have special treatment centres for infectious disease with high mortality. India does not have
such well-prepared hospitals or trained health workers. We could only remain indifferent as we are unprepared
for getting involved in international health problems. We must first take national health problems seriously before
aspiring to become a global leader.
Transmission Dynamics
Direct physical contact with blood, body fluids, excreta and vomit was, until now, believed to be the channel of
virus transmission, in which case precautions we use in the care of AIDS patients should have sufficed for
personal protection of healthcare workers. The magnitude of the present epidemic and its rapidity of spread
suggest that virus transmission occurs more easily than believed in the past. Mucosal contact, including
inhalation, of droplets and aerosol of body fluids, perhaps including oral/throat secretions, are feared as channels
of transmission, although there is no clear evidence. Space suit-like personal protection equipment (PPE) is
mandatory now for every healthcare worker for every patient room visit. For this eventuality, namely having to
treat Ebola patients, India is ill-prepared.
According to press releases on 25 August 2014 by the World Health Organization (WHO), over 240 doctors,
nurses and other hospital workers had fallen ill with Ebola in West Africa and over 120 have died. The loss of so
many doctors and nurses made it difficult for WHO to secure support from foreign medical staff. By end
September the number of deaths climbed to over 200. In the US, in spite of all precautions and personal
protective equipment, two nurses got infected from the first Ebola patient treated in a US hospital. Both of them
were detected and treated early; both recovered.
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Another haemorrhagic fever, due to Crimean-Congo virus, is transmitted to humans from animals by ticks and
human-to-human through contact with blood/body fluids. In 2011 a case was hospitalised in Ahmedabad, and a
nurse and a doctor got infected and died. This illustrates that our medical staff is not well-versed with safe care of
any haemorrhagic fever. In 2012, another doctor died in the same city, with the same disease, after contact with
the blood of a patient. Ebola will be more easily transmitted human-to-human.
Indias Health Management
In countries that take human health seriously, the health management system has two wings: public health and
healthcare. Public health is the government infrastructure for health protection from preventable diseases and
from social and environmental risk factors of diseases akin to the police force protecting citizens from law-andorder incidents. Sectors of health, animal management, agriculture, environment, water, sanitation, local
government, tourism, food, etc, are involved in generating risk factors. A separate ministry or at least a fullfledged department under the Union Ministry of Health, with trained cadre in every district and city, supported by
an adequate work force must be created if India takes human health seriously.
Our cultural beliefs are that illness is either due to personal mistakes of daily routine, wrong foods, etc, or due to
malignant planetary influences; the consequence of karma from past lives; punishment from god or deities. All
these are at variance with the concept of social and environmental determinants of diseases. Microbial causation
of diseases is not accepted by our traditional culture. All these seem to tell our leaders that diseases are not
preventable by human interventions; hence public health, for organised human interventions to prevent diseases,
is both culturally alien and unnecessary.
Healthcare is service rendered to individuals after they fall ill akin to protecting victims of crime or calamity.
Healthcare can be rendered by institutions by the public sector using revenue funds or by private sector billing the
clients. The inequity of some getting service free while others paying cost plus an unregulated profit margin, is of
no concern to our leaders.
Healthcare cannot stand in for public health. The lack of public health has resulted in India being unable to
prevent diseases that the West got rid of before the early 20th century cholera, typhoid fever, malaria,
tuberculosis, to name a few. Our healthcare institutions are overburdened with such diseases.
Learn from Experiences
In late September 2014, a Liberian arrived in Texas and reported with fever to a big hospital. He was otherwise
well enough to be sent home with simple medications. Two days later he came back, severely ill, and that is when
the penny dropped; he was tested for and found positive for Ebola. Every one of his fellow passengers in the flight
and in the local community were counted, and followed up for 21 days to make sure none was infected; none was.
Ebola does not spread during the incubation period.
What should have alerted the emergency room physicians? Travel history; arriving from Liberia should have been
taken seriously. Imagine such an eventuality in one Indian hospital. The disease would have been undiagnosed
until late into its course or after death, by which time several hospital staff would have been infected and they
would start small outbreaks in their families and wherever they went for treatment.
What should India do? First, the Government of India should name one event manager who would develop a
plan of action in case Ebola enters India, through a traveller. India should create a mechanism for the event
manager to communicate with every hospital in the country to inform the dos and donts. Doctors take a history of
the patients illness; this should include travel history. Also, the event manager should be the spokesperson for the
government to inform the public authentic information. If this process is closely linked with all states and union
territories, then every state will be prepared.
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Remember what happened when the pandemic influenza reached India in 2009? Infected persons were made to
crowd in selected testing centres, thereby rapidly spreading infection to many others. This is exactly the opposite
to what other countries did they asked those with influenza-like symptoms to stay home and report only to a
chosen doctor. The fire department must be open all the time; not just after a fire is reported.
Ebola and pandemic flu teach us to expect the unexpected and be prepared. New diseases are appearing in the
world again and again. We live today in a global village. Ebola-infected bats are probably present in Asia. Nipah
virus infected bats are widely prevalent in East Asia; there is no guarantee their territorial flight paths will not
extend to peninsular India. Is India prepared? Who exactly is in charge?
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The FCRA 2010 restricts the utilisation of foreign contribution in respect of speculative business which includes
investment in mutual funds or shares or any schemes promising high returns, however a debt- based secure
investment is excluded.
Organizations with a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social programme can accept foreign
contributions, however to do so they have to register themselves with the central government. The funds so
received by the organization must be used only for the purpose for which they were received. To be so registered
with the government the organization must be in existence for a period in excess of 3 years. Organizations
registered under the FCRA 2010 will be required to renew their certificate of registration every five years.
The Central Government now has additional powers to notify the persons who shall obtain prior permission, the
area where foreign contribution shall be accepted and utilised, the purpose for which foreign contribution shall be
utilised and the source from which foreign contribution shall be accepted with its prior permission.
Delhi High Court Order (21st January): The Delhi High Court has directed the government to remove the
freeze on the IDBI Bank account of Greenpeace India, which has foreign contribution of Rs 1.87 crore from
Greenpeace International. The court observed that the government had not brought any evidence on record to
support its action of freezing the account.
NGOs are entitled to have their viewpoints, said the court, adding that the NGO cannot be accused of acting
against national interest merely because its views do not match the governments viewpoint. The court also
noted that the directions to the bank to freeze the accounts were arbitrary as the government had not been able
to prove its stand. The court, however, said the government was free to take action against Greenpeace India in
future if it found violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) provisions. The court order came
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during hearing of a petition filed by Greenpeace India, which alleged that the government had taken action
without any rhyme or reason and without complying with the provisions of FCRA.
Implement the Forest Rights Act 2006 in its true spirit and ensure community claim on community land,
forest and natural resources
Protection of bio-diversity rich mountains and forests (moratorium of mining in biodiversity rich
forest/zones)
Promote community ownership of resources for protection of forests and land. Indigenous community be paid
for the protection of forest carbon sink and water sources
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Ensure community control and improve their skill for marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP)/NTFP as
one of the major and sustainable source of livelihood and economy for produce like mahua, sal, tamarind,
charo seed and different tubers and all other forest produces
Handicrafts, rural and community-based industries, and subsistence economy and traditional activities of the
people concerned, such as fishing, collection of MFP, shall be recognised as important in the maintenance of
their cultures and development. The government shall, with the participation of these people and whenever
appropriate, ensure that these activities are strengthened and promoted.
Ensure proper budgetary allocations and full utilisation of resources under the Tribal Sub Plan (TSP)
Use of renewable energy like solar and hydro through indigenous techniques
Traditional agricultural practices are an appropriate methodology to be adopted to identify and document the
practices followed by the farmers. This includes methods, techniques and tools used for identification of
traditional knowledge, crop production, soil management, water management, weed control, insect & pest
control, weather forecast, agricultural engineering and animal husbandry
Education
Admission is almost hundred percent in tribal areas but retention is still a question. High drop-out after 5th
standard is observed in all schools located in tribal villages. Lack of teachers, teachers absence and proxy
teachers system in primary schools located in tribal villages are common
MDM helps children come to schools regularly but children are engaged in collection of fuel wood and help in
cooking rather than reading in tribal schools. School campuses are used for security camps to house CRPF
personnel in all tribal areas. This diverts their attention towards CRPF and their arms and ammunition. This is a
complete violation of policy not to locate any security camp within one km of any school.
Language used for learning in schools not suitable for tribal children. Teachers are not familiar with tribal
language. High drop-out after matriculation leads to migration of young girls to cities like Delhi to work as maids
and young boys to work in the construction sector.
Community language to be given priority in the specific tribal area to deal with enrollment and drop-outs
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Education to be oriented on skill training for promoting sustainable livelihood at local level and relevant to
the community
Strengthen facilities of Ashramshala schools
Special training programmes for teachers appointed in tribal areas to understand their culture, respect the
community and motivate them for school education
Continuous awareness campaign at family level for enrolling and continuing children in the Anganwadi and
school
Vocational training programme for tribal youths
Health
Indigenous community is known to practice herbal medicine and naturopathy since time immemorial. But today
this is being taken over by the rich urbanised society as the best treatment option and tribal people are being
systematically deprived from these sources due to corporatisation of herbal resources and medicinal plants.
A large proportion of adivasis are malnourished; know little about sanitation and have limited or no access to
hospitals. Consequently many become chronically ill. The social stigma attached to adivasis often result in medical
services never reaching their communities.
Protect and promote traditional herbal medicines through the community ownership
Train traditional healers with improved technology to ensure better healthcare in remote villages
Provide special attention to specific tribes for sickle cell disease
Institutional rehabilitation of physically and mentally challenged tribal children
Regular mobile health services for remotely located villages
Anganwadi for every tribal habitat.
Ensure adequate and nutritious food by encouraging kitchen gardens under special guardianship of
officer
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As a remedy, the committee recommends that Governors Cells be set up in all Schedule V States to assist the
Governor, although details about the functioning of such cells set up in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra
and Rajasthan are not yet known.
Net Neutrality
On December 24,2014 Indias biggest telecom operator Bharti Airtel Ltd announced that it would charge
customers for calls made using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) but withdrew the proposal 5 days later. The
stated reason for the U-turn was that the telecom regulator was working on a consultation paper on the subject.
Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on
the Internet equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type
of attached equipment, or mode of communication.
1.
All sites must be equally accessible: ISPs and telecom operators shouldnt block certain sites or apps just
because they dont pay them.
2. All sites must be accessible at the same speed (at an ISP level): This means no speeding up of certain
sites because of business deals. More importantly, it means no slowing down some sites.
3. The cost of access must be the same for all sites (per Kb/Mb or as per data plan)
There has been extensive debate about whether net neutrality should be required by law, particularly in the
United States. Advocates of net neutrality have raised concerns about the ability of broadband providers to use
their last mile infrastructure to block Internet applications and content (e.g. websites, services, and protocols),
and even to block out competitors.
Neutrality proponents claim that telecom companies seek to impose a tiered service model in order to control the
pipeline and thereby remove competition, create artificial scarcity, and oblige subscribers to buy their otherwise
uncompetitive services. Many believe net neutrality to be primarily important as a preservation of current
freedoms.
Net neutrality has enabled a level playing field on the internet. To start a website, you don't need lot of money or
connections. Just host your website and you are good to go. If your service is good, it will find favour with web
users. This has led to creation Google, Facebook, Twitter and countless other services. All of these services had
very humble beginnings. They started as a basic websites with modest resources. But they succeeded because net
neutrality allowed web users to access these websites in an easy and unhindered way.
If there is no net neutrality, ISPs will have the power (and inclination) to shape internet traffic so that they can
derive extra benefit from it. For example, several ISPs believe that they should be allowed to charge companies for
services like YouTube and Netflix because these services consume more bandwidth compared to a normal website.
Basically, these ISPs want a share in the money that YouTube or Netflix make.
Lack of net neutrality, will also spell doom for innovation on the web. It is possible that ISPs will charge web
companies to enable faster access to their websites. Those who don't pay may see that their websites will open
slowly. This means bigger companies like Google will be able to pay more to make access to Youtube or Google+
faster for web users but a startup that wants to create a different and better video hosting site may not be able to
do that.
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chief has said even though Airtels move is against net neutrality it is
not illegal as there is no legal framework. The net neutrality debate becomes even more relevant in case of India
where the penetration of smart phones is increasing and efforts are on to bring more people to the Internet,
through the digital India campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is how internet pack would look like in absence of net neutrality
The nub of the problem is this over-the-top services (OTT) like Skype, WhatsApp, Viber etc use data networks
of telecom firms like Airtel for their service and offer voice calls either cheap or almost free of cost. Initially
telecom firms thought this as a good means for them to drive traffic. However, the catch is that these services
cannibalise the telcos legacy voice and SMS revenue while consuming bandwidth. So, Airtels intent is to make
VOIP calls expensive and arrest the risk of loss of revenue and also to recover its cost of investment in networks.
So, the net neutrality debate boils down to telecom/Internet service providers, on the one end, and OTT providers
such as Skype, YouTube and Internet advocates, on the other side. The telecom/ISPs argue that they have made
huge investments in broadband capacity, and, therefore, they should be allowed to charge for the services, which
generate lot of traffic. For example, Airtel has invested over Rs.1,40,000 crore in the last 20 years. Preventing,
Airtel from charging for OTT services would mean that they would reduce their investments in building networks.
Airtels roll-back is only temporary as its statement says that the firm decided not to go ahead with its plan of
charging for VoIP on reports that TRAI is coming out with consultative paper on services offered by over-the-top
players such as Skype, WhatsApp, Viber etc. Airtel said it is hoping for a balanced outcome, which is critical for
the viability of the sector. So, now the ball is TRAIs court.
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of the Indian industry for setting in motion what became Asias first integrated steel company, despite the hostile
investment environment of a colonised India and his own failing health.
So far, coins have only been minted in honour of the freedom struggle, freedom fighters, events, scientists,
temples, institutions and organisations.
Born on March 3, 1839 in Navsari (then part of the princely state of Baroda), Jamsetji was the first businessman
in a family of Parsi Zoroastrian priests. Besides setting up a hotel, he initiated an iron and steel company, a worldclass learning institution and a hydroelectric plant.
Only the hotel Taj Mahal in Mumbai became a reality during his lifetime. Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd
(now Tata Steel) came into being in 1907, three years after his death in May 1904, and is ranked among the
worlds top steel companies.
The Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore and Tata Hydroelectric Power Supply Company were set up by his
successors to establish his planned Tata Group, now Indias biggest conglomerate company.
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The total cost of this project is $18.3 million and is financed by the State government. It was commissioned in
November 2014. The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam is likely to expand this project and even encourage private
entrepreneurs. Adani Enterprises and US-based SunEdison will invest about Rs. 25,000 crore to set up a solar
park in Gujarat that will create 20,000 new jobs.
Sterilization Deaths
Following massive protests over the death of 13 women who underwent the sterilisation procedure of tubectomy
in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh last November, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has written to all
States reminding them that every person should be counselled about the different family planning options
available.
In order to achieve the annual targets, the government recently increased the compensation given to women/men,
motivators (Accredited Social Health Activists) and doctors. The revised incentive given to motivators is Rs.200
for tubectomy and Rs.300 for vasectomy, the amount is as high as Rs.1,000 for a permanent limiting method
(tubectomy or vasectomy) in the case of couples after up to two children. The higher incentive earmarked for
permanent limiting methods is one of the reasons why more women will now end up on the operating table.
The government recently added a new component post-partum sterilisation done soon after or within seven
days of delivery. This approach works to the governments advantage as more women are opting for institutional
delivery to avail of the cash incentive earmarked for it.
Sterilisation is the most prevalent form of contraception in the country,
constituting nearly 75 per cent of the total cases. The proportion of
tubectomies to total sterilisations has been around 95 per cent since 2005;
nearly 4.5 million tubectomies have been performed each year since 2000.
How sterilization of women is done?
Sterilization is a form of birth control. All sterilization procedures are
meant to be permanent. During a sterilization procedure, a health care
provider closes or blocks a woman's fallopian tubes. Closing the tubes can
be done in several ways. One way is by tying and cutting the tubes this is
called tubal ligation. The fallopian tubes also can be sealed using an
instrument with an electrical current. They also can be closed with clips,
clamps, or rings. Sometimes, a small piece of the tube is removed.
Sometimes, tiny inserts are put in the tubes. Tissue grows around them and
blocks the tubes.
How does Sterilization work?
Eggs are made in a woman's ovaries. One egg is released each month. It
passes through one of the fallopian tubes toward the uterus. Sterilization
blocks each tube. Pregnancy cannot happen if sperm cannot reach the egg.
In India the incision procedure is mostly used. The incision procedure can
be performed in outpatient surgical clinics. It usually takes 2030 minutes.
Very little scarring occurs. Women often go home the same day.
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The complications that can occur during or after these procedures include bleeding, infection, reaction to the
anesthetic. Death resulting from sterilization is extremely rare and is usually caused by a reaction to general
anesthesia.
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The petition argued that the provision was in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution to the extent that it implied
treating persons on a different footing based on economic classifications. The Supreme Court and the government
agreed with this contention without hesitation. Non-resident Indians (NRIs) will soon be able to cast their vote
through electronic-ballots or through their nominees residing in India.
The Union government informed the Supreme Court that it had accepted Election Commission's recommendation
to allow NRIs to vote through e-ballot system or through proxy. The EC discarded other possibilities - postal ballot
and internet voting - terming them fraught with the danger of manipulation.
Describing the e-ballot procedure, the EC committee said the NRI wishing to vote through this procedure would
have to send an application either electronically or physically to the returning officer six months before the expiry
of the term of the House.
"The RO may then verify the particulars of the person and at the time of election, on satisfaction, send the postal
ballot electronically after the same is finalized on the last date of withdrawal of candidature, which the NRI elector
can access through a password that would be allotted to him. The elector downloads the postal ballot paper and
then casts vote and posts is back to the RO after getting the declaration attested," it said.
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The policing challenge, therefore, is to find a way to intercept these attacks earlier. And that's where the focus has
turned to over the past year or so, prompting a proactive approach to counter the radical before he becomes a
terrorist. Some measures being taken to stop terrorism in the country:
Internet monitoring and building a counter narrative - The aim here is to put out alternative material to
jihadi propaganda, enter their chat rooms and counter ideological arguments while also tracing other participants.
Agencies such as the National Technical Research Organisation, Computer Emergency Response Team and
Department of Electronics and Information Technology are building capacity to populate cyberspace effectively
for this purpose. Terror groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda are also up to the game, developing capabilities to
deface government websites and hacking into their systems.
Overcoming sovereignty hurdles - Internet giants such as Google and Yahoo are being convinced to set up
their servers in India. One of the biggest hurdles that Indian investigators face in terror probes is that they have to
rely on longdrawn legal processes such as obtaining letters rogatory (LR) from courts to get information from
these companies whose head offices are located abroad. This is still a slow-moving exercise and the call now is to
use diplomatic clout with like-minded foreign governments to obtain cooperation.
Minority outreach - States are being asked to get their police organisations to develop stronger contacts within
the minority communities. Intelligence agencies admit that their ground knowledge on this front has deteriorated
and that's why confidence-building measures are being thought of. The first step in this direction is to not frame
innocent Muslim youths in terror attacks. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in particular, has been
mindful of that, but gains can be frittered away if agencies are used for political purposes.
Technology upgrade - Maintaining databases of suspects, their voice samples, ability to correlate information
with agencies of friendly countries are the kind of upgrades in the pipeline. Home ministry officials say security
agencies in the West are able to track profiles much faster because of more efficient and flexible database
management like identifying individuals from just their voice in ISIS videos. In India, a Yasin Bhatkal kept Indian
agencies at bay, carrying out attacks at will for over seven years.
Reinventing beat policing - This is a subject that is getting considerable government attention with training
being refocused on getting beat constables to develop personal relationships in neighbourhoods so that citizens
volunteer information with ease. At a different level, an all-India phone number is being developed by the home
ministry for citizens to call with information on terror.
Operation Chakravyuh
The latest counterintelligence programme of Indian intelligence agencies has been codenamed 'Operation
Chakravyuh'. It's an initiative still in the developing stages but an idea whose time has come.
So what is Operation Chakravyuh? As a member of a counterintelligence agency explained, officers create
accounts with assumed identities of jihadi groups and get on Facebook, Yahoo or other chat platforms to lure
youths influenced by online propaganda. Following initial discussions, those interested and intent on carrying out
jihad are either taken to a separate chat room or asked to develop one-on-one contact through email.
Once the grain is separated from the chaff, the job for the counterintelligence experts is to ferret out the real
identity, verify details, and put the suspects under surveillance.
That is how nearly 120 youths have been identified in the last six months-all of them willing to join ISIS, a
counterintelligence official said. But unable to take action, agencies have merely put them on watch for now.
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While the misuse of Twitter by alleged ISIS sympathisers such as Mehdi Masroor Biswas, the Bangalore-based
engineer arrested in December last year, may have opened a can of worms labelled 'online radicalisation' for most
people, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has trained its guns on such cases for a while. As the next course, and
the logical corollary of the work done by Operation Chakravyuh in monitoring and identifying radicalised youth,
the MHA's internal security division has been asked to prepare a national programme where the primary thrust
will be to counter pro-jihad propaganda material available on the internet.
The nascent idea was thrashed out in detail during the annual DGPs' conference in Guwahati in November last
year, where the Intelligence Bureau (IB) made a detailed presentation on the need for counter-radicalisation and
de-radicalisation programmes. Police chiefs unanimously agreed on the need to develop greater capability to
monitor cyberspace and the significance of building a counter-narrative and propagating it on the internet to
dissuade gullible, marginalised youth.
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of
CBFC
resign
alleging
Leela Samson, who headed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a statutory body under the
information and broadcasting ministry, since 2011, resigned amid controversy surrounding the overnight
clearance of controversial film Messenger of God featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim
Singh. The censor board had referred the issue of clearance to Messenger of God to Film Certification Appellate
Tribunal (FCAT).
Asked why she decided to quit, Samson did not specifically refer to the reported clearance to the film but cited
alleged interference, coercion and corruption of panel members and officers of the organisation who are
appointed by the ministry as reasons. However, the government, which runs the censorship and appeals process,
did not interfere, said Rajyavardhan Rathore, minister of state for information and broadcasting.
According to Samson, "...having to manage an organization whose Board has not met for over nine months as the
ministry had no funds to permit the meeting of members."
She said the term of all the members and the chairperson of the Censor Board "are over. But since the new
government failed to appoint a new Board and Chairperson, a few were given extension and asked to carry on till
the procedure was completed."
"However, recent cases of interference in the working of the CBFC by the ministry, through an 'additional charge'
CEO, and corrupt panel members has caused a degradation of those values that the members of this board of
CBFC and Chairperson stood for," Samson alleged.
A day after Censor Board chief Leela Samson quit over clearance to controversial film Messenger of God, the
government denied any interference in the board's functioning.
"There was no government interference in clearing the film Messenger of God", minister of state for Information
and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Rathore told reporters. Hitting out at Samson, Rathore said, "The Censor Board
is an independent body, it needs to behave like one." He also said that the decision of the Film Certification
Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) over the film should be final and accepted by all.
Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)
It is a statutory body under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, regulating the public exhibition of films
under the provisions of the Cinematograph Act 1952. Films can be publicly exhibited in India only after they
have been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification.
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Katchatheevu
It is an uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka. The island originated from a volcanic eruption that
occurred in the 14th century. The island was historically part of the Ramnad Rajas zamindari and later it became
part of the Madras Presidency. The island has special significance for fishing operations in the area. Around 1921,
Sri Lanka started claiming territorial rights over the island without any justification. Ownership of the island was
controversial up until 1974 as during British Rule this island
was administered by both countries.
An agreement was signed between India and Sri Lanka in 1974
to settle the dispute over the island. The exact statement of the
1974 agreement (Maritime boundary in Palk Strait) was, "Each
country shall have sovereignty and exclusive jurisdiction and
control over the waters, the islands, the continental shelf,
falling on its own side of boundary. The vessels of Sri Lanka and
India will enjoy in each other's waters such rights as they have
traditionally enjoyed therein". There was an apparent
ambiguity in this statement, because the two countries interpret
the the phrase "traditional rights" differently. Tamil Nadu
claims that traditional rights include fishing while Sri Lanka
claims it doesn't.
Subsequently, there was another agreement in 1976 (to determine boundary line in Gulf of Mannar), which in no
way helped resolve the issue because it did not address the ambiguity in the previous agreement. This agreement
drew borderline in Mannar area and 'indirectly' established that Katchatheevu belonged to Srilanka. Also during
the time of this agreement, there was no state government in Tamil Nadu because Indira Gandhi had imposed
president rule in the states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, etc.
In the recent years (after end of Sri Lankan civil war) there have been numerous cases of Indian fishermen being
arrested or shot at by the Sri Lankan navy. Political parties in Tamil Nadu are demanding that India take back
the island from Sri Lanka to protect the rights of Tamil fishermen.
In June 2011, the new Tamil Nadu government led by Jayalalithaa filed a petition in Supreme Court seeking the
declaration of the 1974 and 1976 agreements between India and Sri Lanka on ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka
as unconstitutional. The court ruled in Berubari case that cession of Indian territory to another country has to be
ratified by the parliament through an amendment of the constitution. Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka in
violation to the court under the 1974 and 1976 agreements without the approval of two Houses of Parliament.
However, the Indian government has stated that No territory belonging to India was ceded nor sovereignty
relinquished since the area was in dispute and had never been demarcated and that the dispute on the status of
the island was settled in 1974 by an agreement and both countries took into account historical evidence and legal
aspects.
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Latest Develoment
In an unusual move, the Union of India has sought to distance itself from petitions filed by two former chief
ministers of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi who have sought the Indian government to
retrieve the controversial Katchatheevu island from Sri Lanka.
In its applications filed in the Supreme Court, it has said the Union of India, through its Cabinet Secretary, was
not administratively concerned with the subject matter. Referring to the Government of India (Allocation of
Business) Rules, 1961, the applications asked the court to delete Union of India, through its Cabinet Secretary, as
a party in the case.
As the Respondent No. 1 (Union of India) is not concerned with the subject matter, it is not a necessary party,
and hence it is necessary to delete the names of Respondent No. 1 from the cause title, the applications read.
Should the court allow the request, the Ministry of External Affairs would remain the only party representing the
government.
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Interestingly, if finalised, this HRD ministrys proposal will revisit a ministry order of August 2004 which had
withdrawn previous guidelines that mandated central universities, deemed universities and state universities to
take permission of MHRD, UGC and concerned state governments for signing MoUs with foreign universities. The
guidelines were withdrawn with the ministry noting it was an unnecessary interference on the autonomy of
institutions.
While the MHRD may be trying to regulate MoUs signed by such institutions and universities, they are all
governed by different Acts which give them the freedom to collaborate with foreign universities as they deem fit.
For instance, the Central Universities Act, 2009, states that the universities can cooperate or collaborate or
associate with any other university or institution of higher learning, including those located outside the country, in
such manner and for such purposes as the university may determine.
The IIT Act too states that subject to the provision of this Act, every institute shall exercise the following powers
and perform the following duties, namely to cooperate with educational or other institutions in any part of the
world having objects wholly or partly similar to those of the Institute by exchange of teachers and scholars and
generally in such manner as may be conducive to their common objects. The NIT Act, 2007, reads similarly. State
universities, meanwhile, are governed by state Acts with most universities having their own Act. The ministry note
also says with regard to higher education institutions setting up campuses outside or facilitating setting up
campuses outside India, prior approval of the MoU by the MEA and MHRD shall be a mandatory requirement.
They cannot proceed ahead without clearances, it adds.
Decontrol of Urea
Having decontrolled petrol and diesel, the governments next focus is on containing fertiliser subsidies. Key to this
is decontrol of urea and ushering in a system of crediting subsidy payments directly into the bank accounts of
farmers.
Whats so special about urea decontrol?
Urea is the only fertiliser whose maximum retail price (MRP) is still fixed by the government, with imports
permitted only through designated state trading enterprises. Moreover, there is a significant domestic industry in
urea. In 2013-14, production at 22.72 million tonnes far exceeded imports of 7.09 Mt. This is unlike for other
fertilisers, where India is 100 per cent import-dependent either for the final product (muriate of potash or MOP)
or raw materials/intermediates (rock phosphate, sulphur and ammonia for manufacture of di-ammonium
phosphate or DAP).
What does decontrol entail?
Decontrol would mean allowing the MRP for urea to be market-determined, as it is with other fertilisers. Besides,
there will be no import restrictions. Anybody can import urea, not just MMTC, STC or Indian Potash Ltd.
The government has already, since April 2010, freed non-urea fertilisers from price controls, following which the
MRP of DAP has gone up from Rs 9,350 to around Rs 23,000 a tonne, and of MOP from Rs 4,455 to Rs 16,650.
During the same period, the MRP of urea has been raised only marginally from Rs 4,830 to Rs 5,360 a tonne. In
the event of price decontrol of urea, farmers would obviously end up paying much more for it as well.
The impact of decontrol on the industry would be mainly on account of imports. The landed price (cost plus
freight) of imported urea in India is currently about $300 a tonne, which is lower than the average of $322 in
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2013-14 and $413 the year before. On the other hand, the average production cost for domestic plants is roughly
Rs 18,000 or $ 290 per tonne, ranging from a low of Rs 11,000 to as high as Rs 41,000. In a free import regime,
the high-cost units may face closure.
But why protect inefficient manufacturers? Also, if farmers are already paying more for other
fertilisers, would they not be able to absorb similar price rises in urea?
The second question first. Urea has a disproportionately high share over 55 per cent in Indias total fertiliser
consumption. A wheat farmer typically applies 2.5 bags (125 kg) of urea per acre over the full cropping period,
compared to just one bag (50 kg) of DAP and half a bag (25 kg) of MOP. He is, therefore, that much more sensitive
to an increase in theprice of urea. Also, the decontrol in other fertilisers happened at a time when minimum
support prices (MSP) were going up. Today, given falling global prices for agri-commodities, there isnt much
scope for MSP increases to compensate for costlier urea.
As regards inefficient urea plants, there are those whose costs are high only because they are using imported
liquefied natural gas (LNG) as feedstock. This is far more expensive, at $14-15 per MBTU, relative to the $5-6 for
domestically produced gas. But there are also units with very high energy consumption requirements, which
probably deserve to be shut down. The resultant production loss of 1.5-2 Mt can easily be covered by imports
without really pushing up prices.
What is the governments game plan?
Ideally, it would want to decontrol urea, which accounts for two-thirds of the annual fertiliser subsidy bill of Rs
100,000 crore-plus if one includes unpaid liabilities. But given the political costs involved, it is seeking to do this
over three years. This period should suffice for having systems in place to credit subsidy payments directly into the
Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts of every farmer based on proper identification and digitisation of land title
records.
How is this different from the existing nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) regime?
Under NBS, there is a fixed per-kg subsidy on each nutrient. Right now, it is, for example, Rs 20.875 for nitrogen
(N), Rs 18.679 for phosphorous (P) and Rs 15.5 for potash (K). Based on this, the subsidy payable on DAP (which
contains 18 per cent N and 46 per cent P) works out to Rs 12,350 a tonne, just as it is Rs 9,300 in the case of MOP.
But this subsidy is today paid not to the farmer, but to the manufacturer who is also free to set the MRP. Besides,
the NBS is not applicable on urea, whose MRP is fixed by the government.
In the proposed new NBS regime, the MRPs of all fertilisers, including urea, would be market-determined.
Further, the subsidy will be paid directly to the farmer. Currently, farmers buy urea mainly because it is the
cheapest fertiliser available. In a genuine NBS system, they would value urea basically for its high N (46 per cent)
content. Further, they may increasingly demand fertiliser products customised to their specific crop needs or soil
conditions, rather than blindly choosing urea or DAP.
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Tejas
The HAL Tejas is a single-seat, single-engine, multi-role light fighter being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited for India. It is a tailless, compound delta wing design powered by a single engine. It came from the Light
Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, which began in the 1980s to replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighters. Later,
the LCA was officially named "Tejas", meaning "Radiance" by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is
supersonic and highly manoeuvrable, and is the smallest and lightest in its class of contemporary combat aircraft.
The Tejas is the second supersonic fighter developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) after the HAL
Marut. The Indian Air Force (IAF) was reported to have a requirement for 200 single-seat and 20 two-seat
conversion trainers, while the Indian Navy might order up to 40 single-seaters to replace its Sea Harrier FRS.51
and Harrier T.60.
The Tejas was cleared in January 2011 for use by Indian Air Force pilots. It received the second of three levels of
operational clearance on 20 December 2013. On 17 January 2015, the first Tejas LCA was officially inducted into
the IAF, with final operational clearance (FOC) expected by late 2015. The first Tejas squadron, to be based at
Bengaluru, is scheduled to enter service by 2017-2018.
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For the past decade, several players, government and non-government, have been working on improving the
situation. Pratham has also been developing models and methods to improve childrens basic reading and
arithmetic abilities. While several states are experimenting with innovative programmes aimed at improving
learning, few have been tested rigorously for impact and scalability in a government-run primary school system.
In the last decade, Prathams work has been rigorously evaluated by researchers affiliated with MITs Abdul Latif
Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). These impact evaluations indicate that significant gains in learning outcomes
can be achieved by re-organising and grouping children by their learning level rather than the usual grouping by
age or standard.
This teaching at the right level model is straightforward and effective. The process focuses on children currently
enrolled in Classes III to V and starts by assessing children one-on-one using simple tools: Can they read a
paragraph? Simple everyday words? Letters? Or nothing at all? And similarly for maths. For instruction, children
are then grouped by their learning level, not grade. Teaching-learning activities and materials for each group are
based on their level and aimed at enabling children progress to the next level and beyond. The goal is to ensure
that students gain basic competencies in reading and arithmetic. The programme owes its success in no small
measure to the establishment of level-wise groups, explicit learning goals for each group and tailored teaching
techniques. This contrasts with the existing practice of teaching a prescribed curriculum to students of a given age,
irrespective of their ability to comprehend it.
Additionally there is a need to redesign the financing system so that plans are based on clearly articulated learning
goals and budgets are tied to performance on learning outcomes. This will need to be supported by a credible
system to track learning progress. The Centre has already taken some small steps in this direction by starting
state-level learning assessments. These measures must be accelerated and prioritized in the years to come.
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The bench asked the BCCI to conduct within six weeks its election in which no one who has any commercial
interest in BCCI events, including Srinivasan, shall be eligible for contesting the elections for any post
whatsoever. The court, however, cleared Srinivasan of alleged cover-up in the IPL corruption case, underlining
that the charges against him could at best raise a suspicion but did not stand proved.
Lending credence to the Mudgal panel probe report, the bench also held Srinivasans son-in-law Gurunath
Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra guilty of betting in the 2013 IPL, and asked a new threemember committee to determine the quantum of punishment for them under IPL operational rules and the BCCI
anti-corruption code.
The bench made it clear that franchisee CSK and RR were also liable to be punished under the regulations since
Meiyappan and Kundra were held to be team officials of the two IPL teams and their quantum of punishment
would depend on the degree of misconduct. The committee will further probe the allegation of betting against
BCCI chief operating officer Sunder Raman and, if he is found guilty, will award punishment.
There were various issues up for the courts consideration. The first was about BCCI accountability. An earlier
constitution bench of five judges had already held that the BCCI is not a state body. The court got around this by
stating that since the BCCI performs a public function, it would come under the writ jurisdiction of HCs under
Article 226 of the Constitution. The SC went a step further and declared that a body like the BCCI is subject to the
same standard of accountability applicable to judicial review of state action. While the court did not find any
technical or procedural infirmity in the manner of the amendment to Rule 6.2.4, it held the change to be invalid as
it violated some basic principles of law. In an analysis with far-reaching implications, the court declared that any
deviation, abrogation, frustration or negation of the principles of justice, fairness, good conscience, equity and
objectivity would be opposed to public policy. On this touchstone, it found the amendment to be invalid as it
permits, protects and perpetuates situations where administrators can have commercial interests in breach or
conflict with the duties that they owe to the BCCI.
Nixing Rule 6.2.4 which allowed administrators to hold commercial stakes in BCCI events, the bench said that the
rule permitted situations where conflict of interest would grossly erode the confidence of the people in the
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authenticity, purity and integrity of the game. It described this rule as a true villain of the situation hampering
the purity of the game and giving rise to suspicions of sporting fraud.
The bench set up a three-member panel it will be headed by former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha and will
also include former Supreme Court judges Justices Ashok Bhan and R V Raveendran to recommend sweeping
reforms that the BCCI requires to undergo so that demands of institutional integrity are met suitably in larger
public interest and a mechanism is put in place to resolve all situations of conflict of interest.
The panel has been asked to make recommendations for amendments to the memorandum of association,
constitution, rules and regulations of the BCCI, to rejig the manner in which the cricketing body has been
managing its affairs while discharging what the court called important public functions. The bench said that its
order of disqualifying those with commercial interests from contesting elections would continue till the panel
awards suitable punishment to those held guilty of misconduct or till a person concerned does not give up on all
such stakes, whichever happens later.
It asked the panel to give notices to all the parties before spelling out the punishment and said all such orders
would be binding on the parties concerned and the BCCI. The parties could move appropriate legal forum, which
in this case would be the Supreme Court, if they are aggrieved by the orders passed by the panel which has to
complete the task within six months. While Meiyappan and Kundra face a life ban, the franchisee could get
terminated if the panel decides to awards the maximum punishment. With these orders, the court disposed a
bunch of petitions moved by the Cricket Association of Bihar. The association, through Aditya Verma, had sought
quashing of amended Rule 6.2.4, besides restraining Srinivasan from contesting elections.
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However, while the previous UPA governments flagship programme on affordable housing the Rajiv Awas
Yojana had been lauded for doing away with the concept of cut-off date for deciding the eligibility of slumdwellers, the NDA has proposed to reintroduce the concept, permitting states to set their own cut-off dates.
Since being inducted into the Army in 1992 under the Women Special Entry Scheme (they were earlier in the
Military Nursing Service from 1927 and in the Medical Officers Cadre from 1943), women Army officers are still
denied permanent commission on a par with men: they have to be content with the short service commission. On
a batch of petitions filed in 2003 by women officers demanding an end to the discriminatory practice, the Delhi
High Court in March 2010 granted their just and fair claim for permanent commission with the singeing words
that it was not some charity being sought but enforcement of their constitutional rights.
While this prompted the Air Force and the Navy to grant women officers permanent commission, the Army took a
different stand, arguing, among other things, that the bulk of the armys Junior Commissioned Officers and other
ranks hail from rural India, who are not yet ready to accept a woman as their leader in combat situations. In an
affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in 2012 while appealing against the High Court order, the Army added:
In theory women in the army may sound good but in practical terms the arrangement has not worked well in the
Indian Army and as a concept also our society is not prepared to accept women in combat role.
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As the issue remains in the Supreme Court for more than four years now, the Army needs to get real, and persuade
itself to go beyond symbolic and cosmetic steps. It needs to recognise womens capabilities as many advanced
armed forces across the world have done, even committing them to combat roles and their right to a full-fledged
career in the force, on a par with men. During the 14-year short service commission tenure they now enjoy,
women officers in various corps are assigned duties similar to those of men officers without distinction, to all
possible field units with men officers. If it is the Armys claim that beyond that point in permanent commission
tenure women could be exposed to hostile environments it has cited the unique nature of responsibility and
organisational requirement that the Army Act necessitates that truly smacks of gender discrimination. The
time has come for the Army to end this iniquitous situation.
Counter Arguments
Armed forces have been constituted with the sole purpose of ensuring defence of the country and all policy
decisions should be guided by this overriding factor. All matters concerning defence of the country have to be
considered in a dispassionate manner. No decision should be taken which even remotely affects the cohesiveness
and efficiency of the military. Concern for equality of sexes or political expediency should not influence defence
policies.
India has limited experience as regards induction of women in the armed forces. The first batch had joined in
1992. Therefore, our knowledge of the complexities and long-term effects of the issues involved is highly limited.
The United States is considered a pioneer and a trend-setter as regards induction of women in the services. There
are approximately 200,000 American women on active duty in the US armed forces. They constitute nearly 20
percent of its strength. Women are also participating in Iraq operations in large numbers, albeit in support
functions as they are forbidden to be placed in direct ground combat with enemy.
Women in all militaries are confronted with social, behavioural and psychological problems at all levels.
According to many surveys carried out women are not fully satisfied with the ethos of military profession. Some of
the major issues concerning women in all defence forces are:
Sexual Harassment - This is one single concern that has defied solution so far how to ensure safety and
protect dignity of women in the forces. Almost all women view this as their major fear. The American and the
British societies are highly emancipated and liberal with women having equal status in all fields. Yet, the level of
sexual harassment of women in their forces is startling.
Low Acceptance - Acceptance of women in the military has not been smooth in any country. Every country has
to contend with skeptics who consider it to be a counterproductive programme. They tend to view it as a political
gimmick to flaunt sexual equality, or, at best, a necessary liability.
Lack of Job Satisfaction - Most women feel that their competence is not given due recognition. Seniors tend to
be over-indulgent without valuing their views. They are generally marginalised and not involved in any major
decision-making. They have to work twice as hard as men to prove their worth. Additionally, a woman is always
under scrutiny for even minor slip-ups.
Poor Comfort Level - Most women accepted the fact that their presence amongst males tends to make the
environment formal and stiff. Mutual comfort level between men and women colleagues is low. Men miss their
light hearted banter which is considered essential to release work tensions and promote group cohesion. They
consider women to be intruding on their privacy.
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The experience of countries that have inducted women in their armed forces has been mixed. They have had and
are still grappling with considerable adjustment problems even in societies that are liberated and profess gender
equality.
The profession of arms requires both mental and physical prowess. That is the reason why even advanced
countries are wary of inducting women in fighting units. They have been taking precautions to ensure that women
are neither pitched against enemy in face-to-face direct combat nor exposed to the risk of capture by the
adversary. No wonder then that despite the much touted huge presence of women in US forces in Iraq, there has
not been a single woman casualty so far whereas close to 3,000 men have lost their lives. They have been kept
sheltered in safe appointments.
It is imprudent to replicate the model or path followed by others. Every nation has to weigh its options against the
backdrop of its own social and environmental mores. Every country has its own social/cultural moorings, type of
hostilities encountered, level of technology and larger manpower issues. It is now commonly accepted that women
should be encouraged to join the services only under the following circumstances:
When a country is short of men or there are not enough men volunteering to join the forces.
When the armed forces of a country are technologically very advanced and there is a huge requirement for
highly qualified personnel for high-tech support functions. Women can be gainfully employed for the same.
Where societal and cultural ethos have matured to the extent that barriers of gender prejudices have vanished
and both sexes have adjusted to the desired level of mutual comfort.
Where militaries are not deployed on active combat duties and are generally assigned comparatively passive
tasks. A number of countries like Canada and Australia induct women in their forces as they are aware that
they will never be required to participate in an operation at home or abroad.
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surface area but provide 25% of global productivity. Stress on this environment comes with approximately 70% of
the worlds population living within a days walk of the coast. Two-thirds of the worlds cities occur on the coast.
Valuable resources such as fish and minerals are considered to be common property and are in high demand for
coastal dwellers for subsistence use, recreation and economic development. Through the perception of common
property, these resources have been subjected to intensive and specific exploitation. For example; 90% of the
worlds fish harvest comes from within national exclusive economic zones, most of which are within the sight of
shore. This type of practice has led to a problem that has cumulative effects. The addition of other activities adds
to the strain placed on this environment. As a whole, human activity in the coastal zone generally degrades the
systems by taking unsustainable quantities of resources. The effects are further exacerbated with the input of
pollutant wastes. This provides the need for management. Due to the complex nature of human activity in this
zone a holistic approach is required to obtain a sustainable outcome.
Huge concentration of human activities in this narrow strip has led to rapid degradation of these zones' rich and
important ecosystems and habitats and, as a result, the entire coastal system faces an uncertain future. The coastal
zone is a difficult area to manage due to temporal issues (current, tides and seasons) and the overlapping of
physical geography and hydrography (inshore, shoreline, offshore), of jurisdictions, legal mandates and the remits
of government agencies and the often competing needs of stakeholders.
Typically, many different local, national and regional government agencies are responsible for different aspects of
the same physical areas and different uses of the coastal zone, e.g. fisheries, environment, agriculture, transport
(inland and marine), urban planning etc. These ministries often find themselves undertaking the same or similar
tasks and sometimes, even working against each other due to inharmonious and competing objectives of their
legal mandates
Anthropogenic factors that negatively affect the normal functioning of coastal ecosystems or even make this
functioning impossible may be characterized as anthropogenic disturbances. These may be sub-divided into four
groups:
1.
Chemical pollution increase in the concentration of certain chemical substances above natural levels.
a) Toxic chemical pollution: inflow (with sewage) of detergents, chemical and pharmaceutical industry
wastes, washout of pesticides from agricultural lands etc.
b) Non-toxic chemical pollution: excess of normal percentage of nutrients organic substances (nitrogen,
phosphorus) that leads to over development of bacteria and cyanobacteria (euthrophication)
c) Mixed pollution: simultaneous inflow of both toxic and non-toxic substances, for example, oil spillage,
dumping household rubbish.
2. Physical pollution changing of biotope parameters (that is, changing of characteristics of the environment)
a) Thermal pollution caused by discharge of heated waters into the coastal zone
b) Noise pollution a high level of background noise caused by large-capacity engines and small-sized
vessels, noise produced by people on beaches.
c) Light pollution lighting of shoreline at night by light from hotels, streets, hydraulic engineering
constructions.
d) Radioactive pollution radioactive accidents and disasters.
e) Electromagnetic impact generating artificial electromagnetic fields in the near-shore zone (resulting, for
example, from cable laying)
3. Biological pollution disturbances and changes in species composition
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a) Disappearance of certain species resulting from, for example, excessive hunting or harvesting (whales,
seals), high disturbance level (coastal birds)
b) Occasional introduction of a species alien to a given ecosystem that causes its significant (sometimes
disastrous) reorganization
c) Deliberate introduction of a species that seems to be economically profitable (king crab on the Barents
coast of the Kola Peninsula, Far Eastern humpback salmon in the White sea)
4. Destruction of habitat complete or partial destruction of coastal ecosystems or their reorganization caused
by engineering or mining activities.
a) Extraction of sand, gravel, pebbles and granite for building.
b) Creation of artificial coastal territories a practice which is widespread in Japan and The Netherlands.
c) Hydro-engineering constructions that separate part of the coastal (water) territory from marine
ecosystem (dams of tidal power stations, filtering dams)
d) Damping and shifting of the bottom sediments - for example, during dredging.
e) Development of coastal land (building houses)
f) Deforestation of coastal zone (logging of forests and mangrove swamps)
g) Destruction of coral reefs (for example, caused by the souvenir industry)
Dolphin Survey
In the first of its kind exercise, a comprehensive survey will be undertaken in February to assess the population of
dolphins in the Ganga River as part of the Clean Ganga Mission. Gangetic dolphins are an endangered species and
are now found in only a few stretches of the river. Dolphin is an indicator species. Its number and distribution is
an indication of the health of the Ganga River. Like the tiger in the forests, the dolphin is at the apex of the food
chain in its habitat.
Dolphin conservation has not figured in earlier attempts to clean the river the Ganga Action Plan phase-I and
phase-II were more focused on sewage treatment though it was being run as a separate programme. The
dolphin was also named the National Aquatic Animal of India in 2009. In the past, dolphins were found across
the length of the Ganga and in many of its tributaries. They used to be found in the Yamuna as well. The last
recorded sighting of a dolphin in the Yamuna in Delhi happened in 1967. Today, they have disappeared from most
of the tributaries and are concentrated in very small areas of the Ganga.
The Gangetic dolphins are facing a loss of habitat because of a decrease in the flow of water, pollution and
excessive siltation. Dolphins breed in deep waters and feed in shallow waters. In the Ganga, excessive siltation has
reduced the depth. A number of barrages and hydropower projects have interrupted the flow of water. In addition,
the destruction of floodplains has affected the population of small fish which form the main diet of dolphins.
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role
in
On 16 December 2014, 9 members of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on
the Army Public School in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. They entered the school and opened fire on school staff
and children, killing 145 people, including 132 schoolchildren.
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) described the attack as revenge for Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the Pakistani
military's offensive in North Waziristan that started in summer 2014.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb is a joint military offensive being
conducted by Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant
groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jundallah, al-Qaeda,
the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Haqqani network. The
operation was launched by the Pakistan Armed Forces on 15
June 2014 in North Waziristan (part of the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border) as a
renewed effort against militancy in the wake of the 8 June,
2014 attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, for
which the TTP and the IMU claimed responsibility. Part of the
ongoing war in North-West Pakistan, up to 30,000 Pakistani
soldiers are involved in Zarb-e-Azb, described as a
"comprehensive operation" to flush out all foreign and local
militants hiding in North Waziristan.
Long ago, the Pakistan Army created armed militias, which it
called the Mujahideen and the Taliban (terrorist proxies to the rest of the world), to act as force multipliers of
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Pakistans foreign policy against its neighbours. Instead, some of these strategic assets are now rebounding and
rather than facilitating strategic depth in Afghanistan and India, have secured strategic space for themselves
within Pakistan.
Pakistans pro-jihadist policy was first used in the 1980s, when the country, with full U.S. backing, supported
Islamist warriors fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan. After the Soviet withdrawal, Pakistan turned the jihadists
on India in the 1990s, especially in the disputed region of Kashmir. By the mid-1990s, Pakistan promoted the
emergence of a new Islamist movement in Afghanistan, the Taliban.
However, after the September 2001 attacks in the U.S., Islamabad formally sided with the U.S. That alliance split
the Pakistani jihadist movement, with a more radical wing turning on its own country, becoming the bad
Taliban, under the influence of al Qaeda, which made Pakistan its base after 2001. Other good Taliban groups
based in Pakistan have continued to fight only in Afghanistan or India.
Ever since the Taliban and al-Qaeda leadership and base shifted into Pakistan after international troops landed in
Afghanistan, there was much pressure on Gen. Musharraf to go against the militants in Pakistan, who were using
the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) as a base to carry out operations against the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF). While Gen. Musharraf faced serious pressure and at times even sanctions and
threats from the U.S. to do more, there was also equal resistance from his own establishment to going against
their boys. How can they, for they are seen as their trump card in Afghanistan?
As a result, Pakistan was selective in apprehending and neutralising the militants on its soil. More al-Qaeda
leaders were either captured and handed over, or neutralised. Even today, Pakistan is more than willing to
sacrifice the al-Qaeda leadership, but not the Afghan Taliban. There is enough literature available on the number
of al-Qaeda leaders either captured or handed over to the U.S. silently by Pakistan vis--vis the Afghan Taliban.
The establishment of the TTP should be interpreted in this background; it was more a creation of the al-Qaeda
than that of the Afghan Taliban under Mullah Omar.
The Pakistani Taliban, formed in 2007, took control of the tribal areas and then the Swat Valley in the northwest,
before a military operation pushed them out of Swat in 2009. That was followed by an operation in South
Waziristan the same year. But even after the alleged cleanup The Pakistan Taliban still holds a stronghold in
North Waziristan and Swat Valley. In October 2012 a Taliban gunman shot and critically wounded Malala
Yousafzai in Swat Valley as she was returning home from school in Pakistan's northwest. The militant group
targeted her because of her vocal support for girls' education and criticism of the insurgents' behavior when they
took over the scenic Swat Valley where she lived several years ago. She is now the youngest-ever Nobel
Prize laureate. It wasnt until June, 2014 that the military moved to clear North Waziristan
Still, doubts linger over claims of a new policy. Many militants including Afghan insurgents, were able to
flee North Waziristan before the offensive, Pakistan security officials concede, but they insist that any who remain
are being targeted.
After Peshawar attack, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif outlined his vision to tackle the unaddressed
challenges of terrorism and extremism. He said, Pakistans soil will not be allowed to be used for acts of terrorism
against a neighbouring country. Pakistan would not rest till the last terrorist was eliminated from its soil.
This upheaval, which is of Pakistans own making, has to be tackled on the political, military, economic and
ideological planks. In this, the Army, the government, the political opposition and civil society should be on the
same page.
The regional effort should commence with India offering to resume the composite dialogue which must include
Afghanistan in the context of the U.S.s withdrawal and misgivings about Indias role in financing and training the
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TTP. A joint and special AfPak Commission is in the offing which must ultimately lead to an Af-Pak-India
trilateral intergovernmental group which can address the menace of terrorism under both the UN and South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conventions on counter-terrorism. What India and Pakistan
can do together and along with Kabul towards stabilising Afghanistan and the region has been discussed on Track
II since 2007. Its potential is profound.
China has indicated serious interest in filling the vacuum created by the withdrawal of the West in Afghanistan.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has urged China to persuade its best friend and ally, Pakistan, to help in the
reconciliation process. Pakistan holds the key to restoring a modicum of calm on the western front. Russia,
Pakistans newest friend, knows full well that the Mujahideen (the present Taliban) of its era takes its orders from
Islamabad. Russia and China are current strategic allies and can pressure Pakistan into freezing cross-border
activities in Afghanistan. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has both China and Russia as its lead
members with Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and India as observers. Its primary pursuit is counter-terrorism.
Regional networking of the SCO and SAARC (which has a convention on counter-terrorism) in coordinating and
implementing regional and international agreements on combating terrorism is feasible.
Silk Road Project - In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled plans for two massive trade and
infrastructure networks connecting East Asia with Europe: the New Silk Road (also known as the Silk Road
Economic Belt) and the Maritime Silk Road.
The land-based New Silk Road will begin in Xian in central China before stretching west through Lanzhou
(Gansu province), Urumqi (Xinjiang), and Khorgas (Xinjiang), which is near the border with Kazakhstan. The Silk
Road then runs southwest from Central Asia to northern Iran before swinging west through Iraq, Syria, and
Turkey. From Istanbul, the Silk Road crosses the Bosporus Strait and heads northwest through Europe, including
Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Reaching Duisburg in Germany, it swings north to
Rotterdam in the Netherlands. From Rotterdam, the path runs south to Venice, Italy where it meets up with the
equally ambitious Maritime Silk Road.
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China plans to create a $16.3 billion fund to build and expand railways, roads and pipelines in Chinese provinces
that are part of the planned Silk Road Economic Belt. The massive investments will help boost economic
development in Chinas poorer inland regions, a key goal of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Meanwhile, Beijing also plans to promote policies that encourage Chinese banks to lend money to other countries
along the planned route. And thats in addition to the massive amounts of infrastructure funding China had
already promised to Silk Road partners: $1.4 billion for developing port infrastructure in Sri Lanka;$50 billion in
infrastructure and energy deals in Central Asia; $327 million in general aid to Afghanistan, some of which will
fund the construction of rail lines, highways, water conservancies and power facilities. With the establishment of
Chinas new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), even more money is expected to flow into the region to
shore up infrastructure capabilities.
In most cases, the Silk Road is not a hard sell. Regional partners (particularly smaller and often over-looked
countries like the Maldives) are eager to gain Chinese assistance in building critical infrastructure for their people.
In less prominent countries, China may be the only ready source of international aid. And in countries that have
several major power suitors vying for their affections (the Central Asian states, Indian Ocean states, and Eastern
Europe in particular), Chinas largess may spark a sort of bidding war that encourages Chinas rivals to commit
funding and diplomatic attention in ways they might not otherwise do. For example, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modis concerted outreach to Indias smaller neighbors, including Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, is
partially motivated by fear that New Delhi is being overshadowed by Beijing in those regions.
From economic exchanges, China hopes to gain closer cultural and political ties with each of the countries along
the Silk Road resulting in a new model of mutual respect and mutual trust. The Silk Road creates not just an
economic trade route, but a community with common interests, fate, and responsibilities. The Silk Road
represents Chinas visions for an interdependent economic and political community stretching from East Asia to
western Europe, and its clear that China believes its principles will be the guiding force in this new community.
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For China, the Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road are opportunities to expand Chinese influence
while also showcasing Beijings softer side. If brought to fruition, the Silk Roads would boost Chinas trade with
effectively the whole Eurasian continent. Meanwhile, with Beijing footing the bill for much of the requisite
infrastructure development, the vast trade network would increase the number of regional governments that view
China as a patron and benefactor rather than a threat. To use Chinas favorite foreign policy catchphrase, its a
win-win situation China can foster a softer image for itself even while boosting its regional influence.
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With Laos, the China-Vientiane railroad project is expected to be completed by 2018. China has recently approved
a $23 billion project, which includes a high-speed link between Chaing Khong, just south of the Laos capital
Vientiane, and Ban Phachi in Thailand.
Some analysts are of the view that China and Thailand are taking the lead in building the MSRs connection with
Africa. The website East by Southeast reported that last year, Chinese and Thai officials formed investment
vehicles for the construction of the seven strategic ports on the African coastlines.
Thai rice exporters are likely to be one of the main beneficiaries of the Asia-Africa link under the MSR plan.
Already 60 per cent of Thai rice exports in 2013 headed for Africa, and consumption trend was even higher last
year.
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Golden Triangle is one of Asia's two main opiumproducing areas. It is an area of around 950,000 km2
that overlaps the mountains of three countries of
Southeast Asia-Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. Along
with Afghanistan in the Golden Crescent, it has been
one of the most extensive opium-producing areas of
Asia and of the world since the 1950s. Most of the
world's heroin came from the Golden Triangle until
the early 21st century when Afghanistan became the
world's largest producer.
The Golden Crescent is the name given to one
of Asia's two principal areas of illicit opium
production located at the crossroads of Central,
South, and Western Asia. This space overlaps three
nations, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, whose mountainous peripheries define the crescent, though only
Afghanistan and Pakistan produce opium, with Iran being a consumer and trans-shipment route for the
smuggled opiates.
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Hebdo continued weekly publication; issue No. 1178 sold out a print run of seven million copies in six languages,
in contrast to its typical French-only 60,000 to 45,000.
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speedily on addressing alleged war crimes, starting with ascertaining how many Tamil civilians actually died in
the last phases of the war.
Tamil Nadus political parties must desist from fanning any extremist demands. For New Delhi, the change in Sri
Lanka presents the opportunity to build a bilateral relationship that is based on mutual trust and honesty rather
than on mutual suspicion. In recent months, the growing military relationship between Colombo and Beijing was
one of the big concerns in New Delhi. As a sovereign country, Sri Lanka must be free to choose its friends and
allies. But the least New Delhi can expect is that its defence concerns will not be compromised by a friendly
neighbour. Indias relations with Sri Lanka are civilisational, not contractual, and despite all the ups and downs,
the ties between the people of both countries, based on culture, religion and trade, have continued to flourish.
Both countries have a common strategic interest in a peaceful Indian Ocean. It is from this large base that both
must now work to strengthen mutually beneficial ties.
Sri Lanka watchers in India believe that with Maithripala Sirisena coming to power in Sri Lanka, the island
nations tilt towards China will be reduced considerably. They have been critical of the former President Mahinda
Rajapaksa for his tilt towards China and ignoring Indias pleas to grant devolution of powers to the Tamilmajority northern region, as he had repeatedly promised.
During Mr. Rajapaksas tenure, China won a primary role as a donor and investor, also loaning approximately
$500 million for development projects. It also bagged some of the biggest projects, including the $1.5-billion
Colombo port reclamation project for state corporations, a trend Mr. Sirisena has promised to reverse in his
manifesto, calling foreign debt a trap for Sri Lanka.
India has also been concerned about Chinas strategic influence in Sri Lanka, and National Security Adviser Ajit
Doval had reportedly complained twice in recent months about the docking of Chinese submarines in the
Colombo harbour.
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The change in the US policy towards Cuba is not unrelated to changes in domestic political constituencies in the
US. The Cuban-American community, composed predominantly of those who ran away from Cubas socialist
system, had been a formidable lobby that garnered bipartisan support for USs isolationist policy, largely because
of its electoral influence in the swing state of Florida. Social and political transformations within this
community, as well as among the larger Hispanic community in the US, have blunted the extremism of this lot.
Sections of the US capitalist class, big farming in particular, have also called for ending the blockade in order to
access the Cuban market. Sections of the US diplomatic community too realise that far from weakening Cubas
socialist system, the US blockade and hostility has only strengthened Cubas position as the anti-imperialist lodestar of the western hemisphere.
The US shift in policy was also, in a sense, inevitable. It is the US, rather than Cuba, that stands politically isolated
in Latin America. The rise of radically progressive governments across south and central America has brought
about significant changes in geopolitical relations between these countries and the empire. Closer political and
economic integration without the overarching hegemonic presence of the superpower is now much more a reality
in the larger region than it was when the cold war ended a quarter of a century ago. The formation of new regional
blocs such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Union of South American
Nations (UNASUR), besides the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) has drastically
reduced the influence of the US and the forum it dominates, the Organization of American States (OAS). All these
alternative groupings have sought closer collaboration between Cuba and the other member-countries and have
broken many of the shackles of the 20th century which tied the region in dependency to the US. This regeneration
of Latin America and the support from its newfound allies has also helped Cuba ward off US pressure.
The blockade on Cuba started in 1960, in the last year of the Dwight Eisenhower administration. President
Eisenhower acceded to the wishes of the State Department, which had proposed a line of action that makes the
greatest inroads in denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about
desperation, hunger and the overthrow of the [Fidel Castro] government. The policy was revised in the 1980s and
1990s to make the sanctions more draconian. All the same, the U.S. blockade did not achieve its stated goal but it
did cause a lot of suffering to the Cuban people and had an impact on the countrys economy. Cuba estimates that
its economy has lost more than $1 trillion as a result of the blockade.
Obama administration officials have said that the President will immediately use his executive powers to lift the
sanctions on travel and business activities. In his statement on Cuba policy changes, Obama said that with the
U.S. having established diplomatic relations with other communist countries such as China and Vietnam, it made
no sense to continue with the policy on Cuba, another communist country. The decision to ease restrictions on
Cuba was influenced to an extent by the Summit of the Americas scheduled to be held in Panama in April. Panama
had invited the U.S. to the summit along with Cuba. Many countries in the region threatened to boycott the
summit if the U.S. insisted on excluding Cuba from it. With the statement on easing of relations, Obama and Raul
Castro can sit across the table at the summit, in what will be the first such meeting between the Presidents of the
two countries since the Cuban Revolution of 1959. Obama and Raul Castro did briefly shake hands and greet each
other during the funeral of South African leader Nelson Mandela in December 2013.
It has been evident for some months that the relations between the two countries were improving. Many U.S.
Senators and Congressmen were calling on the Obama administration to ease the sanctions on Cuba. The New
York Times, the voice of the U.S. East Coast Establishment, has been carrying on a campaign for the speedy
normalisation of relations between the two countries. Obama had won votes from the Cuban community in
Florida during his first campaign for the presidency by promising to improve relations with Havana. He did, in
fact, make some changes in Washingtons Cuba policy by allowing Cuban Americans to visit their homeland more
frequently and to send increased amounts of dollar remittances to relatives on the island. But he also continued
with many of the hostile policies of the past, including subversion of the Cuban political system. U.S. government
agencies such as USAID were used for the purpose. The U.S. spy Alan Gross was caught distributing money and
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computers to the minuscule minority of dissident activists on the island. The Zunzuneo project was another plan
hatched by the agency aimed at subverting the socialist system through the auspices of social media.
The deal came in for effusive praise from leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean region, cutting across
political lines. Pro-American leaders in the region, such as the Presidents of Mexico and Colombia, were among
the first to express their happiness with the diplomatic rapprochement. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos
expressed the hope that the deal would pave the way to the dream of having a continent where there will be total
peace. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which is currently engaged in peace talks with the
Colombian government, announced that it was declaring a unilateral and indefinite ceasefire. The civil war in
Colombia has been going on almost uninterrupted since the early 1950s.
President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela hailed the agreement as a historic victory for the Cuban people. A day
after his statement announcing the normalisation of relations with Cuba, Obama gave his approval for sanctions
against Venezuela. Strained relations with the U.S. did not stop Maduro from congratulating Obama on his
initiative to normalise relations with Cuba. We have to recognise the gesture from Obama. A necessary and
courageous gesture, Maduro said. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Rafael Ramirez, however, highlighted the U.S.
double standards. He pointed out the contradiction of Obama imposing sanctions on Venezuela when he had
admitted that the U.S. prolonged sanctions against Cuba had failed to advance its interests.
The U.S. economic blockade of Cuba was deeply unpopular all over the region. The Obama administration was
alarmed by the diplomatic and economic inroads made by China and Russia in a region that the U.S. once
considered its backyard. Many U.S. policymakers and analysts blamed the diminishing influence on the countrys
failed Cuba policy. In the last Summit of the Americas, most of the time was wasted on talking about the U.S.
economic blockade on Cuba. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin made extensive
visits to the region in 2014. When Obama stated that the U.S. policy towards Cuba had failed to advance our
interests he was not talking only about its political interests.
Economic benefit
In fact, many U.S. commentators say that it is the powerful commercial lobby in the U.S. that has prompted
Obama to speedily loosen the restrictions on trade with Cuba. Although the U.S. trade embargo has not ended
officially, the White House has said that it will authorise expanded sales and export of certain goods and services
from the U.S. to Cuba. Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary, has said that the easing of restrictions expands
opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers to do business in Cuba. American economists estimated that the U.S.
would be able to sell $500 million worth of agricultural products to Cuba. The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) said
that American exports would grow from the current level of zero to around 80-90 per cent in Cuba, as it is in
other Caribbean nations. The multinational corporation Cargill hailed Obamas initiative by saying that there are
clear economic and social benefits and the potential for a new market for U.S. farmers, ranchers and food
companies.
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The last time Pakistan had military courts was during the martial law regime of General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s.
The next military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, did not promulgate martial law; there were no military courts
during his nine-year regime. That Parliament sanctioned the assumption of judicial powers by the Pakistan Army
during the time of an elected government led by Nawaz Sharif, who knows only too well the perils of military rule,
is a further irony. The move has undermined the hard-fought 2007 struggle of the judiciary for the separation of
powers, and is a blow to the countrys fragile democratic structure. There was immense public pressure on the
government to do something to contain terrorism after the Peshawar attack. Instead of using the opportunity to
strengthen investigations into terrorism offences, and put in place mechanisms to protect witnesses and judges
from intimidation by terrorist groups, the government grasped all too easily the hand offered by the military, an
admission of civilian helplessness.
The courts are to begin trying cases soon. In the eyes of the public, the Army is bound to be seen as being more
efficient than the elected government military trials do end quickly and military-appointed judges may be more
daring than those in Pakistans civilian antiterrorist courts. But speed does not always serve the interests of
justice, and opens up the danger of misuse of the process against innocent civilians, including those involved in
legitimate political activity. Years of patronage by the security establishment of terrorist groups have radicalised
all sections of society. Pakistan can tackle this malaise only by strengthening its democratic institutions. For New
Delhi, the military courts present an interesting albeit double-edged opportunity. India could now possibly make
the demand that the cases against the accused in the Mumbai attack should now be shifted to a military court. But
while this may speed up the case, there is no guarantee that the chances of conviction would improve.
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Why, one wonders, is the same routine repeated when in 2014 the fact that human intervention is responsible for
global warming and climate change has been convincingly established? Fortunately, in Lima no one wasted time
arguing about the science of climate change. Yet they continued to debate about who should shoulder the principal
responsibility for curbing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and how adaptation measures could be financed. When the
Kyoto Protocol was negotiated and agreed upon in 1997, few disputed that the older industrialised nations had to
bear the primary responsibility. The world was cleaved into two halves developed and developing. The former
had to curb emissions while the latter were to be helped to adopt cleaner technologies and adapt to climate
change.
Almost two decades later, the picture has changed. China, defined as developing in 1997, is now the worlds
largest emitter of GHG. It has exceeded the US and the European Union. Although India stands at number four in
the list of the six largest emitters of GHGs, its total emissions are less than a quarter of Chinas. But more
significant than global rankings is the fact that the carbon budget, a concept that the fourth assessment on
climate change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) put forward last year, is precipitously
close to being consumed.
The IPCC calculated that the earths atmosphere could absorb at the most 800-880 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide
(CO2) before global warming exceeded the 2C mark. The problem is that the earth has already accumulated 530
gigatonnes of CO2, leaving only a third of this carbon budget. If the rate of emissions does not reduce drastically,
we are staring at the inevitability of a climate change precipice where the only direction in which the earth will go
is down. Against this frightening future, squabbling over global ranking is less important than finding constructive
ways to limit the consumption of this carbon budget.
This, in essence, should be the focus of the climate talks. Ideally, the discussions should be based on science.
Inevitably, it is politics that determines the ultimate outcome. For instance, in the run-up to Lima, the US and
China agreed to limits on their GHG emissions. This was interpreted as path-breaking by some and by others as a
ploy to put pressure on countries like India to do the same. China has agreed to peak its emissions by 2030 while
the US promises to reduce emissions by 28% of 2005 levels by 2025. The sceptics point out that these levels are
actually lower than what would have been required under the Kyoto Protocol and that, in any case, this bilateral
agreement is non-binding.
Despite the agreement, which the US and China had clearly hoped would influence the Lima talks, the outcome
was somewhat different. For one, the final Lima document retains the hard-fought concept of common but
differentiated responsibility (CBDR) that developing countries pushed through post-Kyoto. They had argued that
even if global warming affects everyone, the industrial economies that have contributed to the current
accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere should be held principally responsible for mitigation as well as for
funding adaptation measures in poorer countries.
Despite the efforts by many richer countries to remove this provision, it survived. However, its meaning has been
diluted with the insertion of a new phrase, the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), that allows
individual countries, irrespective of the extent of their emissions, to determine how far they are prepared to go.
Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, this provision provides a handy loophole for many countries from accepting binding
commitments to limit emissions.
In the end, however, whether it is CBDR or INDC, these are just so many words. In the absence of a transparent
system for monitoring GHG emissions, a treaty or protocol that has legal force to compel nations to comply with
emission limits, and shared concern for the most vulnerable countries that are already debilitated by the fallout of
global warming, they carry little meaning. GHGs know no borders; their accumulation is not constrained by
questions of sovereignty; their adverse impacts are not governed by poverty or wealth. It is unfortunate that a
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sense of urgency and commitment to address this global crisis has been missing in international climate change
negotiations.
January 2015
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although partly true, still do not trump the need for an international criminal justice system to adjudicate war
crimes.
First, the role of the ICC must be clearly understood. The ICC is not meant to be a political body mediating a peace
process; it is envisaged as a judicial body meant to end impunity and hold accountable those who have committed
the gravest of crimes. Given this, even if the ICC may harm a peace process, which in the case of Israel-Palestine is
anyway in deadlock, the politics of peace cannot prevail over justice, accountability for heinous crimes, and the
upholding of dignity, womens rights and other human rights. Second, even if the ICC is a slow and ineffective
mechanism, holding those responsible for human rights violations in war crimes is necessary. Third, the
investigation is against any person who may have committed war crimes during the conflict. So, both Hamas and
Israel would be under the ICCs investigation.
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Jurisdiction
There are three jurisdictional requirements in the Rome Statute that must be met before a case may begin against
an individual. The requirements are (1) subject-matter jurisdiction (what acts constitute crimes), (2) territorial or
personal jurisdiction (where the crimes were committed or who committed them), and (3) temporal jurisdiction
(when the crimes were committed).
Subject-matter jurisdiction - The Court's subject-matter jurisdiction is the crimes for which individuals can
be prosecuted. Individuals can only be prosecuted for crimes that are listed in the Statute. The primary crimes are
listed in article 5 of the Statute: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression.
Territorial or personal jurisdiction - For an individual to be prosecuted by the Court either territorial
jurisdiction or personal jurisdiction must exist. Therefore an individual can only be prosecuted if he or she has
either (1) committed a crime within the territorial jurisdiction of the Court or (2) committed a crime while a
national of a state that is within the territorial jurisdiction of the Court.
Temporal jurisdiction - Temporal jurisdiction is the time period over which the Court can exercise its powers.
No statute of limitations applies to any of the crimes defined in the Statute. However, the Court's jurisdiction is
not completely retroactive. Individuals can only be prosecuted for crimes that took place on or after 1 July 2002,
which is the date that the Rome Statute entered into force. However, if a state became party to the Statute, and
therefore a member of the Court, after 1 July 2002, then the Court cannot exercise jurisdiction prior to that date
for certain cases. For example, if the Statute entered into force for a state on 1 January 2003, the Court could only
exercise temporal jurisdiction over crimes that took place in that state or were committed by a national of that
state on or after 1 January 2003.
Over the last decade as the court has gotten up-and-running, it has made significant headway in putting
international justice on the map, giving rise to increased expectations wherever the worlds worst crimes occur.
This was poignantly demonstrated by the signs held by Syrian anti-government protesters that read Assad to The
Hague, a reference to abuses of the countrys president. But while the ICC is now the primary address for
international criminal accountability, its daunting mandate and world-wide reach have made the flaws in its
workings more visible.
The governments on which the ICC depends to carry out its
mandate have been inconsistent in their support, particularly when
it comes to arrests. In June 2012, Fatou Bensouda was sworn in as
the courts new head prosecutor. Arrest warrants are pending for
suspects in the Libya, Sudan, Uganda, Cote dIvoire, and Congo
investigations. The court and its member countries face major
challenges in meeting expanded expectations for the court in its
second decade.
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FRONTLINE
Pakistani Taliban
The Pakistani Taliban was never a unified group. It was founded in 2007 by Behtullah Mehsud and those within
its ranks were mainly fighters who were with the Taliban and earlier with the U.S.-supported jehadi groups
fighting the Afghanistan government in the 1970s and 1980s. They fled to Pakistan after the U.S. invasion of
Afghanistan in 2001. Joining them in their exodus were Chechen, Uzbek and Uyghur fighters and members of Al
Qaeda and other extremist, separatist groups. With the U.S. authorising increasing drone attacks on Al Qaeda and
Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistans tribal areas and Pakistani military bases being used for these launches, many in
the Tehereek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistani Taliban, turned violently against their erstwhile sponsors and
patrons. The TTP comprises several factions.
According to Pakistani estimates, 50 to 60 per cent of those killed in American drone attacks were civilians and
this in turn resulted in higher recruitment for militant groups. Widespread U.S. drone attacks contributed to the
anti-American feelings in Pakistan and weakened the cooperation between the two countries in counterterrorism
operations.
A double game
U.S. and Indian officials have been accusing Pakistan of playing a double game by taking U.S. aid money and
weaponry while supporting and encouraging various Taliban and other extremist groups such as the LeT to
destabilise neighbouring Afghanistan and India. They accuse the Pakistani security establishment of glossing over
the danger posed by these groups to the government in Islamabad.
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Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai openly accused Pakistan of supporting the Afghan Taliban and
facilitating terror attacks. It is not a secret that many in the top Afghan Taliban leadership, including its leader
Mullah Omar, are protected by Pakistani intelligence services. Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden must have had
the help of sections of the Pakistani intelligence apparatus to go on living for years in a house in Abbottabad,
located next to a military base.
The flamboyant Hakimullah, who succeeded Baitullah
Mehsud as the leader of the Haqqani group, was eliminated
in a drone strike in November 2013
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as a strategic asset. Pakistan does not want countries such as India and Iran to have too much influence in
Afghanistan.
The Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Omar looks destined to play an important role in Afghanistans politics after the
departure of the U.S. forces from that country by the end of 2014. Already, they have made steady advances on the
ground. Islamabad wants the good Afghan Taliban to share power with other stakeholders in the postoccupation scenario in Kabul. This view also, until recently, had the support of the Obama administration.
The Afghan Taliban has repeatedly criticised the attacks on Pakistans armed forces on previous occasions. The
Afghan Taliban, as of now, is not against the goal of overthrowing the Pakistani state. The TTP and other Pakistani
Taliban groups reject the Constitution of Pakistan and want the introduction of Sharia.
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backbone of the Indian Air Force, were made in India. The Russian side has agreed to produce Mi-17 medium
lift and Ka-226 light utility helicopters in India in partnership with an Indian firm.
Russia has indicated that it would like to locate other aerospace projects too in India. Russia has offered to
produce civilian passenger planes. The two sides have agreed to move ahead on the long-delayed projects to
jointly develop a fifth-generation fighter jet and a multi-role transport aircraft. Russian officials said that Indias
Act East policy would open newer vistas for cooperation between the two countries. Russia considers itself a
Eurasian country. Much of its land mass is in Asia.
Before Putins visit, the Indian side had signalled its displeasure on the Russian governments willingness to sell
military hardware to Pakistan. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was in Islamabad in November. This was
the first-ever visit by a Russian Defence Minister to the country to sign a military cooperation agreement. The
Russian Ambassador to India has claimed that no firm deal has been struck with Pakistan for the sale of military
helicopters. Until recently, Russia, in deference to the wishes of its close strategic ally India, had abstained from
selling arms to Pakistan. But with India sidelining Russia and going in for multibillion dollar deals with the West
and Israel, there evidently has been a rethink in Moscow.
From the Indian point of view, the most important takeaway from the Putin visit was the announcement that
Russia would be constructing an additional 12 new nuclear reactors in the country by 2035. Russia will start by
building two more nuclear reactors in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, by 2016. This is in addition to the two reactors
that are expected to go on stream very soon.
The Russian side, in fact, was ready to build up to 24 nuclear reactors in India, but the Indian side wants to keep
the lucrative contracts for nuclear reactors to be shared by some of its other strategic partners like the U.S.,
France and Japan. But unlike these three countries, Russia has not made much of a fuss about Indias nuclear
liability law though the Russians too would like the law to be either scrapped or diluted.
Another key agreement inked during Putins visit was the $2.1 billion deal to directly source raw diamonds from
Russia. India is the biggest manufacturer of cut and polished diamonds. Gujarat is the centre of Indias diamond
industry and the businessmen in the State will be the major gainers from the deal.
A modest agreement between Indias Essar and Russias Rosneft was signed for the long-term supply of 10 million
tonnes of crude oil at a concessional rate. Negotiations are on for oil and gas exploration projects by the Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in the Arctic region and East Siberia. More than 60 per cent of Indias oil
imports are sourced from West Asia. The quantity imported from Russia is less than 1 per cent. There is a need for
India to diversify its sources as the demand for energy rises domestically.
Both sides agreed on the urgency to boost bilateral trade, which languishes at a paltry $10 billion annually. To
boost trade and investment, the Russian side has liberalised visa rules for Indian businessmen and professionals.
To facilitate investment growth, the two countries are working out modalities for rupee-rouble trade. The BRICS
(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries have agreed in principle to bypass the U.S. dollar and
trade mainly in their own currencies.
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The Government of India on 22nd December 2011 announced establishment of a sub-quota of 4.5% for minorities
within the existing 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes. The reasoning given was
that Muslim communities that have been granted OBC status are unable to compete with Hindu OBC
communities. On 28 May 2012, the Andhra Pradesh High Court quashed the sub-quota. The court said that the
sub-quota has been carved out only on religious lines and not on any other intelligible basis. The court criticised
the decision: "In fact, we must express our anguish at the rather casual manner in which the entire issue has been
taken up by the central
government."
The Supreme Court, in its
16th
November
1992
judgment in the Indra
Sawhney case, ruled that
reservations in promotions
are unconstitutional, but
allowed its continuation for
5 years as a special case. In
1995, 77th amendment to
the Constitution was made
to insert clause (4A) Article
16 {Equality of opportunity
in matters of public
employment} before the
five-year period expired to
continue with reservations
for SC/STs in promotions.
Clause 4A: Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any provision for reservation in matters
of promotion to any class or classes of posts in the services under the State in favour of the Scheduled Castes and
the Scheduled Tribes which, in the opinion of the State, are not adequately represented in the services under the
State."
Clause (4A) was further modified through the 85th amendment to give the benefit of consequential seniority to
SC/ST candidates promoted by reservation.
The 81st amendment was made to the Constitution that inserted clause (4B) in Article 16 to permit the
government to treat the backlog of reserved vacancies as a separate and distinct group, to which the limit of 50
percent ceiling on reservation may not apply. The 82nd amendment inserted a provision in Article 335 to enable
states to give concessions to SC/ST candidates in promotion.
Article 335: The claims of the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes shall be taken into
consideration, consistently with the maintenance of efficiency of administration, in the making of appointments to
services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or of a State
82nd amendment added to Article 335: "Provided that nothing in this article shall prevent in making of any
provision in favour of the members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes for relaxation in qualifying
marks in any examination or lowering the standards of evaluation, for reservation in matters of promotion to any
class or classes of services or posts in connection with the affairs of the Union or of a State".
The validity of all the above four amendments i.e. 77th, 81st, 82nd and 85th was challenged in the Supreme Court
through various petitions clubbed together in M. Nagaraj & Others vs. Union of India & Others, mainly on the
ground that these altered the Basic Structure of the Constitution.
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On 19th October 2006, the Supreme Court upheld these four amendments but stipulated that the concerned state
will have to show, in each case, the existence of compelling reasons which include backwardness, inadequacy of
representation and overall administrative efficiency, before making provisions for reservation. The court further
held that these provisions are merely enabling provisions. If a state government wishes to make provisions for
reservation to SC/STs in promotion, the state has to collect quantifiable data showing backwardness of the class
and inadequacy of representation of that class.
In 2007, Government of Uttar Pradesh introduced reservation in promotions. The policy specified reservation for
SC/ST employees in the first stage of their promotion and that of the benefit of consequential seniority in
successive promotions. However, this policy was challenged through a spate of petitions and
subsequently Allahabad High Court on 4 January 2011 struck down the policy terming it as unconstitutional.
The Allahabad High Court verdict was challenged in the Supreme Court through various petitions. The Supreme
Court on 27 April 2012, upheld the high court judgement. The court rejected the government's argument on the
ground that it failed to furnish sufficient valid data to justify the move to promote employees on caste basis.
The apex court reiterated the law laid down through various judgements by the Constitution benches in the M
Nagaraj, Indra Sawhney and other cases wherein it was declared that reservation in promotions can be
provided only if there is sufficient data and evidence to justify the need.
Reservation in Education
Scheduled Castes (SC) and Tribes constitute approximately 22.5% of the countrys population. Accordingly, a prorata reservation of 22.5% (SC 15% and ST 7.5%) has been made for them in educational institutions which come
under the administrative control of the Ministry of Human Resource Development and other Central Ministries.
Similar reservations, directly proportional to their population, have also been provided by the State Governments
and Union Territory Administrations. SC and ST students are also entitled to relaxation in respect of the upper
age limit (generally 5 years) as well as concession of lower cut-off qualifying marks (5-10%).
Besides reservation for SC and ST Candidates, seats are also reserved for other categories of the backward
community (OBC). In 1978, the Second Backward Classes Commission under the Chairmanship of B.P. Mandal
was set up. The Commission, which submitted its report in 1980, recommended the reservation of 27% of the
seats in all scientific, technical and professional institutions run by the Central as well as State Governments for
other backward communities (OBCs).
In 2007, the Central Government proposed an additional 27% reservation for the other backward classes in
educational institutions. The said move was sought to be justified by the central government as being an extended
policy to achieve the goals under the Directive Principles of State Policy and in Particular the goals as defined
under Article 38 of the Indian Constitution.
93rd constitutional amendment act: the amendment added clause 5 to article 15 of the constitution and
provides for reservations of seats in favour of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens, the
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in their admission to private educational institutions (both aided and
unaided by the state) other than the minority educational institutions.
Definition of Scheduled Castes and Tribes according to the Indian constitution
Article 341:
1. The President may with respect to any State or Union Territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with
the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within
castes, races or tribes which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Castes in
relation to that State or Union Territory, as the case may be.
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2. Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Castes specified in a notification issued
under clause (1) any caste, race or tribe or part of or group within any caste, race or tribe, but save as aforesaid
a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.
After promulgation of the Constitution, in exercise of powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 341 of the
Constitution, the President has made six Presidential Orders between 1950 and 1978, for specifying castes as
Scheduled Castes in relation to various States/Union Territories. These orders have been amended from time to
time.
Article 342 of the constitution gives similar powers to the President regarding notification of Scheduled Tribes.
The first specification of Scheduled Tribes in relation to a particular State/ Union Territory is by a notified order
of the President, after consultation with the State governments concerned. These orders can be modified
subsequently only through an Act of Parliament. Article 342 provides for listing of scheduled tribes State/Union
Territory wise and not on an all India basis.
The criterion followed for specification of a community, as scheduled tribes are indications of primitive traits,
distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness.
This criterion is not spelt out in the Constitution but has become well established.
In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause (1) of Article 342 of the Constitution of India, the President, after
Consultation with the State Governments concerned has so far promulgated 9 orders specifying the Scheduled
Tribes in relation to the state and union territories.
Assam Violence
In December 2014, a series of attacks by militants resulted in deaths of more than 76 in Assam. The attacks took
place in Chirang, Sonitpur and Kokrajhar districts, on 23 December 2014. They have been attributed to the
Songbijit faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland NDFB(S).
The tribal people are mostly tea plantation workers; some of them are the descendants of labourers brought to
Assam by the British colonial rulers, while others are relatively recent migrants from other parts of India. The
NDFB claims to represent the Bodo
people, who are native to Assam; it has
fought a secessionist war with the
government for the establishment of a
sovereign Bodoland. Although a number
of NDFB militants had agreed to
ceasefire and peace talks in 2000s, the
NDFB(S) faction led by I K Songbijit has
refused to give up militancy.
In May 2014, the government had
attributed a similar attack on Muslim
migrants to NDFB(S). The December
attacks, described as one of the worst
massacres in the history of North-East
India, led to widespread protests by
tribal people. The protests turned
Adivasi families flee their homes after militants attack Tenganala village
in Sonitpur district of Assam on December 24
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killed fourteen Bodos in retaliation. On 26 December, the Government of India declared the launch of Operation
All Out to eliminate the Bodo militants and deployed as many as 9,000 soldiers of the Indian Army and
the Central Reserve Police Force.
The Adivasi Cobra Military of Assam (ACMA), the Adivasi Peoples Army (APA), the Santhali Tiger Force (STF),
the Birsa Commando Force (BCF) and the All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), five insurgent outfits
fighting for Scheduled Tribe (S.T.) status for Adivasis and claiming to be fighting for the cause of the community,
signed an SoO (Suspension of Operation)Agreement with the Centre and the Assam government and surrendered
their arms on January 24, 2012, to join the peace process.
Bodos are the largest plains tribe of Assam. Adivasis are demanding S.T. status. Koch-Rajbangshis, Morans,
Mataks, Tai-Ahoms and Chutias are the other five communities that have been agitating for inclusion on the
States S.T. list.
The violence that occurred in the last week of December and the consequent displacement of village residents
brought two pertinent issues to the forethe recognition of Adivasis, including the tea-tribe and ex-tea-tribe
communities in Assam as S.Ts and granting land rights under the S.T. and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act to Adivasi and Bodo forest dwellers in denuded forest areas.
Recognising Adivasis as a Scheduled Tribe will have wider political ramifications in the BTAD (Bodoland
Territorial Area District) than anywhere else in the State. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which runs the
administration in the four BTAD districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri, was constituted under the
amended provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, and, as such, political rights such as reservation of
the council seats are enjoyed exclusively by the S.Ts.
Bodo leaders are concerned that granting S.T. status to Adivasis and Koch-Rajbangshis will offset the political
equilibrium in the BTC and take away the political rights Bodos have enjoyed following the creation of the
autonomous territorial tribal council in lieu of a separate State.
Thirty-four of the 40 seats in the BTC are reserved for S.Ts and five seats for non-S.Ts, and one seat is unreserved.
In addition to the elected members, the State government nominates six members. In the BTAD, Bodos form the
largest S.T. group and, therefore, have been ruling the tribal council since its inception in 2003.
The Kokrajhar (Reserved) Lok Sabha constituency, comprising areas under the BTAD and some adjoining areas,
elected a non-Bodo candidate for the first time in the 2014 elections. A former commander of the insurgent
United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Naba Kumar Sarania (Hira), contested as an independent candidate
and was backed by the Sanmilita Janagosthiya Aikyamancha (SJA), a conglomerate of 23 non-Bodo organisations,
including organisations representing linguistic and religious minorities. Sarania, who belongs to the Sarania
Kachari tribe, has promised to fight for S.T. status to Adivasis and Koch-Rajbangshis.
Permanent peace in the BTAD areas will remain elusive if Adivasis are not given S.T. status and land rights under
the S.T. and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act. In the absence of these rights, Adivasis have remained the soft
targets of the armed groups in the BTAD. Adivasis and Bodos do not have any enmity towards each other. It is the
armed groups that are making Adivasis their soft targets in order to create bad blood between the two
communities. If permanent peace has to prevail in the BTAD and in areas outside it that have been affected, no
compromise must be reached with the militants, Raphael Kujur, president of the All Adivasi Students
Association of Assam (AASAA), averred.
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The terror attacks and the subsequent violence triggered the displacement of about 8,000 Adivasis from 26
villages and 1,200 Bodos from nine villages.
Militants of the NDFB (Songbijit) are suspected to frequent the Ultapani reserved forest and flee to their transit
bases inside the Bhutanese jungles taking advantage of the porosity.
As most of the remote settlements of Adivasis, Bodos and other communities inside the reserved forest areas are
treated as illegal encroachments by the State Forest Department, these communities have remained
downtrodden even after 11 years of autonomous rule by the BTC. Except in a few recognised forest villages, there
are no government schools and health care institutions. Bodo and Adivasi forest dwellers were evicted thrice from
these settlements by the Forest Department. However, some families possess ration cards.
Violent clashes between Bodos and Muslims in July and August 2012 left 103 people dead and led to the
displacement of 4.85 lakh people belonging to both communities in BTAD areas and the neighbouring districts of
Dhubri, Barpeta and Bongaigaon.
NDFB and demand for Bodoland
The Bodos are an ethno-linguistic community native to the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam. In the mid-1980s, Bodo
politicians, alleging discrimination against Bodos in Assam, intensified their campaign for the creation of Bodomajority Bodoland. While majority of the Bodos envisaged Bodoland as a state within India, a small section
demanded complete sovereignty. NDFB was formed by secessionst Bodos on 3 October 1986 as the Bodo Security
Force (BdSF), under the leadership of Ranjan Daimary, in Odla Khasibari village (near Udalguri). BdSF carried
out several violent attacks against non-Bodo civilians.
The Bodoland movement was mainly led by the political organizations - All Bodo Students Union (ABSU)
and Bodo Peoples' Action Committee (BPAC). In 1993, these two groups signed the Bodo Accord with Indian
government, agreeing to the formation of Bodoland Autonomous Council within Assam. BdSF opposed this
Accord. Shortly after the Accord, the Assam State Government refused to hand over 2,750 villages to the proposed
Council, arguing that Bodos formed less than 50% of the population in these villages. Following this, the BdSF was
renamed as National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) on 25 November 1994. The NDFB then launched
an ethnic cleansing campaign, attacking non-Bodo communities in these villages. During the 1996 Assam
Legislative Assembly elections, it killed hundreds of Santhal, Munda and Oraon adivasis (tribals), whose ancestors
had been brought to Assam as tea labourers during British Raj. In response, the tribals formed Adivasi Cobra
Force, their own militant group.
The NDFB constitution, adopted on 10 March 1998, lists its objectives as the following:
Liberate Bodoland from the Indian expansionism and occupation
Free the Bodo nation from the colonialist exploitation, oppression and domination
The promotion of the Roman script for the Bodo language is also a significant demand of NDFB. The group's
members are mostly Christians, and are opposed to the use of Devanagari script for the Bodo language.
In the mid-1990s, NDFB also faced a rival within the Bodo community, in form of Bodo Liberation Tigers
Force (BLTF). The BLTF had evolved from an older militant group called the Bodo Volunteer Force. It considered
NDFB's secessionist agenda unrealistic and unattainable, and focused on establishment of an autonomous Bodo
territory within India. After 1996, the two groups clashed violently for supremacy. BLTF allied with Bengali Tiger
Force to protect Bengalis from NDFB attacks, and also supported Indian security forces against NDFB. The
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conflicts between Christian-dominated NDFB and Hindu-dominated BLTF polarized the Bodoland movement
along religious lines. In 2003, BLTF surrendered en masse in return for the establishment of the Bodoland
Territorial Council.
The area under the BTC jurisdiction is called the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD).The BTAD
consists of four contiguous districts Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang. The administrative unit has been
created with a mission to accomplish development in the area of economy, education, preservation of land right,
linguistic aspiration, socio-culture and ethnic identity of Bodos and above all to speed up the infrastructure
development for communities in the BTC area.
The actual functioning of council was started on 7 December 2003 by constituting the 12 members of the Council
provisionally. After the Council Election on 13 May 2005 and subsequent bye-election in November 2005, the 40member Legislative Council has been formed to look after the development works in the Bodoland Territorial Area
Districts. The remaining six members are nominated by the Governor of Assam from the unrepresented
Communities. Thus there are altogether 46 members of the Council, representing all communities of BTC Area.
40 subjects have been entrusted to the BTC Authority for all round development of the people in this area.
Subjects include the Tribal Research Institute, Lotteries and Theatres, Intoxicating Liquors, and Registration of
Births and Deaths.
NDFB had established 12 camps on the Bhutan-Assam border. During 2003-2004, the Royal Bhutan
Army destroyed these camps as part of its Operation All Clear. NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary was offered amnesty
by the Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in December 2003, but rejected the offer. On 8 October 2004, the
NDFB announced a 6-month long unilateral ceasefire that came into effect on 15 October.
However, the Government continued its operations against the group. On 15 April 2005, NDFB extended the
ceasefire. The Government released its general secretary Govinda Basumatary to open a channel of
communication with the organization's Bangladesh-based leadership. This resulted in a ceasefire agreement
between NDFB and the Government on 25 May 2005. The agreement stated that the NDFB agree to cease hostile
action against security forces and civilians. In return, the security forces would not carry out operations against
the group's members. The agreement also stipulated that NDFB members would disarm and live in camps
protected by the military for a year, and would refrain from assisting other militant groups. The pact came into
force on 1 June 2005.
However, certain factions of NDFB continued militancy. In May 2006, five members of the security forces were
abducted and killed by suspected NDFB members in Assam's Udalguri District. The group also continued to clash
with cadres of the ex-BLTF (Bodo Liberation Tiger Force). On June 5, 2006, two former BLTF cadres were killed
by NDFB militants in the Karbi Anglong District, and one former member of the disbanded group was lynched by
suspected NDFB militants in Golaghat District on June 3, 2007.
In 2008, the group split into two after Ranjan Daimary's name appeared in the 2008 Assam bombings case.
NDFB(P), the pro-talks factions led by B Sungthagra supported peace talks with the governments. NDFB(R), led
by Daimary, refused to give up militancy. In December 2008, the NDFB(P) indicated its plans to indirectly or
directly participate the Lok Sabha elections. In 2012, I K Songbijit, the chief of the NDFB(R) faction's "Bodoland
Army", announced the formation of a nine-member "interim national council", resulting in a split. NDFB(S), the
faction led by Songibijit, is now the most dreaded faction.
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author of Presidential
Legislation in India: The Law and Practice of Ordinances.
In your book, you call the promulgation of ordinances by the Central government under Article
123(1) of the Constitution of India and by State governments under Article 213(1)
institutionalised surrogacy that reduces the legislative process to a private affair. How do you
think such an aberration has obtained constitutional sanction?
By the time the provision on ordinances came up for debate in the Constituent Assembly, it had been part of
Indias legislative architecture for nearly 90 years. The mechanism was introduced in 1861. Until 1947, about 400
ordinances were promulgated. Initially, they were few and far between; no more than 19 were promulgated in the
first 50 years. Thereafter, they increased exponentially. And that legacy cast its spell on the Constituent Assembly.
In fact, the Assembly hardly debated the provision. Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar, B.N. Rau, among others,
insisted on a provision of this kind, and most members agreed. It was a necessary evil they said; and trust us,
they added, it wouldnt be misused. Even the voices against ordinances did not oppose it completely; they only
sought greater safeguards. Ironically, the same people had argued against ordinances when the British resorted to
them. Nehru, for example, once called them a charter of slavery. But suddenly his views changed. What was
immoral, undemocratic and dictatorial, overnight became necessary.
You have claimed in your book that ordinances have become the preferred method even in
situations when legislation is entirely possible.
Nehrus three terms between 1952 and 1964 are the best examples of this. He had brutal majorities in both Houses
of Parliament. Any law he wanted, he could have achieved through the normal procedure. Yet he authored as
many as 66 ordinances in those 12 years. G.V. Mavalankar, Indias first Speaker of the Lok Sabha, counselled
against this indiscriminate use. It would set a poor precedent for Parliaments in future, he wrote to Nehru, but
his advice went unheeded. Nehru died in 1964, and by then the ordinance script had been etched in stone.
Indira Gandhi as far back as 1969 and minority Cabinets since have relied on this alibi of legislation not being
possible. Often, this is a code. It may mean many things. First, it may mean that the government does not have a
majority in the two Houses of Parliament but wants a particular piece of legislation anyway. Many of the
ordinances V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar, [H.D.] Deve Gowda, and Inder Gujral authored are good examples of
this.
Second, it may mean that the government must negotiate with the opposition to secure a majority something it
is unwilling to do. Many of the ordinances of Morarji Desai, [P.V.] Narasimha Rao, A.B. Vajpayee and Manmohan
Singh are good examples of this.
Third, it may mean that the government first wants to have the law put in place and only then debate it in
Parliament as an afterthought. Many of the ordinances of Nehru, Indira Gandhi since 1971, and Rajiv Gandhi are
good examples of this. Rarely does the justification mean what it says.
What I find interesting about these coded versions of legislation not being possible argument is that they turn
the justification for ordinances on its head. Article 123 was meant to redress legislative urgencies that could not
await parliamentary resolution.
Now governments time ordinances; they salivate at the prospect of the Houses being prorogued or dissolvedor
do so purposefully such that legislative urgencies come about. It is almost as if Parliament is an obstacle to the
lawmaking process.
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The recent ordinances have apparently been promulgated to send strong signals that the
government is committed to accelerating the pace of economic activityan extraneous ground,
unrelated to the commonly expressed justifications for ordinances. Would this stand legal
scrutiny?
Article 123 says that an ordinance may be promulgated if the President is satisfied that circumstances exist that
render it necessary to take immediate action. In 1970, the Supreme Court held that governments are the sole
judge of necessity; the courts will not get into this question. It is outside the scope of judicial review. In other
words, when a government says that an ordinance is necessary, legally speaking, that is the end of the matter.
Let me give you a brief overview of how the provision was meant to function. Two conditions must be met before
an ordinance may be promulgated. At least one House of Parliament should not be in session, and the President
must be satisfied that circumstances are such that an ordinance is immediately necessary. Once both Houses come
back to session, the ordinance must be presented in Parliament as a Bill. If it is ratified and receives presidential
assent, it becomes an Act, and the controversy ends there. If an ordinance is not presented before Parliament, or
Parliament votes it down, then the ordinance ceases to operate.
Supreme Courts interpretations
The Supreme Courts interpretations, however, have turned the provision into a monstrosity. Take the first two
conditions. If both Houses are in session, can the government simply prorogue one House to make an ordinance
technically possible? The Supreme Court has said yes. Consequently, the executive is also the sole judge of when
the Houses of Parliament are in session or when they should be in session. The court will not review this matter.
So what happens when Parliament resumes? Let us say that an ordinance is presented before Parliament and it is
voted down. Can the executive repromulgate the same ordinance that was voted down? In 1987, the Supreme
Court said yes. While repromulgation is generally invalid, it may be constitutional under certainmostly
unspecifiedcircumstances. That judgment effectively makes a parliamentary vote on ordinances redundant.
Irrespective of whether Parliament wants that law or not, the executive can keep the ordinance in force simply by
repromulgating it.
Finally, what happens if the government stops repromulgating a failed ordinance, and allows it to die? Under
Article 123, the ordinance ceases to operate. But what does that really mean? Imagine a situation where an
ordinance was in effect for, say, six months. During that period many official actions would have been taken under
the ordinance. What happens to all those actions? Do they also cease to operate? Do they get wiped out because
the ordinance itself is dead? The Supreme Court has said no; the actions do not get wiped out. All actions initiated
or completed during the time an ordinance is validly in force will remain permanently valid, the court explained.
Think about the implications. What this means is that even if an ordinance fails, it can produce permanent legal
effects. The recent Insurance Laws Amendment Ordinance, for example, increases the threshold for FDI in the
insurance sector from 26 per cent to 49 per cent. As the law currently stands, even if this ordinance failsthat is,
it does not become an Act of Parliamentthis change in the law will remain permanently valid. Why do we need
Parliament then?
I believe the court should reconsider these decisions. Article 123 should be read in a way that makes it difficult
legally costlyfor the executive to resort to ordinances.
Could the President have refused assent to the ordinances?
Article 123 says that ordinances are similar to Acts of Parliamentthey have the same force and standing. The
rules that apply to Bills and Acts with respect to presidential assent also apply to ordinances. The President may
return an ordinance to the government once. If the Council of Ministers sends it back a second time, assent must
be given. President Pranab Mukherjee could have returned the coal and insurance ordinances once. If the
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[Narendra] Modi government insisted on them for a second time, Mukherjee would have been bound to give his
assent. This is the conventional view.
I disagree with it. I am of the opinion that different rules apply to parliamentary Bills and ordinances. While the
President is bound to give assent to a Bill if it is returned by the two Houses, he or she is under no such obligation
with respect to ordinances. In other words, [in my opinion] a President may return a Bill to the Houses only once;
he or she may return an ordinance to the government as many times he or she wishes.
The President is an integral part of Parliament. Indias Parliament has three organs: The President, the Upper
House and the Lower House.
When the two Houses pass a Bill, it acquires some properties. At least in theory, it would have been publicly
debated by a large number of elected officials and publicly voted upon. And so if the two Houses reiterate their
legislative preference for a second time, there are good reasons why that collective preference should prevail over
the Presidents original objections. There are good reasons why the President should stand down.
But ordinances do not have those features. Usually, they are written up in private (that is, in secret) by a small
group of men and women (that is, the Cabinet), and by definition are never voted upon publicly. If Bills reflect the
will of the two Houses of Parliament, ordinances at best reflect the will of the government. In fact, an
ordinance may be the whim of just one person, the Prime Minister. Some of Indira Gandhis ordinances never
went before the Cabinet. They went from the PMO [Prime Ministers Office] straight to the Presidents desk. When
the Presidents views on a proposed ordinance clash against the governments, there are no good reasons why the
President should give way. As the only nationally elected public official in the country, the President has enough
representative width to stand his groundto volley an ordinance back on to the governments court. Indeed, he
or she may do so endlessly.
Ordinances since the 1970s
Ordinances exponentially increased during Indira Gandhis decade: the 1970s. One hundred and thirty-five
ordinances were promulgated then; she was responsible for 107 of those. Then came the late 1980s: the age of
minority governments. Thus far, India has had 12 minority governments; 10 of them since the late 1980s.
In fact, since 1989, India only had minority governments until the Modi government broke that trend. Ordinances
now reached new heights, even surpassing Indira Gandhis egregious numbers. Narasimha Rao alone
promulgated 106; Deve Gowda and Inder Gujral of the United Front added 23 each during their short tenures as
Prime Ministers. In fact, a close analysis of two United Front governments would show that they were practically
dysfunctional. Ordinances kept them going; it helped mask their legislative incompetence. Governance mattered
little; minority governments then were judged on the length of their office rather than the strength of their
performance. Of course, India has matured since.
The greatest disincentive to parliamentary negotiations on legislative matters is the law on Article 123 and the
interpretations courts have offered. If the latter change, governments will be compelled to negotiate. Ordinances
must trigger political pain. Otherwise, habits wont change. In the Constituent Assembly a proposal was offered: if
an ordinance is promulgated, it must immediately initiate a parliamentary session so that the law may be properly
debated. The proposal wasnt accepted. In hindsight, it should have been.
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Third, the outbreak of the Sikh militancy in the mid-1980s and the Kashmir militancy in the late 1980s also
contributed to increased trafficking of drugs as these militants smuggled in drugs to finance their activities.
Finally, the existence of traditional smuggling routes and a porous border provided congenial conditions for drug
trafficking.
Various studies and investigative reports have reinforced that drug consumption has increased in many border
states like Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir in recent years.
Heroin and hashish produced in the Golden Crescent region are trafficked into India through the border states
of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
As a result of the heightened vigil along the Indo-Pak border the marsh lands and creeks of Gujarat are
increasingly used to smuggle heroin from Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Heroin is smuggled into the Rann of
Kutch from Karachi in various country-made boats. These marshlands with their numerous interconnected
creeks, sand bars and mangroves provide ideal hideaways for drug traffickers.
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road networks as well as open and poorly guarded borders have facilitated large scale trafficking of drugs through
these borders.
A large quantity of the hashish that is trafficked into India transits the country for destinations such as Europe,
Canada and the United States of America.
While hashish and marijuana/ganja are smuggled from Nepal, pharmaceutical preparations containing
psychotropic substances prescribed as painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs such as diazepam, alprazolam,
nitrazepam, lorazepam, proxyvon, buprenorphine, etc. are trafficked from India to Nepal and Bhutan. Seizures of
codeine based tablets and syrups originating from India have been reported periodically from both countries. Low
grade heroin, also known as brown sugar, produced in India by diverting opium from legal cultivation as well as
procuring it through illicit cultivation is also trafficked to Nepal and Bhutan.
In India, poppy is cultivated under license in 22 districts in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and
Rajasthan. Though cultivation is carried out under strict licensing, it is speculated that 10 to 30 per cent of the licit
produce is diverted for the manufacturing of low grade heroin in the country. Poppy is also illicitly cultivated in
different parts of the country mostly in remote and hilly terrains. Poppy is grown illicitly in the states of Jammu
and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
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prices of heroin were reasons responsible for this shift, especially towards methamphetamine, which is produced
in large quantities in Myanmar.
Precursor chemicals such as ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine and acetic anhydride are trafficked from India into
Myanmar to cater to the demands of numerous mobile laboratories manufacturing heroin and amphetamine type
stimulants (ATS).
In addition, large consignments of pharmaceutical preparations such as corex, phensedyl,
spasmoporxyvon are trafficked overland from India to Myanmar.
uprenorphine,
India-Bangladesh Border
The India-Bangladesh border has been susceptible to smuggling of various kinds of drugs ranging from Heroin,
marijuana/ganja, hashish, brown sugar to cough syrups, etc. High demand for codeine based cough syrups in
Bangladesh, a highly porous border, dense settlement along the border, and strong trans-border ethnic ties
contribute towards drug trafficking along the India-Bangladesh border. A well developed railroad and river
network, large volume of both formal and informal trade, and existence of criminal networks are other enabling
factors for trafficking drugs along the India-Bangladesh border.
Given its large pharmaceutical industrial base, India produces a large number of prescription drugs.
Pharmaceutical preparations containing dextropropoxyphene and codeine are trafficked to the neighbouring
countries. Phensedyl, a codeine-based cough syrup in particular, has become the chief item for smuggling into
Bangladesh. Truckloads of phensedyl bottles from factories are diverted to the Northeast and West Bengal by
distributors and stockists for this purpose. In addition, empty phensedyl bottles are refilled with higher narcotic
content and repackaged as phensedyl plus and smuggled back into Bangladesh. Bulk of phensedyl bottles are
smuggled into Bangladesh through the Kailashar (Tripura) and the Cachar-Karimganj (Assam) borders.
Large-scale seizures of marijuana/ganja by the BSF and other law enforcement authorities along the border
indicate a growing trend of marijuana/ganja trafficking from India to Bangladesh. Besides Manipur and Mizoram,
marijuana/ganja is increasingly being grown by farmers in Tripura for better returns compared to traditional
crops. Heroin sourced from Myanmar has been smuggled into Bangladesh through Mizoram for long. More lately,
it is observed that heroin from the Golden Crescent is also smuggled from India into Bangladesh. The seizure of
large quantities of South West Asian origin heroin from Lucknow and Kolkata indicates that a new heroin
trafficking route through the India-Bangladesh border has been established.
In addition, brown sugar and pseudo-ephedrine manufactured in India are also trafficked to Bangladesh. Drugs
along the India-Bangladesh border are usually smuggled by individual carriers. Large number of children and
women are employed by the drug lords and unscrupulous traders to ferry phensedyl bottles, brown sugar and
heroin. These couriers carry these drugs in person when they are crossing the border to avoid detection by the
border guarding forces.
The Sea Routes
Both the east and west coasts of India have been major staging points for the smuggling of drugs. In the mid1990s, the Tamil Nadu-Sri Lanka sector emerged as an important exit route for heroin smuggled in from
Afghanistan and Pakistan. Indigenously produced brown sugar destined for neighboring countries also transits
through the Tamil Nadu coast, which is transshipped to European and American markets.
Tuticorin and Kochi have emerged as top drug trafficking centers in the country, others being Mumbai, Varanasi
and Tirupur. Drugs are smuggled out from the shores using small fishing boats. They are then transferred to small
islands dotting the south Indian coast, from where they are shipped to Sri Lanka and Maldives.
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Consignments of heroin and ketamine are also smuggled to East and Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia,
Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and China using the sea route. Many seizures made by law enforcement officials in
these countries trace back the consignments to Chennai, Thiruvananthpuram and Calicut, indicating that drugs
are trafficked in large container vessels from these ports.
Kolkata and Chennai ports are used to traffic Manipuri ganja, and precursor chemicals to international markets.
Along the west coast, Mumbai is a major port through which drugs illegally enter as well as exit the country.
Heroin manufactured in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region is trafficked through the port of Karachi to Mumbai,
from where it is dispatched to western countries. Heroin and brown sugar are also smuggled into the country from
Pakistan and Iran by country made boats a.k.a. dhows, which ply between the Gujarat-Maharashtra coast and
countries of the Arabian Peninsula with a stopover at Iran or Pakistan.
On the other hand, ephedrine and pseudo ephedrine preparations are smuggled to Pakistan from the Mumbai
port via Dubai. Some amount of cocaine from West Africa also enters India through the Mumbai port. Hashish
from Nepal and Pakistan is trafficked from the Mumbai port.
The Air Routes
Major as well as secondary airports in the country are used by the traffickers to smuggle various drugs through
personal carriers, postal services, etc. While Delhi and Mumbai remain the most important airports from where
maximum quantities of drugs are seized every year, other airports such as Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai,
Amritsar and Thiruvananthpuram have also emerged as important conduits, a fact corroborated by major drug
seizures in these places. The most important air routes for the smuggling of heroin to the international market is
the New Delhi-Lagos-Addis Ababa and the Mumbai-Lagos-Addis Ababa air links, which are exploited by Nigerian
and other African drug cartels for smuggling heroin out of India and cocaine into India. Investigations have
revealed that in many instances they induce patients coming to India for medical treatments to smuggle cocaine
into India.
Trafficking routes for East and South East Asian markets are Chennai-Kuala Lumpur; Hyderabad-Kuala Lumpur;
Chennai-China; New Delhi-Hong Kong and New Delhi-Macao. The New Delhi-Kathmandu air route is yet another
important conduit for trafficking heroin to the international market. In these routes both professional smugglers
and first timers are extensively exploited to trafficking drugs in and out of the country.
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The government of India has also enacted the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Act in 1988, which allows detention of persons suspected to be involved in illicit trafficking of drugs.
Besides, a few sections of the Customs Act of 1962 have been implemented for curbing the illicit export of
precursor chemicals.
Since de-addiction and rehabilitation of drug dependants require innovative and sustained involvement, the
government is assisted by a number of voluntary organisations. These voluntary organisatons complement the
governments efforts in the prevention and control of drug abuse by spreading awareness about the destructive
effects of drugs in the communities, as well as by assisting in de-addiction treatments and reintegration of drug
dependants into the societal mainstream. Since these NGOs have the required expertise and ground knowledge
about drug abuse, they advise and work closely with governments.
Considering that India has been a transit hub as well
as a destination for drug trafficking, emphasis has
been laid upon ensuring the security of the borders by
preventing the easy movement of the drug traffickers
along with their consignments through the borders. In
this respect, the most visible measure that was
undertaken was the building of border fences. Border
fences were erected first along the borders with
Pakistan, beginning in the mid-1980s, when large
numbers of terrorists as well as huge quantities of
drug from Pakistan began to enter India. In later
years, fences were built along the India-Bangladesh
border primarily to prevent illegal migration, but
these fences also acted as a barrier to the free movement of drug traffickers. That the construction of fences has
reduced the inflow of drugs from across the borders substantially is corroborated by the reduced seizure figures as
well as the increased use of sea routes by the traffickers to smuggle in drugs into the country.
Strengthening surveillance along the borders by deploying adequate numbers of border guarding personnel is
another measure undertaken to ensure security of the borders. Regular patrolling and electronic surveillance is
carried out for detecting suspicious movements along the borders as well as to gather intelligence to effectively
deal with drug trafficking. In addition to border guards, personnel from several central organisations such as the
Customs, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the Narcotics Control Bureau, and the Central Bureau of
Narcotics as well as state organizations such as state police, state excise and state forest departments are also
employed for the detection and apprehension of drug consignments along the borders.
Since the bulk of drugs are smuggled in through formal trading routes, India has embarked upon a plan to
upgrade 13 of the land custom stations into integrated check posts with state of the art equipment to detect drug
consignments being smuggled into and out of the country along with regular goods. For securing Indias coasts,
several coastal police stations have been established and provided with interceptor boats and other vehicles to
intensify vigilance along the coasts and seas. In addition, joint patrolling along the Maharashtra and Gujarat
coasts, which are particularly prone to drug smuggling, is being carried out by a team comprising the state police,
coast guard and customs since 1993. The capacity to detect drug consignments at the airports and sea ports has
been strengthened by installing sophisticated screening and detection machines.
Realising the importance of a cooperative framework for the prevention of illicit trafficking of drugs and
chemicals, India has entered into bilateral and multilateral agreements with several countries including
neighbours. Bilateral agreements were signed with Afghanistan (1990), Bangladesh (2006), Bhutan (2009),
Myanmar (1993), and Pakistan (2011). These agreements have been instrumental in establishing a mechanism for
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mutual exchange of information, of operational and technical experience, cooperation for joint investigations and
other assistance to identify, suppress and prevent criminal activities of the international syndicates engaged in the
illicit traffick of narcotics drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.
As for multilateral agreements with neighbours, India is a signatory to the SAARC Convention on Narcotics Drugs
and Psychotropic substances, 1993. The convention provides for regular meetings of Home Ministers and Home
Secretaries of the member countries as well as for interactions among the members of SAARC Conference on
Cooperation in Police matters. India has also signed the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation in Combating
International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking in 2009, which provides for a
legal framework to all the member countries to combat drug trafficking and organised crime. India is also a party
to the Pentalateral Cooperation on Drug Control, which focuses on the prevention of illicit trade of precursor and
other chemicals used for the manufacture of heroin.
The Narcotics
Control
Bureau
(NCB) is
the
chief law
enforcement and intelligence agency
of India responsible for fighting drug trafficking and the abuse of illegal substances. It was created on 17 March
1986 to enable the full implementation of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and fight its
violation through the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988.
The chief purpose of the Narcotics Control Bureau is to fight drug trafficking on an all-India level. It works in close
cooperation with the Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation, Customs and Central Excise, Indian Police
Department (IPS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) and other
Indian intelligence and law enforcement agencies both at the national and states level. The NCB also provides
resources and training to the personnel of India's law enforcement agencies in fighting drug trafficking. The NCB
also monitors India's frontiers to track down points where smuggling activities take place with foreign traffickers.
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However, there is a wide regional variation across states in term of the incidence of the substance abuse. For
example, a larger proportion of teens in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh use gateway drugs (about 60 percent in
both the states) than Uttar Pradesh or Haryana (around 35 percent). Increase in incidences of HIV, hepatitis B
and C and tuberculosis due to addiction adds the reservoir of infection in the community burdening the health
care system further. Women in India face greater problems from drug abuse. The consequences include domestic
violence and infection with HIV, as well as the financial burden. Eighty seven per cent of addicts being treated in a
de-addiction center run by the Delhi police acknowledged being violent with family members. Most of the
domestic violence is directed against women and occurs in the context of demands for money to buy drugs. At the
national level, drug abuse is intrinsically linked with racketeering, conspiracy, corruption, illegal money transfers,
terrorism and violence threatening the very stability of governments.
Debilitating effects of drug abuse on the society:
Health and psychological problems experienced by drug users include Schizophrenia, depression, paranoia,
cirrhosis, nutritional or metabolic disorders, viral infections such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis etc.
Treatment costs in public and private institutions, including hospital/rehab.
Deaths or serious injuries by homicide, accident, or suicide associated with psychoactive substance use.
Increased stress and psychological burdens on society, especially in response to escalating serious crime rates
associated with the trade including property loss, murders and kidnappings.
Premature mortality, illness, injury leading to incapacitation, and imprisonment all serve to directly reduce
national productivity.
Public financial resources expended in the areas of health care and criminal justice as a result of illegal drug
trafficking and use are resources that would otherwise be available for other policy initiatives.
The environmental impact of illicit drugs is largely the result of outdoor cannabis cultivation and
methamphetamine production. The process used to produce methamphetamine results in toxic chemicals that
are typically discarded improperly in fields, streams, forests, and sewer systems, causing extensive
environmental damage.
The spread and entrenchment of drug abuse needs to be prevented, as the cost to the people, environment and
economy will be colossal. The unseemly spectacle of unkempt drug abusers dotting lanes and by lanes, cinema
halls and other public places should be enough to goad the authorities to act fast to remove the scourge of this
social evil. Moreover, the spread of such reprehensible habits among the relatively young segment of society ought
to be arrested at all cost. There is a need for the government enforcement agencies, the non-governmental
philanthropic agencies, and others to collaborate and supplement each other's efforts for a solution to the problem
of drug addiction through education and legal actions.
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Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene signing the Peace Accord
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During the 1970s, an act of Institutional racism known as the infamous Policy of standardization was initiated.
Under this policy, University admissions were standardized to correct disproportionately higher number of Sri
Lankan Tamil students entering universities. Officially the policy was meant to discriminate in favour of students
from rural areas but in reality the policy discriminated against Sri Lankan Tamil students who were in effect
required to get more marks than Sinhalese students to gain admission to universities. The number of Sri Lankan
Tamil students entering universities fell dramatically. The policy was abandoned in 1977.
Other forms of official discrimination against the Sri Lankan Tamils included the state-sponsored colonisation of
traditional Tamil areas by Sinhalese peasants, the banning of the import of Tamil-language media and the
precedence given by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka to Buddhism, the main religion followed by the Sinhalese.
Prabhakaran, together with Chetti Thanabalasingam, a well known criminal from Kalviyankadu, Jaffna formed
the Tamil New Tigers (TNT) in 1972.
The formation of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) with the Vaddukkodei (Vattukottai) resolution of
1976 led to a hardening of attitudes. The resolution called for the creation of a secular, socialist state of Tamil
Eelam, based on the right of self-determination.
Alienated by the on-going politics of conflict in Sri Lanka, politicised Tamil youth in the north and the east started
to form militant groups. These groups developed independently of the Colombo Tamil leadership, and in the end
rejected and annihilated them. The most prominent of these groups was the TNT, which changed its name to the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or the LTTE in 1976. The LTTE initially carried out a campaign of violence
against the state, particularly targeting policemen and also moderate Tamil politicians who attempted a dialogue
with the government. Their first major operation was the assassination of the mayor of Jaffna, Alfred
Duraiappah in 1975 by Prabhakaran.
In May 1981, the Burning of Jaffna library by politicians from the ruling party using police and paramilitary forces
resulted in the destruction of more than 90,000 books, including "palm leaf scrolls" of immense historical value.
The LTTE's modus operandi of the early war was based on assassinations. In July 1983, the LTTE launched a
deadly ambush on a Sri Lanka Army check point Four Four Bravo outside the town of Thirunelveli, killing an
officer and 12 soldiers. Using the nationalistic sentiments to their advantage, the Jayawardene government
organised massacres and pogroms in Colombo, the capital, and elsewhere. Between 400 and 3,000 Tamils were
estimated to have been killed, and many more fled Sinhalese-majority areas. This is considered the beginning of
the civil war.
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Apart from the LTTE, there initially was a plethora of militant groups. Initially, the LTTE gained prominence due
to devastating attacks such as the Kent and Dollar Farm massacres of 1984, where hundreds of men, women and
children were attacked during the night as they slept and were hacked to death with fatal blows to the head from
axes; and the Anuradhapura massacre of 1985, where they indiscriminately opened fire, killing and wounding 146
civilians within Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Buddhist shrine. The Anuradhapura massacre was apparently answered by
government forces with the Kumudini boat massacre in which over 23 Tamil civilians died. Over time, the LTTE
merged with or largely exterminated almost all the other militant Tamil groups. As a result, many Tamil splinter
groups ended up working with the Sri Lankan government as paramilitaries or denounced violence and joined
mainstream politics, and some legitimate Tamil-oriented political parties remained, all opposed to LTTE's vision
of an independent state.
Peace talks between the LTTE and the government began in Thimphu in 1985, but they soon failed, and the war
continued. In 1986, many civilians were massacred as part of this conflict. In 1987, government troops pushed the
LTTE fighters to the northern city of Jaffna. In April 1987, the conflict exploded with ferocity, as both the
government forces and the LTTE fighters engaged in a series of bloody operations.
In July 1987, the LTTE carried out their first suicide attack. Captain Miller of the Black Tigers drove a small truck
carrying explosives through the wall of a fortified Sri Lankan army camp, reportedly killing 40 soldiers. They
carried out over 378 suicide attacks, more than any other organisation in the world, and the suicide attack became
a trademark of the LTTE and a characteristic of the civil war.
Initially, under Indira Gandhi and later under Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian Government sympathised with the Tamil
insurrection in Sri Lanka because of the strong support for the Tamil cause within the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Emboldened by this support, sympathizers in Tamil Nadu provided a sanctuary for the separatists and helped the
LTTE smuggle arms and ammunition into Sri Lanka, making them the strongest force on the island. In fact in
1982, the LTTE supremo Prabhakran was arrested by the police in Tamil Nadu, for a shoot-out with his rival Uma
Maheswaran, in the middle of the city. Both of them were arrested and later released by the police. This activity
was left unchecked as India's regional and domestic interests wanted to limit foreign intervention on what was
deemed as a racial issue between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. To this end, the Indira Gandhi government sought
to make it clear to Sri Lankan president Jayewardene that armed intervention in support of the Tamil movement
was an option India would consider if diplomatic solutions should fail.
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The first round of civil violence flared in 1983 when the killing of 13 soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army sparked antiTamil pogromsthe Black July riotsin which approximately 400 Tamils were killed. The riots only aided in the
deterioration of the ethnic relations. Militant factions, including the LTTE, at this time recruited in large numbers
and continued building on popular Tamil dissent and stepped up the guerrilla war. By May 1985, the guerrillas
were strong enough to launch an attack on Anuradhapura, attacking the Bodhi Tree shrinea sacred site for
Buddhist Sinhalesefollowed by a rampage through the town. At least 150 civilians died in the hour-long attack.
Rajiv Gandhi's government attempted to re-establish friendly relations with the various factions in Sri Lanka
while maintaining diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the conflict as well as limiting overt aid to the Tamil
fighters.
The Sri Lankan government, deducing a decline in support for the Tamil rebels from India, tried to rearm itself
extensively for its anti-insurgent role with support from Pakistan, Israel, Singapore, and South Africa. In 1986, the
campaign against the insurgency was stepped up. In 1987, retaliating against an increasingly bloody insurgent
movement, the Vadamarachchi Operation (Operation Liberation) was launched against LTTE strongholds in
Jaffna Peninsula. The operation involved nearly 4,000 troops, supported by helicopter gunships as well
as ground-attack aircraft. In June 1987, the Sri Lankan Army laid siege on the town of Jaffna. This resulted in
large-scale civilian casualties and created a condition of humanitarian crisis. India, which had a substantial Tamil
population in South India faced the prospect of a Tamil backlash at home, called on the Sri Lankan government to
halt the offensive in an attempt to negotiate a political settlement. However, the Indian efforts were unheeded.
Added to this was the growing involvement of Pakistani advisers. Failing to negotiate an end to the crisis with Sri
Lanka, India announced on 2 June 1987 that it wound send a convoy of unarmed ships to northern Sri Lanka to
provide humanitarian assistance but this was intercepted by the Sri Lankan Navy and forced to turned back.
Following the failure of the naval mission the decision was made by the Indian government to mount an airdrop of
relief supplies in aid of the beleaguered civilians over the besieged city of Jaffna. On 4th June 1987, in a bid to
provide relief, the Indian Air Force mounted Operation Poomalai. Five Antonov An-32s under fighter cover flew
over Jaffna to airdrop 25 tons of supplies, all the time keeping well within the range of Sri Lankan radar coverage.
At the same time the Sri Lankan Ambassador to New Delhi, Bernard Tilakaratna, was summoned to the Foreign
Office to be informed by the Minister of State, External Affairs, K. Natwar Singh, of the ongoing operation and
also indicated that the operation was expected not to be hindered by the Sri Lankan Air Force. The ultimate aim of
the operation was both to demonstrate the seriousness of the domestic Tamil concern for the civilian Tamil
population and reaffirming the Indian option of active intervention to the Sri Lankan government.
Following Operation Poomalai, faced with the possibility of an active Indian intervention and lacking any possible
ally, the President, J. R. Jayewardene, offered to hold talks with the Rajiv Gandhi government on future
moves. The siege of Jaffna was soon lifted, followed by a round of negotiations that led to the signing of the IndoSri Lankan Accord on 29th July 1987 that brought a temporary truce. Crucially however, the negotiations did not
include the LTTE as a party to the talks.
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On the eve of the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, Rajiv Gandhi was assaulted by a soldier at the Guard of
Honour held for Gandhi in what seemed an attempted assassination. Four years later, in 1991, Rajiv Gandhi
was assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber. This radically reduced support for the LTTE within India. In 2009, 19
years after his assassination, the Sri Lankan army mounted a major military offensive in the north and eradicated
the LTTE. The operation was not opposed by India and received Indian diplomatic and military support, despite
condemnations from state of Tamil Nadu and Western nations for alleged human rights violations.
Latest development - DMK and several other parties in Tamil Nadu have welcomed the announcement made
by newly-elected Sri Lankan Government that it would implement India-backed 13th Amendment to the
Constitution. The Thirteenth Amendment (13A) to the Constitution of Sri Lanka created Provincial Councils. This
also made Sinhala and Tamil as the official language of the country and English as link language.
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Bezbaruah Committee
The Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a Committee in February 2014 under the chairmanship of Shri M.P.
Bezbaruah to look into the various concerns of the citizens hailing from the North Eastern States who are living in
different parts of the country and to suggest suitable remedial measures including legal measures which could be
taken up by the Government. Recommendations of the committee are as follows:
A proposal to add section 153-C to IPC which makes acts causing or likely to cause fear or feeling of insecurity
among the community punishable with up to five years imprisonment. Another proposed section 509-A
provides up to three years imprisonment for words, gesture or act intended to insult a member of any race.
A panel of seven lawyers including five women lawyers has been constituted by the Delhi State Legal Service
Authority (DSLSA) for providing legal assistance to the needy people from the North East.
The Delhi Government will also be providing compensation and monetary assistance to the NE people under
Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme 2011.
Delhi police will recruit 20 police personnel, (10 male 10 female) each from North East States.
Police exchange programme has been approved between NE States and metropolitan cities including Delhi.
North East Special Unit at New Delhi is activated to address the grievances of the NE people. Other States
have been advised to do the same.
A decision has been taken that cases of NE people be referred to the existing fast track courts for early
decision.
A special helpline No.1093 for NE people is being synchronized with helpline No.100. Other States are advised
to set up special helpline.
Various Metropolitan Police including Delhi Police are being advised to post NE Personnel in their force in the
visible positions in vulnerable areas prone to crime against NE people.
In order to educate the people about the North East, Universities have been advised that history of North East
and participation in the freedom movement of the country should be taught at graduation level and post
graduation level, and for this purpose, curriculum be changed.
Similar action is being taken by the NCERT with respect to elementary and higher secondary education.
A special scholarship scheme for students of North East Region Ishan Uday has been launched from the
academic session 2014-15 providing 10,000 scholarships ranging from Rs.3,500/- to Rs.5,000/- per month
for studying at under-graduate level in colleges and universities of the country.
Ministries of Culture, Tourism, Information & Broadcasting have also planned to roll out prorgammes for
bridging the gap between the peoples of the North-Eastern Region and the rest of the country, including:
Chalking out action plan for educating the people about the rich cultural heritage of the North Eastern States
and its wider coverage & promotion at the national level.
The North East Film Festival & North East Festival to be organized annually at New Delhi, showcasing
culture, films, foods, sports etc.
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Besides, the Ministry of Sports has also been roped in this endeavour:
Has committed itself for identification of talented sports persons from North East with the help of State
Governments for arranging their training in reputed sports training centres.
Sports Ministry is taking action for organizing Sports Tournaments/Events in the North Eastern States.
An amount of Rs.100 crore has been earmarked for setting up of National Sports University in Manipur.
Ministry of DoNER(Development of North Eastern Region) being the nodal agency for development of the remote
region has also initiated many steps like construction of a hostel at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and four
other colleges in Delhi.
Rating of ITIs
Ministry of Labour and Employment has introduced a scheme for rating of ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) in
order to promote excellence in vocational training. Presently there are about 12000 ITIs in the country. The
numbers of ITIs have doubled over the last five-six years and many more ITIs are proposed to be opened within
the next five years. With such a vast rate of growth, it was felt necessary to introduce quality assurance system for
these institutions.
The rating scheme can provide a benchmark for comparison amongst various institutes and trades offered
therein. It is also expected to bring a differentiating factor for institutions leading to increased market
competition and thereby quality improvement in laggard institutions so that they would remain competitive. The
rating will also help students and employers by serving as a formal recognition from the Government about a
specified level of quality of training and facilities. In the normative fee structure for private ITIs, 20% extra fee
has been permitted for ITIs who are rated 5 star or 4 star.
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Under Saakshar Bharat Mission by December, 2014, 395 districts in 26 States and one in UT are covered.
About 3.92 crore learners appeared for biannual basic literacy assessment tests conducted by National
Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) so far. About 2.86 crore learners (including 2.05 crore females),
comprising of 0.67 crore SCs, 0.36 crore STs & 0.23 crore Minorities have successfully passed the Assessment
Tests under Basic Literacy up to March, 2014. In addition, about 41 lakh learners have taken up the
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iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
assessment test held in August, 2014, data in respect of 36, 67,247 learners received out of which 27, 15,054
learners have been declared passed. Result of remaining learners is under compilation.
1.53 lakh Adult Education Centres are reported functioning by November, 2014.
2.58 million persons have been trained as Voluntary Teachers; 42.6 million Primers in 13 languages and 26
local dialects have been produced and distributed.
Around 29 lakh learners have been benefited under Vocational Training programme through Jan Shikshan
Sansthan between 2009 to 2014 out of which the women beneficiaries were 25.02 lakhs which constitutes
around 85% of the total beneficiaries.
As on 29th December, 2014 accounts of 63.16 lakhs certified adult literates have reportedly opened accounts
under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna Scheme, with the active effort of Saakshar Bharat.
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expeditions to Antarctica and even unmanned missions to the moon and Mars. In fact ISROs Mars Orbiter
Mission Mangalyaan was recently named among the best inventions of 2014 by TIME magazine. The spacecraft,
which took just four years from feasibility study to arrival in Mars orbit, cost approximately 25 million dollars, less
than the budget for the Hollywood film Gravity. India also became the first nation to reach Mars orbit in its very
first attempt.
Indias soft power has also been spreading around the world. The intensity of Indias international engagement
has also increased manifold which can be seen from the calendar of high level visits both to and from India. Prime
Minister Modis out-of-the-box initiatives and whirlwind tours have raised Indias global profile. In a few days
from now President Obama will grace our Republic Day parade as the Chief Guest, she said. The Indian economy
which is now the third largest in terms of purchasing power parity, is showing new dynamism under the NDA
government , with a complete transformation in the business sentiment vis--vis India.
To enhance ease of doing business, the Government has taken multiple steps to simplify procedures, rationalize
rules and increase use of technology for efficient and effective governance. Efforts are on to identify obsolete laws
and regulations which need to be repealed. Skilling our people, particularly the young, is also a priority.
There is also a clear focus on infrastructure. Several steps have been taken to enhance financing of infrastructure,
and we have moved towards a more transparent policy on natural resources. Given the enormous requirements
for infrastructure development over the next few years, foreign investment is going to be extremely important.
And the third C Contribute
We want you, the Pravasis, to contribute to the development of India. We want you to participate in the vision that
Prime Minister Modi has for Indias future. We have launched several programmes that have the potential to
transform India. The Jan Dhan Yojana, the worlds largest programme of financial inclusion, has just crossed the
100 million mark and 98.4 per cent of households in India now have bank accounts.
The Swachh Bharat campaign for cleanliness has become a mass movement. This is an issue that affects not only
peoples health but is also an attack on social ills like untouchability and manual scavenging.
The Make in India programme signals our commitment to transforming India into the manufacturing hub of the
world.
The Digital India initiative aims at delivering government services electronically by 2018. It will encompass not
only e-governance, but also broadband for all, IT-enabled education and telemedicine. We have already rolled out
biometric attendance in government offices as a practical example of this initiative.
The Smart Cities programme aims to build 100 smart cities in India which will be well-planned, technologically
integrated and environment-friendly.
The Government has been working in mission mode to implement all these programmes. The Modi Government
is fully committed to good governance, efficiency, accountability, transparency, and speedy decision making.
There are tremendous opportunities today for you to join us, especially in the fields of manufacturing,
infrastructure development, education, health, skills development, science and technology, research and
innovation, knowledge economy and youth development as part of our effort to realise Indias full potential.
Friends, just as Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest ambassador of peace, non-violence and truth during his time,
you can become the ambassadors of the new India. Today, the pravasi is the most significant example of Indias
soft power. Through your work abroad as software gurus, tech wizards, eminent academics and trail blazing
business persons, a clear and powerful message of Indias capabilities has been conveyed to the world. Your
honest work ethic, law abiding and hard working nature have contributed to the global image of India and
Indians.
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The Minister said that most important of all, the diaspora have retained a bit of India in their hearts. Even though
situated thousands of miles away, you have kept the spirit of Bharat alive. For some of you this may be the very
first visit to the land of your fathers or forefathers. For some others it may be yet another link in the voyage of
discovery that you have embarked upon. So global Indians, come, Connect, Celebrate, Contribute and become a
part of the momentous transformation taking place in the country to build Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.
No visa required for visiting India during the period of validity of PIO Card.
Exemption from the requirement of registration if stay in India does not exceed 6 months.
Parity with non-resident Indians in respect of facilities available to the latter in economic, financial and
educational fields.
All facilities in the matter of acquisition, holding, transfer and disposal of immovable properties in India
except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural/plantation properties.
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Facilities available to children of Non Resident Indians for getting admission to educational institutions in
India including medical colleges, engineering colleges, Institutes of Technology, Institutes of Management etc.
under the general categories.
Facilities available under the various housing schemes of LIC, State Governments and other Government
agencies.
Foreigners of Indian origin (except Pakistan and Bangladesh) are eligible to apply under OCI scheme, if he/she
possesses evidence of self or parents or grandparents:
1.
Being eligible to become a citizen of India at the time of commencement of Indian Constitution i.e.
26.01.1950, or
2. Belonging to a territory that became a part of India after 15.01.1947, or
3. Being a citizen of India on or after 26.01.1950.
Benefits of OCI scheme are as follows:
An Overseas Citizen of India enjoys all rights and privileges available to Non-Resident Indians on a parity
basis excluding the right to invest in agriculture and plantation properties or hold public office.
Though not actual dual citizenship, the privileges afforded by acquiring an OCI card is that now multinational
companies are finding it simpler to hire the OCI cardholders, who enjoy a multiple entry, multipurpose
lifelong visa to visit India. The card provides a lifelong visa to the holder, sparing them the need to obtain
separate work permits.
In addition, OCI cardholders who wish to gain (or regain) Indian citizenship and are willing to renounce their
other citizenship are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship if they have been an OCI cardholder for the
previous five years and have resided in India for at least one of those five years.
They are also exempt from registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) on their
arrival in the country and can stay or live for as long as they wish.
The Banks/FIs should take all commercial decisions in the best interest of the organization without any fear
or favour. All decisions should be taken based on facts of the case and objectivity. No such decision should be
taken out of any other extraneous considerations such as the influence or the position that the borrower is
holding.
Each Bank/FI should have their own objective, well laid out transfer and posting rules which should be
followed strictly. No exception should be made in such rules at the behest of any recommendation given by
anyone including anybody from the Ministry of Finance. If, for genuine reasons, any exception to the rule is
made, it should be done only by CMD by giving proper reasons.
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Each Bank/FI should have a robust grievance redressal mechanism for borrowers, depositors as well as staff.
The aggrieved person should have an opportunity to represent his case at least at two levels.
It is trusted that the freedom given to Banks/FIs by assurance of non-interference will be used in the most
objective manner. However, if any complaint comes to this Department from anybody informing that exceptions
were made in certain cases without any objective basis, and in order to favour somebody, the person taking such
decision would be accountable.
It may be worthwhile to mention here that the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi during his address to the
CEOs of all the PSBs, FIs and Insurance Companies in the Concluding Session of the two days Bankers Retreat
called Gyan Sangam at National Institute of Banking Management (NIBM), Pune on 3rd January, 2015 had also
told them that the banks would be run professionally, and there would be no interference. But the accountability
was essential. He said the Government had no vested interest, and public sector banks can derive strength from
this fact. This circular is also in line with these directions of the Prime Minister.
Digitization of complete database of 4,24,58,329 EPF (Employees Provident Fund)subscribers and allotment
of UAN to each of them.
UAN is being seeded with Bank account and Aadhar Card and other KYC details for financial inclusion.
EPF account of employee to be updated monthly and at the same time he will be informed through SMS.
Direct access to their EPF accounts and will also enable them to consolidate all their previous accounts.
Special drive is being taken up for enrolling contract and construction workers.
Initiatives for Unorganised Worker:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
Identification and registration of unorganized workers as per the Unorganized Workers Social Security Act,
2008 leading to creation of database of unorganized workers.
Issue of portable, smart card to unorganized workers with linkages with Aadhar No. and Bank account No.
Convergence of three Social Security Schemes for unorganized workers on a single platform namely RSBY,
AABY and IGNOAPS (Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme).
Workers Facilitation Centre as Single point of contact for Social Security Scheme for Unorganized Workers.
Holistic monitoring of schemes for assessment of access to and quality of services to unorganized workers.
Issue of Unorganised Workers Card as per the Act
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ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
Vocational stream is important for our economy. Recent studies have shown that only around 18% of
engineering graduates are employable due to lack of hands on practice. People with strong skill background
and strong knowledge background are the important drivers in areas like advanced design, testing, research
and teaching/training.
Present academic structure in our country lays great emphasis on class room learning which is not suitable for
providing career pathways to vocational trained persons who acquire very significant experiential learning.
Therefore, in order to provide career pathways in vocational stream leading to higher qualifications, and also
to develop proper research and develop infrastructure for vocational training, a national institute of higher
learning has become absolutely necessary.
Germany has demonstrated the success of vocational training by attracting large number of its population to
this stream. It has several universities offering courses of higher learning which leverage experiential learning
of skilled workforce.
Building upon the agreement in Indo-German cooperation, Ministry of Labour & Employment has constituted
a Steering Committee under the chairpersonship of Secretary, Labour & Employment and with
representatives from NSDA, Ministry of HRD, DEA, Planning Commission, Universities and expertise
institutions and CII to evolve the objectives and other details of the proposed institution.
The Steering Committee has agreed that the Ministry of Labour & Employment should immediately take steps
for setting up National Workers Vocational University in order to leverage experiential learning, provide
pathways for upward mobility and to provide necessary framework and expertise in the areas of research and
institutional development for vocational training. The university would facilitate continuous learning by
Indian workforce. A Core Group is being set up to work out further details.
Collaboration with industry would be a key feature of the structure of the proposed university. Industry
would be associated with its various activities. The university would also have partnerships with other
universities/institutions of higher learning and training institutions. It is proposed that the university would
have main campus at Hyderabad, Telengana with regional campuses at Ludhiana, Kolkata, Gujarat and
Chennai. Land/premises are already available at Ludhiana, Kolkata and Chennai.
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from 7th-9th January every year since 2003. Twelve PBDs have been held earlier in various places of India so far
since 2013.
Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) - This Ministry organizes Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
(RPBD) to engage with the Indian diaspora who are unable to attend annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in
India. So far, 8 successful RPBD have been held at New York, Singapore, The Hague, Durban, Toronto, Mauritius,
Sydney and London respectively eliciting enthusiastic support from the Indian diaspora and the local
Government. 8th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) Convention was organized in London, in October,
2014.
Know India Programme (KIP) -The objective of the Ministry`s Know India Programme is to help familiarize
Indian Diaspora youth, in the age group of 18-26 years, with the developments and achievements made by the
country and strengthening their bonds with their homeland. KIP provides a unique forum for students and young
professionals of Indian origin to visit India, share their views, expectations and experiences and to know
contemporary India. The Ministry has conducted 29 editions of KIPs so far and a total of 903 overseas Indian
youth participated in these programmes. The 30 th KIP was held in 2014. The participants are selected based on
nominations received from Indian Missions/Posts abroad. They are provided hospitality and reimbursed 90% of
their economy class return airfare from their respective countries to India.
Study India Programme (SIP) - Like KIP, Study India Programme (SIP) connects with the youth of Indian
diaspora through educational institutions. It enables Overseas Indian youth to undergo short term courses in an
Indian University to familiarize them with the history, heritage, art, culture, socio-political, economic
developments etc. of India. The focus of the programme is on academic orientation and research. Cost of
boarding, lodging, local transportation, course fee during the programme and 90% of the cost of air-ticket by
economy class is borne by Govt. of India.
Social Security Agreements (SSAs) - India has signed 20 SSAs with 18 countries. These Agreements provide
for avoidance of payment of double social security contribution by Indian workers, totalization of contribution and
exportability of benefits.
Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana - The Ministry had introduced a Pension and Life Insurance
Fund scheme called Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) for Overseas Indian workers having
Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports. Launched in UAE on 27 thOctober, 2013 to encourage and enable
overseas Indian workers and by giving government contribution to save for their Return and Resettlement (R&R),
save for their old age, the scheme obtains a Life Insurance cover against natural death during the period of
coverage.
e-Migrate Project - The Ministry is implementing a comprehensive e-governance project on migration, eMigrate which aims to transform emigration into a simple, transparent, orderly and humane process. The Project
is aimed at improving the quality of services to emigrant workers and will help reduce the access cost of service.
Bilateral Memoranda of Understanding on Labour - Since the largest number of Indian expatriates are
working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, an Agreement on Labour Co-operation for Domestic Service Workers
(DSWs) Recruitment between the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the Ministry of Labour of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been signed on 2ndJanuary, 2014. The Agreement paves the way for a comprehensive
MOU on manpower.
Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) - Overseas Indian Workers are estimated at over 6 million. The
Indian Community Welfare Fund was set up in the year 2009 and is applicable to all Indian missions. The fund
aims to provide the following services on means tested basis in deserving cases:
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Boarding and lodging for distressed Overseas Indian workers in Household / domestic sectors and unskilled
labourers
Extending emergency medical care to the Overseas Indians in need
Providing air passage to stranded Overseas Indians in need
Providing initial legal assistance to the Overseas Indians in deserving cases
Expenditure on incidentals and for airlifting the mortal remains to India or local cremation/burial of the
deceased Overseas Indians in such cases where the sponsor is unable or unwilling to do so as per the contract
and the family is unable to meet the cost
Providing the payment of penalties in respect of Indian nationals for illegal stay in the host country where
prima facie the worker is not at fault
Providing the payment of small fines/penalties for the release of Indian nationals in jail/detention centre
Prime Ministers Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians (PMGAC-OI) - The Ministry has
constituted the Prime Ministers Global Advisory Council of People of Indian Origin (PMGAC-OI) to draw upon
the experience and knowledge of eminent people of Indian origin in diverse fields from across the world. The
Council is chaired by the Prime Minister. The advice of the council is recommendatory in nature and serves as a
valuable input for policy formulation and programme planning. Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
presided over the fifth meeting of the Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indian on January 8, 2014 at New
Delhi.
Protector General of Emigrants (PGE) - Operational matters relating to emigration, the provision of
emigration services to emigrants and the enforcement of Emigration Act, 1983 are under the Protector General of
Emigrants (PGE). The PGE is the statutory authority under the Emigration Act who is responsible for the welfare
and protection of emigrant workers. He also oversees the ten field offices of the Protectors of Emigrants.
Registration of Recruiting Agents - The Emigration Act, 1983 (Section 10) requires that those who wish to
recruit Indian citizens for employment abroad shall register themselves with the registering authority, i.e. the
Protector General of Emigration (PGE). As on 30-10-2014, there were 1347 existing recruiting agents.
The Swarnapravas Yojana The Plan scheme of MOIA, namely the Swarnapravas Yojana will adhere to the
broad objectives of skill development in India, as envisioned by the National Skill Development Policy 2009 and
achieve the target of training 5 Million people by 2022 as laid down under this policy
The main objective is to position India as a preferred source country for skilled and trained workers in select
sectors that face skill shortages in the international labour market, and in which India enjoys competitive
advantage.
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Forces. Every machine in operation is like adding an additional equipment. DPSUs will be provided support but
they must think like a commercial organisation, he said.
Referring to the Make in India Procedure in Defence, Shri Parrikar said it needs further improvement. Defence
industry in India is a unique industry where the only customer is the Services. The Meeting discussed in detail the
performance of the 41 Ordnance factories and 9 DPSUs.
Taking part in the discussions, Members of Parliament wanted to know whether the Government has drawn up a
clear roadmap to reduce Defence imports. Some members felt that there was a concerted campaign to denigrate
the public sector and to promote the private sector. They felt that unlike consumer products, the design and
development of defence product has a long gestation and the contribution of DPSUs has to be appreciated in that
light.
They expressed the view that the private sector must be promoted in a big way, but not at the cost of the public
sector.
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Stating that Intellectual Property Rights are an important issue, he said all countries of the world should together
find a solution to it.
The Prime Minister highlighted key priorities of his Government including improving "Ease of Doing Business",
and the "Make in India" initiative. He mentioned the importance of investment in the infrastructure sector,
especially in the Railways.
He said, in agriculture, his vision of per drop more crop would help tackle farmer issues, and cope with climate
issues and water shortages. The Prime Minister said it is extremely important to listen to investors, as this helps
speed up decisions. The Prime Minister also mentioned his mantra of skill, scale and speed, and said he keeps
states on board while taking decisions.
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We will oppose terrorism, piracy, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction within or from the region.
We will also work together to promote the shared values that have made our countries great, recognizing that our
interests in peace, prosperity and stability are well served by our common commitment to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
We commit to strengthening the East Asia Summit on its tenth anniversary to promote regional dialogue on key
political and security issues, and to work together to strengthen it. In order to achieve this regional vision, we will
develop a roadmap that leverages our respective efforts to increase ties among Asian powers, enabling both our
nations to better respond to diplomatic, economic and security challenges in the region.
As part of these efforts, the United States welcomes India`s interest in joining the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum, as the Indian economy is a dynamic part of the Asian economy.
Over the next five years, we will strengthen our regional dialogues, invest in making trilateral consultations with
third countries in the region more robust, deepen regional integration, strengthen regional forums, explore
additional multilateral opportunities for engagement, and pursue areas where we can build capacity in the region
that bolster long-term peace and prosperity for all.
The 30 September 2014 signing of an implementing agreement between the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to conduct the joint NASA-ISRO
Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission.
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The convening of the Defence Policy Group and its subgroups on 28-29 October 2014 to pursue stronger and
expanded bilateral defence cooperation.
The breakthrough between India and the United States on issues relating to the implementation of the Bali
Ministerial Decisions regarding public stockholding for food security purposes, the WTO Trade Facilitation
Agreement, and post Bali work.
Convening of the U.S.-India Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation in New Delhi
on 17 November 2014 to review, exchange views, and advance cooperation in diverse areas of science and
technology and foster engagement in techno-entrepreneurship and innovation partnership for mutual benefit.
Convening of the India-U.S. Higher Education Dialogue in New Delhi on 17 November 2014 to further
bilateral cooperation in this field, strengthen partnerships between Indian and U.S. universities and
community colleges, improve student and scholar mobility, and promote faculty collaboration.
The signing of the MoU on 18 November 2014 between Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd.
and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which would make available up to $1 billion in financing to
facilitate expanded cooperation and enhance U.S. private sector investment in Indian clean energy projects.
Convening of the High Technology Cooperation Group on 20-21 November 2014 to shape a cooperative
agenda on high technology goods, including export control-related trade in homeland security technologies,
high technology manufacturing equipment including machine tools, defence trade, and fostering collaboration
in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health-related information technology.
Convening of the Smart Cities Conclave on 22 November 2014 organised by the U.S.-India Business Council
in cooperation with the Ministry of Urban Development and the Mayors and Commissioners of Ajmer
(Rajasthan), Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and the decision by the
Government of India to constitute a high-level committee for each of the three Smart Cities comprising
different departments of the Central Government, the state governments, local governments, and
representatives of the U.S. industry.
Signing of three MoUs between the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan and
the U.S. Trade and Development Agency on 25 January 2015 to develop Vishakhapatnam, Allahabad, and
Ajmer as Smart Cities with the participation of U.S. industry, in furtherance of the commitment made by the
Leaders in September 2014.
The recent finalization of the 2015 Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship, which will guide and
expand the bilateral defence and strategic partnership over the next ten years.
Continuing bilateral engagement on the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), including the 22
January 2015 agreement in principle to pursue co-production and co-development of four pathfinder projects,
form a working group to explore aircraft carrier technology sharing and design, and explore possible
cooperation on development of jet engine technology.
Prime Minister Modi and President Obama jointly appreciated the significant efforts undertaken by both sides in
recent months to re-energize the strategic partnership, and affirmed expanding the substantive underpinnings of
our diversified bilateral strategic partnership including through expanded strategic consultations, stronger
defence, security, and economic cooperation.
President Obama also reiterated his support for Prime Minister Modi`s vision to transform India, and recognized
that India`s focus on its development priorities presented substantial opportunities for forging stronger IndiaU.S. economic ties and greater people-to-people contacts. Reaffirming that Indias rise is also in the interest of the
United States, regional and global stability, and global economic growth, President Obama reiterated the United
States` readiness to partner with India in this transformation. The two leaders pledged to translate their
commitment of "Chalein Saath Saath: "Forward Together We Go" of September into action through "Sanjha
Prayaas; Sab Ka Vikaas": "Shared Effort; Progress For All".
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Both sides also acknowledged that the Internet was a central element of the information society and a powerful
enabler of global economic and social progress. Both sides also noted that the growth of the Internet in the coming
decade would be from developing countries, of which India would be a significant contributor, especially in the
context of its "Digital India" programme.
The Leaders recognized that a digital divide persists between and within countries in terms of the availability,
affordability and use of information and communications technologies, and they stressed the need to continue to
bridge that divide, to ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications
technologies for development, are available to all people, including the poorest of the poor.
President Obama thanked Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for the extraordinary hospitality extended
to him on his second presidential visit to India, and he congratulated the nation on the celebration of its 66th
Republic Day. The Leaders reflected proudly on recent achievements and looked forward to continuing to work
together to build a U.S.-India partnership that is transformative for their two peoples and for the world.
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Transparent and rule-based markets that seek to drive the trade and investment necessary to uplift all
members of society and promote economic development.
Recommendations of
restructuring of FCI
High
Level
Committee
on
High Level Committee (HCL) on restructuring of Food Corporation of India (FCI) has submitted its report to the
Government. It was submitted by Shri Shanta Kumar, Chairman of the Committee to the Prime Minister, Shri
Narendra Modi. The HCL was set up by the Government on 20th August, 2014. Executive Summary of the report
is as followsBackdrop:
Government of India (GoI) set up a High Level Committee (HLC) in August 2014 with Shri Shanta Kumar as the
Chairman, six members and a special invitee to suggest restructuring or unbundling of FCI with a view to improve
its operational efficiency and financial management. GoI also asked HLC to suggest measures for overall
improvement in management of food grains by FCI; to suggest reorienting the role and functions of FCI in MSP
operations, storage and distribution of food grains and food security systems of the country; and to suggest cost
effective models for storage and movement of grains and integration of supply chain of food grains in the country.
The HLC had wide consultations with various stakeholders in its several meetings in different parts of the country.
It also invited comments through advertisements in newspapers and electronic media. HLC would like to
gratefully acknowledge that it has benefitted immensely from this consultative process, and many of its
recommendations are based on very intensive discussions with stakeholders.
In order to conceive reorienting the role of FCI and its consequent restructuring, one has to revisit the basic
objectives with which FCI was created, and what was the background of food situation at that time. It is against
that backdrop, one has to see how far FCI has achieved its objectives, what the current situation on food grain
front, what are the new challenges with regard to food security, and how best these challenges can be met with a
reoriented or restructured institution like FCI.
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FCI was set up in 1965 (under the Food Corporation Act, 1964) against the backdrop of major shortage of grains,
especially wheat, in the country. Imports of wheat under PL- 480 were as high as 6-7 MMT, when country`s wheat
production hovered around 10-12 MMT, and country did not have enough foreign exchange to buy that much
quantity of wheat from global markets. Self-sufficiency in grains was the most pressing objective, and keeping that
in mind high yielding seeds of wheat were imported from Mexico. Agricultural Prices Commission was created in
1965 to recommend remunerative prices to farmers, and FCI was mandated with three basic objectives: (1) to
provide effective price support to farmers; (2) to procure and supply grains to PDS for distributing subsidized
staples to economically vulnerable sections of society; and (3) keep a strategic reserve to stabilize markets for
basic food grains.
How far FCI has achieved these objectives and how far the nation has moved on food security front? The NSSO`s
(70th round) data for 2012-13 reveals that of all the paddy farmers who reported sale of paddy during JulyDecember 2012, only 13.5 percent farmers sold it to any procurement agency (during January-June 2013, this
ratio for paddy farmers is only 10 percent), and in case of wheat farmers (January-June, 2013), only 16.2 percent
farmers sold to any procurement agency. Together, they account for only 6 percent of total farmers in the country,
who have gained from selling wheat and paddy directly to any procurement agency. That diversions of grains from
PDS amounted to 46.7 percent in 2011-12 (based on calculations of offtake from central pool and NSSO`s (68th
round) consumption data from PDS); and that country had hugely surplus grain stocks, much above the buffer
stock norms, even when cereal inflation was hovering between 8-12 percent in the last few years. This situation
existed even after exporting more than 42 MMT of cereals during 2012-13 and 2013-14 combined, which India has
presumably never done in its recorded history.
What all this indicates is that India has moved far away from the shortages of 1960s, into surpluses of cereals in
post-2010 period, but somehow the food management system, of which FCI is an integral part, has not been able
to deliver on its objectives very efficiently. The benefits of procurement have not gone to larger number of farmers
beyond a few states, and leakages in TPDS remain unacceptably high. Needless to say, this necessitates a re-look
at the very role and functions of FCI within the ambit of overall food management systems, and concerns of food
security.
Major Recommendations of HLC:
On procurement related issues
HLC recommends that FCI hand over all procurement operations of wheat, paddy and rice to states that have
gained sufficient experience in this regard and have created reasonable infrastructure for procurement. These
states are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab (in alphabetical order).
FCI will accept only the surplus (after deducting the needs of the states under NFSA) from these state
governments (not millers) to be moved to deficit states. FCI should move on to help those states where farmers
suffer from distress sales at prices much below MSP, and which are dominated by small holdings, like Eastern
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam etc. This is the belt from where second green revolution is expected,
and where FCI needs to be pro-active, mobilizing state and other agencies to provide benefits of MSP and
procurement to larger number of farmers, especially small and marginal ones.
DFPD/FCI at the Centre should enter into an agreement with states before every procurement season regarding
costing norms and basic rules for procurement. Three issues are critical to be streamlined to bring rationality in
procurement operations and bringing back private sector in competition with state agencies in grain procurement:
(1) Centre should make it clear to states that in case of any bonus being given by them on top of MSP, Centre will
not accept grains under the central pool beyond the quantity needed by the state for its own PDS and OWS; (2)
the statutory levies including commissions, which vary from less than 2 percent in Gujarat and West Bengal to
14.5 percent in Punjab, need to be brought down uniformly to 3 percent, or at most 4 percent of MSP, and this
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should be included in MSP itself (states losing revenue due to this rationalization of levies can be compensated
through a diversification package for the next 3-5 years); (3) quality checks in procurement have to be adhered to,
and anything below the specified quality will not be acceptable under central pool. Quality checks can be done
either by FCI and/or any third party accredited agency in a transparent manner with the help of mechanized
processes of quality checking. HLC also recommends that levy on rice millers be done away with. HLC notes and
commends that some steps have been taken recently by DFPD in this direction, but they should be
institutionalized for their logical conclusion.
Negotiable warehouse receipt system (NWRs) should be taken up on priority and scaled up quickly. Under this
system, farmers can deposit their produce to the registered warehouses, and get say 80 percent advance from
banks against their produce valued at MSP. They can sell later when they feel prices are good for them. This will
bring back the private sector, reduce massively the costs of storage to the government, and be more compatible
with a market economy. GoI (through FCI and Warehousing Development Regulatory Authority (WDRA)) can
encourage building of these warehouses with better technology, and keep an on-line track of grain stocks with
them on daily/weekly basis. In due course, GoI can explore whether this system can be used to compensate the
farmers in case of market prices falling below MSP without physically handling large quantities of grain.
GoI needs to revisit its MSP policy. Currently, MSPs are announced for 23 commodities, but effectively price
support operates primarily in wheat and rice and that too in selected states. This creates highly skewed incentive
structures in favour of wheat and rice. While country is short of pulses and oilseeds (edible oils), their prices often
go below MSP without any effective price support. Further, trade policy works independently of MSP policy, and
many a times, imports of pulses come at prices much below their MSP. This hampers diversification. HLC
recommends that pulses and oilseeds deserve priority and GoI must provide better price support operations for
them, and dovetail their MSP policy with trade policy so that their landed costs are not below their MSP.
On PDS and NFSA related issues
HLC recommends that GoI has a second look at NFSA, its commitments and implementation. Given that leakages
in PDS range from 40 to 50 percent, and in some states go as high as 60 to 70 percent, GoI should defer
implementation of NFSA in states that have not done end to end computerization; have not put the list of
beneficiaries online for anyone to verify, and have not set up vigilance committees to check pilferage from PDS.
HLC also recommends to have a relook at the current coverage of 67 percent of population; priority households
getting only 5 kgs/person as allocation; and central issue prices being frozen for three years at Rs 3/2/1/kg for
rice/wheat/coarse cereals respectively. HLC`s examination of these issue reveals that 67 percent coverage of
population is on much higher side, and should be brought down to around 40 percent, which will comfortably
cover BPL families and some even above that; 5kg grain per person to priority households is actually making BPL
households worse off, who used to get 7kg/person under the TPDS. So, HLC recommends that they be given
7kg/person. On central issue prices, HLC recommends while Antyodya households can be given grains at Rs
3/2/1/kg for the time being, but pricing for priority households must be linked to MSP, say 50 percent of MSP.
Else, HLC feels that this NFSA will put undue financial burden on the exchequer, and investments in agriculture
and food space may suffer. HLC would recommend greater investments in agriculture in stabilizing production
and building efficient value chains to help the poor as well as farmers.
HLC recommends that targeted beneficiaries under NFSA or TPDS are given 6 months ration immediately after
the procurement season ends. This will save the consumers from various hassles of monthly arrivals at FPS and
also save on the storage costs of agencies. Consumers can be given well designed bins at highly subsidized rates to
keep the rations safely in their homes.
HLC recommends gradual introduction of cash transfers in PDS, starting with large cities with more than 1
million population; extending it to grain surplus states, and then giving option to deficit states to opt for cash or
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physical grain distribution. This will be much more cost effective way to help the poor, without much distortion in
the production basket, and in line with best international practices. HLC`s calculations reveal that it can save the
exchequer more than Rs 30,000 crores annually, and still giving better deal to consumers. Cash transfers can be
indexed with overall price level to protect the amount of real income transfers, given in the name of lady of the
house, and routed through Prime Minister`s Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and dovetailing Aadhaar and Unique
Identification (UID) number. This will empower the consumers, plug high leakages in PDS, save resources, and it
can be rolled out over the next 2-3 years.
On stocking and movement related issues
HLC recommends that FCI should outsource its stocking operations to various agencies such as Central
Warehousing Corporation, State Warehousing Corporation, Private Sector under Private Entrepreneur Guarantee
(PEG) scheme, and even state governments that are building silos through private sector on state lands (as in
Madhya Pradesh). It should be done on competitive bidding basis, inviting various stakeholders and creating
competition to bring down costs of storage.
India needs more bulk handling facilities than it currently has. Many of FCI`s old conventional storages that have
existed for long number of years can be converted to silos with the help of private sector and other stocking
agencies. Better mechanization is needed in all silos as well as conventional storages.
Covered and plinth (CAP) storage should be gradually phased out with no grain stocks remaining in CAP for more
than 3 months. Silo bag technology and conventional storages where ever possible should replace CAP.
Movement of grains needs to be gradually containerized which will help reduce transit losses, and have faster
turn-around-time by having more mechanized facilities at railway sidings.
On Buffer Stocking Operations and Liquidation Policy
One of the key challenges for FCI has been to carry buffer stocks way in excess of buffer stocking norms. During
the last five years, on an average, buffer stocks with FCI have been more than double the buffer stocking norms
costing the nation thousands of crores of rupees loss without any worthwhile purpose being served. The
underlying reasons for this situation are many, starting with export bans to open ended procurement with
distortions (through bonuses and high statutory levies), but the key factor is that there is no pro-active liquidation
policy. DFPD/FCI have to work in tandem to liquidate stocks in OMSS or in export markets, whenever stocks go
beyond the buffer stock norms. The current system is extremely ad-hoc, slow and costs the nation heavily. A
transparent liquidation policy is the need of hour, which should automatically kick-in when FCI is faced with
surplus stocks than buffer norms. Greater flexibility to FCI with business orientation to operate in OMSS and
export markets is needed.
On Labour Related Issues
FCI engages large number of workers (loaders) to get the job of loading/unloading done smoothly and in time.
Currently there are roughly 16,000 departmental workers, about 26,000 workers that operate under Direct
Payment System (DPS), some under no work no pay, and about one lakh contract workers. A departmental worker
(loader) costs FCI about Rs 79,500/per month (April-Nov 2014 data) vis-a-vis DPS worker at Rs 26,000/per
month and contract labour costs about Rs 10,000/per month. Some of the departmental labours (more than 300)
have received wages (including arrears) even more than Rs 4 lakhs/per month in August 2014. This happens
because of the incentive system in notified depots, and widely used proxy labour. This is a major aberration and
must be fixed, either by de-notifying these depots, or handing them over to states or private sector on service
contracts, and by fixing a maximum limit on the incentives per person that will not allow him to work for more
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than say 1.25 times the work agreed with him. These depots should be put on priority for mechanization so that
reliance on departmental labour reduces. If need be, FCI should be allowed to hire people under DPS/NWNP
system. Further, HLC recommends that the condition of contract labour, which works the hardest and are the
largest in number, should be improved by giving them better facilities.
On direct subsidy to farmers
Since the whole system of food management operates within the ambit of providing food security at a national as
well as at household level, it must be realized that farmers need due incentives to raise productivity and overall
food production in the country. Most of the OECD countries as well as large emerging economies do support their
farmers. India also gives large subsidy on fertilizers (more than Rs 72,000 crores in budget of FY 2015 plus
pending bills of about Rs 30,000-35,000 crores). Urea prices are administered at a very low level compared to
prices of DAP and MOP, creating highly imbalanced use of N, P and K. HLC recommends that farmers be given
direct cash subsidy (of about Rs 7000/ha) and fertilizer sector can then be deregulated. This would help plug
diversion of urea to non-agricultural uses as well as to neighbouring countries, and help raise the efficiency of
fertilizer use. It may be noted that this type of direct cash subsidy to farmers will go a long way to help those who
take loans from money lenders at exorbitant interest rates to buy fertilizers or other inputs, thus relieving some
distress in the agrarian sector.
On end to end computerization
HLC recommends total end to end computerization of the entire food management system, starting from
procurement from farmers, to stocking, movement and finally distribution through TPDS. It can be done on real
time basis, and some states have done a commendable job on computerizing the procurement operations. But its
dovetailing with movement and distribution in TPDS has been a weak link, and that is where much of the
diversions take place.
On the new face of FCI
The new face of FCI will be akin to an agency for innovations in Food Management System with a primary focus to
create competition in every segment of foograin supply chain, from procurement to stocking to movement and
finally distribution in TPDS, so that overall costs of the system are substantially reduced, leakages plugged, and it
serves larger number of farmers and consumers. In this endeavour it will make itself much leaner and nimble
(with scaled down/abolished zonal offices), focus on eastern states for procurement, upgrade the entire grain
supply chain towards bulk handling and end to end computerization by bringing in investments, and technical
and managerial expertise from the private sector. It will be more business oriented with a pro-active liquidation
policy to liquidate stocks in OMSS/export markets, whenever actual buffer stocks exceed the norms. This would
be challenging, but HLC hopes that FCI can rise to this challenge and once again play its commendable role as it
did during late 1960s and early 1970s.
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Where the economy is primed for growth; and growth promotes all-round development;
Where development is employment-generating; and employment is enabled by skills;
Where skills are synced with production; and production is benchmarked to quality;
Where quality meets global standards; and meeting global standards drives prosperity. Most importantly, this
prosperity is for the welfare of all.
First, we are committed to achieving the fiscal deficit target announced in the budget. We have worked
systematically in this direction. Many of you practise Kaizen in your companies. Reducing wastage means cutting
excess and preventing misuse. This requires self-discipline.
That is why we have the Expenditure Management Commission to suggest cuts in wasteful expenditure. This way,
we will make the Rupee more productive, and deliver maximum bang for the buck.
Second, the petroleum sector has seen major reforms. Diesel prices have been deregulated. This has opened up
space for private players to enter into petroleum retail. Gas prices have been linked to international prices. This
will bring a new wave of investment. It will increase supplies. It will resolve problems in the key power sector.
Today, Indias cooking gas subsidy is the worlds largest Cash Transfer Programme. Over 80 million households
receive subsidy directly as cash into their bank accounts. This is one-third of all households in the country. This
will completely eliminate leakage.
Third, the consensus we arrived with States for amending the Constitution to implement GST is a major
breakthrough. GST has been pending for over a decade. This alone has the potential to make India competitive
and attractive for investment.
In a short span of 4 months, over 100 million new bank accounts have been opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana. For a country of our size, this was an immense challenge. But with will, determination and the full
support of every banker, we are today a nearly 100% banked country. Soon, all accounts will be linked with
Aadhaar. Banking habits will become common across the country.
This now opens immense possibilities for the future. Peoples savings will rise. They will invest in new financial
instruments. 1.2 billion people can hope for pensions and insurance. As the nation progresses, these bank
accounts will drive demand and growth.
Coal blocks are now allocated transparently through auctions. Mining laws have been changed to facilitate
efficient mining. Similar reforms are on the way in the Power sector. We have revived long pending projects in
Nepal and Bhutan, with the cooperation of their governments. Steps are being taken to deliver 24 x 7 Power for
All, using every possible source, including renewable energy.
FDI caps have been raised in Insurance and Real estate. FDI and private investment are being promoted in
Defence and Railways. The Land Acquisition Act has been amended to smoothen the process and speed up
matters. This will give a thrust to infrastructure and manufacturing, while protecting the compensation to
farmers. Greater investment is planned in railways and roads. New approaches and instruments are being put in
place to unlock their potential.
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Transparency and efficiency in governance, and institutional reforms are essential elements for rapid growth.
These, along with a positive regulatory framework, tax stability, and ease of doing business, are being pushed
ahead at top speed.
For instance, I recently assured Public Sector Banks they will have total autonomy in taking business decisions,
without any interference from Government on loans and their operations. Banks Meeting
Surprise , PMO Phone
Confidence level , Transparency
I intend to launch a massive National Program for PDS Computerisation. The entire PDS supply chain, from the
FCI godown to the ration shop and consumer will be computerised. Technology will drive welfare and efficient
food delivery.
A major institutional reform is the move away from merely planning, to transforming India. The setting up of the
National Institution for Transforming India, NITI Aayog, is a step in this direction. This will take the country
forward on the path of cooperative federalism, and when I say co-operative federalism with a competitive zeal.
Country requires co-operative competitive federalism. There must be competition between states; there must be
competition between states and centre. The NITI Aayog is our Mantra for creating trust and partnership between
the Centre and States.
The new AIIMS we are setting up will improve public health in the same way as our promise of Health Assurance.
To me, Health Assurance is not a scheme. It is about ensuring that every Rupee spent on health is well spent; that
every citizen has access to proper healthcare.
Similarly, when we do Swachh Bharat, it has multiple impacts. It is not just a fad or a slogan. It changes peoples
mindsets. It changes our lifestyle. Swachhata becomes a habit. Waste management generates economic activity. It
can create lakhs of Swachhata entrepreneurs. The nation gets identified with cleanliness. And of course, it has a
huge impact on health. After all, diarrhoea and other diseases cannot be defeated without Swachhata!
Take the case of Tourism. It is an untapped economic activity. But tapping it requires a Swachh Bharat. It needs
improvement in infrastructure and telecom connectivity. It requires better education and skill development.
Therefore, a simple goal can generate reforms in multiple sectors.
People must understand the Clean Ganga program, as an economic activity also. The Gangetic plains account for
40% of our population. They have over one hundred towns, and thousands of villages. Improving Ganga will
develop new infrastructure. It will promote tourism. It will create a modern economy helping millions of people.
In addition, it preserves the environment!
Railways is another example. There are thousands of railway stations in the country where not more than 1 or 2
trains stop in a day. These facilities, created at a cost, remain unused for most of the day. These stations can
become growth points for the nearby villages. They can be used for skill development.
, , Optical fiber network Electricity ,
, , skill development center ,
, Optical fiber network Infrastructure multiple Utility
?
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In agriculture too, our main goal is to raise productivity. This will require using technology, increasing soil
fertility, producing more crop per drop.....more crop per drop ,
agriculture sector and bringing the latest from lab to land.
agriculture sector Research , Lab , Lab to land process
, Farmer will not be Benefitted. Cost of cultivation will go down as efficiency rises. This will make agriculture
viable.
I have often called for Minimum Government Maximum Governance. This is not a slogan. This is an important
principle to transform India. -
Government systems suffer from two weaknesses. They are complex. And they are slow.
We need to change this. Our systems need to be made sharp, effective, fast and flexible. This requires
simplification of processes and having trust in citizens. This needs a Policy Driven State. What is Maximum
Governance, Minimum Government? It means government has no business to be in business. There are many
parts of the economy where the private sector will do better and deliver better. In 20 years of liberalisation, we
have not changed a command and control mindset. We think it is okay for government to meddle in the working
of firms. This must change. But this is not a call for anarchy.
Why do we need the State? There are 5 main components:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The first is public goods such as defence, police, and judiciary etc.
The second is externalities which hurt others, such as pollution. For this, we need a regulatory system.
The third is market power; where monopolies need controls.
The fourth is information gaps; where you need someone to ensure that medicines are genuine and so on.
Last, we need a well designed welfare and subsidy mechanism to ensure that the bottom of society is protected
from deprivation. This specially includes education and healthcare.
In the five areas where we need government, we require competent, efficient and non-corrupt arms of
government. We in government, must constantly ask the question: How much money am I spending, and what
outcomes am I getting in return? For this, government agencies have to be improved to become competent. This
requires rewriting some laws. Laws are the DNA of government. They must evolve with time.
Digital India will reform government systems, eliminate waste, increase access and empower citizens. It will drive
the next wave of growth, which will be knowledge-driven. Broadband in every village, with a wide range of online
services, will transform India in a manner we cannot foresee. Skill India will harness the demographic dividend
which everyone talks of.
Improvement in governance is a continuous process. We are making changes wherever acts, rules and procedures
are not in tune with needs. We are cutting down on multiple clearances that choke investment. Our complex tax
system is crying for reform, which we have initiated. I believe in speed. I will push through change at a fast pace.
You will appreciate this in times to come.
I believe that subsidies are needed for them. I repeat subsidies are needed. What we need is a well-targeted system
of subsidy delivery. We need to cut subsidy leakages, not subsidies themselves. Wastage, as I said earlier, must be
removed in subsidies. The target group should be clearly identified and the subsidies should be well delivered. The
ultimate objective of subsidies should be to empower the poor, to break the cycle of poverty, and become footsoldiers in our war on poverty.
, , soldier
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At this point, I would also say that development has to result in jobs.
Reforms, economic growth, progress all are empty words if they do not translate into jobs. What we need is
not just more production, but mass production and production by masses.
Development has many dimensions. While on one hand we need higher incomes, we also need a society which is
cohesive, which balances the stress and strain of a modern economy. History is witness to the rise and fall of
nations. Even now, many countries have become rich in an economic sense, but are poor in a social sense. Their
family systems, value systems, social networks and other elements which hold a society together have broken.
We should not go down that path.We need a society and economy which complement each other. That is the only
way for a nation to go forward. Today, everyone is looking towards Asia for inspiration and growth. And within
Asia, India is important. Not just for its size, but for its democracy, and its values. Indias core philosophy is
(Sarva Mangala Maangalyam) and (Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah). This is a call for
global welfare, global cooperation and balanced living.
India can be a role model of growth and cohesiveness for the rest of the world. For this, we need a workforce and
economy which meet global needs and expectations. We need to quickly improve social indicators. India should
no longer be bracketed with the least developed. We can do this.
Swami Vivekananda had said Arise, awake, do not stop until the goal has been attained. This should inspire us
all to achieve the vision of a New Age India.
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No undesirable effect on the crops raised in the fields treated with hydrogel has ever been observed or reported by
the experimenters or the end users, the farmers.
Cutting-edge Technology: Make in India. India is a partner in the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) project at
Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA at a total cost of Rs.1,299.8 Crore from 2014-23. 70% of Indias contribution will be
in kind, in the making of quality mirrors and engineering in India. Partners: USA, Japan, Canada, China and
India.
High performance computing resource of 800 TFLOPS has been commissioned for weather and climate
modeling. Most powerful machine in the SE Asia.
Supercomputing for the future: India has mounted an ambitious National Supercomputing Mission (NSM):
Building Capacity and Capability with the aim of building Exascale computing with a total budget outlay of
Rs. 4,500 Crore over 7 years (jointly with Department of Information Technology).
Understanding Climate Change and Saving the Himalayan Ecosystem: National Mission for Sustaining the
Himalayan Ecosystem. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change.
Tsunami Early Warning System at ESSO-INCOIS designated as Regional Tsunami Service Provider (RTSP)
for providing advisories to all Indian Ocean Rim countries. India only country capable of providing advisories
for both tsunamigenic zones: Makran coast and Andaman-Sumatra sub-duction zone.
Cyclone Prediction. Remarkable improvements: Recent events such as Thane, Phailin, and Helen and
Hudhud.
Modeling Monsoon: A dynamic model employed to predict quantitative precipitation associated with the
southwest monsoon.
Helping Recovery of Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) heavy weight torpedo
VARUNASTRA. The support and participation by Vessel Management Cell of MoES ESSO-NIOT and crew of
Sagar-Nidhi vital.
Make in India in High-end S&T: Deployed first Sub-surface Ocean Moored Observatory in the Arctic. ESSONCAOR and the ESSO-NIOT successfully deployed IndARC, the countrys first multi-sensor moored
observatory in the Kongsfjorden fjord of the Arctic, roughly half way between Norway and the North Pole.
This is a testimony to the capabilities of India in designing, developing and installing underwater
observatories.
Investing for our future talent: New thrust in Human Resource Development. Indian Scientists teach and
train in Scale. International Scientists to teach in India. Opportunities for attracting Overseas Indian
Scientists to return to India.
Enhanced Innovation Ecosystem: Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council now supports nearly
300 companies, 100 young entrepreneurs. Biotechnology Translational research and industry academia
partnership are being promoted through 3 Biotech clusters, 8 Biotech Parks and 13 Bioincubators.
Rotavirus vaccine indigenously developed. The developed Rotavirus Vaccine at $1 per dose has been cleared
for market license.
Decoding the Wheat Genome: 15 countries joined hands to complete this huge task of decoding 17,000 million
bases. Indian Scientists participated in Decoding Chromosome 2A.
The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) provides significant technological interventions in
many areas of economic and social importance which include environment, health, drinking water, food,
housing, energy, farm and non-farm sectors.
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CSIR has 90% of US patents granted to any Indian publicly funded R&D organization. CSIR licenses 13.86%
of its patents - above global average.
National Capacity Building and in some areas, global leadership. Example: CSIR technology provides
gasoline with less than 0.3% benzene. A 0.60 MMTPA plant is being constructed at Reliance Refinery in
Jamnagar. First in world.
Novel Broad Spectrum Confocal Microscope: Under CSIR-CGCRI and NMITLI programme a Broad Spectrum
Confocal Microscope, world class Made in IndiaHigh-end Product based on Supercontinuum Light Source.
Paved the way for Indias presence in global photonics research.
Strategic Sector: DHVANI, a state-of-the-art marksmanship training system and Drishti Systems, airport
visibility measuring tools.
KrishiShakti, an indigenous diesel engine tractor.
Just Announced: Indian Neutrino Observatory. A major high-tech Make in India initiative and a new-thrust in
High-Energy Experimental Physics. Collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy
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is viewed with suspicion. State government companies that were given mining rights under the government's
dispensation route also faced de-allocation, as they gave mines to private companies for commercial mining, not
allowed under the law earlier.
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India and China are in talks to step up cooperation in plans to modernize the Indian Railways, which could further
increase Chinese investments in the country. China is also keen to market its high-speed railway technology in
India, and has committed to do a feasibility study this year for Delhi-Chennai corridor.
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Because interest rates and the inflation rate tend to move in opposite directions, the likely moves of the central
bank to raise or lower interest rates become more transparent under the policy of inflation targeting. Examples:
If inflation appears to be above the target, the bank is likely to raise interest rates. This usually has the effect
of cooling the economy and bringing down inflation.
If inflation appears to be below the target, the bank is likely to lower interest rates. This usually has the effect
of accelerating the economy and raising inflation.
Under this monetary policy of inflation targeting, the uncertainty among investors is reduced as they know what
the central bank considers the target inflation rate to be and therefore may more easily factor in likely interest rate
changes in their investment choices.
Some challenges faced with adopting inflation targeting:
Restricted ability of the central bank to respond to financial crises or unforeseen events
Potentially poor outcomes in employment, exchange rate and other macroeconomic variables beside inflation
Potential instability in the event of large supply-side shocks
Lack of support from the public
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The lower-than-expected inflation has been enabled by decline in prices of vegetables and fruits, cereals and the
large fall in international commodity prices, particularly crude oil, the statement added. The crude prices, barring
geo-political shocks, are expected to remain low over the year, it said. The Reserve bank in December had said
that once the monetary policy stance shifts, subsequent actions would be consistent with it.
Key to further easing will be data that confirm continuing dis-inflationary pressures. Also critical would be
sustained high quality fiscal consolidation as well as steps to overcome supply constraints and assure availability
of key inputs such as power, land, minerals and infrastructure, the RBI statement said.
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expensive for the banks to borrow money, it increases the repo rate. Similarly, if it wants to make it cheaper for
banks to borrow money, it reduces the repo rate.
Reverse Repo rate
It is the rate at which banks park their short-term excess liquidity with the RBI. The banks use this tool when they
feel that they are stuck with excess funds and are not able to invest anywhere for reasonable returns. An increase
in the reverse repo rate means that the RBI is ready to borrow money from the banks at a higher rate. As a result,
banks would prefer to keep more and more surplus funds with RBI. Thus, we can say that Repo Rate signifies the
rate at which liquidity is injected in the banking system by RBI, whereas Reverse repo rate signifies the rate at
which the central bank absorbs liquidity from the banks.
Liquidity adjustment facility
Liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) is a monetary policy tool which allows banks to borrow money through
repurchase agreements. LAF is used to aid banks in adjusting the day to day mismatches in liquidity. LAF consists
of repo and reverse repo operations. Repo or repurchase option is a collaterised lending i.e. banks borrow money
from Reserve bank of India to meet short term needs by selling securities to RBI with an agreement to repurchase
the same at predetermined rate and date. The rate charged by RBI for this transaction is called the repo rate. Repo
operations therefore inject liquidity into the system.
Reverse repo operation is when RBI borrows money from banks by lending securities. The interest rate paid by
RBI is in this case is called the reverse repo rate. Reverse repo operation therefore absorbs the liquidity in the
system. The collateral used for repo and reverse repo operations consists of Government of India securities.
Liquidity adjustment facility has emerged as the principal operating instrument for modulating short term
liquidity in the economy. Repo rate has become the key policy rate which signals the monetary policy stance of the
economy.
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF)
It is a new scheme announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its Monetary Policy (2011-12) and refers to
the penal rate at which banks can borrow money from the central bank over and above what is available to them
through the LAF window. MSF, being a penal rate, is always fixed above the repo rate. The MSF would be the last
resort for banks once they exhaust all borrowing options including the liquidity adjustment facility by pledging
through government securities, which has lower rate of interest in comparison with the MSF.
Banks can borrow funds by pledging government securities within the limits of the statutory liquidity ratio (i.e.
Banks can pledge securities from their SLR quota). The scheme has been introduced by RBI with the main aim of
reducing volatility in the overnight lending rates in the inter-bank market and to enable smooth monetary
transmission in the financial system.
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is expected that the methodology of this revenue share would be coded into the GST legislation that would be
introduced by the Centre after completion of this constitutional amendment.
As indicated above, revenue sharing between the Centre and States has been a historic stumbling block on
progress on GST over the past few years. Effectively, this resulted in concern by the States on relinquishing
the power to tax revenue leading items such as petroleum, tobacco, medicinal and toilet preparations (MTP)
and alcohol. This Bill indicates a level of agreement on these elements, as it proposes to bring all items except
alcohol within the ambit of GST. However, the Bill also provides that for certain items, this transition to GST
would be immediate, while on a phased for other items.
Entry tax is imposed by various States across India when goods enter for consumption or sale within its
jurisdiction. This levy has been subjected to various legal challenges in almost all States and is currently
pending resolution at various appellate fora. This also posed specific logistical difficulties for the supply chain.
The Bill seeks to delete the imposition of entry tax across India.
Entertainment tax, which is currently imposed by States on a variety of activities (television, movie theatres
etc.), would be now subjected to GST. This is a positive development for the entire entertainment sector which
would now come within the folds of GST as it was hitherto subject to different taxes at the stages of content
development, licensing and dissemination. However, taxes on entertainment at the Panchayat, Municipality
or District level would continue.
GST would be levied on the sale of newspapers and advertisements therein. This would give the governments
the access to substantial incremental revenues since this industry has historically been tax free in its entirety.
Stamp duties, typically imposed on legal agreements by the State, would continue to be levied by the States.
The Bill has provided for a definition of services, covering anything other than goods, which is modelled on
the regulations prevalent under the VAT regimes in the European Union.
The Bill provides that the administration of GST would be the responsibility of the GST Council which would
then become the apex indirect tax policy making body of the country. This GST Council would be formed by
the Central and State level ministers in charge of the finance portfolio. The Bill also lays down various
elements of how the GST Council would operate and its powers, such as determining the rate and exemptions
of tax, threshold limits, framing model laws and principles of levy and apportionment of IGST, and voting
powers.
The GST Council has been empowered to provide floor rates, with bands for rates of GST for different items.
This grants States a degree of flexibility in determining the rate of SGST within such bands so as to pursue its
policies vis--vis relevant products.
There is a provision for imposing a temporary additional tax at 1 percent on the inter-state supply of goods
and services which would directly accrue to the originating State (and therefore would not be shared). This
provision seems to be geared to assuage the concerns of those States, which have high levels of outward trade,
on revenue shortfalls immediately upon removal of CST.
The Bill provides that compensation to States on revenue loss on account of introduction of GST would be
based on the recommendations of the GST Council. Therefore, the GST Council, and not the Centre, would be
decision making authority on the computation of compensation to States for any revenue loss, and therefore
seeks the general concerns of States towards revenue shortfalls by allowing for determination of
compensation by a body with democratic representation by all States.
With the objective of augmenting this democratic element and further widening the powers of the GST
Council, this Bill widens the powers of the GST Council, to allow it to address unique situations, on:
(a) Resolution of disputes arising out of its recommendations
(b) Imposition of additional taxes in times of calamities and disasters
(c) Introduction of special provisions with respect to all Himalayan states in India
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the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; the expansion of the OECD; and the development of the
G20 concept.
Over the last 20 years, the Forum has also evolved the stakeholder principle beyond the corporate level to a truly
global sphere, stipulating that political, business and civil society leaders must work together to address the
challenges of a globally interconnected world. This enhanced dimension has led to the notion of corporate global
citizenship, as outlined by Professor Schwab in a Foreign Affairs article published in 2008.
What has remained unchanged since its founding is the Forums dedication to collaboration among stakeholders,
its steadfast adherence to the high-level participation of leaders sharing the Forums commitment to improving
the state of the world, and the Forums trust in the power of dialogue and exchange based on mutual respect and
civility to bridge divides and shape effective solutions to global challenges. The World Economic Forum has
evolved from a modest yet ground-breaking attempt to convene European corporate stakeholders to discuss
business strategies into an organization that today is widely regarded as the worlds foremost multistakeholder
platform for public-private partnership.
Organization
Headquartered in Cologny, in 2006 the foundation opened regional offices in Beijing and New York City. It strives
to be impartial and is not tied to any political, partisan, or national interests. The foundation is "committed to
improving the State of the World". During the five-day annual meeting in Davos, more than 2,500 participants
from slightly fewer than 100 countries gather in Davos. Approximately 1,500 are business leaders, drawn from its
members, 1,000 of the world's top companies.
Membership
The foundation is funded by its 1,000 member companies, typically global enterprises with more than five billion
dollars in turnover (varying by industry and region). These enterprises rank among the top companies within their
industry and/or country and play a leading role in shaping the future of their industry and/or region. Membership
is stratified by the level of engagement with forum activities, with the level of membership fees increasing as
participation in meetings, projects, and initiatives rises.
Highlights of Davos 2105
Jim Yong Kim, President, The World Bank, Washington DC; Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Annual
Meeting 2015, said: We have to increase the impact that global growth has on the poorest. Kim said improving
healthcare and the quality of education are proven both to reduce inequality and foster sustainable growth.
Li Keqiang, Premier of the Peoples Republic of China, was the first to tackle the inequality issue head on, on
Wednesday 21 January. We need to ensure a relatively high employment rate, especially sufficient employment
for young people. And we need to optimize income distribution and raise peoples welfare, he said, outlining the
new normal growth in China.
Climate change was top of the agenda, following an invitation by the French government to galvanize publicprivate support for the 2015 UN climate change conference in Paris later this year. Al Gore, Chairman and CoFounder, Generation Investment Management, and Pharrell Williams, Creative Director and Brand
Ambassador, Bionic Yarn, answered the call immediately, announcing their Live Earth series of concerts. We are
literally going to unite humanity all at once, Williams said.
Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General; Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
(IMF), and Jim Yong Kim, President, The World Bank, also supported the plea. Its a collective endeavour, its
a collective accountability and it may not be too late, Lagarde said.
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Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy, talked about how to reignite Europes growth engine. The European
direction must stress the importance of growth and public and private investment, not only austerity, he
said. Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany, said that so-called austerity is often pitted against socalled growth and that we need a growth-oriented, sound fiscal policy, we need investments by the state, and we
need an environment which encourages private investors to take out investments.
Franois Hollande, President of France, put terrorism on the agenda. There cannot be prosperity without
security, he said. He urged the private sector to play a role as there needs to be a global international response.
It needs to be international and it needs to be shared, also by business, particularly the largest corporations, he
said. John Kerry, US Secretary of State, said: Eliminating the terrorists that confront us today actually only
solves part of the problem. We have to do more to avoid an endless cycle of violent extremism. We have to
transform the very environment from which these forces emerge.
Technology stakeholders discussed the future of the internet. Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft,
focused on internet security and transparency. Weve got to get this balance between privacy and legitimate
public safety. The internet is one of the greatest global goods. If we destroy it, we destroy a lot of our economic
future. Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook, said that increasing access should be key. If we
can extend the internet to more people, we increase economic opportunities and equality, she said.
A number of key stakeholders from Libya, Syria and Ukraine gathered for informal talks. Topics included the
mitigation of the impact of the Syrian conflict on its population and the reversal of the emergency situation in
Libya. This was part of the Forums long-standing commitment to improve the state of the world, which also
includes ongoing engagement on Palestinian-Israeli relations.
Against the background of ongoing conflict, the Forum also convened an expanded meeting of business leaders
from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, Europe and the United States as part of its ongoing Geneva-Ukraine
Initiative. At the meeting, all participants reaffirmed their commitment to a common approach, despite the very
tense circumstances, to help resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This common approach, formulated
in September 2014, can be summarized in ten proposals here.
The Forum launched a new Global Challenge Initiative on Food Security and Agriculture, with support from
the Government of Canada and a broad network of stakeholders. The initiative will work to achieve sustainable
and inclusive food systems through investment, innovation and collaboration.
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Indias rank in the global exports of services improved from 11th in 2009 to 6th in 2013 still the scope is
tremendous as Indias share in the global services trade is only 3 per cent as compared to 4.6 per cent of China,
Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher said. Services sector has an important role to play in the success of the Make in
India, he said. Unless we are competitive in services, we will not be competitive in merchandise.
India ran a net surplus of $73 billion in services trade during 2013-14 as exports exceeded imports. The trade
surplus in services helped provide for some part of the trade deficit in merchandise of $138 billion.
Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a proposed regional regulatory and investment treaty. As of end of
2014 twelve countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region have participated in negotiations on the
TPP: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States,
and Vietnam.
The proposed agreement began in 2005 as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP or P4).
Participating countries set the goal of wrapping up negotiations in 2012, but contentious issues such as
agriculture, intellectual property, and services and investments have caused negotiations to continue into the
present, with the last round meeting in Ottawa from 312 July 2014. Implementation of the TPP is one of the
primary goals of the trade agenda of the Obama administration in the United States of America.
On 12 November 2011 the nine Trans-Pacific Partnership countries announced that the TPP intended to "enhance
trade and investment among the TPP partner countries, to promote innovation, economic growth and
development, and to support the creation and retention of jobs." Global health professionals, internet
freedom activists, environmentalists, organized labor, advocacy groups, and elected officials have criticized and
protested the negotiations, in large part because of the proceedings' secrecy, the agreement's expansive scope, and
controversial clauses in drafts leaked to the public.
The countries currently party to the agreement are some of the U.S.' biggest and fastest-growing commercial
partners. They account for 40 percent of the world's GDP and 26 percent of the world's trade.
Earlier trade agreements used to deal mostly just with goods: You can import X number of items at Y price, as
long as we know that certain environmental and labor standards are met. Modern trade agreements including
the Trans-Atlantic deal as well as the TPP encompass a broad range of regulatory and legal issues, making them
a much more central part of foreign policy and even domestic lawmaking.
The treaty has 29 chapters, dealing with everything from financial services to telecommunications to sanitary
standards for food. Some parts of it have significant ramifications for countries' own legal regimes.
Contentious issues
Intellectual property: The leaked intellectual property chapter (Wikileaks) revealed that the U.S. has been
pushing stronger copyright protections for music and film, as well as broader and longer-lasting applicability of
patents. It would also make the approval process more difficult for generic drug makers and extend protections for
biologic medicines. Public health and open internet groups have campaigned hard for years around these issues,
and public intellectuals like Joe Stiglitz have warned against using the treaty to "restrict access to knowledge."
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State-owned enterprises: Many TPP governments, in particular Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, essentially
own large parts of their economies. Negotiations have aimed to limit public support for these companies in order
to foster competition with the private sector, but given the U.S.' own government-sponsored enterprises they
probably won't go too far.
Market access: Though the treaty envisions dropping all tariffs, tensions remain between the U.S. and Japan
over support for both of their agricultural sectors, as well as Japan's willingness to accept U.S.-made automobiles.
Investor-state dispute resolution: Most modern free trade agreements include some mechanism for investor
parties to sue governments directly for failing to abide by the terms of the agreement, which some public interest
advocates worry will have a chilling effect on domestic regulation aimed at consumer and environmental
protection.
Opposition to TPP
According to activists, the TPP would be a grab-bag of policies designed to empower corporate entities while
stripping the people of these twelve nations of self-determination and democratic process. According to a civil
rights advocacy group:
Although it is called a free trade agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPPs 29 draft chapters, only
five deal with traditional trade issues. One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage
countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a
clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP
rules.
The TPP would even elevate individual foreign firms to equal status with sovereign nations, empowering them to
privately enforce new rights and privileges, provided by the pact, by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to
challenge public interest policies that they claim frustrate their expectations.
China showing interest in joining TPP
Whats fascinating is that China seems to be catching TPP fever as the trade negotiations accelerate. Four years
ago, when the talks began, Beijing was dismissive. Chinese leaders argued that the Great Recession showed
America wasnt competent to lead the global economy, and that the TPP was just another scheme to encircle and
contain the fast-growing Chinese economy.
You dont hear that kind of carping now. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang sounded supportive at the World
Economic Forum in Davos, where he said: We need to act along the trend of our time, firmly advance free trade,
resolutely reject protectionism, and actively expand regional economic cooperation.
Chinese officials go further in private, in recent conversations in Beijing and Washington. They said China wants
to negotiate membership in the TPP, and, indeed, would like to join in the process of setting its rules. The Chinese
are more cautious in talking with U.S. trade officials, asking instead how the process might work. But the message
is clear: China sees this train leaving the station and wants eventually to be onboard.
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is said to have cautioned the Chinese that it will take a while for their
economy to match the openness that the TPP would require. But in the meantime, the U.S. and China are
negotiating a bilateral investment treaty that front-loads some of the toughest TPP issues. Chinese President Xi
Jinping personally decided last year to embrace the investment treaty. The two sides are bargaining now over the
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so-called negative list of industries or products that would be excluded from the pact; everything else would be
included a big jump for Beijing.
The Chinese seem to realise that they have to live in a TPP world. Other Asian countries that stayed out of this
round, such as South Korea and the Philippines, have signalled they want in. As a trading nation, China either
joins its neighbours or risks losing a share of the expanding global market.
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repeated visits, the satellite makes over the same area on ground thus making the satellite useful for earth
resources monitoring.
The GSLV is designed mainly to deliver the communication-satellites to the highly elliptical Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite in GTO is further raised to its final destination, viz., Geo-synchronous Earth
orbit (GEO) of about 36000 Km by firing its in-built on-board engines.
Due to their geo-synchronous nature, the satellites in these orbits appear to remain permanently fixed in the same
position in the sky, as viewed from a particular location on Earth, thus avoiding the need of a tracking ground
antenna and hence are useful for the communication applications.
Two versions of the GSLV are being developed by ISRO. The first version, GSLV Mk-II, has the capability to
launch satellites of lift-off mass of up to 2,500 kg to the GTO and satellites of up to 5,000 kg lift-off mass to the
LEO. GSLV MK-II is a three-staged vehicle with first stage using solid rocket motor, second stage using liquid fuel
and the third stage, called Cryogenic Upper Stage, using cryogenic engine.
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Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the process of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a
large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or
suppliers. The process of crowdsourcing is often used to subdivide tedious work. It combines the efforts of
numerous self-identified volunteers or part-time workers, where each contributor of their own initiative adds a
small portion to the greater result. It is distinguished from outsourcing in that the work comes from an undefined
public rather than being commissioned from a specific, named group.
Coined in 2005, the word "crowdsourcing" can apply to a wide range of activities. Crowdsourcing can
involve division of labour for tedious tasks split to use crowd-based outsourcing, but it can also apply to specific
requests, such as crowdfunding, a broad-based competition, and a general search for answers, solutions, or a
missing person. Crowdtesting is another example of the utilization of the crowd to provide software testing
services. Crowdtesting is becoming a major player in the software world with recent studies stating that 55% of
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companies have adopted crowdsourced services in 2014 and more plan to utilize crowdtesters in 2015 and moving
forward.
Examples of crowd sourcing
Wikipedia They are perhaps the pioneers of crowdsourcing. The not-for-profit Wikipedia Foundation
launched its free, web-based, multilingual and collaborative encyclopaedia in 2001. It has over 17 million articles
written collaboratively by the community and is the most popular reference site on the internet.
Apple - Much of the product information and support required is found in forums where people share their
knowledge. For example, Googling iPhone 3GS frozen returns a multitude of answers (including YouTube
videos), only one of which is from the official Apple support site.
Astronomy - A modern day version of crowdsourcing in astronomy is NASA's photo organizing project which
asks internet users to browse photos taken from space and try to identify the location the picture is documenting.
The Climate CoLab, housed at MITs Center for Collective Intelligence, brought more than 10,000 users to its
crowdsourcing platform to devise solutions to climate change. Dr. Geoffrey Hay (University of Calgary) and his
team were awarded the $10,000 Grand Prize for their Heat Energy Assessment Technology (HEAT) proposal.
HEAT takes homeowners to a free Web tool where they can easily identify areas of heat loss in their homes.
Catwalk Genius based in Ireland, Catwalk Genius is a crowd funding fashion site. People buy a small share of
a collection enabling struggling designers to showcase their work. Each share costs 10 and when 5,000 have
been sold the designer is commissioned to create a collection. Those who bought shares are then given a
proportion of the profits from the collection based on the number of shares they purchased.
Mapping worlds magnetic field - Scientists at the National Geophysical Data Centre, Boulder, U.S. have
come up with a novel way to crowd-source geomagnetic data for their project to map the worlds magnetic field.
They have developed an app called CrowdMag which is to be downloaded to your mobile phone. Enabling
background reporting on this app will cause the phone to transmit vector magnetic data at regular intervals.
Combining this data with that obtained from real-time solar wind data, the scientists will be able to create models
of the Earths magnetic field.
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Avinash Chander
He is the chief architect of Agni series of ballistic missile systems and considered as Agni
man of India. He was awarded Padma Shri for his contribution in the successful
development of 5000-km range Agni-V missile.
Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha
He was appointed Chief Justice of Bangladesh by President Mohammad Abdul Hamid. With this appointment, he
has become the first Hindu to hold highest judicial post in the Muslim-majority country.
Leela Samson
She resigned as the chief of Central Board of Film Certification after Film Certification Appellate
Tribunal (FCAT) cleared the controversial film Messenger of God featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief
Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in lead role. She is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, instructor
and writer. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1999.
Bhakti Sharma
Has set a world record by swimming 1.4 miles in 52 minutes at one degree temperature in the Antarctic Ocean.
She has bettered the earlier free swimming record of British open water swimmer Lewis Pugh and American
swimmer Lynne Cox. She is also the first Asian girl and youngest in the world to achieve this feat.
Jhumpa Lahiri
Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri won the $50,000 DSC Prize for Literature, one of South
Asias top literary awards for her book, The Lowland. She earlier won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction, and her first novel, The Namesake (2003).
DSC Prize for South Asian Literature - It is awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or
nationality writing about South Asia such as culture, politics, history, or people. It was instituted in
2011.
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
Saudi Arabias King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died. He had ruled since 2005. His 79-yearold half-brother, Salman, has been confirmed as the new king.
Saraswathi Menon
An eminent Indian academician is among seven experts nominated by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to be
part of an advisory group that will conduct a policy and institutional review of the world body's peace
building architecture and make recommendations.
Pooja Thakur
Wing Commander Pooja Thakur has become the first woman officer to lead the ceremonial
Guard of Honour at Rashtrapathi Bhavan. She led the ceremonial Guard of Honour which
was inspected by the U.S. President Barack Obama at Rashtrapathi Bhavan.
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R K Lakshman
Eminent cartoonist, illustrator and humorist Rasipuram Laxman has passed away. He is
best known for creation of iconic character The Common Man, for his daily cartoon strip, You
Said It in The Times of India(TOI). It was started in 1951. This character held a mirror to the
society and targeted politicians for more than five decades. Mr. Laxman, has been awarded the
prestigious Padma Vibhushan and the Magsaysay Award.
Paulina Vega
Colombias Paulina Vega was crowned as The 63rd Miss Universe.
Miss Universe
1. It is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the Miss Universe
Organization.
2. Along with the Miss World and Miss Earth contests, Miss Universe is one of the
three largest beauty pageants in the world and one of the most anticipated beauty
pageants worldwide.
3. It was founded in 1952 by the California clothing company Pacific Mills.
Shekhar Sen
Eminent singer, composer, lyricist and actor Shekhar Sen has been appointed as the chairman of the Sangeet
Natak Akademi (SNA).
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Union Government has appointed Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as the new Secretary of
Ministry of External Affairs (i.e. Foreign Secretary). He will be replacing incumbent Foreign
Secretary Sujatha Singh.
Robert Mugabe
Zimbabwes President Robert Mugabe has been appointed as Chairman of African Union (AU). He will be
13th Chairman of African Union (AU) and succeed Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz for a oneyear term. The position of chairman of the AU is a rotating one on yearly basis and largely ceremonial.
Subhash Ghisingh
Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) founder Subhash Ghisingh has passed away. He had spearheaded the
Gorkhaland movement in the 1980s for a separate state for ethnic Gorkha people living in Darjeeling district of
West Bengal. He was first chairman of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council after winning the first council elections
1988 to 2008.
Arvind Panagariya
Eminent free-market economist Arvind Panagariya has been appointed to run Indian prime minister
Narendra Modi's new policy commission, or NITI Aayog. He was Chief Economist at the Asian
Development Bank (ADB).
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Q1. Starting from Indias independence analyze how the Indo-US bilateral relationship has evolved?
Q2. Signing of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal was a high point in the bilateral relationship between India and United
States but for various reasons the deal could not be operationalized. Discuss those reasons and the agreements
made between India and US during President Obamas visit to remove the hurdles in operationalization of the
nuclear deal.
Q3. Increasing proximity between India and US will make it increasingly tough for India to manage its
relationship with Russia. Critically analyze this statement in light of Russias decision to sell military equipment to
Pakistan.
Q4. Devyani Khobragade incident and the stand-off in WTO had soured the relationship between India and
United States. Discuss the steps taken by both sides to reboot the bilateral ties.
Q5. In light of the devastating Fukushima Disaster discuss the need to retain clause 17(b) in the Indian Nuclear
Liabality Law.
Q6. In a vision statement released during Obamas visit, India and the U.S. have criticized China for its aggressive
stance in the South China Sea. The statement makes it clear that the US considers India an important ally in its
pivot to Asia. Is India making a right choice by aligning itself so closely with the United States?
Q7. Is Indias Nuclear Liability Law in contravention of the global standard? Discuss.
Q8. Discuss how the membership of global export control regimes like NSG, MTCR etc. would be beneficial for
India.
Q9. The draft national health policy proposes making health a fundamental right. Does India have the necessary
resources money, health workers, hospitals, diagnostic facilities etc. to make health a justiciable right?
Q10. With the Indian economy making a transition from centrally planned economy to a largely market economy
it was felt that the Planning Commission had outlived its utility. In light of the statement evaluate the features of
NITI Aayog and compare it with the erstwhile Planning commission.
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Q11. Think tanks are often believed to have significant impact on policy making. Discuss the ways in which they
influence policies and the difference between lobbyists and think tank.
Q12. Net Neutrality is a prerequisite to ensure a free and fair access to internet for all. Outline the principles of
Net Neutrality and its importance to the netizens.
Q13. Deaths caused during botched up sterilizations has created a furore in the country. Discuss the
appropriateness of the targets approach towards achieving sterilization goals.
Q14. Internet is being increasingly used by terrorist organizations to recruit people, spread propaganda and
collect funds. Are Indias cyber laws and monitoring infrastructure adequate to tackle this menace? Comment.
Q15. Indian constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. Is the freedom of speech and expression
an absolute right? Discuss in the light of recent controversy over Wendy Donigers book which was pulled from the
shelves by the publisher after protests by various Hindu religious and social groups.
Q16. Can decontrol of Urea solve the woes of fertilizer producers and farmers?
Q17. Land Acquisition Act was hailed by activists as a victory of farmers against oppression of the state but the
captains of industry were opposing the act from the day it was passed by the parliament. Recently the government
has made certain amendments to the act to reduce delays in acquisition of land. Do these amendments erode the
spirit of the act? Comment.
Q18. Spread of Ebola in Africa has shown that weak healthcare systems and lack of preparedness can spell
disaster in the event of outbreak of a deadly disease. Is India prepared to take on the spread of a disease like
Ebola?
Q19. Womens empowerment was the theme of this years Republic Day parade. India showcased woman
power with all-women contingents of the three Services for the first time. But women Army officers are still
denied permanent commission on par with men. They have to be content with the short service commission. Do
you think it is time to make amends and give women equality in employment in armed forces?
Q20.China is pushing Maritime Silk Road in Indias backyard with the eager support of countries like Sri Lanka
and Maldives. Is the recently launched Project Mausam Indias strategic answer to Chinas MSR? Comment.
Q21. Narco-terrorism is posing a serious threat to Indias security. Discuss the factors responsible for increasing
drug use in the country and its consequences for the nation. Also highlight the steps taken by the government to
combat drug trafficking.
Q22. Cities are referred to as the engines of economic growth. Unplanned urbanization to accommodate the
burgeoning number of people would soon make the cities unlivable. Critically examine the pillars of SMART cities
as a solution for sustainable urbanization.
Q23. Xaxa committee was formed by the government of India to suggest ways to improve the socio-economic
status of tribals. Highlight the main recommendations of the committee.
Q24. A recent ordinance passed by the Rajasthan government has laid down minimum educational qualifications
for contesting elections to local bodies. Express your views on this move of the government and discuss if such
qualifications should be prescribed for contesting elections to state assemblies and parliament.
Q25. Chief of Central Borad of Film Certification has resigned citing interference by the government. Suggest
measures which can be adopted to ensure that statutory bodies like CBFC are completely free from government
interference.
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Q26. The old maxim why do today what you can put off till tomorrow? is being used by the countries to not
commit to CO2 emission cuts. Discuss the major outcomes of the Lima climate deal and comment on whether the
deal represents a fundamental change in global climate regime or not?
Q27. It is being said that Israel-Palestinian tensions mirror India-Pakistan conflict. Highlight the similarities of
the disputes between the nations. Also, critically examine how the stance of India on Israel Palestine conflict has
changed since independence.
Q28. Is the Indian obsession with quota system a function of a limited institutional imagination, or are there
fundamental reasons why no other policy design has been proposed? Can the American practice of encouraging
diversity by incentivizing be used in both public and private sector?
Q29. Discuss the main factors that have sustained the militant movement in North-Eastern region over several
decades. Also highlight the root cause of failure of administrative machinery to address the problem of demand for
Bodoland.
Q30. During the making of the constitution some members of the constituent assembly stated that ordinances are
against Constitutional morality. Critically examine how the use of route of promulgation of ordinance has evolved
since independence.
Q31. Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is celebrated every year to give the Indian Diaspora a chance to connect with their
roots. What more ways could we devise to capitalize on the knowledge, expertise and skills of Indian Diaspora to
maximize our growth potential?
Q32. It is commonly perceived that FCI is plagued with several functional and cost inefficiencies which need to be
removed for better management of food-grain and cost saving. Critically examine the reasons for these
inefficiencies and discuss key recommendations made by Shanta Kumar panel.
Q33. RBI has been successful in bringing down non-food inflation but it has not been able to soften food prices.
Analyze the factors responsible for RBIs inability to control food inflation even after keeping the interest rates
high for considerable period of time.
Q34. It is believed that GST will have a transformational impact on the Indian Economy. Discuss the contentious
issues involved in the implementation of GST and how will it improve the productivity of Indian economy. Give an
example of GST benefiting the Transport sector.
Q.35 Indias space programme has been a success story. However, one success that was eluding the Indian Space
Research Organisation for many years was its indigenous Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle. Why is GSLV mission
so important for Indian Space Programme? Discuss.
Q36. In light of the Supreme Court judgment in Berubari case, discuss the appropriateness of demand of Tamil
groups in the country to take back Katchthhevu island from Sri Lanka.
Q37. India had a major role to play in shaping of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. Discuss how Indias stance
changed from supporting the conflict in early 80s to sending the peace keeping force towards the end of that
decade.
Q38. India voted twice against Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council. That move of India antagonized Sri
Lanka and its proximity with China increased as a result of its isolation. Now the Indian side is on a course
correction. Discuss the importance for India of maintaining cordial relationship with Sri Lanka.
Q39. Docking of Chinese naval vessels in Colombo is a cause of concern for India. Comment.
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Q40. What role can India play in the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka with a new government at helm in both
the countries?
Q41. Annual Status of Education Report brought out by an NGO - Pratham has highlighted the dismal state of
schooling in our country. Despite having nearly universal enrolment at primary level the learning outcomes leave
a lot to be desired. Suggest measures to improve the situation.
Q42. After the ghastly Peshawar attack on a military school the Pakistan government has vowed to end the
distinction between good and bad Taliban. Discuss the implications of this move for India.
Q43. Is inflation targeting a suitable policy to adopt for a country at Indias level of development? Comment in
light of the recommendations made by Urijit Patel committee.
Q44. Discuss in detail how repo rate, CRR and SLR are used by RBI to manage inflation and liquidity in the
economy.
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