Weekly 18 March To 24 March 2013

WEEKLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BULLETIN
18TH MARCH 2013 TO 24TH MARCH, 2013
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Weekly Current Affairs 18th March to 24th March, 2013
SCHEDULE FOR GS TOPICAL TESTS

2nd December: Infrastructure & Resources 1. Transportation infrastructure: Road and Highway Networks, Mass Transit Systems, Railways, Waterways, Ports.... 2. Energy infrastructure:- Thermal Power Generation, Natural Gas Pipelines & Petroleum Pipelines, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy...... 3. Water management infrastructure:- Drinking water supply, Sewage Collection and Disposal of Waste water, Flood Control, Water Harwesting..... 4. Communications infrastructure:- Television and Radio Transmission, Internet, Social Network, Search Engines, Communications Satellites...... 5. Solid Waste Management 6. Economic Infrastructure: Manufacturing Infrastructure, including Industrial Parks and Special Economic zones, Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Infrastructure.... 7. Resources: Water Resources, Forest Resources, Land Resources, Energy Resources, Minerals, Resource Management..... 9th December: Demography : Population Composition, Density, Literacy, Sex Ratio... 16th December: Environmental Problems & Global Environmental Governance : Deforestation, Pollution: Air, Water, Land, Noise, Desertification, Biodiversity Depletion, Global Warming, SD.......
Production and productivity, Microirrigation, Urbanization, Government Initiatives...... 6th January: Indian Economy Basics, Planning & Trade 1. Industry Services, Agriculture, Energy..... 2. Balance of Payments. Foreign Direct Investment....... 3. Growth, Development and Other Issues......... 4. Poverty Estimates, Impact of Poverty........ 5. Exchange rate. Role of RBI..... 6. Nature of Planning - Five Year Plan, Planning after 1991 (LPG), Inflation..... 13th January: Governance and Contemporary Political Developments : Development Politics, Political and Administrative Institutions, Good Governance, Internal Security....
23rd December: Human Development, Social Sector Initiatives and Programmes & Policies 1. Concept of Human Development, Development vs. Growth, Human Development Index, MPI, Innovation..... 2. Social Inclusion, Child Welfare, Women Welfare.... 30th December: Agriculture, Urbanisation, Health : Agriculture and GDP, Agricultural Regionalization,
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20th January ... 27th January ... 3rd February .. 10th February . 31st March ...... 7th April ......... 21st April ........ 28th April .......
SCHEDULE FOR SECTIONAL TESTS (PAPER I & II)
Ecology and environment Comprehension Polity and Governance English Language Comprehension + Logical Reasoning 17th February . Geography 24th February . Decision Making and Problem Solving 3rd March ....... General Science and Science and Technology 10th March ..... Mental Ability, Basic Numeracy, Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency 17th March ..... History 24th March ..... Indian Economy
FULL MOCK SCHEDULE

Mock Mock Mock Mock 1 2 3 4 Paper Paper Paper Paper 1, 1, 1, 1, Mock Mock Mock Mock 1 2 3 4 Paper Paper Paper Paper 2 2 2 2
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NATIONAL
Cabinet approved amended Food Security Bill The Union Cabinet has cleared the National Food Security Bill that gives legal entitlement to 67 per cent population (including 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban) for subsidized grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). A beneficiary will be entitled to 5 kg of rice, wheat or coarse cereals at Rs. 3, 2 and Re. 1 a kg a month and will be identified by the States based on parameters prescribed by the Union government whereas 2.43 crore Antyodaya Anna Yojna beneficiary households will continue to get their quota of 35 kg grains a month under the TPDS. institutes can now induct planes as per their business plans, without seeking any nod from the ministry. Only an initial no objection certificate (NOC) for operating scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services, including regional air transport services, and an in-principle approval for acquisition of aircraft by scheduled operators would be required, as this is necessary under Rules 134 and 134A of the Aircraft Rules and the RBI guidelines. At present, the Aviation Ministry's approval is required for issuing an initial NOC in cases of scheduled airlines, non-scheduled airlines, flying institutes and private operators. Besides this, the Ministry's approval is also required for acquisition of aircraft by scheduled and non-scheduled operators, flying training institutes, and private use. It is also required for replacement of aircraft. Airlines had been up in arms over the delays caused in the AAC. Airlines decide fleet size based on dynamic ground realities and hurdles in getting planes often meant airlines missing good business opportunities. This decision will reduce delays in seeking approval, and will help airlines to plan better for future induction of aircraft. The National Waterway (Lakhipur - Bhanga stretch of the Barak River) Bill, 2013 introduced in RS
Instead of dividing beneficiaries into two categories - priority and general households with different entitlement and price, the revised bill proposes only one category of beneficiary with uniform entitlement of 5 kg per person per month at uniform price of Rs 1-3/kg for all beneficiaries. The beneficiaries would be decided by state governments, while the criteria to exclude 33 per cent of population would be provided by the Planning Commission. The subsidized prices of grains may be revised after three years to the level of the minimum support price paid for procurement of grains. In its revised form, the Bill also favours the "twochild norm" by denying maternal benefits to a pregnant woman beyond two live births.
About 62 million tonnes of foodgrains would be required to implement the bill, while the food subsidy is estimated at Rs 1,24,747 crore at 2013-14 costs, which is Rs 23,800 crore higher than the existing level. The government intends to get the revised bill passed in the current session of Parliament that ends on May 10. Aircraft purchase freed from red tape
Indian carriers are now free from bureaucratic red tape that surrounded import of aircraft for fleet augmentation as Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has disbanded the aircraft acquisition committee (AAC) where airlines' requests for getting aircraft have. Both schedule and non-schedule airlines and flying
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The National Waterway (Lakhipur - Bhanga stretch of the Barak River) Bill, 2013 was introduced in the Rajyasabha by the Union Minister for Shipping Shri G.K. Vasan. The bill proposes to declare the navigable stretch of the Barak River between Lakhipur and Bhanga (121 km) in Southern Assam as a National Waterway. The bill also provides for the regulation and development of the proposed waterway by the Union government for the purpose of shipping and navigation through the Inland Waterway Authority of India. It also envisages the development of infrastructure projects at an estimated cost of 123 crore rupees in two phases. The first phase of the project will be completed by 2016-17 followed by the second phase which is likely to be completed by 2018-19.
Infrastructure facilities currently available on this stretch of the river are inadequate for safe, convenient and sustained shipping and navigation by large mechanised craft. The enactment of this bill will lead to improved connectivity and transportation of cargo in the north eastern region particularly the states of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. It will also provide an alternative connectivity to these states which are presently dependent on the rail/ road connectivity through the chicken's neck at Siliguri. The Government has accorded high priority to the development of inland water transport in the country as it provides a low cost, energy-efficient and environment friendly medium of transport. So far, five waterways have been declared as National waterways. These are: 1) Allahabad- Haldia stretch of the River Ganga, 2) Dhubri -Sadiya stretch of River Brahmaputra, 3) Kottappuram - Kollam stretch in the west coast canal along with Udyogamandal and Champakkara canal, in Kerala 4) Kakinada Puducherry stretch along with the designated stretches of Godavari and Krishna rivers, and 5) Designated stretches of East coast canal, Brahmani river and the Mahanadi delta. Report on Housing Stock, Amenities and Assets in Slums Based on Houselisting & House Census 2011 Release
and Meerut have more than 40% slum households. e) Out of total slum houses, 92.7% are occupied and 7.3% are vacant. f) 84.9% Census Houses are used for residence/ residence-cum-other use.
g) 58.4% residential census houses are in good condition, 37.5% are livable and rest 4.0% are in dilapidated condition. h) 70.2% Slum households are owned. Rest are mostly rented i) 74 % households use Tap as the main source of drinking water followed by hand pump/tube well (20.3%) Source of drinking water is available to 56.7% of the households within the premises in slums; 31.9% have the source located near (within 100m) the premises and 11.4% have to travel more than 100 m away to fetch drinking water.
The first-of-its-kind survey, based on Houselisting and Housing Census 2011 conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, has revealed that slum residents have most basic amenities like drinking water and electricity and even facilities like mobile phones, internet and private vehicles than their counterparts in the urban non-slum areas : the only service missing is sanitation. The highlights of the report are as follows:-
a) In all 1.73 Crore Census houses have been reported in the House listing Blocks categorized as Slums in India, comprising 1.37 Crore slum households. b) There are 19 cities with million plus population where more than 25% households live in slums. c) A majority (71%) of these are located in six States namely, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
d) Out of these 19 cities, five cities namely, Vishakhapatnam, Jabalpur, Mumbai, Vijayawada
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k) More than 90% slum households use electricity as main source of lighting, 8.2% kerosene and 0.7% households have other source of lighting and 0.5% households have no lighting in the slum areas. 66% households are having latrine facility within the premises meaning that every third household (34%) has no latrine facility within the premises. 18.9% slum households defecate in open and 15.1% use public latrine.
m) 81% slum households have a bathroom or an enclosure without roof. 53.2% households avail banking service in slum areas. n) About 70% slum households have television in their houses for entertainment, 18.7% possess Radio / Transistor. o) Computers/laptops have not made inroads in slums to the desired extent. Only 10.4% households have computer/laptop in their house, out of which 3.3% have computer/laptop with internet connection (as against 9.3% in nonslum areas) and 7.1% without internet connection. p) 72.7% slum households have telephone facility out of which 4.4% have land line connection, 63.5% mobile and 4.8% have both facilities. In non-slum areas this percentage is 83.9. For the purpose of Census, slums were categorized and defined as notified slums, recognized slums and identified slums. For the first time all the 4,041 statutory towns [towns with municipalities] were covered and only 2,542 slums have been found.
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The census had helped the government get an accurate view of the slum numbers in the country, as the percentage of slums in urban areas was earlier assumed to be much higher than what has been revealed in the survey. A committee will also be set up for suggesting how to prepare a slum upgrading index for all cities, Mr. Maken said. NTCA issued standard operating procedure deal with straying tigers
I&B Ministry to launch Centralised Monitoring System for tracking Encrypted Signals
A standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with the emergency arising due to the straying of tigers in human-dominated areas has been issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), stipulating the imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the area of its operation. It was designed by the NTCA in the wake of an incident on December 2, 2012, at Wayanad, when a team from the Forest Department shot a male tiger that strayed into areas inhabited by human beings. The SOP, intended for the forest departments of all States, has already been notified by the Kerala Forest Department. The SOP underlines that "under no circumstance should a tiger be eliminated by invoking the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, if it isn't habituated to causing human casualties. But confirmed man-eaters should be eliminated as per the statutory provisions under Section 11 of the Act". Therefore, while forest authorities engage in dealing with straying of tigers and even leopards into human-dominated areas, crowding by local people should be avoided by clamping prohibitory orders. Authorities should ensure to proactively involve the district administration and the local police in the area at an early stage. Clamping prohibitory orders is essential to avoid agitation of the local people surrounding the animal's location, which will hamper the capture operation and can also result in serious injuries to the staff and the people. Effective coordination with the district administration and police is critical to control crowds. If an area is habitually prone to livestock predation by big cats, the Forest Department has to take up research to assess the reasons for frequent tiger emergencies. Under no circumstance should a captured tiger, if it is found to be injured or incapacitated, be released into the forest. It should be sent to a recognised zoo. But if a captured tiger is healthy, without injuries, it should be released after radio collaring, into a suitable habitat with an adequate prey base.
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In a major initiative to monitor the progress of Digitization and to ensure the mandatory adherence of transmitting Digital encrypted signals by Multi System Operators (MSOs), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is in the process of installing a Centralised Monitoring System to keep a tab on the encryption of channels by MSOs. The Centralised Monitoring System will be able to detect those MSOs who do not carry the mandated encrypted signals. MSOs are required to carry encrypted signals of TV channels in areas where digitization has been implemented as mandated by Section 4A of Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. Transmission / Retransmission of unencrypted signals would amount to violation of Terms and Conditions of MSOs. For the above purpose, a web based pilot project for the DAS monitoring system installed at Bangalore is undergoing field trials. Once implemented, it will enable the Ministry to keep a watch on the implementation of DAS by all the MSO licensees through this system. To start with, this system will help the users to centrally acquire, log, analyze and prepare report on the status of DAS parameters like total number/name of channels, encryption status etc of cable TV signals of head end of each registered MSO across the country in real time. This system can be augmented in future for content monitoring of the cable TV channels at local levels. It is expected that the system will also evolve as an alternative indicator of Television viewing by consumers. Government Constituted a Working Group for Drafting of the National Sports Development Bill, 2013
Transparency and good governance in sports federations of the country is imperative for development of sports in India. For this purpose, the government drafted a Sports Development Bill in 2011. It has now been decided that further consultations are required with the stake-holders on the provisions of the Bill. To facilitate the holding of such consultations and prepare a revised draft of the Bill as well as draft rules to be formulated under the Bill, a Working Group under the Chairmanship of Justice Mukul Mudgal has been constituted. The other members of the Working Group are Shri Rahul Mehra, Shri Vidhuspat Singhania, Shri Abhinav Bindra, Shri Boria Mazumdar, Shri Narinder Batra, Shri BVP Rao, Shri Sayan Chatterjee, Shri Viren Rasquinha, Joint Secretary (Sports), MYAS, Director (Sports), MYAS and Ms Mitali.
The terms of reference of the Working Group shall be as follows: a) To examine the existing draft Bill from both sports governance and legal angles and finetune/revise the same with the purpose of making it more precise and succinct. b) To recommend draft model rules to be framed under the Bill. c) To examine the requirement for a separate model Sports Development Bill for enactment by the States.
increased for registration from Rs. 50/- per work to Rs. 500/- per work and the maximum fee has been increased from Rs. 600/- per work to Rs. 5,000/-. The fee for licences has been increased from Rs. 200/ - to Rs. 2000/- per work and the maximum fee has been increased from Rs. 400/- to Rs. 40,000/-. The new fee structure provided under Second Schedule of the Rules is applicable after notification. Government planning to introduce new norms for importing sensitive equipment
e) To make specific recommendations on preparation of Electoral College and streamlining of State/District bodies. f) To make any other recommendations, as deemed fit.
The committee shall submit the Draft Bill by 31st May, 2013 and draft rules by 31st August, 2013. Copyright Rules 2013
The Copyright Rules, 2013 has been notified by the Copyright Division, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development on 14th March, 2013. The amendments to the existing provisions of the Copyright Act, 1957 and introduction of new provisions under the Copyright(Amendment) Act, 2012, which came into the force on 21st June, 2012, necessitated amendments to the Copyright Rules, 1958.. The Copyright Rules, 2013 provide new rules for statutory licence for cover versions and broadcasting of literary and musical works and sound recording; compulsory licences for works withheld from public, unpublished and published works, for benefit of disabled; registration of Copyright Societies and Performer's Right Societies; storage of transient or incidental copies of woks; making or adapting the work by organisations working for the benefit of persons with disabilities; importation of infringing copies and technological protection measures. The fee for registration of copyright for various works and fee for licences to be issued by register of Copyrights under the directions/orders of the Copyright Board have been increased under the Copyright Rules, 2013. The minimum fee has been
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d) To examine the possibility of constituting separate bodies like a Sports Election Commission, a Dispute Resolution Tribunal and an Ethics Committee and suggest their power functions constitution and funding provisions etc.
The Centre is working on a new set of security clearance guidelines for the purchase of "sensitive equipment" from overseas by any Ministry or department. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) will prepare the new set of norms that will define the categories of sensitive equipments. Security vetting of foreign suppliers will be required before placing an order. The Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) formed for this purpose has suggested pre-verification of foreign equipment before installation and an immediate security audit of sensitive equipments by a technical team from the DRDO, NTRO, IB and RAW. Interestingly, one suggestion at the meeting was to certify vendors supplying such equipments rather than look for "countries of origin." A major concern for the government has been equipments meant for installation close to defence areas. In one case, the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) ruled in favour of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on the installation of China-made Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) in coastal areas. The MoD had been objecting to the proposal for security reasons. This forced the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to shift the radars to inland locations after a delay of over three years. The IMG has suggested that when sensitive equipment needs to be procured for installation near defence areas, the MOD will have an overriding authority to deal with any live situation on security grounds which will be a part of 'standard operating procedures.' The CoS has now asked the MoD to formulate specific and detailed guidelines for the hosting of equipment by Ministries and agencies within or in close proximity to defence locations by April-end this year. The issue has become important since government agencies and private organisations have been opting for cheaper Chinese equipments. A case in point is the fast inroads made by Chinese telecom
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equipment-makers into the telecom and IT sector in India, which has been a major concern for intelligence and security agencies, the sources noted. Green Tribunal bans construction of roads, cutting of trees in Aravallis
The National Green Tribunal has through a recent order banned construction of roads and cutting of trees in the Aravallis directing the parties concerned to restore the area to its original condition. The Tribunal also set up a three-member committee to monitor the execution of the order. The order came on Badshahpur resident Devendra Kumar's plea on violation of provisions of the notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on May 7, 1992 that prohibited certain activities in the Aravalli Hills in Gurgaon. The applicant had specifically mentioned that illegal activities were being carried by marble traders and others on a particular khasra of Sikandarpur Ghosi village. The encroachers were felling trees, adversely affecting the environment.
Observing that there was clear violation of the 1992 notification on protection of environment, the Tribunal Bench, headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar, directed that no one would be permitted to construct any road or cut trees or bush in the area covered under the notification.
The Bench further directed that each of the nonapplicants would plant at least 50 trees and look after them. Restricting people from throwing debris at the site, the Bench sought demolition of all sheds of temporary or permanent nature within two weeks from the pronouncement of the order. It also directed those carrying on the business of gas cylinders and liquor in the area to stop their activities within three months and one month respectively.
Directing the parties concerned to restore the area to its original natural condition, the Bench constituted a committee comprising Haryana Pollution Control Board environmental engineer, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate concerned and a senior forest officer to ensure execution of the order. RTI applications for NRIs simplified
The government of India took a major step forward in enabling Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to file applications under the Right to Information Act this week, announcing that it has launched a service called "elPO," or Electronic Indian Postal Order.
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The facility was provided only for Indian citizens abroad across the globe to facilitate them to seek information from the Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) under the RTI Act, 2005, and debit/ credit cards could be used to purchase the elPO. The users are required to get themselves registered at the website, select the Ministry or Department from whom they desire the information under the RTI Act and then elPO so generated can be used to seek information from that Ministry or Department only. Further a printout of the elPO is required to be attached with the RTI application, or if it was being filed electronically, the elPO must be attached. The CPIOs are required to maintain a record of the elPOs so received from Indian citizens abroad, but eIPO details can be verified from the website of India Post. Anti-rape Bill finally passed by the Parliament
Both the houses of the Parliament has passed the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, to provide for more stringent punishment for crimes against women, including natural life term or even death for repeat offenders of rape. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013, seeks to replace an ordinance which was promulgated on February 3. Some of the new provisions in the bill are: a) Women's rights advocates and victims of sexual offenses have long accused a male-dominated police force of refusing to register complaints by women, and even facilitating a monetary settlement or brokering a marriage between victims of rape and the accused. The bill lays down punishment for police officers who fail to record the initial complaint, known as the first information report, of a woman who alleges she was attacked with acid, assaulted by a man who intended to molest her or "outrage her modesty," stripped naked or raped. Such officers can receive jail terms of six months to two years. b) The bill creates a separate offense to address acid attacks, common in South Asian countries, especially by men who are spurned by women they express an interest in. Under the bill, those convicted of throwing acid on a woman, causing "permanent or partial damage or deformity," or maiming or disfiguring her, will be punished with prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life and a fine. With an eye to the rehabilitation of the victim, the bill says the fine should be paid to the woman as compensation.
c)
The bill defines sexual harassment, which includes "physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures," a demand for sexual favors and showing pornography to a woman who does not want to see it. Those convicted of harassment can receive prison sentences of up to three years. Making "sexually colored" remarks is also included in the definition of sexual harassment, for which the bill prescribes a prison sentence of up to a year.
hand down a sentence of less than seven years for "adequate and special reasons," a provision omitted in the bill. h) The bill raises the age of consent for sex to 18. This means that intercourse with a woman under 18 is statutory rape and courts conducting rape trials cannot consider whether the woman consented to having sex. It also, in effect, criminalizes consensual sex with women under 18, a subject of much controversy. i) The bill does not make marital rape an offense, ignoring a longstanding demand of women's rights advocates. The bill takes a tough stand on rape by public servants. Under the current law, when a rape is committed by a police officer or prison staff, those convicted can be punished with sentences ranging from 10 years to life. The bill clarifies that imprisonment for life means the convict must remain in prison till the end of his natural life. The bill also allows women to bring a complaint of rape against members of the armed forces.
e) One of the more controversial provisions in the bill is the section on voyeurism, which seeks to punish men who watch or photograph women who are conducting a "private act," such as bathing, using the toilet or having sex. The bill lays down a punishment of three to seven years in prison for those convicted of voyeurism more than once.
Voyeurism is not a separate offense under the current law. f)
The bill creates another new, and much-debated, offense: stalking. This provision deals with men who follow a woman and establish contact with her or attempt to do so "to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest" by the woman. E-stalking, or monitoring of a woman's activities online, such as browsing or checking of e-mail, has also been made punishable.
A man convicted of stalking once can be sentenced to a term of up to three years, and if convicted again can receive a sentence of up to five years.
g) The bill expands the definition of rape to include not just penovaginal intercourse but the insertion of an object or any other body part into a woman's vagina, urethra or anus, and oral sex. This responds to a longstanding demand of women's rights groups. The issue of rape by different means was highlighted in the Delhi gang-rape case, where an iron rod was inserted into the young woman's body. Prison sentences for rape can range from seven years to life. The current law allows courts to
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d) The bill criminalizes the forced stripping of women, or disrobing, in public spaces or in private confines, with a minimum jail term of three years and a maximum of seven. Under the current law, disrobing a woman is not a separate offense.
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k) When a rape leaves a woman dead or in a "persistent vegetative state," the bill demands a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum punishment of death. This is the first time that the death penalty is being prescribed for sexual offenses in India, which, unlike nearly all European nations, retains the death sentence, but uses it only in the "rarest of rare cases." The bill increases the minimum punishment for gang rape from 10 years imprisonment to 20 years, and the maximum punishment to life imprisonment.
m) The bill provides for life imprisonment or death for repeat offenders convicted of rape and gang rape. n) The bill makes procedural changes to address concerns that women are uncomfortable or intimidated by male police officers, or are treated with insensitivity when they approach police stations to register complaints of sex crimes. The bill requires that all initial reports involving sexual harassment, disrobing, voyeurism, stalking, rape and gang rape be taken by women officers only. o) In order to ensure speedy trial, the bill requires that rape trials be completed "as far as possible" within two months from the time the police file charges against the accused.
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INTERNATIONAL
UN arms treaty talks resumes In all parts of the world, the ready availability of weapons and ammunition has led to human suffering, political repression, crime and terror among civilian populations. Irresponsible transfers of conventional weapons can destabilize security in a region, enable the violation of Security Council arms embargoes and contribute to human rights abuses. Importantly, investment is discouraged and development disrupted in countries experiencing conflict and high levels of violence, which also affect their ability to attain the Millennium Development Goals. China-Sri Lanka space cooperation worries India Concern is growing in Indian security establishments over increasing Chinese footprints in neighbouring countries' strategic sectors. A string of satellite deals China has been struck with Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh related to space programmes, to encircle India strategically with large communication networks. The latest to cause alarm are reports of ChineseSri Lankan collaboration in the area of space. A Sri Lankan firm is likely to launch its first communication satellite with Chinese help in 2015. Notably, a Sri Lankan company, Supreme SAT (Pvt.) Ltd. signed an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka in May 2012 to launch the telecommunication satellite at a cost of $320 million in partnership with China Great Wall Industry Corporation, a state-owned Chinese company. Subsequently, it was also decided to set up a space academy-cum satellite ground station at Kandy. The Maldives defence minister has initiated discussions with China for co-operation in satellite manufacturing and launch. Bangladesh is planning to launch a communication satellite called Bangabandhu. Its telecom regulator floated a request for proposals in 2011, and the country's foreign minister invited the China Great Wall Industry Corporation to submit a proposal. China's influence in the neighbourhood has been an increasingly thorny issue, with analysts suspecting a Chinese hand behind recent setbacks India has suffered in the region, such as the scrapping of GMR's airport deal in Maldives and Sri Lanka raising duties on Indian auto imports. China's economic rise is gradually eroding India's ability to wield influence in its immediate neighbourhood. The National Security Council Secretariat has called an inter-ministerial consultation next week to decide on "possible approaches" to protect "Indian interests" in its neighbourhood. The Indian authorities have been looking into possible options to counter any security threat. In its suggestions, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had said India should offer to build and launch satellites for Colombo.
Thus after four weeks of negotiations failed in July, talks resume on a United Nations treaty to regulate the sale of conventional arms. Armed violence kills more than half a million people each year, including 66,000 women and girls. In addition, between 2000 and 2010, almost 800 humanitarian workers were killed in armed attacks and another 689 injured, according to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. An effective and strong Arms Trade Treaty will put on notice warlords, pirates, human rights abusers, organized criminals, terrorists and gun runners. An accord will force states to assess, before making a sale, whether weapons will be used for human rights violations, terrorism or organized crime. But hurdles loom large since major arms producers and buyers have fought to chip away at the sales conditions and even to exclude whole categories from the treaty.
The United States, for one, refuses to include ammunition. China wants to protect its small arms, and Russia opposed including gifts and transfers of arms that could be made to an ally. US stated that he could only agree on a "treaty that addresses international transfers of conventional arms solely." Whereas, Amnesty International has urged action against arms trade by pointing to conflicts in Syria, Mali, etc. Amnesty has also highlighted how the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- account for more than half the global sales of conventional arms.
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UNHRC adopts US-sponsored resolution against Lanka
The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a US-sponsored resolution on human rights violation in Sri Lanka with 25 countries, including India, voting in favour of the document in the 47-nation strong body. While 13 countries, including Pakistan, voted against, eight member-states abstained from voting. The Council welcomes the report of the High Commissioner on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka; encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations made in the report of the High Commissioner, and to cooperate with Special Procedures mandate holders and to respond formally to their outstanding requests, including by extending invitations and providing access. The Council also calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to conduct an independent and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as applicable; and requests the High Commissioner to present an oral update to the Council at its twentyfourth session, and a comprehensive report followed by a discussion at the twenty-fifth session, on the implementation of the present resolution. Earlier, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva voted on the resolution to press the Sri Lankan government for a more thorough probe of accusations of mass murder of civilians by the Lankan army during the war against Tamil separatists in 2009. A previous version of the draft resolution had expressed concern over the "failure" of the Sri Lanka to fulfill its commitment on devolution of power.
rights law and international humanitarian law. It also reiterates its call upon Sri Lanka to "implement effectively the constructive recommendations" made in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), and to take all necessary additional steps to fulfill its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity and accountability, and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans. Zimbabwe approves new constitution
The draft resolution, currently under circulation, welcomes and acknowledges the progress made by the Lankan government in rebuilding infrastructure, demining, resettling the majority of internally displaced persons. At the same time it takes note of the considerable work that lie ahead in the areas of justice, reconciliation and resumption of livelihoods, and stresses the importance of the full participation of local populations, including representatives of civil society and minorities, in these efforts. The draft resolution now encourages (not urges as in the previous version) the Sri Lankan government to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner, and also "calls upon" it to "conduct an independent and credible investigation" into allegations of violations of international human
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Zimbabwe's new constitution was approved by an overwhelming majority in referendum. It was supported by the countries' two main political parties who have been in a power-sharing government since 2009. Zimbabwe constitution: Key changes a) Presidents limited to two five-year terms b) Legislation can no longer be vetoed by the president c) Devolves power to 10 provinces d) Establishes peace and reconciliation commission e) Creates independent prosecuting authority, anticorruption commission, and guarantees independent electoral commission f) Includes bill of rights which stipulates freedom of expression and a free media g) Allows dual citizenship h) Seizure of farms under the land reform programme can no longer be legally contested; president appoints land commission to carry out national audit U.S. agrees to leave key Afghan province
US military leaders reached a deal with Afghan officials that call for a gradual transition of security responsibilities in a volatile eastern province from American Special Forces to Afghan troops. The arrangement aims to defuse a dispute triggered by accusations from President Hamid Karzai that U.S. troops were responsible for abductions and human rights abuses in Wardak province. Tense relations between Kabul and Washington became further strained by Karzai's recent claims that American special forces and U.S.-trained Afghan local police had kidnapped nine villagers from Nerkh district in Wardak, located just west of Kabul, the capital, and had mutilated the body of another villager from a different provincial district after killing him. U.S. military leaders vehemently denied the allegations, and in recent interviews local law enforcement and provincial officials in Wardak said there was no basis for Karzai's claims.
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The agreement represents a victory for Karzai, who increasingly has been trying to appear more assertive in his dealings with Washington. Analysts believe he may be trying to appease insurgents and coax them into peace talks ahead of the 2014 drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. In recent weeks, Karzai also issued orders to limit U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, and has even accused the U.S. of collaborating with the Afghan Taliban in order to destabilize the country and create a pretense for maintaining a presence in Afghanistan. China shoots into top arms exporters club
delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia to India and the commissioning of China's first aircraft carrier, Liaoning. Other regional players are seeking to establish or strengthen submarine fleets, including several South East Asian countries and Australia, which is also acquiring large surface warships and combat aircraft. These developments come at a time of heightening tensions over territorial disputes in the East and South China seas. Other notable developments a) Russia accounted for 71 per cent of exports of major weapons to Syria in 2008-12 and continued to deliver arms and ammunition in 2012. b) The Arab states of the Gulf accounted for 7 per cent of world arms imports in 2008-2012. Missile defence systems were an important element in their latest arms acquisitions, with orders placed in 2011-12 for Patriot PAC-3 and THAAD systems from the USA. c) Deliveries of weapons system to Venezuela as part of its ongoing rearmament programme continued in 2012. Russia accounted for 66 per cent of transfers to Venezuela, followed by Spain (12 per cent) and China (12 per cent). d) Imports by North African states increased by 350 per cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12, which was almost entirely responsible for a doubling (by 104 per cent) in imports by Africa as a whole. e) Sub-Saharan imports increased by just 5 per cent. Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa imported only small numbers of major weapons, but many of these have been used in internal conflicts or in interventions in conflicts in neighbouring states, most recently in Mali. f) Greece's arms imports fell by 61 per cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12, pushing it from the number 4 importer to number 15. In 2006-10 Greece was the top recipient of German arms exports and the third largest recipient of French arms exports. Nepal constituted truth commission to investigate human rights abuses President Ram Baran Yadav has enacted an ordinance on transitional justice. The "Investigation of Disappeared Person, Truth and Reconciliation Ordinance - 2013" will form a truth commission to investigate thousands of human rights abuses committed during the decade-long Maoist "People's War" that ended in 2006.The truth commission was a part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the war as well as the interim constitution.
The five largest suppliers of major conventional weapons during the five-year period 2008-12 were the United States (30 per cent of global arms exports), Russia (26 per cent), Germany (7 per cent), France (6 per cent) and China (5 per cent). This is the first time that the UK has not been in the top five since at least 1950, the earliest year covered by SIPRI data. China's displacement of the UK is the first change in the composition of the top five exporters in 20 years. The volume of Chinese exports of major conventional weapons rose by 162 per cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-2012, and its share of the volume of international arms exports increased from 2 to 5 per cent. China's rise has been driven primarily by large-scale arms acquisitions by Pakistan. Asian imports strengthen naval capabilities In the period 2008-12 Asia and Oceania accounted for almost half (47 per cent) of global imports of major conventional weapons. The top five importers of major conventional weapons worldwide-India (12 per cent of global imports), China (6 per cent), Pakistan (5 per cent), South Korea (5 per cent), and Singapore (4 per cent)-were all in Asia. Several countries in Asia and Oceania have in recent years ordered or announced plans to acquire long-range strike and support systems that would make them capable of projecting power far beyond their national borders. Last year notably saw the
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China has become the fifth largest exporter of major conventional arms worldwide, according to new data on international arms transfers published today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). This is the first time China has been in the top five arms exporters since the end of the cold war. Overall, the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons grew by 17 per cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12.
But the bill has been criticised by some rights activists for its weaknesses in dealing with grave violations of human rights, which includes murder, abduction, disappearances, rape and torture, among others. The Maoist-led government that made way for the formation of an election government under the Chief Justice had insisted that the bill be passed as a part of the package deal between the Nepali Congress, United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and the United Democratic Madhesi Front. Nine thousand cases of the abuses of human rights and humanitarian law, committed mostly by the then Royal Nepal Army and the Maoist rebels, have been documented in the Nepal Conflict Report published by the U.N.'s Office for High Commissioner for Human Rights in October last year. Though statistics vary, according to the U.N. estimates, 13,000 people died and 1,300 disappeared during the war. In cases of gravest crimes, the bill allows the truth commission to recommend the attorney general to prosecute the offenders. That provision, too, has led to fears that this commission will share the fate of previous commissions - notably the Mallik Commission formed after the 1990 movement, and the Rayamajhi Commission formed after the 2006 movement. The governments that followed ignored the commissions' recommendations, often promoting those responsible for suppressing the movements. Israel, Turkey agree to restore full diplomatic ties
Reason for clash Israel and Turkey were once close allies. Relations began to decline after Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey's Islamist movement, became prime minister in 2003. Erdogan has embarked on a campaign to make Turkey a regional powerhouse in an attempt to become the leading voice in the Muslim world and distanced from Israel. Tensions raged after Erdogan attacked Israel for the high Palestinian death toll in an Israeli campaign aimed at stopping daily rocket fire from Gaza on Israel in the winter of 2008, at one point storming off a stage he shared with the Israeli president at the high-profile World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Animosity peaked on May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos stormed a ship named Mavi Marmara while stopping an international flotilla trying to breach an Israeli blockade of Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, an Islamic militant group that has been branded a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union. Gaza militants have fired thousands of rockets and mortar rounds at Israeli border communities and towns during the past decade. Eight Turks and a Turkish-American were killed, and dozens of activists were wounded. On the Israeli side, a total of seven soldiers were wounded. Following the flotilla incident, NATOmember Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel and greatly scaled back military and economic ties. High-risk tourists will have to pay bonds before entering UK
Israel and Turkey agreed to restore full diplomatic relations after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized in a phone call for a deadly naval raid against a Gaza-bound international flotilla in a dramatic turnaround partly brokered by President Barack Obama. The statement stressed that the bloodshed was not intentional and suggested that relatives of those killed would get compensation. In light of an Israeli investigation into the shootings that pointed to a number of operational missteps, Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people for "any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury and agreed to conclude an agreement on compensation (and) non-liability. They agreed to restore normalization between Israel and Turkey, including the dispatch of ambassadors and the cancellation of legal steps against Israeli soldiers.
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Migrants from "high-risk countries" will soon have to sign a cash bond of thousands of pounds to enter Britain as a guarantee that they will leave the UK when their visa expires. The cash guarantee could cost anywhere from 1,000 to several thousand pounds for visitors from the countries deemed to pose the highest risk. The cash would be refunded when they leave. Although a list of such nations has not yet been drawn up by the UK Border Agency, it is expected to include countries in the Indian sub-continent and Middle East. Deputy Prime Minister has also proposed to double the maximum fine for unscrupulous employers who hire illegal immigrants as cheap labour to 20,000 per illegal worker. The move could run into controversy if the list does not include "white Commonwealth" nations.
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OECD predicted China's growth
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Survey has forecast continued high growth for the Chinese economy in the coming decade in an upbeat assessment that estimates 8.9 per cent growth in 2014 and China surpassing the U.S. economy in three years' time. Forecasting 8.5 per cent growth in 2013, higher than the government's 7.5 per cent target, the survey also expected China to surpass the United States as the world's biggest economy by 2016. The survey has given high marks to China for their efforts to address two pressing priorities: a wide income gap between urban and rural areas, and rebalancing the economy by boosting domestic consumption as a driver of growth. The survey said inequality had "trended down perhaps reflecting faster growth in wages and larger reimbursements for health care at the lower end of the spectrum," with an estimated 800 million people now receiving some form of health insurance. The gap between rural and urban incomes has also declined as migrants transfer income to the countryside. The survey was, however, based on official figures, noted Richard Herd, OECD China Desk, and did not make an attempt to try and account for vast amounts of "grey income" floating around the Chinese economy.
The OECD survey, however, also highlighted the need for reforms for China to achieve more inclusive urbanisation and continue growing in a sustainable manner. On the former issue, it called for the government to relax "household registration" or "hukou" restrictions that denied migrant workers access to social welfare when they leave their hometowns for cities. Acknowledging that removing the decades-old restrictions would be unrealistic - the Chinese government says it would be unable to bear the additional financial burden from the increase in migration that would be unleashed - the survey instead proposed easing limits on the use of agricultural land to allow farmers to sell land more easily and disconnecting the provision of local public services to local registration. Doing so, it argued, would further help boost consumption. It noted that China's social welfare spending had already risen considerably, up to 8 per cent of GDP - on a par with Mexico but still below the around 20 per cent OECD average. On "greening growth", the OECD suggested raising excise duties on gasoline, and fully deregulating prices would encourage energy conservation, a move towards national carbon pricing through a carbon tax.
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ECONOMY
RBI cuts policy rate by 25 basis points The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its midquarter monetary policy review cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5% for the second time since the start of the year in a bid to help revive flagging growth in Asia's third largest economy, but warned that its scope for further policy easing is limited. Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.5 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 8.5 per cent with immediate effect. The Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) was kept unchanged. CRR refers to the portion of deposits banks have to mandatorily park with the RBI and the main tool through which the central bank manages liquidity. per cent in February 2013 on sustained price pressures from food items, especially cereals and proteins. Consequently, the divergence between wholesale and consumer price inflation continued to widen during the year. c) With merchandise exports recording positive growth for the second successive month in February and non-oil imports contracting, the trade deficit narrowed significantly. For AprilFebruary 2012-13, however, the trade deficit was higher than its level a year ago with adverse implications for the current account deficit (CAD), already at a record high. Although capital inflows, mainly in the form of portfolio investment and debt flows, provided adequate financing, the growing vulnerability of the external sector to abrupt shifts in sentiment remains a key concern. The
The foremost challenge for returning the economy to a high growth trajectory is to revive investment. Thus cuts in policy rate may induce money supply in the market but it's not sufficient to revive growth. Sufficiency conditions, according to the central bank, include bridging supply constraints, staying the course on fiscal consolidation, both in terms of quantity and quality, and improving governance. India's economic situation a) India's GDP growth in the third quarter of the current financial year, at 4.5 per cent, was the weakest it has been in the last 15 quarters. The services sector growth has also decelerated to its slowest pace in a decade.
b) The year-on-year headline WPI inflation edged up to 6.8 per cent in February 2013 from 6.6 per cent in January, essentially reflecting the upward revisions effected to administered prices of petroleum products. On the other hand, nonfood manufactured products inflation, and its momentum, continued to ebb along the trajectory that began in September 2012, enabled by softening prices of metals, textiles and rubber products. Worryingly, retail inflation continued on the upward path that set in from October 2012, with the new combined (rural and urban) CPI (Base: 2010=100) inflation at a high of 10.9
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d) Central Statistics Office (CSO) has projected GDP growth for 2012-13 of 5.0 per cent, lower than the Reserve Bank's baseline projection of 5.5 per cent set out in the TQR, reflecting slower than expected growth in both industry and services. Key to reinvigorating growth is accelerating investment. Panel set up to study PPP model to raise coal output
The Central Government has constituted a panel to formulate a policy on public-private partnership framework with state-owned Coal India Ltd. as one of the partners to increase coal output. The nine-member committee chaired by Coal Secretary S. K. Srivastava has representatives from ministries, including Finance and Law and Justice. The panel, to be serviced by Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd (CMPDI), will devise a PPP policy framework .in order to increase production of coal. The committee shall give a report within a month. CIL missed its production target last fiscal and produced only 435.84 million tonnes against the revised target of 447 million tonnes.
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Government Panel favours Unified Financial Agency
A government-appointed panel suggested a super regulator, merging oversight functions of market, commodity, insurance and pension regulators, while leaving the banking business regulation under the Reserve Bank of India. The Unified Financial Agency (UFA), as suggested by the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC), would subsume the functions of key agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority and the Forward Markets Commission. Banking operations, monetary policy and payment system would continue to be regulated by the RBI. The FSLRC, headed by Justice B. N. Srikrishn also suggested doing away with the multiple agency architecture for scanning foreign capital inflows.
Under the rationalisation programme, the limit for FII investment in government securities and corporate bonds, which were enhanced by $5 billion each to take the total limit prescribed for FII investment in government securities to $25 billion and in corporate bonds to $51 billion, would be categorised into two baskets. One basket will consist of government securities of $25 billion which, in effect, will be a merger of old securities and longterm securities. The second basket will comprise all corporate bonds up to a limit of $51 billion and will mean a merger of the $1 billion sub-limit for qualified foreign investors (QFIs), the $25 billion sub-limit for FIIs and the $25 billion sub-limit for FII in long-term infrastructure bonds. With the changes in force from the new fiscal beginning April 1, market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) will be auctioning all bonds - government securities (G-Sec) and corporate bonds - in the same manner in which infrastructure bonds are sold. Increase in FII inflows together with foreign direct investment and external commercial borrowings are considered import for financing CAD, which reached 5.4 per cent of the GDP in July-September quarter, a historical high. Chidambaram said in order to allow large investors plan their investments, the government will review the foreign investment limit in corporate bonds when 80 per cent of the current limit is taken up. It will also enhance the limit on government bonds, as and when needed, based on utilisation levels, demand from foreign investors, macroeconomic requirements and a prudent offshore-onshore balance. In January this year, the Reserve Bank had hiked FII investment limits in government securities and corporate bonds by $5 billion each, taking the total cap in domestic debt to $76 billion.
At present, the FDI policy is framed by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), while FDI proposals are cleared by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) after getting due clearances from various agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the RBI.
The report also suggested setting up of a debt management office (DMO) for raising resources for government expenses. At present, the government raises funds by issuing bonds through the RBI. FII investment norms in bonds, securities rationalised
In order to attract more foreign institutional investment flows into long-term debt instruments, Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced rationalisation of norms for FII inflows, considered important for reducing India's historically high current account deficit.
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INDIA AND THE WORLD

India provides new immigration system to Maldives government India has handed over an Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) to Maldives that would allow authorities in providing safe and efficient immigration service to travellers to the country. This will in turn help in generating more revenues as main source of foreign revenue is tourism in Maldives. The new system has been installed at the Male's Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, marking a "giant step" forward in the capability of the country's immigration to provide better service to the travellers. The APIS will feed advance information on the passengers travelling to and from Maldives, to the Border Control System in the country, for use by the various enforcement agencies in the country like the immigration, customs and police. economic, military, cultural and tourism and "agreed to promote ties until they reach the level of strategic partnership". During the meet Egypt requested India to join its ambitious Suez Canal corridor project. The 190km corridor project aims to turn the Suez Canal banks into a global economic zone and earn billions of dollars in revenue for Egypt. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has offered to invest 1 billion in the project. The corridor project once ready would make Egypt a hub for India's exports to the West and boost Indian exports to $200 billion. India offered to share its experience in IT, renewable energy, services, electronics, small and medium enterprises, manufacturing and fertilizers. Both sides inked agreements, including five MoUs in cyber security and information technology. The documents signed during the meet were: a) MoU on Cooperation for Cooperation in Information and Communication Technology: The MoU identifies a number of core areas which would be the focus of cooperation. These include egovernance and e-education, IT and electronics hardware, sharing of experiences in the creation of Technology Parks and IT clusters, and strengthening the cooperation between ICT companies in the private sector etc. b) MoU on Cooperation in the area of Cyber Security: MoU facilitates sharing of expertise by exchanging information on all aspects of cyber security and supporting each other in taking appropriate measures in order to prevent cyber security incidents. c) MoU for the establishment of a Centre for Excellence in IT (CEIT) in Egypt:
Maldives, with a population of about 350,000, is a world famous luxury tourist destination and receives close to one million foreign tourists every year. The APIS was formally handed over by High Commissioner of India to Maldives Dnyaneshwar M Mulay to Maldives' Controller of Immigration & Emigration Mohamed Ali.
APIS in India Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) in PhaseI has been introduced at 6 International Airports namely Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Cochin w.e.f. 01.4.2008. Under APIS all airline operators flying into India are required to provide passengers particulars electronically in the prescribed format, within 15 minutes of their take off from the port outside India, in flat file to the concerned Immigration authorities in India. In phase - II, APIS is proposed to be implemented at all the 26 international airports in the country in a centralized mode.
India, Egypt bilateral meet
In a bid to deepen ties and strengthen economic bonds, India and Egypt has signed seven key pacts after PM Manmohan Singh and Egyptian Prez Mohamed Morsi held bilateral talks in New Delhi. Both the leaders had agreed to reinforce bilateral relations in various areas, including political,
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The MoU for the establishment of a Centre for Excellence in IT (CEIT) in Al Azhar University marks an important step in actualizing the goals of technical and development cooperation between the two countries. Under the MoU, India will provide the human resources, as well as the hardware and software to set up a centre for the training of upto 500 students per year. Egypt will facilitate the
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establishment of the centre including the provision of space and logistical support. d) MoU on Cooperation in the field of Micro and Small Enterprises: The MoU facilitates sharing of information, meetings between enterprises, technology transfers and to provide consultation services to enhance the abilities of business enterprises of India and Egypt. e) MoU for cooperation in the fields of Protection, Preservation, Promotion and Management of Cultural Heritage: MoU facilitates joint activities, sharing of information and exchange of expertise through conferences, workshops, joint projects etc. and cooperation in the field of protection of intellectual property rights and prevention of illicit traffic of antiquities. f) Letter of Intent on India-Egypt Solar Energy Cooperation:
of 12 nautical miles, which meant that the State of Kerala did not have jurisdiction to try the case but the Centre did have jurisdiction. Saudi restricts Haj for private pilgrims to once in five years
Saudi Arabia has restricted the Haj undertaken by pilgrims through private tour operators to only once in five years. On January 18, 2013, the Ministry of External Affairs directed the Haj Committee of India (HCOI) to restrict the number of pilgrimage for an applicant going through it to "once in a life time" as against the earlier norm of "once in five years." This will ensure that a Haj pilgrim will benefit from Government of India subsidy only once in his/her lifetime. It will also ensure that priority is given to those who have never performed Haj. This is a major change introduced by the Government of India. Accordingly, only pilgrims who have never performed Haj earlier through the Haj Committee of India will be allowed to apply for Haj 2013. Now, a circular issued by Saudi Arabia, also posted on the HCOI website, adopts a similar policy, introducing a five-year restriction for private pilgrims worldwide. Those exempted from this rule are only employees of private tour operators "accompanying the group to provide service to Hajis" and "those who desire to perform Haj as Mahrim to one of his first-degree relatives who has not performed Haj during the last five years." This five-year restriction may affect the business of tour companies who cater for nearly 45,000 private pilgrims of the total 1.7 lakh Haj seats allotted to India by the Saudi government. The circular instructs select private tour operators to get an undertaking by pilgrims to abide by this "new stipulation" and not conclude contracts for Haj with those who performed the pilgrimage during the last five years. Call to recognise sanitation as a legal right
The LoI envisages providing 8.8 kilowatt of power using solar energy to 40 households in a village in Siwa located in Martrouh Governorate of Egypt. A letter of Intent concerning launch services of the Egyptian Nano Satellite EGYCUBESAT-1 on board the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), was signed between Antrix Corporation, the commercial wing of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and the Egyptian National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS). The two leaders also exchanged views on a range of regional and international issues. Italian Marines back in India to face trial
Italy has returned two marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen after assurances from New Delhi that they would not face the death penalty, resolving a diplomatic row over the issue. Italian marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone arrived in India's capital following another assurance that they would not be arrested when they got here.
Italy's previous decision not to send marines Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone - to face trial triggered a diplomatic stand-off, with the Indian Supreme Court barring the Italian Ambassador from leaving the country. Italy has insisted the shooting happened in international waters during an antipiracy mission and that it should have jurisdiction. However in January 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that Indian laws will apply to the marines. Later, interpreting the laws and upholding the validity of UNCLOS, the Court stated that the shooting happened outside Indian territorial waters
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Members of Parliament, civil society organisations and campaigners from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka marched towards the SAARC secretariat in Kathmandu demanding 'Right to Sanitation for All.' Calling upon the SAARC countries to 'Speak in One Voice' at the 18th SAARC summit to be held in Nepal this year, the entourage submitted a 'Citizens Charter' stressing on recognising sanitation as a legal right.
The Charter urges the governments of South Asia to spend at least one per cent of the GDP to achieve universal sanitation and an adequate proportion of this on operation and maintenance of existing infrastructure. To enable monitoring of this spend, the Charter urges to include a separate budget line for sanitation within national budgets. The charter also urges for eliminating all forms of manual scavenging and ensures dignity and equality for the sanitation workforce. A year-long 'Keep Your Promises' Campaign, was also launched to accelerate progress on sanitation and hygiene and improve equity and sustainability. Around 69 per cent of the people in Nepal, 66 per cent in India, 63 per cent in Afghanistan, 56 per cent in Bhutan, 52 per cent in Pakistan and 44 per cent in Bangladesh are denied access to improved sanitation, according to UNICEF/ WHO report 2012. India was represented by Danasari Anasuya, MLA from Andhra Pradesh, and Kusam Rajamouli, community leader from Gangadevipalli in Warangal, a village that has won several awards for good governance
Mr. Xi proposed five steps: a) To maintain strategic communication and keep bilateral relations on the right track. b) We should harness each other's comparative strength and expand win-win cooperation in infrastructure, mutual investment and other areas. c) We should strengthen cultural ties and constantly increase mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples.
China revealed five-point peace plan related to India
China's new President Xi Jinping proposed peace plan to improve ties with India. He has indicated that he will look to follow his predecessor's policies in engaging himself with India and seek continuity in ties.
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d) We should expand coordination and collaboration in multilateral affairs to jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of [the] developing countries and tackle global challenges. e) We should accommodate each other's core concerns and properly handle problems and differences. The new leadership will largely continue with the previous administration's approach to India, which emphasised boosting economic ties and cooperation in multilateral issues, while appearing less willing to deal with more difficult issues such as the border dispute, trans-boundary rivers and China's ongoing projects in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Mr. Xi is expected to have his first meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Microbes Found Thriving In Earth's Deepest Spot An international research team has found that the deepest place in the ocean and one of the most inaccessible places on Earth, the bottom of the Mariana Trench (a maximum depth of 36,000 feet) has been swarming with microbial life. This is despite the environment being under extreme pressure - almost 1,100 times higher than at sea level. It was once thought to be too hostile an environment for life to exist. The anti-ship version of the potent missile blasted off from the pontoon and hit an altitude of 14 km before cruising along a trajectory at Mach 3 to decimate the designated target as low as 12 metres over the sea. The flight lasted about 400 seconds. All telemetry and tracking stations and naval vessels positioned along the flight path confirmed the accuracy of the mission. The BrahMos missile can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg. It has a top speed of Mach 2.8, about three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This makes BrahMos one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world. It can be launched from submarines, ships and aircraft. Sea and ground launched versions of the missile have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and Navy. New economical way to detect ammonia found
According to the team headed by the University of Southern Denmark, a specially designed underwater robot, about four metres tall and weighing 600 kg, has found that the trench sediments house almost 10 times more bacteria than the sediments of the surrounding abyssal plain at a much shallower water depth. Among other things, the robot is equipped with ultrathin sensors that are gently inserted into the seabed to measure the distribution of oxygen at a high spatial resolution. Deep-sea trenches act as hot spots for microbial activity because they receive an unusually high flux of organic matter, made up of dead animals, algae and other microbes. It is likely that some of this material becomes dislodged from the shallower depths during earthquakes, which are common in the area. So, even though deep-sea trenches like the Mariana Trench only amount to about 2% of the world ocean area, they have a relatively larger impact on marine carbon balance, and thus on the global carbon cycle. The team that included scientists from Germany, Japan, Denmark and Scotland has published its findings in the international journal "Nature Geoscience". Submarine variant of BrahMos test-fired
The maiden flight of the submarine variant of the Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, was successful when it was test-fired from a pontoon off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal. It marked a global first in the vertical launch of a supersonic cruise missile from an underwater platform.
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Scientists at the Smart Materials Section at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) have developed a simple technique to detect the presence of ammonia using optical sensors using ferrimagnetic nanofluids as sensors that reflect bluer light when exposed to more of the colourless gas. Ammonia is an important component of explosives, fertilisers, and industrial coolants. Thus, detectors of ammonia form the basis of devices used to check for pollution in the vicinity of urban settlements, such as in rivers, lakes, buildings, etc. Existing detectors include infrared gas analysers, ion-selective electrodes, detectors based on semiconductor films, or sensors that depend on ammonia's reaction with an acidity-sensitive dye. However, these are difficult to fabricate and use, and are prohibitively expensive. The sensor produces visually perceptible colour changes, in the presence of ammonia, due to the changes in the lattice periodicity of 1-dimensional array of droplets. The sensor comprises an oil-inwater emulsion containing a suspension of ferrimagnetic iron oxide particles each measuring 10 nanometres wide. A thin coating of a surfactant, such as sodium dodecyl sulphate, is added around the particles to keep them from agglomerating. The surfactant is anionic: it has a net negative charge.
When a magnetic field of 90 gauss is applied to the solution the ferrimagnetic nano-particles lines up like a chain along the magnetic field lines, no longer moving randomly. The setup is then illuminated by a fibre-optic light source. When there is ammonia in the surrounding environment, it disperses into the emulsion and becomes an ammonium cation, an ion with a net positive charge. Because the surfactant is anionic, the ammonium cation penetrates into its layer around the droplets. Consequently, the droplets are pulled closer. In this condition, the wavelength of light reflected from the solution is shifted toward the blue end of the visible spectrum. This phenomenon is called a Bragg shift, and can be picked up by a digital camera.
As more ammonia disperses into the solution, the blue-shift gets stronger because the droplets are brought closer under the magnetic field's guidance.
These sensors can detect concentrations ranging from 0 to 525 parts per million. As the emulsion can be produced using commonly available chemicals, and the setup allows for rapid detection, the sensors are a reliable way to continuously monitor ammonia levels. At present, the sensor apparatus can operate only in room temperature and detect ions in aqueous solutions. The team's work, hence, will focus on taking a gel- or film-based approach to overcome these problems. New drug to treat malaria found
Nearly 200 million people in the world suffer from malaria every year, and the mortality is as high as 1.2 million. To make matters worse, resistance to currently available drugs is emerging. Thus scientists tested two candidate drugs - ELQ300 and P4Q-391 -against both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax species . Isolates of P. falciparum and P. vivax taken from patients infected with malaria in southern Papua, Indonesia were tested using both the drug candidates. ELQ300 was found to be superior against both drugresistant species.
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A candidate drug (ELQ-300) was found capable of treating and preventing malaria infection, and even blocking transmission during a trial on mice. While the currently available drugs target the parasite at the blood stage of infection, the candidate drug was able to target both the liver and blood stages. Going beyond destroying the parasite in the body, the drug (quinolone-3-diaryether) was found to be effective in preventing infection by attacking the parasite forms that are crucial to disease transmission (gametocytes, and the vector stages zygote, ookinete and oocyst). More importantly, the parasites did not develop resistance to ELQ-300 even at the end of eight weeks. Both the drugs were found to cause low side effects (as they targeted specific targets). Stem cell therapy is new hope for liver transplant patients
A large number of patients requiring liver transplantation cannot afford it for two reasons cost and donor availability. A living donor is needed in such plantation cases with a matching blood group and he or she also has to be a family member or a first or second degree relative. They have to donate the liver. Since Rs.20 lakh is the average cost of liver transplantation, a majority of liver cirrhosis patients can not afford it. Many times they also do not have a donor. In view of the logistical problems faced by such patients, Stem cell therapy has been found useful in over 60 per cent of the patients due for liver transplant. The treatment is less cumbersome and risky and its cost is also comparatively very reasonable. It costs even less than Rs.50,000. Some of these cells can be mobilised from the bone marrow as it has the capacity to regenerate the cells. So the bone marrow is stipulated by an injection. This injection is given for five days and it mobilises the bone marrow and some of the cells. They then come into the blood circulation. About 5 ml to 10 ml of the blood containing these concentrated groups of cells was then injected into the hepatic artery, which supplies blood to the liver. This helps in regeneration of liver.
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2 - MARKERS
60th National Film Awards Announced The prestigious 60th National Film Awards for the year 2012 were announced by the Chairpersons of the three juries, Shri Basu Chatterjee for Feature Films, Ms. Aruna Raje for Non-Feature Films and Shri Swapan Mullick for Best Writing on Cinema. In the Feature Film category, a total of 38 films from 14 languages have been selected for the 60th National Awards. The lists of awardees are: a) The award for the best feature film has been conferred to Paan Singh Tomar (Hindi) directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. k) The award for the Best Male playback singer has been conferred on Shri Shankar Mahadevan for the song Bolo Na from the film Chittagong. The award for the Best Female Playback singer has been conferred on Ms Aarti AnkalikarTikekar for the song Palakein Naa Moon Don from the film Samhita (Marathi). l) A special jury award has been conferred on Shri Rituparno Ghosh and Shri Nawazuddin Siddiqui for the films Chitrangadha (Bengali), Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, Dekh Indian circus and Talaash (Hindi).
b) In non-feature film category, the award for the Best Film has been conferred to Shepherds of Paradise (Gojri & Urdu) produced and directed by Raja Shabir Khan. c) Chittagong (Hindi) and 101 Chodiyangal (Malayalam) have shared the Indira Gandhi award for the Best Debut Film of a Director.
d) The award for the Best Popular Film for providing wholesome entertainment has been shared by Vicky Donor (Hindi) and Ustad Hotel (Malayalam). e) The award for the Best Director has been conferred on Shri Shivaji Lotan Patil for the film Dhag (Marathi). f) The award for the Best Actor has been shared by Shri Irrfaan playing the title role in Paan Singh Tomar and Shri Vikram Gokhale for the film Anumati (Marathi). g) The award for the Best Actress has been conferred on Ms Usha Jadhav for her performance in Dhag (Marathi). h) The award for the best Supporting Actor has been conferred on Shri Anu Kapur for the film Vicky Donor. i) The award for the best supporting Actress has been shared by Ms Dolly Ahluwalia for the film Vicky Donor and Ms Kalpana for the film ThanichallaNjan (Malyalam). The Best Child Artist award has been shared by Master Virendra Pratap for Dekh Indian Circus (Hindi) and Master Minon for 101 Chodiyangal (Malayalam).
j)
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Zillur Rahman
m) The award for the best choreography has been conferred on Pt. Birju Maharaj for the film Vishwaroopam (Tamil).
In the Non-Feature Film category, Shri Vikrant Pawar has got the Best Director award for the film Kaatal (Marathi). The Award for the Best Debut Film of a Director has been conferred to Shri Lipika Singh Darai for the film Eka Gachha Eka Manisa Eka Samudra (Odia). Shumona Goel and Shai Heredia for the film I Am Micro (English) and Vasudah Joshi for Cancer Katha (English) have been selected for Special Jury Award. Timbaktu (English) has been awarded as the Best film in the Environmental category and Dreaming Taj Mahal ( Hindi & Urdu) has been conferred the award for the Best Promotional film.
Bangladesh's figurehead president, Zillur Rahman died at a hospital in Singapore. He was the 19th President of Bangladesh from 2009 to 2013. He was also a senior presidium member of the Awami League. In 2009, Rahman was elected to the presidency by parliament in an uncontested vote; the Awami League had won the vast majority of seats in the 2008 parliamentary election. He is the third president of Bangladesh, after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman, to die in office. Saraswati Samman
Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari has been selected for the Saraswati Samman 2012 for her poetry collection Manalezhuthu (Writing on the Sand). She began as a poet of subjective sentiments
and personal quests but progressively widened her thematic range, assimilating into her poetry, contemporary social concerns such as ecological crisis, oppression of women and failures of ideals that inspired the very idea of the Indian nation. The award-winning collection is a book of 27 poems published in 2006 and represents the "best of contemporary Malayalam poetry. Sugathakumari, a known environmentalist, was also the Chairperson of Kerala's State Women's Commission. The award, instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation, carries a cash component of Rs. 10 lakh, a citation and a plaque. The award is given annually to an outstanding literary work written in any Indian language during the last 10 years.
Pritzker Architecture Prize
Japanese architect Toyo Ito, whose buildings has been praised for their fluid beauty and balance between the physical and virtual worlds, has won the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The architect joins such masters as Frank Gehry, I.M. Pei, Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano and Wang Su in receiving the honor that's been called architecture's Nobel Prize. Ito, the sixth Japanese architect to receive the prize, was recognized for the libraries, houses, theaters, offices and other buildings he has designed in Japan and beyond. Physics Journalism Prize
Fatehpur Sikri monuments bag Tourism Award
The Fatehpur Sikri group of monuments in Agra has bagged the prestigious National Tourism Award 2011-12 for "the best maintained and disabledfriendly monument". Chameli Devi award for TV journalist
Alka Dhupkar, a journalist with Marathilanguage TV news channel IBN-Lokmat, has won the prestigious Chameli Devi Jain Award for an outstanding woman media person.
Recent winners of the award include Tusha Mittal, Shahina K.K. and Shoma Chaudhary for their work in Tehelka magazine, Monalisa Changkija of Nagaland Page , Nirupama Subramanian of The Hindu , and Vinita Deshmukh of The Weekly Intelligent . Birla award for Jadavpur professor
Prof. Nibir Mandal of Jadavpur University has been selected for the G. D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for his work in the area of structural geology. Fifty-year-old Mandal has made important contributions in the area of structural geology and tectonics The award set up by the K. K. Birla Foundation for scientists below the age of 50, carries a cash prize of Rs.1.5 lakh.
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Abel Prize
Anil Ananthaswamy has won the inaugural Physics Journalism Prize - a prize designed to inspire the next generation of physicists by encouraging journalists to grapple with often complex topics and help spread excitement about the subject. He has won the prize for his article Hip Hip Array, which focuses on the Square Kilometre Array, an international project to design and build the largest radio telescope ever conceived. The prize is sponsored by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
Belgian mathematician Pierre Deligne, who is regarded as one of the most celebrated mathematicians of the 20th century, has been chosen for this year's prestigious Abel Prize in Mathematics. He has been awarded for his "seminal contributions to algebraic geometry and for their transformative impact on number theory, representation theory and related fields." The Abel Prize is considered equivalent to the Nobel Prize, which is not awarded in the field of mathematics. It carries a cash award of 6 million Norwegian krone (about 800,000 or $1 million). The prize, which was given for the first time in 2003, recognises contributions of extraordinary depth and influence in mathematical sciences.
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EDITORIALS
Innovate against child deaths Among countries with comparable development indicators, India has the potential to address many of its challenges with unique home-grown resources. The information technology sector, for example, has transformed the country's economy and is currently helping expand access to a wide range of quality services for some of the poorest in India. India's space and atomic energy programmes are outstanding examples of indigenous technical ingenuity. As economic growth continues to decelerate, it is critical that we do not forget the important role of indigenous scientific innovation, in particular, to improve livelihoods and promote well-being. To reiterate what Jawaharlal Nehru said: "It is science alone that can solve the problems of hunger and poverty, of insanitation and illiteracy." Child health is one area where investments in innovation can result in tremendous social and economic returns. India nearly halved child mortality rates between 1990 and 2010. Improved health-care services and access to simple health interventions, such as oral rehydration therapy (ORT) to address severe cases of diarrhoea, have contributed to this encouraging reduction of child deaths. Link with malnutrition replenished, diarrhoea can be life threatening. Children who suffer from malnutrition are more vulnerable to the causes of diarrhoea. In an unfortunate twist, diarrhoea also in turn perpetuates malnutrition and leaves children prone to infections. To address an issue such as diarrhoea, safe water and sanitation do matter, but require large-scale investment in infrastructure and in maintenance by the government. For individual and community level management of diarrhoea, you need to bring the lab to the field to understand what causes the disease. Some of the first studies here aimed to determine the cause of severe diarrhoea in India - the kind that causes life-threatening dehydration. Researchers found that a viral pathogen called rotavirus was the most common cause. Rotavirus is of particular concern because it is so ubiquitous, leaving nearly all children - rich and poor - at risk. However, outcomes vary greatly depending on the family's circumstances. For a child of high socioeconomic status with consistent access to care, the virus will likely cause only minor illness. For less fortunate children, it could be a death sentence if appropriate care is not provided or is provided late in illness. Use this package
However, in 2010, experts estimate that almost 17 lakh children less than five years of age died in India. This is still far too many. Pneumonia and diarrhoea, together, account for a significant proportion of these deaths. There are even more hospitalisations and outpatient visits from these two diseases. They each take a tremendous emotional and financial toll on Indian families and we need to take these threats seriously. It is unacceptable that children die of preventable and treatable illnesses. All families in India deserve equal access to health innovations that could help children and protect children. Diarrhoea is caused by several different organisms and is most often spread through contaminated food or water and person-to-person contact. Certain types of diarrhoea are more serious than others. Acute watery diarrhoea is associated with rapid dehydration that can last for hours or even days. If fluids and electrolytes are not
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To reduce the burden of diarrhoea in India, we must try to reach all children with a comprehensive package of proven interventions. This includes access to ORT, zinc supplementation, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life, and improvements in hygiene, sanitation and drinking water. However, because rotavirus is so contagious and resilient, these approaches alone will not adequately prevent diarrhoea. Vaccination against rotavirus offers significant hope for protecting children from this disease. We know already that countries that have introduced rotavirus vaccines have experienced major reductions in severe diarrhoea. Several academic and research institutions in India, including mine, have been involved in the development of indigenous rotavirus vaccines that could, if all goes well, reduce the number of illnesses and hospitalisation due to diarrhoea. If rotavirus vaccines were introduced at current immunisation levels, we could save tens of thousands of lives, and even more hospitalisation
Towards climate-smart agriculture
It is possible to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and yet ensure that farmers are better off. Farming produces food; and also greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The process of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases from farms could adversely affect food production and food security of countries. In South Asia, the trade-off could mean reduction in the incomes of already poor farmers and food security of countries. Agriculture's contribution in the total greenhouse gas emission basket is estimated at 12.5 per cent, but the sector supports more than half of the population in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The number of families that derive their livelihood from agriculture is also disproportionately high when compared to the sector's contribution to the national GDPs. In India, for instance, agriculture contributes 14 per cent to the GDP, while it supports about 55 per cent of the population.
Discussions on agriculture entered rather late into the international climate change negotiations related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). There is scope for both adaptation and mitigation in the agricultural sector. RANGE OF IMPACT The primary concern is on enabling farmers to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change (short-term adaptation). More than coping with the long-term (where the impacts of climate change are still uncertain) the focus is on dealing with current climate variability.
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Source: The Hindu
and outpatient visits. This could save India more than Rs.100 crore in annual medical costs. The savings to families would also be significant. Having contributed significant funding, the government has been a terrific supporter of developing new rotavirus vaccines in India. As with the rotavirus vaccine development efforts, we have the resources and the capacity in India to address our most pressing health needs, if we use a strategic approach that prioritises problems and then makes a concerted effort to address them. However, development of a product such as a vaccine is not sufficient. We must also work together to develop and implement policies that ensure that everyone has access to the fruits of our scientific endeavours.
If the farmers can be helped to deal with the fallout from current climate variability - drought, floods, pests and diseases - then their ability to deal with climate change over the long term would be better. Farmers also need to be helped to reduce greenhouse gases from their fields. For instance, growing rice in flooded paddy fields generates methane; farm animals with their multi-chambered guts also generate methane; when the soil is dry, nitrogenous fertilisers vapourise as nitrous oxide; and burning of agricultural residue produces carbon dioxide. The challenge is that mitigation has to be done without impacting farm incomes and food security. The international research programme 'Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)' is an important institution linking climate change and agriculture. Building on the collective strength of 15 international research centres in the CGIAR Consortium, CCAFS has been working in West Africa, East Africa and South Asia to help farmers cope with climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities. FARM RESEARCH AREAS Recently, CCAFS assembled stakeholders from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to envision the pathways of impact that the programme should take. The group worked backwards from the goal of achieving climate-resilient agriculture in 2020 to the research activities that need to be undertaken to reach there. It is not as if climate change has not been discussed at the national policy levels in these countries. Most of the South Asian countries have developed national climate change action plans and have also reported progress to the UNFCCC Secretariat. India, for instance, has the national action plan, initiated by the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change. Similarly, Sri Lanka has a national policy and a national adaptation strategy. The problem is of convergence of the national policies and actions for the farmers. With or without climate change, there are already many uncertainties with agriculture. Added to these are the uncertainties of climate science. And all these converge with the farmer dealing with poverty and trying to raise crops over a fragmented landholding. CLIMATE FORECASTING For the farmer, climate change is an additionality that sits on top of all the worries and risks that he has at present. He is not worried about whether the
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temperature will rise over the next two decades. What he is worried is whether he would get a profitable return from the resources that he has invested on the crop in the field. Since the farmer cannot visualise the long-term impacts of climate change, the onus on the experts is three fold. They have to model what direction climate change would take; assess what adverse impact that would have for the farmer; and then develop interventions to deal with them (scientific, policy-level and institutional). Even as climate-forecasting models are getting better, converting predictions for larger areas for smaller locations is still a work in progress. Crop varieties that are more suited for the developing climate can then be tailor-made. Similarly, different crops can be farmed and even the land use systems in which the crops can be modified to meet the changing environment. These changes will help farmers deal with current climate variability as it evolves into a longer-term change. Index-based insurance is being considered to deal with the impacts of extreme weather events due to climate change. Farming regions are benchmarked using yield and climate parameters, and when an extreme weather event happens, all farmers in the region are compensated using the index.
it will change. The challenge for research, policy and implementation is to remain one step ahead of the process so that farmers' livelihoods and national food security are not compromised. Source: Business Line Fundamental flaw
In all its versions, the food security bill places an unbearable fiscal burden, further distorts agriculture The design of policy in the revised version of the food security law proposed by the food ministry - cabinet approval for which was deferred on Monday - will make a bad idea worse. It is even less concerned about the imperatives of fiscal sustainability and the needs of the Indian population. Providing foodgrain for 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population at fixed subsidised prices will not only place a huge burden of expenditure on the government, as pointed out by the finance ministry, it will also distort Indian agriculture even further. The government will be required to procure more foodgrain at a huge cost, which would require pushing procurement prices even higher, creating storage facilities, and distributing the partly rotted foodgrain through a dysfunctional public distribution system. With GDP growth, household incomes will rise and demand will shift away, as has been happening in recent years, from cereals to non-cereals. The production of fruit, vegetable, pulses, fish, meat and eggs will continue to stagnate, however, as more resources will need to be allocated to push up the production of foodgrain. Instead of land, labour, capital, fertilisers and infrastructure being devoted towards meeting the needs of the population as determined by households that choose what they wish to eat, the country will be diverting resources to producing what the state decides the population must consume. On the food security legislation, therefore, while the concerns of the finance ministry can be partly addressed by solutions offered by the ministry, such as raising the price at which grain will be provided every year, the larger concern will not go away - the enduring distortion this law will introduce in agriculture. Even today, the government's pro-cereal policy has created supply shortages in non-cereal food production. This has resulted in rising food prices as the consumption baskets of people change. Essentially, the food security bill ignores an
How can the farmers know the larger picture when an extreme weather event is happening? There are already pilot projects on reaching relevant information to farmers through the now-ubiquitous cell phone. These pilots would need scaling up to reach more areas as the impact of climate change becomes more evident. CROP DIVERSIFICATION
Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture is more difficult, since it has to be done without adversely affecting production. Changing practices such as reduced tilling of the soil and alternate wetting and drying of paddy fields can help reduce emissions. Research is ongoing to develop livestock breeds that produce less methane and also developing fodder additives that can reduce methane generation.
Diversifying crops including tree species not only helps in capturing more carbon but also gives a safety net to the farmer when an extreme weather event strikes. It is unlikely that all crops will fail at the same time. Though it is certain that climate is changing and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, it is still uncertain how much and in what fashion
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elementary principle of economics - that the demand for cereals falls as a country becomes richer. With an economist as prime minister, surely it cannot be hard for the government to forecast the composition of food consumption in the country as it changes in the next 50 years, and to compare that with the implications for the composition of food production as a consequence of the food security act. Even a cursory exercise will be adequate to understand what a colossal mistake will be made if this law is enacted. Source: Indian Express Lessons in good governance from former 'Bimaru' states Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
End for Gangsters In Bihar, Nitish Kumar focused first on restoring public order and ending endemic gangsterism that had flourished under his predecessor . Through imaginative use of the Arms Act, he quickly tried and jailed over 50,000 gangsters. This hugely encouraged economic activity earlier held back by fear of gangsters. Kumar also built roads and bridges that were in terrible shape. No theory of Marx or the World Bank said that double-digit growth could be generated in a state with hardly any electricity, simply by improving law and order and building roads. Kumar has driven home the key importance of these. He has followed up by focusing on primary education and primary health. The state historically was at the very bottom of most social indicators . But in the decade 2001-11 , its literacy rate improved 16.8 percentage points and female literacy improved a whopping 20 points, perhaps the best anywhere in the world. Infant mortality in Bihar used to be among the highest in India, but by 2012, had fallen enough to equal the national average of 44 per 1,000. In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan initially struggled to accelerate economic growth, but hit double digits last year and again this year. Arguably, his biggest success has been in agriculture. The Food Corporation of India was reluctant to procure paddy and wheat in poor states without a history of food surpluses . Hence, prices there often slumped below the government's minimum price, discouraging farm investment and production. Chouhan decided to build the rural infrastructure required for a local wheat procurement effort. The result: he procured a spectacular 7.5 million tonnes of wheat in 2012, as much as Punjab used to in early Green Revolution years. It's another matter that he has failed to create storage facilities, so much grain will rot. He has shown that poor states must stop blaming the central government for neglect and, instead, invest massively themselves in the infrastructural support - rural roads, organised mandis and procurement agencies - needed for a major procurement effort. Growth Despite Maoists Chhattisgarh has learned from him, and is now procuring paddy in a big way. Ironically, rice from Odisha is finding its way into Chhattisgarh for procurement, a rebuke to Naveen Patnaik for neglecting this area. Even more impressive, chief minister Raman Singh has shown it is possible to generate doubledigit GDP growth in a state with the worst Maoist terrorism.
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In 2011-12, national GDP growth was 6.21%. But Bihar (13.26%), Madhya Pradesh (11.81%), Jharkhand (8.92%) and even Uttar Pradesh (6.86%) fared better than the national average. Odisha (4.92%) lagged behind , but this was a one-time departure from an average of 8% in the last decade. Provisional data for 2012-13 are no more than projections, but they once again show most backward states growing faster than the national average of 5%. Graft Out, Growth In
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has won three successive elections. In 2000, Odisha had the biggest fiscal deficit and debt:GDP ratio among all states. Today, it has become a revenue-surplus state and, amazingly , so have almost all the oncebackward states. Fast state-level growth has generated a revenue bonanza, over and above which fast national growth has hugely increased the states' share of central revenue (poor states benefit disproportionately from such transfers). Odisha always had minerals, but was held back by the licence-permit raj and high corruption. Politicians sought to get re-elected through patronage networks and wooing vote banks, not economic development.
Patnaik transformed this by weeding out corruption and focusing on development. He has sacked more than 20 ministers for corruption in the last decade, and quashed revolts from those sacked . Despite many big projects - Posco's steel plant and Vedanta's aluminium smelter - getting hamstrung by tribal agitations, Odisha has averaged 8% growth for a decade.
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Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, once derisively called Bimaru states, have suddenly started growing much faster than the national average. They have followed widely divergent paths to success, which need elucidation.
Light up path for rural progress
Off-grid renewable energy is the future, and village communities are increasingly charting the way forward and assuming lead over cities, which are consuming alarming proportions of fossil fuelderived energy About 75 million of India's 226 million households (400 million people) have no access to power. In rural areas the electrification rate is 47.5 per cent. This has an adverse cascading effect on human health, economic development and political stability. The efforts towards ensuring equitable growth and securing the marginalised are also compromised. The way out can be decentralised energy solutions that rely on the progressive renewable energy alternatives. Clean energy generation for rural areas is gaining ground with biomass-powered energy, community solar power plants, methane and wind-powered energy alternatives. The availability of locally generated renewable energy has the potential of fostering confidence in the local community and help achieve growth in sustainable livelihoods. Agro-based industries can derive energy services from biomass powered 100 KW gasifiers that have the capability of delivering affordable electricity for various agro-based activities. Currently the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India in collaboration with Development Alternatives is working on the socio-economic feasibility and sustainability of biomass-based renewable energy technologies.
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His Salwa Judum, an anti-Maoist militia , has been widely denounced for civil rights violations, but he has definitely curbed Maoism. He has sparked a huge expansion in steel, aluminium and power production , making this backward state an industrial giant. Over and above that, he has greatly improved public services: his public distribution system and public health system have been widely praised even by those that condemn Salwa Judum. In sum, these four once-backward states have taken four very different paths to fast growth and prosperity. The success of each state holds lessons for others, and there is much scope for mutual learning. All these states have strong chief ministers who have empowered bureaucrats to implement schemes boldly, to experiment with new ideas and push for better, more honest implementation . This model of a strong chief minister and strong bureaucracy has also worked well in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan need to go the same way. Source: Economic Times
The project in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, powers 87 households and treats people as primary stakeholders and therefore functions on build-own-operate-transfer basis. This is helping the community to understand the economics, operational and maintenance issues of the facility. Under the project and, with the aid of the Department of Science and Technology, a village load survey is conducted and appropriate technology is sourced and installed. This is followed by the appointment of a Village Energy Committee that operates and manages the biomass gasifier. The recorded socio-economic impact for the renewable energy project at Shivpuri has been interesting. Over 25 acres of land is being irrigated with the help of six irrigation pumps powered by the biomass gasifier. This has enhanced the agricultural productivity and enabled multiple cropping. However the biomass gasifier has its drawbacks. First, in terms of output, getting the producer gas is not difficult, but obtaining it in the proper state is the challenging task. The physical and chemical properties of producer gas such as energy content, gas composition and impurities vary from time to time. All the gasifiers have fairly strict requirements for fuel size, moisture and ash content. Inadequate fuel preparation is an important cause of technical problems with gasifiers. Second, technology-wise, be it up-draft fixed bed gasifiers or down-draft fixed bed gasifiers, drawbacks exist in form of high amounts of ash and dust particles that remain in the gas as it has to pass the oxidation zone, where it collects small ash particles.The research and development in biomassdriven energy will have to obliterate the above problems in order to gain a wider acceptance besides generating higher and efficient output from the gasifiers. Comparatively, renewable energy options such as community solar power plants are cleaner, efficient and easy to operate. The setting up of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, with the objective of positioning India as a global leader in solar energy through suitable policies and implementation, shows the Government's intent to encourage establishment of community solar power plants. In 2011 the Gujarat Government set a national example by inaugurating Asia's biggest solar power plant in Banaskantha district. The 30 MW plant set up at a cost of Rs 465 crore investment provides power to 50,000 rural families.
The community solar power plants can power up to a 100 households, depending upon the capacity of the power plant and have the capability to have three days of autonomy (days without sun). Solar panels have inherent benefits as they can withstand the hardy rural environment, require low maintenance and can last up to 30 years. However the main problems with solar panels are the high capital cost (as well as installation cost), the need of a battery, which has to be replaced every four to five years thus increasing operating costs, and the fact that they cannot be produced locally and that spares are expensive.
Worldwide rapid developments are pushing the envelope on newer and better ideas of implementing solar power projects. For instance, in Davis, California, United States, residents can purchase plots in the outskirts of their town that come fitted with solar panels and the owners of the plots can use the energy generated on the plot. This model is directly relevant to rural India and can be implemented by involving the local communities. Off-grid renewable energy is the future, and rural communities are increasingly charting the way forward and assuming lead over cities, which are consuming alarming proportions of fossil fuel-derived energy. Source: The Pioneer
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Weekly Current Affairs 18th March to 24th March, 2013

Voyeurism is not a separate offense under the current law. f)

UNHRC adopts US-sponsored resolution against Lanka

OECD predicted China's growth

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Government Panel favours Unified Financial Agency

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INDIA AND THE WORLD

India, Egypt bilateral meet

China revealed five-point peace plan related to India

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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Pritzker Architecture Prize

Fatehpur Sikri monuments bag Tourism Award

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Towards climate-smart agriculture

Light up path for rural progress

Weekly Current Affairs 18th March to 24th March, 2013

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