WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM 30th SEP TO 6th OCT, 2015
INTERNATIONAL NEWS ‘Terror’ tag excludes Iran from UN summit The U.S. did not invite Iran to UN summit on combating the Islamic State and other violent extremist groups because it still designates Iran itself as a state sponsor of terrorism. Even if he had been invited, it is not clear if Iranian President Hassan Rouhani would have taken part. He has made clear he has different views to the Obama administration on fighting IS. However, the absence of an invitation to a critical meeting on violent extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, an issue in which Iran has a major stake, illustrates the remaining institutional and political barriers to U.S. cooperation with Iran even after the successful negotiation of a nuclear agreement on its nuclear programme in July. State department officials confirmed that Iran’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism was the reason for its exclusion from the countering IS summit being chaired by Mr. Obama. Iran was first designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. state department in 1984 and the designation has been rolled over each year. The latest state department report said: “Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2014, including support for Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanese Hezbollah, and various groups in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.” The U.S. also accused Iran of increasing assistance to Iraqi Shia militias, one of which was designated a terrorist organisation, “in response to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant incursion into Iraq, and has continued to support other militia groups in the region. Iranian officials have complained that about being stigmatised by backing militia groups fighting Isis, something the US is also attempting to do. The state sponsor of terrorism label does not present a legal barrier to negotiating with a national government, a fact that allowed the nuclear negotiations to take place, so there is an element of discretion in its application. 'Super typhoon' Dujuan kills two and injures hundreds in Taiwan ‘Super typhoon’ Dujuan killed two people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan after it swept across the island before reaching land in eastern China, authorities said. Almost half a million people are still without electricity in Taiwan. The storm hit the Chinese coastal city of Putian, state news agency Xinhua said, but there were no immediate reports of damage. Typhoon Soudelor: deaths reported after storm hits south-east China Severe winds uprooted trees and smashed windows and the heavy rains triggered multiple landslides. More than 12,000 people have been evacuated and almost 3000 are in temporary shelters, authorities said. Taiwan’s aboriginal mountain communities are particularly at risk during typhoons, often affected by flooding and mudslides. Landslides blocked the roads into the hot spring town of Wulai, in mountains just outside the capital, Taipei. It was the latest hit for Wulai which was severely damaged by flooding and landslides in August when typhoon Soudelor hit. Dujuan was categorised as a “super typhoon” by regional forecasters, taking residents by surprise as it sped up before reaching land in the eastern county of Yilan. It was downgraded to a “moderate typhoon” by Taiwan’s central weather bureau as it crossed the island. “It’s expected the typhoon will continue to weaken and its radius to keep shrinking,” the weather bureau said. Typhoon Soudelor caused at least eight deaths in Taiwan last month and killed 21 people in China. India, U.S., Japan says interests in Indo-Pacific converge The first trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers of India, United States and Japan minced no words in declaring that their strategic and economic interests in the Asia-Pacific were increasingly converging. In what could ruffle feathers in Beijing, statements issued by the three foreign ministries after the meeting said the Ministers “underscored the importance of international law and peaceful settlement of disputes; freedom of navigation and overflight; and unimpeded lawful commerce, including in the South China Sea.” The U.S. has in the recent past asserted rights of overflight in areas China and its maritime neighbours have overlapping claims over. The elevation of India, U.S., Japan trilateral engagement from officials level to the political level also comes weeks ahead of the Malabar naval exercise of the three countries in the Indian waters in mid-October. In 2007, China had strongly reacted to a similar exercise. “The meeting of the Foreign Ministers should not be considered as a move against China but a reiteration of rule of law that must apply to all nations of the world,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup. Joint cooperation with Japan has become a component in India-U.S. bilateral relations. U.N. body asks Sri Lanka to probe ‘rights abuses’ The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted a consensus resolution on accountability for the alleged human rights violations during the Sri Lankan civil war.
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Sponsored by the U.S., the U.K. and other countries, including Sri Lanka, the resolution called upon Colombo to establish a credible judicial process, with the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators, to go into the alleged rights abuses. The judicial mechanism “should include independent judicial and prosecutorial institutions led by individuals known for their integrity and impartiality,” according to the resolution. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will continue to assess the progress in the implementation of its recommendations and other processes related to reconciliation, accountability and human rights. The OHCHR will present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at the 32nd session (likely in June 2016) and a comprehensive report at the 34th session (March 2017). After the resolution was adopted, India’s envoy Ajit Kumar said: “We reiterate our firm belief that the meaningful devolution of political authority through the implementation of the 13th Amendment of the Constitution of Sri Lanka [adopted in 1987 as a sequel to an agreement between India and Sri Lanka] and building upon it would greatly help the process of national reconciliation.” ‘Historic opportunity for Sri Lanka’ The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the UN Human Rights Council, by adopting a resolution on Sri Lanka, affirmed the importance of international involvement in the justice and accountability process for serious crimes of an international nature. ‘Time for action’ In a statement, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of the OHCHR, said: “This is a historic opportunity for Sri Lanka to address the grave human rights violations and abuses that its people suffered, at the hands of both the LTTE and the Government, during the conflict and in its immediate aftermath.” She said it was now time for action and “we look forward to advising and accompanying Sri Lanka on its path to justice, accountability and non-recurrence of past violations, including through judicial and truth-seeking processes as well as through legal and institutional reform”. She expressed the hope that the OHCHR would “engage extensively” with Sri Lanka in the implementation of the report’s recommendations. India’s envoy at UN Ajit Kumar has said India has “always supported” efforts to preserve Sri Lanka’s identity as a “multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious society” in which all citizens, including the Sri Lankan Tamil community, could live in equality, safety and harmony, and prosper and fulfil their aspirations within a united Sri Lanka. The adoption of the text marks the end of an episode which began in March 2014 when the UNHRC passed a resolution, through voting, requesting the OHCHR to undertake a comprehensive investigation into the alleged rights violations. The previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa came under criticism internationally for the way it handled the last stages of the civil war and the post-war situation. President Abbas raises Palestinian flag for first time at UN Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas raised the Palestinian flag at the United Nations for the first time with a promise that it will be raised soon in Jerusalem, “the capital of our Palestinian state.” More than 300 ministers, diplomats and well-wishers who crowded into the rose garden at U.N. headquarters where a temporary flagpole had been erected for the ceremony applauded his words. Among them were the foreign ministers of Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran and ambassadors from many countries including France. The United States, which does not recognise the state of Palestine, did not send a representative, the U.S. Mission said. Abbas told the crowd it was an historic moment on the road to Palestinian independence. Palestine was designated as a non-member observer state at the United Nations in November 2012 and Palestinian statehood has been recognised by many countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Palestinians campaigned for a General Assembly resolution that was overwhelmingly approved on September 10 allowing U.N. observer states to fly their flags alongside those of the 193 U.N. member states. The Holy See and Palestine and are the only two non-member U.N. observer states. In contrast to the Palestinians, the Holy See flag was raised outside U.N. headquarters alongside flags of the 193 U.N. member states without fanfare or ceremony just before Pope Francis arrived to address the General Assembly. The permanent flagpole for the Palestinian flag is already in place beside it. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called a day of “pride” and “hope” for Palestinians around the world that will lead to the unfurling of the Palestinian flag “in its proper place among the family of nations as a sovereign member state of the United Nations,” Ban said. Maldives rejects UN ruling to free Nasheed A United Nations panel has ruled that the jailing of former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed was illegal and called for his immediate release, the government of the atoll nation said as it rejected the ruling. The government said it had received a copy of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) ruling, which has not yet been made public, and which follows a complaint by the country’s first democratically elected leader. “The opinion of the WGAD is that the complaint submitted by the former president Nasheed ought to be upheld,” the government said in a statement. “The government... does not accept the decision of the WGAD and will not be made to act on the basis of a non- binding opinion.” Nasheed was jailed for 13 years earlier this year on terror charges.
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‘Domestic mechanism to probe war crimes’ Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who returned to Colombo after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York, asserted that only a domestic mechanism would probe allegations of human rights violations. Referring to the adoption of a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on accountability, he told reporters the mechanism would be in accordance with the Constitution of Sri Lanka. “We have removed the term ‘hybrid’ from our vocabulary,” he said, alluding to a recommendation made by the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. To discuss various issues concerning reconciliation, the government will hold conferences with all political parties, leaders of all religions, intellectuals and Sri Lankan diaspora, the President added. Tamil National Alliance leader and Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan told that as the resolution had been adopted with the consent of Sri Lanka, there could be no reservations for its implementation. Mr. Sampanthan, who visited Palai Veemankamam [where the Army returned to original landowners a portion of private lands] to have first-hand knowledge of the progress of resettlement, said the resolution, among others, referred to a political settlement of the ethnic question. It is time for all concerned to ensure that a “comprehensive resolution” of the conflict is achieved, leading to a “genuine reconciliation.” Jehan Perera, executive director of the National Peace Council, said an important feature of the resolution was that Sri Lanka would be in charge of implementation that included formulating the time frame and prioritising the execution of different recommendations. Amnesty International urged the global community and Sri Lankan authorities to see to it that victims and their families were consulted at every step of the process to get to truth and justice. High-speed rail deal signals new phase of Sino-U.S. ties China’s ties with the U.S. are quietly moving to the next level, signalled by a high-speed rail contract and a string of hi-end investments that could help Beijing transition towards an innovation-based economy. Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S., a consortium led by the China Railway Group signed a deal with Xpress West Enterprise to build a high-speed rail line that would link Los Angeles with Las Vegas. In Beijing, there is considerable enthusiasm that the 370 km high-speed link, between the two iconic cities, will open the floodgates for securing much larger projects. The Chinese have already set their eyes on the proposed high-speed link between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The 2029 timeline has been set for this mega undertaking, which will reduce travel time between the two cities to under three hours. Analyst say that the Chinese forays in the U.S. are likely to dramatically expand railway competition between Beijing and Tokyo, which has so far been confined to Asia, in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and India. China’s growing economic engagement in the U.S. flows from a policy direction that encourages companies to seek and absorb advanced technology. In Seattle, the first half of his visit, President Xi observed at a CEO-roundtable that Beijing was keen that U.S. businesses set up “regional headquarters or research and development centres in China, and encourage more small- and medium-sized companies to expand businesses in China”. He added: “Meanwhile, China will keep increasing its investment in the United States.” In tune with official policy, investment in the U.S. is growing as part of closed loop, for much of the production is routed into the Chinese market. Thus, 70 per cent of the lithium-ion batteries produced by the China-acquired A123 Systems in the Michigan find their way back home. The Wanxiang Group that bought A123 Systems in 2013 now prides itself for saving the company from bankruptcy – its woes the result of the 2008 financial crisis. In the same year, China’s Keer Group—a textile manufacturer—invested $ 218 million in an industrial yarn plant in South Carolina, the former nucleus of the U.S. “southern textile corridor.” Channel Tunnel closed after refugee breach More than 100 asylum-seekers stormed the Channel Tunnel, penetrating a third of the way through and attacking staff in an incident that halted overnight traffic. The attempt to go through the tunnel from France to Britain came as the daily flow of thousands of migrants and refugees flocking to Europe’s shores showed little sign of easing, with 1,68,000 migrants and refugees arriving in September alone, U.N. figures showed. Eurotunnel, which operates the complex, said the incident was unprecedented, with migrants aggressively attacking its staff. MSF withdraws operations in Kunduz Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontiers said it withdrew staff from the embattled Afghan city of Kunduz, a day after an apparent U.S. bombing raid on its hospital which the UN said could amount to a war crime.
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Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said 22 people were killed, some of whom burned to death in their beds as the bombardment continued for more than an hour, even after U.S. and Afghan authorities were informed the hospital had been hit. It is the only medical facility in the whole northeastern region of Afghanistan that can deal with major war injuries. Its closure, even temporarily, could have a devastating impact on local civilians. “The MSF hospital is not functional anymore. All critical patients have been referred to other health facilities and no MSF staff are working in our hospital,” Kate Stegeman, a spokeswoman for the charity, told AFP. The air raid came five days after Taliban fighters seized control of the strategic northern city of Kunduz. The medical charity condemned the bombings as “abhorrent and a grave violation of international law,” demanding answers from U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan. It said Afghan and coalition troops were fully aware of the exact location of the hospital, having been given GPS coordinates of a facility which had been providing care for four years. ‘Tragic incident’ U.S. President Barack Obama offered his “deepest condolences” for what he called a “tragic incident.” “The Department of Defence has launched a full investigation, and we will await the results of that inquiry before making a definitive judgement as to the circumstances of this tragedy,” Obama said. UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called for a full and transparent probe, noting: “An air strike on a hospital may amount to a war crime.” World Bank estimates show fall in India’s poverty rate The World Bank has revised the global poverty line, previously pegged at $1.25 a day to $1.90 a day (approximately Rs. 130). This has been arrived at based on an average of the national poverty lines of 15 poorest economies of the world. The poverty lines were converted from local currency into U.S. dollars using the new 2011 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) data. In its latest report ‘Ending Extreme Poverty, Sharing Prosperity: Progress and Policies’, authors Marcio Cruz, James Foster, Bryce Quillin, and Phillip Schellekkens, note that world-wide poverty has shown a decline under these new estimates. The latest headline estimate for 2012 based on the new data suggests that close to 900 million people (12.8 per cent of the global population) lived in extreme poverty. Compared with 2011, this number represents continued poverty reduction, as the headcount estimate then, using 2011 PPP data, was 987 million people (14.2 percent of global population). Further, tentative projections for global poverty in 2015 suggest that the global headcount may have reached 700 million, leading to a poverty rate of 9.6 per cent. With the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in September, seeking to end all forms of poverty world over, the World Bank Group has set itself the target of bringing down the number of people living in extreme poverty to less than 3 per cent of the world population by 2030. The 2015 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) counts 1.6 billion people as multi-dimensionally poor, with the largest global share in South Asia and the highest intensity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Though home to the largest number of poor in 2012, India’s poverty rate is one of the lowest among those countries with the largest number of poor, a latest World Bank report notes. Also in the case of India, with large numbers of people clustered close to the poverty line, poverty estimates are significantly different, depending on the recall period in the survey, the authors note. Since 2015 is the target year for the Millennium Development Goals, the assessment of changes in poverty over time is best based on the Uniform Reference Period consumption method, which uses a 30-day recall period for calculating consumption expenditures, as per the report. This method, used to set the baseline poverty rates for India in 1990, shows India’s poverty rate for 2011/12 to be 21.2 per cent. By comparison, the Modified Mixed Reference Period (MMRP), which contains a shorter, 7-day recall period for some food items, leads to higher estimates of consumption and, therefore, lower poverty estimates. “We expect that the MMRP-based estimate (currently at 12.4% for India) will set the baseline for India and global poverty estimates,” a World Bank spokesperson told. More country-specific details will be available once the Global Monitoring Report, using the new estimates, is launched in Washington DC. U.S., 11 nations reach historic deal The U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations agreed to the largest regional trade accord in history, a potentially precedent-setting model for global commerce and worker standards that would tie together 40 per cent of the world’s economy, from Canada and Chile to Japan and Australia. The Trans-Pacific Partnership still faces months of debate in Congress and will inject a new flash point into both parties’ presidential contests.
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But the accord — a product of nearly eight years of negotiations, including five days of round-the-clock sessions in Atlanta— is a potentially legacy- making achievement for President Barack Obama, and the capstone for his foreign policy “pivot” toward closer relations with fast-growing eastern Asia, after years of U.S. preoccupation with West Asia and North Africa. Mr. Obama spent recent days contacting world leaders to seal the deal. Administration officials have repeatedly pressed their contention that the partnership would build a bulwark against China’s economic influence, and allow the U.S. and its allies — not Beijing — to set the standards for Pacific commerce. The Pacific accord would phase out thousands of import tariffs as well as other barriers to international trade. It also would establish uniform rules on corporations’ intellectual property, open the Internet even in communist Vietnam and crack down on wildlife trafficking and environmental abuses. Final compromises covered commercial protections for drug-makers’ advanced medicines, more open markets for dairy products and sugar, and a slow phase-out — over two to three decades — of the tariffs on Japan’s autos sold in North America. Donald Trump has repeatedly castigated the Pacific trade accord as “a bad deal”, injecting conservative populism into the debate and emboldening some congressional Republicans who fear for local interests like sugar and rice, and many conservatives who oppose Mr. Obama at every turn. Long before an accord was reached, it was being condemned by both Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential front- runner, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is challenging Hillary Clinton for the Democrats’ nomination. Other candidates also have been critical. Ms. Clinton, who as Secretary of State promoted the trade talks, has expressed enough wariness as she has campaigned among unions and other audiences on the left that her support is now in doubt. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the partnership eventually would end more than 18,000 tariffs that the participating countries have placed on U.S. exports, including autos, machinery, information technology and consumer goods, chemicals and agricultural products ranging from avocados in California to wheat, pork and beef from the Plains states. Japan’s other barriers, like regulations and design criteria that effectively keep out U.S.-made cars and light trucks, would come down. The parties to the accord also include New Zealand, Mexico, Peru, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. President Sirisena launches another land return drive President Maithripala Sirisena launched another round of returning lands held by the military in the Northern Province to Tamils, the original landowners. At a function in Killinochchi, Mr. Sirisena symbolically distributed land deeds for 613 acres in Killinochchi and Mullativu districts. The original owners included individuals and institutions. This followed the release of 818 acres in Sampur of the Eastern Province and 1,013 acres in the Jaffna district of the Northern Province.
NATIONAL NEWS Antrix asked to pay Devas Rs. 4,435 cr. The Paris-based ICC Tribunal, looking into an arbitration case between former partners Antrix Corporation, the marketing arm of ISRO; and Devas Multimedia Corporation, has ruled that Antrix must pay Devas a compensation of $672 million (around Rs.4,435 crore) with interest for breach of their satellite contract, according to a statement issued by Devas. The tribunal is an arm of the International Chamber of Commerce and deals with international commercial disputes. The lawyers for Devas initiated the process to secure the award, including interest at 18 per cent post-ruling, and filed a petition in the Delhi High court, the publicist for Devas said. It was not immediately clear if Antrix can appeal the ruling. ISRO Chairman and Secretary Department of Space, A.S. Kiran Kumar, did not comment on the ruling against Antrix, which is governed by his department. Antrix’s Chairman and Managing Director V.S. Hegde did not answer calls.
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Devas took Antrix to the ICC, Paris, and the PCA at The Hague, after the government cancelled the contract for building two satellites for Devas, citing alleged irregularities in the deal. Antrix/ISRO was to build for Devas two two-tonne satellites with a special, unfurlable antenna India to rank its higher centres of learning On the first Monday of April 2016, India will have its own ranking system--the National Institutional Ranking Framework-- for higher educational institutions that will cover all institutes offering courses in management, engineering, law, and humanities. The ranking system, tailored for the Indian institutions that are otherwise placed far too low on the global ranking lists, will mark institutions on the basis of five major parameters, which include teaching, learning resources; research, consulting, collaborative performance; graduation outcomes; outreach and inclusivity and perception. There will be subheads under each of these five categories to rank the institutions, for instance under the teaching, learning and resources head, institutes will be graded on the basis of faculty-student ratio, faculty with Ph.D and experience, laboratory, sports and extracurricular facilities. Released by Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani, the framework takes into account aspects of education that are India-centric, for instance, inclusive education through reservation, research in languages other than English and upcoming private institutions. A core committee that included National Board of Accreditation Chairman Surendra Prasad, IIT-Kharagpur director P.P. Chakraborty, IIT-Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi, besides the Higher Education Secretary and HRD Ministry officials have drafted the framework. The methodology of ranking is open to all Indian institutions that wish to be part of the system, but is not mandatory; it is also aimed at empowering the institutions to compete for international ranking systems like QS and Times. Rafale deal faces many obstacles India and France are engaged in intense negotiations to thrash out an inter-governmental agreement which would provide the framework for final negotiation on the deal for 36 Rafale fighters. Sources on both sides said the deal was far from final conclusion, and serious differences over almost every major aspect of the deal for the advanced fighters remain. Among them are French side’s concerns about a major Indian private sector conglomerate whose services are being recommended by some sections of the Indian government. Officials said a delegation of senior officials from the French government had been in New Delhi for the past few days fine- tuning the agreement to be signed between the two sides. The deal for the purchase of 36 fighters from Dassault announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Paris in April is yet to be formally signed into an agreement. “It would be a framework under which we will have to deal with various aspects of the deal,” a source said. One official in the know of things said the French side had several concerns that could play out as both sides sit down to carry out specific negotiations. Key among them is their questions about what role a major Indian private conglomerate would play in the deal. Due diligence done on the group, recommended strongly by a section in the government, has thrown up questions over its financial capabilities, the sources said. The two sides could also find the negotiations running into serious trouble over the offset clause for the deal. While the MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) deal — the precursor to the present Rafale deal — had 50 per cent offset, and most of its fighters were to be assembled in India, the deal under negotiation is for off-the-shelf purchase of 36 fighters from France. The Economic Times reported that a major breakthrough was imminent in the deal with the French side agreeing to an Indian condition that calls for investing 50 per cent of the deal value in ‘Make in India’ projects in the defence, security and aerospace sectors. Under the formula, the newspaper said, French investments in other projects, including in civilian sectors, will also be considered as meeting offset obligations. Sources said the French side was hopeful of a more liberalised offset policy, without which the contract would be difficult to execute. Another issue would be over the final price of the fighter. Sources said India could demand mounting of some non-French armaments on Rafale, which could also add to further complications in the deal. Sanskrit panel wants labs to test power of Vedic rituals Underlining the importance of scientific achievements in ancient India, the second Sanskrit Commission has recommended a host of measures to revive interest in the language, including the establishment of special laboratories where scientists and scholars can work together to corroborate ancient beliefs such as the power of Vedic sacrifices to induce rainfall and the healing qualities of sacrificial ashes. The 13-member panel, headed by Padma Bhushan awardee Satya Vrat Shastri and set up 58 years after the first Sanskrit Commission in 1956, has also proposed a four-language formula for school education, under which Sanskrit will be a compulsory subject for students from classes VI to X.
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The second Sanskrit Commission, constituted by the UPA-II government months ahead of last year’s Lok Sabha elections, submitted its final 460-page report to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The government is currently studying its recommendations. A significant portion of the report focuses on suggestions on “effective communication” of ancient scientific achievements to students. In this context, the Commission has recommended the introduction of a compulsory Sanskrit paper in all science and technology institutes as well as the inclusion of Sanskrit teachers in their faculties. “At present, the studies in agricultural universities, the institutions of architecture and town-planning, the faculties of mathematics, the IITs and IIMs, the law colleges and so on are providing only Western knowledge of their disciplines. The students in them have practically no idea of… what our own masters had discovered in days of yore,” the report stated. The report has also recommended the study of ancient texts such as Arthasastra, Sukraniti, Viduraniti and Mahabharata for political science students, Rasasarasamuccaya for chemistry students, and Krsiparasara and Vrksayurveda for students of agriculture. “This will instil in them the confidence as the inheritors of the glorious past to plunge into unchartered waters,” it stated, adding that the government must undertake this on a priority basis. The Second Sanskrit Commission has also proposed a school board of Sanskrit education and a Sanskrit university in every state, setting up of Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyalayas on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas, broadcast of Sanskrit programmes by private channels and radio stations, extension of mid-day meals to students of traditional schools like Gurukulas, parity of scale and pay between Pandits in traditional schools and regular schools teachers, introduction of Sanskrit study as early as Class I, upgrading Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan to an institute of national importance and a separate TV channel for Sanskrit. Steps proposed by Second Sanskrit Commission Four-language formula (mother-tongue, English, Hindi or any modern Indian language and Sanskrit) for students of classes VI to X Communicating scientific achievements in ancient India to students in science and technology institutes. Sanskrit paper and Sanskrit teachers in such institutes Setting up of special labs for scientists and scholars to work together to investigate and corroborate ancient beliefs A school Board of Sanskrit education and a Sanskrit university in every state. Periodic revision of Sanskrit syllabus Setting up of Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyalayas on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas Upgrading Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan university in Delhi to an institute of national importance like IITs and IIMs Foreign faculty exchange programme in the area of Sanskrit Prohibit diversion of funds meant for Sanskrit Broadcast of Sanskrit programmes by private channels and radio stations Separate TV channel for Sanskrit Signs on roads, government offices, hospitals, etc in Sanskrit All posts of Sanskrit teachers to be filled with full-time appointments and not ad-hoc teachers. 17 Indian institutions among Times’ top 800 The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015- 16 has more Indian institutes from previous editions after the list was expanded to top 800 from 400. But none of them breached the top 200. The highest ranked institution is the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, placed in 251-300 rank group and the other institution among the top 400 is Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (351-400 cohort). In all, India has 17 universities in the list, matching its BRIC counterpart Brazil. Among Asian countries China continues to dominate, while Japan and South Korea have fallen behind. Times Higher Education World University Rankings, said: "It is good news for India that 17 of its institutions feature in this year's list of the world's best universities but it will have to work harder to compete with other emerging economies such as China which has 37 institutions featured in this year's rankings and Russia which has fewer institutions overall but a higher proportion in the upper echelons of the table." "With the population of young people in the country continuing to expand resulting in further pressure on resources, it is now more crucial than ever that India invests in research and strengthens its links with other nations. The government has spoken about improving its universities but is yet to implement an initiative in this area. It will need to act, and fast, if it wants to match up against its fellow BRIC nations and the rising stars in Asia," he said. In Asia, the National University of Singapore holds Asia's number one spot (in 26th place) while China's two leading universities (Peking and Tsinghua) are firmly established in the world's elite top 50 group at 42nd and joint 47th respectively.
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Japan has two institutions in the top 200, University of Tokyo (43rd) and Kyoto University (joint 88th), while South Korea has four institutions in the top 200: Seoul National University (85th), Pohang University of Science and Technology (116th), the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (148th) and Sungkyunkwan University (153rd). Hong Kong has three institutions in the top 200: the University of Hong Kong (joint 44th), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (59th) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (joint 138th). Baty said: "It is a mixed picture for Asia. China's two leading universities, Peking and Tsinghua, are firmly established within the world's top 50. Singapore is another strong performer - it now boasts Asia's number one university, the National University of Singapore in 26th place, and its compatriot, Nanyang Technological University, sits in its highest ever place, 55th. Bu t tough times for Japan and disappointment for South Korea mean that leading Asian nations' grip on the higher ranks of the World University Rankings is loose." India, Lanka kick off joint exercises India and Sri Lanka kicked off their “Mitra Shakti” joint combat exercise to bolster “interoperability” between their armies, even as New Delhi continues with its equipment supplies and stepped-up training for Sri Lankan armed forces. The aim of the 14-day exercise, being held at Aundh Camp in Pune, is to “share the best military practices and promote healthy military-to military relations as well as develop joint strategies by sharing expertise in conducting counter-terrorism operations”. “Forming part of different levels of bilateral military engagement across the entire spectrum of operations, the exercise will enrich the two contingents in further honing military skills,” said an official. This is the third such military exercise between the two countries, with the first edition being held in Nahan in India in December 2012 and the second at the Uva-Kudaoya commando training school in Sri Lanka in November 2014. India for the last several years has been regularly training Sri Lankan armed forces as well as providing some military equipment to them. Towards this “capacity-building” to counter Chinese inroads into the island nation, India is now also supplying two naval offshore patrol vessels to Sri Lanka. India has earlier provided 24 L-70 guns, 24 battle-field surveillance radars, 11 USFM radars, four Indra-II radars and 10 mine-protected vehicles, among other things, to the Sri Lankan forces. Similarly, around 800 to 900 Lankan military personnel are trained in Indian military establishments every year. India to hold G20 Chair in 2018, Delhi may play host India is set to be the G20 Chair in 2018, and New Delhi could host the prestigious annual G20 summit. The G20 member nations took a decision on the Chair for 2018 earlier this month, a top Finance Ministry source told “China is chairing the G20 this time, following which Germany will in 2017 and then … the Chair will pass on to India for 2018.” The G20 operates as a forum and not as an organisation. Therefore, it does not have any permanent secretariat or management and administrative structure. One of the G20 countries is selected to hold the Chair in rotation, also known as ‘G20 presidency’. The presidency establishes a temporary secretariat for the duration it holds the Chair. The secretariat coordinates all work and organises G20 meetings. The immediate past, present and next Chair constitute a ‘troika’ and ensure continuity in the G20 work. In the current year (2015), the presidency is held by Turkey. The Chair was handed over to it by Australia. Turkey will hand over the Chair for the next year (2016) to China. After China, Germany will hold it in 2017. For selecting presidency, a system has been in place since 2010, when South Korea held the Chair. Under it, 19 countries have been categorised into five regional groupings of a maximum of four nations each. Each member of G20 is represented by its head of state at the Leaders’ Summit. Leaders are assisted by their Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, and Sherpas. India recently announced the appointment of NITI Aayog Vice- Chairman Arvind Panagariya as G20 Sherpa. Specific G20 ministerial meetings, like those of G20 Agriculture Ministers, Labour Ministers and Trade Ministers, are organised on specific themes of importance as identified by the G20 leaders or the G20 presidency. The outcomes of these meetings feed into the Sherpas’ track and subsequently to the leaders’ declaration. ‘Demonstrate technology used to mitigate impact of climate change’ Ahead of the UNFCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Conference of Parties (CoP) 21 later this year, the Prime Minister’s Office has asked Ministries related to climate change to publicly demonstrate the technologies adopted by them to mitigate the effects of climate change. The PMO has asked the ministries concerned to visibly demonstrate — through the media — the initiatives taken for reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions ahead of the conference in which the participating countries are expected
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to reach an international pact to tackle climate change by 2050. At Paris, heads of States are expected to agree on a post-2020 plan that will guide future actions. For India, projected climate change scenarios forecast consistent warming trend with temperature increase ranging from 1.5 to 4.3°C. Warming, temperature extremes and strong variability in rainfall are likely to impact food and livelihood security of the burgeoning population in India which is dependent on agriculture, says ICAR Deputy Director-General (Natural Resource Management) Alok K. Sikka. Dr. Sikka said India’s strategy in agriculture would be on adaptation to changes in the climate rather than mitigation. “We cannot compromise on agricultural production and productivity. Therefore we are concentrating on climate smart practices to make our agriculture resilient to climate change.” Antrix to contest ICC ruling in court Antrix Corporation, an arm of the Department of Space, said it would fight the huge compensation of Rs. 4,300 crore that it has been asked to pay Devas Multimedia P. Ltd. for breaching their old contract. Reacting a day after Devas announced the award in its favour, Antrix said, “The ICC award against Antrix in the Devas case is shocking. Antrix, with the support of the Department of Space, is preparing to file in court its application for remedy.” The two companies, once collaborators, are embroiled in two international arbitrations after the Department of Space annulled a contract to build and launch two satellites for Devas. It cancelled the deal on the ground of irregularities in procedures while signing the contract and also national interest as it was a loss to the exchequer The January 2005 contract was annulled in February 2011. On September 14, the arbitration tribunal of the Paris- based International Chamber of Commerce ruled that Antrix must pay Devas $672 million along with pre- and post- award interest of 18 per cent. Sharif proposes 4-step peace plan Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif used the United Nations General Assembly platform to propose a four-step peace plan with India. In a 15-minute address that made several references to Kashmir as a land under “foreign occupation”, Mr. Sharif said he had tried to “reach out” to India to resolve the issue. He then proposed that India and Pakistan begin with ending the firing at the Line of Control, “formalise and respect” the 2003 ceasefire and ask the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to verify it. Mr. Sharif proposed a “no use of force” agreement. Finally, he proposed steps to “demilitarise Kashmir” and “mutually withdraw troops from the Siachen.” The External Affairs Ministry did not respond to Mr. Sharif’s peace proposal that was peppered with swipes at India for alleged rights violations, for firing at the LoC, and for rejecting the composite dialogue process agreed to in 1997. Aziz charge at OIC Mr. Sharif’s peace plan, which bears resemblance to the one proposed by former Pakistan President, Parvez Musharraf, came close on the heels of a fiery intervention by Pakistan National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) contact group meeting at the U.N., where he accused India of trying “to quell the Kashmiri struggle by use of brute force”. “The Kashmiri leaders continue to remain in detention or have been put under house arrest. India is attempting to change the demographic make-up of ‘Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir’ by settling non-State, non-Muslim subjects in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” Mr. Aziz alleged. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup told presspersons in New York that India had consistently rejected the relevance of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistan Prime Minister’s speech at the U.N. was unusual, as his four-point pitch for peace was made to India on the world platform, where other countries are normally not addressed directly. However, it indicates the Pakistan government’s desire to show the international community that it is keen on resuming dialogue. In a first, live telecast of HC proceedings For the first time in the history of Indian judiciary, the 150-year-old Madras High Court allowed live telecast of contempt proceeding against two Madurai advocates. Amidst heavy security arrangements, the proceeding in the Court Hall No. 4 was beamed live on a large television placed near the media parking area of the High Court. When Justices S. Tamilvanan and C.T. Selvam entered the court hall at around 2.25 p.m., the eagerly waiting crowd before the large television clapped and whistled marking the beginning of the unprecedented event. After hearing counsels for the contemnors against whom the proceedings were initiated for their activities against compulsory helmet rule, Justice Mr. Tamilvanan observed that the court has no fear or hesitation in dealing with the matter and punish the contemnors properly, as per law. After Justice C.T. Selvam differed with his views, both the judges made separate orders, thereby leaving the matter to be decided by the Chief Justice. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 9 2015CA_030,001,002,003,004,005,006
Natural gas price cut in line with new policy In a move that may hurt producers like ONGC and Reliance Industries but benefit the power and fertilizer sectors, the government cut the price of natural gas by 18 per cent to $3.81 per million British thermal unit (mmBtu) on a gross calorific value basis from the current $4.66 per mmBtu. The new price will come into effect from October 1 and will be in place for six months. This is in line with the policy adopted by the government in October 2014. “In accordance with the New Domestic Natural Gas Pricing Guidelines, 2014, issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the price of domestic natural gas for the period from October 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016 is $3.81 per mmBtu on a GCV basis,” said the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell of the Ministry. On a net calorific value basis, the price has been cut to $4.24 per mmBtu from $5.5 at present. This takes the price back to the level it was before the new policy came into effect. According to the new policy, the price of natural gas is to be revised every six months on the basis of a weighted average of rates in countries such as the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Russia, all gas-surplus economies. This price cut also marks only the second time that gas prices have ever been reduced. The previous cut, on April 1, pegged the price at $5.05 per mmBtu on a net calorific value basis. INS Kochi COMMISSIONED The INS Kochi, a stealth guided missile destroyer, was commissioned by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Exports from states: Bihar up to 17th but top of list in rate of growth For the last fiscal year 2014-15, Maharashtra and Gujarat remain the top two states in volume of exports at Rs 4.45 lakh crore and Rs 3.64 lakh crore respectively — that works out to a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 16% for Maharashtra for the last five years and over 14% for Gujarat. But it’s Bihar that’s registered the highest CAGR — of over 78 per cent annually between 2009-10 and 2014-15, led by export of cereals, mineral fuels, edible vegetables and pharmaceutical products. According to the latest state-wise export data for the last six years available with the Commerce Ministry, exports from Bihar rose from a modest Rs 351.34 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 6,310.93 crore in 2014-15, moving from 24th position amongst state in 2009-10 to 17th position last fiscal. At Rs 6,310 crore, Bihar’s exports are still a small fraction of Maharashtra or Gujarat’s but its dramatic growth, experts said, is a combination of low base, better maintenance of export database in the last few years along with steps taken by the state government to enhance industrial activities in the state. Officials from the state’s industry department say that the rise in exports can be partly attributed to the phenomenal growth of the food processing industry over the last few years along with mineral fuels sector. “Maize is one item that has done exceptionally well over the last few years. Several mega food parks have come up and different variants of maize are being experimented with,” an official said. The official added that several small pharmaceutical units have also come up, mainly for generic drugs and herbal preparations, contributing to the growth in exports. According to the commerce ministry data, Bihar exported cereals worth Rs 982 crore in 2014-15, mineral fuels and oils worth Rs 4,534.65 crore and pharmaceutical products worth over Rs 222 crore. “Earlier, states like Bihar were not able to prepare their data correctly. Now states are better aware so there has been an improvement in the numbers. Further, the state also had a low base and the growth should be viewed accordingly. However, these factors notwithstanding, the state has done well and it is reflected in the export numbers,” Ajay Sahai, director general, Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO), said. Further, apart from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh has also witnessed a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.55 per cent in exports during the above mentioned period, growing from Rs 26,204.07 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 85,034.43 crore in last fiscal. The major exports from Uttar Pradesh last year were meat and edible meat worth Rs 14,369 crore, carpets Rs 4,050 crore, apparel Rs 5,719 crore, footwear Rs 6,109 crore, pearls and precious stones Rs 4,045 crore, copper Rs 2,402 crore, road vehicles and parts Rs 3,593 crore and cereals worth Rs 2,316 crore among other items. “Several meat processing units, and auto units have come up in Noida, Ghaziabad. That is getting reflected in the exports from UP. Also, the state had a low base,” Sahai said. Dadra and Uttaranchal also witnessed growth rates of 36.45 per cent and 59.46 per cent, respectively during the six- year period on the back of high growth in exports of organic chemical, pharmaceutical products, man-made filaments, other made up textiles, aluminium articles and medical equipment in case of Dadra while gums resins, preparations of vegetables, fruits, organic chemical, and plastics with regards to Uttaranchal. SC: Nothing wrong if AG appears for private parties The Supreme Court said that there is nothing wrong if the Attorney General of India appears for private parties in cases where no conflict of interest is involved.
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“As long as there is no conflict of interest, there is no issue. We may address him as learned Attorney General even when he is appearing for private parties but that does not mean he is considered as the law officer of the government. No, we cannot intervene in the matter and issue any orders,” said a bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy. The bench made these observations as it dismissed a PIL, which sought directive to the Centre to stop giving permission to Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to appear for private parties in cases against government. It also rejected the plea for referring the issue to a constitution bench to decide if senior government law officers can be allowed to appear against government. Kerala-based NGO ‘Centre for Consumer Education’ has stated that the AG’s appearance for private parties is a direct conflict of interest since he is the face of the government in the apex court. Questions were raised after Rohatgi represented four-star bar owners of Kerala in their appeal against state government’s liquor policy, which restricted bar licences only to five-star hotels. Rohatgi, while speaking to journalists, had defended the decision, saying he had secured the requisite permission from the Centre and added there was no conflict of interest as central government was not a party. Senior citizens expected to double by 2050: WHO The good news is our life expectancy is growing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, major societal changes are required to ensure a healthy, meaningful, and dignified life. “With advances in medicine helping more people to live longer, the number of people over the age of 60 is expected to double by 2050,” said an information note released by the WHO. It said that this enhanced life expectancy would require radical societal changes for a good quality life. “Today, most people, even in the poorest countries, are living longer” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the WHO. “But this is not enough. We need to ensure these extra years are healthy, meaningful, and dignified. Achieving this will not just be good for older people, but for society as a whole,” he said. Contrary to the widespread assumptions, the report found that there is very little evidence that the added years of life are being experienced in better health than was the case for previous generations at the same age. “Unfortunately, 70 does not yet appear to be the new 60,” said Dr. John Beard, director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at the WHO. “But it could be. And it should be.’’ The report stresses that governments must ensure policies that enable older people to continue participating in society. “The stereotype of older people as frail and dependent is not correct. Many contributions that older people make are often overlooked, while the demands the ageing population will place on society are overemphasised or exaggerated,” said the report. The WHO report highlights three key areas for action, which will require a fundamental shift in the way society thinks about ageing and older people. “The first is to make the places we live in much more friendly to older people followed by realigning health systems to their needs. Governments need to develop long-term care systems that can reduce inappropriate use of acute health services and ensure people live their last years with dignity,’’ said the WHO. Warship’s visit underlines India’s ‘Act East’ policy As Navy Chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan began his official tour of Australia, an official statement said India and Australia had several commonalities which served as a foundation for closer cooperation and multifaceted interactions. The defence cooperation between the two sides has been growing steadily in recent years, with the signing of a Defence Cooperation Agreement in 2006 and a Framework for Defence Cooperation in November 2014. The 2014 agreement envisages regular ship visits and high-level exchanges. INS Sahyadri entered the Da Nang port in Vietnam as part of its operational deployment to the South China Sea and the north-west Pacific region, and on its way to participate in the international fleet review being hosted by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force in Sagami Bay. The Navy said the four-day visit of the ship to Vietnam waters was part of India’s ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ policy. “The visit of INS Sahyadri, an indigenously built stealth frigate, is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and enhancing inter-operability between navies of the two countries,” it said. Indian designer lends LED glow to Australian beauty
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An Indian-origin make-up artist has designed a light emitting diode (LED) and fibre-optic bodysuit that could set Miss Universe Australia Monika Radulovic apart on the world stage, a media report said. Melbourne-based Jyoti Chandra, 28, designed the suit with a rendition of Sydney Harbour’s New Year’s Eve fireworks as part of a national costume competition to deck out Australia’s representative at the Miss Universe international final at the end of the year, The Canberra Times reported. The harbour bridge, opera house and city skyline have been featured in metallic silver and tassels on the shield represent beach waters. “What I wanted to encompass through my costume was to show people how free-spirited Australians are [and] remind people how fun and exciting we can be and that we can put on a really great show in Australia,” Chandra said. “I wanted it to be quite flamboyant because South America came out with massive feathers [for their national costume] and Canada came out with hockey sticks and I wanted to make something that was really cool and that people would remember,” the former Canberra Institute of Technology student said. But her battery-powered creative costume has been hampered by some unexpectedly practical considerations. “Trying to get the battery through security at the airport was hard; because it’s corrosive, it was classified as dangerous goods,” Chandra said. “We couldn’t go with lithium batteries because then it wouldn’t have gotten through security at all. But because [the battery] was so small they were like, it’s fine, and I was like thank goodness.” Chandra’s bodysuit is competing with three other designs. Pakistan attacks India at U.N. again over Kashmir India and Pakistan continued to wrangle at the U.N., as Pakistan exercised its right to reply to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s address, with an unbridled attack on India. Accusing India of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, of “support and sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan”, with references to the Samjhauta blasts and the 2002 Gujarat riots, Pakistan’s reply marks a new low in statements made at the U.N. over Kashmir. Claiming that over 100,000 Kashmiris had been killed in what it called Indian “state terrorism”, and making an unsubstantiated reference to “6,000 unnamed mass graves”, Pakistan called on India to withdraw troops and allow for a plebiscite in Kashmir. The reply came hours after Ms. Swaraj’s UNGA address where she rejected the four-point peace proposal made by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the U.N., saying that just “one-point” was necessary, and that was, for Pakistan to “give up terrorism”. “India’s insistence on limiting the talks to a one-point agenda proves that [India] is neither interested nor serious in engaging in a genuine dialogue,” the Pakistani reply read. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.N. Maleeha Lodhi had handed over dossiers to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon that included allegations of “Indian interference and support of terrorism” and “intelligence agency links with the Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan”. In her statement, Ms. Swaraj, who called for “zero tolerance” to countries that sponsor terrorism, had referred to Pakistan’s release of the 26/11 Mumbai masterminds as an “affront to the international community”. Earlier, India, in its right of reply to Mr. Sharif’s speech, had said the “foreign occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir was by Pakistan, and called on Pakistan to vacate PoK. Shift in strategy The severity of Pakistan’s attack on Ms. Swaraj’s speech seems linked to the shift in the Indian strategy towards bringing up Pakistan’s human rights violations in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, including Gilgit and Baltistan. Several videos leaked to television channels showing police atrocities in PoK appear to be linked to the NDA government’s new push at highlighting the conditions in PoK. Confirming the policy as a “carefully considered move”, a senior official told that the new strategy was the most effective way to counter Pakistan’s attempts at attacking India. The official also rejected criticism that the new policy of highlighting PoK issues could lead to “internationalising” the Kashmir issue, which India has avoided for decades. There has been no U.N. reference to Kashmir since a UNSC resolution after the 1971 war, and India has prevailed in keeping the issue bilateral. However, many diplomats have hailed the new Indian policy. “It is about time that India took this stand,” said former Foreign Secretary and former Ambassador to Pakistan K.S. Bajpai. “We have always maintained that we are supposed to be dignified and not counter Pakistan’s allegations, but it hasn’t worked. Taking up atrocities in PoK is the right thing to do.” Khan panel report comes as a big blow to FTII students The three-member Central government delegation led by S.M. Khan, Registrar of Newspapers of India, to study the problems bedevilling the strike-hit Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), has accused students and faculty members of creating a corrosive climate of “populism” which resulted in the ongoing strike over the controversial appointment of BJP leader Gajendra Chauhan as FTII chairman. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 12 2015CA_030,001,002,003,004,005,006
The damning report comes as a blow to the student agitators as their indefinite strike against the contentious appointments of Mr. Chauhan and Sangh Parivar votaries within the FTII governing council enters its 114th day. The panel led by Mr. Khan, which visited the FTII campus on August 21, noted in its report that while “infrastructure was not an issue” and there was “no dearth of facility” and “special efforts were made to accommodate more number of shootings”, the students failed to submit their projects on time. The committee observations place the onus for the situation on the students by stating that the report of the former Director [D.J. Narain], and the outcome of several meetings indicated that projects were delayed as “students were not ready with their scripts”. As a result, the report notes that between 2010 and 2014, “no admissions were made to provide for more space and facility for the delayed batches”. The committee lambasted the faculty members for frequently shifting their stance by observing that while the members had at first agreed to assess projects, they later refused, which in turn “aggravated the situation” and put extraordinary pressure on FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe. The panel, whose members also included Anshu Sinha, Director (Films) and S. Naganathan, Under-Secretary (Films), was constituted by the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry after Mr. Pathrabe was held hostage by irate students in August. No worries over power cut for this ‘solar school’ A “special” village school near Mysuru has found a solution to recurrent power outages and has become self-sufficient in its energy needs. Welcome to Kaliyuva Mane (Home for Learning), a free residential and non-residential school, which has turned into a “solar school”, harnessing plentiful solar energy. Divya Deepa Charitable Trust runs this school at Kenchalagudu village, about 15 km from Mysuru. To overcome the day-to-day hurdles caused by the ongoing power crisis, the school came up with the idea of going solar and Canara Bank helped in realising it under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The bank granted Rs. 7.5 lakh for procuring 12 V LED automatic campus lights (five numbers); E-shala digital smart classes (five numbers); and solar inverter and solar lamps for all classrooms. Menda Foundation had supported the initiative by implementing E-shala projects (digital lessons) worth Rs. 2 lakh. All devices are run by solar energy. “The school is using conventional electricity only for pumping water, and the rest is by solar energy. Solar energy has come to our rescue as the village was experiencing over 13 hours of power cut,” Divya Deepa Managing Trustee M.R. Ananth Kumar told The Hindu. Kaliyuva Mane is also an eco-friendly school with rainwater harvesting, biogas production, eco-toilets and so on, he said. It’s neither a Kannada-medium nor an English-medium school in the conventional sense, but a bilingual school and children from difficult backgrounds stay in the school as resident scholars. Admission is given round the year. The children are aged between 6 and 14. DRDO sets up world's highest terrestrial centre in Ladakh Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) established the world's highest terrestrial centre at 17,600 feet above sea level at Changla near Pengong lake in Ladakh. The centre will serve as a natural cold storage for preserving rare and endangered medical plants for generations to come. The centre was inaugurated by Director General, DRDO Dr S Christopher. According to reports, the centre will act as an important utility for research work in frontal areas of food and agriculture and bio-medical sciences for well being of the soldiers deployed in high altitude cold desert. A large number of Life Sciences activities are proposed to be undertaken at this centre. Germany won’t sign MLAT, cites death penalty Germany has expressed its inability to sign the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with India, citing its provision for “death penalty” for heinous crimes and terror activities. India has signed MLAT with 39 countries, including the United States. This is perhaps the first time a country has refused to sign the treaty on grounds of the death penalty provision. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gunte Krings of the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Germany on security cooperation and disaster management. Dr. Krings is part of a delegation which has come to India with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. An MLAT is an agreement between two or more countries for gathering and exchanging information to enforce public or criminal laws. Boost to education ties The Human Resource Development Ministry’s earlier decision to discontinue the teaching of German in KVs had escalated into a diplomatic row, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel raising the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in Brisbane last year. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 13 2015CA_030,001,002,003,004,005,006
Smriti Irani, Minister for Human Resource Development, held bilateral discussions with Johanna Wanka, German Minister of Education and Research and agreed to enhance and deepen traditional ties. The two sides agreed to extend cooperation to the areas of science and technology, skills development, and the Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN). Fast-track wing activated to boost trade Germany welcomed India’s decision to set up a fast-track system for German companies in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.The only other such country –specific mechanism is for Japan, which was announced last year. The wing, which will become fully operational by 2016, found prompt appreciation from the visiting German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who said: “I was very glad we were able to sign the fast-track agreement today so that the speed with which you provide licences to companies to set up business is increased.” The exclusive special window for Germany will be the second since a similar wing was created for Japan after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan in September 2014. Declaring this special wing at the end of the Inter-Governmental Consultations, the trade-heavy joint statement repeatedly drew attention to the business ties between the two countries. The fast-track mechanism was one of the several initiatives declared to smoothen business ties. To encourage stronger business ethics, both sides entered into an agreement to train corporate executives and junior executives. Several such smoothening measures in the joint statement and the list of agreements have produced the impression that the Germans are anxious about India delivering on the promise of growth and development under Mr. Modi. “Though top German investors expected affairs of business to change under Mr. Modi, they are disappointed that the same has not happened so far,” she told. Highlighting the sticking point between two sides, Mr. Jaishankar pointed out that Mr. Modi “requested Chancellor Merkel that the restrictions placed on 700 Indian pharma products be revised.” The issue of restrictions on the marketing of generic medicines has been snowballing over the last year since the EU drug regulator, European Medicines Agency (EMA), recommended suspension of the sale of the drugs manufactured by GVK Biosciences, citing manipulated lab test results. A tie-up for clean energy Three days after India declared its pledge to expand the share of non-fossil fuel energy to 40 per cent by 2030, India and Germany formed the Climate and Renewable Energy Alliance, with the arrival of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in India. The two countries agreed on the India Germany Climate and Renewable Energy Alliance — a comprehensive partnership to harness technology, innovation and finance in order to make affordable, clean and renewable energy accessible to all and to foster climate change mitigation efforts in both countries with a long-term vision and a comprehensive agenda of combating climate change. Germany has committed to providing an assistance of over 1 billion Euros for India’s Green Energy Corridor and a new assistance package of over 1 billion Euros for solar projects in India. The partner country also intends to deepen research cooperation in clean and renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Pushkal Upadhyay, Director, National Mission for Clean Ganga, told that India will receive technical assistance of 3 million Euros for developing the Ganga region, focussing on wastewater treatment, preparation of Detailed Project Report and technical assistance to be provided by German international development firm GIZ. Another 120 million Euros worth of bilateral aid will focus on developing the Clean Ganga project in Uttarakhand, and priority tasks are being discussed, he said. No evidence of volcano off Puducherry coast In a huge relief to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), a recent study by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has concluded that there was no evidence to prove the existence of a submerged volcano off the Puducherry coast, which could have posed a danger to nuclear establishments at Kalpakkam. “The literature review, existing satellite and ship-borne bathymetric and geophysical data do not lend any credible evidence for the presence of submarine volcano,” the 110-page ‘Status report on an unconfirmed submarine volcano off Pondicherry coast’ by Hyderabad-based NGRI stated. The report, accessed by The Hindu, indicates that the nuclear establishments at Kalpakkam did not face any threat from a submarine volcano, which was cited as a danger by anti-nuclear activists. The study looked into five conflicting locations for the volcano, which was known as ‘1757 Puducherry submarine’ event. It stated that “no direct scientific evidence such as occurrence of young volcanic materials and volcanic features in all five sites have been reported in the literature.” The Global Volcanism Program (GVP) of Smithsonian Institution (SI), which officially catalogues the active and Holocene volcanoes, has also deleted the location of the 1757 Puducherry volcano of uncertain eruption since July 3 last year, the report cited.
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Reports from the Geographical Survey of India and the National Hydrographic Office under the Indian Navy also had not detected any sea mount that would indicate volcanic activity in the area, BHAVINI had referred. The talk of a submarine volcano off Puducherry coast started with the report of two anti-nuclear activists, who, citing literature had contended that it might pose a danger to nuclear establishments at Kalpakkam. The nuclear complex at Kalpakkam houses two units of the Madras Atomic Power Station, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, the prototype of Fast Breeder Reactor and two other sites identified for two Fast Breeder Reactors, besides Waste Immobilisation Plant. PFBR commissioning The prototype of the ambitious Fast Breeder Reactor, which is being constructed at Kalpakkam nuclear complex, is expected to attain criticality by year end, a senior DAE official said. “Having completed all essential activities for commissioning the PFBR is now looking for the regulatory clearance from AERB to start the commissioning process with the filling of sodium.”
ECONOMY NEWS RBI move could make your loans cheaper The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) brought festive cheer to the markets with a surprise 50 basis points reduction in its benchmark repo rate to 6.75 per cent in an effort to boost economic growth. The central bank’s rate cut is expected to give more elbow room for the banks to cut lending rates in the festive season, which is likely to spur demand in the economy. State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender, promptly announced a reduction in its base lending rate, making loans taken by home buyers, among others, cheaper. In its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy, the RBI kept the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), the portion of deposits which banks have to hold as reserve, unchanged at 4 per cent. The repo rate is the rate at which banks borrow funds from the central bank. Front-loading the policy action by a reduction of 50 basis points, RBI Governor Dr. Raghuram Rajan said that “investment is likely to respond more strongly if there is more certainty about the extent of monetary stimulus in the pipeline, even if transmission is slow.” While markets have transmitted the RBI’s past policy actions via commercial paper and corporate bonds, Dr. Rajan said “banks have done so only to a limited extent.” The median base lending rates of banks have fallen by only about 30 basis points despite extremely easy liquidity conditions. This is a fraction of the 75 basis points of the policy rate reductions during January-June, even after a passage of eight months since the first rate action by the RBI. While the RBI’s stance will continue to be accommodative, Dr. Rajan said, the focus of monetary action for the near term will shift to working with the Government to ensure that impediments to banks passing on the bulk of the cumulative 125 basis points cut in the policy rate are removed. “Global growth has moderated, especially in emerging market economies, global trade has deteriorated further and downside risks to growth have increased,” he said at a press conference. Govt. launches Green Highways Policy The government launched its Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy 2015, the aim of which is to help the environment, help local communities, and generate employment by planting trees along all the highways in the country. The target for the first year is to plant trees along 6,000 km of highways. “The Green Highway Policy will help in making India pollution free. It will also help in curtailing the number of road accidents in India. The vision of the policy is to provide dignified employment to local people and communities,” Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, said during the release of the policy. “So far, there has been a lack of funds and lack of land banks. Under this policy, every year 1 per cent of the total cost of highway projects will go the Green Highways Fund. That works out to around Rs 1,000 crore every year. The Ministry is also focusing on land acquisition for this,” Vijay Chhibber, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said, also speaking at the function. The target for the first year is to plant trees along 6,000 km of highways, for which 12,000 hectares of land is already available, he added. The vision of the policy is “to develop eco-friendly National Highways with the participation of the community, farmers, NGOs, private sector, institutions, government agencies and the Forest Department for economic growth and development in a sustainable manner”, according to the policy document. “The objectives of the policy include developing a policy framework for the plantation of trees along highways, reducing the impact of air pollution and dust, providing shade on glaring hot roads during summer, reducing the impact of noise pollution and soil erosion, preventing the glare from the headlights of incoming vehicles, and generating employment,” Alkesh Sharma, Joint Secretary, MoRTH said.
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“At the moment, 40 per cent of the traffic in India is on the National Highways, which comprise just 20 per cent of the roads,” Mr Gadkari said. The most important issue is air and water pollution, he added. The planting of trees will also help in achieving the country’s forest cover target, Mr Chhibber said. “The National Forest Policy mandate is for a forest cover of 33 per cent of the country’s land area. Currently, only 22 per cent is covered by forests. This difference can be met only through the planting of trees outside the forest areas,” he said. The Policy envisages a strict system of auditing whereby money will be released by the government to the empanelled agencies only if they have achieved a survival rate of 90 per cent the previous year. “It is not about how many trees we plant, but how many trees survive and how useful this is for the local community,” Mr Chhibber said, adding that the policy will focus on planting indigenous trees only. “There will be a strong monitoring mechanism in place by using ISRO’s Bhuvan and GAGAN satellite systems. Every planted tree will be counted and auditing will be done. The agencies performing well will receive annual awards,” Mr Gadkari said. South Asia important for India geo-politically, but not economically: CEA Economic integration with South Asia is not a top priority for India as its economy relies more on other regions, Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian said. Geo-political considerations, however, make the area important for India, he added. “Regional economic integration in South Asia is not a first priority for India. India’s economic fortunes are tied to the rest of the world. Geo-political considerations make South Asia important for India,” Mr Subramanian said while speaking at the South Asia Economic Conclave organised by CII and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. “South Asia has several important, growing markets, but even looking at India’s current pattern of trade, India’s biggest markets are international,” Mr Subramanian said, referring to India’s trading partners in the rest of the world. Mr Subramanian was addressing the gathering on “Expanding Intraregional Trade: Drawing Lessons from ASEAN and NAFTA”. Regarding this, he said that there are several differences between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which made it difficult to draw lessons from one for the other. First of all, the levels of development in both regional groupings are very different, he said. “Around 1990, US per capita GDP was 10 times that of Mexico. The difference in per capita levels is not that much in South Asia,” Mr Subramanian said. The second difference is that NAFTA was created by Mexico looking to use the US as an anchor economy, he said. “I don’t know if India is that anchor or if its South Asian neighbours want it to be that anchor,” the CEA said. The third difference is that in NAFTA, Mexico got a certainty of access to the US’ markets in return for it liberalising its economy considerably. The situation is different here, the CEA said, because it will involve a situation where all the economies will have to open up to each other. The certainty of access angle does not apply. Finally, the CEA said that there was no competition for the US to be the anchor in NAFTA. “For South Asian integration, Sri Lanka and our other neighbours have China as an alternative,” he said. Two other issues that could hinder South Asian economic integration are the twin problems of external politics impeding economic integration, and the domestic political ramifications of opening up markets to India’s South Asian neighbours, Mr Subramanian said. The way to tackle these problems, Mr Subramanian said, is to address them simultaneously—boost economic trade between countries in the region while at the same time using soft options to smoothen the political wrinkles surrounding the issue. India pips US, China as No. 1 foreign direct investment destination India has emerged on top of the foreign direct investment league table, overtaking China and the United States, according to the FT data service. A ranking of the top destinations for greenfield investment (measured by estimated capital expenditure) in the first half of 2015 shows India at number one, having attracted roughly $3 billion more than China and $4 billion more than the US, according to the Financial Times newspaper. "With midyear data on Greenfield FDI now in, 2015 looks to be a milestone year for India following its impressive performance in 2014," the article in FT said quoting fDi Markets, a data service of the FT. The news comes as a shot in the arm for the Narendra Modi government which has taken several steps to attract foreign investment and has helped revive mood of investors since it came to power in May 2014. While there has been a demand for accelerating the reforms drive, the government has unveiled several initiatives such as 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' to lure investors. It has moved to ensure that the country moves up the ranking on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business and states have started their clean-up act on this parameter. But experts say there are several areas where the government needs to step up reforms. The areas where investors want more reforms include tax policy, labour laws, cutting red tape and issues linked to land acquisition.
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Investors have started taking interest in the India growth story and the recent visit of Modi to Silicon Valley triggered enormous interest from software and technology czars. Growth is expected to be one of the fastest in the world and several multilateral agencies have said that India remains the bright spot among emerging economies. Experts say India is expected to benefit from the slowdown in China and the overall sluggishness in global commodity prices including crude oil is expected to provide a cushion to the growth fortunes of Asia's third largest economy. The government is confident of achieving close to 8% growth in the current fiscal year. India has also moved up on Global Competitiveness Index by 16 places to 55th position. The FT said that for the past several years, China and the US have vied for FDI supremacy and fought each other nearly to a draw last year, with the US ranking as the number one greenfield destination by number of projects and China coming in first by capital expenditure. It said India ranked fifth last year for capital investment, after China, the US, the UK and Mexico. In a year when many other major FDI destinations posted declines, India experienced one of 2014's best FDI growth rates, increasing its number of projects by 47%, the article said. "India is tracking well ahead of where it was at this time last year: it has more than doubled its midyear investment levels, attracting $30 billion by the end of June 2015 compared with $12 billion in the first half of last year," the newspaper said, adding that the news comes at a time at a time when FDI into emerging markets as a group is falling off a cliff. "Research from fDi Markets found 97 of 154 countries typically classed as emerging markets experiencing declines in capital expenditure on greenfield investment projects in the first six months of this year compared with the same time period last year," it said. Alibaba, Ant Financial pick up stake in Paytm Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding and finance arm Ant Financial Services Group are injecting fresh capital into Paytm, India's largest mobile payment and commerce platform, in what the companies say is a "strategic" investment. Alibaba and Paytm disclosed the deal in a joint statement without saying how much it is worth, nor how big a stake in Paytm the Chinese firms will acquire. Ant Financial already acquired 25% of Paytm parent One97 Communications in February in a transaction that a person with knowledge of the matter said was worth more than $500 million. At the time, one source with direct knowledge said the deal would see Alibaba directly invest around $600 million. That would see it and affiliated Ant Financial's total holding amount to about 40% of the Indian payments firm, and value Paytm at roughly $4 billion. "Investing in Paytm will enhance the ability of Alibaba and Ant Financial to tap opportunities in India's fast-growing mobile e-commerce marketplace and digital finance industry," the statement said. INDUSIND BANK IndusInd Bank announced the launch of ‘Onthego’ Social banking, which offers customers a host of banking services including transactions through social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Apart from providing banking services like checking account balance, enquiry of mini-statement, locating nearest ATM/branch, users now can transfer money to their phone and social contacts using Facebook and Twitter. The user need not download any additional mobile app. WTO lowers global trade growth forecast to 2.8% for 2015 Multilateral body WTO lowered its trade growth forecast to 2.8 per cent from 3 per cent for this year, due to falling import demand and lower commodity prices in the global market. It has also lowered the trade growth projections for 2016 to 3.9 per cent from 4 per cent. “WTO economists have lowered their forecast for world trade growth in 2015 to 2.8 per cent, from the 3.3 per cent forecast made in April, and reduced their estimate for 2016 to 3.9 per cent from 4 per cent,” WTO said in a statement. The forecast will have an adverse implication for India’s exports which have been witnessing continuous decline. India’s exports contracted for the ninth month in a row, dipping 20.66 per cent in August to USD 21.26 billion, due to steep decline in engineering and petroleum shipments. The WTO said that these revisions reflect a number of factors that weighed on the global economy in the first half of 2015, including falling import demand in China, Brazil and other emerging economies,falling prices for oil and other primary commodities, and significant exchange rate fluctuations. “Volatility in financial markets, uncertainty over the changing stance of monetary policy in the US and mixed recent economic data have clouded the outlook for the world economy and trade in the second half of the year and beyond,” it said.
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It added that if the current projections are realised, 2015 will mark the fourth consecutive year in which annual trade growth has fallen below 3 per cent and the fourth year, where trade has grown at roughly the same rate as world GDP, rather than twice as fast, as was the case in the 1990s and early 2000s. “WTO members can help to set trade growth on a more robust trajectory by seizing the initiative on a number of fronts, notably by negotiating concrete outcomes by December Ministerial Conference in Nairobi,” WTO’s Director- General, Roberto Azevedo, said. “At the time of our last forecast in April 2015, world trade and output appeared to be strengthening based on available data through 2014 Q4. However, results for the first half of 2015 were below expectations as quarterly growth turned negative, averaging -0.7 per cent in Q1 and Q2,” WTO added. RBI expresses reservation over 100% FDI in private banks The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised reservations over a proposal to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in private banks as it might create regulatory problems. According to sources, the central bank is of the view that 100 per cent FDI may complicate regulations for private and foreign banks. The proposal to hike FDI limit in private sector banks was recently discussed at a meeting of officials from the ministries of Finance, Commerce and Industry and RBI. “RBI is studying the proposal along with the Finance Ministry and the DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and promotion). ADB To Help Finance India-Bangladesh Power Link The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to help finance a project to increase transmission capacity of an India- Bangladesh power link to allow Bangladesh to better meet sharply rising power demand. ADB’s $120 million loan to Bangladesh wills double the capacity of the existing interconnector which links the power grid of western Bangladesh at Bheramara and the grid of eastern India at Bharampur. The two networks were first interconnected in 2013, under a previous project financed by ADB. New transmission capacity will rise from 500 megawatts (MW) to 1,000 MW, ADB said. “There are power surpluses and shortfalls across the region and this project assistance will help these two countries move forward to better utilise their energy generation capacities and to support the broader goal of South Asian regional energy cooperation,” said Anthony Jude, director, energy division, in ADB’s South Asia Department. Bangladesh’s fast-growing economy has soaring energy needs and domestic natural gas supplies cannot keep up with demand, resulting in an increasing dependence on oil and diesel-based plants.To meet its goal of providing electricity for all by 2021, the government is working to increase generating capacity and to source additional supply. The initial linking of the two national grids helped India deliver over 2,000 gigawatt hours of electricity across the border in 2014. Along with ADB’s loan assistance, the government of Bangladesh will provide financing of $63.2 million. The project is expected to be completed in June 2018. Gasoline exports to fall 98 % during 2014-19 India’s gasoline or petrol exports will fall by 98 per cent by 2019 and will become the second largest importer of gasoline after Indonesia by 2024, BMI Research said. “We forecast India’s net gasoline exports to decline by 97.8 per cent over the next five years, from 3.07 lakh barrels per day in 2014 to just 6,760 bpd in 2019. “This decline will be a result of rapid growth in domestic demand in India, which will require output normally designated for exports to be directed inward,” said BMI Research, a Fitch Group company. India will become a net importer of gasoline from 2020, despite a significant increase of production domestically. “Our forecasts show that India will become the second largest net importer of gasoline after Indonesia by the end of the decade, overtaking China, Australia and Malaysia as consumption growth slows in these key consumer countries,” it said. DIPP notifies automatic FDI route for white label ATMs Foreign investors would now be able to invest up to 100 per cent equity in white label ATM operations with the government notifying the regulations for the same. “The government has reviewed the extant FDI policy and decided to allow foreign investment up to 100 per cent in While Label ATM operations under the automatic route,” the DIPP said in a press note. White Labelled ATMs are set up by private non-bank companies that own and operate their own brand of ATMs. The companies seeking to set up such ATMs would have to follow certain conditions. Any non-bank entity intending to set up WLAs should have a minimum net worth of Rs.100 crore as per the latest financial year’s audited balance sheet, which is to be maintained at all times, it said. In case the entity is engaged in any other 18 non-banking finance companies activities, then the foreign investment in the company setting up WLA shall also have to comply with minimum capitalisation norms for foreign investments in NBFC activities.
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LIC cuts stake in CPCL Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has lowered its stake in Chennai Petroleum Corporation (CPCL) to 5.04 per cent by selling two per cent stake in the company, according to a stock exchange filing. Wary of risks, GAIL to take 10% stake in TAPI pipeline India will take no more than 10% stake in the US-based $10 billion Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline, considering the risk associated with the project. The four nations to the pipeline had in August agreed to co-own the project and a joint venture "Turkmenistan's state- owned TurkmenGaz will be the leader of the consortium and will take a minimum 51% stake. India will be represented by (state gas utility) GAILIndia," a senior government official said. Considering $10 billion as the approximate project cost, the host countries need to put in $3 billion as equity. "GAIL is willing to put in 10% equity," he said. "Even that 10% equity will come for $300 million, which is not a small sum of money." The company, he said, feels that the project has inherent security and geo-political risks as it passes through some of the world's most dangerous places. "It wants to cut its risks," he said. The work on TAPI pipeline is yet to commence as the four nations have not succeeded in finding a reputed international firm that could lead the consortium to construct and operate the pipeline. French giant Total SA had initially shown interest in leading a consortium of national oil companies of the four nations in the TAPI project. It, however, backed off after Turkmenistan refused to accept its condition of a stake in the gas field that will feed the pipeline. Since the four state-owned firms, including GAIL, neither have the financial muscle nor the experience of a cross- country line, it was felt that an international company would be better in building and operating it in hostile territories of Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, with no foreign company willing to take the project, the four nations have decided to implement it on their own, the official said. The TAPI pipeline will have a capacity to carry 90 million standard cubic metres a day (mmscmd) gas for 30 years and is planned to become operational in 2018. India and Pakistan would get 38 mmscmd each while the remaining 14 mmscmd will be supplied to Afghanistan. TAPI will carry gas from Turkmenistan's Galkynysh field, better known by its previous name South Yoiotan Osman that holds gas reserves of 16 trillion cubic feet. From the field, the pipeline will run to Herat and Kandahar province of Afghanistan, before entering Pakistan. In Pakistan, it will reach Multan via Quetta before ending at Fazilka (Punjab) in India. OECD unveils global measures on taxation The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) unveiled a set of measures, including country- by-country reporting, framework to end treaty shopping and curbing harmful tax practices through automatic exchange of information, in an effort to bring transparency in international taxation norms for multinationals. According to the Paris-based organisation, artificial profit shifting has caused an estimated loss of $240 billion annually, and the final guidelines on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) are aimed at ensuring “comprehensive, coherent and co-ordinated reform of the international tax rules” the OECD said in a statement. The measures come even as India has enacted a new black money law to deal with illegal overseas assets following huge political uproar. “Revenue losses from BEPS are conservatively estimated at $100-240 billion annually, or anywhere from 4-10 per cent of global corporate income tax (CIT) revenues. Given developing countries’ greater reliance on CIT revenues as a percentage of tax revenue, the impact of BEPS on these countries is particularly significant,” the statement added. Among the various measures, the OECD has revised the guidance on the application of transfer pricing rules to prevent taxpayers from using “cash box” entities to shelter profits in low or no-tax jurisdictions. The concept of Permanent Establishment has also been redefined to curb arrangements which avoid the creation of a taxable presence in a country by reliance on an outdated definition. The OECD/G20 project on BEPS provides governments with solutions for closing the gaps in existing international rules that allow corporate profits to artificially shift to low or no-tax environments, where little or no economic activity takes place. OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said BEPS is depriving countries of precious resources to jump-start growth and tackle the effect of the global economic crisis. “BEPS has been also eroding the trust of citizens in the fairness of tax systems worldwide. The measures we are presenting today represent the most fundamental changes to international tax rules in almost a century: they will put an end to double non-taxation, facilitate a better alignment of taxation with economic activity and value creation, and when fully implemented, these measures will render BEPS-inspired tax planning structures ineffective,” Gurria said. Undertaken at the request of the G20 leaders, the work to address BEPS is based on the 2013 G20/OECD BEPS Action Plan, which identified 15 steps to put an end to international tax avoidance.
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“The BEPS package offers a series of new measures to be implemented through domestic law changes, including strengthened rules on Controlled Foreign Corporations, a common approach to limiting base erosion …,” the statement added
SCIENCE AND TECH High level of arsenic found in US red wines If you love to drink red wine, take that sip with a little caution as researchers have found that many red wines in the U.S. contain arsenic exceeding permissible limits. Foundation stone laid for BEL’s new missile complex The nation’s largest Greenfield testing and assembly facility for futuristic missiles and weapons formally got off the ground at this town in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh at the hands of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Defence enterprise Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is setting set up the 914-acre, Rs. 500-crore Defence Systems Integration Complex over the next three to four years for advanced battlefield systems. After ceremonially laying the foundation stone and unveiling a plaque at the site, about 100 km from Bengaluru, Mr. Parrikar said the integrated complex that is designed with an 88-acre township and a vendors’ space should herald special zones for military production in the country. The dry region was suited for building defence systems that need a moisture-free environment, he said. Besides the ongoing Akash surface-to-air programme, the complex would enable BEL to develop new generation surface-to-air missiles, quick response SAMs, futuristic battlefield systems and advanced tactical communication systems, among others, BEL Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Sharma said. Climate change can alter the planet s shape As melting glaciers erode the land, global warming could alter the shape of the planet, says a new study published in the journal Nature . Moving glaciers deposit sediment downstream. ICRISAT introduces finger millet as mandate crop Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.], which figured among the six small millets in research portfolio of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), has now been formally made its mandate crop. This is an important recognition for a crop which has been an integral part of the ICRISAT’s research portfolio. “Finger millet has always been within our mandate crops but we want to provide greater visibility to this nutri-cereal that offers so much to smallholders in the form of economic opportunity and to consumers [including farm families] in the form of improved nutrition,” said ICRISAT Director-General David Bergvinson. The ICRISAT genebank holds nearly 6,000 finger millet germplasm accessions from 24 countries, conserved for use in research and development, according to a release. Improved varieties Among the ICRISAT projects that focus on finger millet, the Harnessing Opportunities for Productivity Enhancement of Sorghum and Millets in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (HOPE) project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is showing encouraging results in improving productivity of finger millet and household incomes in East Africa. This was achieved by enabling farmers to adopt improved varieties and associated agronomic practices and linking producers to both input and product markets. In Malawi, the introduction of three finger millet varieties highly valued by farmers is expected to resurrect a crop that had ‘disappeared’ from the southern region of the country. Farmers wanted access to seeds of Gulu E, ACC 32 and KNE 1124 varieties, so that they can start growing the crop again, ICRISAT stated. According to ICRISAT, finger millet variety U15 is the most preferred for its early maturity and grain colour, while IE 3779 is preferred for its resistance to blast disease and tolerance to lodging. Through a multi-institutional collaboration, ICRISAT scientists in East and Southern African region have generated a whole genome sequence of finger millet. In Karnataka finger millet is among the ‘climate smart’ crops that figures high on the agenda of the government. The other mandate crops of ICRISAT are sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut. New mobile app to help people with autism British researchers have developed a new mobile app called ASCmel.T. that involves people with autism in building new technologies for their own use. Drones to help gauge crop damage The Centre has decided to use satellite and drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) over farmers’ fields to collect crop yield data and to assess damage from natural calamities. The high resolution imagery of crop assessment from drones will be collated with satellite imaging and other geospatial technology to get accurate data to enable crop insurance companies to give proper compensation to affected farmers. The experiment will help develop index-based data for insurance companies.
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Launching the new programme called “Kisan” (Crop Insurance using Space Technology and Geoinformatics), Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan told that the scientific data collected by drones and collated with satellites imagery will be matched with traditional crop cutting experiments to arrive at a foolproof data. Among the drone companies active in India are SkyMet, Amigo Optima, Precision Hawk, Quidich and Techbaaz. “The crop insurance claim is calculated on the basis of crop cutting experiments. However, there has always been a problem in getting timely and accurate data, due to which payment of claims to farmers were getting delayed. A new programme “Kisan’’ is being launched on a pilot basis to address this issue,’’ Mr. Balyan said. At the same time, the Minister launched an Android mobile phone application to assess large-scale damage to crops from hail. Farmers with Android and smart phones will download the application which will allow them to immediately send photos of their crop damage to officials concerned for immediate relief. This will cut the red tape in reaching assistance to farmers, the Minister said. Initially, “Kisan’’ will be tried out as a pilot study in identified districts in Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Studies will be done during the ongoing kharif season in rice crop in Kurukshetra (Haryana), Shimoga (Karnaraka), Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) and in cotton in Yavatmal (Maharashtra). Next rabi, pilot studies will be carried out in wheat yields in Hissar and Karnal (Haryana), Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) and Vidisha and Hoshangabad (Madhya Pradesh). Studies will be done in sorghum in Gulbarga (Karnataka) and Solapur (Maharashtra) and in rice in Raichur (Karnataka). The programme will be jointly conducted by Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, India Meteorological Department, State Agriculture Departments and Remote Sensing Centres, Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
ENVIRONMENT NEWS India promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 2030 India has said it will ensure that its greenhouse gas emissions from one unit of GDP in 2030 is at least one third lesser than what it used to be in 2005. It has also said that it intends to produce about 40 per cent of its electricity in 2030 from “non-fossil fuel based sources” like solar, wind or hydropower. These promises, and a few more, have been made in an action plan that India submitted to the UN climate body, UNFCCC, outlining the kind of steps it wants to take until 2030 to contribute in the global fight against climate change. India said preliminary estimates suggested it would require “at least USD 2.5 trillion” at current prices to implement all these plans till 2030, and sought international help. Every country is submitting these action plans, called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or INDCs, in official language, ahead of an annual climate change conference in December — this time being held in Paris — that is expected to deliver a global climate agreement. India’s 38-page INDC was submitted in the final hours of an informal deadline of October 1. Including India, 120 countries have now submitted their INDCs. The Paris conference will begin on November 30 and run till December 11. The INDCs are expected to become a part of the Paris agreement and countries will become accountable to what they have promised in their INDCs. India, the fourth biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after China, the United States, and European Union as a whole, has also promised to rapidly increase its forest cover so that an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is created by the year 2030. It said that as per the latest assessment, India’s forest cover had increased from 23.4 per cent of its geographical area in 2005 to 24 per cent in 2013. The long term objective is to bring 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover. The promise to reduce emissions intensity, or emissions per unit of GDP, by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels is an extension of an earlier target India had set for itself in the run-up to the 2009 climate conference in Copenhagen, the previous time the world had attempted to finalise a climate agreement, but had failed. At that time, India had said it would cut its emission intensity by 20 to 25 per cent by the year 2020 compared to 2005. In its INDC, India said its emission intensity in 2010 had already been cut by 12 per cent as compared to 2005.
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A lower emission intensity means that for the same amount of GDP, a country is emitting far lesser greenhouse gases than earlier. India’s INDC is possibly the most detailed that any country has submitted thus far, but there are no surprises. It has listed all the actions that it is already taking to achieve its climate objectives, like the ongoing plan for installing 175 GW of power generation capacity through renewable energy sources by the year 2022. It has also talked about the four time increase in coal cess in the last two years, from Rs 50 per ton to Rs 200 per ton, and the increased taxes on petrol and diesel that should be seen as carbon tax being imposed on its citizens. It said, in a way, India had cut its petroleum subsidy by 26 per cent over the last one year. In its INDC, India has also linked several of government’s flagship programmes like the Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Swachh Bharat Mission, National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), National Mission for Clean Ganga, Make in India policy, Soil Health Card scheme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and many others to climate objectives. Coral site found in Arabian Sea off Konkan coast A treasure trove of corals has been found mid-sea off the Konkan coast by the scientists of the National Institute of Oceanography. The coral site is located in Arabian Sea, some 100-110 kms of the coastal districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg of Maharashtra. The place is known as Angria Bank, named after famous Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Anger, who is known to have fought a battle there. The expedition was initiated to study the biodiversity of the area by the forest department of Maharashtra. Funded by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), it was executed by the scientists of NIO in Goa at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. “The peculiarity of Angria Bank corals is that it is in the middle of the sea. Unlike other corals which are either coastal in nature like the Gulf of Mannar or the Andaman and Nicobar corals which are island corals, the Angria Bank is in the middle of the sea. “It must have been an island some 10,000 years ago, which is now submerged under water. So, while the area around Angria Bank has a depth of 1000 meters, Angria Bank’s tip is just 24 feet deep. “Since it was a hill or a small mountain it was an ideal place for the corals to grow with abundant sunlight and the elevation,” Ingole said. He added that since it is away from the coast, it also saves the corals from pollution emanating from the coast. Himalayan find: 199 new species and a 'sneezing' monkey A snub-nosed monkey that sneezes when it ra ins, a walking fish and a jewel like snake are among more than 200 new species discove red in the fragile eastern Himalayas, according to a new report by WWF. A report on wildlife in Nepal, Bhutan, the far north of Myanmar, southern Tibet and north-eastern India by The World Wildlife Fund said that discoveries in the past five years including 133 plants 26 species of fish, 10 new amphibians, one reptile, one bird and one mammal. "Some of the most striking discoveries include a vibrant blue dwarf `walking snakehead fish, which can breathe atmospheric air and survive on land for up to four days, although moving in a manner much clumsier than a slithering snake. "The report details an unfortunate monkey whose upturned no se leads to a sneeze every time the rain falls, and a living gem -the bejeweled lance-headed pit viper, which could pass as a carefully crafted piece of je wellery ," the report said. The snub-nosed monkey -or "Snubby" as they nick named the species -from locals in the remote forests of northern Myanmar, who said it was easy to find when it was raining because it often got rainwater in its upturned no se, causing it to sneeze. To avoid the problem snubby spend rainy days sitting with their heads tucked between their knees, the report said. "These discoveries show that there is still a huge amount to learn about the species that share our world," said Heather Sohl, WWF-UK's chief adviser of species. This rodent survived mass extinction Scientists on Monday announced the discovery in northwestern New Mexico's badlands of the fossil remains of Kimbetopsalis simmonsae, a plant-eating, rodent-like mammal boasting bucktoothed incisors like a beaver that lived just a few hundred thousand years after the mass extinction. Kimbetopsalis, estimated at 3 feet long, would have been covered in fur and possessed large molar teeth with rows of cusps used to grind down plants.
PLACE IN NEWS Hurricane Joaquin hits Bahamas, US landfall not certain
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Hurricane Joaquin gathered strength as it moved over the Bahamas and officials on the U.S. East Coast began gearing up for possible landfall early next week, three years after Superstorm Sandy devastated New York and New Jersey. Joaquin, the third hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season, intensified into a major Category 3 storm on a scale of 1 to 5, with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour (205 kph), the National Hurricane Center said. The eye was passing over uninhabited Samana Cay, moving southwest at 6 mph (9 kph), threatening resorts on the smaller islands of San Salvador, Exuma and Cat Island. The storm’s current plodding pace suggests prolonged hurricane conditions in parts of central and northwestern Bahamas, along with torrential rain and storm surges, before it makes a sharp turn north towards the United States. U.S. energy companies said they had learned from Sandy and used the last three years to gird their oil, natural gas and power infrastructure to better withstand another storm. Sandy, the worst storm in Con Edison’s history, left about a million customers without power, with outages lasting a couple of weeks in the hardest hit areas. The U.S. East Coast has nine refineries with an operable capacity of about 1.3 million barrels per day, according to government data. Flash floods on French Riviera kill 17 Flash flooding around the French Riviera has killed at least 17 people, some drowned in a retirement home and others trapped in cars and campsites. Torrents of muddy water inundated buildings, roads and railway tracks, disrupting movement along the Mediterranean coast. Residents of the picturesque and touristy region, stunned by the ferocity of the brief downpour on Saturday night, described it as the worst flooding they had ever seen. It was so dramatic that it prompted President Francois Hollande to pay an emergency visit to promise government aid for victims. Typhoon Mujigae tears into south China, kills 9 Authorities in China and the Philippines said that a typhoon that tore through the northern Philippines before roaring ashore in southern China has killed at least nine people and left dozens of fishermen missing. Typhoon Mujigae also prompted several strong tornadoes when it landed in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. In one case, a tornado swept up a car and killed the person inside, the Civil Affairs Department of Guangdong said. 22nd such typhoon Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon of the year, went through the northern Philippines, causing floods and a few landslips. Nearly 2, 00,000 people in southern China were evacuated before Typhoon Mujigae made landfall near the city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province.By Monday morning, the typhoon had moved into the neighbouring region of Guangxi and its high-wind speed dropped to 54 kilometres (34 miles) per hour. The typhoon lashed southern China, including the resort island province of Hainan, where thousands of Chinese have flocked during the weeklong National Day holiday. Nearly 200 fishermen in the Philippines had been reported missing at the height of the storm, mostly from the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union. IS blows up Palmyra’s iconic Arch of Triumph The United Nations cultural organisation condemned the latest destruction by Islamic State of ancient monuments in Syria’s 2,000- year- old Roman city of Palmyra, saying it showed they were terrified of history. The perpetrators should be tried and punished as war criminals, it said. Islamic State militants blew up the Arch of Triumph, a jewel in the exquisite collection of ruins in the oasis city, Syria’s antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said. “It is now wanton destruction. Their acts of vengeance are no longer ideologically driven because they are now blowing up buildings with no religious meaning,” he added. UNESCO said there would be no impunity for war criminals.
AWARDS Indian-American Professor wins ‘genius grant’ Kartik Chandran, an Indian-American Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia Engineering, has been named a 2015 MacArthur Fellow with a “genius grant” of $625,000 (Rs. 4.09 crore). Mr. Chandran, an IIT-Roorkee graduate, has won the fellowship for his work in “transforming wastewater from a pollutant requiring disposal to a resource for useful products, such as commodity chemicals, energy sources, and fertilizers.” He joins a distinguished group of 24 talented people who have all demonstrated exceptional originality and dedication to their creative pursuits as well as a marked capacity for self-direction. The fellows may use the $625,000 stipend as they see fit. “When I received the call telling me that I had been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, I was rather overwhelmed,” Mr. Chandran said. “I’d just returned to New York from India after a 24-hour flight and couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”
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Mr. Chandran’s research on the global nitrogen cycle and engineered wastewater treatment has been widely recognised. In 2011, he received a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a transformative model for water and sanitation management in Africa. Alternative Nobels honour human rights, global struggles The foreign minister and the people of the Marshall Islands were honoured for taking legal action against the nuclear powers for failing to honour disarmament obligations. Tony de Brum and the people of the Pacific island group shared the honorary portion of the 2015 Right Livelihood Award, sometimes referred to as the "Alternative Nobel". This year's 3-million-kronor ($ 358,500) cash award was shared by three activists Canada's Sheila Watt-Cloutier, for her supports to Inuit causes; Uganda's Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, for her struggle for sexual minorities' rights; and Italian surgeon Gino Strada, for providing medical assistance to victims of war. Created in 1980, the annual Right Livelihood Award honours efforts that prize founder, Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, felt were being ignored by the Nobel Prizes. Foundation director Ole von Uexkull the award creator's nephew said this year's winners "stand up for our basic rights," including those of indigenous peoples, and gay and other sexual minority groups, and "the right of all citizens to live in a world free from the scourges of war and climate chaos." 3 win Nobel Prize in Medicine for parasite-fighting therapies Three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering “therapies that have revolutionised the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases,” the Nobel committee announced. William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura won for developing a new drug, Avermectin. A derivative of that drug, Ivermectin, has nearly eradicated river blindness and radically reduced the incidence of filariasis, which causes the disfiguring swelling of the lymph system in the legs and lower body known as elephantiasis. They shared the $900,000 award with Youyou Tu, who discovered Artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced death rates from malaria. “These two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually,” the committee said in a statement. “The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable.” Parasitic worms afflict a third of the world’s population, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease caused by single-cell parasites that invade red blood cells, kills more than 450,000 people a year, most of them children. “After decades of limited progress in developing durable therapies for parasitic diseases, the discoveries by this year’s laureates radically changed the situation,” the committee said. “Collectively, Omura and Campbell’s contributions led to the discovery of a new class of drugs with extraordinary efficacy against parasitic diseases,” the committee said. Tu won a Lasker Award in 2011 for her discovery of Artemisinin. When used in combination therapy, it is estimated to reduce mortality from malaria by more than 20 percent overall, and by more than 30 percent in children. In Africa alone, it saves more than 100,000 lives each year.
SPORTS M.R. Poovamma (Athletics) and Babita Kumari (Wrestling) Receive Arjuna Award 2015 Minister of State (I/C) for Youth affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal conferred Arjuna Award 2015 to M.R. Poovamma (Athletics) and Babita Kumari (Wrestling). Both awardees received statuette, certificate and award money of Rs.5 lakh each. M.R. Poovamma and Babita Kumari could not receive the Arjuna Award from President of India on 29August 2015 as both of them were abroad due to professional commitments. India to host Fed Cup carrom for first time The seventh Federation Cup international carrom tournament will be held at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium from October 7 to 11. It is the first time the event is being held in India. Teams from the UK, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Qatar and Pakistan are expected to take part. Sania-Hingis pair clinches title Indian tennis star Sania Mirza continued her superb run with Swiss partner Martina Hingis as they clinched their seventh title together by winning the WTA Wuhan Open women’s doubles final. The top-seeded pair eased past the Romanian team of Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-3 in the title clash. The Indo-Swiss pair dropped serve three times and fought back from a 2-0 deficit in the second set to emerge triumphant in the summit clash. With today’s win, the Indo-Swiss pairing has seven WTA doubles titles together this year — Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, the US Open, Guangzhou and Wuhan.
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They have won their last three tournaments and their last 13 matches without dropping a single set. They now head to the China Open in Beijing, where they have been given the top billing. Manohar vows to cleanse BCCI The newly-elected Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president, Shashank Manohar, has promised to initiate stern and practical steps and deliver results in two months to win back the confidence of Indian cricket fans. “Nothing wrong is being done in the Board. However, a perception has been created in the minds of the people that something is wrong. In order to clear that myth and change the perception, we have to take measures immediately,” he said at the start of his second term. The issue of conflict of interest, which has been on the boil for some years now, has been given top priority by the incoming president. Mr. Manohar also cited corruption as a major challenge. He said efforts would be made to stage the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in India (March-April 2016) in a transparent manner. Mr. Manohar rated the past president, N. Srinivasan, as by far the best secretary of the BCCI, after Jagmohan Dalmiya, and said his endeavour would be to unify all 30 affiliates of the Board. “My term of office is for two years and more; but whatever measures I have explained, they will be implemented in full force in the next two months.”
PERSONS IN NEWS Mirwaiz among world’s 10 influential Muslim politicians A Jordan-based Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC), an independent research centre, has put separatist and the Valley’s head priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq among the top 10 influential Muslim faces of the world. Releasing the seventh annual issue of ‘The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims’ the RISSC survey says it focused on any person who has the power, be it cultural, ideological, financial, political or otherwise, to make a change that will have a significant impact, positive or negative, on the Muslim world. Listing the Mirwaiz in the top 10 influential faces in the political section rather than religious, the survey says he has inherited as the 14th Mirwaiz (a Kashmiri term for head priest) in 1990 at the age of 17 after the assassination of his father. “At the young age of 20, he became chairman and founder of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a grassroots coalition of pro-freedom parties in Jammu & Kashmir. He has raised the Kashmiri problem at the UN, the EU parliament, and the OIC while advocating dialogue with both India and Pakistan so that the aspirations of the Kashmiri people may be realized,” read the survey report. The Mirwaiz is a lone face as Muslim political figure from India who the survey sees as an influential political figure. He figured at the number nine in the list of ‘Top-10 Muslim Leaders.’ “People who are trailblazers or the lone voice in a remote area are also taken into account,” the report said. The top 10 personalities in the list of 500 influential Muslims included the names of King Abdullah II, Professor Dr. Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Sheikh of the Al-Azhar University, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Ali Khamenei, King Muhammed VI, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, General Al-Sheikh Mohammed, Recep Tayyip, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hussein Sistani and Hajji Muhammed Abdul-Wahhab Amir of Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan. Pakistan’s Imran Khan and Malala Yousufzai also figure in the list of influential Muslims. Indian sets Guinness World Records for longest fingernails on one hand INDIAN SETS RECORD FOR LONGEST NAILS Shridhar Chillal has made it to the Guinness Book of World records for the longest fingernails on one hand. He wants to dedicate the nails to a museum. Youth recites 70,000 Pi digits, sets record A 21-year-old Indian student has set a Guinness World Record by memorising 70,000 post-decimal digits of Pi, beating a Chinese who had held the record for 10 years. Rajveer Meena, a resident of Mohocha village in Swaimodhapur district, had in March this year set the record by reciting post decimal Pi values up to 70,000 digits in 9 hours 27 minutes. He was awarded the certificate of Guinness World Record for memory on October 1. “The most decimal places of Pi memorised is 70,000, and was achieved by Rajveer Meena (India) at the VIT University, Vellore, India. Rajveer wore a blindfold throughout the entire recall, which took nearly 10 hours,” the official website of the Guinness World Records states. Earlier, the record was held by Lu Chao. He had recited post decimal Pi values up to 67,890 digits in 24 hours and 7 minutes in 2005.
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Swedish crime writer Mankell dies of cancer Best-selling Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell, whose detective character Kurt Wallander became a worldwide phenomenon, has died at 67 after a battle with cancer. Mankell’s collection of dark novels about the Swedish police inspector Wallander brought the author international fame, particularly after it was made into a television series by the BBC starring Oscar-nominated actor and director Kenneth Branagh. Mankell, who shared his time between Sweden and Mozambique, published more than 40 novels, plays and children’s books, selling around 40 million copies around the world. The Wallander series itself won numerous awards and contributed to the massive global interest in Scandinavian crime and thriller novels dubbed Nordic noir.
OPINION Space observatory takes wing With the successful launch of the space observatory, Astrosat, the Indian Space Research Organisation has put India in a select group of countries that have a space telescope to study celestial objects and processes. The ability to simultaneously study a wide variety of wavelengths — visible light, ultraviolet and X-ray (both low- and high-energy) bands — has tremendous implications for scientists globally, particularly those in India. Though stars and galaxies emit in multiple wavebands, currently operational satellites have instruments that are capable of observing only a narrow range of wavelength band. Since the Earth’s atmosphere does not allow X-rays and ultraviolet energy from distant cosmic objects to reach ground-based telescopes, space observatories become important to unravel celestial mysteries. With Astrosat, Indian researchers will no longer have to rely on other space agencies for X-ray data, and scientists everywhere need no longer source data from more than one satellite to get a fuller picture of celestial processes. As in the case of Chandrayaan-1 and the Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan, the Astrosat telescope will have no immediate commercial or societal implications. But the instruments have been carefully chosen to allow scientists to pursue cutting-edge research. Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan returned invaluable information, although they were launched several years after other countries sent satellites to the Moon and Mars. Given the uniqueness of Astrosat, it will enable Indian researchers to work in the frontier areas of high-energy astrophysics. It is for the first time that a majority of the payloads for an Indian satellite has come from outside ISRO. In fact, ISRO has built just one of the five payloads for Astrosat; the rest comes from scientific institutions based in India. Two of the payload operation centres that would validate the data obtained by Astrosat will be located in the Mumbai- based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research that built three of the payloads, and one each in the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru that built one payload. This is in recognition of their contribution to the mission. Besides providing an opportunity to build world-class instruments, Astrosat will present an ideal platform for researchers in these institutions. As is the norm internationally, for a year the teams that built the payloads would have exclusive control over what is observed by the satellite. That singularly will be the biggest benefit to Indian researchers. Better weather For some time now, and especially after last November yielded an unexpected emissions reduction deal between US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, India has been seen to take an uncompromising zero-sum view of how climate change responsibilities should be shared at international forums. At his summit with Obama on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to have made an aggressive, and welcome, pitch to counter and correct this narrative, in which India is routinely cast as an obstructionist outlier. Though the absence of an announcement along the lines of the US-China deal will have disappointed some — it was always unlikely that Obama could win similar concessions from Modi, given the vast schism in the development levels of India and China — Modi forcefully reiterated the government’s unilateral commitment to boost renewable energy, with ambitious capacity targets for solar (100 GW) and wind (60 GW) by 2022, more than six times the current installed capacities. This, coupled with his call to developed countries to provide access to finance and technology to enable emerging economies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, indicates a commendable shift in India’s climate diplomacy. Over the past year, India has signalled a willingness to step up cooperation on the issue while attempting to leverage its own domestic initiatives to stave off a deal that shrinks its ability to meet its developmental goals at the crucial UN Conference of the Parties in Paris in December. In the past, India and other developing countries have staunchly stood by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, or the argument that wealthy economies like the US must bear the major burden of making emissions cuts to solve a problem they largely created. Many parts of the developed world, on the other hand, have been reluctant to act in isolation, pointing to developing countries’ increased share in global GHG emissions. This wide gap in negotiating positions led to a stalemate in Copenhagen in 2009, and the forecast for a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol has been rather gloomy since. Or it was, until the US-China agreement introduced a new spark of hope.There could have been no credible or meaningful global agreement without the two biggest GHG emitters in the world.
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Modi’s “uncompromising commitment on climate change”, along with an earlier acceptance of the pressure from “future generations” to act, demonstrates India’s willingness to play its part. Now, the government must develop a workable long-term plan to wean the power grid off coal, on which it is overwhelmingly dependent. Development and security Development comes in many forms and serves multiple purposes. Over the last few months, the Central government has initiated a series of steps to upgrade communications and transport infrastructure in areas affected by naxalite activity. The larger project is to not only usher in development in the tribal areas and improve the living conditions of populations in hilly and forest terrains, but also facilitate security operations against Maoists, who specialise in ambushes and hit-and-retreat tactics. Hundreds of mobile phone towers have been erected along the Red Corridor, and roads and bridges are being built to connect naxalite-affected districts. Ending the isolation of some of the villages in remote areas of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand is, no doubt, part of a strategy to win over local populations and wean them away from the influence of armed groups of Maoists. But, coming as it does with heavy deployment of Central police forces, such infrastructure development is suspect in the eyes of many villagers in the tribal regions. The ‘development’ is often seen more as an effort to allow access to tribal areas for security personnel in pursuit of Maoists rather than as an attempt to open up the outside world to the villages. Invariably, the state is seen as an external agency waiting to wield its authority and extend its reach without allowing substantial consequential benefits to the villages. Any state-sponsored activity, even if it is in the name of development, is thus met with hostility, and viewed as no more than an extension of the security apparatus. Better facilities can at best mark the beginning of a process of addressing the livelihood concerns and social insecurities of tribal populations. Without investing in health and education infrastructure, increasing employment opportunities, and raising the quality of life in tribal areas, it would be difficult to address the socio-economic grievances that feed into the Maoist agenda. While the government ought to do everything in its power to end arbitrary and irrational violence by the Maoists, ‘development’ should not be reduced to building mobile towers, roads and bridges. Democratic institutions are yet to take root in many of the villages where Maoists have their sympathisers. In many areas Maoists have assumed a representative character and elections are boycotted at the instance of leaders of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Thus, merely concentrating on upgrading infrastructure without addressing long-standing grievances will not meet the government’s objectives. Representative institutions in the villages must be made party to decision-making in the development process, which should go beyond the infrastructure needs of the security personnel. Russia goes in Moscow’s military involvement in the four-year-long Syrian civil war, which officially began with the launch of Russian airstrikes against rebel positions, is a major diplomatic gamble by President Vladimir Putin. With an eye, purportedly, to protecting Russia’s strategic interests and securing the country against the Islamic State (IS), Putin has evidently capitalised on the US administration’s apparent lack of strategy on Syria. He chastised the West for letting much of the post-Arab Spring Middle East degenerate into chaos. To make his point, in a departure from recent habit, he attended the UN General Assembly and held a meeting with US President Barack Obama to explain his plans. Whether this portends a global geopolitical inflection point depends on what the Russians intend to do in Syria and how effectively they do so. The question being asked is whether the Russians are, indeed, trying to destroy the IS or merely prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, their longstanding ally. The US claims that Moscow has targeted areas where the IS has no presence. Putin, given his status as pariah in the eyes of the West after the annexation of Crimea last year and hard-pressed by Russia’s economic woes after sanctions, will be loath to give up what he sees as an opportunity to re-establish Russian influence in the Middle East. While US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter accused Moscow of pouring “gasoline on the fire”, the lack of coordination on the ground between Nato and Russia could lead to a situation where a US or French fighter comes in the line of Russian fire, leading to a diplomatic catastrophe at the least. Unlike Obama’s apparent procrastination on Syria, Putin appears to know what he wants. But the opportunity he sees comes with big risks. Washington and Moscow must take their forthcoming military talks very seriously. How to avoid Copenhagen in Paris As the much-awaited United Nations Climate Change Conference slated to be held in Paris this December comes closer, questions on how to first and foremost avoid a repeat of the disaster that was the Copenhagen climate summit of 2009 seem to have already taken centre stage. Both China and India took home much of the blame for the failures in Denmark. Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, a few months later, reported that former French president Nicolas Sarkozy had an emotional outburst hours before the summit was deemed a failure. This was after Europe committed up to 80 per cent cuts in its carbon emissions. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 27 2015CA_030,001,002,003,004,005,006
“With all due respect to China… China, which will soon be the biggest economic power, says to the world: Commitment applies to you but not us. This is utterly unacceptable!” Mr. Sarkozy had reportedly retorted in a room full of top diplomats and heads of state. Ground zero The Arctic polar ice melt is often seen as the ground zero of climate change debate. It is a region where climate change can be physically quantified through graphs, pictures and visible data, all of which give life to scientific jargon. Recently, National Geographic confirmed that for the tenth edition of their celebrated ‘Atlas of the World’ series, the shrinking of ice caps forced them to make the biggest change in their atlas since the Soviet Union broke apart. U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted this point when he became the first American President to visit Alaska’s Arctic regions to promote his so-called Clean Power Plan. Ironically, Mr. Obama’s visit to the Alaskan Arctic came just after giving oil and gas giant Shell permission to drill in the sensitive ecology. This highlights the global fight to find a balance between environment protection and industrialisation. (Shell has now abandoned its drilling operations in the region). Since Copenhagen, some significant events have taken place that could add optimism to the Paris conference. In late 2014, China and the U.S. agreed on a bilateral deal on carbon emissions that arguably gave some leverage to Beijing on its emission cut plans till 2030 over the U.S. Currently China emits more CO{-2}than the U.S. and Canada put together, with emission levels up by 171 per cent since 2000. In the same period, India has become the third biggest emitter. However, in terms of per capita emissions, India’s is only 1.75 tonnes of CO{-2}per capita compared to 4 (world average) or 10+ (developed country average). The above numbers are one of the major reasons why India and China are now more relevant to multilateral forums around the world, irrespective of geographic proximity or political interests. Both China and India are also observing members of the Arctic Council, which has its secretariat in Tromsø, Norway. As one of the top three polluters in the world, New Delhi is under significant pressure to commit to legally binding emission cuts. What is expected of India and China, as part of the multilateral negotiations, is loosely highlighted in the skeleton document for the Paris conference, released during a preparatory summit in Bonn, Germany, in August. Olav Schram Stokke, Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, in his work titled ‘Asian Stakes and Arctic Governance’, believes that Asian stakeholders today are major contributors to the representations of climate change visible in the region, which explains why the likes of India, China, Japan and others have been incorporated into the Arctic Council as observers. However, as Prof. Stokke highlights, the intensity with which Asian observers take part in the affairs of the Arctic Council and associated organisations, such as the International Maritime Organization, is modest. The reasons behind his observations could range from the relatively ambiguous understanding of what the observer’s role is — a conundrum that at least India seems to face — to a general watered-down importance of such regional multilateral forums mixed with an already stressed deployable diplomatic capital and expertise in India’s Foreign Ministry. Sustainable development It is also important to remember that Arctic states such as Russia, Norway, Denmark, Canada and the U.S. are not ignorant to the commercial opportunities that climate change in the region brings with it. The idea of ‘sustainable development’ is also a very active and pursued policy. Along with environmental protection, energy (mostly oil and gas), natural resources such as fish, and commercial shipping are also on the Arctic states’ top agenda. Countries such as Norway and Russia depend heavily on revenues from their large oil and gas sectors, which include exploration and production activities in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, both on and off shore. According to Statistics Norway, oil and gas is the country’s largest export market, worth more than USD$60.5 billion annually. In 2012, the petroleum sector represented more than 23 per cent of the country’s total value creation, crucial for its sovereign wealth fund, which is the largest of its kind and valued at almost $900 billion. While countries such as Norway may not be big consumers of oil themselves and, in fact, are pioneers in renewable energy, a significant portion of their wealth is still based on the sale of hydrocarbon products. The Copenhagen summit’s failure gave countries such as India the option of developing Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), or, in other words, voluntary national targets for controlling carbon emissions. These are rumoured to be only legally binding for developed nations, and not the developing. This allows Delhi to attempt to reach targets on CO{-2}emissions that it can set itself, giving it control, and allowing it perhaps to rely more on realism, navigating the big moral pressures of national climate change policies. While the acceptance of INDCs is a much-criticised policy by Europe, it offers India security. India needs to control the fate of its developing economy, which, for example, has challenges such as providing more than 300 million people with electricity. The INDC route, probably more importantly, allows India time to build systems at home to implement a legally binding climate framework in the future, systems it currently does not have. Unless such systems are first developed, an international legally binding climate treaty could become hugely problematic for the country’s economy. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 28 2015CA_030,001,002,003,004,005,006
Preparing for Paris India’s commitment to adopt low-carbon pathways for development is welcome reaffirmation that it fully recognises its role in averting dangerous climate change. In the statement of climate goals and plans — formally called the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or INDCs — which has been submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Narendra Modi government has emphasised the expansion of clean technologies to generate power, greater energy efficiency in infrastructure, and a significant widening of forestry as key measures. There are several other actions that it will take in the areas of transport, buildings, agriculture and waste management in order to balance economic growth with carbon emissions. With all this, India promises to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030, from 2005 levels, while not committing itself to any absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. What is significant is that the national plans given in the INDC, ahead of the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015, depends on the “unencumbered availability of clean technologies and financial resource from around the world”. Such a position is consistent with the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ that guides climate negotiations. Yet, India cannot avoid addressing the internal contradiction — affluent citizens have access to cheap, abundant energy and mobility while the poor and the vulnerable are forced to fend for themselves — in facing the negative effects of climate change. On the positive side, since much of India’s infrastructure is yet to be built, the Central and State governments can adopt the greenest technologies to ensure that the long-term impact on emissions is positive. This is particularly important in the design and construction of built structures, including housing and offices, mass transport systems and lighting, to name a few. New coal-based power generation facilities have a prolonged lock-in effect of high emissions, and it is vital to opt for the cleanest systems. Financing such a major effort requires massive funding; the INDC data estimate that between now and 2030, at least $2.5 trillion would be required for the country to meet climate change action requirements. Some of the funding could come from the taxing of fuels. As with the coal cess, there could be a climate tax on transport fuels — this would result in a tax-and-share arrangement where high-volume users would pay a tax to fund common facilities. Another area that needs support is in helping citizens scale up their contribution to renewable energy. Incentivising citizen-investment in roof-top solar installations would unlock private funds and help the country exceed the 100 GW it aims to generate from this source. That will be a world-leading achievement. Great expectations in Sri Lanka The unanimous adoption of a resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka last week is notable for the pragmatism that informs it. The idea of an external investigation into the conduct of the military and the political leadership has been bearing down on the island nation for some years now. The erstwhile Rajapaksa administration responded with defiance and belligerent opposition to any move towards accountability, except one that was formulated and executed by the government on its own terms. The moves tended to divide the international community on whether to bail out Sri Lanka or come down on it. In a welcome departure from this trend, countries have come together and adopted, with Sri Lanka’s consent and participation, a resolution that emphasises justice and accountability for excesses committed by both sides, especially in the last phase of the civil war; on a political process to devolve power to the ethnic minorities; and an overall commitment to strengthen governance and democracy and end what many thought was an atmosphere of impunity. The political transformation that this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections ushered in is the main reason for the international community to have come together to aid Sri Lanka in a much-needed process of self-rejuvenation. Its democratic institutions and instruments of governance require a systemic overhaul after having been undermined by the previous regime. This factor has obviously impelled the world to encourage the present Sirisena- Wickremesinghe dispensation by means of a consensus resolution rather than weaken the government’s domestic popularity by imposing an intrusive mechanism. However, the road ahead will not be smooth. A credible judicial mechanism will have to be evolved and foreign resources such as judges and prosecutors will have to be incorporated with care. An investigation process that inspires the confidence of victims to come forward and depose will have to be put in place. Fixing command responsibility for the bombing of civilians and the execution of those who surrendered, especially on political functionaries and their family members, is not going to be easy and must be marked by due process. The challenge is much bigger than the one relating to finding a political solution. For some, the idea of a judicial mechanism that includes foreign judges to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of war crimes and other offences may seem to fall short of the international inquiry of the sort they favour. To others, it is a rare opportunity to address several issues that defy a solution. A fair conspectus of assumptions underlying the Human Rights Council resolution is that it promotes reconciliation and truth-seeking and may lead to a sense of closure for the victims and a possible guarantee of non-recurrence, and that it opens up yet another opportunity for a political solution. These expectations cannot be belied.
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Green in India: Government lays out ambitious plan to balance economic growth with emissions reduction With the UNFCCC Paris summit fast approaching, India has finally submitted its post—2020 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) target towards climate change mitigation. Accordingly, it has promised to lower the emission intensity of GDP by 33—35% from 2005 levels in 2030. Simply put, India has committed to lowering its greenhouse gas emission per unit of economic activity. This is expected to cost $2.5 trillion over the next 15 years and India expects to receive both financial and technological help from developed countries to meet its self—imposed goal. That said, the goal set by government is in the right direction. The emission intensity reduction target is achievable as India has been making steady progress towards a low—carbon growth path. Between 2005 and 2010, emission intensity of GDP declined by 12% on account of improvements in technology and legal changes brought about to raise emission standards across all areas. This trend is set to continue with Indian cities expected to shift in steps to cleaner fuel over the next few years. Of course, it’s important for future governments to stick to this path and not give in to populist demands. Plus, combating climate change through the energy efficiency route would require India to not deviate from its plan of generating 40% of electricity (installed capacity) through non—fossil fuel sources. Government intends to dramatically ramp up nuclear, wind and solar capacity with the latter, in particular, increasing from 4GW to 100GW over the next seven years. However, challenges abound. While nuclear power is bogged down by liability laws, wind and solar power generation is intermittent and presents transmission and storage problems. For these to be ramped up huge investments are required in smart grids and integrated transmission networks. This is where foreign aid in the form of soft loans and technology transfers comes in. Developed countries have a historical responsibility to vacate carbon space and help developing countries like India meet emission mitigation targets without compromising on their development needs. Besides, India’s per capita emission continues to be far lower than the developed world and industrialised middle income nations such as China. In this scenario India’s INDCs are fair and ambitious, allowing New Delhi to play a pivotal role in climate change mitigation while ensuring a decent standard of living for its citizens. Poverty’s great fall According to the World Bank report on global poverty released over the weekend, the proportion of people living below the global poverty line in 2015 will fall to single digits — 9.6 per cent — down from 12.8 per cent in 2012. This is a first, ever since such data was calculated in 1990. Apart from this, three aspects stand out. One, the famous dollar-a-day poverty line (actually $1.25), prevalent since 2005, stands updated to nearly two dollars a day ($1.90 — based on 2011 price levels) to better reflect current realities. Two, the decline has happened despite the near-global slowdown of growth since the 2008 crisis. Three, notwithstanding the overall fall, poverty is getting increasingly concentrated in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, despite the rapid alleviation of poverty over the past three decades, South Asia continues to be home to one-third of the world’s poor. In fact, as of 2012, India had the largest number of the world’s poor. While detailed India-specific data is still pending, there are two clear takeaways. One, there is unequal progress across states when it comes to non-income dimensions of development. Data shows that it is easier to reduce income or monetary poverty, but multidimensional poverty is far more persistent. This underlines the increasingly important role of state governments when it comes to implementing poverty alleviation programmes. This is crucial because public provisioning of health and education, both in terms of the budget allocated as well as ground-level implementation, varies significantly across states. With states expected to fund more such activities from the increased devolution of tax funds, this aspect will assume importance. Two, the fall in poverty globally as well as in India is due to methodological reasons that will further fuel the ongoing debate on India’s domestic poverty-line calculations. One is the way India measures poverty. The WB report has chosen a new method, wherein consumption expenditure is based on “modified mixed reference period” (or MMRP) against the Indian norm of “uniform reference period (URP)”. Consumption data according to the MMRP for 2011-12, for instance, shows that Indians spent more than what the data according to the URP suggests. This results in a lower poverty figure. The additional problem is that India started collecting MMRP-based data only since 2009-10 and so, there is no comparative data. It would be best to regard the latest numbers with some caution.
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WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM 7th TO 13th OCT, 2015
INTERNATIONAL NEWS Top EU court rules data sharing pact with US invalid The European Union's highest court ruled that an agreement that allows companies to freely transfer data to the US is invalid as it does not adequately protect consumers. The verdict could have far-reaching implications for companies operating in Europe. It does not ban the transfer of data but will allow national authorities to review what kinds of information companies want to send to the US, possibly complicating business. The ruling comes from a case that Austrian law student Max Schrems brought following revelations two years ago by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden about the NSA's surveillance programs. Schrems complained to the data protection commissioner in Ireland, where Facebook has its European headquarters, that US law doesn't offer sufficient protection against surveillance of data transferred by the social media company to servers in the United States. Irish authorities initially rejected his complaint, pointing to a 2000 decision by the EU's executive Commission that, under the so-called "safe harbor" agreement, the US ensures adequate data protection. The agreement has allowed for the free transfer of information by companies from the EU to US. It has been seen as a boost to trade since, absent such a deal, swift and smooth data exchange over the Internet would be much more difficult. The European Court of Justice ruled that the data sharing pact is invalid. It said that the "safe harbor" deal enables interference by US authorities with fundamental rights and contains no reference either to US rules to limit any such interference or to effective legal protection against it. The court said the effect of the ruling is that the Irish data commissioner will now be required to examine Schrems' complaint "with all due diligence". Once it has concluded its investigation, the authority must "decide whether... transfer of the data of Facebook's European subscribers to the United States should be suspended on the ground that that country does not afford an adequate level of protection of personal data," the court said in a summary of its ruling. Schrems said he hoped the ruling will be a milestone for online privacy. "This decision is a major blow for US global surveillance that heavily relies on private partners," Schrems said in a statement. "The judgement makes it clear that US businesses cannot simply aid US espionage efforts in violation of European fundamental rights." However, he noted that the ruling doesn't bar data transfers from the EU to the US, but rather allows national data protection authorities to review individual transfers. "Despite some alarmist comments I don't think that we will see major disruptions in practice," Schrems said. Myanmar gets first-ever poll app Team Pop Stack, a group of young coders, recently launched Myanmar’s first ever election app — MVoter2015. Now they are targeting millions of hyper-active Facebook users in Myanmar, where mobile telephones and the Internet have spread rapidly since the end of military rule in 2011, and social media have a critical role in the Nov. 8 election. The country of 51 million people has more than 18 million SIM cards for mobile phones. Team Pop Stack says the app, although meant for everyone, is aimed at Myanmar’s youth. ‘Nepal will look outside if crisis does not end’ India sees no merit in Nepal’s complaints that it was being “choked” and deprived of essential supplies amid continuing trouble in the Himalayan state over its Constitution which is regarded here as “rigid.” Nepal’s Ambassador here — Deep Kumar Upadhyay — again spoke of an Indian blockade of his country, which he claimed, was being denied of essential supplies such as petroleum products by India, a charge dismissed by New Delhi. India maintains that the concerns of Indian-origin Madhesi population about the new Nepal Constitution were legitimate and needed to be addressed now. Commenting on the crisis, Mr. Upadhayay said, “When we are asked what if the blockade does not end...then we say that we have to look at the world outside. Our priority would be restoring normalcy with the help of the Indian government.” Meanwhile, India is in consultations with other countries and groupings like the European Union over the crisis in the Himalayan nation. Africa flatlining in 2015 governance index Progress in African governance has hit a plateau, while more than a third of African countries are backsliding, an annual index measuring key development factors showed.
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Some 21 of the 54 states ranked, including five of the top 10, have deteriorated in overall governance performance over the last four years, the 2015 Ibrahim Index of African Governance found. After rocketing ahead since 2000, progress on average across the continent has stalled since 2011, the data-based index showed. “Africans overall are certainly healthier and live in more democratic societies than 15 years ago,” said founder Mo Ibrahim, the Sudan-born telecoms tycoon, launching the 2015 index in London. However, the statistics showed that “recent progress in other key areas on the continent has either stalled or reversed, and that some key countries seem to be faltering,” he said. “This is a warning sign for all of us. Only shared and sustained improvements across all areas of governance will deliver the future that Africans deserve and demand.” The index ranks countries according to 93 indicators grouped under four overarching categories. There were overall improvements in human development, and in participation and human rights, but deterioration in sustainable economic opportunity, and in safety and the rule of law. – Mauritius top, Somalia bottom – This year’s index includes Sudan and South Sudan for the first time, enough separate data having been amassed since South Sudan’s secession in 2011, though both states are performing poorly. The top five countries, scored out of 100, were Mauritius (79.9), Cape Verde (74.5), Botswana (74.2), South Africa (73.0) and Namibia (70.4), which overtook Seychelles. The bottom five was Eritrea (29.9), Sudan (28.3), Central African Republic (24.9), South Sudan (19.9) and Somalia (8.5). Meanwhile the worst fallers were South Sudan (down 9.6), the Central African Republic (down 8.4) and Mali (30th, down 8.1 to 48.7). “Countries who have stronger institutions which are less corrupt and have free and fair elections are doing better economically and socially.” Abdoulie Janneh, a Mo Ibrahim Foundation board member and a former UN official, said Africa was generally on track to improving both its governance and its economic situation but progress had stalled. Nepal’s crisis is an outcome of its internal discord: India India tore into Nepal’s promise to provide security to Indian truckers, and said the blockade on the border and the resultant fuel crisis are prompted by a section of the Nepalis. “Indian Oil Corporation was unable to transport fuel on October 7 due to border obstruction on the Nepali side. The obstruction is due to the fact that a part of the population is not happy with the Constitution that Nepal has passed recently and they are asking for changes in that constitution,” said Vikas Swarup, Spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry. Earlier, Nepal’s Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay had told that Nepal had given guarantees of physical safety to the truckers. “We have furnished all kinds of assurances of foolproof security to the government. We will escort every truck once it enters Nepal. So where is the problem?” Swarup indicated that the blockade against the movement of trucks carrying commodities and petroleum products will continue until a political solution is found to the disaffection and alienation of the Madhesi people who share deep cultural links with India. The verbal spat and the blockade have nearly wrecked the BBIN (Banglades-Bhutan-India-Nepal) Motor Vehicles Agreement which was perceived to be an initiative of the Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar. India, which was the leading player in the BBIN initiative, showcased the agreement as a sign of SAARC moving forward without Pakistan. “Ever since the NDA came to power, we pushed for a consensus-based Constitution in Nepal. We also pushed the Nepali political parties to come closer and resolve their differences. We know that the Constitution does not satisfy all sides. But they can improve upon it later. We should act in a mature manner and give Nepal the space that it needs to sort its own domestic affairs.” UN proposes unity govt. for Libya World leaders urged Libya’s warring parties to sign a proposed peace deal installing a national unity government. Libya has had two administrations since August last year when a militia alliance that includes Islamists overran the capital, forcing the internationally recognised government to take refuge in the east. U.N. council OKs mission against human trafficking off Libya The United Nations Security Council authorized European Union naval operations for one year to seize and dispose of vessels operated by human traffickers in the high seas off Libya. The 15-member council adopted the British-drafted resolution with 14 votes in favor. Venezuela abstained. The resolution approved the second of three phases of an EU naval mission intended to help stem the flow of migrants and refugees into Europe, which has escalated into a major crisis in recent months. The third phase of the EU mission, which is not covered by the resolution, would involve European operations in Libyan territorial waters and coastal areas.
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Libya initially objected to the draft U.N. resolution on the high seas mission, but its U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi wrote to the council to say the country's concerns had been allayed and it agreed to the final draft. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft welcomed the approval, and said "any action will be proportional in keeping with the limits authorized by this resolution and used solely against the smugglers and empty boats." He said any migrants rescued would be taken to Europe. Still, he cautioned that naval missions against smugglers would not tackle the root causes of the migration problem. "Action against smugglers on the high sea won't solve this crisis alone," he said. "But it will send a message that people cannot profit from this evil trade with impunity. It will save lives." The operation only covers the migration route from Libya and will not apply to the route that refugees have bek9iiihyuen using to flee the wars in Syria and Iraq, from Turkey through Greece and the Balkans. Britons create world’s first drone freezing gun Three British companies have jointly created the world's first drone freezing gun. The Anti-UAV Defence System (Auds) works by covertly jamming a drone's signal, making it unresponsive and deterring them from entering sensitive areas. The gun is designed to detect, track, classify and disrupt UAVs at ranges of up to 8km. The technology has been extensively tested in South Korea along the 250 km demilitarised zone (DMZ), where radars have been deployed for some years. The system also performed well in UK government sponsored counter UAV trials in West Freugh, Scotland. Experts say mini and larger unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones have become a growing threat. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, has risen dramatically over the past few years and is widely forecast to grow even more rapidly over the coming decade. While 76 countries are known to possess UAVs, the UK is one of only three countries (along with the US and Israel) currently using armed drones in its military operations in Afghanistan. Blighter Surveillance Systems (electronic-scanning radar target detection), Chess Dynamics (electro-optic tracking and classification) and Enterprise Control Systems (radio frequency disruption) joined hands to create this gun. The gun's fully electronic scanning radar technology with Doppler processing allows all weather, 24-hour detection of both fast and slow moving micro and mini UAV targets with unsurpassed ground clutter suppression for near horizon operation. Raising wages can boost growth in India, says ILO The latest International Monetary Fund report has warned of a global slowdown of economic growth to 3.1 per cent, even though countries such as India and China have been projected as doing relatively better when compared to other advanced economies. Given this global context, International Labour Organisation’s Deputy Director-General (Policy) Sandra Polaski told that increasing wages through state intervention will be the way forward for India to protect its workers and also shield its economy from the ripple effects of slow growth globally. She was visiting India to hold discussions with the Union government regarding ILO’s Decent Work programme, which focuses on promoting jobs, guaranteeing rights at work, extending social protection and promoting social dialogue. “If you look at a number of successful economies, like China, their mantra for growth during the last 15 years has been to raise wages under government control, and extend social protection systems, such as pensions, health care and insurance, but in India that has not been the case and wages have in fact been falling,” she noted. Referring to China’s wisdom in not banking on export-led growth and boosting domestic demand by raising wages at home, Ms. Polaski suggested that India do the same. Labour reforms Referring to the labour reform policies of the Narendra Modi government, where measures are being taken to make it easy to hire and fire workers, with an eye on foreign investors likely to invest in the country under the ‘Make in India’ programme, Ms. Polaski said that such measures alone cannot guarantee better Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). More and more investors from the West were finding that ‘portfolio investment’, where bonds and stocks are purchased in the short-term and them sold for a profit, especially with government bonds, provided a higher rate of return, and were opting for it, she said. Therefore, a balance of domestic demand and increase in export demands was the way forward for countries like India to improve growth. According to a recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute, India could add 60 per cent to its 2025 GDP by bridging gender gap at work. At present India seriously lags behind in female labour force participation, having missed its Millennium Development Goal target in this area. To this, Ms, Polaski said relatively strong growth and implementation of MGNREGS has perhaps pushed female labour participation down from 34 % earlier to 28 %. With the garment export industry suffering due to reduced demand globally, and India’s inability to compete with cheaper labour provided by countries like Bangladesh, she said that tapping into the domestic market was a better way to sustain these industries and also ensure that women, who dominate such industries, get to keep their jobs.
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China monitors Japan’s role in Indo-U.S. naval ties China is carefully monitoring the upcoming Malabar naval exercises to gauge whether Japan will become a permanent participant in the Indo-U.S. manoeuvres in the Indian Ocean. A write-up in the state-run Xinhua news agency observed that Washington is “pushing for making the ‘Malabar’ naval exercises between India and the U.S. into a trilateral framework to involve Japan as a permanent participant.” China had objected to the participation of Japan, Australia and Singapore in Malabar 2007 exercise, which was hosted by India in the Bay of Bengal. Since then, these drills, when held in a trilateral format that included Japan, took place in the West Pacific. The sharp deterioration in Sino-Japanese ties, following the controversy over the jurisdiction over the Diaoyu Island — also called Senkaku by Japan — and the security bills in Parliament that, if passed, would free Japan to contribute forces in global hotspots, has heightened Beijing’s security concerns. Analysts say that alarm bells are likely to ring loud in China by perceptions that Japan’s out-of area reach was being enhanced in the Indo-Pacific zone through naval exercises such as Malabar 2015. The Chinese also want to ensure that India, which is fast becoming an active player in the Indo-Pacific, does not join Japan, Australia and South Korea in bolstering the U.S. led, China-centred containment policy under President Barack Obama’s ‘Asia Pivot’ doctrine. A write-up in the China Daily newspaper has noted that Washington is stringing Japan, India and Australia within the ambit of its ‘Pivot to Asia’ doctrinal formulation. “The U.S. concept of Asia Pivot revolves around isolating China and creating a block of Regional and Extra Regional 2nd tier powers to strategically suffocate China in the 21st century. These 2nd tier powers include India, Australia and Japan.” Observers point out that Chinese concerns have been heightened by the first trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers from India, U.S. and Japan that was held last month in New York. In a veiled reference to China, a media note circulated by the U.S. State Department following the meeting pointed to “the growing convergence” of the interests of the three countries in the Indo-Pacific region. This, the State Department noted, was underscored by “the importance of international law and peaceful settlement of disputes; freedom of navigation and over flight; and unimpeded lawful commerce, including in the South China Sea.” China vows to keep building in disputed reefs China vowed to continue building in disputed reefs of the South China Sea, as state media said construction had finished on two lighthouses on reefs claimed by other countries. Beijing has been bolstering its claim to almost all the South China Sea by rapidly building large artificial structures resembling islands, straining ties with neighbours. The 50-metre-high lighthouses on Cuateron Reef and Johnson South Reef in the Spratly islands have been officially opened, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. China’s building has increased tensions with Washington, which has condemned the structures. ICC calls for Bashir’s arrest, Delhi says ‘no’ The India-Africa summit to be held in Delhi in October 26-29 is expected to be a grand affair, with a record 52 of 54 African countries confirming their acceptance. However there may be some anxious moments as the International Criminal Court has called for India to arrest one of the guests expected to attend, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes by the ICC. “By arresting and surrendering ICC suspects, India can contribute to the important goal of ending impunity for the world’s worst crimes,” the Office of Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told in a written statement. “It is important to note that United Nations Security Council resolution 1593 urged all States, including non-States Parties to the ICC as well regional and other international organisations, to cooperate fully with the ICC. This includes arresting Mr. Al-Bashir,” the Prosecutor said. However, India is not a signatory to the ICC, which is an independent international court not part of the U.N. system which has 123 member States. Officials told there was no question of regarding the ICC’s plea, as the U.N. Security Council resolution wasn’t internationally binding on non-member States. “We will be compliant with our statutory international legal obligations,” official MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Mr. Bashir was invited personally by Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh, who travelled to Khartoum on September 19. President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted by the ICC for war crimes and genocide during the Darfur conflict of 2003 in which 300,000 people were killed. Among the charges against Mr. Bashir is the funding of the pro-Arab Islamist militia, Janjaweed, accused of carrying out systematic ethnic cleansing of black non-Arab African groups who took up arms against the Bashir government. In June 2015, the South African government faced deep embarrassment as a Pretoria court issued an order to bar Mr. Bashir from leaving the country and then ordered his arrest, when he landed in Johannesburg to attend an African Union summit. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 4 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
Veteran communist elected Nepal PM Political turbulence in Nepal appears to be far from over despite the election of veteran communist leader K.P. Sharma Oli as the country’s first Prime Minister under the newly introduced constitutional system. Rajendra Mahato, the leader of Nepal Sadbhavna Party (the leading constituent of the Madhesi front), lashed out at Mr. Oli for his alleged “anti-Terai” bias. “Mr. Oli is a known opponent of the rights of the people of Terai. We will intensify our protests in twenty districts of the Terai region protesting his premiership.” In a tense election, Mr. Oli — of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) — secured 338 votes out of a total of 598. He defeated incumbent Prime Minister Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress. Nail-biting election The election had its nail-biting moments when the Madhesi parties, which had earlier boycotted the proceedings, rushed back into the Parliament to block the election of Mr. Oli. But at the last moment, some Madhesi lawmakers broke ranks with the pro-blockade leaders of their front and voted for Mr. Oli. The upset Madhesi leadership has termed the veteran communist’s election a hasty action that should not have taken place without first addressing the anxiety of the Madhesh region. “Madhesi leaders in the Parliament have been under continuous physical and verbal attack over the last few days prior to the actual voting inside the Parliament on October 10,” Mr. Mahato said. “The new Prime Minister has taken over and the immediate issue on his agenda is to ensure clear supply lines for the essential goods like kerosene. Already a dialogue committee has been created between the government and the Madhesi parties, which addresses India’s official concerns. We shall request the Madhesi parties to at least make a temporary opening in the blockade due to the Vijaya Dashami festival ahead,” Nepal’s Ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, told. Nepal: K P Oli takes over, says normalising ties with India a top priority Nepal’s new Prime Minister K P Oli said that normalising relations with India is a top priority, and assigned the responsibility of holding negotiations with the southern neighbour to Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa who is in charge of the Foreign Ministry. Oli listed his priorities soon after he and two Deputy Prime Ministers and five cabinet ministers were administered the oath of office by President Ram Baran Yadav at his office. The coalition headed by Oli, who is also the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, has three other parties—Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal and the Forum Loktantrik. There are also indications that it will be expanded soon. Oli said that apart from making every effort to ‘ease’ relations with India, a massive reconstruction in earthquake- affected areas, effective implementation of the Constitution and solving grievances of Madhes-centric parties would be his priorities. A committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Thapa would be holding talks with Indian authorities to ensure that normal supplies of essential goods including life-saving drugs, medicines and petroleum products are not affected, he said. Oli, perceived as ‘anti-India’ following his repeated criticism of India for ‘interfering in Nepal’s constitution-making and undeclared blockade’, also had a brief meeting with Indian ambassador Ranjit Rae . “Nepal and India are two countries but one society”, said Oli, a remark that attaches significance. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called to congratulate Oli soon after his victory on Sunday, had also invited his Nepali counterpart to Delhi at the earliest possible date.
NATIONAL NEWS Wrong to think poor can’t have right to privacy: SC Emphasising the significance of an individual’s privacy, the Supreme Court said that it is “wrong” to assume and argue that a poor cannot have the right to privacy and that he would be always willing to give it up for availing social benefits, including those being offered through Aadhaar. “The argument is that most people who are illiterate do not know what they are parting with (in registering for Aadhaar)… to say that somebody who is poor cannot have the right to privacy is wrong,” said a bench led by Justice J Chelameswar. The bench is hearing a batch of pleas by Unique Identification Authority of India, Reserve Bank of India and various regulators from the fields of securities, insurance, telecom, and pension, which want a relaxation of the August 11 order restricting the use of Aadhaar cards for PDS and LPG distribution schemes. Pressing for a modification of the court order, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that Aadhaar is meant for targeted delivery of services to the poor people and stalling it on the pretext of right to privacy would tantamount to depriving them of various benefits. Why poverty in rural India is still a concern A World Bank report released has proposed a new way to measure poverty which suggests that India may have been overestimating the number of its poor. According to a separate set of figures and analysis endorsed by the Ministry of Rural Development, however, nearly 7 per cent of the country’s rural population is still living in “extreme poverty”.
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Both estimates are for 2011-12. According to the government-endorsed India Rural Development Report 2013-14, however, poverty in rural India fell much faster in the period 2004-12 as compared to the preceding decade. The report, released recently, is the second edition of the India Rural Development Report series prepared by the IDFC Rural Development Network. In 2006, the Rural Development Ministry under then Minister Jairam Ramesh, had entered into an agreement for the publication of an annual rural development report. According to the India Rural Development Report 2013-14, 6.84 per cent of the rural population was categorised as “very poor” in 2011-12, down from 16.3 per cent in 2004-05. Chhattisgarh had the highest percentage of “very poor” across major states — 15.32 per cent — followed by Madhya Pradesh (15.04 per cent), Odisha (11.46 per cent), Bihar (10.45 per cent) and Jharkhand (9.23 per cent). In 2004-05, the bottom five states were Odisha (34.3 per cent), Chhattisgarh (24.5 per cent), Bihar (23.5 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (23 per cent), Maharashtra (22.5 per cent). However, the report also finds that the rate of reduction of rural poverty per annum nationally accelerated to 2.3 percentage points during 2004-11 as compared to 0.8 percentage points in the decade spanning 1993-2004. Poverty declined at a faster pace in poorer states like Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh during 2004- 11 as compared to the decade preceding it. In 2004-11, the highest rates of reduction of rural poverty per annum among states were in Tripura (4 percentage points), Odisha (3.6), Maharashtra and Uttarakhand at 3.4 percentage points, and Bihar, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu at 3.1 percentage points. Poverty among marginalized groups continues to remain high. Significantly, even in 2011-12, nearly 45 per cent of Scheduled Tribes and 31 per cent of Scheduled Castes in rural areas remained poor, although down from 62.3 per cent and 53.5 per cent respectively in 2004-05. Between 1993-94 and 2004-05, non-SC/STs saw a faster rate of reduction of poverty, the report shows. Between 2004 and 2012, all social groups saw a significantly accelerated rate of poverty reduction — the rate among SCs and STs was, in fact, higher than the average rate of reduction of poverty in rural areas, and says the report. And yet, more than half the SCs in the rural parts Bihar, which is headed to assembly polls next week, were found to be poor — the highest among states at 51.67 per cent. In Chhattisgarh, 48.19 per cent of SCs were poor, while in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh, the figure was around 41 per cent. The all-India figure was 31.52 per cent. The incidence of poverty among STs remained high in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Over half the STs in these states are poor, as per the 2011-12 figures. Poverty among occupational groups in rural areas is the highest among agricultural labour (40 per cent), followed by other labour at 33 per cent and the self-employed in agriculture at 22 per cent. However, poverty among the non-agricultural households is low. What is Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana? It is an initiative by the Union Ministry of Finance to ‘fund the unfunded’. It will provide loans from public sector, regional, rural, State and urban cooperative banks to non-farm income generating enterprises in manufacturing, trading and services whose credit needs are below Rs.10 lakh. PMMY can be availed under three categories — Shishu, which will cover loans up to Rs. 50,000; Kishor for loans above Rs. 50,000 and up to Rs. 5 lakh; Tarun for loans above Rs. 5 lakh and up to Rs. 10 lakh. What does SC say on Aadhaar? The apex court recently said that Aadhaar card is not mandatory for citizens and production of the ID would not be a condition for obtaining any benefit otherwise due to citizens except as optional for Public Distribution Schemes. Aadhaar issue referred to Constitution Bench The Supreme Court referred to a Constitution Bench the question whether a person can voluntarily shed his right to privacy by enrolling for Aadhaar to easily access government welfare services. A three-judge Bench led by J. Chelameswar, however, did not modify its August 11 order restricting the use of Aadhaar cards to only public distribution system and LPG connections. Instead, it left the order open for the Constitution Bench to consider and take a call. In its August interim order, the apex court had held that the “balance of interest” was better served if obtaining Aadhaar was neither mandatory nor a condition for accessing benefits one was already entitled to. A flurry of applications had followed from various government bodies, non-government organisations and several State governments. Toeing the Centre’s line, they argued in one voice that the Supreme Court order stood in the way of crores of Aadhaar holders who wanted easy access to other social benefit schemes and services by restricting Aadhaar to PDS and LPG schemes. Some of these bodies include the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. “Can you speak for 100 crore people? If a person has a problem with using Aadhaar, don’t use it. People, who survive on daily wages, people who don’t have food to eat need a foolproof mechanism like Aadhaar. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 6 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
But here you are speaking of apprehensions of a few on privacy rights ... you are not speaking for the country,” Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi said in court. The government claimed that a poor starving man would have no second thoughts about shedding his privacy rights to enrol for Aadhaar. Mr. Rohatgi said the Supreme Court could not shut its door on 50 crore people suffering because of its interim order confining the use of Aadhaar to PDS and LPG schemes. All the applications have now been referred to the Constitution Bench for a final decision. India, Hong Kong sign prisoner deal India and Hong Kong have signed a treaty on transfer of prisoners between the countries, whereby they will be able to serve their prison sentence in their own country. As per the agreement, a sentenced person may be transferred on the conditions that death penalty has not been imposed on him or her. Nod for 3 more AIIMS-like institutions The Union Cabinet approved setting up of three more AIIMS-like institutions at Nagpur in Maharashtra, at Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh and at Kalyani in West Bengal. The latest decision takes the number of AIIMS-like institutions, announced under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY) to 11, with only the Delhi AIIMS functioning at full capacity. These institutions will address regional imbalances in tertiary health care services, said a PIB release. BRICS meet: India expresses worry over brain drain, migration India said that brain drain through educational emigration and direct outflow of qualified professionals is a cause of concern for all the BRICS nations as it leads to a significant loss of highly qualified labour force. Speaking at the first ministerial meeting of the head of migration authorities of BRICS countries in Sochi, Russia, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said that all the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — face serious problems related to illegal migration from the neighbouring countries. As a result, there have been instances where the immigrants, especially illegal ones, acted as a destabilising factor to spread ethnic tensions and riots, and sometimes these issues become highly emotive and threaten the basis fabric of society, he said. India has witnessed large-scale illegal migration and its impact on the socio-economic and cultural fabric of the society, he added. At the round table on “New strategies of management migration as the key to a successful development of society”, the minister said illegal migration, coupled with human trafficking, drugs, weapons smuggling and hawala trade, poses a serious threat to stability and said India pursues a policy of zero tolerance for illegal migration. He pointed out the steps taken by the government to streamline migration processes such as launching of the e- Migrate Project and online emigration clearance. Stating that migration flow is unstoppable in the era of globalisation, Rijiju pushed for liberalised visa regimes. ‘Involve farmers in fight against climate change’ A regional consultation on agro forestry underscored the need for enabling policies to ensure that farmers get technology and financial incentives to integrate trees and shrubs on farmland for developing resilience to climate change. “India has the most progressive agro forestry policy in the world,’’ Director-General of Kenya-headquartered ICRAF (World Agro forestry Centre) Tony Simons told on the sidelines of the conference. “This needs to be followed up with investments and better coordination between States.’’ “There is a lot of degraded land and farm land without trees in India. The key is to add trees to the landscape,’’ he said. Agro forestry is defined as a land use system which integrates trees and shrubs on farmlands and rural landscapes to enhance productivity, profitability, diversity and ecosystem sustainability. It is practised in both irrigated and rain-fed conditions and is an important component for bringing about resilience in agriculture to face up to climatic changes. Mr. Simons does not believe Indian farmers need to earn carbon credits especially the ones with small holdings so long as the country moves in the direction of increasing its green cover. “The important thing is to align the needs of small farmers with that of the village, the State, the country and the world,’’ he said. And for this, he feels, small private sector entrepreneurs as well as big multi- national companies will have to be incorporated in public-private partnership mode. Former Director-General of Indian Council of Agriculture Research and the Chief of the Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) R.S. Paroda pointed out that the agro forestry policy was targeted at increasing the tree cover to 33 per cent from the present level of less than 25 per cent. “This will require an aggressive approach and in a mission mode.’’ According to him, of the 140 million hectares under cultivation, 100 million hectares was facing one or the other kind of degradation. India’s Green House Gas emission levels were not as high as several other countries but it has to take Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 7 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
action on several counts for which policy decisions were required. Cow dung, for instance, remains a source of fuel in large parts of rural India. The need is to provide alternative source of fuel or for gobar gas plants that allow the slurry to go back into the fields. Integrated approach “Agro forestry requires an integrated approach—a convergence programmes that integrates trees, crops, water use, livestock, fodder and other livelihood initiatives -- which is missing in the present system. Availability of investment, appropriate planting material for tree species in different agro-climatic zones, insurance, de-regulation, market linkages, extension services and above all capacity building for farmers to undertake an integrated approach are all the requirements that need urgent attention.’’ For the programme to take off and succeed, it will be appropriate to have a proper pricing policy and to incentivise farmers with funds. West Bengal to get India’s first dolphin reserve India’s first community reserve to protect the endangered Gangetic river dolphins will come up in West Bengal, an official said. It would be set up in the Hooghly river and the methodology to develop the community reserve is being chalked out by a separate committee. According to a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) factsheet, the Ganges River dolphin, or susu, inhabits the Ganges- Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Endangered Once found in thousands, there are fewer than 2,000 Gangetic dolphins left in the country in the entire distribution range along the Ganga and Brahamaputra river system. It was declared as the National Aquatic Animal in 2010. BRICS to establish liberal visa regime among member countries The BRICS nation will soon allow free movement of “skilled professionals” among member countries by setting up a liberalised visa regime, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told . He said the liberalised visa regime would further improve ties with China. It was in May this year, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, that Chinese tourists were extended the facility of electronic visa on arrival, against the concerns of intelligence agencies. Mr. Rijiju, who attended the first-ever ministerial meeting on migration held in Sochi, Russia, said: “The members countries have signed a joint declaration so that skilled professionals are allowed to travel with ease. This will boost economy and we will get rich human resource knowledge, too.” The BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — have joined hands to combat and prevent organised human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and promised to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among the member countries. They also resolved to combat and prevent transnational organised crime. The BRICS nations affirmed their interest in exchanging of views and sharing of experience on migration issues; accepted the inter-relationship between transnational migration and development; and the need to deal with the opportunities and challenges that migration presents and take advantage of its positive impacts. He said the issue of work and residential permits for Indians living in Russia was also taken up at the bilateral level. Smart Cities Mission gets a French boost In what may be seen as a good omen for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Smart Cities Mission, the French government has shown great interest in the flagship urban development programme with AFD — French Development Agency — rolling out a whopping loan of 2 billion Euros for three cities: Puducherry, Nagpur and Chandigarh. Why Puducherry? The Ambassador of France, Mr. François Richier explained that the country has “a soft corner for our former trading port.” In 1962, India and France signed a deal under which France granted India full sovereignty over Puducherry. “We still have 6000 French citizens living there,” said Mr. Richier. The Ambassador established similar bind with Chandigrah invoking the memory of French architect Le Corbusier, who designed the city in the early 1960s. “We want to contribute to the next step [in developing Chandigrah further],” he said. As far Nagpur goes, it’s because the city has a potential to transform into a smart city with robust transportation networks. AFD is already financing Nagpur’s metro project. Additional funding Since the construction of each smart city will cost Rs. 1,000 crore, an estimate set by India’s Urban Development Ministry, the contribution by the French government will be an additional funding. Apart from the three handpicked cities receiving a Central funding of Rs. 500 crore and raising Rs. 500 crore from public-private partnerships, the AFD loan will certainly boost the construction pace as well as the confidence of local investors. The French will release money according the nature of the Smart City projects and they are more interested in financing solid waste management, sanitation, transportation and water management plans. High-risk area boundary shifted from India’s coastline In a welcome move for Indian shipping companies, international shipping regulators revised the ‘high-risk area’ boundary in the Indian Ocean and have shifted it away from the India’s western coastline. The new boundaries will come into effect on December 1, 2015. “European Union Chair of the Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) announced the revision of the limits of the piracy High Risk Area (HRA) with effect from December 1, 2015,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 8 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
Indian shipping regulators and defence forces have been lobbying to redraw the eastern limit of the HRA since 2012 citing the fall in sea piracy, which reportedly fell to a six-year low in 2014. The absence of piracy in the Indian maritime zones and adjacent seas, the security concerns and financial implications of an extended HRA led to India seeking a review of the HRA, with the support of numerous countries,” the statement added. The existing HRA, which was put in place in 2010 due to the increased incidence of sea piracy near the Indian coast, covers most of India’s western coast. Its extension from the previous boundary led to a 300-fold increase in insurance costs borne by companies for their ships, which in turn let to a rise in the transactions costs of commodities coming to Indian ports. “The extended HRA came near the Indian coastline up to as close as about 35 nautical miles from the baseline. “This was an unwarranted encroachment into India’s EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone),” the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. This revision of the HRA boundary back to its original state should thus greatly reduce the insurance costs of Indian shipping companies. In total, this could save the industry $25 million, a Shipping Ministry official told The Hindu. Apart from this, the extension of the HRA to India’s western coast also created security risks, which will now be addressed to an extent, the Defence Ministry said. “The extension of the eastern limit of the HRA from 65 degrees E to 78 degrees E led to security concerns on account of the presence of private security personnel onboard merchant vessels transiting the piracy HRA, and the presence of floating armouries off the Indian coast,” the Ministry statement said. The international body in charge of setting these boundaries, while welcoming the contraction of the HRA, stressed that sea piracy is not dead. “As chair of the Contact Group I strongly welcome this development. It reflects the progress the international community and the shipping industry have jointly made in combating piracy. “Piracy, however, is only contained, it has not disappeared and there is a need for continued vigilance,” Maciej Popowski, Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service and EU Chair of the Contact Group said. Nobel Memorial Wall Inaugurated in Delhi A Nobel Memorial Wall on Indian Nobel laureates was inaugurated at Delhi Metro's Rajiv Chowk station. The bilingual exhibition was jointly inaugurated by the embassy of Sweden and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) with its stated purpose of spreading awareness and inspiring young minds. The panels, in digital format for the first time, contain brief portraits of Rabindranath Tagore, C.V. Raman, Har Gobind Khorana, Mother Teresa, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, Amartya Sen, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Kailash Satyarthi. Ambassador of Sweden to India Harald Sandberg and DMRC chief Mangu Singh unveiled the wall exhibition together. It will be on display till October 16 at the Rajiv Chowk and ITO stations as part of the Sweden-India Nobel Memorial Week celebrations. Speaking on the occasion, Mangu Singh, managing director of DMRC, said: "It is a matter of pride for us to host the Nobel Memorial Wall with the Embassy of Sweden for fifth year in a row to honour our Nobel laureates. "The contributions of our Nobel laureates have given India recognition all over the world. The Nobel Wall is a unique way to honour them.""It also gives an opportunity to our youth to know about our Nobel laureates while they are on the move at Rajiv Chowk and ITO Metro stations," he added. "The inauguration of the Nobel Wall at Rajiv Chowk has become a tradition to mark the beginning of the Sweden-India Nobel Memorial Week. I would like to thank DMRC for partnering with us in this initiative where we remember the Indian Nobel laureates for their contribution to the world," said Sweden's ambassador Harald Sandberg. Jordan backs India’s bid for UN Council membership In the first leg of his “historic” six-day tri-nation tour to West Asia, President Pranab Mukherjee held talks with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman on various bilateral issues including trade and investment, counter-terrorism and United Nations Security Council reforms. Mr. Mukherjee, who arrived here, was welcomed by the King at the al Husseinieh Palace in a colourful ceremony. The President was accorded a guard of honour in the forecourt of the palace after which both leaders got down to talks. The King said that Jordan fully supported India’s bid for a permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council. He has also offered long-term contracts for enhancing exports to India, and said that “an arrangement” would be created within the royal court to look into problems faced by Indian workers. India, on its part, offered a $100-million line of credit to expand trade and investment relations between the two countries. Mr. Mukherjee told King Abdullah that Jordan can play an enhanced role in India’s food and energy security. India is the largest importer of Jordanian phosphate. At present, around 20 Indian companies are operating in Jordan with $300 million investments. Both nations are planning to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion a year, from $2 billion now. “Jordan has become a hub of financial services. Jordan also wants to enhance exports. The financial clime in the country is in favour of investments. Jordan already has free trade agreements with the E.U. and the U.S.
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There’s a favourable atmosphere for Indian companies to come in and invest in Jordan,” Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said during the talks. Mr. Mukherjee and King Abdullah also inaugurated a $860-million Indo-Jordanian joint venture fertilizer plant which will mainly manufacture sulphuric acid- and phosphoric acid-based plant nutrients. Jordan India Fertilizer Company (JIFCO) is 53 per cent owned by the Indian Farmers and Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) and its affiliates. Unlike other major West Asian countries, most of India’s trade with Jordan is made up by non-oil products. Tackling terror Both leaders have reiterated the need for greater cooperation in counter-terrorism. The President noted that Jordan is in the forefront of fighting terrorism in West Asia. This is the first time an Indian President is visiting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had visited the country in 1988. Mr. Mukherjee’s visit comes at a time when India is seeking to strengthen ties with West Asian countries, both Arab nations and Israel, and the region is grappling with increasing terror threats. Parts of Jordan’s neighbouring country, Syria, have been occupied by the Islamic State terror group which is attracting extremists from around the world, including India, to join its “Caliphate”. The President will visit Palestine and Israel. He will address the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, in yet another sign of strengthening India-Israeli ties. India, Maldives to Step up Cooperation in Defence, Security India and the Maldives decided to ramp up cooperation in various fields including defence, security and trade as the two nations restarted the Joint Commission talks after a hiatus of 15 years. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on a two-day visit, assured the Maldives that India will always be the net security provider to the Indian Ocean archipelago. However, she stressed that it is also important to insulate both countries from trends towards radicalisation and terrorism. Noting that there has been an "unnaturally long hiatus" in the meeting of the Joint Commission, Swaraj said, "I bring a message of 'neighbours first' from the Indian government." Following the meeting, the two sides signed MoUs on cooperation between Foreign Service Institutes of both countries and on cooperation in sports and youth affairs. In her opening remarks of the meeting, which she co-chaired with her Maldivian counterpart Dunya Maumoon, Swaraj recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen. Swaraj said he would like to reiterate that "India attaches the highest importance to further developing and expanding its relationship with Maldives on basis of mutual trust and sensitivity to each other's interest." The Joint Commission proposed establishment of a Joint Business Forum and suggested that an investment oriented forum be part of the calendar for 2016. Both sides also agreed to explore further measures to increase trade in goods and services and to strengthen links in the banking and financial sectors of both countries. The Maldivian side reiterated its interest in engaging with private investors in India for iHavan and Hulhulmale Youth City projects, a Ministry of External Affairs statement said. Swaraj's remarks are significant as reports have suggested increased Islamist terror activity in the country even as over 100 people are said to have joined the war in Iraq and Syria. "It was felt that increased cooperation would help in meeting the common threat from radicalism and terrorism and combat the growing menace of drug trafficking and financing of terrorism in the region," the MEA statement said. The Indian side welcomed the ratification by the Maldives of the Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. Both sides agreed on an early finalisation to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal matters. The Joint Commission acknowledged the need for early finalisation of the MoU on the employment of workers between the countries. It was agreed to strengthen tele-medicine linkages between IGMH and PGI, Chandigarh, and to expand the number of speciality hospitals in India available to Maldivian nationals under the AASANDHA scheme. The Maldivian side requested Indian assistance to set up a state-of the-art National Diagnostic Centre in Maldives, the statement said. There was also an agreement on continuing the training of health professionals of Maldives and to agree on the deputation of Indian specialist doctors to IGMH. Both sides agreed to create a framework for cooperation in the area of traditional medicine. Maldives also apprised India of progress in its internal processes for joining the Agreement on Orbit Frequency Coordination for the Satellite for the SAARC region. The next meeting of the India-Maldives Joint Commission would be held in 2017 in India.
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Art 370 permanent…cannot be repealed or amended: HC In a landmark judgment, the J&K High Court has observed that the Article 370 is a “permanent” provision of the Constitution and that it cannot be “abrogated, repealed or even amended”. The court has also described Article 35A as one “giving protection to existing laws”. “(The) Article 370, notwithstanding its title ‘temporary provision’ is a permanent provision of the Constitution. It cannot be abrogated, repealed or even amended as mechanism provided under Clause (3) of Article 370 is no more available,” the court observed in its judgment on a case challenging the reservation benefit in promotions to the employees. “The Constituent Assembly (of 1957) is conferred power to recommend to the President that Article 370 be declared to cease to be operative or operate only with the exceptions and modifications. The Constituent Assembly (however) did not make such a recommendation before its dissolution on January 25th, 1957.” The high court’s observations assume significance in the backdrop of petitions challenging Article 370 (that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir) and Article 35A. In its observations, the division bench of High Court — comprising of Justice Hasnain Masoodi and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal — referred to the backdrop of signing of ‘instrument of accession’ and the special status of the state in constitution. The court observed that Article 370 embodied “conceptual framework of relationship” between the Union of India and Jammu and Kashmir. “Jammu and Kashmir while acceding to Dominion of India, retained limited sovereignty and did not merge with Dominion of India, like other princely states that signed Instrument of Accession with Dominion of India,” the court observed. “The state continues to enjoy special status to the extent of limited sovereignty retained by the state. The limited sovereignty or special status stands guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution,” it added. The court also said that Article 35A gave protection to existing laws. “The Presidential order also added new Article like Article 35A to the Constitution…The Article 35A gives protection to existing laws in force in the state and to any law enacted after 1954 by the state legislature. (It) defines the classes of persons treated as permanent residents of the state, defines special rights and privileges,” the court observed. Our support for Palestine remains steadfast, says Pranab India’s traditional support for the Palestinian cause remains “steadfast and unwavering,” and the country is ready to “work with all like-minded nations” for amicably solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict, President Pranab Mukherjee said. Addressing students and academics at the Jordan University, on the second day of his six-day tri-nation tour to West Asia, President Mukherjee sought to ease concerns among the Arab nations about India’s growing ties with Israel. “Our bilateral relations with Israel are independent of our relations with Palestine. India supports a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognised borders,” the President told an applauding audience, mostly students from one of the leading educational institutions in the Arab world. In July, New Delhi, for the first time, abstained from voting on a resolution on Palestine adopted at the U.N. Human Rights Council that called for accountability by parties involved in last year’s conflict in Gaza, raising questions whether the Narendra Modi government was deviating from the country’s traditional Palestine policy even as it pursues stronger ties with Israel. But the President has re-emphasised the “proactive role” India has played in garnering support for the Palestinian cause in all multinational forums. Mr. Mukherjee’s comments come at a time when tension is rising between Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank. Over the past few days, a number of Palestinians have been shot down by Israeli security forces after a wave of knife attacks against soldiers. Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, has called for a third intifada — popular upsurge — against the Israeli occupation. Mr. Mukherjee said India was happy to provide budgetary, economic and developmental assistance to Palestine. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Mukherjee said: “Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English and France belongs to the French.” Syrian crisis Mr. Mukherjee met with Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Judeh on regional and bilateral issues, where both nations called for a political solution to the Syrian crisis. “Both India and Jordan have emphasised that the Geneva I peace process is the way forward. There has to be talks by all sides, including the government of President Bashar al Assad, and its opponents, and backed by international backers to find a transitional mechanism,” Anil Wadhwa, Secretary East, Ministry of External Affairs, told. “There’s no military solution to the Syrian crisis. The long-term solution should be political,” Mr. Wadhwa said. He said “no” to a question whether this would mean India is opposed to Russia’s military intervention in Syria.
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“The Indian position is that Russian military involvement in Syria is to halt the advances of the Islamic State. But what came up for discussion today is the long-term solution to the Syrian crisis. That’s the Geneva talks.” The Geneva communique issued on June 30, 2012 calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body in Syria with full executive powers that could include members of the government and opposition, and should be formed on the basis of mutual consent. Six MoUs signed India and Jordan have also signed six memorandums of understanding in areas such as maritime transport and communication. Besides, Indo-Jordanian universities have signed 10 MoUs to strengthen cooperation in the realm of education and research. India, China begin counter-terrorism drills India’s attempt to keep China engaged in a military-cooperation cycle while it bolsters defence ties with the United States and Japan is becoming strikingly illustrated with the joint counter-terror drills in Kunming, as well as the Malabar-2015 naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal. The joint Hand-in-Hand counter-terrorism exercises between India and China started, following the arrival of 175 personnel from the Naga Regiment of the Eastern Command in Kunming. An equal number of Chinese personnel from the Chengdu-based 14 Corps are participating in the manoeuvres whose aim is “to develop joint operating capability, share useful experience in counter-terrorism operations and to promote friendly exchanges between the armies of India and China.” This year’s annual exercise kicked off with addresses at Kunming’s Dabanqiao Training Base by Lieutenant-General Surinder Singh, Head of Observers Delegation, and Ashok K. Kantha, India’s Ambassador to China, and Lieutenant- General Zhou Xiaozhou from China. While these exercises will continue till October 22, the much larger Malabar- 2015 naval drills, with the U.S. and Japan will commence later in the Bay of Bengal. Beijing’s concerns In view of the growing tensions with Japan, the Chinese are focusing on the format of this exercise to gauge whether the joint India-U.S. exercises are morphing into a trilateral framework with Tokyo as a permanent participant. If that happens, it will re-open the question whether Indian foreign policy is now shifting gears towards an active support for the U.S.-led “Asia- Pivot.” The Chinese perceive President Barack Obama’s “Asia Pivot” or “rebalance” doctrine as a thinly veiled attempt aimed at China’s containment. Japan, South Korea and Australia are firm allies in this enterprise, but New Delhi has so far carefully avoided in bracketing itself with the coalition, notwithstanding the adoption of a higher amplitude in expressing its concerns in the South China Sea. Monitoring Malabar 2015 Analysts say that China’s sharper focus on the Malabar 2015 can be attributed to the first meeting of the Foreign Ministers of India, U.S., and Japan in New York earlier where the exercise was discussed, according to a media note circulated by the U.S. State Department. The statement also noted the “growing convergence” of the three countries in the Indo-Pacific region, referring to the sea-space on either side of the strategic Strait of Malacca, which is the lifeline of East-West trade. ‘Asian century’ Regarding the Kunming exercise, a write-up in the Global Times, a state-run tabloid, pointed out at that China and India “have agreed to enhance their military cooperation, and to boost people-to-people exchanges.” It noted that New Delhi has also proposed joint forays in counter-terrorism, along with combating smuggling by sea and anti-piracy operations. The article signalled India and China’s shared interest in what has been described as an emerging new world order centred around the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping. “A grander mission is that as representatives of emerging economies and members of the BRICS countries, both Beijing and New Delhi should boost their cooperation while improving themselves, in order to jointly create an Asian century, make breakthroughs in the current financial order, and forge a new global economic order that is more in line with emerging markets’ interests,” the daily observed. Not worried about Malabar drills: Beijing While the Indian Army was conducting joint counter-terror drills with the Chinese in Kunming, the navies of U.S. and India and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force began interactions in the run up to Exercise Malabar 2015 in the Bay of Bengal. Ten ships — four of U.S., five from India and one from Japan — are participating in the exercise that is being closely watched by China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying reacted sharply when asked about the exercise : “You mentioned India is having naval exercises with U.S. and Japan and you ask whether China is concerned. I think you are thinking too much…Everyday a lot of activities take place around the world. We cannot connect every activity with China.” “We are not that fragile and we are having sound relationship with both India and the U.S. We hope that relevant activities will contribute to the regional stability they will contribute more positive energy for that,” she added. The motley army exercise between India and China pales in front of the scale and size of the naval drills involving the three countries, where the U.S. is fielding a massive aircraft carrier with 90 fighters, a nuclear submarine, and two other warships and a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft. The Indian side is fielding a Rajput class destroyer, two other ships, a conventional submarine and a P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft. Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force is deploying an Akizuki-class guided missile destroyer. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 12 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
In 2007, when the Malabar exercise featured countries other than just India and U.S., China raised objections. India, Singapore discuss key bilateral issues Ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit, India and Singapore Monday discussed key bilateral issues including defence and decided to revive the Joint Working Group on intelligence cooperation to combat terrorism. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan co-chaired the 4th Joint Commission Meeting during which they discussed ways to boost maritime cooperation, trade ties and cyber security among other strategic issues. “The two ministers decided on revival of the Joint Working Group on Intelligence Cooperation on Combating Terrorism and Transnational Organised Crime which was institutionalised in 2004,” an official source said. en India firmly behind Palestine: Pranab President Pranab Mukherjee held talks with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah where he reiterated India’s economic and political support for the Palestinians, and announced projects for capacity building in Gaza and West Bank. The President has handed over a cheque of $5 million to the Palestinian government as a budgetary support, Anil Wadhwa, Secretary East at the External Affairs Ministry, told the accompanying media delegation after high-level talks. Both countries have also announced five projects worth $17.79 million aimed at capacity building in the Palestinian territories. The projects include a $12-million techno park, a $4.5 million Palestine Institute for Diplomacy and a $1 million India-Palestine Centre for Excellence in Gaza. Mr. Mukherjee has arrived in Ramallah at a time when clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces are on the rise. Reflecting the complicated security situation, the President and his entourage drove from the Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to the Bitunia checkpoint which divides Israel from Palestine. During the talks, Mr. Mukherjee reiterated India’s position that it supports a peaceful solution to the Israeli- Palestinian crisis based on negotiations and UN Security Council resolutions. Mr. Wadhwa said India would continue to support resolution on the formation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 border at the UN. Later in the day, at a state banquet, Mr. Mukherjee invited Mr. Abbas to India. “I would like to invite Your Excellency to visit India at a mutually convenient time. It would be an honour to receive him in Delhi,” he said. He said India’s empathy with the Palestinian cause and its support for the Palestinian people has become an “integral part” of the country’s foreign policy. Israel blocks India’s gifts to Palestine Israeli authorities have denied clearance to four communication systems meant as a gift from India to a Palestinian university’s Information Technology (IT) department. The matter assumed significance as President Pranab Mukherjee, who is due to inaugurate a state-of-the-art IT Centre at Al-Quds University, planned to gift these devices as part of the Indian government’s plan. The four communication systems were meant to be crucial components of the new IT centre. While Israeli customs cleared the passage of 30 computers, which were stuck at the Ashdod port, to be moved to the university, the communication systems remained at the Ben Gurion airport and were unlikely to be allowed to reach the IT Centre. When asked about the delay, Israel embassy spokesperson Ohad Horsandi said: “While 30 computers were cleared by the customs authorities..my sense is that the communication systems don’t adhere to rules and regulations of Israel.” He added that the same set of rules applied to both Israel and Palestine. He also gave the example of satellite phones, which are not allowed by the Indian government to enter the country. Meanwhile, the computers were expected to reach their destination in time for Mukherjee’s planned inauguration, officials said. At the event, the President will also be conferred an honorary doctorate by the Al-Quds University. Asked about the delay in clearing the shipment of computers, Horsandi said: “It was the decision of the Indian government (to gift the computers and communication systems). When Israel’s foreign ministry was approached, we expedited the process.” When asked about Mukherjee’s statement supporting the Palestinian cause from Jordan, the Israel embassy spokesperson said that the Indian position was “not a surprise” to them. “India’s support for the Palestinian cause and maintaining good relations with Israel are not interconnected. I don’t think one affects the other,” he said. India has always been a leading partner in educational support and cooperation to Palestine. It has been at the forefront of the capacity building process in Palestine, extending hundreds of scholarships to Palestinian students under the ITEC programme to enable them to take up professional programmes in universities across India.
ECONOMY NEWS HMT signs pack with Fraunhofer State-run engineering firm HMT signed an agreement with German firm Fraunhofer for technology upgradation. Fraunhofer is Europe’s largest application-oriented research organisation. “HMT has signed an MoU with Fraunhofer, pertaining to technology upgradation for developing latest technology machines by our subsidiary HMT Machine Tools Ltd. “The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel,” HMT said in a BSE filing.
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SBI and Germany’s KfWsign $300m loan pact State Bank of India (SBI) and German development bank KfW concluded a $300 million (Rs.1,956 crore) loan facility to support rural and micro enterprise lending in India. The loan has a maturity of 15 years, SBI said in a statement. The process of fund raising was facilitated by SBI’s subsidiary, SBI Capital Markets. With a twin focus on agricultural and micro-enterprise loans, the facility is designed to further strengthen and extend SBI’s priority sector lending activities. BlackBerry, Tata enter into pact Secusmart, a subsidiary of BlackBerry that offers secure mobile communications and Tata Power Strategic Engineering Division (SED), a part of the Tata Group, have announced a comprehensive partnership to evaluate the design, development and marketing of a highly secure mobile communications system for government customers in India. “In the era of increasing incidents of espionage in State establishments and corporates with cyber security breaches and data theft, the envisaged association with BlackBerry will increase opportunities to accelerate innovation for high- end secure communication solutions,” said Rahul Chaudhry, CEO of Tata Power SED. “The proposed collaboration is aimed at leveraging Tata Power SED’s expertise in security, software and hardware design and manufacturing and Secusmart’s expertise in software and security to provide a highly capable and secure communication solution meeting stringent Government requirements,” he added. Dr Hans-Christoph Quelle, Chief Executive Officer, Secusmart, said, “Since Secusmart was founded, we have continued our focus on making mobile communications more secure, for customers all around the world. Our cooperation with Tata Power SED will play such a crucial role in securing mobile communications for the Indian market.” IMF sees favourable growth in India urges structural reforms Growth prospects for India remain favourable despite a slowdown in the global economy, but the government should speed up structural reforms and relax supply constraints in the energy, mining, and power sectors, the International Monetary Fund said. The Washington-based Fund marginally lowered India's growth forecast to 7.3 percent this year, from its earlier estimate of 7.5 percent, and said that a faster-than-expected deceleration in inflation provides leeway for modest cuts in interest rates. "India is still a bright spot but that's partly because the other emerging markets are not so bright," Thomas Richardson, the IMF's resident representative in India, told as the Fund released its latest World Economic Outlook. The Reserve Bank of India cut its policy interest rate by a bigger-than-expected 50 basis points to a 4-1/2 year low of 6.75 percent, front-loading monetary easing in an effort to stoke a slowing economy. Since being battered by emerging market turmoil in 2013, India has brought down inflation and narrowed its external deficits. But, with government borrowing high, the IMF says India should reform taxes and trim subsidies to narrow its budget deficit. "Of the three fragile legs, two are now solid. The leg that is still fragile is the fiscal one," Richardson said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley aims to cut the fiscal deficit to 3.9 percent of gross domestic product in the current fiscal year ending March, and to 3.6 percent of GDP in the 2016/17 fiscal year. In the past, India has met deficit targets through spending cuts that have undermined economic growth. India should enhance financial sector regulation and efforts should be made to recover bad loans in the banking sector, the Fund said. In order to boost investment, India needs to prioritise market-based pricing of natural resources and address delays in implementation of infrastructure projects, it said. The Fund lowered its global growth forecast for 2015 to 3.1 percent, 0.3 percentage point lower than in 2014, and 0.2 percentage point below its forecasts in the July 2015 World Economic Outlook. WPP, Encompass join hands to form India’s largest chain WPP, the world’s largest communication services group, announced the formation of India’s largest experiential marketing network —Geometry Global Encompass Network (GGEN). “The collaboration leverages the global and local experience, expertise, creativity and strengths of the two experiential marketing companies to offer brand experience solutions which enhance and widen consumer engagement,” Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP plc said. Encompass is one of India’s biggest and best experiential marketing companies. Geometry Global is the world’s largest experiential marketing company. “When WPP decided to set up a horizontal activation platform we combined OgilvyAction, G2 and JWT Action (North America) to form Geometry Global. Through this collaboration in India, we’re following up on one of our key global objectives of offering best-in-class full-service experiential marketing services,” Sorrell said.
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With over 400 employees in Mumbai and Delhi, the Geometry Global Encompass Network specialises in shopper marketing, rural marketing, large-scale events and exhibitions, urban consumer marketing, digital activation and field marketing. The Network will also work very closely with Group M through a partnership called Geometry@GroupM. This joint team will use GGE’s proprietary tools and category and channel understanding to deliver shopper-marketing solutions to Group M’s clients. Both brands will also continue to operate independently for purposes of retaining their areas of expertise and managing client conflict. The Network will further extend their reach by collaborations with Go Bananas in Ahmedabad and Showspace in Chennai. Aditya Birla Group enters into partnership with Abraaj Group Aditya Birla Group through Aditya Birla Nuvo (ABNL) has entered into a partnership with Abraaj Group, a leading investor operating in global growth markets, to build a large scale renewable energy platform by focusing on developing utility-scale solar power plants in India. For this purpose, ABNL has entered into a definitive share subscription and shareholders agreement (SSA) with an affiliate of Abraaj and in accordance with the SSA, subject to necessary approvals, ABNL and the Abraaj affiliate will hold 51 per cent and 49 per cent of the paid-up share capital respectively, in Aditya Birla Renewables , currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABNL. “Aditya Birla Renewables , the solar power platform, will bid for projects tendered at national and state auctions, with the intent to develop and operate utility-scale solar power plants that can provide clean and cost-effective electricity to the national grids across several key states in India,” Aditya Birla Group said in a statement. “The Aditya Birla Group supports the Government’s initiative for a greater share of renewables in the energy mix, essential for sustained economic and industrial growth. This co-operation will give a fillip to the Aditya Birla Group’s renewable energy initiatives and contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of India as a whole,” Dev Bhattacharya, Business Head, Group Corporate Strategy, Solar Power & E-Commerce, Aditya Birla Group, said. “At Abraaj, we see significant opportunity in India, one of the world’s biggest energy consumption markets. We look forward to working closely with the Aditya Birla Group to provide clean energy to Indian businesses, communities and consumers,” he said. Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, Partner and Global Head of Abraaj’s Regional Funds Business, added, “The renewable energy sector in India offers vast potential for growth and can play a transformative role in reducing dependency on fossil fuels and enhancing India’s long-term energy security.” The Abraaj Group has comprehensive investment experience across the energy value chain and has invested $1 billion in 10 investments in global growth markets. Most major economies weakening, eurozone stable -OECD Growth seems to be easing off in most of the world's major economies, including the United States and more notably in China, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said. The OECD said its monthly leading indicator, a synthetic measure that seeks to capture turning points in the economic climate, showed moderating growth generally. However, the euro zone was stable, with growth actually firming up in euro zone countries France and Italy, and also in India. Taking an index reading of 100 as the long-term average, China slipped further, to 97.2 from 97.6 in its latest update, the OECD said. The U.S. economy dropped to 99.2 from 99.5, Japan to 99.8 from 99.9 and the UK to 99.5 from 99.7. Among bright spots, the euro zone as a whole remained stable at 100.7, with Germany, its largest economy, also steady at 100.0. France's reading rose to 100.8 from 100.7 and Italy's to 101.0 from 100.9. Among the big emerging market economies, India's reading firmed to 99.9 from 99.8. In addition to China, Brazil and Russia also eased. Ambanis rank third as 14 Indian families appear on Asia’s richest list As many as 14 Indian families have made it to the inaugural list of Forbes’ 50 richest families in Asia, led by the Ambanis, who were ranked third on the list with a net worth of USD 21.5 billion. Indians hold 14 of the 50 spots, the most from any jurisdiction. Besides the Ambanis, the other Indian families in the top ten richest Asian business dynasties include the Premji family, ranked 7th with a net worth of USD 17 billion, and the Mistry family at the 10th place with a net worth of USD 14.9 billion. Other Indian families in the coveted list include Godrejfamily at 15th place with a fortune of USD 11.4 billion, ArcelorMittal group’s Mittals (19th, USD 10.1 billion), Birlas (22nd, USD 7.8 billion), Bajajs (29th, USD 5.6 billion), Dabur India’s Burmans (30th, USD 5.5 billion), Cadila Healthcare’s Patels (33rd, USD 4.8 billion), Eicher Group’s Lals at (40th, USD 4 billion). Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 15 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
Shree Cement’s Bangur family was placed at 42nd rank with a net worth of USD 3.9 billion, Jindal family (43rd, USD 3.8 billion), Munjal family (46th, USD 3.2 billion) and Cipla’s Hamieds at the 50th place with a fortune of USD 2.9 billion. The overall list was topped by Lees of Samsung Group, whose 2014 revenues were equivalent to 22 per cent of South Korea’s GDP. “While few dominate to such an extent, many business dynasties hold wide regional sway with their sprawling, cross-border empires,” Forbes said. Interestingly, nearly half of the richest families in Asia are of Chinese descent, yet none of the inaugural 50 is based in the mainland. In the first-ever ranking of Asia’s richest families, 50 clans hailed from ten Asian countries and were required to have a minimum of 3 generations actively involved in building their respective fortunes. The barrier to entry was USD 2.9 billion and valuations are based on stock prices and exchange rates as on September 25. Future Group ties up with Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved Retail major Future Group entered into a partnership with Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved to sell the latter's FMCG products through its stores with plans for joint manufacturing in future. Patanjali's range of FMCG products, including staples, nutrition, hair care, skin care, dental care and toiletries, will be sold through Future Group's Big Bazaar, KB's and Easy Day outlets across India. Kishore Biyani-led Future Group expects sales from Patanjali, which is set to launch noodles to take advantage of the space vacated by Nestle's Maggi, to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in the next 20 months. "I believe that Patanjali products could easily achieve that," Biyani said, adding that Patanjali is on the list of top five FMCG companies of India already. Announcing plans to enter noodles segment, Ramdev said, "Our effort is to promote swadeshi and give a tough fight to MNCs. We will launch our noodles in the market by October 15 and it will be available across India by the end of this month." He said Patanjali is also planning to launch products like pasta, oats, juices and muesli soon and is targeting to achieve Rs 5,000 crore turnover this fiscal. He added that Patanjali Ayurved will also increase number of its production units in different parts of India, including South India, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, among others, without sharing investments details. Jaitley pitches for reforms in World Bank at global meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has made a strong case for raising shareholding of developing nations including India in the World Bank Group to reflect their share in the global economy and demanded a significant hike in the capital to meet growing financing needs. Stating that the demand for development finance continues to be very strong, he quoted a bank's report admitting inability to support elevated levels of lending beyond 2018. IFC - an arm of the World Bank - is already capital constrained. Also, there is the additional challenge of mobilising over USD 100 billion per year for climate finance. Speaking at the Plenary Meeting of the Development Committee, he emphasised the need for bigger financing and implementation plans by the World Bank Group to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). India, he said, expects a dynamic formula for shareholding of World Bank to be finalised by Annual Meeting 2016. The formula should incorporate "elements which help enhance the voice, role and voting share of the developing countries and reflect their increased share in global GDP and their contribution to building the bank's reserves," he said. Jaitley said as the share of the developing and transitioning countries in the world GDP increases from 39 per cent in 2008-2010 to 49 per cent in 2013-15, "the shareholding realignment should reflect the same and be completed by 2017."
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Development Committee is the ministerial-level forum of the World Bank Group and the IMF for intergovernmental consensus-building on development issues. Jaitley represented the constituency consisting of the countries -- Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and India. India, Bangladesh and Bhutan are early dividend countries and are taking steps to leverage their demographic transition to achieve SDGs, he said. "The Executive Directors and the Bank should make an objective assessment of the financing needs of the SDGs. I am sure such assessment would call for a significant increase in the capital of the World Bank Group to meet the developmental objectives," he said. "I would like these resources to be mobilised from new and additional sources and not at the cost of ODA for poverty and shared prosperity goals. The IBRD financing which is non-concessional and does not flow from the donor resources should not get accounted for in 100 billion flow," he said. Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, who also attended the IMF-World Bank annual meeting tweeted, "India called for governance reforms in both institutions to reflect growing share of developing countries in global GDP. Jaitley said, "I must, however, add that the countries in my constituency are bucking the trend and are expected to post reasonably strong growth with India likely to grow at around 7.5 per cent, Bangladesh at 6.3 per cent, Sri Lanka at 6.5 per cent and Bhutan at 7 per cent," he said. With expected growth of only 4.3 per cent for 2015, the outlook for the developing countries has deteriorated. "Strong and inclusive economic growth is necessary for the developing economies to grow, prosper and develop sustainably. Such growth is also necessary for achieving the SDGs as well as the twin goals of the World Bank," Jaitley said. Terming SDGs as ambitious, he said they would require ambitious financing and implementation plans. The Bank needs to work on human development, economic growth, jobs and social protection. Jaitley said multilateral development bodies need to play a proactive role as providers and facilitators of large scale, long term and affordable development finance from private and public sources. "Particularly, the World Bank and IFC, will have to significantly increase their level of finance to support the SDGs," he said adding the space created for additional lending by 'margins of manoeuvre' and other measures will run its course very soon. The finance minister also participated in the Restricted Session of the International Monetary and Finance Committee (IMFC) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders, organised by IMF and World Economic Forum in Peru yesterday, an official statement said. IMFC is a key body providing strategic direction to the work and policies of the IMF. The two events, organised as part of the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, were attended by select Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. Later, Jaitley participated in the panel discussion on 'The Search for Growth and Stability amid Deflation and Divergence', organised by Financial Times and Citi Group. "Speaking on the occasion, the Finance Minister said that the economic conditions in India are reasonably under control, notwithstanding two consecutive years of below normal monsoons," the statement said. The inflation has declined from 11 per cent to 3.7 per cent during the last 15 months, which have also resulted in reduction of the bank rate and cost of capital, the minister added. Jaitley said that the country is firmly on the path of fiscal discipline and has contained the fiscal deficit at 4 per cent (lower than targeted) last year. Insurance broker Aon BV to exit India, cites ‘regulatory changes’ Aon BV of the Netherlands, one of the largest insurance brokers in the world, is exiting India citing “regulatory changes”. The Dutch firm which holds 26 per cent stake in Aon Global Insurance Brokers Pvt Ltd has informed the authorities about its plan to exit from the venture through a formal communication. This is contrary to expectations of billions of dollars coming into the insurance sector through stake increases following the enactment of Insurance Amendment Act. Insurance joint ventures now seem to have run into problems relating to valuations and regulatory changes. Aon tied up with Global — which was a leading name in the business for over three decades — to form a joint venture in 2003 soon after the insurance sector was thrown open to the private sector. The two partners were in a trading partnership even before the formation of the joint venture. Although the government raised the cap on FDI in insurance sector in March this year, it’s yet to receive any formal proposal from global insurance giants to increase the stake in the Indian joint venture in the last six months. On the other hand, some Indian and foreign partners of life and non-life ventures have been involved in a tug-of-war over “fair and reasonable” pricing and valuation for hiking the stake. While many Indian and foreign partners had earlier signed agreements for a pre-determined price — which is mostly at a very low price — when the foreign promoter increase or exit the venture, the subsequent Reserve Bank norms make it clear that it should be at a fair price. “Where the shares of an Indian company are not listed on a recognised stock exchange in India, the transfer of shares shall be at a price not less than the fair value worked out as per any internationally accepted pricing methodology for
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valuation of shares on arm’s length basis which should be duly certified by a Chartered Accountant or a Sebi registered merchant banker,” says the RBI circular on transfer of shares involving foreign direct investment (FDI). On the exit price, the RBI says “the guiding principle will be that the non-resident investor is not guaranteed any assured exit price at the time of making such investment/ agreement and shall exit at a fair price computed as above at the time of exit subject to lock-in period requirement”. Further, the Insurance Act clearly says that being a major shareholder, the management control should be with the Indian partner. This has prompted foreign firms to take a cautious stand as the management control and day-to-day affairs of some joint venture insurance firms operating in India are now with the foreign partners. Insurance Act states that management control has to be with the Indian partner. This means Indian partner will have majority on the board.” IRDA chairman T S Vijayan had recently said at least six insurance companies have expressed interest in raising the stake of their foreign partners from present 26 per cent to 49 per cent. Not our job to tackle black money growth: Sebi Amidst concerns that stock markets were being used by some people to convert their black money into white, UK Sinha, chairman, Securities and Exchange Board of India said that Sebi’s job is to protect the interest of investors and curb manipulation in the market and not to tackle growth of black money and collect revenue. “Tackling growth of black money or collecting revenue is not Sebi’s task, there are agencies in the country who are being paid for this job,” he said adding that Sebi’s primary responsibility is to protect small investors and check manipulation in the market. He however, credited Sebi’s surveillance mechanism for picking up instances of tax evasion. “Of all the agencies in the government, Sebi is the first, which, by way of doing its normal duty of checking manipulation in markets has also come across an instance of tax evasion and it passed on the information of tax evasion to authorities,” said Sinha. Pointing out a specific case of tax evasion that was picked up by Sebi’s surveillance mechanism and information relating to which was later shared with the concerned authority, Sinha said, “Nobody asked us to do it. It is wrong impression that somebody asked Sebi to do tax checking, we did it on our own, based on the surveillance input. We investigated the matter and found that whole idea was also to evade taxes and so we gave the information to tax authorities.. Please appreciate the sequence and whose primary responsibility is involved.” Sinha also pointed out another instance of where change in the unique plan code was being used to manipulate and evade tax and said that the Securities and Exchange Board of India took action on frequent changes in the unique plan code and also passed on the information to tax authorities. “They have to do the job now,” he said. Responding to a query on apprehensions that Participatory Notes (PNs) are being misused, the Sebi chairman said the regulator has all the data about entities who are using PNs.
SCIENCE AND TECH ‘FB remains top social networking site in India’ Facebook remains the most popular social networking site in India with 51 per cent of users logging on daily, while WhatsApp tops the list of instant messaging (IM) apps, according to report by global research consultancy firm TNS. As per the findings of ‘Connected Life’ — a global study of the digital attitudes and behaviours of 60,500 Internet users across 50 countries, 55 per cent are on instant messaging every day. In India, Facebook continues its dominance for social networking platforms with 51 per cent of the users while WhatsApp is the most popular for instant messaging app with 56 per cent of users, TNS said in a statement. Facebook-centric Commenting on the findings, TNS India Executive Director Parijat Chakraborty said: “The social networking market of India is Facebook centric, which is fuelling the adoption of Facebook Messenger also as the IM platform for private messaging. However, WhatsApp is by far the most popular IM platform in India.” As per the study, Facebook has maintained its position as the world’s favourite social platform with almost one third of global internet users (30 per cent) saying they use it every day and with usage in Asia Pacific (APAC) region much higher. India’s Facebook usage of 51 per cent, however, is far lower compared to some countries in APAC markets like Thailand (78 per cent), Taiwan (75 per cent), Hong Kong (72 per cent). Interestingly, India is the second largest base with over 125 million users for Facebook that has 1.49 billion users globally. The U.S. has the highest number of Facebook users. Positive emotions are good for your heart A new research has suggested that people who inculcate positive emotions and maintain positivity are less likely to develop any heart—disease than those who tend not to be happy. The research conducted by Penn State examined 1,000 patients with coronary heart disease over the course of five years and observed that patients who reported higher positive psychological states were more likely to be physically active, sleep better and take their heart medications and were also less likely to smoke, compared to patients with lower levels of positive states.
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Nancy L. Sin, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Healthy Aging, said that negative emotions are known to have harmful effects on health, but now they have found that positive emotions are associated with a range of long-term health habits. New research by the American Heart Association has revealed that higher level of physical activity lowers the risk of developing heart failure. INS Astradharini commissioned Addressing a long felt need of the Indian Navy for a torpedo launch and recovery vessel (TLRV), India’s first totally indigenously designed and built INS Astradharini was commissioned in Vishakhapatnam and added to the Eastern Fleet. The 50-metre catamaran hull vessel is the first indigenously built warship of the Indian Navy . The unique design is a collaborative effort of Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), IIT Kharagpur and Shoft Shipyard. The catamaran hull configuration significantly reduces the power requirement of the ship that is capable of attaining 15 knots. Congratulating everyone involved in the building of the ship, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, who commissioned the ship, said the induction added thrust to the country’s ongoing endeavours towards indigenisation and achieving the goal of self reliance in underwater weapons development. INS Astradhani will be used to carry out the technical trials of underwater weapons and systems developed by the city-based NSTL. It is an advanced replacement for Astravahini which was decommissioned on July 17 this year. Astravahini was 112 tonne 28.5 m auxiliary ship. INS Astradhani reflected the capability of our scientists and manufacturing facilities and would go a long way in the ‘Make in India’ campaign, Outstanding Scientist and NSTL Director C.D. Malleswar said. The Eastern Fleet comprises 30 warships, which include destroyers, stealth frigates, amphibious ships, anti- submarine warfare corvette, missile corvettes, offshore patrol vessels, missile boats, and tankers. A submariner by profession, Rear Admiral S.V. Bhokare has commanded submarines ‘Sindhughosh’, ‘Sindhudhwaj’, ‘Sindhushastra’, Indian Naval Ship Beas, and INS Vajrabahu. Repeating aloud to another person boosts verbal memory If you want to remember a poem or some other lesson, repeating it aloud while addressing another person may be the most effective way to recall, says a study. Scientists discover why elephants rarely get cancer Despite their big size, elephants rarely get cancer, and scientists said they have discovered the secret to the creatures’ special protection. It’s in the genes. Elephants have 38 additional modified copies of a gene that encodes p53, a compound that suppresses tumour formation. Humans, on the other hand, have only two, according to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This means that as elephants evolved, their bodies made many extra copies of a gene that prevents tumours from forming. Elephants have been considered an enigma for years because they have far more cells than people, which would presumably place them at higher risk of cancer over their life. NASA Mars rover finds clear evidence for ancient, long-lived lakes Three years after landing in a giant Martian crater, NASA's Curiosity rover has found what scientists call proof that the basin had repeatedly filled with water, bolstering chances for life on Mars, a study published. The research offered the most comprehensive picture of how Gale Crater, an ancient, 87-mile wide impact basin, formed and left a 3-mile mound of sediment standing on the crater floor. Early in its mission, Curiosity discovered the gravel remnants of streams and deposits from a shallow lake. The new research, published in the journal Science, showed that the crater floor rose over time, the result of sediments in water settling down, layer after layer, for what may have been thousands of years, California Institute of Technology geologist John Grotzinger said. "We knew that we had a lake there, but we hadn't grasped just how big it was," Grotzinger said. Water from north of the crater regularly filled the basin, creating long-lasting lakes that could have been a haven for life. Scientists suspect the water came from rain or snow. "If one discovers evidence of lakes, that's a very positive sign for life," Grotzinger said. Eventually, the crater filled with sediments. Then the winds took over and eroded the lakebed, leaving behind just a mound at the center. That mound, named Mount Sharp, is why Curiosity was sent to Gale Crater to look for ancient habitats suitable for microbial life. Scientists have learned that Mars had all the ingredients thought to be necessary for life. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 19 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
Exactly how Mars managed to support long-lived surface water is a mystery. Billions of years ago, the planet lost its global magnetic field, which allowed solar and cosmic radiation to gradually blast away its protective atmosphere. Under those conditions, liquid water evaporates quickly. Climate change behind mysterious kidney disease? A mysterious kidney disease that has killed over 20,000 people in Central America since 2002, and now spreading to other countries, including India, may be caused by chronic, severe dehydration linked to global climate change, says a new study. “This could be the first epidemic directly caused by global warming,” said one of the researchers Richard Johnson, professor of medicine at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine in the U.S. So far, the manual labourers on sugar cane plantations in the hotter, lower altitudes of Central America’s Pacific coast have been hit hardest by the disease. It has also been reported among farm workers, miners, fishermen and construction and transportation workers in the region. “Some districts of Nicaragua have been called the `land of widows’ due to the high mortality rates occurring among the male workers from chronic kidney disease,” Johnson pointed out.The epidemic was first described in 2002 and has been dubbed Mesoamerican Nephropathy. Theories abound about what may be causing it, including exposure to heavy metals, pesticides and other toxic chemicals. But Johnson believes the actual culprit is chronic recurrent dehydration. Johnson recommends improving work conditions and hydration practices among those most at risk for developing the disease. The study was published in the the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. ROBOT Inspired by both nature and biology, scientists have designed a novel robotic finger that looks, feels and works like the real thing and could be adapted for use in a prosthetic hand. New compound to fight Ebola A compound that blocks the Ebola virus’ ability to replicate has been found to provide full protection to monkeys when treated three days after the deadly infection, researchers have reported. The findings suggest that the compound, known as GS-5734, should be further developed as a potential treatment for Ebola. “If the virus cannot make copies of itself, the body’s immune system has time to take over and fight off the infection,” said Travis Warren, principal investigator at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Now a genetic brake on ageing In what could lead to potential new ways of slowing the pace of ageing in humans, research have identified 238 genes that when removed from living cells can extend their life. The 10-year study by scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the University of Washington was conducted on yeast cells. As many of these genes and genetic pathways are found in mammals, the researchers believe that if the same gene editing technique could be replicated in humans, it could help extend lifespan. “This study looks at ageing in the context of the whole genome and gives us a more complete picture of what ageing is,” said Brian Kennedy, lead author of the study and president and chief executive officer of the institute. The researchers examined 4,698 yeast strains, each with a single gene deletion. To determine which strains yielded an increased lifespan, the researchers counted yeast cells, logging how many daughter cells a mother produced before it stopped dividing. Higher organisms These efforts produced a wealth of information about how different genes, and their associated pathways, modulate ageing in yeast. A number of the age-extending genes the team identified are also found in roundworms, indicating these mechanisms are conserved in higher organisms. Stem-cell therapy for foetuses to fight brittle-bone disease Foetuses burdened with a crippling form of brittle-bone disease will receive stem-cell treatment early next year in a pioneering trial, British hospitals participating in the study said. Stem cells will be injected into the foetuses to help strengthen bones so frail they may break before birth, the researchers said, and into stricken babies to compare the results. Children with severe forms of the condition, called osteogenesis imperfecta, suffer repeated fractures throughout the skeleton, leading to painful disability and, in some cases, death in early infancy. The symptoms include brittle teeth, hearing loss, and breathing difficulties due to malformed rib cages. There is no cure. Genetic in origin, brittle-bone disease affects about one in 25,000 people of European descent. The condition is caused by a defect in a gene that produces collagen, a fibre-like protein crucial for strengthening bone, much in the way steel rods reinforce concrete. The trials, coordinated by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden where the stem-cell treatment was developed, will involve a group of foetuses and a group of babies. Collagen levels Each group will receive injections of stem cells specialised in boosting collagen levels in infants’ growing bones. Stem cells are primitive cells which, as they grow, differentiate into the various specialised cells that make up the different organs — the brain, the heart, the kidney, and so on.
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The approach had already been tested on a handful of young children suffering from brittle-bone disease, with encouraging results, said the Karolinska Institute’s Cecilia Gotherstrom. “But we believe that we can improve the treatment for other patients by administering it to the foetus and again in repeated doses during the child’s first years of life,” she said in a statement. A dozen research institutes, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies across Europe are participating in the trial. Lyn Chitty of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for children in London will conduct genetic testing of women at high risk of carrying children with the disease, to find subjects for the trial. “If successful, this project may be one of the first to show that certain conditions can begin to be treated prior to birth, leading to better outcomes for the child,” according to the hospital.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS Whitefly destroys 2/3rd of Punjab's cotton crop, 15 farmers commit suicide "It was just like the Japanese air strike in the film, Pearl Harbour," said Naresh Kumar Lehri, a seed and pesticide dealer at Singho village in Punjab's Bathinda district. "They appeared out of nowhere and left a trail of destruction." Lehri was referring to the devastating attack by whitefly, a common pest, on the cotton crop in Punjab's Malwa region this year. It has affected about two-thirds of standing cotton crop in the state, causing an estimated loss of Rs 4,200 crore. There are reports of at least 15 cotton farmers committing suicide. The director of Punjab's agriculture department is under arrest as are several pesticide dealers for selling spurious pesticides. Punjab has nearly 12 lakh acres under cotton this year and almost all of it is Bt cotton, which is resistant to some major pests such as bollworm. But over the years, whiteflies have regularly attacked cotton plants only to be controlled by intensive spraying of chemical pesticides. But this year, despite a new pesticide being introduced and subsidized by the state government, the whitefly attack spun out of control. "Whitefly lays eggs in the middle section of the plant, on the underside of leaves. Top sprays often miss the eggs and nymphs in middle layers," he said. There are fears that whitefly will now start attacking other common crops in the region such as chillies or vegetables. With pesticides running out of steam and pests developing resistance, alternatives would have to be quickly found. Arabian Sea piracy high-risk area rolled back, India to gain 20,000cr In a major relief for India, international maritime and shipping agencies have decided to roll back the extended piracy high-risk area (HRA) that had virtually covered the entire Arabian Sea since June 2010. The revision of the limits, which will come into effect from December this year, will save India over Rs 20,000 crore by lowering the high costs imposed on the shipping industry, an example of which is huge insurance premiums. It will also address some of its maritime security concerns like the proliferation in “floating armouries” off its west coast. “The Navy has put in a tremendous effort to contain piracy. We have also deployed warships in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy patrols since 2008, safely escorting over 3,100 merchant ships of different nationalities with over 23,000 Indian mariners on them,” said Admiral Robin Dhowan.
AWARDS Nobel Prize in Physics 2015 announced The Nobel Prize 2015 in Physics jointly went to Takaaki Kajita from the University of Tokyo and Arthur B. McDonald from Queen's University, Canada. The Nobel was awarded "for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass”. "The discovery has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of the universe," said a press release. Mr. Kajita discovered that neutrinos from the atmosphere switch between two identities when coming to Japan's Super-Kamiokande neutrino detector. On the other hand, the research group Mr. McDonald demonstrated that the neutrinos from the Sun were not disappearing on their way to Earth. Instead they were captured with a different identity when arriving to the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. "Compared to theoretical calculations of the number of neutrinos, up to two thirds of the neutrinos were missing in measurements performed on Earth. Now, the two experiments discovered that the neutrinos had changed identities. The discovery led to the far-reaching conclusion that neutrinos, which for a long time were considered massless, must have some mass, however small," said the press release. Mr. Kajita is director of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research and professor at the University of Tokyo. Mr. McDonald is a professor emeritus at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. The winners will share the 8 million Swedish kronor (about $960,000) prize money with one half going to Mr. McDonand and the other to Mr Kajita. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 21 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
Each winner will also get a diploma and a gold medal at the annual award ceremony on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of prize founder Alfred Nobel. The late former President A.P.J Abdul Kalam writes about how the India-based Neutrino Observatory can help reclaim India's lead in neutrino research. India-based Neutrino Observatory's impact The neutrino project housed in Bodi Hills, Theni - the largest experimental facility to come up in the country and a chance for cutting-edge research. The 2002 Physics Nobel was awarded “for pioneering contributions for the detection of cosmic neutrinos". Chemistry Nobel for mapping how cells repair damaged DNA Tomas Lindahl, Paul L. Modrich and Aziz Sancar were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for having mapped and explained how the cell repairs its DNA and safeguards its genetic information. Lindahl, of the Francis Crick Institute in London, was honoured for his discoveries on base excision repair — the cellular mechanism that repairs damaged DNA during the cell cycle. Modrich, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Duke University School of Medicine, was recognised for showing how cells correct errors that occur when DNA is replicated during cell division. Sancar, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, was cited for mapping the mechanism cells use to repair ultraviolet damage to DNA. “Their systematic work has made a decisive contribution to the understanding of how the living cell functions, as well as providing knowledge about the molecular causes of several hereditary diseases and about mechanisms behind both cancer development and aging,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded the prize, said in a statement. The three winners joined the 169 laureates who have been honoured with the prize since 1901. This time three Nobel Prizes reflect the globalisation of science, which the United States often dominated in the last century. The award in medicine or physiology went to citizens of China and Japan, as well as an American. The physics prize went to experts in Japan and Canada. Sancar was born in Turkey, and Lindahl is the 29th native of Sweden to be named a Nobel laureate — reflects the globalisation trend, while underscoring the centrality of U.S. research institutions, where two of the three winners work. The chemistry prize interrupts the drift toward the exotic end of the research spectrum. Instead, it honours scientists who zeroed in on one of life’s central mysteries: How the delicate threads of DNA inside every living cell manage to maintain their integrity despite waves of random mutations and environmental assaults. Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich wins Literature Nobel The Nobel Prize 2015 in Literature went to 67-year-old Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich. The Nobel was awarded “for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time”. Ms. Alexievich is the 14th women Literature Laureate. Ms. Alexievich used the skills of a journalist to create literature chronicling the great tragedies of the Soviet Union and its collapse- World War II, the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the suicides that ensued from the death of Communism. The academy’s permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told that Swedish broadcaster SVT that she reached the writer just before the announcement. The daughter of two village schoolteachers, Alexievich studied journalism in Belarus, which at the time was part of the Soviet Union. Last year’s literature award went to French writer Patrick Modiano. This year’s medicine prize went to scientists from Japan, the U.S. and China who discovered drugs to fight malaria and other tropical diseases. Japanese and Canadian scientists won the physics prize for discovering that tiny particles called neutrinos have mass. John Williams to receive 44th AFI Life Achievement Award Five-time Oscar winner John Williams will be the recipient of the 44th AFI Life Achievement Award at its gala tribute to be held in Los Angeles next year. Nobel Peace Prize for Tunisian civil organizations File photo of members of Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet looking on during a National Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet won the Nobel Peace Prize for building democracy after the 2011 revolution which unleashed a wave of popular uprisings across the Arab world. The award was given “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.” The quartet include: Tunisian general union for labor UGTT, Tunisian Union for Industry and Commerce (Union of Investors), Tunisian League for Human Rights Defense and Tunisian Union for Lawyers. “The Quartet was formed in the summer of 2013 when the democratization process was in danger of collapsing as a result of political assassinations and widespread social unrest. It established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war,” a statement from the Nobel Committee read.
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“More than anything, the prize is intended as an encouragement to the Tunisian people, who despite major challenges have laid the groundwork for a national fraternity which the Committee hopes will serve as an example to be followed by other countries,” it added. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the quartet for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, saying their work was an inspiration to the region and the world. "The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet offers hope that serious political challenges can be overcome through dialogue and consensual politics," Ban said in a statement. "Their example is an inspiration to the region and the world." "This recognition belongs to all those who gave birth to the Arab Spring and are striving to safeguard the sacrifices of so many," he said. "This effort by our youth has allowed the country to turn the page on dictatorship," said Houcine Abassi, secretary general of the UGTT, part of the National Dialogue Quartet that was recognised for building democracy after the 2011 revolution. U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated the winners, saying the prize is a tribute to the nation's courage. "Today's award is therefore also a tribute to the perseverance and courage of the Tunisian people who, in the face of political assassinations and terrorist attacks, have come together in a spirit of unity, compromise and tolerance," Obama said in a statement. Obama stressed that "in a region gripped by so much tumult and violence, Tunisia points the way to a better future -- one in which stability is pursued through peaceful dialogue, not violence and division." French President Francois Hollande said the prize was a reward for Tunisia’s successful transition to democracy. "The Nobel rewards the success of the democratic transition in Tunisia," Hollande said. The EU also hailed Tunisia's national dialogue mediators, saying they had shown North Africa and Middle East a democratic path out of turmoil. "The Nobel Peace Prize to the National Dialogue Quartet in Tunisia shows the way out of the crises in the region: national unity and democracy," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted. British economist Angus Deaton wins Nobel for studies on income, poverty Professor Angus Deaton, a British economist, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science for improving the accuracy of basic economic gauges, including measures of income, poverty and consumption. Prof. Deaton, of Princeton, is best known for his insight that economic averages such as measures of national income could be misleading, because they concealed important variations among individuals. Prof. Deaton was born in Scotland, and is a British and U.S. citizen. Speaking by phone at the news conference held to announce the prize, he said the message of his work was mostly optimistic. Prof. Deaton’s name has long appeared on lists of likely candidates for the economics prize. He was an early contributor to one of the defining trends in modern economics: the emphasis on building models of broad economic trends from the ground up, using data about individual behaviour rather than relying on averages. He then used this carefully constructed data to address large questions about wealth, health and well-being. “He is the one who has brought very careful statistical analysis of household choices into development economics,” said Dani Rodrik, a professor of international political economy at Harvard. But Prof. Rodrik emphasised that the Nobel laureate’s work avoided sweeping conclusions.
PERSONS IN NEWS Hoesung Lee to head U.N. climate panel Hoesung Lee, a Korean professor of economics of climate change, energy and sustainable development elected as head of the Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change at its 42nd session in Dubrovnik, Croatia. He succeeds R.K. Pachauri, of India, who stepped down in February after a female researcher accused him of sexual harassment. Mr. Lee was elected by 78-56 votes in a run-off with Jean-Pascale van Ypersele of Belgium. A total of six candidates had been nominated for the post. “The next phase of our work will see us increase our understanding of regional impacts, especially in developing countries, and improve the way we communicate our findings to the public. Above all, we need to provide more information about the options that exist for preventing and adapting to climate change,” he said soon after the results were declared, according to an IPCC communiqué. Mr. Lee, until now one of the vice-chairs of the IPCC, served as executive member of the Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences; a member of the Asia Development Bank President’s advisory board; a council member of the Global Green Growth Institute; and an editorial board member of the U.K.-based Climate Policy. He was the founding president of the Korea Energy Economic Institute and the former president of the International Association for Energy Economics. He has been serving the IPCC in various capacities, including as Working Group III Co-Chair since its Second Assessment Report of 1992. British Indian appointed BBC Radio 4”s first resident poet BBC Radio 4 has appointed Indian-origin poet Daljit Nagra as its first poet-in-residence, which will see him curate a weekly programme telling stories about 20th century poetry, a media report said. Mr. Nagra will also appear on Radio 4 shows and social media platforms, while writing original work to commission, The Telegraph reported. “It’s an honour and a privilege to be given such a valuable platform as poet in residence at Radio 4. This position will, I am sure, inspire me to write new poetry that speaks of our complicated age,” Mr. Nagra was quoted as saying. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 23 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
Punglish The son of Sikh immigrants from India who came to Britain in the late 1950s, Mr. Nagra writes poetry that relates to the experience of British-born Indians and often utilises “Punglish,” the English spoken by Indian immigrants who have Punjabi as their first language, the daily said. His latest book Ramayana was recently shortlisted for the coveted T.S. Eliot Prize. He also teaches English at a secondary school in London. According to Mr. Nagra, he had little awareness of poetry until he picked up a book of William Blake’s work in a bookshop when he was 19 and has not stopped reading poetry since. Noted music director Ravindra Jain no more Veteran music director-singer-lyricist Ravindra Jain, the genius who overcame his blindness to render lilting melodies and soulful tunes in several films including Chitchor and Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se , died. Jain was also credited with bringing south Indian singing legend K J Yesudas to Hindi movies. The duo collaborated together in giving melodies like Oo goriya re , Beeti hui raat ki , Gori tera gaon and Jab deep jale aana . Jain, who remained undaunted by blindness to become one of the most successful composers, also gave music for hit films like Chor Machaye Shor and Geet Gaata Chal in the 70s. He was given a big break by Raj Kapoor, for whom he composed super hit songs in movies such as Ram Teri Ganga Maili , Do Jasoos , and Henna , which was directed by Randhir Kapoor. Renowned flautist N. Ramani dead Flautist N. Ramani, who imbibed the best elements of playing the flute from late T.R. Mahalingam and developed his inimitable technique and style, died. Born in Tiruvarur in 1934, the birthplace of Carnatic Trinity – Thyagaraja, Muthusamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry – Ramani had his early lessons from his maternal grandfather Azhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer. Actor, singer Manorama no more Actor, comedian and singer Manorama, known as Aachi, whose performance matched the heroes and heroines of her times, died of multiple organ failure. Her first film was Malaiitta Mangai produced by lyricist Kannadasan in 1958. Her experience in the theatre and singing talents came in handy in the film world. She rendered her first song, under the music of G.K. Venkatesh. But it was the parody of “Pogathey Pogathey En Kanava”, in the film Ratta Thilagam, in the music of K.V. Mahadevan produced by Kannadasan, identified her talent as a singer. In the music of A.R. Rahman, she sang “Marasai Sutti Paarka Poren.” Born in Mannargudi in Thanjavur district, her original name was Gopichanda and latter assumed the name Pallathur Pappa after her family moved to Pallathur in Chettinadu. In the film world she was known as Manorama. Even while acting in dramas, she got a chance to act in the film with late S.S. Rajendran and Devika in Pudukottai. But it did not see the light of the day. She had acted with M.G.R. Sivaji Ganesan, NTR, Jayalalithaa, Nagesh, Cho, Thengai Srinivasan and the present-day actors. She also created controversy when she campaigned against actor Rajinikanth in support of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in the 1996 elections. Sachin and Murali make a clean sweep in Sri Lanka Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar visited Sri Lanka first in 1993 to play a three-match series. Over the next 17 years, he travelled here to play several matches. But, his current trip to Colombo is “to play a different match, a match against all diseases caused by diarrhoea.” Sachin, donning the cap of the UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador for south Asia, said that it was not just an 11-member squad but “entire Sri Lanka is going to be involved in the match.” His “teammate” in this match is cricketer Muttiah Muralidharan or, in short, Murali. Both teamed up to launch a campaign, highlighting the importance of hygiene and sanitation in Sri Lanka, at an event organised by the UNICEF here. Sachin recalled how his mother had taught him the importance of handwashing in the early years of life. Murali said that rural areas in Sri Lanka were better placed than urban centres with regard to the provision of toilets. He called for the setting up of more public toilets in cities and tea plantations. Seventeen per cent of schools and 14 per cent of households in Sri Lanka do not have adequate sanitation coverage. Sachin urged local heroes and celebrities to promote the cause of sanitation. True to their passion for the game, the cricketers wound up the launch by playing with children.
PLACE IN NEWS Nanning emerges as a pillar of the Maritime Silk Road After thorough deliberation, China has made Nanning one of the focal points of the proposed Maritime Silk Road, leveraging the southern city’s natural connectivity linkages with Southeast Asia and growth hubs of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao. The waterways of Xijiang River that flows through the city lead to the Pearl River and the South China Sea. Once a port on the river is modernised, approximately in five years, it would enable a cargo ship of 2,000 tonnes to head for the bustling commercial cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.
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In view of the vast potential of the greater Pearl River Delta region, Chinese authorities are developing the Pearl River- Xijiang River Economic Belt. When fully developed, the waterways would strongly reinforce Nanning’s state-of-the-art rail and road connectivity to the coast. An active high-speed link has already slashed transit time between Nanning and Guangzhou to four hours. The Guangxi province, of which Nanning is the capital, is also the gateway to a large landlocked space. Three deep water ports that face the Beibu Gulf of the South China Sea — Qinzhou, Fangchenggang and Beihai — at a distance ranging from104 to 204 km can be accessed from Nanning. Air connectivity has not been ignored either. Eighty-seven domestic and foreign airlines fly from Nanning’s Wuxu International Airport, to 64 cities, including all capital of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Its prized geographic location is making the city the fulcrum of China’s access to the most dynamic zones of Southeast Asia. Study: Mum is world’s cheapest city to live in Mumbai has emerged as the world’s cheapest city to live and work in, among 12 top metropolitan cities of the world. London, Hong Kong and New York are the world’s most expensive cities for companies to accommodate employees, with costs in London going through the roof, says Savills World Research. The cheapest city in the index is Mumbai, where it costs just $29,088 to accommodate an employee, up only 2.4% since 2008, while Shanghai comes in at $38,089, up 15.6%. On comparison, the index which measures the combined cost of residential and office rental per person per year found that London’s costs averaged $118,425 in the first half of 2015, an increase of 20.7% since the index was launched in 2008. San Francisco has been the biggest riser, with growth of 59.8% since 2008. Yolande Barnes, director of Savills World Research said “Our Live/Work report says that while London, Hong Kong and New York are the world’s most expensive cities for accommodating employees, relatively speaking Mumbai’s real estate costs are more expensive as they are five times the average GDP, compared to London and New York where real estate is only twice and 1.5 times the GDP respectively.”
SPORTS Russia’s Sergey Karjakin wins World Cup Russia’s Sergey Karjakin has won the chess World Cup, beating compatriot Peter Svidler 6-4, in the final. The title was decided in the tie-breakers after the two won two classical games each. By reaching the final, both Karjakin and Svidler qualified for the Candidates tournament to be held next March, which will identify Norwegian Magnus Carlsen’s challenger for the next World championship. Viswanathan Anand and the two Americans Fabiana Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura are the others who have qualified. Three more slots remain to be filled for the eight-player tournament. Fifa suspends Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini and Jérôme Valcke Here’s a quick summary of historic events: Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini and Jérôme Valcke suspended for 90 days Issa Hayatou to be acting Fifa president following suspension of Sepp Blatter FA not dropping support of Michel Platini for Fifa presidency IOC tells Fifa: enough is enough - you must accelerate and deepen reform With Platini’s candidacy looking extremely shaky after his provisional suspension, the race to be elected as the next Fifa president at February’s elections is now wide open. According to the bookies, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan is the new favourite, with Platini and Issa Hayatou second and third respectively. Alternatively, one firm is offering 500/1 on Arsenal mascot Gunnersaurus - the same price as Kolo Touré and Raheem Sterling. IOC president Thomas Bach has had his say on Fifa’s woes in the past and ventured in June that football’s governing body could learn a thing or two from its own scandal. IOC members were expelled over the 1998 bribery scandal which related to the award of the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City and it was widely seen as the catalyst for the overhaul of the organisation with wholesale changes to its structure and bidding rules. Poland creates history on a day of fluctuating fortunes Poland made history as it withstood a stiff challenge from Sweden (307.5-293) and lifted the Bermuda Bowl for the first time as the HCL-42nd World bridge championships concluded at the ITC Grand Chola. With Johan Upmark and Fredrik Nystrom pitted against their Polish rivals Piotr Gawrys and Michal Klukowski in the open room, and Johan Sylvan and Frederic Wrang against Michal Nowosadzki and Jacek Kalita in the closed, the Swedes simply destroyed the cushion their rivals held by taking the first set by a whopping 70-6 margin. Stepping forward on behalf of the Polish side after its historic win, Jassem Krzysztof was all smiles. “Wow! Our dream has come true,” he said. “We had played the first four rounds of the league phase with just two pairs and had to struggle a lot. The final turned out to be a real rollercoaster and as we look back, I think it was all the pressure that helped us to win in the end.”
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The results: Men (final): Poland bt Sweden 307.5-293. Losers’ final: USA2 bt England 252.3-243. Thapa assured of medal Shiva Thapa became only the third Indian boxer ever to assure himself of a World Championships medal besides inching closer to an Olympic berth as he advanced to the semifinals with a dominating triumph. Shiva (56kg) thrashed Qatar’s Hakan Erseker 3-0 and is now just one win away from assuring himself of an Olympic quota place. By assuring himself of at least a bronze, Shiva joined Vijender Singh (2009) and Vikas Krishan (2011) as the third Indian to be a medallist at the showpiece event. However Vikas Krishan (75kg) was beaten 3-0 by Egypt’s Hosam Abdin. Sania Mirza, Martina Hingis win China Open women's doubles title Extending their incredible unbeaten record, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis lifted their eighth trophy of the season and fourth in a row, winning the WTA China Open. The top seeds faced stiff resistance from sixth seed Taipei girls Hao-Ching Chan and Yung-Jan Chan before winning 6-7 (9), 6-1, 10-8 in the final which lasted one hour and 40 minutes. In the match tie-breaker, the two pair were going neck and neck and the score was 7-7 at one stage but Sania and Martina won three of the next four points to clinch the issue.It was fourth title in a row for the Indo-Swiss pair. It was ninth title for India's Sania in the 2015 season and eighth with Swiss great Martina. They had won titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou and Wuhan before this win. Riyaz and Kajal win titles Riyaz Ali and Kajal Kumari won the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively in the seventh International Carrom Federation Cup at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex. Riyaz defeated Nishant Fernando of Sri Lanka 25-22, 25-10 in the men’s final while Kajal beat compatriot Tuba Sehar 25-16, 8-25, 25-7. The Indian men won the team championship earlier, beating Sri Lanka 2-1, and Bangladesh took the bronze downing France 3-0.
OPINION Revolutionary therapies The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 has been awarded to three scientists for the “revolutionary treatments” they developed for devastating diseases that predominantly affect people in the developing countries. The discovery of the drug ivermectin, a derivative of avermectin, by William Campbell of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and by Satoshi Ômura of Kitasato University in Tokyo, nearly eradicated river blindness and radically reduced the incidence of lymphatic filariasis. The discovery of artemisinin by Tu Youyou of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing in the early- 1970s was a decisive step in the battle against severe cases of malaria. Unlike the quest by the two Laureates for a remedy for roundworm infestation, Dr. Tu’s hunt for a potent anti-malarial drug turned out to be as dramatic as the drug itself. “In keeping with Mao Zedong’s urgings to explore and further improve the great treasure house” of Chinese medicine, she pored through ancient texts for leads. The secret operation, named Project 523 and announced on May 23, 1967, investigated more than 2,000 preparations before an extract fromArtemisia annua (sweet wormwood) showed promise. Deftly combining traditional knowledge with modern science, she redesigned the extraction process, and purified the extract to make it both potent and safe. She was involved in isolating the active ingredient, conducting clinical trials and publishing the results. In 1973, she modified artemisinin to generate a powerful drug. The miracle drug has prevented millions of malarial deaths. Yet, in 2013 there were 198 million cases of malaria and an estimated 584,000 deaths worldwide, over 90 per cent of them in Africa. As in the case of many other wonder drugs, resistance to artemisinin is fast emerging. As of February 2015, artemisinin resistance has been confirmed in five countries of the Greater Mekong subregion — Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. What is alarming is that artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum has been found to occur across much of Upper Myanmar “including regions close to the Indian border in the Northwest”. In fact, the zone where resistance to artemisinin exists has come to within 25 km of the Indian border. Since the Myanmar-India boundary was a “path followed by resistance to chloroquine” to spread from South East Asia to the Indian subcontinent, a recurrence in the case of artemisinin-resistant malaria has to be averted at any cost. Already over 40,000 people in India die each year, and according to the World Malaria Report 2011, over 70 per cent of India’s population is at risk of malaria infection. The tasks and the challenges thus remain. Outside the club: TPP has altered India’s bargaining power and negotiating positions Twelve Pacific rim countries have finally agreed on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the largest regional trade agreement ever, which covers countries that account for 40 per cent of the global economy. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 26 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
The partnership between economic powerhouses like the US, Japan, Australia, Canada and Singapore on the one hand, and Vietnam, Malaysia, Peru, Chile and Mexico on the other, is part of an attempt to balance China, which isn’t part of the deal, and sets a new benchmark for trade agreements. Though the TPP still has to be ratified by lawmakers in the 12 countries — steering the agreement through Congress is likely to be President Barack Obama’s last big challenge — it holds significant lessons and warnings for India. With the WTO floundering — the Doha Development Round has been stuck for years and a breakthrough doesn’t seem imminent — regional and bilateral pacts assume greater significance. But India’s progress on concluding trade negotiations hasn’t been great. Take for instance, the EU-India Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement, under negotiation since 2007 — in contrast, the TPP has been concluded in five years. Sending a bad signal to other prospective trade partners, India had petulantly called off the talks over the EU banning the sale of some generic drugs. But by dithering on such negotiations, India risks costly isolation from important trade clubs. The TPP, for instance, will likely affect India’s exports to the 12 Pacific countries. According to one estimate, trade worth $2.7 billion will be diverted away from India. This number could increase to $3.8 billion if South Korea joins the club. The costs could be even higher if India is unable to participate in global supply chains due to the TPP’s rules on standards, labour and environment policies. Further, standardisation of intellectual property regimes across the TPP countries and rules on expropriation may make it more difficult for India to attract foreign investment over, say, a Vietnam. The TPP has altered India’s bargaining power and negotiating positions. Take for instance, the bilateral investment treaty under negotiation with the US. The TPP has set a benchmark of sorts for this agreement. Spillover effects of this will be evident in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership negotiations between the Asean and six other countries, including India. Now, Delhi must help industry understand how to adapt to a post-TPP world. Further, it needs to urgently strengthen its negotiating teams and re-establish its credibility to conclude big-ticket agreements. She came and went Behind the polite speeches, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ongoing visit has provided India’s leaders a brutal education in the limits of dramaturgical diplomacy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s performances on the world stage have been carefully crafted to project to global audiences the idea of India as it would like to be seen: energetic, vibrant, raring-to-do-business. Yet, the limited yields from Merkel’s visit demonstrate that surround-sound, high-definition performances can achieve only so much. Two months ago, India called off talks on a free trade agreement long under negotiation with the European Union, to protest measures taken against GVK Pharma. The FTA would have allowed enhanced market access for German industries, from automobiles to wine, and given Indian software engineers enhanced rights to work in that country. Merkel hoped her visit would help accelerate progress on the India-EU FTA. Instead, she was faced with an impasse, and is believed to have made her displeasure known. Now, the European Union is turning its energies to the under-negotiation Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, relegating the long-stalled India FTA down its list of priorities. India has got some consolation prizes out of the Merkel visit — like a pledge of $1 billion for non-conventional energy — but these are small change. Evidently, giant rallies of fawning non-resident Indians aren’t a substitute for nuts- and-bolts negotiation. Alongside the unhappy fate of the India-EU trade negotiations, is a larger question of what global leadership actually means. Faced with a gargantuan tide of refugees from West Asia, Merkel made a historic decision to allow in hundreds of thousands in need — bucking political criticism from her right flanks — to earn Germany international respect. For all the talk of regional leadership, the Modi government’s record is less-than-luminous. India’s relationship with Nepal is close to rock-bottom; and dialogue with Pakistan deadlocked. The prime minister hasn’t visited strategic partner Afghanistan— or used Indian influence to defuse the growing crisis in the Maldives. It isn’t hard to make a list of what India could do, but hasn’t done. Though the prime minister might have secured a temple for Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates, the government has shown an extraordinary unwillingness to step up to base in West Asia, where the country has huge strategic equities — by running hospitals or refugee camps in crisis-hit Iraq, for example. In Afghanistan, key to balancing Pakistan in the region, there have been no new initiatives to provide strategic assistance. Prime Minister Modi needs, urgently, to recognise that heft in international affairs doesn’t derive from messaging, however powerful, but from real action. Identity crisis: Aadhaar has clear benefits It’s status quo for the Aadhaar scheme, as the Supreme Court continued to confine its applications to the public distribution scheme and the LPG and kerosene subsidies. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 27 2015CA_007,008,009,010,011,012,013
Earlier, it had decided that a larger constitutional bench would decide on the question of whether privacy was a fundamental right. Aadhaar’s fate rests on that decision too. The Centre, along with a host of institutions including the Sebi, RBI, LIC, Trai, and income tax department had appealed for the restriction to be lifted, claiming that the biometric ID system was the more precise way to get social entitlements across, and that it was a purely voluntary transaction. Since its inception, the unique ID plan has faced resistance from several quarters, chiefly privacy activists who claim that the poor should not have to forego their right to privacy in order to access welfare benefits that they need. Conceived by the UPA as the enabling architecture for all social provisions, the scheme had been forced to roll out as an executive order, and finally, the Supreme Court had declared that it could not be mandatory. The upside of Aadhaar is clear — it is meant to avoid duplication and ghost beneficiaries, and therefore minimise leakage, and keep public spending honest and accurate. This is a clear problem — for instance, according to the 2011census, there are only 21million households in Andhra Pradesh, but there are 24.5 million ration cards. Instead of claiming that the poor would willingly waive their rights to privacy in exchange for social benefits, the government should address these concerns. Setbacks are inevitable in the absence of legislation underpinning the UIDAI. The courts will continue to be the arbiters of its mandate, extending it to this and disallowing that, unless the government makes a convincing case for it and enacts a solid law that guarantees privacy. Two sides of an ambitious deal The Trans-Pacific Partnership pact reached this week between the United States and 11 Pacific Rim nations including Canada and Japan, has raised both hopes and concerns. The commercial value of the deal, when it is approved, is immense, tying together as it does almost 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. It seeks to eliminate or reduce about 18,000 tariff and non-tariff barriers. Its supporters, including President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, say the pact would boost growth in the U.S. as well as the Asian economies. But it faces opposition inside and outside the U.S. Several members of Mr. Obama’s Democratic Party oppose the deal, saying it would only help American companies send jobs abroad. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders calls it a “trade disaster”. Critics in other countries say it would benefit large corporations, particularly American big pharma, with the common people at the receiving end. Health advocacy groups say it would reduce access to generic medicines in developing countries; Internet freedom campaigners see it as a big threat. Mr. Obama has made the TPP the centrepiece of his trade and foreign policies, and seems determined to push it in Congress and persuade other governments to accept it. The strategic potential of the deal is clear. The U.S. started pushing for a Pacific free trade agreement at a time China was emerging as an economic super power in the region. Defending the accord, Mr. Obama said: “We can’t let countries like China write the rules of the global economy. We should write those rules, opening new markets to American products”. The strategic ambitions of the U.S. are clear. Traditionally, the U.S. has tried to isolate its enemies and integrate allies with its own worldview. With Beijing it couldn’t do either. China is now the world’s second largest economy, which has invested trillions of dollars in U.S. treasury bonds; “isolating” such an economy is next to impossible. Though the U.S. reversed its hostile China policy in 1972 in order to exploit internal rivalries in the communist bloc, China never became a U.S. ally. And the chasm only widened after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now, with China emerging as an economic powerhouse with new institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in place, the U.S. is trying to form a grand alliance that would shore up its influence in Asia. But will this strategic push be at the expense of its own workers, and the poor in the developing world? If it is, as economists such as Joseph Stiglitz have pointed out, the TPP would hardly meet either its declared commercial goals or its undeclared strategic ambitions, and could turn counterproductive. A firmer Aadhaar Almost since its inception, the fate of Aadhaar — which the Supreme Court on Wednesday referred to a larger bench while declining to stay an August 11 interim order that restricted its use to only the LPG scheme and the PDS — has been uncertain. Even as the executive has enrolled millions of people in the biometric identification programme, Aadhaar has been vulnerable to legal challenges, especially on the ground of individual privacy. Despite what seems to be a multiparty consensus on the transformative potential of the unique identification project, which originated as a UPA scheme but has been subsequently adopted by the NDA, both governments have failed to insulate Aadhaar from such disputes. They have left it to fend for itself without a statutory framework. The Modi government clearly views Aadhaar as an essential tool in its ambitious Digital India initiative, and in its plan to overhaul the existing architecture of social welfare schemes. Aadhaar’s promise lies in its capacity to enable the state to effectively target entitlement programmes to the intended beneficiary by allowing those who most need benefits to access them without requiring various stamps of officialdom as proof of identity. By linking a number to unique biometric details, Aadhaar can help eliminate duplication and impersonation in muster rolls and beneficiary lists, plugging the leaks that currently characterise most social welfare initiatives. Yet, the government is endangering its own agenda with its apparent disinterest in giving the programme a clearer definition in law, which might also address some of the questions that hang over it, particularly on privacy.
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It is not as if concerns that the wealth of personal information collected by the Aadhaar database could be misused are unwarranted. Not only does the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which administers Aadhaar, operate independent of parliamentary oversight, government initiatives like the Orwellian-sounding Central Monitoring System fan suspicion that the state will use composite Aadhaar data to surveil and profile individuals and groups. The CBI’s attempt in March last year to force the UIDAI to share its fingerprint data with investigators for a rape case was stayed by the Supreme Court, and will have lent weight to the arguments of privacy rights advocates. Such incidents underscore the fact that unless the UIDAI is supported by legislation, the courts will continue to be the final arbiters of its mandate. By making it a priority to codify both a right to privacy that explicitly outlines a framework for the operation of data collection agencies and the UIDAI itself, the Modi government can remove the uncertainty that plagues Aadhaar and enable it to realise its full potential. Honouring a robust civil society The award of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize to the National Dialogue Quartet comprising the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers, is richly deserved. This quartet of civil society institutions that came together in 2013 had managed tortuous political negotiations for a consensus-based Constitution and a transition to a robust democracy in Tunisia. The UGTT in particular played a pivotal role, after massive protests erupted in 2013 against the Ennahda-led government. These followed the political assassination of left-wing dissidents and moves by the government to pack the independent bureaucracy with members of the ancien régime. The transition in Tunisia has been unique among the countries that experienced similar change. Tunisia was the site of the first set of popular uprisings in 2011, which came to be known as the Jasmine Revolution and triggered similar protests across the Arab world in what was termed the Arab Spring. Egypt saw the return of a “managed democracy” with a military leader coming to power following a political coup against the popularly elected but increasingly authoritarian Muslim Brotherhood-led government. Libya’s uprising threatened to turn bloody, leading to the intervention of NATO, and following the death of Muammar Qadhafi that country descended into anarchy. Syria’s woes have been well-documented. Democratisation, as India’s own history shows, is invariably a slow and tortuous process. Its success is predicated by the strength of civil society organisations, the legitimacy of political organisations, and the forbearance and foresight of exceptional individuals who are willing to look beyond the immediate and the expedient. The UGTT has a long history, having been formed in 1946. Its members constitute five per cent of the country’s population. Its clout as an economic bargaining entity, its widespread presence in Tunisia and its leaders’ extensive experience in the art of negotiations, helped bring political parties to agree to a new political road map in 2013. This led to the creation of a largely progressive Constitution in January 2014 and to parliamentary elections in October 2014. Legitimacy was accorded to the UGTT’s negotiating role by the other members of the Quartet, which have also had a historical presence. The lesson from the story of Tunisia’s unique success in the post-Arab Spring set of events in the Arab world is that a robust civil society with organised labour power as a pivot has an important role to play in any process of democratisation. Neither external intervention nor sporadic outbursts of street protests would do for that. The Nobel Committee must be commended for recognising this fact. Hasten slowly RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan made an important observation about the limits to which financial inclusion can be “pushed”. Speaking at an IMF event in Lima on October 8, Rajan talked about how, beyond a point, financial inclusion, especially one led by a drive to make easy credit available for the poor and hitherto unbanked, can actually have a negative impact on the financial stability of the whole system. Rajan’s cautionary words come at time when India is seeing a massive campaign for financial inclusion in the form of the Jan Dhan Yojana, under which over 18.5 crore new bank accounts have been opened in the past one year. Each of these accounts comes with an overdraft facility of Rs 5,000 once the account remains active for six months. Although not speaking specifically about India, Rajan said “…my sense is that, beyond a certain point, push becomes actually negative because you bring in people who aren’t able to absorb credit.” This ties in with Rajan’s analysis of what went wrong during the subprime crisis in US, which eventually led to a full- blown global financial crisis in 2008. The flip side of pushing financial inclusion is the supervisory capacity of the banks and lending institutions. There is evidence already that because of relaxed KYC norms, there is considerable duplication in the newly granted bank accounts. The extensive research on financial inclusion is clear about two things. One, it is an effective tool for raising economic growth and reducing inequality. It is for this reason that it figures prominently in the post-2015 goals set by the United Nations.
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Two, research also points to how too much push can hurt financial stability. The crisis in India’s microfinance sector around 2010 was a direct result of lax supervision and excessive lending to people who had no ability to invest the loans productively and repay. At one level, banks can be blamed for perversely competing with each other to loan out big sums to people who cannot repay. But the larger problem, as Rajan pointed out in his book Faultlines, is the political economy of credit-led financial inclusion. Policymakers use cheap credit as a way to enhance the short-term consumption of voters, while ignoring investment in the real economy. Is something similar happening now in India? Rajan did not venture into any specifics. But it is clear that the government’s efforts towards financial inclusion will not work in the long term unless there is adequate investment in the real sectors of the economy. How India should respond to TPP; domestic reform is key for membership The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is becoming a reality, threatening those outside the 12-country bloc with trade diversion and lost opportunity. The agreement, reached among Pacific Rim countries including the US and Japan but excluding China, shows up the World Trade Organization (WTO) as an effete organisation that has not been able to secure a major deal since 1995 and is stuck with an economic framework that has been overtaken by the pace and nature of global integration. The TPP creates a new framework for trade that embraces not just low tariffs but also convergent safety standards, intellectual property rights, labour standards and environmental norms, and a dispute settlement mechanism for investment-related disputes. How should India respond to the development? By acting simultaneously on three fronts: trying to join the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation as a necessary stepping stone to joining the TPP, taking a proactive role in making the multilateral WTO salient again and carrying out domestic reform, including by reducing import duties further. Trade in goods and services add up to roughly 50% of GDP (a little less in 2014-15). How competitive these are matters a lot to the entire economy. Countries like India stand to lose from being left out of dynamic trading blocs like TPP. China will probably become a member soon, though as someone who accepts the rules already set without having had a chance to contribute to the rule-making process. India, too, must join the group. The second task of reforming the working of the WTO is best accomplished by accepting the economic logic that opening up is good for India and abandoning the negotiating logic of diplomats, which holds that giving in is surrender. India has to cut its tariffs, transit to a goods and services tax and remove infrastructure bottlenecks at the fastest pace, including clamping down on power theft and giveaways. Sectarian politics that creates social schism and violence will, however, make economic reform tough and beside the point. Welcome PM Oli Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli isn’t the man New Delhi would have chosen to lead its Himalayan neighbour. Nepal’s first prime minister under its new constitution is seen, correctly or otherwise, as pro-China and anti-India. He has been cast as hostile to claims for greater federal autonomy by the Madhesis, Tharus and Janajatis — a constituency India has batted for, with little success. His penchant for inflammatory rhetoric — “Oli ko goli”, his speeches are called — has alarmed some. The fact that Oli began his career as a radical Maoist beheading landlords, and remains a trenchant secularist, hasn’t endeared him to some in PM Narendra Modi’s foreign policy inner circle. Ten years ago, when former PM Manmohan Singh’s government, with the support of a cross-section of Indian politicians, began nudging Nepal towards inclusive democracy, this probably wasn’t the outcome they were hoping for. For exactly these reasons, New Delhi should welcome PM Oli’s rise to power.It is critical to the legitimacy of Nepal’s constitution that the act of breathing life into its words is seen as directed by representatives of its people — not the hidden hand of the powerful neighbour next door. It is true that the birth of the new order has been stained by blood, with peoples in the plains — as well as others — believing they have have been short-changed by the hill elite. Yet, these are questions Nepal’s new constitution and political system must find answers to. In one interview, Oli said he was aware “people see me as an illiberal hardliner and anti-Madhesis. But I will show what I am by my actions, by addressing their demands through constitutional amendments”. Delhi needs to take him at his word — and trust Nepal’s people to deliver punishment in the next election if he fails. The bottomline is this: India’s relationship with Nepal isn’t, and shouldn’t be, shaped by fear. It is true China’s growing presence in the country has geopolitical consequences for India. Yet, Chinese economic power is one of the defining realities of our times. Diplomacy that seeks to contain it by coercion or cajoling is destined to implode, leaving a trail of ill will. Delhi should, instead, build on the extraordinary strength of ties that bind the two nations. Millions of Nepalis live and work in India, after all, while millions more are bound by ties of kinship, and yet others give their blood to guard our borders. Kathmandu will not ever become a proxy for Beijing, because it cannot. PM Modi’s decision to invite Oli to Delhi is a step in the right direction. Delhi must show that he is welcome, no matter what its concerns and differences.
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WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM 14TH TO 20TH OCT, 2015
INTERNATIONAL NEWS Iranian Parliament approves nuclear deal Iran’s Parliament passed a bill supporting the government in implementing a nuclear deal with world powers, state news agency IRNA said, in a victory for the government over conservative opponents of the deal. Some lawmakers have opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that President Hassan Rouhani’s government reached with world powers on July 14, and this vote removes a major obstacle to putting the agreement into practice. However, the bill insists that international inspections of military sites under the nuclear pact should be approved by a top Iranian security body, leaving the possibility that disagreements could still arise. “The bill to implement the JCPOA ... was passed in a public session with 161 votes in favour,” IRNA said. Russia appeals to UN aviation body to open new MH17 probe Russia has appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organization to open a new probe into last year’s downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine, the chief of the Russian aviation agency said. The Boeing 777 crashed on July 17, 2014, in the middle of a military conflict between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces. The Dutch Safety Board said in its final report released that the jet was destroyed by a Soviet-made Buk surface-to-air missile. Two-thirds of the 298 people who died were Dutch. The 15-month probe did not explicitly say who had fired the missile, but it identified an area of 320 square kilometers (120 square miles) from where it said the launch must have taken place. All of the land was in the hands of pro-Russian separatists fighting Ukrainian forces at the time of the disaster, according to daily maps of fighting released by the Ukrainian National Security Council. Russia and the rebels insist that if the plane was destroyed by a missile, it must have been fired by the Ukrainian military. “The Russian commission categorically disagrees with the conclusions of the final report. They are fundamentally wrong, the lack of logic there is beyond comparison,” Oleg Storchevoi, deputy chief of the Russian Aviation Agency, said in a televised news conference. “I had a feeling that the commission was cherry-picking the evidence to suit a theory they had chosen.” Storchevoi hinted that Russia believes that some of the evidence has been faked. He accused the Dutch of “hiding important data” from Russia, calling into question the authenticity of the shrapnel and pieces of the missile reportedly found in the wreckage. China opens huge Brahmaputra dam A 510MW Chinese hydroelectric dam became operational on the Brahmaputra. Official Xinhua news agency said electricity from all units of the Zangmu Hydropower Project in Tibet, regarded as the highest in the world and just 550km from the Indian border, had been connected to China’s national power grid. While an Indian official said the government wasn’t concerned as China has assured it was a run-of-the-river project, visiting Indian ministers and officials have repeatedly expressed unease over dams on the Brahmaputra. The discomfort emanates from the possible impact on Upper Siang and Lower Subansiri projects in Arunachal Pradesh if the dam in Tibet reduces the Brahmaputra water flow. While Indian officials said China has assured this dam will have little impact on environment or water flow downstream, the Zangmu Hydropower Project has turned out to be massive: the dam, 390m long and 116m high in Gyaca County of Shannan Prefecture in Tibet, will generate 2,500MW. “As if to underscore the contrast between an autocracy and a democracy, China’s announcement that Tibet’s largest dam project is fully operational coincided with protesters stalling Lower Subansiri, India’s sole large dam project under construction,” said Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research. “China is now racing to complete five other dam projects on the Brahmaputra. China’s frenzied dam building on the Brahmaputra and other Tibetan rivers flowing to India is a reminder that Tibet remains the core issue in Sino-Indian relations,” Chellaney said. China reopens biggest border trading post In a major development which is expected to henceforth expected to be a factor in Nepal’s ties with India, China succeeded in reopening its border post with Nepal at Jilung-Tatopani. The reopening of the border trading post, which lies four hours drive away from Nepal’s capital, and is the biggest between the two neighbours, was in response to Nepal’s request for help with the supplies of essential commodities after the blockade by the Madhesi parties on Nepal’s southern border disrupted movement of trucks. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 1 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
Local sources have told that food items and consumer products are expected to flow into Nepal through the just restored border post which was badly damaged during the earthquake of April 25. At the end of last year the post was expanded, but the quake disrupted work in April. Thanks to the blockade on India-Nepal border, Nepal has rediscovered the utility of the post which will be tied with other similar posts on the China-Nepal border. Japan restarts second reactor at Sendai nuclear plant Japan restarted a second reactor at the Sendai nuclear plant on the southwestern island of Kyushu, as the government pushes ahead with an unpopular return to atomic energy in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The restart of the Sendai No 2 unit marks progress for Japan's utilities, which have been hit by huge losses after being forced to shut down nuclear plants for safety checks. Kyushu Electric Power Co restarted the No 1 unit at the Sendai plant in August after approval from the country's atomic regulator came following two years of reviews and equipment checks. Anxious to cut fuel bills, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants atomic power to account for 20-22% of the country's energy mix by 2030, but the goal is widely seen as unrealistic and opposition to nuclear power remains widespread. Opinion polls have consistently shown strong opposition to nuclear power among the public, even as electricity bills surged following the switch to expensive fossil fuels. "We will continue to restart nuclear reactors that meet what's called one of the most strict safety standards in the world, respecting the judgement of the government's nuclear authority," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said during a regular news conference on Thursday. "The government is unchanged with its determination that we should restart nuclear reactors that meet the safety standards as we're currently relying on old fuel generators that are forcedly put into operation," Suga added. Japan: Study finds higher thyroid cancer in children living near Fukushima nuclear plant Pakistan, Russia sign gas pipeline pact Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement to build a gas pipeline stretching hundreds of kilometres from Karachi on the Arabian Sea to the eastern city of Lahore. Officials said the North-South gas pipeline project would be built by Russian company RT Global Resources — a part of Russian state corporation Rostec. The 1,100-kilometre (680-mile) pipeline, with a capacity of 12.4 billion cubic metres (438 billion cubic feet) per year, will connect liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Karachi with those in Lahore. Russia is to invest about $2 billion in the pipeline and its first phase is expected to be completed by December 2017, a senior government official told. The project will take cooperation between Russia and Pakistan “to a new level”, Novak said in a statement issued by the Ministry. The statement said the pipeline will be operated by the manufacturer for 25 years before being transferred to the Pakistani government. Russia has long been the largest supplier of weaponry to Pakistan’s nuclear-armed archrival India, which is the world’s top arms buyer. But now Moscow appears to be pivoting towards Islamabad as New Delhi becomes closer allies with Washington. Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency reported in June that the country had lifted its embargo on arms supplies to Pakistan and was holding talks on supplying Islamabad with combat helicopters. Sharif at the time invited Russian companies to invest in Pakistan. Israel rejects call for UN police at Al-Aqsa Israel rejected Palestinian calls for a protection force to be deployed in East Jerusalem to quell violence around the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque. “Let me be crystal clear – Israel will not agree to any international presence on the Temple Mount. Such a presence would be a change in the status quo,” Israeli Deputy Ambassador David Roet told the UN Security Council. The 15-member council met in an emergency session to discuss weeks of escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinians in Jerusalem and the territories. Palestinians torched a Jewish holy site in the West Bank as they staged a “Friday of revolution” against Israel. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “strongly condemns this reprehensible act and calls on those responsible to be swiftly brought to justice”, Assistant Secretary General Taye-Brook Zerihoun told the council. Israeli security forces deployed massively in Jerusalem after two weeks of violence that have left 39 Palestinians dead and hundreds more wounded in clashes with Israeli forces. The violence began on October 1, when a suspected cell of the Islamist movement Hamas murdered a Jewish settler couple in the West Bank in front of their children. Those killings followed repeated clashes at East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound in September between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 2 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
Obama calls for reform of U.S. criminal justice system President Barack Obama called for a meaningful criminal justice system reform in the U.S. while citing that there are currently 2.2 million people behind bars in America compared to the 500,000 thirty years ago. “Thirty years ago, there were 500,000 people behind bars in America. Today, there are 2.2 million. The United States is home to 5 per cent of the world’s population, but 25 per cent of the world’s prisoners. Every year, we spend $80 billion to keep people locked up,” Mr. Obama said in his weekly web and radio address to the nation. Comparatively, India’s annual defence budget is $40 billion. In India, 3.3 lakh people are in jail. According to compiled figures, half of the world’s prison population of about nine million is held in the U.S., China or Russia. Prison rates in the U.S. are the world’s highest, at 724 people per 100,000. In Russia the rate is 581 and that of India is just 30. In his address, Mr. Obama said over the last few decades, the U.S. has locked up more non-violent offenders than ever before, for longer than ever before.“That’s the real reason our prison population is so high,” he said. “Much of our criminal justice system remains unfair. In recent years, more of our eyes have been opened to this truth. “I’ll visit a community battling prescription drug and heroin abuse. I’ll speak with leaders from law enforcement who are determined to lower the crime rate and the incarceration rate and with police chiefs who have dedicated their careers to keeping our streets and officers safe. I’ll meet with former prisoners who are earning their second chance,” he said. “I’ll keep working with lawmakers from both parties who are determined to get criminal justice reform bills to my desk,” Mr. Obama said. US cancel drilling rights auctions in Alaskan Arctic The United States has announced it is calling off two auctions for oil and gas drilling rights in the Arctic off Alaska and has denied requests for lease extensions by Shell and Statoil. The move comes just weeks after President Barack Obama visited Alaska and Shell said its Burger J well in the Chukchi Sea, off the northwest coast of Alaska, did not warrant further exploration due to insufficient oil and gas being located and regulatory uncertainties. "In light of Shell's announcement, the amount of acreage already under lease and current market conditions, it does not make sense to prepare for lease sales in the Arctic in the next year and a half," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement Friday announcing the US decision. Obama nod to lift Iran curbs President Barack Obama ordered the U.S. government to take steps towards lifting sanctions on Iran, in accordance with the historic nuclear deal struck between six world powers and Tehran. Obama’s directive comes 90 days after the UN Security Council endorsed the accord signed in Vienna in July, a milestone referred to as “Adoption Day.” “I hereby direct you to take all necessary steps to give effect to the U.S. commitments with respect to sanctions,” Obama said in a memorandum addressed to the U.S. Secretaries of State, energy, commerce and the treasury. The measures will take effect upon confirmation by the Secretary of State that Iran has met its commitments under the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the accord is known, Obama said. “This is an important day for all of us and a critical first step in the process of ensuring that Iran’s nuclear programme will be exclusively for peaceful purposes,” Secretary of State John Kerry added in a statement. But no sanctions will be lifted immediately — full relief will come not on “adoption day” but on “implementation day,” the point when the IAEA is able to certify that Iran has fully complied with its end of the bargain. Greater access Iran notified the IAEA that it would apply a protocol granting inspector’s greater access to its nuclear sites, a further step in the implementation of the historic deal. PEN gives Indian writers international support over killings In perhaps the first international expression of support for Indian writers protesting recent killings, PEN, a worldwide association of writers, said it stood with them and their cause. The body, which is holding its 81st congress in Quebec, Canada, also called upon the Indian government to provide protection to those threatened by intolerance and safeguard free speech. “There is a climate of growing intolerance in India where those who challenge orthodoxy or fundamentalism have become increasingly vulnerable,” PEN said. Citing the killings of Sahitya Akademi Award winner MM Kalburgi and writers Govind Pansare and Narendra Dhabolkar, the body called for their killers to be identified and arrested. In a separate letter to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PEN president John Ralston Saul said, writers from 150 countries have expressed “grave concern over the crisis following the murder of noted scholar and intellectual Kalburgi”.
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On their behalf, he added, he was sharing with the two leaders, “our strongly-held view that India takes immediate steps to protect the rights of everyone, including writers and artists, in the finest traditions of Indian society and culture, and indeed, the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution”. Over 50 novelists, scholars, poets and public intellectuals have returned their awards in protest against the killings and the government’s response, exacerbated by comments from ministers that have been called both offensive and insensitive. “PEN International finds it disturbing that India’s minister of culture Mahesh Sharma has reacted to these tragic developments by saying, ‘If they (the writers) say they are unable to write, let them first stop writing. We will then see’,” the association said. To Sharma, and perhaps to all those who have questioned the rationale behind returning awards, the association said, “it takes courage in the current climate in India to express public dissent in a public manner.” Taiwan world's fastest ageing nation this decade Taiwan has become the world's fastest ageing country this decade, overtaking Japan, the US, Britain and other developed nations, according to a report published by the National Development Council (NDC). With a total population of 23.4 million, there are 2.86 people aged 65 and above, EFE news reported. The council predicts this segment will account for more than 14 percent of the population in 2018 and 20 percent in 2025, making Taiwan an aged and a super-aged society. An increase from seven percent to 14 percent in the proportion of retirees took 85 years in Sweden and 73 years in the US. But in Taiwan, it will take only 25 years, which underlines the nation's quick ageing rate, the report said. In 2019, the death-rate will be higher than the birth-rate and population will begin to decrease and by 2060, for every 100 active people, there will be 96.9 dependents, 17.1 children and 79.9 elderly, it added. Britain’s new counter-extremism strategy gives government overarching powers Parents of children under 16 who have been influenced by extremism can now write directly to the British Passport Office to cancel their passports, according to the provisions of the government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy (CES), Prime Minister David Cameron announced. The CES contains a raft of tough new measures that empowers the government and its arms with far greater powers than at present in respect of pre-emptive action to counter extremist action. Calling Islamic extremism the “challenge of our generation”, Mr. Cameron said that the scheme had been tried and “comes after a series of successful court order applications by local authorities to protect children at risk of travelling, either by their own choice or as part of a family unit.” In the last year, the CES states, there were 338 counter-terrorism related arrests: 157 were linked to Syria and 56 are under 20 years old, which is a growing trend. The new measures beef up the ‘prevent strategy’ and will put much of the onus on identifying extremist tendencies on institutions like schools, universities, the government sector, charities, the National Health Service and prisons as a “statutory duty.” “The new Prevent statutory duty ensures that specified institutions have a responsibility to prevent people being drawn into terrorism when carrying out their day-to-day functions” the CES says. The Government will keep a “list of institutions” that it considers could become breeding grounds for extremist ideology. In schools, teachers will be expected to identify “warning signs of radicalisation” in their pupils, while “new regulations” will oversee the appointment of the governing board to ensure that “all appointments are made on the basis of skill” and of those who uphold “fundamental British values”. Universities and colleges are, according to the report, “one of our most important arenas for challenging extremist views and ideologies”. Institution heads should not host “extremist speakers” on or off campus. The report has singled out the powerful National Union of Students as one of the student bodies that should not provide a “platform for extremist speakers.” The Charities Commission has been given powers for targeted investigations and enforcement, including inspections and visits to charities “where there is evidence or allegations of abuse or a risk of such abuse occurring”. Those applying for citizenship will now be specially vetted for “good conduct”. Even the NHS, which employs a quarter of a million healthcare workers, will be subject to the new regulations and checks so that attempts at “entryism” are thwarted. Traffic deaths preventable, WHO says in call for road safety Countries must introduce tougher laws to prevent drivers from speeding or drinking and help reduce the toll of 1.25 million people killed each year in traffic accidents, the World Health Organization said.
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The United States, Indonesia and Nigeria are among countries failing to apply best practices, the WHO's Global Status Report on Road Safety 2015. Car-makers can also play their part, a WHO expert said. Too often safety features are sacrificed in order to keep down car prices, Dr. Etienne Krug said. "Better laws are needed on speed, drinking and driving, use of motorcycle helmets, seat belts and child restraints," WHO director-general Margaret Chan said, launching the report. Halving the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020 is among the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals adopted by world leaders. Cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable, accounting for 49 percent of fatalities, it said. Chan said that low and medium income countries accounted for 85 percent of road traffic deaths despite having 54 percent of the world's vehicles. Europe has the lowest death rates and Africa the highest. Road safety measures include better safety features on vehicles, the report said. "We are talking about some rather simple and basic things such as seat belts, such as front-impact regulations, such as electric stability control," Krug said. "The vast majority of cars being produced around the world are still not up to the best safety standards. Very often in many places the safety of vehicles is sacrificed in order to have improvements in prices," he said. Better trauma care for victims is also key, Krug said. "And that does not necessarily need to be expensive. Very often the assumption is that we need more helicopters and very fancy ambulances. "In fact, a very basic ambulance with minimum equipment and people who are trained in simple (life-saving) measures could do a lot of good." Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that city had cut traffic deaths to historic lows by making streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians, and it was possible to do that around the world. "Traffic crashes are something like the ninth leading cause of death in the world. They are the number one cause of death for people aged 15-29," he said. "The fact is that every one of those deaths really is preventable."
NATIONAL NEWS Is India softening stand on neighbours after pushback? In the first indication that the government is considering a softening of position after facing a pushback from Nepal and the Maldives, officials acknowledged that India “needs a balance” on the neighbourhood. “We need to find ways of working with our neighbourhood by which they also feel their interests have been advanced and we also feel that our interests have been advanced.” In an explanation of India’s neighbourhood policy a senior official said, “If we have beliefs and interests and affinities, we need to abide by that. We can’t micromanage our neighbours, but we can’t ignore the issues either.” The official was responding to questions over India’s handling of relations with the two countries that has come in for criticism in recent months. On Nepal, where India is accused of a blockade on fuel supplies after Nepal pushed through a Constitution that has provisions India believes would harm Madhesi interests, the official, who didn’t wish to be named said “getting the balance right has historically been the challenge for us. Sometimes when you are in the middle of things there is a sense you have gone too sharply in one direction, sometimes we have pushed too hard in the opposite direction.” While denying that India interfered in the Nepal constitution process by pushing the Madhesi cause, the official said that India had spoken to leaders from across the political spectrum, with the objective “that all stakeholders should be taken along.” The official said that India’s main concerns over the Constitution: on proportional inclusion, constituency delimitation and provincial boundaries were being addressed by the new government in Nepal, and India was hopeful of a resolution of other issues. The statement signifies a softening of the Indian position that the Constitution in its present form is unacceptable. The biggest development has been the turnaround in India’s position on the election of K.P. Sharma Oli, who was until last week seen as “anti-India” and “hyper-nationalist” by New Delhi, but now has been warmly feted, despite the fact that the government had hoped former PM Sushil Koirala would be re-elected. Shortly after the election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Mr. Oli and “conveyed his hearty congratulations” on the “democratic and orderly elections.” The statement was a first, as in the past month all MEA statements on Nepal were full of concern and critical of the Constitution process.
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Aadhaar encryption protects privacy will take eons to crack The Aadhaar system's data collection and storage is strongly protected by sophisticated encryption processes to ensure biometric data does not leak either through private contractors running enrollment centres or at the central data servers that store the details. The unique identity authority of India's processes are intended to allay fears that biometric data collected by private contractors might be vulnerable to falling in unauthorized hands as the biometric detail is encrypted using the highest available public key cryptography encryption. Even if the data is stolen or lost the encryption prevents access to the biometrics as it will require the most powerful computers literally eons to crack the code. Similarly at the central data centre, the encryption processes are repeated while storing the details, making attempts to access and use the data very difficult. The government hopes that the lack of human interface in storing the data and procedures such as data collectors being required to authenticate every entry though their own biometric verification will help convince the Supreme Court that privacy concerns have been addressed by the UIDAI. The UIDAI programme's success is indicated by lack of any credible complaints or proof of misuse of data since it started the ambitious scheme almost five year ago. This is partly due to the processes that make even loss of a recording machine or copying on a flash drive a futile exercise. The data are being collected on software-Enrollment Client (EC) Software-written, maintained and provided by the UIDAI and is encrypted to prevent leaks at the enrollment centres managed by private vendors and in transit. The private agencies on ground use the EC Software which ensures that only authentic and approved person can sign-in for the purpose of enrolling people. The enrollment client software used by private vendors strongly encrypts individual electronic files containing demographic and biometric details (enrollment data packets) of residents at the time of enrollment and even before the data is saved in any hard disk. The encryption uses highest available public key cryptography encryption (PKI-2048 and AES-256) with each data record having a built-in mechanism to detect any tampering. The e-data packages are always stored on disk in PKI encrypted form and is never decrypted or modified during transit making it completely inaccessible to any system or person. Among other security measures, UIDAI has ensured that the Aadhaar database is not linked to any other databases. or to information held in other databases and its only purpose is to verify a person's identity at the point of receiving a service, and that too with the consent of the Aadhaar number holder. A reflection of strained India-Pakistan relations The exchange between India and Pakistan on incidents in Mumbai underlines the continued strain in ties between both countries since the cancellation of the National Security Adviser-level talks scheduled in New Delhi on August 23-24, and ceasefire violations that escalated despite a meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, Russia this July. Last month, when the two PMs attended the same peacekeeping conference at the UN in New York, they held no talks at any level, and Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif only managed a wave at each other. Significantly the sources said that India had been prepared to hold the NSA talks at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly but that Pakistan “wasn’t open to that.” “We were simply not on the same page,” said an official. Explaining that India would not compromise on the Ufa agreement that the NSAs would discuss terror first, after which India is willing to consider a broader dialogue on other issues, the official said, “We would have been open to NSA talks on terrorism as discussed by the PMs, but Pakistan’s conditions got in the way. Pakistan can’t take away the centrality of terror to our issues. If they are in denial, how can talks have a purpose?” In Islamabad, Pakistan’s NSA Sartaj Aziz said that rising tensions between Pakistan and India are “hazardous to world peace.” Speaking to reporters ahead of Mr. Sharif’s visit to Washington, Mr. Aziz said the PM would take up the stalled dialogue process between India and Pakistan in talks with U.S. President Obama expected on October 22, and added that Indian “support” to groups in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be raised as well. India has denied the charges. The government says the sticking point to the dialogue comes from Pakistan’s refusal to take the agreements at Ufa forward, blaming “internal Pakistani politics.” “There is turbulence in their system. Pranab stresses on new framework for ties President Pranab Mukherjee suggested that a new framework be built for future Indian relations with Palestine based on economic partnership and people-to-people contacts.
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Addressing a gathering of students and academics at Al Quds University here, Mr. Mukherjee said one of the main purposes of his visit was to take Indo-Palestine ties forward through a new framework. “While we continue to follow our traditional policy on Palestine, we see that the framework for our partnership can be reinforced through three principal pillars — closer political integration; deeper economic engagement and academic collaboration; and wider cultural contacts and people-to-people exchanges.” The President, who arrived in Ramallah for the first-ever presidential visit to Palestine, had met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization earlier. Throughout his public events in Jordan and Palestine, Mr. Mukherjee reiterated India’s support for the Palestinian cause, and called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. At the university here, he said India’s Palestine approach was “crystallised into a policy with three core dimensions: solidarity with the Palestinian people, support to the Palestinian cause and support for Palestine nation building and capacity building efforts.” Though the President’s remarks were welcomed with applause at public events, the PLO leadership has expressed concern over India’s Palestine policy. Hasan Zomlot, the Ambassador at Large for Palestine, told presspersons in Ramallah evening that the ruling BJP’s approach towards Palestine was different from the traditional position. But Mr. Mukherjee said: “The entire Indian political leadership remains steadfastly committed” to the country’s Palestine policy. Ties with Israel on upswing: Pranab President Pranab Mukherjee told Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union, the Israeli Leader of Opposition, that religion can’t be the basis of state. Venu Rajamony, the President’s press secretary said Mr. Mukherjee’s comment came when Mr. Herzog asked the President how India, a vast country with so many diversities, manages to hold itself together. Speaking to the media, President Mukherjee condemned the recent spate of violence in Jerusalem. While Mr. Mukherjee remained silent on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his address at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked radicalism and the “enemies” who want to destroy Israel. The local press here was critical of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Palestine. The Jerusalem Postran a story saying the Indian President remained silent on terror in his visit to Palestine. Mr. Mukherjee, who arrived after visiting Jordan and Palestine, called for enhanced cooperation between India and Israel in agriculture, defence and technology. “My visit to Israel is taking place at a time when relations between our two governments are taking a very positive trajectory,” said Mr. Mukherjee in the Israeli Parliament. 44 labour laws to be amalgamated into 4 codes As part of legislative reforms of labour laws, the Centre has started the process of codification and amalgamation of 44 Central labour laws into four codes in order to simplify them. The four codes will pertain to labour, industrial relations, social security and welfare and safety and working conditions, Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Datttatreya said. Elaborating on the simplification that this would entail, the Minister said that for instance the labour code on wages would be an amalgam of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976. As part of the codes being developed for wages, the Centre might issue directions to the State governments in respect of wage fixation — a power that now exclusively vests with the States. A CII release said that although labour laws were a concurrent subject, “the States are on the same page as they all feel the need for a conducive atmosphere for development.” Single return Mr. Dattatreya referred to the single online annual return, an initiative launched by the Modi government. This enables filing of a single return by companies instead of the earlier practice of filing separate returns under eight different Acts. This portal was developed as a unified web platform for ensuring transparency and accountability in enforcement of labour laws while easing complexity of compliance. Thse Centre was also planning to increase the compensation to workers of locked-out plants from the present norm of paying 15-days wages. The payment would go directly to the workers’ bank accounts, cutting out middlemen. “Labour rights will be protected,” the Minister said.
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SC suggests ban on commercial surrogacy Expressing serious concern over India becoming a top destination for surrogacy tourism, the Supreme Court suggested a ban on commercial surrogacy and directed the government to re-examine the policy to allow import of human embryo. A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and N V Ramana said various issues related to surrogacy were not covered by any law and the government must take a holistic view and bring in legislation. In 2013, the Centre issued a notification allowing import of human embryos for artificial reproduction paving the way for foreign couples to bring in frozen human embryos and rent a surrogate womb in India. "Commercial surrogacy should not be allowed but it is going on in the country. You are allowing trading of human embryo. It is becoming a business. It has evolved into surrogacy tourism," the bench said. But the court didn't stay the notification after the government said a surrogacy bill is in the works to regulate the issue. The court asked the government to take a stand whether a woman who donates her egg in commercial surrogacy can be said to be the only mother or both surrogate and genetic mother can be said to be mothers of the child. "Whether commercial surrogacy amounts to renting of a womb and whether commercial surrogacy is immoral and is opposed to public policy and therefore void?" the bench asked the government while framing 14 questions for the Centre to file response. It asked the Centre to respond whether commercial surrogacy amounts to economic and psychological exploitation of the surrogate mother and whether the practice is inconsistent with dignity of womanhood. The bench raised question that import of human embryo amounts to commoditization of human life and whether human rights of a surrogate child are violated as such a child would face psychological and emotional problems. The court said the law is also silent on the fate of surrogate child if the commissioning couple refuses to take child in case he/she is physically and mentally challenged. It asked the government to look into all those issues and incorporate provisions to regulate them in the proposed law. "We are of the view that Centre should be given a large period of time to consider the matter in its entirety including the necessity of a re-look into the notification and revert to the court on October 28," it said. According to a 2012 study backed by the United Nations, the estimated turnover of commercial surrogacy business in the country was pegged at more than $400 million a year in, with over 3,000 fertility clinics. The Law Commission in its 228th report suggested that surrogacy should not be allowed for commercial purposes. It said surrogacy arrangement would continue to be governed by contract amongst parties, which will contain all the terms requiring consent of surrogate mother to bear the child, agreement of her husband and other family members for the same, reimbursement of all reasonable expenses for carrying child to full term and willingness to hand over the child born to the commissioning parent(s) among other things. It had said birth certificate of the surrogate child should contain the name of the commissioning parents and asked the government to bring in law to recognize surrogate child to be the legitimate child of the commissioning parents. China to take part in India's fleet review, unfavourable response from Pak Navies from around 50 countries will take part in India's mega international fleet review (IFR) to be held off Visakhapatnam in February, which will witness around 100 Indian and foreign warships as well as 60 aircraft. But while China will be sending a warship and a delegation for the event, Pakistan has shown no such inclination till now. "We had communicated our invites to 87 countries through our diplomatic missions, including 17 of our littoral neighbours, most of which are participating. But our high commission in Pakistan has informed us that they have not received a favourable response till now," said Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan. China, however, has confirmed its participation in the IFR from February 4 to 8, which will be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee, PM Narendra Modi and other dignitaries, and will be the second such review to be held by India after the first one off Mumbai in 2001. Asked about China's expanding naval presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), including increasing regular forays by its nuclear submarines, Admiral Dhowan said his force "closely monitors" the "movements and activities" of the People's Liberation Army-Navy in "our primary area of interest" on a daily basis. But, he added, the Indian Navy also does not let go of any opportunity to "engage, interact and cooperate" with the PLAN, with ship visits to each other's ports, sharing of "escort schedules" during Gulf of Aden anti-piracy patrols and the like. "The IOR has emerged as the world's centre of gravity in the maritime domain. The IFR will serve as platform for participating navies to interact with each other and strengthen bridges of friendship towards developing a common appreciation of maritime challenges and addressing them through a united approach," said Admiral Dhowan. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 8 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
"Our aim is to spread goodwill and ensure the various navies work together to keep our global commons and trade routes safe and secure for all. We may be separated by geography, but we are certainly united through oceans," he added. With the dolphin as a mascot and "United through Oceans" theme, the IFR will also provide India with the opportunity to showcase its own naval prowess and growing indigenous ship-building capabilities. "The visiting navies will also have the opportunity to display their professional skills as they sail together for exercises to increase mutual cooperation and interoperability, with the underlying theme of keeping the global commons safe and secure in the 21st century," said the Navy chief. India backs Philippines on South China Sea row India backed the Philippines in its dispute with China over islands in South China Sea, which Manila calls West Philippine Sea, saying it wanted peaceful resolution to the maritime disputes, at the heart of which lies Beijing's expansive maritime claim in the form of the nine-dashed line covering 90% of the sea's waters. India's position implies diplomatic support for the Philippines' decision to approach Permanent Court of Arbitration against Beijing's maritime claims in early 2013 and persisting with arbitration even though China boycotted the proceedings of the Arbitral Tribunal for long. The Tribunal is likely to announce its decision at an early and even if China were to ignore any adverse ruling, it will have to contend with a loss of face which, many hope, would force it to go slow on its recent military build up in South China Sea. Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart Albert Del Rosario, secretary of foreign affairs, co-chaired India- Philippines third joint commission meeting on bilateral affairs here. The joint statement issued after the meeting referred to South China Sea as West Philippine Sea, a name which Philippine started to use only after escalation of its maritime dispute with China in the region. ``Rosario briefed Minister Swaraj on the developments in the West Philippine Sea, and the status of the Philippine arbitration case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, in The Hague, the Netherlands,'' said the statement. ``Minister Swaraj expressed support for the peaceful resolution of the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea dispute. Both sides reiterated the importance of the settlement of all disputes by peaceful means and of refraining from the threat or use of force, in accordance with universally accepted principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS,'' it said, adding that the two ministers also reiterated the importance of safeguarding the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. In this regard, it said, they reiterated the importance of an expeditious conclusion on a Code of Conduct and full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration of the Code of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. As it seeks to engage more with countries party to the South China Sea disputes, India has not shied away from using its own maritime dispute with Bangladesh, which it successfully resolved through international arbitration, as an example worth following in the region. According to the joint statement, the Philippines recognized the steps taken by India to solve its maritime boundary with Bangladesh , through arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and its acceptance of the ruling as an example of peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS by the International Court. Like much of the international community, the Philippines believe that China's activities in South China Sea violate 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China though believes UNCLOS is not applicable to the South China Sea disputes even though it uses the same to lay claims over Senkaku or Diaoyu islands in East China Sea. Apex court permits ‘voluntary’ use of Aadhaar cards in welfare schemes Lifting its earlier restriction, the Supreme Court permitted voluntary use of Aadhaar cards in welfare schemes that also included MGNREGA, all pension schemes and the provident fund besides the NDA Government’s flagship programmes such as the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna’. The social welfare schemes, aimed at reaching to the door steps of the “poorest of the poor”, were in addition to LPG and PDS schemes in which the apex court had allowed the voluntary use of Aadhaar cards. A five-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu also put a caveat in its interim order for the Centre and said, “We also make it clear that Aadhaar card scheme is purely voluntary and not mandatory till the matter is finally decided by this court, this way or the other way.” The Bench, while including the four other schemes along with LPG and PDS where Aadhaar may be used, said, “The Union of India to follow all other orders passed by this court since September 23, 2013.” It also said the Constitution Bench, which also included Justices MY Eqbal, C Nagappan, Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy, was set up only for the purpose of deciding applications filed by the Centre and bodies like RBI, SEBI, IRDA, Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 9 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
TRAI, the Pension Fund Regulatory Authority and States such as Gujarat and Jharkhand seeking modification of the August 11 order. The Bench also said that a larger Bench was required to be set up for final disposal of the petitions that also include the question as to whether the right to privacy is a fundamental right. Despite China’s protest, India-Japan-US kick off joint naval exercise Despite reservations from China, the navies of India, US and Japan kick-started the 19th edition of exercise Malabar in the Bay of Bengal. China had protested the participation of Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces (JMSDF) in the exercise. The exercise, which began, is aimed at enhancing the maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region. It assumes significance in light of territorial disputes plaguing the South China Sea, and also because of America’s thrust to rebalance its strategic focus in Asia Pacific. During Malabar-15, the Indian Navy will be represented by INS Shivalik, an indigenous frigate, INS Ranvijay — a guided missile destroyer, INS Betwa — an indigenous frigate and INS Shakti, a fleet Support Ship. In addition, one Sindhugosh class submarine INS Sindhudhvaj, long-range maritime patrol aircraft P8I and integral rotary wing helicopters are also scheduled to participate. The US Navy will be represented by the ships from the Carrier Task Force 70 of the USN 7th Fleet, which is based at Yokosuka, Japan. The CTF will include the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy and Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Forth Worth. In addition to that, one Los Angeles class nuclear-powered submarine USS City of Corpus Christi, F18 aircraft from US Carrier Air Wing and P8A long —range maritime patrol aircraft will also participate in the exercise. The JMSDF will be represented by JS Fuyuzuki, a missile destroyer with SH 60K integral helicopter. Malabar-15 is part of the process of aimed at enhancing naval cooperation among important navies of the Indo-Pacific regions. The navies share their best practices to strengthen respective capacities and to help create better synergies for effective and speedy action to deal with challenges. Israel Visit: Diversity is India’s integrating factor, says Pranab Mukherjee Wrapping up his tour of Israel with an address at Hebrew University, where he was awarded a doctorate, President Pranab Mukherjee underlined that India derived its strength from its diversity. “Since my arrival I have been asked how India is managing the largest democracy of the world,” he said. “For us, diversity is an integrating factor. There are three substantial major ethnicities here… India’s strength is its unique capacity to bring its apparent contradictions on one platform.” The president also quoted Jawaharlal Nehru to say, “India is a country held together by strong but invisible threads…. She is a myth, an idea… but very real and pervasive.” Talking about India’s “significant” Jewish population, he pointed out that Hebrew was being taught in India’s educational institutions long before the State of Israel was established. Mukherjee also said he comes at a time when “India is at the threshold of a new era of modernisation and economic growth”. He went on to talk about the government’s Make in India and Jan Dhan Yojana programmes, citing them as part of India’s initiatives to invite foreign investment and to stimulate the manufacturing sector. He said India sought Israel’s participation in another of its programmes, Digital India, and invited students “to participate in the transformation of India”. Chairman of board of governors of the university Michael Federmann said it was a great privilege that “an honorary doctorate from here would be sitting at the head of the Indian State”. President of the university, Menahem Ben-Sasson, said: “It happens once in 90 years that we have such a visit. We needn’t have to wait for long,” he said. Pranab stresses India’s balancing act President Pranab Mukherjee reiterated India’s approach towards Israel and Palestine — continue to support the Palestine cause while pursuing improved relationship with Israel. Speaking to the media team accompanying him, while returning from Israel, Mr. Mukherjee said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas briefed him about the evolving situation in Israel-Palestine relations. “I reiterated India’s principled support to the Palestine cause and called for a negotiated solution resulting in a sovereign, independent, viable and united state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel as endorsed in the Quartet Roadmap and relevant UNSC [UN Security Council] resolutions,” the President said. He was referring to a peace plan proposed by the “Quartet on the Middle East” — the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
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President Mukherjee’s Palestine visit carried strong symbolic value as he was the first head of state who stayed overnight in Ramallah, where the Palestine Authority headquarters is based. “President Abbas appreciated our support and thanked me profusely for staying overnight in Ramallah, being the first head of state from any country to do so,” said Mr. Mukherjee. At the same time, the President described Israel as “one of the most important countries for India.” During his visit, both countries signed two government-level agreements and exchanged eight memoranda of understanding between educational institutions from India and Israel. Asked how India would manage its ties with both countries at a time when tensions are high between them, Mr. Mukherjee said: “Twenty-three years ago we established full diplomatic relationship with Israel. We also maintain our stated principled position on Palestine. That is the job the government is doing for the last two and a half decades.” Asked about his comment in Israel that religion should not be the basis of state, Mr. Mukherjee cited Pakistan and Bangladesh. “Pakistan was created out of India on the basis of religion in 1947. Within 25 years a large chunk of people came out of Pakistan and became another state. That is the point I explained to the Israeli leader of opposition and other members.” SC Bench strikes down NJAC Act as ‘unconstitutional and void’ Declaring that the judiciary cannot risk being caught in a “web of indebtedness” towards the government, the Supreme Court rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts. “It is difficult to hold that the wisdom of appointment of judges can be shared with the political-executive. In India, the organic development of civil society, has not as yet sufficiently evolved. The expectation from the judiciary, to safeguard the rights of the citizens of this country, can only be ensured, by keeping it absolutely insulated and independent, from the other organs of governance,” Justice J.S. Khehar, the presiding judge on the five-judge Constitution Bench, explained in his individual judgment. The Bench in a majority of 4:1 rejected the NJAC Act and the Constitutional Amendment as “unconstitutional and void.” It held that the collegium system, as it existed before the NJAC, would again become “operative.” But interestingly, the Bench admitted that all is not well even with the collegium system of “judges appointing judges”, and that the time is ripe to improve the 21-year-old system of judicial appointments. “Help us improve and better the system. You see the mind is a wonderful instrument. The variance of opinions when different minds and interests meet or collide is wonderful,” Justice Khehar told the government, scheduling further debate for November 3 on bettering the working of the collegium system. Bench feared a culture of “reciprocity” of favours While Justices Lokur, Kurian and Goel, agreed with Justice Khehar’s nearly 500-page ‘Order on Merits’ that the NJAC and the Constitutional Amendment defeated the primacy of judiciary over the government in the appointment of judges, Justice Chelameswar differed, saying that “judiciary cannot be the only constitutional organ capable of protecting the liberties of the people.”
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Justice Chelameswar disagreed with his fellow judges and upheld the validity of the Constitutional Amendment. In his exhaustive judgment approved by the majority on the Bench, Justice Khehar attacked the NJAC laws on merits, and said they would breed a culture of “reciprocity” of favours between the government and the judiciary, and thus, destroy the latter. Justice Khehar asked how future judges appointed under the NJAC can be expected to be independent-minded when the Union Law Minister is one of the six members of the Commission appointing them. “Reciprocity, and feelings of pay back to the political-executive, would be disastrous to the independence of the judiciary. [With] The participation of the political-executive, the selection of judges, would be impacted by political pressure and political considerations,” Justice Khehar observed. He said in a situation where government is a major litigant in the higher courts, this feeling of reciprocity may lead to disastrous consequences. The judgment said cases involving the government on sale and exploitation of natural resources through private entrepreneurs come to court. These are cases with “massive financial ramifications” and require judicial clarity of thought and fair mindedness. “Sometimes accusations are levelled against former and incumbent Prime Ministers and Ministers of the Union Cabinet, and sometimes against former and incumbent Chief Ministers and Ministers of the State Cabinets... Since the Executive has such a major stake, in a majority of cases, which arise for consideration before the higher judiciary, the participation of the Union Minister in charge of Law and Justice, as an ex officio Member of the NJAC, would be clearly questionable... One of the rules of natural justice is that the adjudicator should not be biased,” Justice Khehar observed. Veto power On the controversial power of veto accorded to the two ‘eminent persons’ on the NJAC, the judgment said it was plain “obnoxious.” The court termed them as just “two laymen” whose qualifications are left vague and undefined in the law. Justice Khehar observed it was “absurd” and demeaning to the primacy of judiciary that they have been given the power to freeze the considered recommendations of the Chief Justice of India and two seniormost Supreme Court judges in judicial appointments. The court trashed Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi’s argument that qualifications of the eminent persons was a “trivial” issue and there was no cause to fear that they are selected by a panel headed by the Prime Minister. It also refused to accept the participation of the Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition in the selection of these “eminent persons”, saying it was “retrograde.” The court rejected the government’s demand to take a re-look at the 1993 and 1998 judgments in the Second and Third Judges cases, which ushered in the collegium system. ‘Idea of primacy flawed’ In an introspective judgment, Justice J. Chelameswar disagreed with his four fellow judges on the Constitution Bench which delivered its judgment on the NJAC, saying that their understanding that the judiciary was the only constitutional organ protecting the liberties of the people was wrong. Upholding the 99th Constitutional Amendment, and the only judge to do so on the Constitution Bench, Justice Chelameswar wrote in his separate judgment that the idea of “primacy of judiciary” was flawed. He said there was nothing of the sort in the Constitution. Sex ratio falls to 898 girls per 1,000 boys Despite the 2011 census setting alarm bells ringing about India’s worsening sex ratio, the gap between male and female registered births in India fell further in 2012 and 2013, new official data suggest. India’s Civil Registration System (CRS), administered by the office of the Registrar General of India, which also conducts the decadal census, comprises all officially registered birth and death data. It is mandatory to register all births and deaths within 21 days of their occurrence. Official registration of these events has been improving across the country, and in 2013, the RGI estimated that 85.5 per cent of all births are now registered, with 17 States estimated to be registering all births, but Bihar and Uttar Pradesh struggling with only 57.4 per cent and 68.6 per cent registrations.
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“As the level of registration improves, we would anticipate that the sex ratio also should improve, because people are normally less likely to register female births,” a senior census official said. However, since 2011, when the census found India’s child sex ratio at birth to have fallen to 910 girls for every 1,000 boys, the situation may have worsened. Newly released CRS data show that the sex ratio of registered births fell from 909 in 2011 to 908 the next year and 898 in 2013. Manipur and Haryana do particularly badly, as do Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. There are, demographers caution, problems with using CRS data on the sex ratio. For one, it counts registered births only and since girls are less likely to be officially registered than boys, the sex ratio derived from the CRS is artificially depressed. Secondly, the RGI’s Sample Registration System (SRS), which selects a nationally representative sample to derive data on births and deaths, is considered to be more rigorous than the CRS which relies on local authorities. A comparison of the data does indicate a small difference between CRS and SRS for the same years, and large differences at the State level between CRS and census data. CRS data are also at times prone to wide year-on-year variation at the State level. However, the new CRS data too should alert governments to the fact that India’s law against prenatal sex determination-driven terminations is not working, activists say. “There is a lot of resistance among doctors and in many places, the Act is simply not being implemented,” says Dr. Sabu George, India’s leading campaigner against sex- selective abortions. “Moreover, what’s happening now is that gender determination for even the first pregnancy has started to happen,” Dr. George says. Others agree; as families get smaller, the pressure for one of the family’s two children to be a boy escalates. MoEF launches research fellowship in Kalam’s name Union environment, forests and climate change ministry has announced launching of post-doctoral research fellowships for young scientists in the name of former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. The Dr A P J Abdul Kalam fellowship will be meant for scientists below 35 years of age, who have either completed their PhD or are about to complete it in areas related to environment and ecology. A ministry statment said: “The tenure of the fellowship will be for a period of three years and the fellowship award includes a monthly fellowship, equivalent to that of a research associate, together with an annual research contingency grant of Rs 1.5 lakh.” Blood banks can borrow from one another In a major modification to the National Blood Policy, blood banks will now be able to borrow units from one another in case of a shortage. The Union Health Ministry took the decision as part of reforms to the handling of blood units in the country. This should, to some extent, sort out the issue of shortage. Earlier, donated blood could not be transferred from one bank to another,” said N.S. Kang, Additional Secretary and Director-General of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). In India, NACO implements the National Blood Safety Programme. A shortage of blood units has been a recurring problem since the Supreme Court, on January 1, 1998, banned paid donation. “The government has been encouraging voluntary donation ever since. Despite getting most of our requirements from donors, the inability of the banks to lend each other surplus units was a major hurdle. It has taken a while to sort this out, and we are hoping this will help us phase out replacement donation eventually,” said a senior official of the NACO. According to the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India has 2,760 licensed blood banks. A 2012 World Health Organisation (WHO) report said nine million of 12 million blood units needed annually in India were collected through voluntary donation. When the Supreme Court banned paid donation, the government was mandated, under the National Blood Policy (2002), to phase out replacement donation in five years. However, since few people donate blood regularly, hospitals ask family members of patients to donate blood so as to pre-emptively replace the blood withdrawn from the blood bank. The National and State Blood Transfusion Councils were established in the 1990s to promote voluntary donations. There are three kinds of blood banks — government, private and those run by NGOs. Other than the non-governmental blood banks, the rest are linked to hospitals. “On paper, you can donate at any bank, though only the NGOs or government-run banks are allowed to conducted donation camps. Supreme Court says govt may object to appointment of gay judge Having sent the LGBT community back into the closet by re-criminalising homosexual acts, the Supreme Court tried to argue that Centre might object to appointment of a gay judge. “It is possible that the executive might have an objection to the sexual orientation of a person being considered for appointment as a judge but the Chief Justice of India may be of the opinion that that would have no impact on
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his/her ability to effectively discharge judicial functions or the potential of that person to be a good judge,” justice Madan B Lokur said. In the last 22 years, the SC collegium never appointed an openly gay judge while many countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa have had LGBT judges. The top court’s conservative mindset could be gauged from its December 2013 verdict overturning the Delhi high court’s decision to water down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code — a law framed in 1860 that criminalises consensual sex among adult homosexual men. Senior advocate Harish Salve termed it a case of “judicial underreach” as the SC asked the LGBT community to go to Parliament to change the law, instead of declaring it unconstitutional. The SC collegium chose not to elevate justice AP Shah — who wrote the Delhi HC verdict in Naz Foundation case to de-criminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults in private. Salve told a TV channel that there were judges who were so conservative that they would “fall off their chairs” at the mention of the word homosexual. Justice Lokur said: “The present political executive in India would perhaps not permit the appointment of a gay person to the bench.” Salve rejected it saying, “I have met civil servants and politicians of great vision. We cannot stereotype executive like this.” Bangladesh team visits Kudankulam reactors A team of delegates from Bangladesh, led by Minister of State for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman, visited the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP). Bangladesh intends to construct 1,200 MWe VVER nuclear reactors with Russian assistance on turnkey basis. High- level delegates led by Mr. Osman visited the KKNPP reactors, as Russia’s Atomstroy exports has constructed two 1,000 MWe reactors and planned to construct four more units with similar capacity.The delegates were also taken to the desalination plant, dyke and other areas. ‘Blockades set a wrong example’ Bangladesh Minister of Commerce Tofail Ahmed, who wanted the blockade against Nepal to end as it was against the spirit of regional cooperation, told “In June this year, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal agreed to create the framework for the BBIN transport network. The BBIN is an unprecedented step that we took aiming at shared prosperity in South Asia. The BBIN was meant to facilitate the movement of commercial vehicles across the borders of Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Such blockades hit at agreements like the BBIN.” Earlier speaking , Kanak Mani Dixit, editor of Himal magazine, pointed out that more awareness could have been created of such blockades had the South Asian media more intensely studied a 2013 energy crisis in Bhutan that resulted from a subsidy-related dispute between India and Bhutan. “We need to keep track of cross-border commercial crises to enable ourselves to deal with such blockades more effectively,” he said. ‘Collegium was revived to avoid chaos and tyranny’ The decision to revive the collegium was born out of the sheer necessity to avert “chaos” and not to create a situation in which the President may become a “tyrant” by assuming absolute powers to appoint judges on his own. This is how the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench explained its decision to restore the collegium, striking down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) and the Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act with one blow. The Bench’s move to bring back the collegium was the subject of a stinging blog by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. “Having struck down the 99th Constitutional Amendment, the court decided to re-legislate. The court quashed the 99th Constitutional Amendment. The court is entitled to do so. While quashing the same, it re-legislated the repealed provisions of Article 124 and 217 which only the legislature can do. This is the third error in the judgment,” he wrote on Facebook. But Justices J.S. Khehar, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph on the Constitution Bench have separately explained that they had no choice but to make the collegium “operative” to avert chaos in a situation in which neither the NJAC
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nor the collegium was functional.
Justice Lokur said such a “vacuum” would run the danger of creating a “tyrant” in the President, who would enjoy absolute powers to appoint judges to the Supreme Court and the High Courts. In fact, the judgment records how Solicitor-General Ranjit Kumar had argued against the revival of the collegium in case the Bench decided to strike down the Constitution (Ninety-ninth Amendment) Act. Mr. Kumar had contended that the collegium ceased to exist with the coming of the NJAC. “If the construction suggested by the learned Solicitor-General was to be adopted, it would result in the creation of a void. We say so, because if neither the impugned constitutional provision nor the amended provisions of the Constitution would survive, it would lead to a breakdown of the constitutional machinery, inasmuch as, there would be a lacuna or a hiatus, insofar as the manner of selection and appointment of judges to the higher judiciary is concerned,” Justice Khehar explained. Justice Lokur said such a “void” would give “absolute powers to the President to appoint a judge to the Supreme Court without consulting the Chief Justice of India (and also to appoint a judge to a High Court).” “The result of accepting his [Mr. Kumar’s] submission would be to create a tyrant,” he wrote. In his separate judgment, Justice Kurian said a constitutional amendment was a “substitution” and once the substitution was held to be bad in law, the original provision would return to life.
ECONOMY NEWS India bags third slot in global startup space After the success in the IT services industries, India has now emerged as the youngest startup nation in the world with over 72 per cent of founders are less than 35 years old. With the presence of more than 4,200 startups, the country has also become the third largest startup base worldwide. By registering a growth of 40 per cent over the last year, India has overtaken Israel to become the third largest startup base after the U.S. and the U.K. According to a report published by Nasscom in association with research firm Zinnov, around 1,200 tech startups were born in the year 2015, out of which more than 50 per cent focus on e-commerce, consumer services and aggregators business. “India is the youngest startup nations in the world with around 72 per cent of the founders less than 35 years old, and 50 per cent rise in share of female entrepreneurs in 2015 over 2014,” said Ravi Gururaj, Chairman, Nasscom, Product Council. Bengaluru remains the hot destination for entrepreneurs to launch their business and was ranked 15 globally. More than 65 per cent of the startups are located in Bengaluru, Mumbai and NCR. Around 26 per cent of India’s start-ups are located in Bengaluru; and NCR and Mumbai had 23 and 17 per cent respectively. Another reason cited for the growth of the entrepreneur ecosystem is the investment of business tycoons like Ratan Tata and Azim Premji in startups. So far, Mr. Tata has made around 10 investments in startups. Large Indian enterprises have also formed dedicated corpus to invest in startups. Wipro has set up $100 million VC fund to invest in startups while Infosys has formed a $500 million innovation fund, of which $250 million is dedicated for India. As per the report, one of the major reasons for India’s growth in the new age business is the rapid increase in the availability of risk capital.
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In 2015, Indian startup founders have managed to raise capital to the tune of around $4.9 billion, an increase of over 125 per cent against last year. This is also much higher compared to cumulative funding of approximately $3.2 billion over 2010-14 period. While the overall VC/PE funding has grown by 2.2 times the seed stage funding has grown by 6.5 times. More than 390 startups have received funding compared to 175 startups in 2014, stated the report ‘StartUp India Momentous rise of the Indian Start-up Ecosystem’. “The maturing Indian startup ecosystem is now contributing to the Indian economy in many ways. Apart from positively impacting the lifestyles of citizens involved, start-ups are now creating innovative technology solutions that are addressing the key social problems that India is facing and creating significant growth opportunities for every stakeholder,” said R. Chandrashekhar, President, Nasscom. Some of the major rounds of funding this year was $700 million by Flipkart from Tiger Global and Steadview Capital, Snapdeal’s $500 million round from Alibaba Group, SoftBank, Foxconn among others and Paytm $635 million. Singapore Airlines to restart world’s longest 19-hour flight service Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it would restart flight services between the U.S. and Singapore, making it the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight service, using the newly launched ultra-long range version of the Airbus A350-900. Being the launch customers for the new aircraft, Singapore Airlines will buy the first seven units.. The 19-hour journey for a distance of about 8,700 nautical miles, will beat the proposed 17.5 hours flight that Emirates intends to start in February next year from Dubai to Panama City. The move is likely to also help Indian consumers who can take the connecting flight to the U.S. from Singapore. “The New York-Singapore service will be the world’s longest commercial passenger route, with an expected flight time of up to 19 hours,” the company said. The airline had ended the service between Singapore and both Los Angeles and New York in 2013 after nine years as the A340-500s that were used for the services were retired, besides the fuel costs were also rising. First deliveries of the A350-900ULR aircraft are slated for 2018, according to Airbus. “Our customers have been asking us to restart non-stop Singapore-U.S. flights and we are pleased that Airbus was able to offer the right aircraft to do so in a commercially viable manner,” Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said. Non-stop flights between Singapore and additional points in the U.S. are also under consideration. Optimised for non- stop flights to the U.S., planes will include a modified fuel system to increase fuel-carrying capacity India most attractive investment destination: EY India emerged the most attractive investment destination in the world for the next three years in a global survey of top decision-makers in multinational corporations. The second most favoured investment destination is China, followed by Southeast Asia and Brazil. Of the polled business leaders from global corporations, 32 per cent said India was the most attractive investment destination in the world. Perception about India’s macroeconomic stability is up to 76 per cent in 2015 in comparison to 70 per cent in the 2014 survey, said global consultancy firm EY that published the survey . Similarly the perception about political and social stability is up from 59 per cent in 2014 to 74 per cent in 2015. The same is also true for relaxation in FDI policy (the score improved from 60 per cent in 2014 to 68 per cent in 2015) and the government’s efforts to ease doing business (up from 57 per cent in 2014 to 67 per cent in 2015). About 62 per cent said they were looking at manufacturing, both to serve the Indian and global markets from India. The survey, ‘Ready, set, grow: EY’s 2015 India attractiveness survey’, conducted during March and April 2015, includes the views of more than 500 decision-makers from multinational organisations across sectors. Compared to the 2014 survey, the number of respondents, who believe that India would be among the world’s leading top three destinations for manufacturing by 2020, had increased from 24 per cent to 35 per cent, while those who believed India would evolve as a regional and global hub for operations was up from 9 per cent to 21 per cent. Implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and legislation on land acquisition were also mentioned by investors as important for attracting FDI. Speaking at the launch of the report, Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Amitabh Kant said: “We are determined to make India an extremely easy and simple place to do business…Our first priority is to do away with the many procedures and rules, followed by bringing in consistency and clarity in all our policies and tax regime and developing a world-class infrastructure.” Within six months of its launch in September 2014, the Modi Government’s ‘Make in India’ program resonated with investors, with 55 per cent of respondents saying that they are aware of the initiative. Those aware of Make in India are more upbeat about expansion plans, with 70 per cent stating that they are likely to expand or relocate their manufacturing facilities to India in the next five years. 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While Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Chennai and Pune continue to be the top destinations for overall FDI, the top five emerging cities for FDI ranked by the respondents are: Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Vadodara, Coimbatore and Visakhapatnam. EY Chairman of the Global Emerging Markets Committee and India Regional Managing Partner Rajiv Memani said: “Over the last year, the improvements in India’s macroeconomic indicators, accompanied with the ongoing efforts to revitalize growth have offered new hope to investors.” Investors rated India’s domestic market and availability of labour among the most attractive features for doing business. Tata Housing ties up with Facebook to sell leisure homes in Goa Tata Housing has announced “Social Sell”, on Facebook, a first of its kind initiative in India to sell houses in its upcoming project in Goa. Through this initiative prospective buyers can register themselves through Facebook to ensure they receive their unique invite code which will allow them to login on October 26 to book limited homes at this project “Codename: Goa Paradise” on a first come first basis. Spread across 5 acres, the project is a premium resort themed residential project offering a range of homes extending from a 1BHK to a 3BHK starting Rs.29 lakh. Located close to the Goa airport at Dabolim this project is marketed as a leisure home. “This first of its kind collaboration with Facebook is unprecedented in the history of real estate industry. The success of the online platform has strengthened our belief that accessibility and convenience of the internet makes it an ideal medium for customers. The increasing penetration of internet will be the next game changer for the real estate industry,” said Brotin Banerjee, MD & CEO, Tata Housing. “Over 132 million monthly active people in India and people across the world on Facebook can participate and get an opportunity to book a dream home in Goa. This initiative will provide inspiration to other brands to drive awareness, generate leads and deliver sales on Facebook,” said Kirthiga Reddy, MD, Facebook India. Tata Housing pioneered the concept of online home buying in India when it partnered with The Great Online Shopping Festival by Google in December 2013. Since then the company is coming up with innovative ideas to sell homes at its various projects. Ease of doing business: States to be graded on 344 points Buoyed by the response to the first rankings of states on ease of doing business, the World Bank and the Centre are working on expanding the coverage to include an analysis on 344 parameters as part of the Business Reform Action Plan for 2016. The idea is to get states to guarantee time-bound service delivery, set up an agency as the sole point of contact for starting a business along with paperless courts, and also have a transparent system for land allotment by ranking them on these points. Sources said the states would be evaluated on a dynamic basis, which will help them get an instant assessment on how they fare against competitors. The new parameters have been finalized for the current year and are being circulated to the states. Although the broad parameters have been drawn from the World Bank's doing business index, there are several details that would be studied before finalizing the rankings. For instance, the new parameters would look at the access to information even before a unit or a company is set up, which will look at aspects such as the list of licences, registrations and NOCs that are required for starting a business. Similarly, the idea is to get the states to have a single ID for all taxes and mandate that VAT registration is done within a day. A legislation like the Right to Services Act for time-bound delivery of government services is also being recommended. Similarly, the states would be required to go beyond the promise of offering a single-window clearance, with a dedicated bureau of senior officers and the online platform offering a host of services. Then, states are also being advised to disclose information on land banks that are available and have an objective criteria for land allotment, a move that comes at a time when acquiring land for private projects is seen as a major hurdle to doing business. On property registration, building plan approvals, and construction permits also states would be rated on a detailed checklist. Last year, DIPP had devised a 100-point checklist and the World Bank rated the states based on these parameters.
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The expanded parameters come at a time when the Narendra Modi government is keen to ensure that India climbs up the Ease of Doing Charts to be among the top 50 destinations in two years, compared to its current ranking of 142. Australia approves Adani’s $7bn coal mine project The Australian government reissued environmental permit to Gautam Adani-led Adani Enterprises for construction of a multi-billion dollar coal mine project, but with “strictest conditions” amid environmental concerns. “The project has been approved under national environment law, subject to 36 strict conditions,” the Australian environment ministry said on its website, while clearing the A$10 billion (US $7 billion) Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin. The construction of one of the world’s biggest coal mines in Queensland has attracted fierce criticism from environmentalists who say the development, which requires coal to be shipped to a port on the coast, risks the World Heritage-listed reef’s health and destroys local habitats. “The project was assessed through the accredited New South Wales Environmental Impact Assessment process,” the environment ministry release said. In August, an Australian court had revoked the environmental approval given to the Adani project, opposed by green groups and local residents. The Australian court had said that a July 2014 clearance granted to Adani would impact two species — yakka skink and ornamental snake. Geoff Cousins, president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, a non-government organisation that had opposed the mine, termed the Australian government’s approval as being “grossly irresponsible.” At a time when the world is desperately seeking cleaner energy options this huge new coal mine will make the effort to combat climate change all the more difficult.” ICICI Bank introduces ‘Money2World’ ICICI Bank has introduced ‘Money2World’ a fully online outward remittance service for resident Indians to enable resident Indians to transfer money to any bank overseas. India Ranks Last in Global Pension Index: Mercer The country's retirement system ranks last in the global pension index, says a study by global consulting major Mercer. Still, the National Pension System (NPS), which was launched by the government in June as part of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, will help the country improve its index, the study said. The country's index value fell from 43.5 in 2014 to 40.3 in 2015, primarily due to a recent review conducted by the economic intelligence unit that showed a material reduction in its household savings rate, Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI) report said. Enhanced participation in the National Pension System will help the country increase its index value, it added. Denmark has been rated as the country with the best retirement system in the world. Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK have increased their pension age to offset the increase in life expectancies. Now in its seventh year, the MMGPI measured 25 retirement income systems against more than 40 indicators, under the sub-indices of adequacy, sustainability and integrity. The report covers close to 60 per cent of the world's population and suggests how governments can provide adequate and sustainable benefits that protect their citizens, against longevity risk. The report rated Denmark as the country with the best retirement system for the fourth consecutive year in 2015, with an overall score of 81.7. However, it said that the Indian retirement system continues to rank last. "The NPS is gradually gaining popularity in India. Continuing to improve education and communication will help increase coverage of pension arrangements for the working population in the organised sector, particularly popularising the corporate model of NPS among Indian employers," Anil Lobo, India Business Leader for Retirement, Mercer India, said in a statement. "The government's recent initiative, giving thrust to the participation of individuals from the unorganised sector by launching the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) in June, should encourage workers in the unorganised sector to voluntarily save for retirement," he said. "This should give impetus to individuals to join the NPS scheme, thereby helping enhance coverage, adequacy and sustainability of the country's overall retirement system and this should help increase India's index value in the future," he added. All the 11 countries, that have been part of the MMGPI since it began in 2009, have experienced an increase in the expected length of retirement from 2009 to 2015, with the average length rising from 16.6 years to 18.4 years. Goa begins export of low-grade iron ore Goa started export of 88,000 tonnes of low-grade-ore to China amid global volatility in the iron ore industry. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 18 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
The state begins operation after three years, following the removal of the ban imposed by the Supreme Court relying on Justice MB Shah Commission’s report on Rs 35,000 crore worth of illegal mining in the state last year. Officials of the mining firm Vedanta said that despite competition from Australian and Brazilian ore’s that have taken Goa’s spot in the Chinese steel industry, Goa’s low grade ores are still lucrative. Exim Bank’s red flag: Why most Africa deals go to so few firms? The state-owned Export Import Bank of India, or Exim Bank, has raised a “red flag” pointing out that a large number of hugely concessional lines of credit (LoCs) extended by India to highly indebted poor, low and middle income countries in Africa and the sub-continent during the last 10 years have been cornered by four little-known companies. Of these, an investigation by The Indian Express has revealed, a bulk of the 510 projects awarded by 61 countries from 2004-2014 — 62 projects in 28 countries worth $1.1bn — has gone to Delhi-based Angelique International Ltd, headed by Ajay Krishna Goyal. The three other companies — Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (Pvt) Ltd (OIA), Lucky Exports and Jaguar Overseas Ltd — have together contracted 110 projects. OIA has executed 20 projects, Lucky Exports 17 and Jaguar Overseas 11. The Exim Bank has alerted the finance and external affairs ministries about these findings. With most of these LoCs extended to African countries, the “red flag” assumes significance with at least 54 heads of government from the continent scheduled to gather in Delhi from October 26-29 for the Africa Summit. LoCs are essentially soft loans with interest rates as low as one per cent per year for tenures upto 20 years, with a moratorium of five years for repayment. They serve as an important tool in the government’s outreach endeavour and provide a diplomatic lever in enlisting the support of poor and developing countries on a range of issues. The bulk of countries (24) where Angelique has executed or is still undertaking projects are in Africa. It has also contracted nine contracts in Cuba, Honduras, Myanmar and Lao PDR. When contacted, Exim Bank chairman and managing director Yaduvendra Mathur, a 1986-batch IAS officer, told The Indian Express: “We have pointed this out to the ministries of finance and external affairs. These are projects awarded by foreign countries. There is not much we can do about it.” Exim Bank raises funds for these LoCs from international debt markets and signs agreements with foreign countries on behalf of the Government. It receives a subsidy called the ‘interest equalisation support’ for providing such concessional finance. In the last 10 years, the Government has allotted through the Budget Rs 1,904 crore to make up for the difference between the cost at which it raises funds and the concessional rates at which it lends to the countries. Initiated in 1985, the LoC programme got a new direction in 2003-04, the last year of the previous NDA regime. In Budget 2003-04, then finance minister Jaswant Singh said it was time for India to review its dependence on external donors and re-examine the LoC route of international assistance to others. Initially called the India Development Initiative, it was renamed as the Indian Development and Economic Assistance (IDEA) Scheme and gathered momentum under the subsequent UPA government. The scheme was extended by the UPA in March 2011 for five years till 2014-15 — a review is pending for over six months now. Responding to a detailed questionnaire, the MEA said that projects under LoCs are awarded by the borrowing countries in accordance with their own procurement laws and regulations. “(But) it is correct to say that a small number of our companies who compete aggressively for these projects have won a majority of the contracts,” it said. Asked about the pending IDEA Scheme review, the MEA said: “It expired on March 31, 2015 and is currently in the process of being renewed. The accompanying LoC operational guidelines are also being reviewed with inputs from multiple sources, including Exim Bank. The objective is to try and improve the process so that projects are better conceived, prepared, appraised and implemented. Greater transparency and accountability is also sought to be engendered.” RIL, 9 global oil companies commit to mitigate climate change Oil companies have traditionally favoured baking the earth for profits. But now, Reliance Industries Ltd, India's largest private oil company, has joined nine other global peers in a charm offensive to stay relevant as clamour for renewable energy grows. At a time when the oil producers' fraternity is divided over the fall in crude prices, chief executives of 10 global oil companies gathered in Paris in a rare show of unity to call for an effective agreement at the UN climate change summit next month. Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani missed the green carpet event organized by Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, a CEO- led forum, due to the market-moving company's board meeting for declaring quarterly results. But, he has signed the joint declaration committing measures by the oil industry to mitigate climate change. Neither of India's state run flagship oil companies, explorer ONGC and refiner retailer Indian Oil, have signed up for the initiative.
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In contrast, national oil companies of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Aramco), Mexico (Pemex), Spain (Repsol) and Norway (Statoil) have signed up.
SCIENCE AND TECH App that makes commuting easier
Zipping through rush-hour traffic could now become as easy as a phone tap, with the traffic police launching an app that brings the city’s traffic movement to the commuter’s pocket. The app ‘Hyderabad Traffic Live’, developed in consultation with a private company Empover i-tech, in English and Telugu, also has other features including public interface, auto fare estimation, e-challan status; finding towed vehicles, public complaints and RTA details of vehicles. “Everyone wants to reach his or her destination without getting stuck in traffic jams. As a priority we included the ‘Live Traffic’ feature in the app. Before starting for their destination, citizens can just login and check the traffic scenario and plan their route accordingly,” Hyderabad Commissioner M. Mahendar Reddy explained. Police also hope to bring down the menace of errant auto drivers. The app includes a fare estimation feature that will be useful for commuters. A user simply has to key in the destination and location of boarding. The estimated auto fare will then be shown on the screen. There is also a feature in the app where the assistance of the traffic police can be sought if auto drivers demand excess fare or if the commuters feel the meter has been tampered. “If the commuter contacts the traffic police, immediately a traffic policeman will reach the place and sort out the issue,” Jitender, Additional Commissioner Traffic, claimed. The traffic police have also developed an app to keep tab on cases booked under 39(b) of Hyderabad City Police Act, registered against encroachers of public places. “We aim to provide a safe space for pedestrians, now onwards we will ensure that pavements are encroachment free. Cases will be registered against the traders if they are found displaying their products on footpaths and they will be tried in courts,” the official said. ‘Avatar’ experiment can help paralysed people move Using an Avatar-like system integrating a real muscle and tendon along with a computer-controlled nerve stimulator acting as the avatar’s spinal cord, researchers have taken a giant leap to understand locomotion from the leg up. The findings could help create robotic devices that begin to merge human and machine in order to assist human locomotion. “We tried to build locomotion from the bottom up by starting with a single muscle-tendon unit, the basic power source for locomotion in all things that move,” explained Greg Sawicki, associate professor at North Carolina State University. The team connected the muscle-tendon unit to a motor inside a custom robotic interface designed to simulate what the muscle-tendon unit “feels” inside the leg. The researchers showed that resonance tuning is a likely mechanism behind springy leg behaviour during locomotion. Efficient locomotion That is, the electrical system (in this case the body’s nervous system) drives the mechanical system — the leg’s muscle-tendon unit — at a frequency which provides maximum ‘bang for the buck’ in terms of efficient power output. In locomotion, resonance comes from tuning the interaction between the nervous system and the leg so they work together. “It turns out that if I know the mass, leverage and stiffness of a muscle-tendon unit, I can tell you exactly how often I should stimulate it to get resonance in the form of spring-like, elastic behaviour,” Mr Sawicki informed.
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The findings have design implications relevant to designing exoskeletons for able-bodied individuals, as well as exoskeleton or prosthetic systems for people with mobility impairments. ‘Insulin dose not linked to cardiovascular death’ Increasing insulin dose to manage diabetes is unlikely to deteriorate your heart’s health, suggests new research. Insulin is not an independent risk factor for cardiovascular death, the findings showed. “Insulin is a very important medication for patients with diabetes and everyone really wanted to know if insulin could be harmful at higher doses,” said lead study investigator Elias Siraj, professor of medicine at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. Initial result “Our initial unadjusted analysis showed that an increase in insulin dose by one unit/ kg of body weight increased the risk of cardiovascular death by 83 to 236 percent. But, we had to adjust the data for various medical conditions and other factors potentially associated with insulin use,” Siraj said. After appropriate statistical adjustment, the dose of insulin was found not to be associated with increased cardiovascular death. For the study, researchers analysed data from a clinical trial entitled Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD study). Unanswered questions “This is reassuring for many physicians and their patients. But, our findings would not lay to rest the on—going discussion about insulin use and the potential for increased risk, especially at higher doses. There are still unanswered questions and more studies are needed to answer them definitively,” Siraj pointed out. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, non-traumatic amputations, and a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and death. Why antibiotics aren’t effective For 50 years, hospitals have used a single test to decide how to treat the most stubborn infections. But according to a growing body of research, that test is now wrong more often than we'd thought. All because of the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that behave one way in lab tests and another way in the human body. The findings have huge implications for how doctors fight the growing problem of so-called superbugs, which can't be easily treated with antibiotics. The bacteria infect 2 million people each year in the US alone, and kill 23,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control. "We're saying the standard way the world does this is wrong," said Michael J Mahan, a professor of microbiology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. That standard protocol, established in the 1960s, is called antibiotic susceptibility testing: Bacteria are grown in a solution called Mueller-Hinton broth, and then attacked with various antibiotics to see which one works best. Doctors around the world use the test to decide which antibiotic to use for which bacterial infection. But Mahan in August published an article in the journal EBioMedicine that shows blind spots in the protocol, which hasn't changed much since it was instituted as the gold standard across medical labs several decades ago. When his team tested salmonella in the petri dishes that labs typically use, an antibiotic called polymyxin killed the bacteria. But when they grew salmonella in petri dishes formulated with a material that more closely resembles the cells the bacteria infect, the antibiotic was useless. They concluded that the bacteria's defences — essentially the mechanisms that make superbugs "super"— can switch on or off depending on their surroundings. The salmonella had turned on its superpowers. Another recent study led by Victor Nizet, a professor of pediatrics and pharmacy at UC San Diego, showed a similar result. The antibiotic susceptibility test is also how pharmaceutical companies evaluate the effectiveness of potential new drugs. Mahan and Nizet haven't tested their findings in human patients yet. But what they've identified is consistent with anecdotal reports from doctors. Mahan said his findings have immediate implications for doctors who encounter stubborn infections: "If the drug doesn't work, switch the drug." Pebbles give insights on Mars’ water While the world celebrates the signs of flowing water on Mars, researchers estimate that the Martian pebbles travelled roughly 50 km from their source, supporting the idea that Mars once had an extensive river system and conditions that could harbour life. Douglas Jerolmack, geophysicist at University of Pennsylvania, and his collaborator Gabor Domokos have devised the first-ever method to quantitatively estimate the transport distance of river pebbles from their shape alone. “Thousands of years ago, Aristotle pondered the question of pebbles on the beach and how they become rounded,” Dr. Jerolmack said. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 21 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
“But until recently, descriptions of pebble shape have been qualitative, and we lacked a basic understanding of the rounding process,” he added. With lab and field data in hand, the team turned to their research. Images from Red Planet Using publicly available images of rounded pebbles on Mars from the Curiosity rover mission, they traced their contours and performed an analysis based on the models the team had established. The results suggested that the pebbles had lost approximately 20 per cent of their volume. World’s first automated mass crowd count done Researchers have conducted the world’s first automated mass crowd count with the help of a software that can speedily scan aerial photographs of the crowd. Counting large-scale crowd has been a long, tedious process involving people examining aerial photographs one at a time. Each photograph had to be divided into sections and the examiners counted the number of heads per inch. Now, the University of Central Florida (UCF) software promises to automate the process and cut down the time dramatically, from up to a week to 30 minutes, giving critical information to organisers while planning for events or responding to emergencies. UCF’s test run was conducted in September when thousands of demonstrators along a 3.2 mile stretch of Barcelona were calling for independence of the Catalonia province from Spain. Using the new software, 67 aerial images of different sections were analysed. The programme came up with a total count for each of the images within 30 minutes. The images and calculations were then sent to Pompeu Fabra University in Spain, where statistics professor Albert Satorra led a team reviewing the data. Using UCF results for the images, they concluded the count for the entire crowd at about 530,000. High cholesterol may cause tendon abnormalities High levels of cholesterol are linked to a heightened risk of tendon abnormalities and pain, said a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. GM cotton: whitefly attack raises anxiety among farmers The ineffectiveness of genetically modified (GM) cotton against the recent whitefly attack in Punjab and Haryana, which witnessed widespread protests by farmers, has raised concern among agricultural experts and farmers over the growing dependency on Bt cotton. They believe it is time for India to actively promote and involve public-private partnership (PPP) model in GM crop technology and also focus on developing new technologies to fight pest infestation on cotton and other crops. The whitefly attack in Punjab that damaged over 75 per cent crop across the cotton belt had led to widespread protests in the past few days. The damage to the cotton crop, over 95 per cent of which is Bt cotton, is estimated to be around Rs. 4,500 crore. It is also being blamed as a reason for suicides of over a dozen farmers in the cotton belt, including Abohar, Fazileka, Bathinda and Muktsar districts. The whitefly attack on Bt cotton crop is the latest reason for the government to work and develop new crop technologies. “It’s high time, the government should start thinking beyond GM crop and focus on new crop technologies by adopting successful PPP models from other nations or develop its own,” C.D. Mayee, president, Indian Society for Cotton Improvement, told. He said the GM crop technology served a good purpose, but there was always a possibility that pests might develop resistance. It was, therefore, that the government must evolve new crop technologies. “Bt cotton is around 14 years old technology and is effective against specific type of bollworms, but not insects such as whitefly,” he said. “Whitefly attack is expected to cause over 50 per cent drop in cotton yield this season in Punjab,” said R.K. Gumber, Additional Director of Research (crop improvement) at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. PAU is now recommending farmers to sow traditional non-Bt varieties of American and desi (indigenous) cotton during next season in areas susceptible to high infestation of whitefly. “If farmers want to reduce dependency on Bt cotton, they should preferably sow desi cotton as it is comparatively tolerant to sucking insect pests, including whitefly,” said Dr. Gumber. Cotton farmers in Punjab, however, say they do not have a better choice for the next season. “We don't have an alternative to Bt cotton in this area. Desi cotton is not viable as its yield is very low and also it has its own set of infestation problems,” said Balwinder Singh, a farmer. Blood test may detect Alzheimer’s disease Researchers are inching closer to a blood test that can accurately detect the presence of Alzheimer’s disease, which would give physicians an opportunity to intervene at the earliest, most treatable stage of the disease.
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Robert Nagele from the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in the US is focusing on utilising auto- antibodies as blood-based biomarkers to accurately detect the presence of myriad diseases and pinpoint the stage to which a disease has progressed. The blood test may also be able to detect other diseases, including Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and breast cancer. By detecting Alzheimer’s disease long before symptoms emerge, Mr. Nagele hopes those with disease-related autoantibody biomarkers will be encouraged to make beneficial lifestyle changes that may help to slow development of the disease. “There are significant benefits to early disease detection because we now know that many of the same conditions that lead to vascular disease are also significant risk factors for Alzheimer’s,” Mr. Nagele said. “People found to have preclinical disease can take steps to improve their vascular health, including watching their diet, exercising and managing any weight and blood pressure issues to help stave off or slow disease progression,” he said. While the cause of Alzheimer’s remains elusive, it is clear that maintaining a healthy blood-brain barrier is a critical preventative measure. Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke and being overweight jeopardise vascular health. As blood vessels in the brain weaken or become brittle with age, they begin to leak, which allows plasma components including brain-reactive auto-antibodies into the brain. There, the auto-antibodies can bind to neurons and accelerate the accumulation of beta amyloid deposits, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s pathology. Mr. Nagele’s research has found that all humans possess thousands of auto-antibodies in their blood. These auto-antibodies specifically bind to blood-borne cellular debris generated by organs and tissues all over the body. An individual’s autoantibody profile is strongly influenced by age, gender and the presence of specific diseases or injuries; and diseases cause characteristic changes in autoantibody profiles that, when detected, can serve as biomarkers to indicate the presence of the disease, researchers said. In Alzheimer’s, the brain begins to change years before symptoms emerge. Detecting Alzheimer’s antibodies at the preclinical stage would give patients an opportunity to work with their physician to make lifestyle changes or receive available treatments before they become symptomatic. Nanodiamonds Could Prevent Tooth Loss After Root Canals Using nanodiamonds to fortify a material employed during root canal could prevent tooth loss, researchers have found. Nanodiamonds are tiny particles formed as byproducts of diamond refining and mining. Thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair, they have been widely explored for use in dentistry, cancer therapy, imaging and regenerative medicine, among other applications. During a root canal, inflamed dental pulp is removed and the empty space is then filled in with a polymer called gutta percha, which is used in part because it does not react within the body. But some root canals don't entirely remove the infection, and residual infection after root canals can lead to tooth loss. In addition, traditional gutta percha has certain shortcomings, including a limited capacity to ward off infection and less-than-optimal rigidity. To overcome those issues, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry developed and tested two types of reinforced gutta percha - one strengthened with nanodiamonds and another strengthened with nanodiamonds that had been pre-loaded with antibiotics. Using conventional radiography and micro-computed tomography, they showed that the nanodiamond-enhanced gutta percha could be used to fill the tooth. Like the traditional formulation, the nanodiamond-enhanced compound did leave small gaps in the canal - where harmful bacteria could grow - but the CT imaging showed that the enhanced material filled the space just as effectively as traditional gutta percha. In the research's second phase, the scientists tested nanodiamonds that had been loaded with amoxicillin, a broad- spectrum antibiotic used to combat infection. The drug-reinforced nanodiamonds, when combined with the gutta percha, effectively prevented bacteria growth.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS Ancient ‘casket in casket’ found in China Archaeologists have found a 3,000-year-old stone coffin which contains a smaller casket in China’s Xinjiang Uygur region, the media reported. The discovery was made earlier by researchers at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in the Qinghe county, Xinhua reported.
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Scattered bones were found in the larger casket, which is about 3 metres long and 1.65 metres wide, Associate Researcher Guo Wu, who led the excavation, said. Inside the small casket, which is around 1.7 metres long and 1.5 metres wide, a complete skeleton of a woman was discovered along with pottery, bone and stone tools. The large coffin was built between 3,800 and 3,500 years ago and the small one between 2,800 and 2,500 years ago. The researchers speculated the small casket was made by those who wanted to “reuse” the large one. UN to rework Paris draft after protest by developing world Climate negotiations in Bonn got off to a rocky start with India and other developing countries opposing the first draft for a landmark climate deal to be signed in Paris in December, terming the text an example of “climate apartheid”. The session at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change headquarters is the last formal discussion before the meeting of 196 countries in Paris to sign a pact to curb global warming. Negotiators from developing countries — who are concerned the draft aims to push the responsibility of fighting climate change to them — sought a fresh text for Paris discussions. They also feel the draft fails to raise climate finance commitments from rich nations and there is concern about the year by when global emissions will peak which can have developmental implications for countries such as India. “We want a total overhaul of the lop-sided draft which does not meet the aspirations of the developing world and climate vulnerability,” said a climate negotiator from a developing country. Many countries have also accused the co-chairs of the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Durban Platform, the official name for the committee to frame the text of the new deal, of trying to re-write the basic principles of differentiation and equity enshrined in the UN Climate Convention. They also accused them of bias, negotiators who are monitoring the climate talks said. The new deal, the negotiators from the developing world said, cannot turn the bedrock of convention upside town. “The differentiation of action between the rich and the developing world cannot be undone by the new deal,” the negotiator said. The first draft will change dramatically and the co-chairs will have to present a re-worked draft as early as possible.
AWARDS Jamaican writer Marlon James wins Man Booker Jamaican writer Marlon James has been named the winner of the Man Booker Prize for 2015 for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings . It is the first Booker Prize to be won by a Jamaican, and the first for its independent publisher One world Publications. Mr. James’s book was chosen from a shortlist of seven writers, who included the bookies favourite Hanya Yanagihara for A Little Life , and the British writer of Indian origin Sunjeev Sahota for The Year of the Runaways. Set in Jamaica, the 686-page book is a fictionalised history on the attempted murder of the reggae singer Bob Marley in 1976. Mr. James, 44, who with his dreadlocks tamed into a ponytail at the back of his head looks like a reggae artist himself, described his feelings as “surreal” in his acceptance speech. He dedicated his award to his late father from whom he said he had acquired his “literary sensitivities.” He also acknowledged the book’s debt to Jamaica’s reggae singers like Marley and Peter Tosh “who were the first to realize that the voice coming out of our mouths was a legitimate voice for fiction and poetry.” Acknowledging the other books in the shortlist as “outrageous, dark and beautiful”, he said that writers ultimately “try to make sense of the world we are in.” The jury chair Michael Wood announced Mr. James’ name at a black-tie dinner at London’s Guildhall. Mr. Wood described the book as “startling in its range of voices and registers, running from the patois of the street posse to The Book of Revelation.” A Brief History of Seven Killings reconstructs the attempted assassination through the voices of a range of witnesses, from the FBI and CIA to ghosts, beauty queens and murderers. “It is a crime novel that moves beyond the world of crime and takes us deep into a recent history we know far too little about. It moves at a terrific pace and will come to be seen as a classic of our times,” Mr. Wood said. In addition to his £50,000 prize and trophy, which he received from the Duchess of Cornwall, Mr. James also received a designer bound edition of his book and a further £ 2500 for being shortlisted. IREDA Received Golden Peacock Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance Indian Renewable Energy Develoment Agency bagged the award for sustainability for 2015.It received the award in London. About IREDA IREDA has been awarded "Mini Ratna" (Category -I) status in 2015 by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 24 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
IREDA is a Public Limited Government Company established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987 under the administrative control of MNRE to promote, develop and extend financial assistance for renewable energy and energy efficiency /conservation projects with the motto: "ENERGY FOR EVER" Indian short film wins British award An Indian short film, An Old Dog’s Diary, directed by Shai Heredia and Shumona Goel, has won the best short film award at the 2015 London Film Festival (LFF). The 11-minute film assembles, in puzzle-piece evocations, a portrait of Indian avant-garde painter Francis Newton Souza, revealing the cultural conditions for his work and its institutionalisation. “Shai Heredia & Shumona Goel’s portrait of Francis Newton Souza, An Old Dog’s Diary, wins #LFF Best Short Film Award,” read a post on BFI (British Film Institute) London Film Festival official Twitter account. The film was earlier showcased in the Wavelengths category at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The 59th annual London festival aimed to put strong women centre stage, opening with Sarah Gavron’s political drama Suffragette and featuring 46 women-directed films among its 240 features. Founded in 1957 to show the best of the year’s world cinema to a British audience, the London Film Festival has boosted its profile in recent years with bigger movies, more glittering stars and prizes to boost emerging awards- season contenders.
PERSONS IN NEWS Indian appointed to key FAO post Kundhavi Kadiresan has been appointed as the Assistant Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. An economist who has spent most of her professional career with the World Bank Group, Ms. Kadiresan brings a strategic perspective and pragmatic approach to the developmental challenges facing the world. Ms. Kadiresan will lead the prioritisation of FAO’s work across the region in close consultation with technical specialists of the organisation. She replaces Hiroyuki Konuma who retired from FAO earlier this year. Nobel-winner Kailash Satyarthi is now Harvard's 'Humanitarian of the Year' Harvard University's prestigious 'Humanitarian of the Year' award has gone to Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, in recognition of his continuing contribution to the cause of children's rights and abolition of child slavery. Satyarthi is the first Indian to get this honor. "I humbly accept the award on behalf of millions of left-out children, for whose rights we strive to work for. Let us all pledge together to eradicate child slavery from the world," the activist said in his acceptance speech. Each year, the Harvard Foundation presents the award to people whose work and deeds have improved society and been inspiring to people. Satyarthi recently succeeded in getting child protection and welfare-related clauses -- which aim to end slavery, trafficking, forced labour and violence -- included in the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, "Even developed countries, including the Unites States, have hundreds of slaves who are forced into labour, pushed into sex trade or trafficked into domestic labour. Undocumented immigrants, people in the margins of the society are pulled into a circuit of slavery," Satyarthi said. In the past this honor has been given to luminaries like Martin Luther King Sr., Secretaries-General of the United Nations: Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Javier Perez de Cuellar, and Ban Ki-moon; Nobel laureates: Jose Ramos- Horta, Bishop Desmond Tutu, John Hume, and Elie Wiesel; Ethel Kennedy, R C Gorman, artist and ThorbjornJagland, head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee. Renowned Egyptian writer Ghitani dies at 70 Renowned Egyptian novelist and journalist Gamal El-Ghitani died at a hospital in Cairo where he had been in a coma for more than three months, his wife said. Ghitani, a firm supporter of the army since the fall of veteran leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011, was one of Egypt’s most acclaimed writers and shared a close friendship with the Arab world’s only Nobel laureate, Naguib Mahfouz. Gamal Ghitani contributed significantly in enriching literature with his unique style, intelligence and broad vision,” Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said in a statement. Ghitani’s books, including widely praised novel Zayni Barakat, have been translated into several languages such as English, German and French. An opponent of Islamists, Ghitani, who worked as a carpet designer before taking to writing, reported extensively from the frontline during the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict. Acclaimed locally and internationally, Ghitani won many awards, the latest being the Nile Award for Literature in 2015, the highest literary honour granted by the Egyptian government. In 1987 he was made Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a prestigious position awarded by the French government recognising significant achievement in the arts.
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In 1993, Ghitani founded and headed Akhbar Al-Adab (Literature News), one of Egypt’s literary newspapers, remaining its chief editor until 2011. Veteran sports administrator Ashwini Kumar passes away Former Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Ashwini Kumar, who was honoured with the Olympic Order in 2002, died. Kumar served IOC as vice president from 1983 to 1987 and was re-elected to the IOC executive board from 1992 to 1996. He became an IOC honorary member in 2000. Kumar also served the police force for 36 years and retired as the director general of the Border Security Force (BSF) in 1978. He then served as a security delegate in organising security for the Olympic Games since 1980. “Ashwini Kumar was one of the stalwarts of Indian sports administration. Not only he has given immense contribution to the development of Indian sports, he is a connoisseur in sports administration in the world. It is a great loss for Indian sport. His passing away has left a big void,” IOA secretary general Rajiv Mehta was quoted as saying.
PLACE IN NEWS Typhoon leaves 2 dead in Philippines Slow-moving Typhoon Koppu weakened after blowing ashore with fierce winds in the northeastern Philippines, leaving at least two people dead, displacing 16,000 villagers and knocking out power in entire provinces, officials said. Army troops and police were deployed to rescue residents trapped in flooded villages in the hard-hit provinces of Aurora, where the typhoon made landfall, and Nueva Ecija, a nearby rice-growing province where floodwaters swamped rice farmlands at harvest time.
SPORTS Anand finishes 25th at World Rapid C’ship Former world champion Viswanathan Anand ended the World Rapid Championship on a positive note, scoring four points out of five games on the final day, but the Indian ace could only finish 25th after tying for the 13th spot in the final standings. The three-day event concluded with Magnus Carlsen retaining the title. The Norwegian was at his best and was in trouble in just one of the 15 games that he played. On the final day, however, the five-time winner of the world crown was at ease in handling his opposition as he knocked down Polish Grandmasters Bartosz Socko and Mateus Bartel and Tigran Petrosian of Armenia besides drawing with Ildar Khairullin of Russia and Yuriy Kryvoruchko of Ukraine in the final round. Vidit Santosh Gurathi was the revelation of the tournament as he gained maximum points. ICC announces Nissan as official Global Partner Nissan has had many long-standing associations in the sporting world, but this is its first significant foray into cricket The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an exciting new long-term partnership with Nissan Motor Company until 2023. Established in Yokohama City, Japan in 1933, Nissan has had many long-standing associations in the sporting world, but this is its first significant foray into cricket. Commenting on the new partnership, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC is delighted to welcome Nissan on board as a Global Partner and we look forward to working together for the next eight years to deliver a strong partnership at all ICC’s global events. “Nissan is one of the world’s leading motor companies and boasts a strong international presence in both new and established markets. Nissan’s values are closely aligned to those of the ICC, to be innovative, with a strong focus on delivering exciting and unique experiences for our fans and stakeholders. “We are delighted to welcome such a strong brand to our growing commercial portfolio and we would like to thank Nissan for their support.” "We're excited to be part of the global cricketing family and to be involved in some of the world's most prestigious and popular tournaments. Our aim is to share with cricket fans around the world the excitement of the game and our cars. Both are created by people who have passion for what they do.” Manohar does away with selection veto In his endeavour for more transparency in the functioning of the BCCI, President Shashank Manohar chose to de- align himself and his post from interference in selection matters by revoking the controversial presidential veto power. Traditionally0-, the BCCI president could veto the decision of the fiveman selection committee, if he felt the need to overrule a certain selection as was famously done by N Srinivasan who decided to retain MS Dhoni as India skipper when the selectors had decided not to continue with him as the ODI captain after the disastrous tour of Australia in 2011-12. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 26 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
As per the new move, the president will have no say in the selectors’ decisions.
OPINION India-Sweden tie-up for smart urbanisation India and Sweden have a long history of partnerships in various areas. Earlier this year, India and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable urban development. This agreement means that our countries can cooperate on developing solutions in the field of sustainable urban development for the well-being of present and future generations. Current global urbanisation trends will result in 70 per cent of the world’s population living in cities by 2050. This fact is not a threat, but an opportunity. Living in cities brings environmental challenges, but with them real possibilities to shape smart and effective solutions. Public transport, efficient waste handling and energy accessibility are far easier to integrate when people live close together. Sweden is a global pioneer in developing smart cities, and this development is based on close collaboration between the private and public sectors. In 2014, the Indian government launched an initiative to build 100 smart cities across India. The agreement between our two nations wills therefore, help to develop, govern and manage these cities according to best practices developed through close cooperation. The agreement focuses in particular on development with sustainable and integrated urban planning and land use, waste management, sustainable transport systems and water and sanitation management. Technological development too provides us with great opportunities to build cities that are both smart and sustainable. Information technology reduces the impact of cities on the climate through a truly effective use of resources and dematerialisation of goods. Digitalisation also, of course, brings us closer together, regardless of physical distance. Threefold development Generally views on sustainable urban development are threefold: we need a holistic approach based on economic, ecological and social sustainability. Success comes when all three are closely integrated in the planning and development of cities. Economic sustainability means that our investments today must be sustainable tomorrow. We must use the best available technology and methods for urban development. Buildings we construct today will be still there for many years ahead. So to secure our investment, we need to get it right from the beginning. Investment in solar panels, for example, can be repaid in just a few years. Building and developing cities in an ecological and sustainable way is key to the future of our children and our planet. As more and more people move into the cities, pressure on waste management, land use and infrastructure is soaring. Our response is to approach and develop smart solutions in an integrated way. For example, Swedish-Indian partner companies develop solutions for producing biogas from waste water and waste food. The biogas is then processed into vehicle fuel and used to run buses without harmful emissions, in cities throughout India. Thirdly, developing social sustainability means that we need to build a society that keeps together. India is the largest democracy in the world, with well-developed systems of local influence. Sustainable neighbourhoods are created by involving residents in planning, building and renovating our cities. To involve citizens is important, not to make the process faster, but to make it better. A gender perspective in city planning is also crucial. Public places need to be safe for everyone — both women and men. Good urban planning helps, through improved street lighting, for example, and well-planned public transport. India’s President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, visited Sweden to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable urban development in June this year. Now we are taking the next mutual step in implementing the agreement. My current visit to India is just the latest part of increasing close and long-term cooperation between our two countries and people in these vital areas for sustainable development and protection of the environment — and for all our futures. The importance of Article 370 Article 370 of the Constitution is the current bedrock of the constitutional relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India. With its abrogation being an avowed policy of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the J&K High Court’s recent observation that the provision has acquired a state of permanence may cause some disquiet in the party and the government. However, the High Court’s comment should be seen in the limited context in which it was made. Its remark that Article 370 is beyond amendment, repeal or abrogation flows from an analysis of the question whether the section had
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become inoperative after the State’s Constituent Assembly framed its Constitution, and then the Assembly itself ceased to exist. In fact, the question whether its temporary provisions had acquired permanence was not before the court; nor was the court hearing a challenge to the validity of the Article per se. It was dealing with the validity of reservation in promotions among government employees in J&K. Ultimately, it struck down the provision for quotas in promotions on the ground that clause 4A of Article 16, introduced by the Constitution (77th) Amendment to protect reservation in promotions, was not applicable to J&K. This is because there is no Presidential Order making the new clause applicable to the State. One of the features of Article 370 is that a Constitution amendment becomes applicable to J&K only after the President issues an order. Without the protection of the clause, there is no scope for reservation in promotions, as the Supreme Court had barred such quotas in Indra Sawhney. In its implications for Article 370, the High Court verdict has not broken any new ground. If anything, it is a reiteration of earlier Supreme Court rulings that Article 370 continues to be operative. It impliedly rules that the President’s power to issue orders, as has been done over the years making several laws and provisions of the Constitution applicable to J&K, remains untrammelled. By reiterating the core requirement that even provisions affording constitutional protection require the use of Article 370 and orders issued under its imprimatur, the court has reaffirmed that importance of the Article and showed how abrogating it will weaken the legal basis for J&K to be part of India, as the accession was linked to its getting special status. Some may find the observation that Article 370 is beyond repeal or abrogation debatable. Parliament’s amending power under Article 368 remains available for such a measure, but it is far wiser for any dispensation to wait for a resolution of the dispute with Pakistan over the entirety of Kashmir’s territory before revisiting the State’s constitutional status. Any premature action on this front may be a needless misadventure. Youngest startup nation: Policies to encourage startups need to bring the bureaucracy on board The Prime Minister’s Office is reportedly working out an integrated plan to encourage startups. This plan does not restrict itself to encouraging startups in the technology sector, but also hopes to trigger more investment in manufacturing. Such a plan would also be timely as some surveys show that India this year has emerged as the country which is attracting the most foreign investment. Niti Aayog member Bibek Debroy believes an essential feature of startups is their power to disrupt established ways of doing things. Juxtapose this description with the NDA government’s frequently cited overarching aim of making India a very easy place to do business, and we are on the right path to creating a conducive environment for startups. Of course, the devil is in the detail. The most far reaching plans to liberalise India’s economic environment have been undone by bureaucracy lagging the political leadership’s approach. For example, the plan to encourage startups is reported to include tax breaks. But when governments in the past have offered tax breaks on a variety of activities, this was more than offset by the difficulties arising out of engaging the tax department. Therefore, creating a conducive environment for startups will need more than a few tweaks in policy. It will need the political executive to find ways to bring the bureaucracy in sync with new objectives. Encouraging startups will lead to more jobs. This is perhaps the greatest gain to a young society. The disruptive nature of young companies in India’s e-commerce sector is indicative of the depth of entrepreneurial skill available here. Actually this is the world’s youngest startup nation with 72% of the founders being less than 35 years of age. An assertion of primacy It is extraordinary that there should be near-unanimity in the country that the present system of judicial appointments that was put in place in 1993 is deeply unsatisfactory, and yet the most significant legislative effort to reform it should fail before the Supreme Court. It is no surprise that a five-judge Bench has struck down the Constitution (99th Amendment) Act, 2014, by which the government established a National Judicial Appointments Commission to select members of the higher judiciary. There were doubts whether the composition of the NJAC, especially the inclusion in it of the Union Law Minister and two “eminent persons” appointed by the government, would survive judicial scrutiny. For, the law also gave any two members a veto over all decisions, raising the question whether the judicial members could be overruled by the executive representatives. The Attorney General could not convince the court that the amendment, along with the NJAC Act, was aimed at restoring the system of checks and balances which, according to the government, was lost after the Supreme Court created the collegium scheme of appointments.
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The core question was whether the new institutional mechanism to appoint judges impinged on the independence of the judiciary, a basic feature of the Constitution. The court has ruled that it does. Justice J.S. Khehar, writing the main judgment, has held that the clauses provided in the amendment are inadequate to preserve the primacy of the judiciary. The inclusion of the Law Minister in the body impinged on both the independence of the judiciary and the doctrine of separation of powers. Nobody on either side of the debate disagrees that the judiciary should be insulated from political interference. Yet, should the judiciary retain its primacy, or should the executive have a say in order that flawed choices do not erode the institution’s credibility? Justice Khehar has said the conduct of the political executive showed it tended to reward favourites in many fields. Preserving the primacy of the judiciary was a safe way to shield the institution from “the regime of the spoils system”. Justice J. Chelameswar, in his dissenting opinion, is candid in questioning the lack of transparency in the collegium system. Even while restoring this system, the majority has invited suggestions to improve it so that it is more responsive to the expectations of civil society. While to some it may appear that striking down a Constitution amendment passed unanimously in both Houses of Parliament and ratified by 20 State Assemblies amounts to negating the people’s will, it cannot be forgotten that the judiciary remains the sole authority to decide whether a law violates the basic structure of the Constitution. What the situation indicates is that India is still struggling to put together a transparent appointment system not vitiated by executive patronage or judicial nepotism. Longer life is the greatest form of poverty reduction Angus Deaton, who has just won the Nobel Prize for Economics, is famous for three major findings. First, humanity has enjoyed a Great Escape from poverty because of rapid economic growth, especially in China and India. Second, humanity has also enjoyed a Great Escape from death and disease. Third, foreign aid typically fails to reduce poverty. Let me focus on the Great Escape from death. India has witnessed heated arguments on how much consumption should determine India’s poverty line. Yet, arguably, longer life is the greatest sort of poverty reduction. You cannot measure the value of extending life, yet nothing is more precious. In some countries, 90% of lifetime health spending occurs in the last year of a person’s life. Indian poverty is down to 21% by government estimates, and 12% by the World Bank’s poverty line. It would have been almost zero had India followed the outward-looking, market-friendly policies of the Asian tigers. Economic reforms enabled 138 million to rise above the poverty line between 2004 and 2011. Improved longevity helped even more. Since Independence, life expectancy is up from 32 years to 68.5 years. Infant mortality is down from 161 per thousand births to 40. The total death rate is down from 25.5 per thousand to barely 7. These are huge improvements. Yet they lag well behind achievements in other countries. The Great Escape needs to become a Greater Escape. People willingly exhaust lifetime savings to gain a few more years of life. Roti, kapda and makan matter a lot, but life and death matter more. If people live 20 years longer, children are saved from early death, and mothers are saved from maternal death, that’s worth more than all government subsidies for roti, kapda and makan. Per capita consumption is often used to measure poverty by the media and analysts, but can be utterly misleading. I crossed swords with Arnab Goswami some years ago when an NSSO survey showed that 138 million people had been raised above the official poverty line, which was then around Rs 5,000 per month for an urban family of five. THE GREAT ESCAPE: If kids are saved from early death, that’s worth more than all government subsidies for roti, kapda and makan Many Delhiwallahs paid their servants less than that. But Arnab declared it was impossible to live on so little. His mathematical trick was to translate monthly family consumption into a daily rate of Rs 33 per person. Arnab declared that nobody could eat properly at Delhi dhabas on so little. I had pointed out in a column in 2012 that the official poverty line was based not on a middle-class diet but on earning just enough to consume 2,000 calories/day. The truly poor ate dal-roti. A person without a ration card could, in the open market, buy 400 grams of wheat and 100 grams of chana dal — which would provide 2,000 calories — for Rs 12.50. With subsidized grain, available to most though not all poor folk, the cost would be less than half as much. The notion that all poor people, including babies, eat at dhabas is a TV fantasy. Families cook at home. The fantasy becomes farcical if one adjusts for Deaton’s emphasis on the high value of life. Suppose a childless working couple earns Rs 5,000 per month. That equals Rs 66 per day per person, making Arnab happy. Next, suppose the couple has twins. The parents will be delighted. But Arnab’s calculations will show consumption falling to Rs 33 per capita, so the births are actually a tragedy.
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Next, suppose the twins die of disease. The couple will regard this as a terrible tragedy. But Arnab’s calculation will show that the per capita consumption has doubled, so the death of the kids is a godsend. Lesson: per capita calculations are farcical when they ignore the value of life. How best can lives be saved? Dan Spears’ pioneering work shows that open defecation is a major cause of disease, death and stunting. Oral hydration conquers diarrhea. Monica Dasgupta’s studies show that public health measures are imperative, yet few states have public health departments. Abhijit Bannerjee and Esther Duflo show that deworming is the most cost-effective way of saving babies. These lessons have not spurred a health revolution. Modi is building toilets, yet many lie unused. Unsackable government health staff have no accountability to patients, and no incentive to deliver. Raising health spending will fail without an administrative overhaul. Health staff should be hired, disciplined and fired by panchayats and municipalities. The state government should focus on training and building technical capacity at the district level, preventive health, and public education. Citizen empowerment to motivate staff, plus the creation of technical and administrative capacity, is required for a Greater Escape of Indian health. Som New chapter with Nepal By inviting Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa to New Delhi, India has chosen wisely to begin a fresh chapter with its neighbour with a view to ending the mistrust that has marked the relationship in the past two months. By all accounts, the talks between Mr. Thapa and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is known for her diplomatic abilities in the neighbourhood, took off on the right note. Two short-term objectives — of ending the pile-up of trucks at the border in Bihar that Nepal terms an unofficial blockade, and of bringing the new Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, to Delhi for talks — could soon be reached. In the longer term, the task for the government is to help Nepal build on its Constitution to assuage the anger of the people of the Terai, without India further antagonising the people of the hills. This is a balance the government seems not to have achieved in the past few months; it has come across instead as a bully to one side of the Nepali divide and a champion to the other. If India must have a role in the constitutional conflict, it must be that of uniting the political spectrum and encouraging talks — a role it has traditionally had since 1951. The visit by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar in the last minute to try and convince the Nepal leadership to postpone the promulgation of the Constitution, and conversations in New Delhi that seemed to favour Sushil Koirala over Mr. Oli as the new Prime Minister, didn’t help the situation. It was sad to see crowds in Kathmandu that only last year filled the roads to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now burning effigies and the tricolor. While such anger was unjustified, as India’s wish has only been to push for a more inclusive foundational document for Nepal, it is necessary to undo the perception that New Delhi is interfering in the neighbour’s internal processes, and worse, ‘punishing’ Nepal for not acceding to its wishes. In the past week, however, in both New Delhi and Kathmandu the tone has changed. In an interview to this newspaper, Prime Minister Oli reached out with Vijaya Dasami wishes and a message of reconciliation, while officials in Delhi noted with satisfaction that the new government has a “willingness to address” the issue of the neglect of Madhesi groups. Above all, it is time to turn attention to the struggles of the ordinary citizen of Nepal, a country that has been battered by an earthquake and ruptured by internal divisions and brutal clashes. It is suffering without electricity, food and essential medicines. A small start at rebuilding trust may be achieved by moving swiftly on the 41-km-long Raxaul-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline. That could remove all doubt that India wishes to squeeze its land-locked neighbour. The two countries should meanwhile work to remove mutual mistrust on all other issues as well. Aadhaar and the right to privacy The Supreme Court has cut straight to the heart of the issue in the Aadhaar petitions. On behalf of all Indian citizens, it asks the current government to address the most basic questions in a democracy governed by the law: what are the privacy rights of its citizens; and are they protected equally, with the same justice for the rich and the poor alike? In the 20th century, governments that recognised no private sphere of thought, expression, and action outside their reach and the ruling party’s reach were called “totalitarian”. Aware that such governments are antithetical to freedom, the world’s democracies were willing to sacrifice tens of millions of their citizens’ lives in the Second World War to defeat them militarily. The democratic constitutions that rose on the ashes of European totalitarianism explicitly recognised the integrity of a private sphere that governments may not invade, as the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights, as interpreted by its Supreme Court, has also done. The post-Independence Indian Constitution does this as well. In the 21st century, a government that cannot or will not protect its citizens’ privacy rights cannot credibly maintain a democratic regime of equal treatment under the rule of law. Freedom of opinion and association; freedom of religion (or irreligion); the ability to make choices and decisions autonomously in society free of surrounding social pressure, including the right to vote — all of these depend on the preservation of the “private sphere.” Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 30 2015CA_014,015,016,017,018,019,020
Yet, the Government of India (GoI), speaking through its Attorney-General, has repeatedly declared that it is the government’s position that Indian citizens have no constitutional right of privacy. Whether GoI is ultimately prepared to restate that position and risk a political loss before the Supreme Court remains to be seen. The pressure on the government very much increased recently, when the Supreme Court refused simultaneous applications by multiple agencies demanding relief from the Supreme Court’s interim order limiting the use of Aadhaar pending the Court’s final decision. By referring these government applications to a constitutional bench whose composition has been announced last week, the court has assured Indians that a decision on their fundamental rights will not be long delayed. The Attorney-General argued that the poor, whose welfare is at stake in the continuance of subsidy payments and other benefits, must be prepared to surrender their right of privacy, if any, in order to continue receiving benefits. This argument was sharply rejected by the bench, which recognises that the poor have the same rights as the rich, ad interim as well as permanently, in any democratic society. This is not, as GoI has been claiming, a conflict between the needs of the poor and “1 or 2 or 10 persons” who care about everyone’s fundamental right to privacy. The government’s most basic obligation is to protect its citizens’ rights — both their right to sustenance and their right to the privacy that enables freedom — equally. The ultimate resolution of this present controversy must recognise both the need for Aadhaar — in order to provide efficient and honest government services to citizens — and the need for stringent rules concerning access to and security of citizens’ biometric data, in order to preserve their privacy. GoI cannot adopt the posture that only one aspect of government’s protective responsibility matters — that the costs of privacy destruction can be imposed upon the poor in return for LPG subsidies, or any other social benefit on which they absolutely depend. The Supreme Court’s action this week ensures that GoI must respond to both halves of the problem. In particular, the Indian Supreme Court is likely to find itself asking GoI about what in Indian and U.S. law is called the “doctrine of unconstitutional conditions”. Both Supreme Courts have held that the government cannot condition receipt of public benefits on waiver of fundamental rights. This is in sharp contradiction to the argument offered in the Supreme Court this week by the counsel for Center for Civil Society, when he told the bench that “a person who has a right to privacy should be allowed to waive it for greater benefit.” We are about to begin one of the most important constitutional cases of India’s post-Independence legal history. The good news is that the Supreme Court has shown it knows exactly what’s at stake. In any democracy, that’s a necessary place to start. Constitution’s will upheld Two days after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on the 99th Constitution Amendment Act and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), declaring them to be ultra vires the Constitution, the Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, said in his blog, “Indian democracy cannot be a tyranny of the unelected and if elected are undermined, democracy itself would be in danger.” Law Minister Sadanand Gowda, immediately after the pronouncement of the judgment by the Constitution Bench, said that he was surprised by the verdict. He went on to say, “the NJAC was completely supported by Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha; It had 100 per cent support of the people.” Telecommunications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad — earlier the Law Minister who vigorously worked for the NJAC Bill — remarked that parliamentary sovereignty has received a setback. Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi echoed similar sentiments when he said, “It is a flawed judgment ignoring the unanimous will of the Parliament, half the State Legislatures and the will of the people for transparency in judicial appointments.” Questions on judicial review The reaction of the executive to the NJAC verdict raises the fundamental question: Should the exercise of power of judicial review depend upon the will of the Parliament? Indian Constitution, unlike the Constitutions of United States of America and Australia, does not have an express provision of separation of powers but its sweep, operation and visibility are not unclear. While it is the Parliament’s prerogative to amend the Constitution and make laws, the duty to decide whether the basic elements of the constitutional structure have been transgressed has been placed on the judiciary. Once the legislature has done a ‘legislative’ act, the constitutionality of such an act can only be decided through the process of judicial review and there can be no rule of law without such a provision. In other words, the power to strike down offending amendments to the Constitution on the touchstone of basic structure can be exercised by the superior judiciary alone, uninfluenced by the will of the Parliament.
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The rule of law would cease to have any meaning if the discharge of judicial functions is seen as thwarting the will of the people represented by the elected legislatures. Any attempt to reconcile judicial review with the will of representatives of people is sure recipe for destruction of the rule of law. Our Constitution has given the power of judicial review to the unelected superior judiciary to declare ‘unconstitutional’ a legislative act, once it is found to be violative of the basic structure. It would be a sad day for our democracy if the exercise of judicial function is made dependent on the will of the representatives of people. What remains of democracy if there is no rule of law? The institutional arrangement at the heart of our democracy provides that the will of the people, as reflected in the decisions their elected representatives, is subject to the will of the Constitution, as reflected in the decisions of an independent judiciary. In the words of Alexander Hamilton, one of the framers of American Constitution, “where the will of the legislature declared in the statutes is in opposition to the Constitution, the judges ought to be governed by the latter, rather than former.” This means that demands of the Constitution can override the wishes of the people expressed through elected governments. These are at the very core of a democratic commitment to judicial independence and constitutional supremacy. Parliamentary supremacy refers to the power of Parliament to make laws within the limits imposed by the Constitution. It also denotes the supremacy of Parliament over the executive, primarily through the accountability of the Council of Ministers to Parliament. Judicial review of the constitutional validity of laws is also an integral part of a parliamentary democracy. All the three organs of the state derive the power and jurisdiction from our Constitution. Each must operate within the sphere allotted to it. Judicial function is also a very important sovereign function of the state and provides the foundation for rule of law. When a verdict such as that striking down the NJAC comes, the ebb and flow, the critical scrutiny and the inherent relational tensions are not surprising. They must be handled deftly and with maturity. Judicial independence is a central goal of most legal systems, and the mode of appointment of judges is seen as a crucial mechanism to achieve this goal. While in all democracies of the world, there is near-universal consensus on the importance of judicial independence, legal systems utilise a wide range of selection mechanisms — the split model, the collaborative model, the parliamentary model, the judicial self selection model and the judicial appointments commission model — in practice. Often, they reflect different conceptions of independence of judiciary. The diversity of constitutional ethos in different countries suggests that it may not be a good idea to borrow other systems for the selection of judges. It is not wholly correct to say that judges appoint judges in India as consultative participation of the executive is present in the institutionalised procedure prescribed after the Third Judges case, but assuming it to be so, ours is perhaps the only country where the government is the biggest litigant before the courts. We are one of the very few countries where actions of the political executive in diverse fields — ranging from violation of human rights to wrongful distribution of natural resources and wide range of issues which have huge political ramifications — are brought before the superior judiciary in the public interest litigation. Can judges who are appointed with the direct say of the government be relied upon to deliver neutral and high-quality decisions in such matters? It is no exaggeration to say that appointment processes shape the ability of courts to hold political institutions to account. Veto to non-judicial members In the Second Judges case, the nine-judge Bench exposited that appointment of judges to High Courts and the Supreme Court forms an integral part of the basic structure of our Constitution, and therefore, the executive cannot interfere with the primacy of judiciary in the matter of appointments. The NJAC’s flawed composition consisted of the fact that it merged certain components, reflected in the inclusion of Law Minister and two eminent persons and giving any two members the power to veto the decision of the other four. This directly affected the independence of judiciary in the judicial appointments process. Had the Parliament maintained the primacy of the judiciary while providing for the entire scheme of working of the NJAC, the decision may have been different. It is true that while legislatures respond to the urgings of the people, the judges serve only for justice — for them justice is the only mandate. I see the NJAC verdict as a demonstration of constitutional compliance and not of the judiciary flexing its muscles to knock out the people’s will. For me, democracy is enhanced when judiciary effectively fulfils its constitutional mandate. Democratic values are strengthened not only by a strong legislature but also by a strong judiciary so that together a mutually respectful and independent partnership on the public’s right to justice is maintained.
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While I admire the well crafted article “Usurping Parliament’s Power,” written by Abhishek Manu Singhvi , I find myself unable to agree with his reasoning. However, I agree with him that judicial appointments need fresh air and an innovative and objective set of inputs. That is what I felt as the Chief Justice of India. I wanted to institutionalise the best practices that would bring fairness and transparency in the appointment of judges to the superior judiciary. I had a long meeting with Chris Stephens and Lord Toulson, Chairperson and Vice Chairperson respectively, of Judicial Appointments Commission, England and Wales to understand their working in the judicial appointments. The judges who delivered the judgment in the NJAC case also hold the view that an improvement in the working of the collegium system is the need of the hour. They have proposed a hearing on this aspect on November 3. Instead of seeing the NJAC verdict as one that leads to a confrontation between the Parliament and the judiciary in the matter of the appointment and transfer of judges of the superior judiciary, the executive must use this as an opportunity to help the Supreme Court in preparing an institutional design so that all appointments by the collegium meet the tests of fairness and transparency and all selections are made solely on merit with an encouragement provided to the diversity in the persons available for selection. Appoint good judges; the rest will follow.
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WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM 21ST TO 27TH OCT, 2015
INTERNATIONAL NEWS Justin Trudeau elected new Canadian prime minister as Liberals return to power Justin Trudeau, the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, will be Canada’s next leader, after a dramatic federal election that ended the divisive reign of the Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. The Liberal party won a surprise majority, taking 184 of the 338 seats in parliament with representatives in every province and roughly 40% of the popular vote. Trudeau’s victory speech omitted any mention of his flamboyant father Pierre who led Canada from 1968 to 1984 with one brief interruption. Switching between French and English, Trudeau held out an olive branch to his defeated rivals after a vicious and divisive campaign. “As I’ve said many times over the course of this campaign, conservatives are not our enemies, they’re our neighbors,” he said. And in an implicit rebuke to Harper – who had attempted to exploit a row over Muslim women’s right to cover their face – he said: “We know in our bones that Canada was built by people from all corners of the world, who worship every faith, who belong to every culture, who speak every language.” Trudeau, 43, was first elected to parliament in 2008 and took the helm of the party in April 2013, winning a leadership race in what many called a coronation. He will be the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history. China signs multi-billion dollar deal with UK to finance N-power plants Chinese President Xi Jinping has sealed a multi-billion dollar deal to finance nuclear power stations in Britain, crowning a visit that Prime Minister David Cameron hopes will unleash a wave of investment from the world’s second largest economy. After a day of pomp, Communist Party General Secretary Xi turned from pageantry to discussion of 40 billion pounds’ ($62bn) worth of deals with Cameron in his Downing Street residence, where a landmark nuclear deal was signed. In the first major Chinese investment in a Western nuclear facility, China’s General Nuclear Corporation (CGN) will take a one-third stake in the planned 18 billion-pound ($28bn) Hinkley Point nuclear plant, to be owned by France’s EDF. State-owned CGN will also take a two-thirds stake in the Bradwell nuclear plant east of London, where it plans to build a Chinese-designed reactor, and a one-fifth stake in a project for Areva -designed reactors at the Sizewell plant. “We will build a global, comprehensive strategic partnership between our countries in the 21st Century and jointly open up a golden era,” Xi told reporters via a translator, adding that the nuclear deal was a flagship investment. Cameron is pitching Britain as the pre-eminent Western gateway for investment from China, though the warmth of the reception for Xi has raised some eyebrows with allies and drawn criticism that London is ignoring China’s human rights record. “The stronger our relationship, the more able we are to have the necessary and frank discussions about other issues,” Cameron said, adding he had raised the oversupply of Chinese steel after over 4,000 jobs were thrown into jeopardy at steel plants across Britain in recent weeks. Xi said China had taken steps to reduce iron and steel capacity and that China attached “great importance” to the protection of human rights. China will take a 6-billion-pound stake in EDF’s Hinkley Point project in the southwestern English county of Somerset, due to be the first new nuclear plant to be built in the European Union since Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011. The Chinese investment, agreed in principle in October 2013, breathes life into a British plan to replace around a quarter of its electricity generating capacity over the next decade. It offers China a way to showcase its nuclear technology as part of its pitch as a global exporter of quality infrastructure. The deal brings Britain’s first new nuclear plant since 1995 a step closer and is also a boost for EDF, which has been hit by billions of euros of cost overruns and years of delays with two of its other European nuclear projects in Finland and France. Hurricane Patricia weakens as it moves inland Record-breaking Hurricane Patricia pushed rapidly inland over mountainous western Mexico, weakening to tropical storm force while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides. Patricia, who peaked as the strongest hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere, made landfall on a sparsely populated stretch of Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 5 storm, avoiding direct hits on the resort city of Puerto Vallarta and major port city of Manzanillo. No major damage There were reports of some flooding and landslides, but no word of fatalities or major damage as the storm pushed across inland mountains while bypassing the metropolis of Guadalajara. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 1 2015CA_021,022,023,024,025,026,027
L-1B visa rejections on the rise, says US law firm Employment-based immigration law firm Fakhoury Law Group, PC of the U.S., which provides global immigration services to large Indian corporates for placing their personnel abroad more specifically in the U.S., said it has seen a spurt in the denial of L-1A/B visas, meant for specialised knowledge professionals, in recent times and this would adversely impact Indian IT companies unless corrective measures are taken. “These days getting L-1B category visa has become extremely difficult as there is lot of scrutiny by United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) authorities. Visa denials have increased due to the inability of the petitioning employers to demonstrate the ‘Specialized Knowledge’ position of the workers,” said Rami D Fakhoury, Managing Director, Fakhoury Law Group, PC. “The standards are very high so Indian IT companies should provide their proprietary tools. If companies do not demonstrate this, then it would be difficult to exhibit the Specialized Knowledge,” he added. According to Mr. Fakhoury, any major negative impact on IT companies concerning their U.S. operation will have adverse effect on the Indian economy as the IT sector contributes substantially to the Indian economy and the U.S. is the IT sector’s largest market. Currently in India to visit his offshore office in Mumbai and clients here, Mr. Fakhoury said before applying for L-1 A/B visa, the employee should have one year advanced knowledge for the same tool outside the U.S. “The employee should work on his current employer’s tool otherwise it may be a reason for denial. The employer should show that the employee will work on their own tool for the end client and she/he is specialised in the same,” he added. He said Indian companies should create more products which can be differentiated from competitors to be able to retain their workers in the U.S The world over immigration laws have undergone radical changes as all countries are protecting their local labour force and imposing taxes on personnel from foreign countries to generate more revenue. In a competitive environment such impediments put pressure on margins. But India’s demographic dividend will work to its advantage as more than 50 per cent of its population is below the age of 30 and a large number of talented and qualified professionals would be available to meet global immigration needs. “Today countries like Japan and China have ageing population and at the same time many Indian companies are setting up bases there to support technological advancements. Now India is well positioned to take advantage of this opportunity and there are lots of opportunities in the IT, ITES, engineering services, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and financial services sectors abroad,” said Mr. Fakhoury. India is poised to be a leader with human resources globally because it has the ability to deliver. Maldives Vice-President arrested for ‘high treason’ In a surprising turn of events, the Maldives arrested its Vice-President, Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor, on the charge of “high treason” . The arrest, announced in a tweet by Umar Naseer, Home Affairs Minister of the island nation, was reportedly made to stop Mr. Ghafoor from fleeing the country. At a press conference, the Maldives Police Service said the arrest was made in connection with a powerful blast which hit the Presidential boat on September 28. The blast, aimed at President Abdullah Yameen, ended up injuring his wife and some of his colleagues. The police said they were compelled to arrest Mr. Ghafoor in view of the serious charges against him in the case. The arrest has caused tumult in the Indian Ocean nation with one Maldivian diplomat describing the situation in the capital, Male, as reflecting a “political emergency”. India’s External Affairs Ministry has maintained silence despite the fact that Mr. Yameen had reiterated his “India First” policy during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to the island nation this month. Panel to probe ‘white flag killings’ The ‘white flag killings’, alleged extra-judicial executions of those who surrendered to the Sri Lankan security forces on the penultimate day (May 18, 2009) of the Eelam War, are back in limelight with the Paranagama Commission initiating investigation into it. Maxwell P. Paranagama, chairman of a three-member panel on missing persons, told that a five-member team had been constituted to probe the alleged killings. It included retired police officers and a former high court judge. Mr. Paranagama said the investigating team would also cover alleged shelling by the security forces on hospitals and other incidents shown by Channel 4 documentaries on the war, including the killing of Isaipriya, a high-profile member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and Balachandran, the 12-year old son of the LTTE founder Prabahakaran. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 2 2015CA_021,022,023,024,025,026,027
The Commission has quoted several reported versions of the alleged killings in its report and found some of them “contradictory.” “The circumstances of the ‘white flag killings’ are by no means clear”, it added. As for the Channel 4 episode, the panel said that “these are not images that can be set aside simply because the journalism is extravagant.” It also stated that “the reputation of the SLA [Sri Lanka Army] is indeed at stake, but proper accountability is of equal, if not greater importance.” The Sunday Observer reported Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe as saying in Parliament on Friday last that “when the LTTE cadres came carrying white flags, it was left to the discretion of the Commanding Officer present to accept or reject them. However, the orders came from Colombo.” US finds ‘drug tunnel’ with railway at border Smugglers on the US-Mexico border have become so sophisticated in moving drugs that a “super tunnel” raided recently featured a railway, US authorities said. The tunnel stretched the length of eight football fields, from a Tijuana warehouse to a San Diego warehouse, and had a rail system, lighting, electricity, and metal beams to prevent a cave-in. Authorities confiscated at least 12 tonnes of marijuana with a street value of $6 million and arrested 22 people in San Diego and Tijuana in connection with one of the largest tunnels uncovered in recent years. “We see a super tunnel open for business once every year or so,” US attorney Laura Duffy of Southern California said. “Just when traffickers think they’re ready to move, we put them out of business.” The newly constructed tunnel was HIGH-WAY: The tunnel stretches the length of eight football fields, from Tijuana to a San Diego warehouse, and had a rail system, lighting, electricity, and metal beams to prevent a cave-in discovered as part of a sixmonth probe that began last May and involved an undercover agent who helped transport buckets filled with dirt from the tunnel warehouse and then offered to transport and store drugs for the defendants, authorities said. In all, authorities have found more than 75 crossborder smuggling tunnels, mostly in California and Arizona, prosecutors said. Russian ships near cables concerns U.S. Russian submarines and spy ships are aggressively operating near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all global Internet communications, raising concerns among some U.S. military and intelligence officials that the Russians might be planning to attack those lines in times of tension or conflict. The issue goes beyond old worries during the Cold War that the Russians would tap into the cables — task U.S. intelligence agencies also mastered decades ago. The alarm today is deeper: The ultimate Russian hack on the U.S. could involve severing the fibre-optic cables at some of their hardest-to-access locations to halt the instant communications on which the West’s governments, economies and citizens have grown dependent. While there is no evidence yet of any cable cutting, the concern is part of a growing wariness among senior U.S. and allied military and intelligence officials over the accelerated activity by Russian armed forces around the globe. At the same time, the internal debate in Washington illustrates how the U.S. is increasingly viewing every Russian move through a lens of deep distrust. Inside the Pentagon and the nation’s spy agencies, the assessments of Russia’s growing naval activities are highly classified. U.S. officials are secretive about what they are doing both to monitor the activity and to find ways to recover quickly if cables are cut. Cmdr. William Marks, a Navy spokesman in Washington, said: “It would be a concern to hear any country was tampering with communication cables; however, due to the classified nature of submarine operations, we do not discuss specifics.” In private, however, commanders and intelligence officials are far more direct. They report that from the North Sea to Northeast Asia and even in waters closer to U.S. shores, they are monitoring significantly increased Russian activity along the known routes of the cables. Earlier, the Russian spy ship Yantar, equipped with two self-propelled deep-sea submersible craft, /cruised slowly off the East Coast of the U.S. on its way to Cuba — where one major cable lands near the U.S. naval station at Guantánamo Bay. It was monitored constantly by U.S. spy satellites, ships and planes. The role of the cables is more important than ever before. They carry more than $10 trillion a day in global business. The cables also carry more than 95 percent of daily communications. Big quake jolts Pak., Afghanistan A major earthquake struck the remote Afghan northeast, killing at least 215 people in Afghanistan and nearby northern Pakistan and sending shock waves as far as New Delhi, officials said. The death toll could climb in coming days because communications were down in much of the rugged Hindu Kush mountain range where the quake was centred. In one of the worst incidents, at least 12 girls were killed in a stampede to flee their school building in the northeastern Afghan province of Takhar, just west of Badakhshan province where the tremor’s epicentre was located.
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Shockwaves were felt in New Delhi in northern India and across northern Pakistan, where hundreds of people ran out of buildings as the ground rolled beneath them. No deaths were reported in India. The quake was 213 km deep and centred 254 km northeast of Kabul in Badakhshan province. The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the magnitude at 7.7, and then revised it down to 7.5. Just over a decade ago, a 7.6-magnitude quake in another part of northern Pakistan killed about 75,000 people. Particularly hard-hit in Pakistan was the northern area of Chitral, where 20 people were killed, police official Shah Jehan said. Further south, the city of Peshawar reported two deaths but at least 150 injured people were being treated at the city’s main hospital, the provincial health chief said. The earthquake struck almost exactly six months after Nepal suffered its worst quake on record on April 25. The Hindu Kush mountain region is seismically active, with earthquakes the result of the Indian subcontinent driving into and under the Eurasian landmass. Sudden tectonic shifts can cause enormous and destructive releases of energy. UK introduces name-blind job applications The British government launched plans for name-blind application forms to tackle discrimination against ethnic minorities in universities and the workplace. Young people leaving university and applying for positions in top companies and the Civil Service will have their names hidden on their application to prevent stereotyping. Separately, central admissions body UCAS [Undergraduate Courses At University and College] will make its applications name blind from 2017 and will instead identify candidate by a code. "I said in my conference speech that I want us to end discrimination and finish the fight for real equality in our country today. Today we are delivering on that commitment and extending opportunity to all," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. "If you've got the grades, the skills and the determination this government will ensure that you can succeed," he said. Leading graduate employers from across the public and private sector have committed to keeping candidates' names off graduate recruitment applications, Downing Street confirmed. These include the Civil Service, Teach First, the BBC, NHS and local government as well as top financial firms in the City of London such as HSBC, Virgin Money, KPMG and Deloitte. Together they are responsible for employing 1.8 million people in the UK. "I'm confident that this important step will help us build an organisation that is even more talented, diverse and effective than it is today," said UK Civil Service chief executive John Manzoni. "UCAS is deeply committed to increasing participation from disadvantaged groups," added UCAS chief executive Mary Curnock Cook. The admissions body said its own research helped it identify issues of under-representation at UK universities and colleges. A study of 2008 UK admissions data by the London School of Economics (LSE) suggested ethnic minority students were less likely to get university offers - but UCAS says the proportion of ethnic minority students applying to university has risen since then. So we have agreed with UCAS that it will make its applications name-blind, too, from 2017. "Britain has come so far, but the long march to an equal society isn't over. Today's announcement is not the only thing we can do, but it's a milestone. And it means that a young black woman knows she'll get a fair shot when she applies for the job of her dreams. Cancer cause: WHO lets red meat off the hook for now WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, which assesses the best available scientific evidence globally, has now categorised ham, bacon and sausages as carcinogenic while red meats have got off the hook for the time being - categorised as `probably carcinogenic' due to limited evidence. Processed meats are those which have been modified to increase their shelf-life or alter their taste by smoking, curing or adding salt or preservatives. As many as 34,000 deaths from cancer every year are being connected to diets high in processed meat. The conclusion that "consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans and processed meat as carcinogenic to humans" was reached by a working group of 22 experts from 10 countries. The IARC Monographs Programme classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans and this association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.
NATIONAL NEWS Indo-Japan-US naval exercise concludes: Ocean diplomacy The Indo-Japan-US trilateral exercise, Malabar in the Bay of Bengal, which started on October 14 concluded. Started in 1992, the original bilateral Indo-US exercise is into its 19th version this year with the additional participation of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces (JMSDF). The Bay of Bengal- along the eastern seaboard- is important to India in the light of its Look East Policy, which has been tweaked by PM Modi as the Act East Policy. In 2007, China protested against the Japanese participation in
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Malabar 2007. This was followed by the then UPA government limiting the exercise to just a bilateral one between India and US. The JMSDF participation in the exercise in Bay of Bengal is thus a significant diplomatic decision for India for two reasons. On one hand, it underlines the importance Delhi imparts to ASEAN. On the other, it sends out a strong signal to China that India will independently pursue its foreign policy not withstanding interference from any other power. On the face of it, the exercise focused on disaster prevention and relief, maritime safety and security in the Indo- Pacific region. However, there is more significance to Malabar 2015 than just the “military learning”- thanks to the JMSDF participation. For the US, the exercise is a means to underline the Indo-Japan-US trilateral cooperation in the maritime domain in the light of its Pacific Rebalance. While Beijing has kept a watchful eye on the activities in the Bay of Bengal over few days, the exercise also assumes importance in the context of deteriorated Sino-Japanese ties over Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands and the Chinese construction work in the South China Sea — Japan has aggressively protested against it. The exercise thus sends out a subtle message to the Dragon indicating where the US stands when it comes to upholding freedom of navigation in international waters at large and the South China Sea to be specific. In the Malabar 2015, the Indian Navy has been represented by INS Shivalik -an indigenous frigate, INS Ranvijay – a guided missile destroyer, INS Betwa- an indigenous frigate and INS Shakti- a Fleet Support Ship. In addition, one Sindhugosh class submarine, INS Sindhudhvaj, Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I and integral rotary wing helicopters also participated in the trilateral exercise. The US Navy was represented by the ships from Carrier Task Force (CTF) 70 of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, which is based at Yokosuka, Japan. The CTF included the Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Ticonderoga class Cruiser USS Normandy and Freedom Class Littoral Combat ship USS Forth Worth. In addition, one Los Angeles class nuclear powered submarine USS City of Corpus Christi, F18 Aircraft from US Carrier Air Wing and P8A Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft have been a part of the exercise. The JMSDF was represented by JS Fuyuzuki, a missile destroyer with SH 60K integral helicopter. Open to new norms for collegium, says CJI
Faced with the historic admission from his own court that the collegium system of judicial appointments was flawed, Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu broke his silence on the issue and told that the judiciary was open to “consider” guidelines that may be framed by a Constitution Bench to improve the system.
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“All of us, the government and the judiciary, work for the common man. We will wait for November 3 to see what the Constitution Bench decides. We will see what kind of suggestions comes from different quarters and how the Constitution Bench will frame its guidelines for the collegium. If the Bench gives us some suggestions, we will consider them,” Chief Justice Dattu said in a phone interview. The Justice J. S. Khehar-led Constitution Bench, which struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission as “unconstitutional,” pushed for reforms to the collegium system followed in the past 21 years. Judge after judge on the Bench had agreed that the system required a revamp to sustain the faith of the common man in the judiciary. Speaking for the Bench, Justice Khehar has now scheduled a hearing for November 3, inviting leaders of the Bar and the government to suggest ways to improve the functioning of the system. Asked whether the highest judiciary has received any negative vibes from the government after the NJAC judgment, Chief Justice Dattu said: “There is nothing for them to feel offended about.” Asked whether the government’s recent approval of the collegium’s recommendation to extend the term of 24 additional High Court judges was a signal that both could work together and leave the NJAC judgment behind, the CJI said there was “no confrontation to start with.” Law on equal right for daughters over property is prospective: SC The law, which gave equal right to daughters in ancestral property under the Hindu Succession Act, is prospectively enforceable and not with retrospective effect, the Supreme Court declared in its recent verdict. The apex court also said that the rights under the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 are applicable to living daughters of living coparceners (those persons sharing the inheritance of an undivided property equally with others) as on September 9, 2005 [when amendments came into force] irrespective of when such daughters were born. According to legal experts, this verdict will have a huge impact on partition related transactions and disputes settled and pending in courts post-2005 as various High Courts had given different interpretations on applicability of equal rights given to daughters. India, Africa align on WTO issues India and Africa said that the two partners are aligned on the outstanding issues at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and are in favour of multilateral trading systems. “The WTO Ministerial scheduled for December in Nairobi will be held for the first time in Africa where we will be looking for outcomes that will be of interest to both India and Africa,” Minister of Industry and Commerce, Zimbabwe, Mike Bimha said briefing reporters after the 4th India-Africa Trade Ministers’ meeting on the eve of the 3rd India- Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi . Union Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that a round table was also held earlier in the day to discuss the outstanding issues at the WTO, including India’s long–held position on the nation’s food security policy, especially the minimum support prices-based procurement from farmers. At the Bali Ministerial in 2013 too, Africa and India had united in seeking an interim mechanism for safeguarding minimum support prices to farmers against WTO caps till a permanent solution is found and adopted. India’s concern is that even though the interim mechanism has become available indefinitely, the WTO has not made enough progress in finding a solution to the issue ahead of the Nairobi Ministerial. India against infrastructure projects in PoK: MEA With the US expressing support to Pakistan’s efforts to arrange funds for the Diamer Bhasha dam in Gilgit-Baltistan, India said New Delhi opposes any development projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which is under “forcible and illegal” occupation. “We have made our stand clear to all countries,” Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. The 4,500-mega watt dam project has been unable to make any headway for want of funds. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on his trip to the US, took up several issues, including Kashmir and terrorism. The Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Haqqani network found a mention in the US-Pakistan joint statement released. “It is Pakistan that has chosen terrorism as the instrument of state policy. We hope that this visit conveys a clear message to Pakistan that the international community is deeply concerned about its support and sponsorship of terrorists,” Swarup said. About the US’ intention to sell eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, Swarup said, “Our reservation to the supply of such systems is well known and needs no reiteration. We have been told the matter is still to be discussed in the US Congress where many leading figures, who understand Pakistan well, have already questioned its rationale… We hope the right sections raise concerns about this.” Gender bias starts early: When ill, more infant boys get special care A shocking trend of gender bias has now come to light, involving India's tiniest children - sick new-borns.
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Data released by UNICEF in a first ever global maternal and new-born conference in Mexico has revealed that female new-borns who are born underweight or ill and has a high chance of mortality aren't being admitted to the government's special new-born care units (SNCUs) by their parents due to their gender. The same isn't true when it comes to a male child. Data from India's 600 special new-born care units (SNCUs) - meant for small and sick children which at present treats 700,000 new-borns every year, shows that only 40% of the admissions are girl children while 60% are male children. UN officials who sifted through years of records also showcased state wise data at the conference attended by over 418 organizations from across 74 countries. It showed that Telengana was among India's best states as far as female child admissions to SNCUs were concerned but even then the percentage was as low as 45%. The other large states are worse - Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have an admission rate of 44% for girl children, Andhra Pradesh 43%, Karnataka 42.5%, Chattisgarh, Haryana and Assam 40%, Orissa 39.5%, Madhya Pradesh 39%, Himachal 38% and Rajasthan 37%. UN scientists told TOI "this data clearly shows an inadequate access for female child in India to SNCUs. While 41,1511 of the admissions were of male children in the Indian SNCUs, it was 2,78,983 when it came to female children. Inspite of free care made available by the government, cultural barriers are leading to discrimination as parents aren't bringing the girl children to SNCUs if born ill or underweight". The scientists added "India is the only country in the world where under-five mortality among female children is higher than males. The latest data shows discrimination starts early in life and later leads to adverse sex ratio which is now 909 females per 1000 males in India". Professor Vinod K Paul, head of the department of paediatrics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences told on the side lines of the conference "I am pained when I see this trend which is still very rampant. In our SNCUs, for every two boys getting admitted, only one girl gets admitted. The boys must get admitted but where is the second girl? It is a societal issue. Time has come to get all sick new born girls into the hospital". Dr Paul added "The bias in favour of boys in SNCUs is now 60:40. It used to 67%:33%. The bias against girls aren't acceptable. We need an overall behaviour change with politicians, beauracrats and teachers saying girls deserve a chance. Also we can look at if we can create facilitative pathways where financial hardship that comes with facility care is taken care of. The government does have the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karikram where everything is free. But I wonder if we can get an extra attraction for bringing a girl child in? Maybe we can increase present day benefits under JSSK from one year to till five years of age". Around 26 million babies are born in India annually of which 5%-10% need special care at birth. India's first SNCU came up in 2003 in Purulia, West Bengal while Madhya Pradesh was the first state in India to create SNCUs in all its districts. India now has 600 SNCUs each of which has 10-12 nurses and four doctors. These units have been instrumental in reducing neonatal mortality of India by 20% in the last five years. While the neonatal mortality rate at present is 28 per 1000 live births, in the year 2000 it was 35. At present 700,000 children die in the first 28 days of life annually in India - quarter of the global new-born deaths while 57% of the under five deaths are within the first four weeks of life. An earlier study by AIIMS had found that among children who require heart surgery, boys have a much better chance of undergoing the procedure than girls. The study estimates that for every 70 boys who undergo an operation for congenital heart defect, only 22 girls undergo the surgery. The families of 31 out of 134 girls (23.1%) felt the need to conceal the illness of their child from relatives and friends compared with just 4 out of 271 (1.5%) boys' families. SC takes up Muslim women’s cause Considering the strong pitch made by the Supreme Court recently for a common civil code, this judgment is significant as this is the first time that the court itself has shed its self-imposed restraint by suo motu ordering the registration of a PIL petition. Even in the 1985 Shah Bano case, the court had only reminded the government of the lack of “evidence of any official activity for framing a common civil code for the country.” It had said a “common civil code will help in the cause of national integration by removing disparate loyalties to laws which have conflicting ideologies.”
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Justice Goel wrote that the decision to “consider” the rights of Muslim women came up during discussions with lawyers on gender discrimination at the hearing of a batch of civil appeals on the issue of a daughter’s right to equal shares in ancestral property under the Hindu succession law. “An important issue of gender discrimination which, though not directly involved in this appeal, has been raised by some of the learned counsel for the parties which concerns rights to Muslim women. Discussions on gender discrimination led to this issue also. It was pointed out that in spite of guarantee of the Constitution, Muslim women are subjected to discrimination. There is no safeguard against arbitrary divorce and second marriage by her husband during the currency of the first marriage, resulting in denial of dignity and security to her,” the judgment recorded. “It is pointed out that the matter needs consideration by this court as the issue relates not merely to a policy matter but to fundamental rights of women under Articles 14, 15 and 21 [of the Constitution] and international conventions and covenants,” Justice Goel wrote of the discussions the Bench had during the court hearings. Justice Goel wrote how even in the Danial Latifi judgment of 2001, the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench had not addressed the issue of gender discrimination, though it held that “Article 21 included right to live with dignity which supports the plea that a Muslim woman could invoke fundamental rights in such matters.” In the Latifi case, the court attempted to uphold the constitutional validity of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, by extending the right of a Muslim woman to get maintenance till she re-marries. This Act had diluted the Shah Bano judgment and reduced the period of maintenance to the completion of iddat . In the Javed case, the court held that “polygamy is injurious to public morals and can be superseded by the State just as practice of ‘Sati’.” Again, Justice Goel referred to the John Vallamattom case judgment of 2003, which said “laws dealing with marriage and succession are not part of religion.” Finally, Justice Goel refers to the 2015 judgment in the Charu Khurana case, in which the court struck against gender discrimination shown to women make-up artists in the film industry. For tips on Jan Lokpal Bill, AAP looks at Sweden In what it claimed was a step forward in terms of the Aam Aadmi Party government's commitment to drafting a water- tight Jan Lokpal Bill, a specially-constituted team has been despatched to Sweden where the very concept of a state ombudsman originally took shape over a century ago. With Minister for Home Satyendar Jain and Minister for Transport Gopal Rai at its helm, the contingent has also been tasked to study Smart City, road infrastructure and traffic management patterns in Stockholm and Zurich. “Sweden not only evolved the concept but did so in the early 1800s following which it was embraced by other Scandinavian and European countries; the team will study both the evolution of the concept and changes gradually made to it over time to ensure that the best possible version of it takes shape in India,” said a senior government official. “In addition to the Jan Lokpal Bill, the team will also study, and seek to replicate, the best anti-corruption practices in those countries,” the official added. The Delhi government, which recently appointed retired High Court judge Reva Khetrapal to the post of Lokayukta which had remained vacant for two years, is understood to be in the process of adding several 'improvements' to the Jan Lokpal Bill a draft of which is already with the Centre for vetting before it is tabled in the Delhi Assembly. Apex court Judge Bats for inducting CEOs in Cabinet Supreme Court Judge Shiva Kirti Singh advocated for a constitutional amendment, whereby the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers have the power to induct Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) as ministers in their cabinet for an organised and fast-paced growth of the country. Addressing the 56th All India Political Science Conference at Banaras Hindu University here, the Justice Singh asked the political scientists as well as students to brainstorm on the idea and come out with valuable suggestions. “During this three-day conference, we would like to invite suggestions from the political scientists as well as students, who must think on the matter that whether there was any need for a slight amendment in the Constitution whereby, Prime Minister and Chief Ministers should be vested with power to induct experts like CEOs as ministers in their cabinet for a better organised and fast paced growth of the country. “Big companies like Tata and others along with (multinational) banks appoint CEOs for smooth running of their companies in this competitive world, shouldn’t our ministers be one of those experts who would help in a better organised and fast paced growth of this nation...,” Justice Singh said. He also invited suggestions on the role played by smaller parties in coalition governments and how these parties gave way to corruption.
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He asked whether there should be any measures taken to limit the smaller parties’ role so that the rise in corruption in the (political) system be reduced and eliminated. Speaking on the topic ‘Re-Inventing Politics in India’ at the conference, Justice Singh exhorted the political scientists and students to be great thinkers and bring about real changes in the society. “An engineer will tell ‘how things (such as a bridge) can be made’, but political scientists as thinkers will tell ‘why there is a need for it to be done’. The thinkers can help in bringing about a huge change,” he said. He also pointed out the falling education standards in the country. The present situation in the higher education especially in the rising technical education (private sector) is getting worse, he said, adding imparting quality education is important to face competition. Justice Singh lamented that none of the nation’s university is on the top 500 list worldwide and we need to improve the standard. ‘Japan, China studied scope for bullet trains’ Agencies from China and Japan have conducted studies on the scope for operation of bullet trains between Mumbai– Ahmedabad and Chennai–New Delhi, said Navin Tandon, Railway Board Member (Electrical). In the backdrop of increasing demand for operation of bullet trains, an agency from Japan has studied the scope for operating a bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. These trains required separate tracks for travelling at a speed of 250 kmph and the cost of implementing this project is pegged at Rs. 97,000 crore. Similarly, a China-based agency has studied the scope on the Chennai–New Delhi section. He said that serious steps were being taken to increase speed of current trains and also by going in for high speed trains such as bullet trains. At present, the fastest train is between New Delhi and Agra, which travels at a speed of 150 kmph, and there is a proposal to increase the speed to 160 kmph. Create ‘sterile zone’ along border to check illegal migrant’s from Bangladesh: SC panel A commission constituted by the Supreme Court in May to make an on-the-spot assessment of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam has recommended creation of a “sterile zone” along the riverine boundary to check the influx of illegal migrants from the neighbouring country. The recommendation came due to the porosity of the 55-km stretch of the border that passes through the Brahmaputra and cannot be fenced. The commission suggested relocation of people living along that part of the border. It also called for institution of a high-powered committee to probe the alleged complicity of government officials in facilitating various benefits to the infiltrators. “A particular stretch from the International Border should be converted into a sterile zone, devoid of human habitation,” the commission, comprising senior advocate Upamanyu Hazarika, said. The recommendation was made specifically for the border in Dhubri district in Assam. The report said while the Assam government was yet to give its comments on the suggestions, the Border Security Force (BSF) was in favour of the zone — 150 metres to 500 metres wide — along the border. “This will be a very effective step to stop illegal infiltration and border crimes,” the report, submitted to the apex court earlier this month, said. “Co-existence of Indian and Bangladeshi villages on the international boundary without any fencing makes it a porous border, which is acknowledged by both the Centre and the state,” the report said. The report pointed out that while there was a barbed wire fence along the land portions of the IB, many water bodies, bridges and culverts made it vulnerable to infiltration. In the Dhubri sector, there were 50 unfenced gaps of which 34 were culverts built for nullahs. The Silchar sector had 76 such gaps. The panel also suggested instituting an independent probe into reports of illegal migrants entrenching themselves into Assam and acquiring voting rights and property with the connivance of officials. It quoted a representation made by an NGO, which found through an RTI query that nearly 26,000 acre of government land in Sipajhar Assembly seat was encroached by people of doubtful origin and had 32 government schools and several health centres. Though eviction orders were passed, they remained on paper, the report said. Tunisia to help rescue Indians India and Africa will work together in the coming years for a common response to emergencies stemming from terrorism and insecurity, Taieb Baccouche, Tunisian Foreign Minister, told. Elaborating on the joint approach to counter-terror, Mr. Baccouche said that India and Tunisia had set an example by working on these areas together, especially when Tunisia helped India evacuate citizens from Libya in 2011 during the peak of the civil war which overthrew Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi. During the civil war in Libya, Tunisia accommodated hundreds of Indians in the border town of Ras Aj Dir for weeks. Mr. Baccouche said that Tunisia was aware that Indians had been targeted in Libya repeatedly by violent gangs and Al Qaeda-linked groups and would step in whenever India required to help citizens in distress. “Tunisia will do whatever help India requires from us for Indian citizens who have been kidnapped in Libya. We hope they will return home soon,” he said.
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He said India and Tunisia had a lot in common due to the inherent secularism and democratic traditions. These were the same traditions that brought Arab Spring to Tunisia and prevented the country from sliding into anarchy as was the case in Libya and Syria. Tunisia expected a quick end to the Libyan and Syrian civil wars and hoped the United Nations would help resolve such crises. ‘NGT is empowered to order govt for banning old vehicles’ Lending its support to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Supreme Court said the tribunal is empowered to issue directives to the Centre for banning vehicles more than 15 years old from plying on Delhi roads. A bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Amitava Roy refused to entertain an argument that the NGT cannot exercise powers of a constitutional court and issue directives to the Centre for implementing its orders in the National Capital Region (NCR) or across the country. “Yes, it (NGT) can…it certainly can (issue such orders). We see nothing wrong with the tribunal issuing directions to the Union of India,” said the bench while declining to admit a PIL against the NGT order imposing the ban. On April 8, picking up several points brought out in the ‘Death by Breath’ series, an ongoing investigation by The Indian Express on the quality of air in Delhi, the NGT had issued a fresh ban on all diesel vehicles more than 10 years old from plying in the NCR. In November 2014, it had prohibited vehicles over 15 years old from plying in Delhi. However, the operation of the order is currently put in abeyance by the NGT, which awaits “reasoned and scientifically supported views” on the issue by the central and state governments. The PIL had been filed by lawyer Vishaal Shripati Jogdand. The bench was of the view there was nothing wrong with the tribunal issuing the prohibitory order, either on merits or on the ground of its authority. It recalled a judgment by the tribunal in July 2014 which declared the NGT to be a “court”, holding that it has “all the trappings” of a judicial body. The judgment also ruled that the NGT can exercise the powers of judicial review and examine the validity of notifications passed under different laws. “This order by the NGT has not been stayed by this court any court and so it holds good. The tribunal gave a comprehensive judgment saying it has all the powers of a court..powers of a civil court as well as a high court. Since this judgment has not been stayed, it still holds good,” held the bench. It asked the petitioner to approach the tribunal with all the grievances, compelling his lawyer to withdraw the PIL. The petition contended that not the age of the vehicles but their fitness should be the criteria to stop them from plying on roads. It said that the NGT could not substitute by its order what has been written in the Motor Vehicles Act, which did not put a ban on vehicles older than 15 years. OBC panel backs off, won't make ‘creamy layer’ reservation criteria stringent Back-pedaling in the face of pressure from OBC protagonists, the national panel on backward classes has relaxed its move to make criteria for the 'creamy layer' — which bars a person from availing 27% reservation — more stringent. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has now proposed that a person with an annual family income of up to Rs 15 lakh should be eligible for quotas, as against its earlier suggestion pegging the ceiling at Rs 10.50 lakh. It has also decided that only sitting MPs will be part of 'creamy layer' in terms of the eligibility of their children availing quotas. However, children of former MPs will be out of its ambit. The NCBC has also sought to remove state legislators from 'creamy layer' definition. The fresh proposals mark a major relaxation in the 'report on creamy layer' that NCBC submitted to the Centre in March. In the March report, the OBC panel had suggested a radical overhaul of 'creamy layer' criteria. For the first time, present and retired MPs and MLAs/MLCs were disqualified from quota benefits while a smaller hike in income criteria from the present Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10.50 lakh was suggested. The OBC panel, headed by Justice V Eswaraiah, has also made concessions on quota eligibility for Group A officers promoted from Group B, and in the income criteria for non Group A/B employees of private companies, corporates and statutory/autonomous bodies. The easing of earlier recommendations comes after NCBC's March report triggered unrest among backward satraps who saw it as undoing the Mandal benefits for OBCs. In a meeting on October 14, the parliamentary panel lashed out at the NCBC recommendations. It said hike in income bar to Rs 10.50 lakh was "unrealistic", underlining that OBC share in government had not reached 16% despite 27% quota for two decades. It sought a hike in income ceiling to Rs 20 lakh. It also said past/present MPs and MLAs/MLCs be taken out of 'creamy layer'. The NCBC has largely obliged the parliamentary forum by proposing a higher income ceiling and by retaining only sitting MPs under 'creamy layer'. Top sources said present and former constitutional post-holders (President, Vice-President, governors, judges etc) would continue to be ineligible for quota. The clarification came in the context of NCBC's new report making a change in the relevant section which can be interpreted as saying that retired persons were no longer in the ambit of 'creamy layer'. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 10 2015CA_021,022,023,024,025,026,027
‘Chakmas, Hajongs can’t get Indian citizenship’ The Arunachal Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that Chakmas and Hajong refugees who migrated to India from Bangladesh in 1964-69 and settled in the state cannot be granted Indian citizenship. In a review petition filed in the Supreme Court, the state government pleaded the court to re-examine its verdict directing it and the Centre to grant citizenship to the refugees within three months. It said the SC erred in passing order without hearing the state government. “Out of total 4637 applications, 4213 applications for citizenship do not fulfil the criteria of signing of oath of allegiance, as per the second schedule to the Citizenship Act, 1955 and police verification of character and antecedents required re-verification. The verification had to be done for only those Chakma-Hajongs who were accommodated between 1964-1969. These relevant aspects have not been considered at all and there are errors apparent in the judgment,” the petition said. The apex court in September said Chakmas had a right to be granted citizenship and they could not be discriminated against in any manner. It directed the government to take all necessary steps to protect them as they are facing hostility from the local population.
ECONOMY NEWS Gap widening between rural and urban India While inflation has been slowing both in rural and urban areas of the country, there is a widening difference between the two as rural inflation is decelerating at a much slower pace. The resultant gap between rural and urban inflation has more than doubled over the last one year, data analysed by HSBC Global Research show. “Inflation has fallen strikingly over the last several months, but the gains are not equally distributed…Rural inflation is running higher than urban inflation and its underlying trend is higher than the RBI’s target,” analysts at HSBC Global Research wrote in a note. Urban inflation momentum, according to the analysis, has slowed to 4.5 per cent, which is lower than the Reserve Bank of India’s target level of 6 per cent. The trend in price gains in rural India, however, is running at 6.5 per cent. The ‘excess inflation’ in rural India, HSBC noted, is arising from food, fuel, transportation as well as from core inflation. The difference between rural and urban inflation is most stark for fuel and transportation, followed by core and to a lesser extent food. Consumption data from the NSSO suggests that rural India’s fuel mix is more geared toward domestically produced firewood, chips and biogas inputs, which are not a part of the global deflation cycle. On the other hand, fuel products more widely used in urban India, such as LPG, petrol and diesel, have benefited from lower global prices. “Rural India has some structural disadvantages vis-a-vis urban India: structural bottlenecks are harsher, transport networks sparser and distribution channels insufficient…And this relative disadvantage is showing up more so now, as urban India is benefitting from lower global prices while rural India, partly because of its structural ailments, is not being able to partake with equal vigour,” said HSBC.
Despite two successive years of drought, overall food inflation in India has remained tepid, as low global prices have made it possible to import food products that are in short supply. Rural Indians, however, do not seem to have benefitted as much from food imports as their urban counterparts, according to the analysis. Vegetables and oilseeds are seeing more stubborn price trends in rural areas than they are at urban centres possibly because insufficient distribution channels may be hindering imported vegetables and oilseeds reaching rural areas, HSBC said. “While much of India’s food is produced in rural India, rural Indians seem to be facing higher food price pressures, at least for some items.”
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Separately, higher inflation for perishables such as meat and fish again point towards relatively worse distribution channels and may have more to do with cold storage, it said. Its analysis of the rural-urban output shows that a steeper decline in the potential growth of rural India is likely driving the excess core inflation. It is possible that insufficient investment, growing bottlenecks and impact of two successive droughts have contributed to lowering rural India’s potential (or trend) growth and the narrow output gap is keeping core inflation from slowing rapidly in rural areas, despite weak growth. “Higher investment in rural infrastructure and meaningful agricultural reforms are needed to make growth weather proof and put it on a higher, more sustainable path” to enable the RBI to meet its 4 per cent inflation target sustainably, the research noted. New reform agenda has bolstered Indian economy, says U.S. Amid weaker outlook across emerging market economies, India’s recovery has strengthened under a new reform agenda, but it is not yet a “major driver” of global growth, a U.S. Treasury Department report has said. Buoyed by savings of $44 billion from drop in prices of oil imports, India’s total foreign exchange reserve has reached an all-time monthly average high of $328 billion — thus making it the eight country from the top in terms of foreign reserve — the U.S. Department of Treasury said in its semi-annual “Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies.” ‘Weaker outlook evident’ In its report, the Treasury has said weaker outlook is evident across emerging market economies, which exerts a growing influence over global economic prospects. The slowdown in domestic Chinese investment and Chinese demand for imported commodities and components is having wide-ranging implications for other economies, it said. “On a positive note, India’s recovery has strengthened under a new reform agenda since it is not a large importer; however, it is not yet a major driver of global growth,” the Treasury said. Recession again in Brazil While Brazil is entering its second year of recession and will not be a source of growth in Latin America, Russia is struggling due to economic mismanagement, lower oil prices and the impact of economic sanctions, it has said. According to the report, the sharp drop in the price of oil is having a large impact on global current account imbalances. On an annualised basis, the roughly $50 per barrel decline in the price of oil is generating shifting income of over $600 billion annually from oil exporters to oil importers, holding all else constant, with Europe and Asia the key beneficiaries. Low oil rate benefits Asia “Asia benefits the most from a lower oil price. Asia’s gain in the first half of the year was nearly $340 billion in savings from oil imports. China’s savings amounted to nearly $120 billion — the largest single country gain from lower oil prices. Japan saved $76 billion, India $44 billion, and Korea $36 billion,” the report said. Though significantly lower than its 10 per cent of GDP peak in 2007, China’s current account surplus in the first half of 2015 topped three per cent of GDP and the full year surplus is likely to reach $350 billion. Adding to national incomes “These growing surpluses have added to national incomes in parts of Asia and Europe, but demand growth in Europe remains too sluggish and has weakened in Asia. Rather than absorb demand from the rest of the world, economies with large current account surpluses should take supplemental policy actions, including fiscal actions, to provide added support to domestic demand and give impetus to global rebalancing,” the report said. Because of drop in oil prices, the United States’ oil import bill was nearly $110 billion lower in the first half of the year. Euro area economies saved nearly $142 billion, it said. Foreign-currency reserves According to the report, global foreign-currency reserves declined in dollar terms in the first half of 2015, due entirely to valuation effects associated with non-dollar exchange rate depreciations. Measured foreign exchange reserves fell over $200 billion in the first half of 2015. Once the impact of exchange rate adjustments are taken into account, however, allocated reserves appear to have increased, it said. China a seller of reserves Based on changes in China’s headlines reserves adjusted for exchange rate changes, balance of payments data, and proxies for Chinese reserve growth followed by the market, China is widely understood to have been a seller of reserves in the first half of 2015, though China’s reserves remain at a very high level relative to the rest of the world. Similar estimates of Korean foreign exchange data suggest large foreign exchange purchases in January, more modest purchases in February, and further substantial purchases in March through June.
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“India’s foreign exchange reserves reached an all-time high in June 2015 as the central bank purchased foreign currency to moderate appreciation pressures from foreign investment inflows on the rupee, particularly in the first quarter of the year,” the Treasury said. Stable Duty Regime Proposed to Promote Capital Goods Sector Government proposed a long term, stable and rationalised tax and duty structure to promote the capital goods sector, one of the most critical segments for achieving the vision of 'Make in India'. The National Capital Goods Policy is formulated with the vision to increase the share of capital goods contribution from present 12 per cent to 20 per cent of total manufacturing activity by 2025, said the draft policy released by Department of Heavy Industries. Stressing on creation of an ecosystem for globally competitive capital goods sector, it proposes uniform customs duty on imports of all capital goods related products. It also proposes allowing up to 50 per cent CENVAT credit to manufacturers using such products as raw material or intermediates for further processing or using such goods in the manufacturing of finished goods. It pitches for adoption of uniform Goods and Services Tax regime ensuring effective GST rate across all capital goods sub-sectors competitive with import duty after set-off with a view to ensure level playing field. The draft makes a case for providing incentives for domestic and global mergers and acquisitions. It also pitches for providing incentives for venture-funding and risk capital to start-up. Defining the objective of the policy, the paper said the policy is aimed at creating an ecosystem for a globally competitive capital goods sector to achieve total production in excess of Rs 5 lakh crore by 2025 from the current Rs 2.2 lakh crore . The policy aims to increase domestic employment from the current 15 lakh to at least 50 lakh by 2025 thus providing additional employment to over 35 lakh people. It is for the first time that a policy on capital goods is being framed and the Department aims to draw up the policy by mid-November, after which it will sent to the Union Cabinet for approval. On availability of industrial financing, the draft pitches for subvention fund for setting up capital goods units and to allow External Commercial Borrowings under automatic route for all capital goods. Paytm ties up with Bank of Maharashtra Paytm, leading mobile payment and ecommerce platform has tied up with Bank of Maharashtra to offer mobile wallet top up facility through bank ATMs. This facility is aimed at helping Bank of Maharashtra’s customers having debit cards to top up their Paytm Wallet through any of the Bank’s 1800 ATMs. The facility will be expended to more banks in the future, company officials said. “This first of its kind wallet top up feature through the Bank ATMs is bound to make transactions easier and more accessible to everyone and we see this as a significant step towards powering cash free transactions,” said Nitin Misra, Vice President, Paytm. Bank of Maharashtra debit card users will now be able to make their mobile or utility bills payment, shop online at several destinations or pay for services such as cab fare and more, by topping up their Paytm mobile wallets through the bank’s ATM network. RBI guidelines on gold deposit scheme The Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines for the gold monetisation scheme that allow banks to fix their own interest rates on gold deposits. The gold deposit scheme is aimed at mobilising a part of an estimated 20,000 tonnes of idle precious metal with households and institutions. As per the guidelines, banks will be free to set interest rate on such deposit, and principal and interest of the deposit will be denominated in gold. “Redemption of principal and interest at maturity will, at the option of the depositor be either in Indian rupee equivalent of the deposited gold and accrued interest based on the price of gold prevailing at the time of redemption, or in gold. The option in this regard shall be made in writing by the depositor at the time of making the deposit and shall be irrevocable,” it said. The interest will be credited in the deposit accounts on the respective due dates and will be withdrawable periodically or at maturity as per the terms of the deposit, it said. “The designated banks will accept gold deposits under the short term (1-3 years) bank deposit (STBD) as well as medium (5-7 years) and long (12-15 years) term government deposit schemes. While the former will be accepted by banks on their own account, the latter will be on behalf of Government of IAndia,” it said. The short term bank deposits will attract applicable cash reserve ratio and statutory liquidity ratio (SLR), it said. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 13 2015CA_021,022,023,024,025,026,027
However, it said, the stock of gold mobilised under the scheme by banks will count towards the general SLR requirement, a move that will provide additional capital to banks for lending towards productive sectors. The CRR is the portion of the total deposits, which has to be kept with RBI in cash, while SLR portion of deposit compulsorily parked in government securities. General Atlantic picks up 21.6% stake in IIFLW Global private equity major General Atlantic Singapore has acquired 21.6 per cent stake in IIFL Wealth Management (IIFLW) for a consideration of Rs 1,122 crore. A stock exchange announcement by IIFL Holdings after its board meeting said that the company has decided to issue 1.7 million equity shares worth Rs 100 crore and would issue 13.63 million warrants worth Rs 863 crore to General Atlantic Singapore Fund Pte. While this aggregates to a total investment of Rs 1,122 crore by General Atlantic in IIFL Wealth, it would result into a holding of 21.6 per cent in the company after the consummation of the deal. As a result of the stake sale, IIFL Holding’s stake in IIFL Wealth would come down from 76.79 per cent now to 53.86 per cent. “The proposed transaction would enable IIFLW with additional capital for its business operations and general corporate purposes as well as for growth and expansion of the business,” said IIFL Holdings in BSE filing. IIFL Holdings is the holding company for the entire IIFL group and has interests across various financial services, including broking, investment banking, asset management and lending. In another development, Canada-based Fairfax India Holdings Corporation plans to acquire 26 per cent stake in IIFL Holdings for an expected over Rs 1,500 crore through a voluntary open offer in December this year. Kanoria Africa Textiles sets up plant in Ethiopia Kanoria Africa Textiles, a subsidiary of Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Ltd, has set up an integrated plant at Bishoftu in Ethiopia to manufacture denim fabric. The plant was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Ethiopia Hailemariam Desalegn. “Kanoria Africa Textiles plc is setting up an integrated Denim project in Ethiopia, which is the first such project in East Africa. NITI Aayog panel moots private funding for R&D A NITI Aayog panel on innovation has recommended that the private sector should help fund research and development, including in research labs at universities and startups. In contrast, Google’s origins can be traced to research projects that were funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and a large part of Apple’s success can be credited to the U.S. government’s small-business administration program that provides investment assistance to startups. The Indian panel has also recommended improved tax benefits for investments equivalent to a percentage of corporate profits in research labs in universities and startups. “One per cent of corporate profit could be directed toward research labs in universities and/or industry-university collaborative research…A percentage of corporate profit could be directed towards corporate venture capital funds, for the purposes of investment in start-ups and/or incubators. The government could offer tax credits against this,” the panel, headed by Prof. Tarun Khanna, suggested in its recently submitted report. The panel has also recommended that all contracts with foreign defence companies above $5 billion should include a clause for five per cent of contract value to be directed to establish research-centric universities with strong emphasis on its core product areas in particular and broadly focused on the related areas in general. In his budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had allocated Rs.150 crore for Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). Post this, a committee was set up to suggest ways to promote innovation and build an entrepreneur-friendly ecosystem to drive job growth. The panel also suggested a ‘Make in Universities’ program which would involve setting up 500 tinkering labs, where aspiring entrepreneurs can experiment to create products that address local problems, with one 3D printer per institute. For these labs, the panel recommends utilisation of half of the Rs.1,000 crore Mr. Jaitley had set aside for the Self Employed and Talent Utilization (SETU) scheme. The expert committee also recommends “Grand Prizes” approach to finding ultra-low-cost solutions to India’ s most intractable problems, on the lines of what is followed in some developed countries. “Incentivised innovation has worked around the world in stimulating innovation. In the U.S., XPrize is giving tens of millions of dollars to those who can provide solutions to major technological challenges,” it said. The committee recommends that the AIM budget of Rs.150 crore be used entirely to award up to 12 grand prizes annually. Each challenge should carry a prize of between Rs.10 crore and Rs.30 crore, it said adding that AIM should also consider setting aside part of the prize money to place orders for the products and services that are generated by winners as this will help in creating a market for winners’ products.
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The panel also pitched for an increase in investment in business incubators with up to Rs.200 crore public spending per year and roping in the private sector for the purpose. Another key recommendation of the panel is establishing a ‘fund-of-funds (FOF)’ by the government to seed other early stage venture funds with a corpus of Rs.5,000 crore. Estonia e-residency: World’s first ‘govt start-up’ wants to make business all digital In times where nationhood and questions of citizenship are hotly debated, the Baltic-nation of Estonia is experimenting with a new mode of residency via the digital medium. Estonia’s e-residency scheme, which has been in beta mode since May this year, makes it the first country in the world to allow citizens to claim residency online. To put it simply, if you want to be an e-resident of Estonia, all you need to do is fill a form online, upload the required documents and you are done. The e-residency grants a secure digital identity online, a smart ID card and lets these e-citizens conduct business in the EU. E-residents can then go on to establish a company online, declare taxes, sign documents digitally and get access to international payment service providers. And Estonia promises you can do all of these in under 20 minutes. For businesses looking for an entry into EU, this looks like a new paperless solution. However, e-residency does not grant an automatic visa or entry into EU. Banking is another area where e-citizens don’t get instant access. But Estonia’s ambassador admits that this is a work in progress and they hope to have a solution by next year. “The banks in Estonia are private sector, so we can’t really dictate how they should choose a customer. And banks like to meet the potential customer in person and they need an address as well, ”says the Ambassador. The country hopes more businesses will take up on this offer of an all new digital solution. From India, so far the programme has managed to attract AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya, Woodlands CEO Harkirat Singh and Genpact India’s Pramod Bhasin as e-residents. How the e-residency programme pans out to remains to be seen, but in age where digital is touted as the key to all, Estonia’s experiment gives a new twist to the idea of citizenship.
SCIENCE AND TECH Researchers control heart rhythm by light In a first, a team of researchers from Oxford University and the New York-based Stony Brook University has used light to precisely control electrical waves that regulate the rhythm of our heartbeat. When these electrical waves go awry, the result is a potentially fatal arrhythmia. For heart patients, there are currently two options to keep these waves in check — pacemakers or drugs. However, these methods are relatively crude and they can stop or start waves but cannot provide fine control over the wave speed and direction. So, the researchers set out to find ways to steer the excitation waves, borrowing tools from the developing field of optogenetics. When there is scar tissue in the heart or fibrosis, this can cause part of the wave to slow down. “That can cause re-entrant waves which spiral back around the tissue, causing the heart to beat much too quickly, which can be fatal. If we can control these spirals, we could prevent that,” explained Gil Bub from Oxford University. Optogenetics uses genetic modification to alter cells so that they can be activated by light. A unique protein was delivered to heart cells using gene therapy techniques so that they could be controlled by light. Then, using a computer-controlled light projector, the controlled the speed of the cardiac waves, their direction and even the orientation of spirals in real time. High fat diet may lead to depression A new study has revealed that high-fat diet might create measurable changes in the brain and cause anxiety and depression in the person. Students develop prototype for alert on elephant intrusion Three engineering students of a college in Dindigul district have come up with a prototype for generating alerts in the event of wild elephants straying into human habitations. An early warning on elephant or a herd straying out of the forest could always help the Forest Department and the villagers to do their best to prevent loss of lives and minimize the loss arising out of crop raid by pachyderms. Straying of elephants into human habitations from forest areas mostly lead to loss of human lives and crop damage. An early warning on the straying animals could always help the villagers as well as the Forest Department. Students G. Aishwarya, Z. Gifthiya Mariam and G. Aishwarya, doing their final year in Information Technology at PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, have developed a prototype with the guidance of assistant professor Jaiganesh Mahalingam. The prototype uses a cable with RF camera and a motion detector-microwave Passive Infra-Red (PIR) sensor which sets off an alarm. It is designed with a provision for alarm to the forest guard or people. The sensor mounted on a cable pole and kept at the reserve forest boundary will raise an alarm once the animal crosses the area.
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The project is titled ‘Fauna Espy’. The prototype can be modified to send video clips as MMS for the forest guards and local villagers. Scientifically validated Rs 5 anti-diabetes herbal drug launched by CSIR A scientifically validated anti-diabetes herbal drug, named 'BGR-34', was launched by a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) lab in Lucknow. A combination of natural extracts from plants, the drug is based on Ayurveda and has no side effects. The drug is for management of type-II diabetes mellitus. The drug has been jointly developed by two CSIR laboratories, National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (CIMAP). "The drug has extracts from four plants mentioned in Ayurveda and that makes it safe," said Dr AKS RaBwat, senior principal scientist, NBRI. It has been tested on animals and scientific study has found it safe and effective, with clinical trials showing 67% success. The drug boosts immune system, works as antioxidant and checks free radicals. Though there are other anti- diabetes herbal drugs in the market, 'BGR-34' has been validated scientifically. The drug will help maintain normal blood glucose levels, reduce chances of complications due to persistent high blood glucose levels and impart a good quality life to patients with high blood sugar levels. New clothes carry harmful toxins: Study Chemicals used during cloth manufacturing may leave harmful toxins that are still embedded in the clothes that we buy, even when washed, a new study by researchers at Stockholm University has warned. Several substances related to health risks were identified and not even organic cotton was a guarantee for non-toxic textiles, researchers said. In a new thesis 60 garments from Swedish and international clothing chains were tested. An initial analysis found thousands of chemicals in the clothes and around a hundred chemicals were preliminary identified. "Exposure to these chemicals increases risk of allergic dermatitis, but more severe health effect for humans and the environment could possibly be related to these chemicals. Some of them are suspected or proved carcinogens and some have aquatic toxicity," said researcher Giovanna Luongo. COMET RELEASES 500 BOTTLES OF ALCOHOL EVERY SECOND Comet Lovejoy is living up to its name by releasing large amounts of alcohol - as much as 500 bottles of wine every second - into space, scientists have found. The discovery marks the first time ethyl alcohol, the same type in alcoholic beverages, has been observed in a comet, researchers said. The finding adds to the evidence that comets could have been a source of the complex organic molecules necessary for the emergence of life, they said. “We found that comet Lovejoy was releasing as much alcohol as in at least 500 bottles of wine every second during its peak activity,” said Nicolas Biver of the Paris Observatory, France, lead author of a research paper published in journal Science Advances. The team found 21 different organic molecules in gas from the comet, including ethyl alcohol and glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar. An insect-sized robot that can fly, swim For the first time, scientists have designed an insect-like robot smaller than a paperclip that can both fly and swim. This paves the way for future dual aerial aquatic robotic vehicles. The biggest challenge is conflicting design requirements: aerial vehicles require large airfoils like wings or sails to generate lift while underwater vehicles need to minimise surface area to reduce drag. To solve this, engineers at the Harvard University’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science took a clue from puffins. The birds with flamboyant beaks are one of nature’s most adept hybrid vehicles, employing similar flapping motions to propel themselves through air as through water. “Through various theoretical, computational and experimental studies, we found that the mechanics of flapping propulsion are actually very similar in air and in water,” said Kevin Chen, a graduate student at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab at SEAS. The RoboBee, designed in postdoctoral fellow Robert J Wood’s lab, is a microrobot, smaller than a paperclip, that flies and hovers like an insect, flapping its tiny, nearly invisible wings 120 times per second. In order to make the transition from air to water, the team first had to solve the problem of surface tension.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS For first time ever, WHO says cut emissions, fight climate change The World Health Organisation ( WHO) has called for urgent action to avoid climate change by reducing emissions of black carbon, ozone and methane as well as carbon dioxide.
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This is the first time that the agency has recommended steps that countries must take to reduce emissions that account for over seven million premature deaths annually. The measures include encouraging people to eat plant-based foods and reduce methane emissions associated with some animal sourced food. WHO has also recommended reducing vehicle emissions, increasing investment and policy measures, and providing an alternative cooking fuel to low income households who primarily depend on wood, dung and other solid fuels. “For the first time, this report recommends actions The suggestions are part of a new report by the United Nations’ health agency. The report calls for fast-track action to reduce global warming and highlights health risks associated with air pollution. The report also talks about the relationship between improved diets, increase in physical activity, food security and air pollution. For instance, the agency has encouraged governments to invest in dedicated rapid transit, such as buses and trains, and foster safe pedestrian and cycle networks. It could promote multiple benefits, including safer active travel and reduced health risks from air and noise pollution, physical inactivity, and road traffic injuries, WHO said. Similarly, a study looking specifically at India recently estimated that the combined effects of climate and air pollution reduced the country’s wheat yield by as much as 36% in 2010. Correction This refers to a report titled, “8 absentee MPs await Speaker’s action” which appeared in TOI on December 5, 2014. While we had noted on December 16 that the report contained certain inaccuracies and expressed our regret, some more facts have since come to our notice that we are putting on record. Contrary to the impression given in the report, the Speaker is not involved in processing leave applications of MPs. Members submit their application to the Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House. The application is considered on merit by the committee which decides whether or not to recommend leave. In the cases referred to in our report, the MPs, including Mausam Noor and M I Shanavas, had applied for leave, which was then recommended by the committee. We apologise for not reflecting the correct picture about the MPs’ leave in our report. We are also sorry for the title of the accompanying graphic, “Playing Truant”, which was phrased wrongly as the facts were otherwise. Scientists create the blackest material ever Scientists have created the blackest material ever made, so dark that it can absorb almost all light that hits it. The researchers, who were inspired by a completely white beetle, hope that the super black material could help develop better and more efficient solar panels or completely change the way that they are made. The material absorbs 99% of light, at all angles, making it 26% darker than carbon nanotubes, which are the darkest material before known. The ideal thing to absorb energy would be a dark material that "absorbs radiation and at all angles and polarisations", the researchers write. That aim is probably impossible, but scientists still aspire to create ever darker materials. People who have seen record-breaking dark materials say doing so is "strange" and "alien" as it is so dark that the eye can't comprehend it, and instead just sees an unending abyss.
PERSON IN NEWS TRUDEAU IS CANADA PM Canada’s Liberal leader Justin Trudeau rode a late campaign surge to a victory, ending nine years of Conservative rule under Stephen Harper. Leader of India’s 1st Antarctica mission dies Renowned scientist and leader of India's first expedition to Antarctica, Syed Zahoor Qasim, passed away. Born in Allahabad, he completed his early education in Majidia Islamia Inter College before shifting to Aligarh Muslim University and continuing at the University College of North Wales where he obtained his DSc and Phd degrees. Apart from his Antarctica mission in 1981-82, Qasim also successfully organized and guided the next seven expeditions. He will also be remembered for his more than 200 original research papers published in national and international journals. Qasim won many awards including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Lifetime Achievement Award, Indian Science Congress and First National Ocean Science and Technology Award by Government of India and Oceanology International Lifetime Achievement Award, UK. He was also a member of Planning Commission, Government of India and vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. Basu is Atomic Energy Commission’s new chief Sekhar Basu, who played a key role in building the reactor for India’s nuclear-powered submarine called Arihant, took over as Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), from R.K. Sinha who has retired. Mr. Basu will also be Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). He was till now Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, Mumbai.
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Mr. Basu made a name for himself as the Project Director of the Nuclear Submarine Programme under which Arihant was built. He was responsible for developing the 80 MWt Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) which propels Arihant. The PWR uses enriched uranium as fuel and light water as coolant and moderator. Basu kept a low-profile through many years when the land-based PWR prototype was being built at Kalpakkam in a non-descript building called Plutonium Reprocessing Plant. He continues to guide the nuclear propulsion programme, that is, the PWRs that use enriched uranium, for India’s sea-going versions. Since 2000, he was responsible for the design, development, construction and operation of plutonium reprocessing plants at Tarapur in Maharashtra and Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. Mr. Basu played an important role in the development of the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) slated to come up in Tamil Nadu. He has been guiding the setting up of a nuclear fuel cycle park which includes research reactors, fuel fabrication plants and reprocessing facilities on the Visakhapatnam campus of BARC. Comedian elected Guatemala President in landslide victory Comedian and political neophyte Jimmy Morales was elected President of Guatemala in a landslide. The 46-year-old conservative swept to victory on a tide of voter outrage over a corruption scandal that felled his predecessor, Otto Perez. “With this election you have made me President, I received a mandate and that mandate is to fight the corruption that has consumed us,” said Morales on national TV. A comic actor and TV personality who has never held elected office, Morales now must set about governing one of Central America’s poorest countries with little to work with but high public expectations and a deep yearning for change. His conservative FCN-Nacion party holds only 11 seats in the 158-seat Congress, but Morales won 67 per cent of the vote. An estimated 54 per cent of Guatemala’s 15.8 million people live below the poverty line of $1.50 a day, and 6,000 people a year died as a result of violence, one of the highest murder rates in Latin America. It is still recovering from a 36-year civil war that ended in 1996. Run-off in Argentina In Argentina, ruling party candidate Daniel Scioli had 36.9 per cent of the vote and opposition candidate Mauricio Macri had 34.3. The tight finish means Macri and Scioli will square off in a November 22 run-off.
AWARDS President gives away Sangeet Natak Akademi awards, fellowships President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards for the year 2014 at Rashtrapati Bhavan. While leading musicologist S R Janakiraman, theatre doyen and noted filmmaker M S Sathyu, and musicians Vijay Kumar Kichlu and Tulsidas Vasant Borkar were awarded fellowships of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, 35 eminent personalities were honoured with Akademi Awards in the categories of music, dance, theatre, traditional folk/tribal music/dance/theatre and puppetry and overall contribution/scholarship in the performing arts. Nine artistes — including Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Iqbal Ahmed Khan, Nath Neralkar, Nayan Ghosh and Ronu Majumdar— received awards for their contribution to music, while eight artistes were honoured for their contribution to dance. Eminent folk singer from Jammu and Kashmir Abdul Rashid Hafiz, who is known for his renditions of traditional Chakri singing, was among eight artistes facilitated for their contribution to traditional arts. Noted playwright Asgar Wajahat was amongst the eight artists honoured for their contribution to theatre. The Akademi Awards carries a purse money of Rs one lakh , a Tamrapatra (copper plaque) and an Angavastram (shawl). Indian maid wins award in Singapore An Indian national, working here as a maid, has been awarded by a women welfare association for her dedicated service to bed-ridden employer. Easwari Shellaiah (47) was chosen model care-giving domestic helper of the year by Asian Women’s Welfare Association (AWWA). Helping woman with stroke Easwari helped her employer Madam Kalaiselvi (53), who suffered a stroke in 2011, cheering her up, carrying her from bed to wheelchair, helping her to the toilet and taking her thrice a week to AWWA Readycare Centre. Easwari, supports her widowed employer, 76 kg, moving her from bed to wheelchair since she started working in 2011.
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Easwari, whose father died when she was 12, started helping at one of Mother Teresa’s charities in Chennai at the age of 14. She moved to Singapore in 1986 working with a voluntary welfare organisation, Swami Home. Keen to help others “I just want to keep on giving and helping others. I am happiest when I feel that I have helped others live better,” Easwari said.
SPORTS Prerna downs Rishika, takes title National champion for the last four years, Prerna Bhambri emphasised her growing confidence on the professional circuit beating top seed Rishika Sunkara 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the $10,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament on the grass courts of the Oudh Gymkhana Club. Comfortable on the worn-out baseline, the 23-year-old Prerna raced through the match in an hour and 18 minutes, to pocket her third professional singles title and Rs. 90,370. It was a big relief for her, as her earlier two titles had come in 2011 and 2012. Abhijeet Gupta wins Hoogeveen International Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta justified his top billing as he won the Hoogeveen International Open Chess Tournament after defeating compatriot Neelotpal Das in the ninth and final round. Gupta scored seven points out of a possible nine and ended half a point ahead of nearest rivals Deep Sengupta and the Dutch duo of Benjamin Bok and Jan Werle, who all scored 6.5 points each. Sengupta finished second on tiebreak while Bok ended third. South Asian Games to be held in Guwahati and Shillong from Dec 10-20 The 12th South Asian Games will be held in Guwahati and Shillong from December 10 to 20. The dates of the SAG were decided in a meeting of Sports Secretary Ajit Sharan with state sports secretaries of Assam and Meghalaya. Indian Olympic Association President N Ramachandran and Secretary General Rajeev Mehta were also present in the meeting. The Prime Minister's Office had given clearance to the hosting of the SAG during the The Prime Minister's Office had given clearance to the hosting of the SAG during the window of November 2015 to January 2016. "The South Asian Games will be held from December 10 to 20 in Guwahati and Shillong. Sports Secretary Ajit Sharan and sports secretaries of Assam and Meghalaya had a meeting here and finalised the dates, in the presence of IOA President and Secretary General," a source in the sports ministry told. The SAG, which may cost from Rs 60 to 70 crore to the government to host them, would see participation of around 2,500 athletes from the eight member-countries -- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The last edition of the SAG was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2010. The top bosses of the national Olympic bodies of eight South Asian countries will have a meeting in Guwahati on July 6 to decide on the number of disciplines to be included in the Games and setting up of various committees to host the regional multi-sporting event. Historic silver for Verma in archery World Cup Final Abhishek Verma created history when he became the first compound archer from the country to win a medal at the archery World Cup Final being held in Mexico City. Abhishek, who reached the final, however, had to settle for a silver after losing to Turkey's Demir Elmaagcli 143-145 in the summit clash. "It was a good experience to line up among top-8 players in the world. All of them have been world champions at some point of time. My pool also had big names and to beat them and make the podium is a good experience," Abhishek told from Mexico City. The Asian Games individual silver medalist won his quarterfinal match against Denmark's Martin Damsbo 148-146. He was up against home favourite Mario Cardoso in the semifinal and the Delhi-based archer scored a perfect 150 to advance to the final. His rival scored 142. "The highlight was my semifinal score which was the highest by an archer. Everyone aims for that but not many can achieve given the pressure. After my score the spectators were all rooting for me and it was a different feeling," he added. Silver is not a bad achievement especially when no one from India has done it so far. I have got silver this year, I am hoping to bag gold medal next year," he signed off.
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Three-time World Cup Final silver medalist Deepika Kumari, seeded sixth, will be vying for top honours in recurve event when she starts her campaign here in the quarterfinal against Korean third seed Kawanaka Kaori. Ranchi to Host 2017 Asian Athletics Championships Jharkhand capital Ranchi will host the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships in 2017 as the continental flagship event is set to return to India after four years. The decision came during the 83rd Council Meeting of the Asian Athletics Association currently underway in Manila, Philippines. India earlier hosted the Asian Championships in 1989 (New Delhi) and 2013 (Pune). The exact dates of the championships will be decided in February next year when the AAA Council meets in Doha. The Qatari capital of Doha has also been awarded the 2019 edition of the biennial Asian Athletics Championships. AAA also finalised various Committees which will guide the Council in making decisions in various aspects of athletics development in Asia. Lewis Hamilton storms to third world title in US Grand Prix Defending champion Lewis Hamilton secured his third world title in dramatic fashion when he took victory in a roller- coaster, stop-start, wet-and-dry United States Grand Prix. The 30-year-old Briton, who started from second on the grid came home 2.850 seconds clear of his Mercedes team- mate Nico Rosberg to deliver his 10th victory of a dominant season. Hamilton now has an unbeatable total of 327 points, moving him beyond the reach of both Rosberg, who finished second, and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, who came home third. Dutch teenager Max Verstappen finished fourth for Toro Rosso ahead of Sergio Perez of Force India, Carlos Sainz in the second Toro Rosso, Jenson Button of McLaren and Pastor Maldonado who was eighth for Lotus. Hamilton’s success enabled him to equal the record of Jackie Stewart as the only Britons to win three drivers’ world titles and the first to win two championships in succession. Hamilton fought to keep his car in front on cold tyres, but finished the first lap 1.4 seconds clear of the Russian with Rosberg fourth behind Ricciardo. Deepika Kumari bags silver in Archery World Cup Deepika Kumari bagged her fourth silver medal in five years at the ‘Archery World Cup Final’ after going down to Korea’s Choi Misun in Mexico City. Eyeing her first gold medal in five attempts at the showpiece season-ending event, Deepika won her quarters and semifinals easily but lost 2-6 against the reigning world number one and top-seeded Misun. India thus concluded their campaign with two silver medals with Abhishek Verma opening the account for the country in the compound section on Saturday. Deepika and Misun split points in the first set after shooting 29 each but the 19-year-old Korean put her Indian opponent on the backfoot reeling off two more 29-point sets to take an unassailable 5-1 lead. Incredibly, for all her success, Deepika’s only two international gold medals to date are the famous Commonwealth Games win in 2010 and, two years later, the Antalya stage of the Archery World Cup. This was Deepika’s fourth World Cup Final silver after being runner-up at Istanbul 2011, Tokyo 2012 and Paris 2013, an unparalleled achievement in consistency on the circuit. Earlier, Verma had bagged India a first ever ‘Archery World Cup Final’ medal in the compound section after being pipped by Turkey’s Demir Elmaagcli. India steady at 2nd, Kohli rises in ICC ODI rankings The series loss to South Africa notwithstanding, India held on to their second spot in the team list, while star batsman Virat Kohli rose up a rung to second in the batsmen's table of the latest ICC ODI cricket rankings issued. South Africa retained their third position but reduced second-ranked India's advantage to two points in the rankings following the 3-2 series victory, which concluded with a mammoth 214-run victory in Mumbai. Skipper de Villiers retained his number one ranking, and is now 96 points clear of Kohli in second place, after scoring three centuries (104 not out, 112 and 119) in five matches. Hashim Amla has dropped three places to fifth, while Dhoni has moved up two places to sixth and holds an 11-point advantage over his team-mate Shikhar Dhawan. There were also gains for Rohit Sharma (up three places to 12th) and career-high gains for Ajinkya Rahane (up 11 to 27th) and Farhaan Behardien (up 12 to 76th). In the ICC Players Rankings for ODI Bowlers, Australia's Mitchell Starc has returned to the top of tree as Imran Tahir has slipped four places in the top 10. Dale Steyn has dropped one place to sixth, although Morne Morkel has climbed three places to eighth, and is now six points behind Mitchell Johnson, after claiming seven wickets for 132 runs in three matches. R Ashwin has dropped a place to 10th.
OPINION A prescription for the IMF Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, known for his forthright and plain-speaking manner, has once again trained his guns on the International Monetary Fund — where he once served as Chief Economist.
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The world’s premier multilateral lending institution, he said, had failed to fulfil its role in ensuring that national monetary policies did not end up hurting the global economy as a whole. Speaking at a preparatory meeting of a think-tank contributing ideas for the G-20 meeting in Turkey next month, Dr. Rajan reiterated a charge he had laid against the Fund in a speech in May to the Economic Club of New York: the IMF, he said, had been sitting on the sidelines and applauding unconventional and extreme policies initiated by central banks in the industrialised countries. These policies of quantitative easing, combined with the exchange-rate interventions pursued by some emerging market economies in the early-2000s, had created problems for others with large negative spill-over effects by pushing capital from one shore to another. With national central banks unlikely to consider the impact of their policy actions beyond the respective domestic economies — at best they would consider the second-level consequences on major trading partners — the Fund ought to have evaluated the implications from a global perspective, according to Dr. Rajan. That talks at the IMF’s latest meeting in Lima have flagged a potential emerging market crisis is vindication enough for the Indian central bank chief that the policies to tackle the earlier situations including the sub-prime and European crises have only ended up moving the predicament from one country to another, or from one region to another. The way to get out of this regime of rolling crises, as he termed it, would lie in concerted global action. For the economist-turned-central banker, widely credited with having predicted the 2008 financial crisis, the concern about the lack of a global policy consensus is born of a very real predicament. Having just cut the benchmark interest rate by a higher-than-expected 50 basis points with the aim of providing a monetary fillip to domestic demand, Dr. Rajan is well aware that a resurgence of inflationary pressures amid distinct signs of a drought across several key States could leave the RBI facing the spectre of tepid economic growth and accelerating price gains. And with persisting uncertainty over when the U.S. Federal Reserve would start normalisation of interest rates, the outlook for the global economy remains hazy. The world having strayed into competitive easing willy-nilly, the need of the hour, according to Dr. Rajan, is a political consensus to go beyond domestic mandates and evolve optimal policies that help create global economic growth. Whether the G-20 leaders would pursue Dr. Rajan’s call and push for more concerted and wider political action on this front, given the common imperatives, remains to be seen. Needed, a more credible mechanism The recent findings of two inquiry commissions in Sri Lanka underscore the need for a formal process to investigate and prosecute those responsible for grave crimes during the armed conflict that spanned three decades. The submission of the reports in Parliament should be welcomed, although it could also be interpreted as a signal to the international community that the domestic mechanisms are strong enough. The Maxwell Paranagama Commission, mandated to probe cases of missing persons and allegations of war crimes, has established that there were significant civilian casualties caused by Sri Lankan Army shelling in 2009 and that there may have been many individual acts of war crimes. The three-member Commission has, however, mainly blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the civilian deaths, noting that it used civilians as human shields, placed weaponry in their midst and prevented them from leaving war zones. At the same time, the panel has pointed to the need to probe the exact circumstances of each instance of shelling of civilian clusters to fix individual responsibility. It has recommended an investigation led by a judge into some cases – such as the killing of LTTE political leaders while they were surrendering to the army, the disappearance of over a hundred LTTE members after their surrender, and the death of Balachandran, son of LTTE leader V. Prabakaran. Instituting presidential commissions of inquiry is quite common a practice in Sri Lanka. But the mechanism is inherently limited in scope as the proceedings do not amount to criminal prosecution. An earlier exercise by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was notable for its acknowledgment of violations of human rights and humanitarian law, and its recommendations for justice and reconciliation. The Paranagama Commission has contributed immensely to the cause of truth-seeking and justice by flagging key instances and setting out the circumstances in which they took place. It has identified the legal framework in which actions on the battlefield ought to be assessed. On the other hand, the N.K. Udalagama Commission, which probed certain grave crimes that took place in 2005-06, has some controversial findings. It has blamed the LTTE for the death of 51 schoolgirls in August 2006 in an air strike, failing to note that their being possible LTTE recruits was not sufficient ground to target them. Also, the claim that the LTTE could have killed 17 local workers attached to an international aid agency appears to be only conjecture. With Sri Lanka under pressure from the international community to probe the crimes, it has to come up with a mechanism that is more credible. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 21 2015CA_021,022,023,024,025,026,027
A model rooted in international principles and drawing on translational legal and forensic expertise will have to be evolved so that an empowered domestic judicial process can address the issue. Transitional justice requires sustained action, not just sporadic inquiries. Seize the moment New Delhi will host the third India-Africa Forum Summit over the next four days. It is one of the largest gatherings of African countries outside Africa – all 54 nations of the continent will be represented — and provides an opportunity for India to forge a constructive and deeper alliance with the resource-rich continent. For the most part, India has lagged behind China, which has aggressively used foreign policy, seamlessly aligned to its economic security interests, to build infrastructure and sew up vital supply contracts. The current deceleration in the Chinese economy provides India an opening to gain a better footing. The fall in commodity prices, making it less of a seller’s market, strengthens India’s leveraging position. But there is an inherent complementarity of interests: African countries have, for long, suffered from the so-called resource curse, wherein countries fail to use their mineral wealth to boost economic well-being. India’s lack of mineral resources, on the other hand, comes in the way of its high-growth ambitions. But it can provide a market for African resources, which can compensate for reduced Chinese demand. Fertilisers are a good example. There is a vast scope for India to set up urea plants in natural gas-abundant African countries — from Algeria to Gabon. Similarly, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal and Togo have huge rock phosphate reserves, which India lacks. The fact that Africa is vital to India’s food security is also demonstrated by the large quantities of pigeon pea (arhar) it is importing from Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi. One could extend the same logic to coal and minerals — from iron ore, copper, lead and zinc to cobalt — for which India offers a huge market to commodity-exporting countries. To be sure, there are also other reasons that India should push for better ties with African countries. Support for India’s bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council and its stand on climate change and public food stockholding issues, not to forget security matters extending to piracy in the Indian Ocean, are no less important concerns. But in all these, India should leverage the one asset that it has more than China — goodwill. China has, for long, been resented for “resource colonialism”, especially by western and southern African countries. India, by contrast, is not seen to nurse any expansionist aims. That image can be further enhanced through India offering assistance for capacity-building and training, and expanding its scholarship programmes for African students in India. Barbaric indeed When judges assume messianic roles while seeking to act on perceived outrage, it may result in inventive remedies but not necessarily achieve complete justice. It is not unusual these days to find some of them traversing beyond the remit of the cases before them and seeking to find or suggest solutions to many of society’s crimes and ills. In the Madras High Court, one has seen recent instances of a judge suggesting mediation between a victim and the perpetrator of a rape, another laying down that mere sexual relations amount to marriage, and one prescribing pre- marital potency tests to prevent divorces happening. The latest is the suggestion of Justice N. Kirubakaran that castration be made an additional punishment for child rape. Significantly, he himself acknowledges that this would be criticised as being barbaric and retrograde, but yet goes on to say that barbaric acts require barbaric punishments. But this is out of character with Indian jurisprudence as well as known canons of modern criminal justice. For one thing, the principle of proportionality of punishment is a limiting norm that militates against excessive punishment, and is not an eye-for-an-eye rule. Secondly, civilised systems have moved away from retributive sentencing, especially from ideas such as torture, decapitation, mutilation and chopping off of parts of the body as forms of punishment. It may also be counter- productive if castration is added as a form of punishment as it may deter foreign courts from allowing the extradition of offenders to face trial in India. The judge’s suggestion is not qualified as ‘chemical castration’ in the operative part of the judgment. To be fair, he has listed the countries and some States in the United States that do have provision for chemical castration, or the injection of drugs that reduce testosterone levels and control libido — and it is not a suggestion that has not been made in the past. Also, he has called for wider consultations involving experts before such a measure is introduced. The Justice J.S. Verma Committee, which in 2013 recommended far-reaching changes to criminal law to protect women from sexual offences, also received suggestions to that effect. However, the committee had noted that the effects of chemical castration were temporary, and repeated monitored doses at regular intervals may be required. It will violate human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil Political Rights, which bars cruel and unusual forms of punishment. In other jurisdictions it is done with the offender’s consent and is a form of psychiatric treatment and not a judicial penalty.
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None, least of all the courts, should assume that rapes occur because of uncontrollable sexual urge. There can be no ‘magical results’ in curbing crimes against women, unless there is transformation in society and its very thought process. The rising rate of sexual crimes against children in the country is indeed alarming, but that is not reason enough for courts of law to advocate medieval forms of punishment. Crises in the Maldives The dramatic arrest of Ahmed Adheeb, the Vice-President of the Maldives, has escalated the political crisis in this young democracy, already fragile. The government says Mr. Adheeb was involved in an explosion on board the presidential boat on September 28, and that it was aimed at assassinating President Abdulla Yameen, as rumours in Male had claimed. He has, therefore, been removed on charges of “high treason”. A day after the arrest, President Yameen said his ex- deputy was a “threat to national security”. Under the Maldivian Constitution, if the President dies, is incapacitated, or resigns, the Vice-President takes power. But Mr. Adheeb has strongly denied the charges. His lawyer says the government had asked him to stay put when he was in Singapore a day before his arrest, but he still chose to come back to the country “because he’s innocent”. While there is no doubt that Mr. Adheeb has to be put through due process if he indeed has had any role in the blast, given the power struggles that the Maldives has witnessed over the past three years, there is no telling what is actually happening in this South Asian archipelago that is best known for its luxury tourism. To start with, President Yameen’s election itself was controversial. In the 2013 election, held after the country’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Nasheed resigned amid protests, the Supreme Court annulled the first round of voting, in which Mr. Nasheed was leading. The re-vote was delayed by the authorities, allowing enough time for Mr. Yameen, a half-brother of former dictator Abdul Gayoom, to make his moves. The Yameen Presidency has been criticised widely for its intolerance of dissent and crackdown on the opposition. Mr. Nasheed was jailed for 13 years this year on terrorism charges. A United Nations panel had ruled the jailing illegal and called for his immediate release, a call the government rejected. Opposition protests demanding Mr. Nasheed’s release were tackled with a heavy hand. The arrest of Mr. Adheeb, who was picked by the President three months ago to replace his impeached running mate Mohamed Jameel, comes close on the heels of the sacking of Defence Minister Moosa Ali Jaleel. All these point to a growing sense of instability surrounding the Yameen regime. The obvious question that Mr. Adheeb’s arrest raises is whether it is part of a larger power game, or whether the government has credible evidence linking him to the blast. If the government’s claims are true, it should be ready to try Mr. Adheeb in a transparent and impartial process. Meanwhile, Mr. Yameen should be ready to change his authoritarian ways, respect the democratic rights of his people, allow the opposition to operate freely and thereby strengthen the foundations of the young democracy. Only then can he offer a stable government to his people and save the Maldives from this state of flux.
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WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM 28th OCT TO 3rd NOV, 2015
INTERNATIONAL NEWS West Asian nations may run out of cash in 5 years: IMF Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Libya are among the West Asian countries that could run out of money in less than five years because of the fall in the oil price, according to the International Monetary Fund. Some Middle Eastern countries, such as Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE, have shifted away from their reliance on oil, after prices fell by more than half in a year. But large budget deficits in Iraq, Iran, Oman, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen means that if these countries do not seek to diversify their economies or borrow money, they will run out of cash in five years or less. Of these Iran, which is less reliant on oil, is expected to fare better than countries that suffer from conflict, such as Libya and Yemen. The IMF classifies Iraq, Libya and Yemen as fragile states because of regional conflict. This has led to sharp drops in GDP and higher inflation. The cost of conflicts in terms of people and infrastructure also makes it harder for these countries to recover. “All oil exporters will need to adjust to the new low oil price,” the IMF warned. It said that even countries with higher buffers who can survive over 20 years of low oil prices need to act now to adjust their reliance on oil. China furious over U.S. warship patrol
Tensions between China and the U.S. have spiralled after Beijing expressed its “strong discontent” and “resolute opposition” following a patrol by a U.S. warship near two artificial islands in the South China Sea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang warned that the action taken by Washington of patrolling an area near Zhubi Reef threatened China’s sovereignty and security interests, endangered the safety of personnel and facilities in the reef, and harmed regional peace and stability. Zhubi reef is part of the Spratly islands, which the Chinese call Nansha islands. China claims full sovereignty over the islands and its adjacent waters. Mr. Lu asserted the U.S. warship, USS Lassen , had entered waters near Zhubi Reef without the permission of the Chinese government. He urged the U.S. to “immediately correct its wrongdoing.” However, Washington said it doesn’t have to “consult with any nation when you are exercising the right of freedom of navigation in international waters.” Meanwhile, the American ambassador in Beijing, Max Baucus, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday evening and told by Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui that the U.S. should stop “threatening Chinese sovereignty and security interests,” according to the national broadcaster CCTV. Mr. Lu, the spokesperson, said China had tracked and monitored the naval ship and issued a warning. China will continue to watch the situation and “do whatever is necessary,” he added. He stressed that China’s sovereignty over the Nansha islands and its adjacent waters was “irrefutable.” Therefore, construction activities undertaken by China on its territory, he added, was an internal affair and does not block the legal freedom of other countries. China respects other countries’ freedom of navigation in accordance with Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 1 2015 CA_028,029,030,031,001,002,003
international law, observed Mr. Lu. China, he added, was prepared to respond to any deliberate provocation by any country. Separately, the Chinese embassy in Washington stressed that the concept of freedom of navigation—apparently the justification of the U.S. move— should not be used as an excuse for muscle flexing. It added that the U.S. should “refrain from saying or doing anything provocative and act responsibly in maintaining regional peace and stability.” Mr. Lu reminded Washington that it should abide by its commitment of not taking a position on territorial disputes, as this would damage China-U.S. ties and regional peace. Nepal gets first woman President A Communist leader who has long campaigned for women’s rights is elected as Nepal’s first female President. Bidhya Devi Bhandari of the Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist received 327 votes against her opponent’s 214 in the Parliament, Parliament Speaker Onsari Gharti announced. Ceremonial head The President is the ceremonial head in Nepal while the Prime Minister is the nation’s leader. Ms. Bhandari (54) is the deputy leader of the party led by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, who was elected earlier this month and leads a coalition government. The new Constitution adopted last month required Nepal to name a new President. Ms. Bhandari is an active campaigner for women’s rights in Nepal and was among the politicians who campaigned for ensuring women’s rights in the new Constitution. The document says one-third of the members in parliament have to be women and either the President or Vice- President must be a woman. She also led many demonstrations against the then King Gyanendra in 2006 that finally ended his authoritarian rule and restored democracy. Ms. Bhandari is Nepal’s second President since the Himalayan nation was turned into a republic after abolishing the centuries-old monarchy. The first President, Ram Baran Yadav, was elected in 2008. Day after slamming U.S., China calls for talks China has sought to ease tensions with the United States in the South China Sea by calling for dialogue, following incident at sea, which has inflamed passions inside the country, and triggered calls for a more assertive response from Beijing. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, at his regular briefing said, in response to a question, that, “China continues to insist on resolving this issue through dialogue and it is China’s consistent position that relevant issue should be resolved though a dialogue not only with the U.S. but also with other countries around the world.” Tensions between Beijing and Washington in the South China Sea had spiked after the U.S. warship, USS Lassen, breached the 12 nautical mile zone of an artificial island in the Spratly island chain, over which China claims and exercises sovereignty. Mr. Lu, however, asserted that the U.S. “provocation” had “violated the UN commission on the law of the sea, relevant international law and China’s domestic law”. Mr. Lu’s calibrated remarks, opening space for talks, coincided with the anticipation that, for the moment, both China and the U.S., were likely to curb escalation of tensions. Analysts say that the U.S. action has triggered speculation inside China that Washington has decided to bury the formulation proposed by President Xi that China and the U.S. should establish a peaceful and collaborative “major- country” relationship. The fury caused by the incident has generated strong undercurrents inside the Chinese online media space and the blogosphere. The website of the Beijing based Sina Military News warned that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) may deliberately ram a vessel into a warship if the U.S. Navy makes further inroads into waters claimed by China. It pointed out that China could follow the “effective”example of the former Soviet Union, which had sent two frigates to ram a US guided missile cruiser that had ventured into its territorial waters in 1988. The Soviets issued a statement the next day claiming that the two frigates had "lost control," eventually leading to discussions about maritime safety between the two governments. In August, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi had strongly defended China’s assertion of sovereignty in an area defined by the nine-dash-line in the South China Sea. In an August 6 meeting of the of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Mr. Wang asserted that China’s status on the South China Sea rested on firm legal foundations of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, which were central in defining the post-war global architecture. U.S. bomber pact in contrast to Indian Rafale deal The United States announced the contract for building the next generation long-range strike bombers at a whopping $55 billion (Rs.3,57,500 crore), providing a stunning contrast to the way India has gone about concluding the purchase of Rafale fighters from France. Pentagon selected the U.S. defence major Northrop Grumman to build a fleet of stealth bombers that can strike deep inside enemy territory with nuclear bombs, and will replace the fabled B-52s, B-1s and B-2s. It is the biggest military contract anywhere in the world, and will result in the building of 100 new-age bombers that will begin entering service from 2020. The way U.S. military authorities went about selecting the new generation bombers is an instructive manual for the way big spending military purchases are carried out in a transparent system.
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And it provides comparative frames to understand why the proposal to purchase 36 Rafale fighters from France, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was in Paris in April, has not fully satisfied any of the players involved in the deal. The IAF says the numbers are not enough, and many in the force also foresee the possibility of the two Rafale squadrons ending up being a heavy burden on the budget of the Air Force. The French side feels the Indian bargain to give the same rates they quoted for MMRCA — the original contract for 126 fighters — and a 50 per cent offset in an off-the-shelf purchase, are not justifiable. The very announcement of the 36 Rafale purchase in Paris was almost abrupt, and the Air Corce was left with a fait accompli, according to several sources. “The projection was for 126 fighters, the present number was thrust upon the IAF,” one senior officer, who had been involved in formulating the entire MMRCA proposal for 126 fighters, said. IAF chief Arup Raha admitted as much in recent weeks. “I cannot say I only want Rafale. I want the capability of Rafale-type aircraft. So, the government will have a look at it and based on urgency and the type of contract signed with Dassault Aviation, further decisions may be taken by the government. The U.S. contract for the 100 bombers was awarded to a domestic company, ensuring that the technology and investment stayed within the national boundary, while protecting the classified nature of the programme. The selection came after a fierce competition between Northrop Grumman on the one side and a joint proposal from Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Committee on UNSC reforms gets new chief Courtenay Rattray, the Jamaican diplomat who shepherded the inter-governmental negotiations for a draft text for UN Security Council reform, has been abruptly replaced ahead of the negotiations. The new general assembly president Mogens Lykketoft announced the appointment of Luxembourg's permanent representative Sylvie Lucas as the new head of the IGN. India will be happy about Lucas's appointment because Luxembourg strongly supports expansion of the UNSC. Lucas has long experience in the UN system. She has been the permanent representative since 2008 and did a five- year stint as the deputy permanent representative in the 1990s. She has held one of the rotating presidencies of the Security Council when Luxembourg was an elected member in 2013 and 2014 and served as president of the UN Economic and Social Council. Pakistan loses UNHRC seat Pakistan failed to win a re-election to the top UN human rights body, garnering just 105 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. A total of 18 members were elected to the UN Human Rights Council through a secret ballot. Pakistan’s current term is set to expire on December 31 and it was seeking re-election to the 47-member Council. The new members, who will start their three-year terms from January 1 next year, are Belgium, Burundi, Cd’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Kenya, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Togo, Slovenia, Switzerland, UAE and Venezuela. Pakistan lost the seat in the Asia-Pacific category in which five seats were vacant. India is also a member of the Council and its term will end in 2017. As workforce ages, China ends its one-child policy China has dropped its controversial one-child policy, allowing all couples to have two children for the first time in more than three decades amid pressure from an ageing society and a growing shortfall in the workforce. The decision was taken by the Communist Party of China (CPC).The policy change is an advance over the 2013 ruling, which allowed couples, where one of the parents was a single child, to have two children. Pressure was mounting on the authorities to ease the family-size norms after it became evident that the one-child policy, meant to restrain a burgeoning population in the 1970s, was leading to severe labour shortages and an ageing population. According to U.N. estimates, nearly 440 million people in China would be over 60 by 2050, signalling a sharp decline in the labour pool. Last year, the working population between the ages 15 and 59 slid by 3.71 million.was well short of the 2.1-mark that should be reached to ensure a balanced population profile. The state-run Xinhua news agency, quoting a communiqué issued at the end of the fifth plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, said the change is intended to balance population development and address the challenge of an ageing population. High living costs The latest ruling notwithstanding, it was unclear whether spiralling living costs would allow couples to avail themselves of the two-child option. Many couples decided against another child under the 2013 rules because of the high cost of raising children, especially in urban areas. U.S. patrol strengthens calls for militarising S. China Sea The controversial patrol by a U.S. warship in an area in the Spratly Islands over which China claims sovereignty is having unexpected fallout. It has triggered a growing domestic perception that Beijing should swiftly militarise these islands, and test the resolve of the Washington-led alliance in the Pacific. Earlier, Washington had sent the destroyer, USS Lassen, within 12 nautical miles of Zhubi reef—a part of the Spratly archipelago. China claims and exercises sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and its adjacent waters within what is called by nine-dash-line.
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The littoral states of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei contest the claim. Analysts say that by militarising a set of artificial islands atop the submerged coral reefs, China would be better positioned to influence the Malacca straits—the major trade artery that links the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. In turn, this would test President Barack Obama’s ‘Asia Pivot’, or the rebalance doctrine, based on the accumulation of forces in the Pacific, in alliance with Japan, South Korea and Australia, with Malacca Straits as its focal point. An article in the state-run tabloid Global Times acknowledged that the U.S. and Japan would have “calculated that the Strait of Malacca is within the radius of Chinese aircraft above the reefs.” The entry of the USS Lassen under the guise of “freedom of navigation” is fast leading to a consensus in China that the artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago need to be militarised to counter the U.S. in the West Pacific. “We have to make sure we have sufficient means to safeguard our sovereignty there, to protect our lawful rights there, and ... maintain peace and stability, and nobody will have any more illusion that it could continue to provoke,” he observed. Chinese netizens are also urging their government to militarise the islands, following the U.S. patrol. The website China Military Online collated comments by Chinese netizens as published by the International Business Times. The online comments, advocating retaliation, included: “attack,” “fight,” “sink it,” “down with American imperialism,” and, “finally the U.S. is giving us a reason to militarise the South China Sea.” ‘Nuclear suppliers may admit India’ The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) will begin consultations on India’s membership to the elite group of nuclear export next month, says NSG Chairperson Rafael Grossi. Speaking about his meetings with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and MEA officials, Mr. Grossi, who will begin those consultations leading up to the NSG plenary session in June 2016, said he thinks it is possible to find a way for India’s membership to be accepted. However, he ruled out an “India-specific” rule, which means countries such as Israel and Pakistan, who too haven’t signed the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), could also apply. “Nobody disputes that India is a keyplayer in the nuclear scenario, hence there is a recognition that some formula must be found for India [to become a member], and I think it is possible,” he said. India has sought membership of the 48-member NSG since 2008, but its application hasn’t been decided on, primarily because signing the NPT or other nuclear moratoriums on testing is a pre-requisite. Interestingly, the NSG was set up in 1974 as a reaction to India’s nuclear tests to stop what it called the “misuse” of nuclear material meant for peaceful purposes. As a result, though India received a special waiver to conduct nuclear trade with all nuclear exporters, it hasn’t been accepted as a member of their “club.” India’s push for the NSG membership in the next year is likely to be complemented by its application to other nuclear and missile control regimes like MTCR, Wassenaar and Australian groups, and will get a boost from the completion of the India-Australian civil nuclear agreement likely to be announced in the next few months, with the possibility of the India-Japan civil nuclear deal also making progress. However, Mr. Grossi’s reference to a general solution, rather than an “India-specific” one, is likely to raise alarm in New Delhi, as he accepted that this could also apply to countries like Pakistan. In response to a specific question, he said: “[On] other non-NPT countries [like Pakistan and Israel], I would say that we need to find a formula that is applicable to all. It would not be sustainable for us to go for a tailor-made solution that is India-specific.” Mr. Grossi, who was previously the Chief of Staff at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), referred to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which accepted nearly all countries (all but four are signatories) regardless of their past violations, as a possible example. Significantly, he denied reports that China had “blocked” India’s bid for NSG membership. “I don’t think there is a single member of the NSG that is against India. Most, if not all of them, have excellent relations with India,” he said. “No one has blocked anything.” The NSG works by consensus, which means that there are no votes, but all members have to agree to a proposal. In June this year, China backed Pakistan’s bid for NSG membership, but added that signing the NPT was still a requirement for all members, leading to speculation that China might insist on both India and Pakistan being given membership at the same time, despite Pakistan’s record of unauthorised supplies to Iran and North Korea. “Let’s just say, India is willing to join the NSG now, today if possible. It has all the elements in place for membership. There have been some deliberations already, and I am trying to make the process more dynamic.” Africa makes outreach beyond China The India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) ended with a globally relevant declaration. But following the summit, an obvious question has emerged over the larger message that the summit sent out. Though India and African countries meet often in international platforms, IAFS 2015 will remain unique because it was the first time that India appeared before Africa speaking the language of pure economic development and finance capital, in a departure from the ideology-dominant days of Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s. The economic diplomacy of India is sending the indication that like India, which has reached out to engage Africa in a robust manner, Africa too is unafraid of antagonizing China as it explores India’s seriousness on reaching out to Africa. The summit was important because Africans have realised that it is necessary to let China know that the Africans too have an alternative to China, said former Indian High Commissioner to Kenya, T.P. Sreenivasan.
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Mr. Sreenivasan believes that the Africans have been unable to deal with China’s robust presence in several mineral- rich African countries, where Chinese interest has reportedly begun to interfere with the national political process. However, a casualty of pure economic diplomacy has been ideological commitment to democracy and freedom that India refused to project into Africa during the summit. A Sudanese political activist now in India said that African human rights activists were disturbed by the fact that despite being the largest democracy of the world, India avoided showing any interest in advising African countries like Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and several others on how to resolve conflicts and end discriminations. “India-China rivalry over Africa cannot be the reason to push down political disputes and oppression inside Africa. Issues of inter-tribe rivalry, resource allocation, boundary disputes, and denial of democratic rights are major issues that can jeopardise Africa’s future as well as India’s investments in Africa. So, these issues need to be discussed in big international platform,” said the Sudanese activist.Ajay Dubey of JNU’s Centre for Africa Studies, however, believes that the Chinese deal with Africa bureaucratically by prioritising business interest. But, he said India would have to highlight its people power also while showing the Africans that India’s approach to business with Africa would be different from China’s. West targeting Sudan over oil, says Bashir India has stood by Sudan in “defying” the International Criminal Court’s warrant against him, Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir has said. In an exclusive interview to The Hindu at the conclusion of the third India-Africa Forum Summit, he said India had rejected the “legal colonialism” of western countries that “targeted Sudan” because they had been ousted from the oil business there. “India had always stood with Africa in the freedom struggle against colonial powers. [After independence] In Sudan, India conducted the first population census and even set up our election commission. So, India’s support has always been there, and on this issue [of the ICC warrant] too, India’s support is there,” he said, speaking in Arabic through a translator. “In Sudan, we managed to expel all western companies involved in oil extraction and replaced them with Chinese and Indian companies. This is why the West is targeting us through the ICC. The allegations are baseless, and India rejects them, too, as part of the colonial legacy of the past.” In a statement earlier, the ICC Prosecutor called on India to cooperate fully with ICC warrants against Mr. Bashir issued in 2009 and 2010 for war crimes in the Darfur conflict, where ICC claims 35,000 were killed in attacks by government-backed militia. “By arresting and surrendering ICC suspects, India can contribute to the important goal of ending impunity for the world’s worst crimes,” the Office of Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told after the Minister of State for External Affairs visited Khartoum on September 19 to invite Mr. Bashir for the summit. Rejecting the ICC statement and calls by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch on the issue, India had explained that it was not a signatory to the Rome Statute that created the ICC. India is the second biggest exporter to Sudan, accounting for 11 per cent of Sudan’s imports, behind China which accounts for 31 per cent. Although the bulk of the erstwhile Sudanese oil reserves has been transferred to South Sudan after its creation in 2011, Sudan has offered ONGC Videsh two blocks for exploration. Mr. Bashir spoke of India’s and Africa’s call for the U.N. reforms and the Security Council restructuring at the summit, which he termed a “success” that will represent a “big leap” in India-Africa ties. “There is general agreement on the need for restructuring the U.N., and increasing the UNSC seats. Africa will be an important part of this process,” he told. The Delhi declaration contains a clause that “takes note” rather than “supports” India’s aspiration for a permanent seat on the Security Council. This has been termed a disappointment in New Delhi as the government had hoped for a clear voice of the African Union’s support for India, as the African Union with 54 countries represents the largest block in the U.N. with 193 member-states. Mr. Bashir denied there was any lack of support, however, saying: “Of course, we want India to have a permanent seat on the Security Council. But much will depend on how the restructuring of the U.N. takes place. ” He said Africa demanded two seats on the Security Council, which India, as a part of the G-4, has supported. Pharma pricing On the other contentious issue of pharma pricing, Mr. Bashir said Africa counted on India to help keep the prices of much-needed generic drugs low. In recent months, health activists have been warning about India-U.S. trade negotiations resulting in India cutting down its supply of low-cost drugs or raising their cost. Leaders of Japan, S. Korea, China agree to repair strained
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Leaders from Japan, South Korea and China said they pledged to boost exchanges and economic cooperation and try to repair ties badly strained by history and territorial disputes at a rare three-way summit on Nov. 1. The one-day summit in Seoul was the first of its kind in more than three years. High-level contact between Tokyo and its two Asian neighbors nose-dived after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in late 2012. Beijing and Seoul see Abe as whitewashing Japan's wartime atrocities. A joint statement issued after the meeting said the sides agreed to try to resolve history-related issues and improve ties by "facing history squarely and advancing toward the future." The countries also pledged to restart holding a leaders' summit every year and push to deepen their economic cooperation by accelerating free trade negotiations among themselves. They also reaffirmed their resolve to resume stalled international negotiations on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Despite protests from Seoul and Beijing, Abe hasn't yielded on his nationalism. Even so, the three countries, closely linked economically, are pushing to find a way to improve ties. North Korea was on the agenda on Nov. 1. Pyongyang's nuclear bomb and missile programs have long posed a serious security worry for Seoul and Tokyo. China is North Korea's only major ally and biggest aid benefactor, but has shown signs that it's increasingly fed up with the North's repeated provocations. South Korea, China, Japan and North Korea are all members of now-dormant international negotiations on ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. The other two members are the United States and Russia. Despite widespread discontent in Seoul with Abe, Park has faced calls at home to improve ties with Tokyo, and Washington has pushed its two Asian allies to heal their rift. South Korea and Japan together host about 80,000 U.S. troops, the core of America's military presence in the Asia- Pacific region. Washington wants to solidify its alliance with the two countries to better deal with a rising China and a North Korean threat. Boost for Erdogan as AKP wins critical Turkey vote Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has declared victory for his ruling party after preliminary election results showed it restoring its majority in parliament. State-run TRT television reports that with more than 97 per cent of the votes counted, the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, has won just above 49 per cent, which would comfortably restore its ruling majority. “Today is the day of victory but it is also a day for humility,” Mr. Davutoglu said, addressing supporters in his hometown of Konya, where he voted. The vote is a rerun of a June election in which AKP surprisingly lost its one-party rule due to a strong showing by a Kurdish party. Following the June vote, renewed fighting between Turkey’s security forces and Kurdish rebels left hundreds of people dead and shattered an already-fragile peace process. Turkey is a key U.S. ally in the fight against IS and, since it hosts more Syrian refugees than any other nation in the world, a crucial player in efforts to end the war in Syria and resolve Europe’s massive immigration crisis. Knights, Dames removed from awards order The Queen of England has approved the Australian government proposal to remove Knights and Dames from the Australian honour system. The honour system was reintroduced last year, when former Prime Minister Tony Abbott made the controversial call to reinstate Knights and Dames, Xinhua reported. He came under further fire for knighting Prince Phillip on Australia Day, with many in Parliament — including some from his own party — calling him “out of touch.” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is a Republican, released a statement, saying the Queen has given permission to scrap the titles from the Order of Australia. Inappropriate “The Cabinet recently considered the Order of Australia, in this its 40th anniversary year, and agreed that Knights and Dames are not appropriate in our modern honour system,” Mr. Turnbull said. “The Cabinet resolved to recommend to her Majesty that she amend the letters patent, which establish the Order of Australia, so that Knights and Dames would no longer be appointed to the order.” Since the reintroduction of the titles last year, five people have been recognised as a Knight or Dame. However, Mr. Turnbull said the changes will not affect the titles of “existing Knights and Dames of the Order”. China to work with India, Pak. to fight terror Ahead of the Sino-India talks on countering terrorism, China expressed “willingness” to work with both India and Pakistan in the fight against terror, raising hopes that it may take up with its all-weather ally New Delhi’s concerns about cross-border terrorism. Responding to reports that the Indian government this time would push for greater cooperation from China on countering terrorism, including pressuring Pakistan to act on terrorist groups based in that country, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said such cooperation plays an important role in India-China relations. ‘In constant touch’ “Chinese side is willing to stay in communication with India, Pakistan as well as other countries in the fight against terrorism,” she said, raising hopes that China, which has close ties with Pakistan, this time may take up India’s concerns over groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Under pressure from China, Pakistan army launched air and ground operation called Zarb-e-Azb in Waziristan and other tribal areas where Xinjiang’s separatist Uyghur militants affiliated to al-Qaeda operated. Reining in militants
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Replying to a question about India’s concerns over terrorism, Hua said, “We believe the fight against terrorism in all forms will be conducive to peace, stability and security of each and every country as well as security and stability of the whole region.” China unveils first big passenger jet China unveiled its first indigenously-made large passenger jet, fulfilling the Communist giant’s long-held dream of challenging the dominance of global aviation giants like Boeing and Airbus. “The roll out of the first C919 aircraft marks a significant milestone in the development of China’s first indigenous aircraft,” Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) chairman Jin Zhuanglong said at the launch ceremony in China’s gleaming financial hub. The 158-seater C919 aircraft with a standard range of 4,075 km will make its first test flight in 2016, he said — indicating that the plane will miss the original deadline of this year. Once cleared for commercial use, the plane is expected to compete with the updated Airbus 320 and Boeing’s new generation 737, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. China is the world’s largest civil aviation market
NATIONAL NEWS India moves up in ‘ease of doing business’ ranking India improved its position from last year’s 134 to 130 in the World Bank Doing Business 2016 ranking. Last year’s report ranked India at 140, but this year’s report features the recalculated 2015 rankings, in which India comes at 134, computed according to a new methodology. The WB Doing Business reports, started in 2002, review business regulations and their enforcement across 189 countries. Focus area Improving India’s ease of doing business ranking has been a focus area of the Narendra Modi government since May 2014, and its efforts came in for praise by Augusto Lopez-Claros, Director of the WB Global Indicators Group, which brings out the report. “My expectation…is that if this process continues, if it is sustained, and the authorities show the degree of determination which has been in evidence in the last year, then we could see substantial improvements in the coming year,” he said, briefing journalists. India also improved its ‘distance to the frontier,’ a measure of a country’s absolute performance. “Among South Asian economies, India made the biggest improvement in business regulation, increasing its distance to frontier score by 2 points and moving up in the ease of doing business ranking from 134 to 130. India ranks in the top 10 in Protecting Minority Investors (8), as its law grants minority shareholders strong protection from conflicts of interest and provides extensive rights to shareholders in major corporate governance,” the report said. The improvement in two indicators, ‘starting a business’ and ‘getting electricity,’ pushed India up the ladder, according to the report. “Now, companies can get connected to the grid and get on with their business, 14 days sooner than before,” the report said, based on the recently simplified procedures in Mumbai and Delhi. The number of days it takes to start a new business has gone up marginally from last year, from 28.4 to 29 this year, but the report has taken note of other measures in the last year that made starting a business easier. Nuclear pact with India to be ready soon, says Australia Australia said that the civil nuclear agreement allowing it to supply uranium to India and the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) would be in place by the target deadline of December. Speaking to reporters, visiting Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb said the Australian Parliament was expected to ratify the Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that the two countries had signed in September 2014. Australia has about a third of world’s recoverable uranium resources and exports nearly 7,000 tonnes of it a year. “The CECA will principally focus on services and investments and will also have a respectable goods package and it will, as any such deal must, respect the fact that still 600 million Indians live on less than $2 a day… those sensitivities will be in it,” Mr. Robb said.
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Investor sentiment Speaking about the global investor sentiment, the Minister said all eyes were on India, which in the last 12 months had been the greatest recipient of foreign direct investment and was growing faster than China. Africa wishlist for New Delhi: Help us fight Boko Haram, rebuild island, set up hospital From help to fight the Boko Haram extremist outfit to expertise in taking care of cattle, African ministers sought India’s help in a variety of sectors as they met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. They also asked for help to reconstruct an island destroyed in a volcanic eruption and set up a hospital in the world’s youngest country, as well as better defence technology and private investments in road and highways. The ministers and officials are in New Delhi for the third India-Africa Forum Summit, to be held between October 26 and 30. Cameroon Foreign Minister Lejeune Mbella asked Swaraj for help in fighting Boko Haram, which has spread in Nigeria and several neighbouring countries. “The experts will have to discuss what kind of counter-terrorism or counter-insurgency training we can give. It will have to be discussed whether our experts will go there or their troops will come here,” Ministry of External Affairs joint secretary (southern Africa) Sanjeev Kohli said, adding that Delhi has responded “positively” to the request. Cameroon also sought private sector investments in roads and highways, water and energy conservation. South Sudan Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin asked for Indian assistance in managing livestock in their country, as he felt India has experience in taking care of 14 million cattle. Benjamin also asked for help in setting up a hospital in Juba, South Sudan’s capital. Swaraj, on her part, asked for the South Sudan government’s intervention in providing security so that work on an oilfield in that country — which has stopped due to political violence — can be resumed. Cape Verde Foreign Minister Jorge Homero Tolentino Homejo asked for India’s help in the reconstruction of one of the islands destroyed due to a volcano late last year. Three villages on Fogo island have been abandoned and thousands of residents have had to be evacuated. Homejo also asked for help in the social sector, and Swaraj requested her to present specific proposals for her to consider. South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who hailed Mahatma Gandhi as a shared icon for the two countries, said that the defence technology developed as part of the Make-in-India campaign could be “beneficial” for many African countries. Keen on partnership on food security, she also sought more scholarships and technical assistance. Malawi Foreign Minister George Chaponda asked for Indian assistance to develop small-scale mining. The country also supported India’s bid for the UN Security Council seat. Zimbabwe’s representative, who described ties with India as “all-season friendship”, asked Swaraj for assistance in agriculture. The representative of Ghana, whose trade with India has doubled in recent years, praised the Indian diaspora and sought more development assistance. Help change world order, Sudan tells India On the third day of the India-Africa Forum Summit, political disagreement over the United States became evident between India and Sudan, one of the major emerging energy suppliers for India. While India focused on the commercial aspect of India-Africa ties, Sudan forcefully demanded that the summit should seek to change the world order. In the official briefings, the Ministry of External Affairs highlighted the trade talks taking place between leaders of India and several African countries during the summit, but Sudan’s Foreign Minister told that his country wanted to discuss Africa’s rightful place in the changed United Nations Security Council and also wanted to highlight how American domination of world affairs was proving to be counter-productive. “We believe that the final statement of the summit should incorporate how an entire continent has been brushed away from the U.N. Security Council due to old power structure of the world order,” said Ibrahim A. Ghandour, Foreign Minister of Sudan, while addressing the media. Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir, who was scheduled to land in Delhi, is facing an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice in Rome, and Sudan has interpreted the arrest warrant as a sign of Western conspiracy against its self-driven economic policies. “American actions and sanctions against Sudan have no foundation. Unilateral sanctions from the U.S. need to end,” said Prof. Ghandour. MEA officials, however, refused to acknowledge that some of the summit participants were demanding an end to American domination over the world. Sudan has also criticised the global human rights campaign against President Al Bashir, suggesting that the campaign was motivated and was a facade for Western interests. India has faced considerable pressure for the last few months to support and act on the ICC’s arrest warrant against Al Bashir. Expressing ambitious Sudanese position on several issues of global importance, Prof. Ghandour said that the world was fast changing, and Sudan, with a stable government, would play an active role all the way from the coast of Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
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“India is an important buyer of energy from Sudan. Now, we want to diversify the relationship with India and spread it to other areas like security which is crumbling all around due to mishandling,” said Prof. Ghandour who said that India should disregard the old power structure of the world and push harder to get a share of the African market. Talks with African leaders Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with heads of several African nations during which U.N. reforms, combating challenge of terrorism and boosting trade and investment, particularly in the oil and gas sector, figured prominently. The African leaders appreciated India’s development projects in their continent. In his meeting, South African President Jacob Zuma strongly called for reform of the global governance system and said the U.N. structure, which was set up after the Second World War, could not remain relevant in 21st Century. The Prime Minister also met Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, and Chairman of the African Union. Both the leaders discussed issues of common interest, including U.N. reforms and the threat of terrorism. Govt. limits surrogacy to ‘infertile Indian couples’ Making it clear that India will not be a baby farm for “foreigners,” the Centre told the Supreme Court that it did not support rent-a-womb commercial surrogacy and would make such exploitation of women and children wombs punishable under the law. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said surrogacy would be “altruistic” and not commercial, and limited to “infertile Indian married couples and not to foreigners.” “The Government of India does not support commercial surrogacy as a policy stand and also the scope of surrogacy is limited to Indian married infertile couples only and not to foreigners,” the Ministry said in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court. This provision, it said, would be part of The Assisted Reproductive Techniques (Regulation) Bill, 2014, which was currently doing the rounds among the States for comments. The Ministry was silent on whether the new law limited surrogacy only to “married couples” or would go further and allow single parents to have and raise surrogate children. It said the paramount goal of the new law was to protect surrogate mothers. The Ministry further said that it was against the import of human embryo for surrogacy purposes. Nutrition bureau axed, anti-poverty schemes starved Forty years after being established with a mandate to generate data on the nutritional status of socially vulnerable groups, the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) has been shut down by the Union Health Ministry. The bureau, under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), had been critical in informing the government’s poverty alleviation interventions with periodic assessments of nutrient deficiency among tribal communities, pregnant women, adolescents and “at-risk” elderly population in India. “The problem was that the bureau was running in a project mode. Government programmes that run in a project mode for this long are not sustainable. We have been asked to shut down that particular project,” said Soumya Swaminathan, Director-General, ICMR, and Secretary, Health Research Department. In countries such as India where nutrition has a cultural significance, such organisations provide a good understanding of what people eat and what, therefore, can be culturally accepted nutritional interventions, said Amit Sengupta, convener of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, the Indian chapter of the People’s Health Movement. “These decisions have to be seen in the context of the fact that we have the largest population of the nutritionally deprived in the world. Our child malnutrition numbers are the highest in the world. This is a real emergency and the NNMB plays a very important role in projecting data in terms of what people are eating. The data gathered by the NNMB informs the policy intervention to address under-nutrition. At this time, for the government to dismantle the project means that we are likely to end up in a situation where the government’s solutions are neither culturally acceptable nor effective to meet our health challenges,” he said. The bureau was the only organisation involved in continuous collection of data on actual dietary intakes of households as a whole as well as by individuals belonging to different age and physiological groups in different States. The bureau is among many research organisations hit by the government’s cash crunch. As reported , the Union Science and Technology Ministry has asked scientific research organisations under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to start “self-financing” projects, turning research projects into “for-profit” ventures over the next two years. Centre takes steps to speed up affordable housing schemes Officials of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MHUPA) met the representatives of other Ministries — Finance, Defence, Culture, Civil Aviation, Environment and Forests and Climate Change to set up a system through which affordable housing projects are cleared at a faster pace. At present, the government is battling a housing deficit of 18.78 million units and 95 per cent of it is required for the economically weaker population which lives in and around the urban centres. Since the government takes an average of 18 months to clear one affordable housing project, it is hard to foresee it catching up on this massive deficit. The Centre is already in talks with 20 States, urging them to “reduce stamp duties, registration and conversion fee” so that the housing stock for the poor and low-income people is quickly filled across 989 cities. Single window clearance Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Tuesday that “considerable progress” had been made to set up “single window” clearance mechanism. Addressing an audience at a day-long workshop on affordable housing, Mr. Naidu said 140 lending agencies had signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Central nodal agencies such as the National Housing Bank and the
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Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) for extending financial support to housing projects under the Credit Linked Subsidy component of the Urban Housing Mission. These agencies include 54 scheduled commercial banks, 63 housing finance corporations, 16 regional rural banks and 7 cooperative banks. So far, the main hurdle in filling the housing stock is shortage of land in urban areas, stringent land use regulations, inadequate infrastructure to support more housing neighbourhoods, rising costs of construction material, insufficient financing, restricted mortgage financing and rent control laws. The ministry aims to build two crore houses in urban areas by 2022. India, Africa two bright spots of hope, opportunity: Modi Calling India and Africa “the two bright spots of hope and opportunities in the global economy,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the leaders of African nations that India and Africa must “speak in one voice” for U.N. reforms. He was addressing representatives of African nations at the third India-Africa Forum Summit. “This is a world of free nations and awakened aspirations. Our institutions cannot be representative of our world, if they do not give voice to Africa, with more than a quarter of U.N. members or the world’s largest democracy with one- sixth of humanity,” he said. Bilateral meetings Mr. Modi, who held bilateral meetings with all 40 leaders present in Delhi, the largest such representation at an African summit outside the continent, also spoke to them about the need to coordinate their positions at the U.N. during its 70th year, when India hopes the reform process will be taken forward. During his address, he outlined India’s vision and desire to assist Africa in building infrastructure from “Cairo to Cape Town, Marrakesh to Mombassa.” He announced credit at a concessional rate of $10 billion over five years, in addition to about $7.4 billion that India has already pledged since 2008, and the first summit. “We will also offer a grant assistance of $600 million. This will include an India-Africa Development Fund of $100 million and an India-Africa Health Fund of $10 million,” he said, adding that 50,000 scholarships would be given to African students. PM Narendra Modi offers Africa $10 billion soft loan, seeks stronger ties India offered a concessional credit of USD 10 billion to Africa over the next five years and a grant assistance of USD 600 million even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for deeper ties in key areas of counter- terrorism, climate change and UN reforms. Addressing the inaugural session of the 3rd India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) describing it as a “meeting of dreams of the one-third humanity under one roof”, Modi said the heart beat of 1.25 billion Indians and 1.25 billion Africans is in rhythm and the partnership was “beyond strategic concerns and economic benefits.” Admitting that there are times when India has not done as well as they have wanted and not fulfilled commitments as quickly as it should have, he said the country will raise the level of its support for the vision of a prosperous, integrated and united Africa that was a major partner for the world. “To add strength to our partnership, India will offer concessional credit of USD 10 billion over the next five years. This will be in addition to our ongoing credit programme. “We will also offer a grant assistance of USD 600 million. This will include an India-Africa Development Fund of USD 100 million and an India-Africa Health Fund of USD 10 million. It will also include 50,000 scholarships in India over the next five years,” the Prime Minister announced. Noting that India has committed USD 7.4 billion in concessional credit and 1.2 billion dollars in grant since the first India-Africa Summit in 2008, Modi said it is creating 100 capacity-building institutions, and developing infrastructure, public transport, clean energy, irrigation, agriculture and manufacturing capacity across Africa. During his nearly half-an-hour speech at the session, which was attended by 41 Heads of State and Government and hundreds of senior officials from 54 African countries, Modi called for stronger ties in the strategic areas of counter- terrorism and climate change as well as on UN reforms. Stressing the need for UN Security Council reforms, he noted that the world was undergoing political, economic, and technological and security transition on a scale and speed rarely seen in recent history. Seeking greater counter-terrorism ties, the Prime Minister said , in many parts of the world, the light of a bright future flickers in the storm of violence and instability. “When terror snuffs out life on the streets and beaches, and in malls and schools of Africa, we feel your pain as our own. And, we see the links that unite us against this threat. We also see that when our oceans are no longer safe for trade, we all suffer together,” he asserted. First Scorpene class submarine set afloat in Mumbai Kalvari, the first ship of Scorpene class submarines being manufactured at Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), was set afloat in the Mumbai naval dockyard, setting the stage for its sea trials, and eventual commissioning on schedule in Sept 2016. The submarine mounted on a pontoon was moved out of submarine yard at the MDL, and it was set afloat in the naval dockyard after a ceremony to mark the milestone. 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Scorpene submarines are 67 meters long, 6.2 meters wide and have 1,550 tonnes displacement. The state-of-art features of the Scorpene include superior stealth and the ability to launch an attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as tube launched anti-ship missiles, underwater or on surface. Designed to operate in all theatres including the Tropics, the submarines can undertake multifarious missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, operations by special forces and mine laying etc. The Mazagon Dock is presently constructing six Scorpene class submarines under Project 75 under transfer of technology from DCNS, France. Subsequent boats will be delivered at gaps of nine months from each other. All six are expected to be delivered by 2020. India lost 159 soldiers in African peace missions Demands during the just concluded India-Africa Forum Summit for Indian assistance in fighting terrorism and upgrading military capabilities in Africa has come against the backdrop of the country’s stupendous military contribution to the continent. At present, almost 6,000 Indian soldiers are deployed under the U.N. peacekeeping force across Africa and 159 have died over the years. A bulk of the soldiers are in Congo (about 3,000) and South Sudan (about 2,200), while the remaining are in Sudan, Ivory Coast and West Sahara, defence officials said, underscoring the fact most soldiers in this continent on peacekeeping missions. “Our soldiers are very well respected in Africa due to their professionalism and also the traditional goodwill and historical links that India has with Africa,” a senior officer who served in Congo told . On the reasons for asking Indian help, Lt. Gen. Chander Prakash (retd.), former Force Commander for U.N. Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said: “We are a professional Army while some of the African nations are still stabilising their armies. Also we have better understanding of these countries than many others.” However, fighting the Boko Haram and peace keeping are two different things, he added. “Each of it is a challenge in itself.” Interestingly, officials said that India has long assisted Nigeria, also fighting the same terrorist group, in military training and capacity building. Over the years, a large number of military officers from Africa have been trained in Indian military academies and the practices eventually make way into the military traditions back home, they noted. Former Cabinet Secretary to head panel on new education policy Former Cabinet secretary T.S.R. Subramanian has been appointed chairperson of a committee set up by the Human Resource Development Ministry to draft the new education policy. The committee, which has been mandated to submit the draft of the new policy no later than December 31, 2015, also has on board Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary, NCT of Delhi; Sewaram Sharma, former Home Secretary, NCT of Delhi; Sudhir Mankad, former Chief Secretary of Gujarat, and J.S. Rajput, former Director, NCERT. The National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) will act as its Secretariat, the Ministry said in a statement. Pamban bridge to get new span The Railways have chosen the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), its subsidiary company, to fabricate and build a new span to replace the ageing Scherzer’s span at the century-old Pamban rail bridge, India’s first cantilever bridge. “We are designing the new span as a 66-metre-long single truss span, instead of the present two leaves, in consultation with the Indian Institute of Technology (Madras) and after RVNL completed the fabrication, the Scherzer’s span will pave way for the new span by December next year,”. The Railways were working on three different types “but will most probably go for the elegant single truss vertically lifting type span on the lines of Bacalan-Bastide lift bridge, a road bridge in France,” he said. The new motorised span could be operated by a press of a button and with the help of electric motors and could be frequently opened in between and adjacent two trains, adding the new span would also facilitate operation of 24-bogie length trains to Rameswaram island and enhance the speed. New scheme: Confirmed ticket on next train for waitlisted passengers Waitlisted passengers on two sectors of the Indian Railways will be able to get confirmed berths in the next train on the same route, as per a new experiment the national transporter is trying out. The Railways issued a statement saying the pilot project of a new scheme, named Vikalp, will be launched on the Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu routes. The idea is to accommodate waitlisted passengers into another train on the same route subject to availability. For the first six months, the option will be available only to those who book tickets online and for Mail or Express trains. “We will assess the passenger feedback and, based on the assessment, will extend the scheme to other routes as well,” said a Railway spokesman.
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At no extra cost, passengers booking online will be presented with a menu of alternate trains on same route if the train has waitlisted tickets. The Railways aims to achieve the twin objectives of providing confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and to ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation by this scheme. If a passenger opts for the Vikalp scheme while booking tickets online, he/she will get an SMS alert about confirmed accommodation in an alternative train. Pakistan to attend disaster management drill in India Amid the anti-Pakistan rants by Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah in Bihar, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is all set to welcome a 10-member delegation from Pakistan to attend a simulation exercise on disaster management in India. Brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the MHA and the Ministry of External Affairs are leaving no stone unturned to make the event a success. Post-Nepal earthquake, India took the lead to begin the process of Simulation Exercises on Disaster Management in the region, coined as ‘South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise’ (SAADMEx). India requested the participation of all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries for augmenting current levels of individual and joint preparedness for rescue, relief and response efforts during disaster situations. The exercise will be held from November 23-26. Common ground The April earthquake also affected many parts of India and Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif called up Mr. Modi to express condolences then. It was during this brief conversation that Mr. Modi suggested that SAARC countries conduct regular joint exercises on disaster relief and rescue. Besides Pakistan, other SAARC members Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan have confirmed their attendance. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is the nodal agency for the exercise. “There will be two kinds of simulation exercise, one for earthquake and another for chemical emergency. The physical demonstration will be done at Greater Noida [chemical] and Ghaziabad [earthquake]. We have received nominations from Pakistan as well as other SAARC members,” said O.P Singh, DG, NDRF. The main focus of ‘SAADMEx – 2015’ will be to test inter-governmental coordination efforts, create synergy and synchronise efforts to institutionalise regional cooperation on disaster response among the member-countries. HC’s golden jubilee event begins with ‘justice for all’
The golden jubilee celebrations of the Delhi High Court began with its theme being devoted to the concept of ‘justice for all’. Inaugurating the celebrations, President Pranab Mukherjee said this phrase implies empowerment of the weak and equal treatment of law irrespective of one’s individual identity.
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The inaugural function at Vigyan Bhawan witnessed participation of a galaxy of the Supreme Court and High Court judges, lawyers, jurists, presiding officers of lower courts, and the court staff. The High Court of Delhi had its origin in the Lahore High Court, which was established on March 21, 1919. After independence, the Punjab High Courts Order led to the establishment of a new High Court for East Punjab. The Delhi High Court was established on October 31, 1966. “The Delhi High Court is the first in the country to adopt information technology in judicial system,” .Lieutenant- Governor Najeeb Jung said the Delhi High Court had established impeccable standards of integrity and upheld the highest principles of independence of judiciary and separation of powers. Cargo vehicle begins trial run on new Dhaka route The first trial run of a cargo vehicle on the Kolkata-Agartala via Dhaka route was flagged off . It will reduce the distance between Kolkata and Agartala nearly by two-third. This is a part of the four-nation agreement among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) for cross-border movement of people and goods. Known as the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic, it was signed in Thimpu on June 15. Unlike the traditional land route in which one has to cover a distance of 1,550 km via Siliguri in north Bengal to reach Agartala in Tripura from Kolkata, in the alternative route the distance would be reduced to 640 km as cargo vehicles will be transiting through Bangladesh. “The benefits of the project are obvious as with the shortening of distance, transport cost will also come down,” said Vijay Chhibber, Secretary, Union Ministry of Road and Highways, who flagged off the trial run. The alternative route is likely to make the movement of goods between the north- eastern State and rest of the country more convenient. As Tripura and north-eastern States such as Meghalaya and Manipur share a long border with Bangladesh, cross-border movement of goods via Dhaka will be more cost effective and less time consuming. “Tripura is the entry point to the north-east. In fact Manipur, Mizoram and the southern part of Assam will be connected with the rest of the country by this alternative route,” said Mr. Chhibber. Passenger movement between Kolkata and Dhaka has already been started. Experts are of the opinion that financial benefits of the alternative route will not be limited to the reduction in transport expenditure. “Beyond cost saving, it will also increase our connectivity with our eastern neighbours as well as the Association of South East Asian Nations, Prithviraj Nath, policy analyst and centre head, Consumer Unity and Trust Society, Kolkata. India has a more balanced population compared with China The Communist Party of China's decision to relax the 30-year-old single child rule underlines inherent weaknesses of the policy that will see a sharp decline in women in child bearing age over the next 10 years while the number grows for India, generating more balanced population growth. Though the Chinese programme managed to curb the pace of population growth, over time, it will result in the number of children per women remaining below replacement rate while India fertility rate comes close to an ideal two children per woman rate by 2035. The economic and strategic implications of an aging population are clear enough in terms of rising pension and healthcare costs, lower contributions from working generations and declining human workforce for industry and military service and seem to have been the prompt for the Chinese leadership to reverse a long standing decision. Various studies, including a 2025 India-China projection by Rand Corporation, point to China's population growth turning negative sometime after 2025, while the population pyramid for India presents a more even picture. The Chinese population pyramid shows the bottom layers shrinking in comparison to the ones above from 2000-2035, indicating a fertility rate that falls below replacement level. On the other hand, because India's fertility rate is above replacement level, the lower layers - or younger segments of population - are larger than older ones. A narrower base indicates that less number of young people will be increasingly burdened with caring for a larger number of older persons, a scenario that is already visible in Chinese society. India's short-lived brush with forcible birth control fortuitously ended with the Emergency and, over time, planners discovered the benefits of a population dividend while outbound migration went down. The utility of more evening of the aging population certainly depends on India's capacity to generate economic opportunities on a sustained basis. For China, which has delivered impressive results in terms of health, education and gender equality, the jagged shape of population pyramids in the years ahead a worrisome prospect. The bulges will move up the age cohorts, spelling rising burdens for the Chinese state and society. While China has had a larger share of working age population for over four decades, going forward the number of youth in the under 15 age group will be larger for India. The dependency ratios for India will still see more youths than older persons depending on working age populations by 2035, providing hope of an expanding production base. Supreme Court sets 2005 cut-off on women right to ancestral property In a ruling that will restrict the right of women seeking equal share in ancestral property, the Supreme Court has said that the 2005 amendment in Hindu law will not give property rights to a daughter if the father died before the amendment came into force. The court held that the amended provisions of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, could not have retrospective effect despite it being a social legislation. The court said the father would have had to be alive on September 9, 2005, if the daughter were to become a co-sharer with her male siblings.
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The Hindu Succession Act, 1956, originally did not give daughters inheritance rights in ancestral property. They could only ask for a right to sustenance from a joint Hindu family. But this disparity was removed by an amendment to the Act on September 9, 2005. The apex court judgment has now added another disqualification for women regarding their right of inheritance. Until now, they could not ask for a share if the property had been alienated or partitioned before December 20, 2004, the date the Bill was introduced. This judgment makes it imperative for the father to have been alive when the amendment came into force. Settling the law in the wake of a clutch of appeals arising out of high court judgments, a bench of Justices Anil R Dave and Adarsh K Goel recently held that the date of a daughter becoming coparcener (having equal right in an ancestral property) is “on and from the commencement of the Act”. The bench overruled the view taken by some high courts that the amendment being a gender legislation that aimed at according equal rights to the daughter in ancestral property by removing discrimination, should be applied retrospectively. Interpreting statutory provisions, the top court shot down the argument that a daughter acquires right by birth, and even if her father had died prior to the amendment, the shares of the parties were required to be redefined. “The text of the amendment itself clearly provides that the right conferred on a ‘daughter of a coparcener’ is ‘on and from the commencement’ of the amendment Act. In view of plain language of the statute, there is no scope for a different interpretation than the one suggested by the text,” it said. Further, there is neither any express provision for giving retrospective effect to the amended provision nor necessary intent, noted the court, adding “even a social legislation cannot be given retrospective effect unless so provided for or so intended by the legislature”. About applicability of the amendment to the daughters born before it was brought, the bench held that the new law would apply irrespective of the date of birth. “All that is required is that the daughter should be alive and her father should also be alive on the date of the amendment,” it said. The court also held that alienation of ancestral property, including its partition, which may have taken place before December 20, 2004, in accordance with the law applicable at that time, would remain unaffected by the 2005 amendment, and those partitions can no longer be reopened by daughters. India becomes world's 7th most valued 'nation brand'; US on top India has moved up one position to become the world's seventh most valued 'nation brand', with an increase of 32 per cent in its brand value to $2.1 billion. The US remains on the top with a valuation of $19.7 billion, followed by China and Germany at the second and the third positions respectively, as per the annual report on world's most valuable nation brands compiled by Brand Finance. The UK is ranked 4th, Japan is at fifth position and France is sixth on the list. While India and France have moved up one position each since last year, all the top-five countries have retained their respective places. However, the surge of 32 per cent in India's 'nation brand value' is the highest among all the top-20 countries on the list. China has retained its second position despite a decline of one per cent in its brand value to $6.3 billion. Brand Finance said it measures the strength and value of the nation brands of 100 leading countries using a method based on the royalty relief mechanism employed to value the world's largest companies. The nation brand valuation is based on five year forecasts of sales of all brands in each nation and follows a complex process. The Gross domestic product (GDP) is used as a proxy for total revenues. The report also said that India's 'Incredible India' slogan has worked well, while Germany suffered due to the Volkswagen crisis. About the US, the report said it remains a powerful brand with an inviting business climate. "However its value comes in large part from the country's sheer economic scale... The US' world-leading higher education system and the soft power arising from its dominance of the music and entertainment industries are significant contributors too. "This soft power will help the US to retain the most valuable nation brand for some time after China's seemingly imminent rise to become the world's biggest economy," it added. The study further said that China's recent stock market turbulence and slowing growth will also extend the US' tenure of the top spot. Among Brics nations, India is the only country to have witnessed an increase in its brand value with all others — Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa — seeing a dip in their respective brand valuations. India is the second most valued among these emerging economies after China, followed by Brazil, Russia and South Africa.
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India pushes for NSG membership With the visit of the Nuclear Suppliers Group chairperson, India is fast-pacing its pitch for membership to the 48- member nuclear club. In a string of visits by officials abroad, as well as incoming visits planned, NSG membership, as well as membership of the other major groupings: MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime), Australian and Wassenaar Arrangement are in focus, officials have confirmed. The push for the nuclear clubs, whose members can trade in and export nuclear technology, comes despite a setback to India’s efforts in early October this year, when the MTCR group met in Oslo, but failed to take up the membership application. Officials are now hopeful of being considered for MTCR membership in “early spring 2016,” and for the NSG at its plenary session in June 2016. Speaking to The Hindu during his visit, NSG Chairperson Rafael Grossi said he would start consultations with NSG members in early November. “India is willing to join the NSG now, today if possible. It has all the elements in place for membership. There have been some deliberations already, and I am trying to make the process more dynamic,” he said, as Indian officials acknowledged there was a “fast-tracking” of the decision-making process. As the 48-member NSG works by consensus, not majority, India is reaching out to every possible country, much like the push at the UNGA for reforms. On Monday, the visit of Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, was significant as Norway is the outgoing MTCR chair, and had said there was “broad consensus for Indian membership in MTCR, but regrettably no consensus yet.” According to an MEA statement Mr. Brende expressed Norway’s “support” for India's membership to the NSG and MTCR regimes. In the past few months, President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Sweden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ireland and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar’s visit to Switzerland all saw “intense discussions” over the NSG question. The support of all these countries, including Norway is critical, as previously they had all been seen as “non- proliferation hardliners,” insisting that India sign the NPT before it could be admitted. However, in the past few years, they have softened their position, calling instead for India to align its civil nuclear safeguards with NSG guidelines. Equally, India has given in on its earlier stand that it must be recognised as a “nuclear weapons state,” as that is unlikely in the current scenario. “There has been a growing appreciation for Indian nuclear controls and capabilities since 2008,” said an Indian official, “They have had six years to see us keep our word on all our nuclear commitments.” India’s biggest worry remains possible opposition from China, but hopes to smooth this over as the two sides engage on climate change and nuclear energy ahead of the Paris summit, officials confirmed. Vice-President Li Yuanchao will be in Delhi on November 6 for discussions on a range of issues. China “noted” India’s aspirations to the NSG for the first time in May 2015, but also recognised Pakistan’s aspirations for the same in June 2015, leading to speculation that when the NSG decides on India’s membership it would open the way for other non-NPT states like Pakistan and Israel as well. Finally, India hopes to conclude its nuclear deal with Australia as early as this month, possibly ahead of Mr. Modi’s meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the sidelines of the G-20 on November 15. Confirming this would happen “very soon,” Australian Foreign Secretary Peter Varghese told The Hindu , “We are very close to an agreement on the details of the arrangement, and I think we will find a solution that is consistent with Australia’s policy requirements and India’s policy practice,” he said, referring to the sticking point of tracking Australian nuclear fuel. A nuclear deal with Japan that has been hanging fire for several years, would be the icing on the cake, say officials, with a possible visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Delhi in December. ‘Extradition pact not invoked’ The 2011 extradition treaty is in force and the deportation of gangster Chhota Rajan is under way through “other mechanisms,” External Affairs Ministry Secretary Anil Wadhwa confirmed. The Ministry clarified that Indonesia had initially sought an “exchange of notes” on the 2011 agreement, before “realising, in consultation with Indian authorities, that it was unnecessary” in the case of Chhota Rajan. Mr. Wadhwa was speaking to the media after the signing of pacts that followed delegation-level talks between Vice-President Hamid Ansari and his Indonesian counterpart Jusuf Kalla. Norway backs India’s bid for UNSC membership Norway supported India’s bid for securing membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), besides the UN Security Council even as the two countries held talks to boost ties. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Norwegian counterpart Borge Brende, co-chairing the joint commission meeting, decided to hold a bilateral dialogue on trade and investments to explore untapped opportunities.
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The meeting, fifth in series, reviewed the gamut of bilateral ties and explored ways to step up engagement in many areas. Norway evinced interest in participating in the Make in India initiative, smart cities and clean Ganga projects and development of ports, sources said. Brende conveyed to Swaraj that Norway supports India’s bid for membership of MTCR, NSG and the UN Security Council. Swaraj also mentioned about the role of outgoing MTCR chair, Ronald Waess of Norway.
ECONOMY NEWS Income Tax Dept sets up panel to simplify tax law The Income Tax Department announced that it has set up a committee in order to simplify the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The committee will be chaired by Justice R.V. Easwar, a former Judge of the Delhi High Court and former President, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. The committee’s objective is to study and identify the provisions or phrases in the Act that are leading to litigation due to different interpretations, that are impacting the ease of doing business, and those that can be simplified. The committee is also tasked with suggesting alternatives to these provisions or phrases “to bring about predictability and certainty in tax laws without substantial impact on the tax base and revenue collection”, the Central Board of Direct Taxes said in a release. e-sahyog In a separate bid to simply tax issues, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched a pilot project of 'e-sahyog', an initiative by the Income Tax Department to provide an online portal to help taxpayers resolve any mismatches in their returns without having to visit the Income Tax Department offices. “Under this initiative the Department will provide an end to end e-service using SMS, e-mails to inform the taxpayers of the mismatch. The taxpayer will simply need to visit the e-filing portal and log in with their user-ID and password to view mismatch related information and submit online response on the issue,” the Income Tax Department said in a release. Mr Jaitley also inaugurated a two-day drive to increase the penetration of PAN cards by holding special PAN camps in remote areas. Under this drive, special PAN camps are being held over two days at 43 remote semi-urban and rural locations. More such camps will be held through the year. “The camps will ease the burden of compliance for persons residing in remote semi-urban and rural areas who wish to enter into transactions of purchase or s ale above Rs 1 lakh,” the release said. Essar Projects-Saipem JV awarded KNPC's $1.6 bn EPC contract Essar Projects—engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) arm of Essar Group—has, along with Italy’s Saipem S.p.A, won a $1.57 billion order from Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) for setting up Al-Zour Refinery Project, in the State of Kuwait. Essar Projects has a join venture with Italy's Saipem S.p.A. The New Refinery Project at Al Zour is Kuwait’s biggest development project with crude processing capacity of 615,000 barrels per day (bpd). With this order, Essar Project’s order book has swelled to $2.8 billion, with projects being executed in nine countries. The company has a track record of setting up large and complex projects in Oil & Gas (E&P as well as refineries), Power, Ports and Steel. RIL, ONGC rank among top-20 global energy firms Both of India’s largest oil and gas explorers — ONGC and RIL — significantly improved their rankings in the 2015 edition of the benchmark Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings. RIL also regained its top spot among Indian companies on the list, usurping ONGC. RIL, which ranked 22, last year, came in at 14 place in 2015. ONGC improved its rankings from 21 in 2014 to 17 in 2015. “RIL, which was pushed to the No. 2 position in 2014 by ONGC, not only regained its premier slot among Indian energy performers, but has also moved significantly higher relative to its overall global ranking last year,” Platts said in a release. This year’s rankings also mark the highest Indian representation in the top 250 energy companies in the world, with 14 Indian companies making the list. Coal India also made significant improvements in its global rankings, with the largest pure coal mining Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 16 2015 CA_028,029,030,031,001,002,003
company in the world seeing its rank climb to 38th place from 47th place last year. “The state miner’s challenge has been keeping up with strong internal demand and achieving the coal ministry's ambitious extraction targets. Coal India replaced Indian Oil Corporation for the No. 3 position this year, among India companies,” the release said. NTPC came in as the fourth-highest ranked Indian company, but dropped in the global rankings to 56 place from 50 in 2014. Bharat Petroleum Corp. came in at 59 in 2015 Indian Oil Corporation ranked 66th. This marks a significant slip for IOC, which ranked 43rd in 2014. Gail India and Cairn India also saw their ranks fall. Gail’s rank fell to 120 from 97th in 2014, while Cairn India fell to 139 places from 104. “Most Indian energy companies saw their growth rates ebb. Only two firms — Power Grid Corp and Essar Oil — placed on the list of top 50 fastest growing companies this year, down from seven a year ago,” Platts said. The rankings are based on a combined assessment of assets, revenues, profits and return on invested capital for the previous financial year. The global rankings were topped by Exxon Mobil at rank 1 and Chevron Corporation in second place. Two Chinese companies made it to the top five. Easier to start business in India, difficult to get credit: World Bank report It has become more difficult for Indian businesses to access credit and pay taxes, but it is much easier to start a business, according to World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2016. India improved its performance on three parameters—starting a business, getting construction permits and accessing electricity—in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index 2016, as compared with last year, but saw its performance deteriorate with regard to two parameters—getting loans and paying taxes. India moved up nine spots in the starting a business category to 155 in 2016 from 164 last year. India also registered a substantial improvement in providing electricity to businesses, moving up 29 spots to 70. Its ranking for dealing with construction permits moved up one spot to 183. Although India has shown improvement on these criteria in the current round of rankings, the numbers indicate the extent of work still required to make India a business-friendly place. India slipped six spots in terms of accessing credit to 42, implying that it has become much more difficult to get loans in India. To be sure, it is one of the two criteria where India is in the top 50. It also slipped one spot in the criterion of ease of paying taxes. In other areas such as protecting minority investors, registering property, trading across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency, the rankings for India remained the same as last year. In the area of protecting minority interests of shareholders, India is ranked eighth, its best across all parameters, while it is ranked in the bottom 15 in dealing with construction permits and enforcing contracts. The Indian government is looking at ways to resolve insolvency issues and enforce contracts through legislations like the bankruptcy law and public contracts dispute resolution bill—criteria where it is faring badly in the ease of doing business rankings. India is ranked 178 in enforcing contracts and 136 in resolving insolvency. It takes more than 44 months to enforce a contract with the costs incurred in court charges and attorney fees are almost 40% of the claims value. Another criterion is resolving insolvency issues. According to data collected by the bank, creditors receive only 25% of their dues at the end of insolvency proceedings while spending more than 9% of the size of the asset in costs. In the World Bank report released, India saw its ranking improve by four spots to 130 from 134 last year. The ranking for both the years are part of a revised methodology adopted by the bank. “In the past year, India eliminated the paid-in minimum capital requirement and streamlined the process for starting a business. More reforms are ongoing—in starting a business and other areas measured by Doing Business—though the full effects are yet to be felt,” the World Bank said. India’s performance is likely to improve on other parameters as well next year when some of the steps taken by the government in the past few months gets reflected in the index, according to Onno Ruhl, country director, World Bank India. “In the area of enforcing contracts, e-filing, e-payments and trading across borders, the Indian government is doing a lot of work and the progress will be seen in next year’s report,” he said. Comparing the two states of Mumbai and Delhi, the report showed it takes 14 procedures to register a firm in around 29 days in Mumbai; 12 procedures in the same amount of time in Delhi. The cost incurred to start a business in Delhi is much lower than the time taken for a business to start operations in Mumbai. While the cost incurred (calculated as a percentage of economy’s income per capita) is 17% for businesses in Mumbai, it is 10.4% in Delhi. The cost includes all official fees and charges for legal or professional services if such services are required by law. Getting construction permits can still be a nightmare for firms in both the states. It takes 147 days and 40 procedures to get a construction permit in Mumbai; in Delhi, it is 231 days and 28 procedures. Getting an electricity connection takes a firm 123 days in Delhi, but only 53 days in Mumbai. Registering a property can take 47 days in both Mumbai and Delhi. When it comes to facilitating trade, it is easy for trading across borders if you are a firm based in Mumbai with both the cost and time taken much lower than those in Delhi.
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India’s wealth rose 211% in last 15 years India has seen a whopping 211% increase in its wealth over the last 15 years — much higher than the US, UK, Japan, France, Germany or Brazil. Only four other countries — Indonesia, China, Russia and Australia — have done better than India. Indonesia's wealth increased by 362% while China saw an increase of 341%, Russia 253% and Australia 248%. Some of the major western countries have seen a marginal increase in their wealth over the last decade and a half. While Japan saw its wealth increase by a modest 39%, it was 41% for the US and 58% for the UK. In India, wealth per capita increased from $900 in 2000 to $2,800 in 2015. India is now the 10th richest country in the world, ranked according to total individual wealth. "Total individual wealth" refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals in each country. The downside, however, is India and Indonesia make it to the top 20 richest list due to their large populations. On a per capita basis, the two countries are quite poor. When ranked according to per capita wealth, India ranks last in the top 20 countries. According to the New World Wealth's report on the wealthiest 20 countries in the world, when looking at per capita wealth, Switzerland topped the charts with $285,100 per capita wealth followed by Australia ($204400), US ($150600) and UK ($147600). New World Wealth had earlier revealed that Pune was India's fastest growing city with multi-millionaires and seven of the 20 fastest growing cities for the super-rich in Asia Pacific were from India. Pune saw a whopping 317% growth in the number of multi-millionaires between 2004 and 2014 — the numbers increasing from 60 to 250. Overall, Pune is ranked third fastest growing city for the super-rich in the Asia Pacific region after Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, which saw a 400% growth (from 40 to 200), and Jakarta, which recorded a 396% increase (from 280 to 1390) multimillionaires. Mumbai was ranked fourth fastest city with a 220% increase — 840 multi-millionaires in 2004 increasing to 2690 in the next 10 years. Hyderabad took the fifth rank with 510 multi-millionaires at present (a 219% increase in the last decade). Delhi which is home to 1,350 multi-millionaires in 2014 as against 430 in 2004 — recorded an increase by 214%. World Bank projects sub-8% growth till 2018 The World Bank projected that India’s GDP growth will remain below 8 per cent till 2018, the penultimate year of the Modi Government’s tenure. The projection contrasts sharply with the Government’s projection that the growth rate will cross 8 per cent this year and will be in double digits before the end of its term. “Productivity and investment need to accelerate to match India’s ambitions of double-digit growth,” World Bank’s Senior Country Economist for India Frederico Gil Sander cautioned, releasing its India Development Update. GDP growth is expected to accelerate gradually to 7.5 per cent in 2015-16 and to 7.8 and 7.9 per cent in the subsequent two fiscal years, the Update projected. However, this acceleration in growth is conditional on the growth rate of investment picking up to 8.8 per cent during the period 2015-16 to 2017-18, it said. “While growth will very likely remain above 7 per cent in the next fiscal year, there is significant uncertainty about the momentum of the economy.” The projections would have been higher if the Constitutional Amendment Bill meant for the rollout of the Goods & Service Tax had cleared Parliament, Country Director World Bank India Onno Ruhl told reporters. For the economy to achieve its potential, the Update called for three key reforms: First, boosting balance sheets of the banking sector by addressing the underlying challenges in the infrastructure sector, especially power and roads. Second, continuing to improve the ease of doing business and enacting the GST and third, enhancing the capacity of states and local governments to deliver public services as more resources are devolved from the centre. The World Bank flagged the contraction in exports for the past 10 months, resulting in a loss of market share, and the stressed financial sector as key concerns. “Although India may be able to achieve fast GDP growth without export growth for a short period, sustaining high rates of GDP growth over a longer period will require a recovery of export growth…India has lost market share in the global export market as India’s exports have become uncompetitive,” the Update noted. It also cautioned that since oil prices are unlikely to fall further, reducing deficits beyond the current financial year will be another key challenge for the Modi Government. The Update lauded the build-up in India’s foreign exchange reserves: from a level equivalent to six months of imports in 2012-13 to nine months of imports as a consequence of the current account deficit narrowing. It projected the deficit to widen marginally to (-) 1.4 per cent this year followed by (-) 1.7 per cent and (-) 2 per cent in the subsequent two years. It also praised the greater devolution of taxes to the states and the higher capital spending by the Centre. RBI allows NRIs to subscribe to National Pension System To enable Indians living abroad to access old age income security, Reserve Bank has allowed non-resident Indians (NRIs) to subscribe to the National Pension System (NPS). "It has now been decided, in consultation with the Government, to enable National Pension System (NPS) as an investment option for NRIs under FEMA, 1999," RBI said in a notification.
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NRIs may subscribe to the NPS governed and administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), provided such subscriptions are made through normal banking channels and the person is eligible to invest as per the provisions of the PFRDA Act, it said. The subscription amounts shall be paid by the NRIs either by inward remittance through normal banking channels or out of funds held in their NRE/FCNR/NRO account. The RBI, however, said there will be no restriction on repatriation of the annuity/ accumulated savings. NPS was launched on January, 1 2004 with the objective of providing retirement income to all the citizens. NPS aims to institute pension reforms and to inculcate the habit of saving for retirement amongst the citizens. Initially, NPS was introduced for the new Government recruits (except armed forces). With effect from May 1, 2009, NPS has been provided for all citizens of the country, including the unorganised sector workers, on voluntary basis. Fairfax to buy 9% in ICICI Lombard ICICI Bank's board approved sale of 9% stake in ICICI Lombard General Insurance to its Canadian partner Fairfax Financial Holdings (promoter of Lombard) for Rs 1,550 crore, valuing the company at Rs 17,225 crore. Following the stake sale, the shareholding of ICICI Bank and Fairfax will be approximately 64% and 35% respectively. ICICI Lombard is the largest private non-life company in India and the transaction is likely to serve as a benchmark for other valuations. Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank, said that the transaction is at a very good value and reflects the leadership position, strong franchise and growth potential. "Our JV was for 74-26% only. The fact that they are increasing their stake by 9% shows that they are seeing potential in the market," Kochhar said. Following conditions in the new legislation that insurance joint ventures should be Indian-managed and have majority representations of the Indian partner on the board, many insurance promoters have been reworking their JVs. Although most agreements gave the foreign partner right to hike shareholding up to 49%, many partners are not as keen now as they will have reduced clout. 5-member panel mooted for deciding on monetary policy After four months of debate and discussion, the Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Ministry have overcome the stalemate over the most significant reform in the central bank’s 80-year history. Both sides have abandoned their original position on the proposed amendments to the Reserve Bank of India Act to reset the responsibility of deciding India’s monetary policy, including the decision on interest rates, and have arrived at a mid-way position. The Ministry’s note for the Cabinet’s approval proposes a five-member Monetary Policy Committee. The government will nominate two members and the RBI one expert, besides two of its officials: the Deputy Governor and the executive director dealing with monetary policy. Each of the five members would have one vote and the RBI Governor, chair of the committee, will have a casting vote in the event of a tie in situations such as the absence of a member, a top official of the Finance Ministry told. The source, however, refused to say whether the Governor would also have the right to overrule the committee's decision. The inflation target for the RBI in each financial year will be determined by the Government in consultation with the RBI itself. At present, the Governor is advised by a technical committee but can veto decisions, being singularly responsible for monetary policy. A draft of the Indian Financial Code that the Ministry had posted on its website in July proposed to strip the Governor of veto vote on the monetary policy. The draft proposed a six-member monetary policy committee, besides powers for the government to appoint four of the six members. The proposal drew sharp criticism, including from the former RBI Governors. Though the Ministry did not take it off its website, a number of its senior officials gave public statements disowning the draft. Relations between the Centre and the RBI had already been uneasy over amendments to the RBI Act that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced in his Budget speech, leading to a breakdown of talks between the two sides. Realising the RBI’s opposition, the Finance Minister dropped the proposed amendments from the Finance Bill. The Ministry worked out a ‘diluted’ proposal but RBI Deputy Governor H.R. Khan, in a letter, rejected even that. Differences ran so deep that the Ministry broke the convention by nominating a deputy of the former Finance Secretary, Rajiv Mehrishi, to attend the RBI’s board meetings in place of him. “It would not have been easy to be in [RBI Governor Raghuram] Dr. Rajan’s shoes as employee unions of the RBI were staunchly opposed to all of the Ministry’s proposals… he would have had to work to bring them as well as the Ministry on to the same page,” said a Ministry official. Switzerland still top tax haven, US jumps to No. 3 Switzerland has retained its top spot in the financial secrecy index (FSI) 2015, unveiled by the Tax Justice Network (TJN). Switzerland is followed by Hong Kong, the US, Singapore and the Cayman Islands. The biggest surprise is the US, which has climbed to third place from sixth place in FSI-2013. Countries such as Switzerland, the US, Singapore and Germany that figure in the top 10 list of FSI-2015 (and are perceived as actively promoting secrecy in global finance) are also among the top 10 FDI investors to India. TJN's biennial FSI ranking is based on a combination of a country's secrecy score and a scale-weightage based on the country's share in the global market for its offshore financial services. Thus, for instance, even though Mauritius (India's top FDI investor) has a secrecy score of 72, it is ranked lower at 23 as it accounts for less than 1% of the global market for offshore financial services compared to Singapore. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 19 2015 CA_028,029,030,031,001,002,003
India's second largest FDI investor, Singapore, has a lower secrecy score of 69 points but is ranked at fourth position. Other top investors in India like the UK, Japan and the Netherlands have an FSI rank of 15, 12 and 41, respectively. Among the notable FDI investors in India, countries such as Mauritius, Switzerland and the UAE have a secrecy score of more than 70. According to TJN, "Switzerland stays at the top of the index and for good reason: Despite what you may have heard, Swiss banking secrecy is far from dead, though it has curbed its secrecy somewhat." As regards the US, TJN's communication states, "US is more of a cause for concern than any other individual country, because of both the size of its offshore sector and also its rather recalcitrant attitude to international co-operation and reform. Though it has been a pioneer in defending itself from foreign secrecy jurisdictions, aggressively taking on the Swiss banking establishment and setting up its technically quite strong foreign account tax compliance act (FATCA), it provides little information in return to other countries." According to tax experts, the FACTA agreement entered into with India provides for reciprocal exchange of information, but it's too early to comment on the information that will be shared by the US. Singapore and Germany, which also figure in the top 10 list of FSI-2015, are also among the top 10 investor countries for India. The UAE (Dubai), which is India's eleventh largest investor, has been ranked tenth in FSI-2015. Times Internet launches Samayam Times Internet (TIL), India’s premier digital products company and part of the Times of India Group, has launched ‘Samayam’ — a news, entertainment and lifestyle content destination available in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam languages. ‘Samayam’ is exclusively created to bridge the gap between users looking for quality content in their very own languages and trustworthy platforms providing them. Samayam is available as an android app on mobile web and also on desktop. With the launch of Samayam, Times Internet’s language offerings are now available across 8 languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi and Bangla — in addition to English. Samayam apps for Android can be downloaded from http://get.samayam.com and it can be accessed on the web and mobile web at www.samayam.com. Once a user sets a default edition or makes a language choice, subsequent visits to Samayam would directly take the user to his/her default edition. RCom acquires Sistema’s India unit Indian telecoms operator Reliance Communications (RCom) has agreed to buy Russian conglomerate Sistema’s Indian mobile phone business with a share swap that marks the first major deal in seven years in a crowded and indebted sector. The agreement will see Sistema take a 10 per cent stake in billionaire Anil Ambani’s RCom, worth about $290 million at current prices, in exchange for its operations. RCom has also agreed to cover payments for mobile airwaves to be allotted to Russian billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov’s Sistema, it said. India’s mobile phone market is the world’s second-biggest after China by number of customers, but its phone carriers operate on wafer-thin margins and cut-throat competition that have dented their balance sheets. Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd, the local unit of Sistema, has less than 1 per cent share, with some nine million customers and Rs.1,500 crore in annual revenue, in a market that has over 10 players. But it owns precious bandwidth that services the high-speed fourth-generation, or 4G, network, which is expected to see a huge demand as more Indians use their smartphones and tablets to shop, bank or surf the Internet. Earlier, RCom said it would partner Reliance Industries’ telecoms unit, Jio, to trade and share mobile airwaves and offer 4G services, which, in turn, can use the former’s 2G and 3G networks when needed. The partnership was a rare sign of cooperation between the two Ambanis. Sistema’s India unit scaled back its operations in 2013 when it had to buy new telecommunication permits after earlier permits were cancelled following a broader licensing scandal. India set to oppose World Bank’s new conditions for project loans India, one of the largest borrowers of the World Bank, will oppose the Bank’s new pre-conditions for project loans saying that the proposed Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) are “more regressive” with the potential of making World Bank-assisted projects “unviable”. “The proposed framework envisages several new and more stringent provisions. These provisions may be quite onerous and burdensome for the project implementing authorities. It may end up increasing the cost of doing business with the World Bank significantly,” a Finance Ministry document states.
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The Bank’s proposed ESS framework, which will replace the existing environmental and social safeguards, envisages new standards, mainly in respect of labour and working conditions, while making many environmental safeguards “more stringent”. “In short, the proposed framework in the present form has the potential to significantly raise the cost of implementing World Bank-assisted projects,” the document quotes India’s Executive Director to the World Bank as saying. India is also against periodic project assessments that will be reviewed by the Bank to issue measures and actionable instructions to comply with the ESS. It wants the contours of these assessments to be clearly defined or else the reviews, it points out, will “impose extremely high and unreasonable costs on the project authorities”. India will argue that it has a very robust legal framework on environment and social issues which will be adequate to meet the Bank’s concerns. The proposed ESS requires that every borrowing country align its social and environment laws with the World Bank system. The ESS is based on the objective that development benefits are enhanced if project workers operate in safe and healthy working conditions. It, therefore, proposes a standard dedicated to the protection of workers in Bank projects. It bans child labour and forced labour and promotes fair treatment, non-discrimination, and equal opportunity for project workers in recruitment and hiring, compensation, working conditions and terms of employment with a grievance mechanism to raise workplace concerns. It builds on the existing commitment of borrower countries to international labour laws and conventions and expands on existing Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines which set out general and industry-specific guidelines on occupational health and safety.
SCIENCE AND TECH ‘Elements of life spread evenly across universe’ Elements important for life on Earth are available in similar relative proportions throughout the bulk of the universe, a new survey of hot, X-ray-emitting gas in the Virgo galaxy cluster shows. The elements needed to make stars, planets and people were evenly distributed across millions of light-years early in cosmic history, more than 10 billion years ago, researchers said. The Virgo cluster, located about 54 million light-years away, is the nearest galaxy cluster and the second brightest in X-rays. The cluster is home to more than 2,000 galaxies, and the space between them is filled with a diffuse gas so hot it glows in X-rays. Using Japan’s Suzaku X-ray satellite, a team led by Aurora Simionescu, an astrophysicist at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Sagamihara, acquired observations of the cluster along four arms extending up to 5 million light-years from its centre. Stellar discovery: Rosetta detects oxygen on comet In a major breakthrough, European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft has made the first in-situ detection of oxygen (O2) molecules outgassing from a comet, a surprising observation that suggests they were incorporated into the comet during its formation, according to an announcement by the space agency . Rosetta has been studying Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko for over a year and has detected an abundance of different gases pouring from its nucleus. "It's also unanticipated because there aren't very many examples of the detection of interstellar O2. And thus, even though it must have been incorporated into the comet during its formation, this is not so easily explained by current solar system formation models," says Kathrin Altwegg of the University of Bern. The team analysed more than 3000 samples collected around the comet between September 2014 and March 2015 to identify the oxygen molecules. China rover sets record for longest stay on Moon China's first lunar rover, Yutu, which has been operating on the Moon for almost two years, has set the record for the longest stay by a rover on the lunar surface, scientists said. Yutu, which was deployed on the Moon by China's Chang'e-3 lunar probe in 2013, has stayed longer than the Soviet Union's 1970 rover Lunokhod 1, which spent 11 months on the Moon, according to Ye Peijian, chief scientist with China's Chang'e-3 programme. Though the rover is unable to move, it continues to collect data, send and receive signals, and record images and videos, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. China launched its manned space programme in the 1990s and successfully sent Yang Liwei, the country's first astronaut, into orbit on the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft in 2003. Chang'e-3 delivered the rover and a stationary lander to the lunar surface in 2013, making China the third country after the Soviet Union and the US to carry out such a mission. China is planning to be the first country to land a lunar probe on the far side of the Moon, or "dark side of the Moon," which is never visible to Earth. According to Ye, the mission will be carried out by Chang'e-4, a backup probe for Chang'e-3.
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Helped by gut bacteria, worms boost immunity Researchers have discovered how intestinal worms “cross-talk” with gut bacteria to help boost the immune system. Intestinal worms infect over two billion people across the world, mostly children, in areas with poor sanitation. But despite causing serious health problems, worms can actually help the immune system of its host as an indirect way of protecting themselves, researchers said. Intestinal worms belong to a larger family of helminths, which are large multi-cellular parasites that can cause chronic infections in their hosts. Because of their long co-evolution with mammals, helminths have developed a close relationship with their host’s immune systems, to the point that they can regulate the host’s immune system in beneficial ways. For example, helminths can ameliorate diseases such as allergic asthma. However, very little is known about how helminths modulate the immune system. Microbiome pathway Nicola Harris at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland has now shown that the anti-inflammatory activity of intestinal helminths involves “cross-talk” with an unexpected agent: the gut’s bacteria, also known as the “microbiome.” In this study, the researchers looked at the effects of helminths that infect pigs. Diet rich in soluble fibre can combat obesity Eating more foods high in soluble fibre — found in oat bran, nuts, lentils, peas, and some fruits and vegetables — may help prevent metabolic disease and obesity, a new study has found. Researchers at Georgia State University in the U.S. found that a diet missing soluble fibre promotes inflammation in the intestines and poor gut health, leading to weight gain in mice. But incorporating soluble fibre back into the diet can restore gut health. The study examined the effects of diets varying in amounts of soluble and insoluble fibres, protein and fat on the structure of the intestines, fat accumulation and weight gain in mice. They found that mice on a diet that lacked soluble fibre gained weight and had more fat. The intestines of mice on the soluble fibre-deficient diet were also shorter and had thinner walls. These structural changes were observed within two days after starting the diet. Restoring gut health The researchers also found that introducing soluble fibre into the diet restored gut structure. Supplementing with soluble fibre inulin restored the intestinal structure in mice on the soluble fibre-deficient diet. Mice that received cellulose, an insoluble fibre, however, did not show improvements. 1st lab-in-a-briefcase for faster cancer detection Scientists have developed the world's first portable labin-a-briefcase that can operate even at high temperatures, to boost early detection of cancer in developing countries. Believed to be the first kit of its kind dedicated to the portable measurement of cancer biomarkers, the concept is the brainchild of Dr Nuno Reis, a lecturer at the Loughborough University in UK, who developed it keeping in mind the lack of adequate technology to support a full laboratory in developing countries. The lab-in-a-briefcase comprises of four components; a manually driven multi-syringe device capable of performing up to 80 simultaneous tests from whole blood samples at any one time; microwell plates pre-loaded with assay reagents; a portable USB-powered film scanner to image the test strips; and a portable computer for real-time data analysis. The system requires just one operator with minimal training to conduct the test within 15 minutes. One of the remarkable features of the product is that it uses whole blood without the need for any sample preparation —a previously challenging task outside a laboratory. A new affordable and disposable microfluidic test strip—comprising of tiny tubes about the size of a human hair—is used specifically for the quick measurement of different types of cancer biomarkers in a whole blood sample. The technology, which operates in a similar way to a pregnancy test, has already been used successfully by Reis in a study that detected prostate cancer with the help of a smartphone camera. "This portable lab can really make a difference, boosting levels of cancer detection in developing countries where ordinarily people would not have such easy access to early diagnostics," he said. The number of people dying from cancer in developing countries is on the increase. Cancer accounts for over 8 million deaths per year, with 70% of the deaths occuring in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. Cancer cases are expected to rise by 70% over the next two decades, researchers said. BrahMos test-fired from new warship India’s supersonic cruise missile BrahMos demonstrated its prowess yet again when it was test-fired from the country's newest stealth-destroyer INS Kochi off the west coast. Launch of BrahMos was part of an acceptance testing-firing during a Naval drill being conducted on the west coast. A press release said the missile, after performing high-level and complex manoeuvres, hit a decommissioned target ship “Alleppey” which was stationed 290 km away, the missile’s full range. The press release quoted Sudhir Mishra, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited, as saying that the firing had validated the newly commissioned INS Kochi ’s systems. BrahMos would ensure the warship’s capability by engaging targets at long ranges on the sea, “thus making the destroyer another lethal platform of the Indian Navy,” Mr. Mishra said.
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The 7,500-tonne indigenously developed warship has new design concepts for survivability, stealth and manoeuvrability. It can carry 16 BrahMos missiles in two eight-cell vertical launch systems besides other modern weapons and sensors. The two-stage BrahMos can fly at a supersonic speed of 2.8 Mach and at a height of ten metres during the final stages of its flight. It carries conventional warheads. This was the 49th trial. It can be launched from ships, land and submarines. Chinese robot sets world record for walking A China-made quadruped robot walked its way into the Guinness World Records for covering over 134-km in 54 hours, beating a previous record held by an American robot. Four-legged ‘Xingzhe No 1’, made by a research team in southwest China’s Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, circled an indoor track from October 24 to 27, taking 340,000 steps before it had to stop and recharge. It covered a distance of 134.03 km in over 54 hours and used 0.8 kwh of power, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The distance the Chinese robot covered was more than twice that of the former record holder, Ranger, which was developed by a team at Cornell University in the U.S., and the speed was 1.18 times faster. Professor Li Qingdu, who led the research, said the overall task was not simply to extend the length the robot could trek, but rather, to study electrical efficiency increase the robot’s reliability and possibly, enable the robots to perform dangerous, remotely controlled missions in the place of a human being. Evolution can occur faster than thought, shows study In a surprising discovery, Oxford University scientists have found that evolution may take place much faster than believed, overturning the popular assumption that evolution is only visible over long time scales. By studying individual chickens that were part of a long-term pedigree, the scientists led by Greger Larson at Oxford University’s Research Laboratory for Archaeology in U.K., found two mutations that had occurred in the mitochondrial genomes of the birds in only 50 years. For a long time scientists have believed that the rate of change in the mitochondrial genome was never faster than about 2 per cent per million years. The identification of these mutations shows that the rate of evolution in this pedigree is in fact 15 times faster. In addition, by determining the genetic sequences along the pedigree, the team also discovered a single instance of mitochondrial DNA being passed down from a father. Using a well-documented 50-year pedigree of a population of White Plymouth Rock chickens, the researchers reconstructed how the mitochondrial DNA passed from mothers to daughters within the population. Antarctica is gaining ice: Nasa An increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago is currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from its thinning glaciers. Areas of the continent like the Antarctic Peninsula have increased their mass loss in the last decades, says a new Nasa study. The research challenges the conclusion of other studies, including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2013 report which says that Antarctica is overall losing land ice. According to the analysis of satellite data, the Antarctic ice sheet showed a net gain of 112 billion tonnes of ice a year from 1992 to 2001. The net gain slowed to 82 billion tonnes of ice per year between 2003 and 2008. "We are essentially in agreement with other studies that show an increase in ice discharge in the Antarctic peninsula and the Thwaites and Pine Island region of West Antarctica," explained Jay Zwally, glaciologist with Nasa Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland. Our main disagreement is for East Antarctica and the interior of West Antarctica. "Here, we see an ice gain that exceeds the losses in the other areas," he added. But it might take a few decades for Antarctica's growth to reverse, according to Zwally. The study analysed changes in the surface height of the Antarctic ice sheet measured by radar altimeters on two European Space Agency satellites and by the laser altimeter on Nasa's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat). The extra snowfall that began 10,000 years ago has been slowly accumulating on the ice sheet and compacting into solid ice over millennia. "The good news is that Antarctica is not currently contributing to sea level rise, but is taking 0.23 mm per year away," Zwally said. But this is also bad news. "If the 0.27 mm per year of sea level rise attributed to Antarctica in the IPCC report is not really coming from Antarctica, there must be some other contribution to sea level rise that is not accounted for," he pointed out in the study appeared in the Journal of Glaciology.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS 6,000-yr-old `eco-home' discovered British archaeologists have discovered a 6,000year-old `eco-home' close to the iconic prehistoric Stonehenge monument. The shelter -in a hollow left behind by a fallen tree -at Blick Mead was used over a 90-year period from 4336 BC, archaeologists believed.
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They said the minimalist property close to Stonehenge dates from between 4336BC to 4246BC, making it about 6,000 years old. Archaeologist David Jac ques, said: "They ... used the stump of the tree, about three metres high, as a wall." The finds are being shown to UN heritage experts, who are currently visiting Stonehenge, the ancient stone circle that has puzzled scholars for centuries. Archaeologists are concerned a planned 2.9 km tunnel being considered for the nearby A303 main road will damage the site. Discoveries have also shown stones were warmed up by the Mesolithic Period inhabitants and used in a hearth to emit heat in the earthy snug. Jacques, a senior research fellow at the University of Buckingham, has worked at Blick Mead for over a decade, making a number of discoveries about the inhabitants. "They've draped probably animal skins or thatch around the basin and connect ed it to a post so it's a very com fortable snug little place," Jac ques was quoted as saying by the BBC. The wooden wall o the hollow was lined with flints and the large earthy pi created by the tree root lined with cobbles and decorated with "exotic" stones from out side the area. "There are some clever and sophisticated thi ngs going on, the hot stones that they put into this little type of alcove wouldn't have been on fire," said Jacques. Average global temperature may rise by around 2.7 degree Celsius by 2100, UN report says Promises made by 146 countries as part of their efforts to fight climate change will slow emissions into the atmosphere and also bring down per capita emissions in next 15 years, but these commitments are not enough to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degree Celsius by 2100 — a scenario which will have major disastrous consequences all around the world in the form of sea-level rise and extreme weather events. If the countries want to save the world from adverse impacts of temperature rise, they — mainly the big polluters like China, US and European Countries - will have to scale up their emission cut targets substantially in coming years. This conclusion can be drawn from a new UN synthesis report on the aggregate effect of national climate action plans — called intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) — of 146 countries. "The INDCs have the capability of limiting the forecast temperature rise to around 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, by no means enough but a lot lower than the estimated four, five, or more degrees of warming projected by many prior to the INDCs," said Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report, released by the UNFCCC secretariat, captures the overall impact of national climate plans covering 146 countries, including China, US, European Union nations and India, as of October 1. This comprises 119 separate INDCs from 147 Parties, including the EU (representing 28 countries). Referring to the countries' commitments, the report noted that these collective efforts would bring down the global average per capita emission by 8% by 2025 and by 9% by 2030 from the 1990 levels. "These INDCs represent a clear and determined down-payment on a new era of climate ambition from the global community of nations. Governments from all corners of the earth have signaled through their INDCs that they are determined to play their part according to their national circumstances and capabilities," said Figueres. The INDCs, comprising different actions of these countries, will be the basis of negotiation to arrive at a legally binding global climate deal in Paris summit which is scheduled to be held from November 30 to December 11.The new climate change agreement to be agreed in Paris can anchor the INDCs in terms of recognition, accountability and adequate support that will encourage the extra, required ambition to emerge."And because greater action will be required over time, it is important to note that the INDCs do not indicate any locking in of the level of global emissions in 2030. Many nations will overachieve on goals set based on what is seen as achievable today. National contributions can be adjusted upwards over time, especially as mobilization of climate finance and other forms of multilateral cooperation, which are catalysed by the new Paris agreement, will allow governments to go further and faster, even before 2030", said a statement issued by the UNFCCC. The 146 plans include all developed nations and three quarters of developing countries under the UNFCCC, covering 86% of global greenhouse gas emissions - almost four times the level of the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, the world's first international emission reduction treaty that required emissions cuts from industrialized countries. The UN report does not directly assess implications for temperature change by the end of the century under the INDCs because information on emissions beyond 2030 is required. However other independent analyses have, based on a range of assumptions, methodologies and data sources, attempted to estimate the impact of the INDCs on temperature leading to a range of average estimates below, at or above 3 degrees C. Key findings: The majority of INDCs are national in scope and some include immediate action, underlining government recognition of the urgency to raise ambition before as well as after 2020, when the new climate change agreement takes effect. The report shows that the INDCs represent a substantial slowdown in emissions growth achieved in a cost effective way, making it still possible and affordable by 2030 to stay below a 2 degree temperature rise. As well as the impact on per capita emissions, the report shows that INDCs are expected to slow emissions growth by approximately a third for 2010-2030 compared to the period 1990-2010, delivering emission reductions of around 4Gt by 2030 compared to pre-INDC scenarios. All industrialized country INDCs and many developing country INDCs are un-conditional. Conditional contributions represent about 25% of the total range of emission reductions. All INDCs cover Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and many also cover methane, nitrous oxide and other potent greenhouse gases.
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Over half of all INDCs also include a long-term perspective on the transition toward economic growth based on low- emission, high resilience development. Many foresee near climate neutrality by 2050, meaning a point where remaining human emissions are absorbed by natural systems, are stored or used. Reflecting the need to factor existing climate change into national planning, 100 of the INDCs include measures to reduce vulnerability and build resilience. Earthworks found in Kazakhstan deepen ancient mystery High in the skies over Kazakhstan, spaceage technology has revealed an ancient mystery on the ground. Satellite pictures of a remote and treeless northern steppe has revealed colossal earthworks — geometric figures of squares, crosses, lines and rings the size of several football fields, recognizable only from the air and the oldest estimated at 8,000 years old. The largest, near a Neolithic settlement, is a giant square of 101raised mounds, its opposite corners connected by a diagonal cross, covering more terrain than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Another is a kind of three-limbed swastika, its arms ending in zigzags bent counterclockwise. Described last year at a conference in Istanbul as unique and previously unstudied, the earthworks, in the Turgai region of northern Kazakhstan, number at least 260 — mounds, trenches and ramparts — arrayed in five basic shapes. Spotted on Google Earth in 2007 by a Kazakh economist and archaeology enthusiast, Dmitriy Dey, the so-called Steppe Geoglyphs remain deeply puzzling and largely unknown. Earlier Nasa put space photography of the region on a task list for astronauts in the International Space Station. El Niño covers Chile's arid Atacama desert in flowers Here’s a softer side to the disruptive weather phenomenon known as El Niño: an enormous blanket of colorful flowers has carpeted Chile’s Atacama desert, the most arid in the world. The cyclical warming of the central Pacific may be causing droughts and floods in various parts of the world, but in the vast desert of northern Chile it has also caused a vibrant explosion of thousands of species of flowers with an intensity not seen in decades. Yellows, reds, purples and whites have covered the normally stark landscapes of the Atacama, where temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) this time of year. From violet-and-white Chilean bell flowers, or “countryside sighs” (Nolana paradoxa), to red “lion claws” (Bomarea ovallei), to yellow Rhodophiala rhodolirion, they have filled the normally pale desert valleys with rivers of color. “This year has been particularly special, because the amount of rainfall has made this perhaps the most spectacular of the past 40 or 50 years,” said Raúl Céspedes, a desert specialist at the University of Atacama.This year’s impressive bloom in Chile’s Atacama desert has brought a big boost in tourism. El Niño, which wreaks havoc on world weather patterns every two to seven years, has hit particularly hard this year, causing unusually heavy rainfall in the world’s driest desert. That has caused dormant flower bulbs and rhizomes — underground stems that grow horizontally — to germinate. “When you think of the desert, you think of total dryness, but there’s a latent ecosystem here just waiting for certain conditions to arise,” said Céspedes. The desert flowers are perhaps nature’s consolation for what has been a devastating year for Atacama. The flowers first bloomed in March, after heavy rains that caught the region by surprise and caused massive floods that killed more than 30 people. Tourist drawcard “This is a very unusual phenomenon. Because of the floods in March there was an exceptional winter bloom, which had never before been recorded … and then there was another bloom in spring,” said Daniel Díaz, director of the National Tourism Service for Atacama region. “Two flowerings a year is very unusual in the most arid desert in the world, and that’s something we’ve been able to enjoy this spring, along with people from all over the world. There’s a lot of interest in seeing it,” he told AFP. The region has seen a 40 percent increase in tourists since the flowers began blooming. BASIC appeals to rich nations to do more to fight global warming A day after a UN report flagged the inadequacy of countries' climate action plans to check global warming, four big developing countries - India, China, Brazil and South Africa urged the rich nations to revisit their emission cut targets and increase it adequately to keep the average global temperature rise below 2 degree celsius by 2100. These four countries made this appeal as part of BASIC - a group comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China - which met in Beijing and issued a joint statement, asking the rich industrialised nations to scale up both their pre- 2020 and post-2020 carbon emission cut targets. These countries also urged their developed counterparts to "honour their obligations to provide new, additional, predictable and adequate financial resources to developing countries in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner". Their joint appeal assumes significance ahead of the pre-COP (pre-conference of parties) among environment and other ministers\representatives of over 80 countries in Paris during November 8-10 when they would try to resolve the sticky points of climate finance. India was represented by its environment minister Prakash Javadekar in the BASIC meet where all four countries also reaffirmed their commitments to remain united under 'G77 plus China' group and work to strengthen the voice of 134 developing countries during the Paris climate summit (COP21) and get an "equitable, ambitious, comprehensive, balanced and durable" global agreement. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 25 2015 CA_028,029,030,031,001,002,003
Touching upon the rich nations' pre-2020 targets, the BASIC ministers urged them to revisit and increase their emission reduction commitments of the 2013-2020 period in order to achieve at least 25%-40% cut in their carbon emission by 2020 from the year 1990 level.
PLACE IN NEWS Another first for Mysuru, tactile maps at railway station From being the country’s cleanest city, Mysuru has taken yet another step to be on top of things. This time, the city’s railway station will soon be the first to become visually-impaired friendly. Navigation maps in Braille will be put up at sensitive locations on the railway station premises, indicating the distance to toilets, platforms, staircases and washrooms. Even menu cards at the canteen will be in Braille. These facilities, an official said, are aimed at seamlessly integrating with the Braille-embedded signage already available in the coaches. A private company sponsoring the project is taking suggestions from representatives of a visually challenged association to implement the facility. The sponsor is considering a proposal to engage non-governmental organisations and volunteers to help the visually challenged, the official said. These facilities for the visually challenged at the railway station, an official said, are aimed at seamlessly integrating with the Braille-embedded signage being made available in the coaches. With non-AC conventional coaches manufactured after 2013 coming with Braille-embedded metal signage on berths, toilets, washroom and doors, the introduction of tactile maps of the railway station’s layout will help make the station accessible to the blind, the official added. While the Braille signage in coaches were announced in the 2013-14 Railway Budget, no railway station has made available tactile maps on the platform, the official added.
PERSON IN NEWS Britain’s ‘Curry King’ Gulam Noon passes away Mumbai-origin Gulam Kaderbhoy Noon, who migrated to Britain with little funds and went on to found several Indian food companies that made him known as Britain’s first ‘Curry King’, died. A member of the House of Lords, Noon was among those trapped in the Taj Hotel during the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, but was rescued. He was conferred royal honours for his contribution to business and Britain’s Asian community. Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz said: “Today we have lost a giant, not only of the British Asian community, but also of British entrepreneurship. A decent, honourable and generous man, who was dedicated to his family, but also to his country, the United Kingdom”. He added: “Rightly known as Britain’s first ‘Curry King’, he brought curry to the high street. There are thousands of people in Britain, in India and throughout the world who have benefited from his enterprise, jobs he created, and his big heart. The world of cricket will also miss one of its most devoted followers”. Noon often figured in Britain’s annual rich lists. Archaeologist Misra passes away Virendra Nath Misra, one of the eminent archaeologists of post-Independent India and known as the ‘doyen of Indian prehistoric archaeology’, passed away. According to medical sources, Dr. Misra succumbed to complications that arose from an open-heart surgery he underwent six weeks ago. Prof. Misra was former director of Pune’s Deccan College, a focal point for his tryst with the city which spanned nearly six decades. He retired as Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology in 1995 and as the Director of Deccan College in 2000. Prof. Misra is best known for his extensive field studies and excavations in Central India and Rajasthan, where he made several significant contributions to the reconstruction of India’s prehistoric past. Hero Group founder Munjal dead Hero MotoCorp patriarch and doyen of the Indian two-wheeler industry, Brijmohan Lall Munjal, died. Munjal had retired from active role and become chairman-emeritus of the over $4-billion group earlier this year and remained on the board of the company as non-executive member. Hero Group, which officially came into existence in 1956, had started its activities in the early 1940s as a bicycle- maker run by the four brothers. Munjal was born in 1923 at Kamalia in present-day Pakistan. After India’s Independence, the Munjal brothers started a small business of manufacturing bicycle components in Ludhiana and went on to build one of the largest business groups in the country. Munjal led the Hero Group to a number of firsts. Hero MotoCorp is the world’s largest two-wheeler company now for the 14th year in a row. Another group firm, Hero Cycles, has been the largest manufacturer of bicycles since 1986. He led the Hero group to form a joint venture with Japan’s Honda in 1984, the joint venture — Hero Honda, went on to become the world’s single-largest motorcycle maker. The partnership ended in 2011. He was conferred with the ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2005. East German, who announced the fall of the Berlin Wall, dies
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Guenther Schabowski, the former senior East German Communist official who accidentally announced the opening of the Berlin Wall, has died. Schabowski, a member of and spokesman for the Soviet bloc state's ruling Politburo, was speaking at an otherwise dull news conference on Nov. 9, 1989, when he was asked by a journalist about current travel rules. Pressure had been building on the East German government for months to grant its citizens the freedom to travel to the West and a clearly underprepared Schabowski stunned the journalists present with his answer. "Therefore... um... we have decided today... um... to implement a regulation that allows every citizen of the German Democratic Republic... um... to... um... leave East Germany through any of the border crossings," Schabowski said. He was then asked when the new rule would take effect. "According to my information... immediately, without delay," he stammered, shuffling through the papers spread in front of him as he searched in vain for clarifying information. It later emerged the announcement was not supposed to be released until 4 a.m. the next morning. Schabowski also meant to say East Germans could apply for visas in an orderly manner at the appropriate state agency. But his confused utterances, cast almost like an afterthought, became a political bombshell for the ages. Journalists immediately began reporting that the Wall, long the most potent symbol of the Iron Curtain and Cold War dividing East and West, was open, spurring a mad dash by joyful East Germans for the border. East Germany's Communist regime swiftly collapsed, free elections followed and the state itself vanished with German reunification in October 1990. After reunification, Schabowski and two other Politburo members were sentenced to jail terms for their role in the shootings of people who tried to escape over the Wall. Schabowski accepted his "moral" responsibility and expressed remorse. Longest serving Assembly Speaker Halim dead Former Speaker of West Bengal Legislative Assembly Hashim Abdul Halim, who presided over the State Assembly for a record 29 years, passed away. As condolences cutting across political lines started poured in for Mr. Halim (80), who held the office of the Speaker of Bengal Assembly from 1982 to 2011, was not only remembered as the longest serving Speaker, but also as somebody who had shown exemplary discipline in upholding the rules and procedures of the House. Born in June 1935, Mr Halim started his career as a lawyer in 1963. He joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and was elected to the State Assembly for seven consecutive terms.
SPORTS United States’ reign continues Simone Biles guided Olympic champion the United States to a third consecutive women’s team title with a flawless display at the World gymnastics championships. It was a fifth world team title for the powerful US women’s outfit of two-time world all-around champion Biles and Olympic all-around gold medallist Gabby Douglas after 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2014. The Americans scored 181.338 points and finished over five points ahead of China (176.164) with host Great Britain scoring 172.380 to take its first ever team bronze. Srikanth climbs up to 5th spot, Saina static at No. 2 Top Indian male shuttler Kidambi Srikanth climbed up a place to be ranked fifth, while Saina Nehwal remained static on No. 2 in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released on Thursday. Srikanth, who had lost a few places from World No. 3 after suffering early exits in recent competitions, gained a spot in the men's singles ranking. His compatriot, Parupalli Kashyap, however further slipped down the ladder, losing two places to 12th. H S Prannoy maintained his 17th position, while Ajay Jayaram rode on his recent win at the Dutch Open to earn one spot to be at 24th. Meanwhile, Saina and P V Sindhu remained at second and 13th positions, respectively, in the women's singles. Women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa jumped up two places to be ranked No.11 and men's doubles combination of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy gained a spot to No.18. No Indians figured in the top-25 list of the mixed doubles rankings. Sania-Hingis pair enters 10th final of the year The duo of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis sailed into the 10th final of the year at the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Finals after beating Chinese Taipei’s Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan in straight sets. The Indo-Swiss pair posted a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Chan sisters and went in on a monster 20-match winning streak. Sania and Martina’s last loss was against the Taiwanese sisters in the semifinals at Cincinnati. But since then the top-seeded combination had beaten them three times and kept that pattern going this time as well. Rugby World Cup: New Zealand All Blacks beat Australia to become 3-time world champions New Zealand cemented their status as the greatest team in rugby history when they overwhelmed Australia 34-17 at Twickenham to become world champions for a record third time, and the first nation to retain the Webb Ellis Cup. But flyhalf Dan Carter, who missed most of the 2011 tournament through injury and who is retiring from international rugby after Saturday's match, stepped up with an exquisite drop goal and a 50-metre penalty to put the result beyond doubt.
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Dipa’s historic high in World Championships, finishes fifth India’s Dipa Karmakar fifth a very creditable fifth in the women’s individual vault event at the gymnastics World Championships. The Produnova vault is incredibly difficult – it involves a front handspring, after which the gymnast needs to execute two flips in the air before landing. It’s very, very difficult to land on your feet after you have flipped twice in the air. Karmakar, of course, went for the Produnova in the final Glasgow’s SECC Hydro arena, because this was a very rare opportunity to win a really big medal at the world stage. A medal here would also have qualified her for the Rio Olympic Games. Karmakar, who had already made history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to reach the final of an individual apparatus event at the World Championships, scored 14.066 in her second attempt. After the first round of jumps, Karmakar was placed fifth. Karmakar had won a bronze medal in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Sania, Martina clinch WTA Finals doubles title Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis lifted their ninth title together this year, beating the Spanish pair of Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro to clinch the WTA Finals women’s doubles trophy. The Indo-Swiss pairing dropped serve only once through the match and broke their opponents five times to wrap up a comprehensive victory. Sania and Martina are now unbeaten in 22 matches, stretching back six tournaments. In fact, since their last defeat — to Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan in Cincinnati — they have dropped just two sets. “I feel like it was a perfect day,” Hingis said. “Sania just played out of her mind — she was everywhere today, getting everything back and playing incredible tennis.” This triumph is especially huge for Martina as the trophy was her 50th WTA doubles title, a milestone only 15 players have reached. All rise for Dan Carter after All Blacks win Rugby World Cup New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter was the man of the hour as the All Blacks became the first team to claim back-to- back Rugby World Cup titles beating Australia 34-17 at Twickenham. Carter slotted a key long-range drop goal and 50 metre penalty in a 19-point haul to help seal the win against old rivals Australia, and claimed the man of the match award in his last outing in an All Blacks shirt. Carter’s second-half drop goal, which came after the Wallabies had fought back to within four points, was the first in a World Cup final since Jonny Wilkinson’s famous kick in 2003 which clinched the title for England.
AWARDS NGO wins UN climate award Chintan, a city-based NGO that works with ragpickers on sustainable waste management, has won the UN Climate Solutions Awards, 2015. Sixteen "game-changing initiatives" from across the globe were announced in the competition, a run-up to the global climate change conference in Paris. Chintan won the award for its project 'E-waste: From Toxic to Green'. Raif Badawi: Saudi blogger wins Sakharov Prize Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for criticising the country’s religious establishment, was awarded the European Parliament’s 2015 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought. EP president Martin Schulz, who announced the prize winner in Strasbourg, said that Badawi’s flogging amounts to “permanent torture” and called on Saudi king Salman to release the blogger. Allegedly, Badawi’s website hosted material criticising senior religious figures and he suggested that the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University had become a den for terrorists. "The charges against Badawi are based solely on his peaceful exercise of his right to free expression," Human Rights Watch, an organisation monitoring human rights violations, said earlier this year, adding that Badawi set up his online platform to encourage debate on religious and political matters in Saudi Arabia. Human rights organisation Amnesty International called the flogging “a vicious act of cruelty, which is prohibited under international law.” Badawi was nominated by the Socialists and Democrats, the European Conservatives and Reformists group, and the Greens in the EP. The EP’s freedom of thought award, set up in 1988, is named after the Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. Other finalists for the prize were assassinated Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov and Venezuelan opposition movement Mesa de la Unidad Democratica. Earlier this month, Badawi won the Pen Pinter Prize for championing free speech. Indian-origin women in finals of top Kiwi award Two Indian-origin entrepreneurs in New Zealand are among 18 finalists for the prestigious 2015 ‘Women of Influence Awards,’ a media report said. Ranjna Patel and Pushpa Wood, founder of East Tamaki Healthcare Group, and director of Westpac and Massey University’s Financial Education and Research Centre respectively have made it to the finals in the community and not-for-profit category. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 28 2015 CA_028,029,030,031,001,002,003
Ranjna founded East Tamaki Healthcare Group in 1977. It runs 35 clinics in New Zealand and 14 in Australia and is one of Australasia’s largest primary providers. Pushpa has worked across the school, tertiary and industry sectors to improve adult literacy and financial literacy. She has previously helped develop and review financial literacy and numeracy standards and developing qualifications for the adult literacy sector.
OPINION Build a safer India: Predicting earthquakes is impossible but preparing for them must be a high priority The 7.5 magnitude earthquake originating deep in the Hindu Kush region north of Kabul has taken a few hundred lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It also had the citizens of Delhi and other cities in north India rushing out of their offices and houses, seeking safety. This comes just six months after the devastating Nepal earthquake, which also caused worrying tremors across India. So it has renewed anxieties about India’s preparedness level, which are quite rational given that as much as 59% of the country’s landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity. Cities like Srinagar and Guwahati lie in the very high risk earthquake zone while Delhi, Patna, Dehradun, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Meerut fall in the high risk zone. Others like Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, Cuttack, Pune and Kochi fall in the moderate risk zone. And yet the country has been slow to prepare for contingencies. The most substantive upgrade took place after the Bhuj earthquake at the turn of the century, which took a heavy toll of lives and property. It led to the setting up of the National Disaster Management Authority as also to new building norms. But progress has been tardy since then. The piecemeal efforts to enforce safer building construction specifications and to encourage retrofitting of weak structures fall far short of requirements. Worryingly, a CAG performance audit two years ago showed that nodal agencies and state governments are yet to adopt and apply the national guidelines on disaster management. It further found that the national earthquake risk mitigation project was stuck in the preparatory phase even five years after its conceptualization and the national disaster communication network remained incomplete. Many states are yet to raise disaster response forces or to formulate operating procedures for their effective deployment. It’s time to write a new chapter. All states should upgrade earthquake hazard maps on a priority basis. Microzonation of important cities like Srinagar, which is required for assessing seismic vulnerability while building new structures, must brook no further delays. State and district level disaster management funds mustn’t be wasted anymore. The NDA government restructured NDMA soon after taking office last year, in an attempt to goad it to move faster. Now strict timelines must be followed in implementing India’s disaster-preparation plans. Easing business blues The finding made in the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business 2016’ report that improvements in the regulatory environment helped lift India’s ranking four places higher will serve as a shot in the arm for the government, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s avowed focus on economic development. The overall ‘ease of doing business’ ranking has climbed to 130 from a recalculated 134 last year following a change in methodology. And the distance-to-frontier score – which measures the absolute level of regulatory performance in an economy and the extent of improvement over time – has also advanced by two percentage points. Significantly, the Bank has found that it is easier now to both start an enterprise and get an electricity connection in Mumbai and Delhi, the two cities chosen for the study. The observations by Augusto Lopez-Claros, director of the Bank’s Global Indicators Group, pointing to a concerted effort by authorities to improve the business environment, should also offer encouragement. And his comment that a continuation of the process is likely to yield substantial progress in the coming year serves as vindication that the government is on the right track. Still, a closer look at the areas that need further loosening of regulations shows that Mr. Modi’s government has its task cut out. For instance, access to credit for a business has become marginally more difficult over the past 12 months, resulting in the ranking dropping six places. More worrying for policymakers are the stubbornly low distance-to-frontier scores for the two measures of enforcing contracts and dealing with construction permits. Only Bangladesh fares worse than India among the eight South Asian countries in the 189 nations on the list in resolving commercial disputes. And the region’s largest economy, by a distance, ranks a lowly seventh above war-torn Afghanistan on the ease of obtaining the approvals necessary to build. Indeed, a herculean task lies ahead to achieve the government’s goal of breaking into the top 50 rankings in order to make the country a favoured investment destination for foreign capital and spur domestic enterprise. The strife-torn Palestinian enclaves of the West Bank and Gaza still rank one place above India, with both registering property and paying taxes far easier in the combined territories than in Asia’s third-largest economy. Even the smaller Asian and South Asian economies of Indonesia and Sri Lanka significantly outscore India on several parameters, showing why businesses find it easier to invest in these countries. In this context, the Income Tax Department’s move to set up a panel of experts to simplify direct tax laws has come not a day too early.
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With several key bills to broaden economic reforms — including the centrepiece Act to create a common market through the much-delayed Goods and Services Tax — stuck in a legislative logjam, Mr. Modi and his parliamentary managers will need all their political nous if the ‘Make in India’ campaign is to succeed. No easy fixes The Supreme Court implored the government to do away with affirmative action in higher education institutions, arguing this would be in the “national interest”. The court was hearing two cases related to reservations in super- specialty courses in medical institutions, where the tightly controlled supply of training by the Medical Council of India has created a dearth of specialist doctors. Limited seats force doctors to seek specialised training abroad, after which many choose not to return. This also feeds into resentment of quotas and the candidates who avail of them, or are perceived as having benefitted from them. There are many instances of bright, promising SC and ST students being driven to suicide at the country’s best colleges and universities, including AIIMS, the IISc and IITs, due to the insensitivity they face from faculty and peers. The apex court’s positioning of reservations as anti-merit lends credibility to an argument that is oblivious to the way educational capital reproduces itself, and to how difficult it is for less-privileged students to access books and other materials, or even leisure time. The court’s diagnosis of what ails higher education, therefore, misses the larger issue. While higher education institutions need to confront their internal biases, quotas are especially contentious largely because of the yawning gap between the demand for quality graduate study and its supply, not just in medical education but across all disciplines. Despite an expansion in the number of higher education institutions, the state has struggled to ensure commensurately high standards that would guarantee that the young people entering college are employable upon graduation. Nor has it created an environment that would allow private players to plug the gap in supply and demand, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Instead of systematically addressing the story of creaky infrastructure, abysmal teacher-pupil ratios and poor instruction quality characterizing higher education, the ministry of human resource development has rushed into one avoidable confrontation after another. We need more initiatives like Gian, which looks to recruit over 200 scientists and academics from abroad for up to 28 hours of instruction at Central universities. Rather than seeking to supplement such innovative short-term teaching programmes with long-term solutions for, say, chronic teacher shortages, the UGC, after emerging victorious from a damaging spat over Delhi University’s Four- Year Undergraduate Programme, picked a fight with the IITs, over whose degrees it claimed jurisdiction. Later, the HRD ministry got in an unseemly public disagreement with Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the IIT-Bombay board, and in June appeared headed towards an altercation with the directors of the boards of the oldest IIMs, on suspicion that it sought to strip away their autonomy. That the ministry’s overbearing interference extends to the most prestigious graduate institutions is a measure of how deeply dysfunctional higher education in India is. The apex court’s solution of doing away with quotas is unlikely to change that. An anti-constitutional judgment In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s verdict that invalidated the 99th Constitution Amendment, rendering nugatory the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), a popular narrative has entered our conscience: that the commission is not a credible alternative to the Supreme Court’s ‘collegium.’ This theory is possibly based on an inherent distrust of the government exacerbated, as it is, by the present regime’s authoritarian proclivities. But such ideas, for all their apparent forcefulness, ought to be extraneous to any proper debate on the legitimacy of the Supreme Court’s ruling. What we must really consider in analysing this verdict is not our respective concerns about what makes for good policy, but rather, what interpretation would ensure the greatest conformity to the Constitution’s text, to the intention of its framers, and to the document’s finest aspirations. When viewed thus, the majority judgment in this case is profoundly unsatisfactory. The verdict upholds an extra- constitutional forum, created by the Supreme Court’s own members to serve its own ends, in the place of a system lawfully enacted by a popularly elected Parliament. What’s more, the judgment fails to adequately answer the fundamental question at the root of the controversy: how is judicial primacy in making appointments to the higher judiciary a part of our Constitution’s basic structure? Consequently, the decision acquires an entirely political character. It is subsumed not by constitutionalism but by an anti-democratic temper. Second judges case As we are, by now, well aware, the Constitution, in Articles 124 and 217, is crystal clear in its mandate. It accords to the President the power to appoint judges to the Supreme Court and to the various High Courts. In performing this function, the executive is required to compulsorily consult with certain persons. To make appointments to the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) must always be consulted. In elevating persons to a High Court’s bench, in addition to the CJI, the Chief Justice of that High Court and the Governor of the State concerned, acting through his or her Council of Ministers, must be mandatorily conferred with.
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In 1993, in a case commonly referred to as the Second Judges Case, the Supreme Court, sitting as a nine-judge bench, interpreted the word “consultation,” used in Articles 124 and 217, to mean concurrence. In making appointments to the higher judiciary, the Court held, the executive was bound by the advise of the CJI — who acted in concert with a group that also comprised his two (later four) senior-most colleagues, a body that we today call the “collegium.” No collegium mandated by Constitution Whichever way one wants to look at this collegium — whether with contempt or with reverence — what’s indubitable is that the Constitution speaks of no such body. Articles 124 and 217, unlike some of our fundamental rights, are not couched in abstract terms that require an interpretive exercise. This anointed collegium, therefore, was nothing but a pure creation of the Second Judges Case. During the Constituent Assembly (CA) debates, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer had warned against vesting untrammelled power in the judiciary, which, he believed, could engineer the creation of a super legislature. This is precisely the role that the Supreme Court performed in the Second Judges Case, by effectively rewriting the Constitution to create a self-serving body, usurping powers from both Parliament and the executive. In many ways, the enactment of the 99th Amendment was intended at redressing this imbalance; it was Parliament’s effort at salvaging some of its lost space in our constitutional structure. The Amendment’s object was to replace the collegium with a more broad-minded forum, which would provide a genuine chance to participate and influence the selection of our higher judiciary — not merely to the Supreme Court and the executive, but also to laypersons outside the constitutional framework. Through the Amendment, Parliament introduced, among other provisions, three key articles. The first, Article 124-A, created the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which would comprise the CJI, his two senior-most colleagues, the Law Minister, and two eminent persons, who would be jointly appointed by the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the CJI. The second, Article 124-B, vested in this NJAC the power to make appointments to both the Supreme Court and the various High Courts. And the third, Article 124-C, accorded express authority to Parliament to make laws regulating the manner of the NJAC’s functioning. The petitioners argued against this Amendment, and each of its provisions, calling it a nullity and asserting that the Constitution’s basic structure stood violated by the enactment. Plainly read, Article 368 grants Parliament a virtual plenary power to amend the Constitution. However, in 1973, in Kesavananda Bharati vs. State of Kerala, a 13-judge bench of the Supreme Court read certain implied limitations into this power. The Constitution, the Court held — through the slimmest of majorities — could not be read in a manner that destroyed or infracted the document’s basic structure. Since this decision, the term “basic structure” and the theory underpinning its doctrinal creation have come to occupy a rather nebulous space in our constitutional jurisprudence. The verdict’s democratic legitimacy may not be beyond all doubt. But, over time, we have reached a consensus: that certain principles ingrained in the Constitution’s foundation are sacrosanct. It was one such inviolable value, the independence of the judiciary, derived as it was from a theory of separation of powers, that the petitioners argued was violated by the 99th Amendment. The Union of India, in defending the Amendment, did not dispute the fundamental proposition that the maintenance of an independent judiciary is a part of the Constitution’s basic structure. Rather, it contended that the Amendment did not affect this admittedly vital feature of the Constitution. The primary question that the Supreme Court had to, therefore, decide was this: does the removal of the prerogative solely vested in the collegium in appointing judges to India’s higher judiciary violate the Constitution’s basic structure? Answering this question would have entailed an analysis on the methods of maintaining an independent judiciary, and a consideration of whether, under our constitutional scheme, the only means to achieve an independent judiciary was by granting primacy to the CJI and his colleagues. Regrettably, none of the four majority opinions sufficiently engaged with these issues. Instead, the judgments are couched in diffuse, rhetorical language, which makes the ultimate verdict akin to a product of a political gambit. Consider the following statement in Justice J.S. Khehar’s opinion: “We are satisfied, that in the matter of primacy, the judicial component of the NJAC, should be competent by itself, to ensure the appointment of a worthy nominee, as well.” He also said: “Under the substituted scheme, even if the Chief Justice of India and the two other senior most Judges of the Supreme Court [next to the Chief Justice of India], consider a nominee to be worthy for appointment to the higher judiciary, the concerned individual may still not be appointed, if any two members of the NJAC opine otherwise. This would be out-rightly obnoxious, to the primacy of the judicial component.” Apart from displaying an almost condescending lack of trust in our citizenry, this statement also confuses the challenge against the Constitution (99th) Amendment with the challenge against the National Judicial Appointments Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 31 2015 CA_028,029,030,031,001,002,003
Commission Act, 2014. The ability of two of the members of the NJAC to veto any appointment flows from the latter, which is an enactment in pursuance of the power vested in Parliament under Article 124-C. It defeats logic, therefore, to consider this proposed power of veto as a sufficient reason to render the constitutional amendment invalid. Consultation vs. concurrence That apart, Justice Khehar also fails to show us how the removal of judicial primacy in matter of judicial appointments impairs the Constitution’s basic structure. The learned judge relies on the decision in the Second Judges Case to tell us that the word “consultation” in Articles 124 and 217 means “concurrence.” However, the necessitation of “concurrence” as being integral to the maintaining of an independent judiciary, and therefore being an essential feature of the Constitution, isn’t a reasonable sequitur from this finding. A proper reading of the Second Judges Case would show us that there is no explicit finding in Justice J.S. Verma’s majority judgment that a primacy of judicial opinion in making appointments to the higher judiciary is a part of the Constitution’s basic structure. It is possible that the Supreme Court believed at the time that granting such primacy would make for a more independent judiciary. However, the court did not find that this was the only way to ensure the judiciary’s autonomy. Justice Khehar’s reliance on the Second Judges Case to conclude that the removal of the collegium impairs judicial independence, violating the Constitution’s basic structure, is hence incorrect. The other majority opinions are also similarly disordered, and have collectively created an altogether undesirable result. If anything, the 99th Amendment, quite contrary to infracting the Constitution’s basic structure, strengthened the checks and balances that were originally ingrained in the document. The passage of the Amendment ought to have been recognised as an important moment in the strengthening of our democratic foundations. The Supreme Court’s power to exercise judicial review is unquestionable. But, in this case, the Court’s use of that power is bitterly disappointing. Reaching out to Africa That 41 heads of state and government from 54 countries in Africa were present at the India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi, itself demonstrates the importance both sides attach to mutual ties. The summit, which concluded on Thursday, was the largest gathering of foreign dignitaries in New Delhi since the 1983 Non-Aligned Summit. The message was not lost on anyone: India wants to energise its relations with the continent with which it had strong political ties in the first three decades after Independence. But India lost some momentum in building a stronger partnership with African countries since the 1990s as the country recalibrated its foreign and economic policies. The idea of the India-Africa summit was first mooted to arrest this slide and reboot the relationship. While the previous two gatherings — the 2008 New Delhi and 2011 Addis Ababa summits — were significant, this week’s meet takes relations to a higher level with a demonstrated resolve and a clearly laid-down road map. India has offered a new line of credit worth $10 billion to strengthen economic cooperation and called for a unified stance for the reform of the UN Security Council. Africa is an important trade partner for India. Indian energy companies have assets in African countries, and New Delhi exports consumer and capital goods and medicines to the continent. India-Africa trade was worth almost $70 billion in 2014-15, and Indian companies invested some $30-35 billion in the continent over the past decade. While trade has improved in these ten years, it is still much less than Africa’s trade with China, which was $200 billion in 2014-15. Besides, China has invested more than $180 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa alone in areas ranging from energy to infrastructure during the period 2005-2015. India may not have the resources to beat the level of Chinese investments, but it can certainly do a lot more with proper policy approaches, faster project execution and improved bilateral relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of the $10 billion concessional credit is a right step in this direction. Second, there’s a convergence of interest for reforming the Security Council. India’s claim is that as the second most populated country and the largest democracy in the world, it deserves a permanent seat in a reformed Security Council. The Prime Minister has also noted that Africa, with more than a quarter of the members of the UN, is not represented in the powerful UN body. Against this background, it is imperative for both sides to speak in “one voice” for Security Council reforms. Third, stronger ties with Africa fit into India’s traditional foreign policy milieu. The goodwill India enjoys in the continent is a result of the principled anti-colonial positions the country took in the post-Independence era. India should cash in on that goodwill to build a stronger economic and political partnership with Africa in the new century. Case against coercion After 35 years, China is set to change its one-child policy, allowing all couples to have at most two children. Since its introduction in 1980 with the aim of slowing population growth in the world’s most populous country, an estimated 400 million births have been prevented in China. From 5.5 births per woman in 1970, the country’s fertility rate is now well below the replacement level of 2.1. The policy also led to countless forced abortions, maternal and child deaths, untold trauma especially to mothers, and one of the world’s most skewed sex ratios. Yet, it is difficult to offer unqualified praise for China’s decision. For one, the limit on family size has simply moved from one child to two children, and coercive restrictions on what should be a private decision remains. Second, the decision has been taken in response to the decline in China’s working population relative to its elderly population. China’s dependancy ratio — the ratio of children and elderly to its working age population — has declined Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 32 2015 CA_028,029,030,031,001,002,003
from 63.4 in 1950 to 34.5 in 2010, as against 56.3 for India, meaning far fewer working people support a far larger number of dependants. All countries will move through cycles of demographic dividends followed by rapid ageing, and must plan for their own unique challenges without intervening in family lives to engineer change. India too has had its experiments with state coercion in limiting family size. Undoubtedly the worst of these were the horrific violations during the Emergency, when Sanjay Gandhi spearheaded a sterilisation campaign that included carting off thousands of men against their wishes to camps, where many died. In the late-1990s and early-2000s, 11 States enacted laws restricting eligibility in local body elections to persons with two or fewer children; research shows that this move did have the impact of lowering family sizes in the general population, but it also worsened the sex ratio. India’s push for female sterilisation as the preferred means of family planning, with “targets” set for field workers, financial incentives and limited information for the impoverished women undergoing these surgical procedures, often nudges sterilisation drives from voluntary into coercive territory. None of these methods will work without high human costs that the poorest should not be paying. Every country in the world, and India’s southern States, lowered fertility rates without state coercion but as an immediate effect of education for women, better access to health, and rising incomes. Right-wing organisations in India even today raise the bogey of the Muslim population explosion, despite all evidence to the contrary, and have made a case for forced family planning. China — and India’s latent fascists — would do well to abandon forced limits on family size, and allow human progress to chart its natural course. Fast forwarding to thorium What is the single greatest factor that prevents the large-scale deployment ofthorium-fuelled reactors in India? Most people would assume that it is a limitation of technology, still just out of grasp. After all, the construction of the advanced heavy-water reactor (AHWR) — a 300 MWe, indigenously designed, thorium-fuelled, commercial technology demonstrator — has been put off several times since it was first announced in 2004. However, scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have successfully tested all relevant thorium-related technologies in the laboratory, achieving even industrial scale capability in some of them. In fact, if pressed, India could probably begin full-scale deployment of thorium reactors in ten years. The single greatest hurdle, to answer the original question, is the critical shortage of fissile material. A fissile material is one that can sustain a chain reaction upon bombardment by neutrons. Thorium is by itself fertile, meaning that it can transmute into a fissile radioisotope but cannot itself keep a chain reaction going. In a thorium reactor, a fissile material like uranium or plutonium is blanketed by thorium. The fissile material, also called a driver in this case, drives the chain reaction to produce energy while simultaneously transmuting the fertile material into fissile material. India has very modest deposits of uranium and some of the world’s largest sources of thorium. It was keeping this in mind that in 1954, Homi Bhabha envisioned India’s nuclear power programme in three stages to suit the country’s resource profile. In the first stage, heavy water reactors fuelled by natural uranium would produce plutonium; the second stage would initially be fuelled by a mix of the plutonium from the first stage and natural uranium. This uranium would transmute into more plutonium and once sufficient stocks have been built up, thorium would be introduced into the fuel cycle to convert it into uranium 233 for the third stage. In the final stage, a mix of thorium and uranium fuels the reactors. The thorium transmutes to U-233 as in the second stage, which powers the reactor. Fresh thorium can replace the depleted thorium in the reactor core, making it essentially a thorium-fuelled reactor even though it is the U-233 that is undergoing fission to produce electricity. After decades of operating pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWR), India is finally ready to start the second stage. A 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam is set to achieve criticality any day now and four more fast breeder reactors have been sanctioned, two at the same site and two elsewhere. However, experts estimate that it would take India many more FBRs and at least another four decades before it has built up a sufficient fissile material inventory to launch the third stage. The earliest projections place major thorium reactor construction in the late 2040s, some past 2070. India cannot wait that long. Procuring fissile material The obvious solution to India’s shortage of fissile material is to procure it from the international market. As yet, there exists no commerce in plutonium though there is no law that expressly forbids it. In fact, most nuclear treaties such as the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material address only U- 235 and U-233, presumably because plutonium has so far not been considered a material suited for peaceful purposes. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) merely mandates that special fissionable material — which includes plutonium — if transferred, be done so under safeguards. Thus, the legal rubric for safeguarded sale of plutonium already exists. The physical and safety procedures for moving radioactive spent fuel and plutonium also already exists.
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If India were to start purchasing plutonium and/or spent fuel, it would immediately alleviate the pressure on countries like Japan and the U.K. who are looking to reduce their stockpile of plutonium. India is unlikely to remain the only customer for too long either. Thorium reactors have come to be of great interest to many countries in the last few years, and Europe yet remains intrigued by FBRs as their work on ASTRID, ALFRED, and ELSY shows. The unseemly emphasis on thorium technology has many reasons. One, thorium reactors produce far less waste than present-day reactors. Two, they have the ability to burn up most of the highly radioactive and long-lasting minor actinides that makes nuclear waste from Light Water Reactors a nuisance to deal with. Three, the minuscule waste that is generated is toxic for only three or four hundred years rather than thousands of years. Four, thorium reactors are cheaper because they have higher burnup. And five, thorium reactors are significantly more proliferation-resistant than present reactors. This is because the U-233 produced by transmuting thorium also contains U-232, a strong source of gamma radiation that makes it difficult to work with. Its daughter product, thallium-208, is equally difficult to handle and easy to detect. The mainstreaming of thorium reactors worldwide thus offers an enormous advantage to proliferation-resistance as well as the environment. Admittedly, there still remains a proliferation risk, but these can be addressed by already existing safeguards. For India, it offers the added benefit that it can act as a guarantor for the lifetime supply of nuclear fuel for reactors if it chooses to enter the export market, something it is unable to do for uranium-fuelled reactors.
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It is clear that India stands to profit greatly from plutonium trading but what compelling reason does the world have to accommodate India? The most significant carrot would be that all of India’s FBRs that are tasked for civilian purposes can come under international safeguards in a system similar to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal. There is little doubt that India will one day have a fleet of FBRs and large quantities of fissile material that can easily be redirected towards its weapons programme. This will limit how quickly India can grow its nuclear arsenal to match that of, say, China. Delhi has shown no inclination to do so until now, but the world community would surely prefer that as much as possible of India’s plutonium was locked under safeguards. The U.S. could perhaps emerge as the greatest obstacle to plutonium commerce. Washington has been resolutely opposed to reprocessing since the Carter administration, preferring instead the wasteful once-through, open fuel cycle. Although the U.S. cannot prevent countries from trading in plutonium, it has the power to make it uncomfortable for them via sanctions, reduced scientific cooperation, and other mechanisms. The strong non-proliferation lobby in the U.S. is also likely to be nettled that a non-signatory of the NPT would now move to open and regulate trade in plutonium. The challenge for Delhi is to convince Washington to sponsor rather than oppose such a venture. In this, a sizeable portion of the nuclear industry could be Delhi’s allies. Scientists predict that the impact of climate change will be worse on India. Advancing the deployment of thorium reactors by four to six decades via a plutonium market might be the most effective step towards curtailing carbon emissions.
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