INDIA PREPARES CONTENTS Volume 1 Issue 8 June 2012 1. THE UNFOLDING RNI No.-DELENG/2011/39748 Rethinking Social Sector ......................................................... 3 Owner, Printer and Publisher: 2. INTERVIEw—Dr. Shantanu Atul Kumar Garg Meeting the Stars .................................................................... 17 Editor: 3. NATIONAL BULLETIN Sonal Vats The abc of RTE ....................................................................... 19 National News.......................................................................... 22 Senior Advisor : Neelam Nandan 4. INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN International News................................................................... 30 Editorial Team : Dr Jayant Rai 5. BILATERAL BULLETIN Dr S.K. Gupta Indo-Bangladesh Relations...................................................... 36 Pratibha Patil’s visit to African Continent ................................ 37 Kuldeep Singh Bilateral News......................................................................... 39 Amit Shankar Raghunath Panigrahi 6. ECONOMY@ IP Surendra Pandey General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) ................................. 44 Fidel Castro Balancing Inflation and Growth in India: Need of the Hour.... 46 Sushant Singh Economy News........................................................................ 48 S.K. Jahiruddin 7. SCIENCE SPECTRUM 1 Designing and Graphics India’s Deterrence Comes a Full Circle: Agni-V..................... 53 Ranvir Singh - 09818972982 RISAT -I .................................................................................. 54 Science News........................................................................... 56 Place of Publication: 8. HEALTH ISSUE A-3/6, 2nd floor, Mianwali Nagar Family Planning in India......................................................... 63 Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110087 Ph. no’s : 09810949873, 9. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 9899751545, 9873304730 Indian River Linking Project: Recent Judgment and Email: [email protected] its Implication ......................................................................... 65 Printing Press: 10. PERSPECTIVES M/S Rolleract Press Services Debating National Security of the NCTC?.............................. 68 C-163, Ground Floor, 11. INSPIRATIONS@IP Naraina Industrial Area The People’s President, Dr. Abdul Kalam ............................... 71 Phase - I, New Delhi-110028 12. MOSAIC For Advertisement Re-Igniting The Past- Celebrating 150th Anniversary Enquiry, Contact of Tagore, Vivekanand and Malviya........................................ 73 Atul Garg : 09810949873 or 13. KNOW IT ALL .................................................................... 76 Mail : [email protected] 14. QUESTIONS@ IP PT-2012 analysis and solutions ............................................. 85 HELP MAIL SERVICE [email protected] INDIA PREPARES Editor’s Note Dear Readers The first stage of the civil services exam 2012 is over and now it is time to concentrate and plan for the second stage. The four months of June, July, August and September happen to be the most crucial months in civil services preparation. It is precisely one’s mains’ score that matters the most in the final list. So, hit the floor right away. Many of the students, especially those who are not very sure of their PT stage performance are in a dilemma whether to start preparing for the next stage in June or wait for the results due in August. Honestly speaking, waiting for the results can be the biggest mistake. The syllabus for Mains stage is huge and cannot be covered in 2 months. This is for sure that those who waste June and July have very little chance of clearing the mains stage. In fact, June is the month when there is no pressure on the candidates and they can really work on new things to improve the quality of their studies. One can experiment in June but not later. It is a time when students can work on their weak 2 points and rectify the mistakes they have done in the earlier attempts. It has been observed that most of the successful candidates finish one of their subjects and atleast one paper of the GS before the announcement of the results. So it is advisable for the students that they start with one of their subjects in the first week of June itself. This way you will have ample time to revise the syllabus in September. Another trend that is observed is that candidates leave their current affairs part for the last one month of preparation. This can actually prove to be disastrous. Current affairs are something which should always remain the part of your studies. In the last month, there are many more things to do, so try toto keep it simple and easy for then. We’ll keep you updated with all the latest news and buzz to help you prepare best. Till then, keep reading and keep enjoying. Best of luck Sonal Vats (Editor) INDIA PREPARES The Unfolding Vol.1 Issue 8 June 2012 THE UNFOLDING... RETHINKING SOCIAL SECTOR G.S Mains examination forms the core of the Mains stage of Civil Services examination. Over the years, the general perception developing is that exam is becoming more and more unpredictable, extensive and quite exhaustive, with students being left baffled as to what to study and from where? A closer view, however presents a different reality. The examination is no doubt becoming ever extensive but the issues and questions asked are very much based on our everyday happenings. When earlier the focus was on observant knowledge, the focus now is on analytical understanding, a paradigm shift from “what is” to “why it is and how it is”. The examiner not only wants to know how much we know but also how much have we thought it through. There are four critical areas in G.S. Mains apart from the conventional bit about history, polity, geography, and statistics. These are Social Issues( which in major part includes various Government sponsored welfare schemes), Bilateral and Multilateral relations, India’s Foreign Policy and Science and Technology. India Prepares will be delving into each of these core areas in its coming four issues starting with Social sector analysis in this very copy. We would be providing you with in-depth analysis of all the major flagship programmes of the government, various revamped schemes, the proposed changes, renewed targets and achievements, so on and so forth. We would also look into the issue as to why the budgetary allocations to social sectors are growing but without any commensurate increase in welfare benefits to the masses. The ethos of planning in India has into consideration. During the 60’s, guided by the market forces and liberal always been people centric. When India 70’s and 80’s, most of the focus was, policies. The emphasis is on autonomy became independent in 1947, Jawaharlal however, put on accelerating economic and effciency induced by competition. Nehru stressed the importance of the growth, savings and investments. This We cannot remain untouched by these task that lay ahead of ending poverty, was nothing unique to India, but was the trends. We have to draw lessons from the 3 ignorance, disease and inequality of dominating approach to development in development experience of other nations opportunity. As the 1st Five Year Plan most developing countries, as the belief during the last four decades.” (FYP) was launched, it however did not in the trickle-down effect to solve the Inspired by the publication of the spell out any specific planning strategy issue of poverty was strong. first Global HDR, it was at the same linking sectoral investment proposals The inadequacy of tackling poverty time recognised that these liberalisation to the objective of the plan. But in the through this strategy was recognised by efforts should be combined with a more 2nd FYP, the principles of ‘socialistic the Government of India: “The equity direct focus on human development: pattern of society’ underlay the planning objective was sought to be pursued “Human development will be the ultimate strategy and emphasised social gain. It through redistribution of assets. But, goal of the Eighth Plan. It is towards put stress on raising standards of living land reforms could not be implemented this that employment generation, by raising national income through a effectively. The problem of poverty could population control, literacy, education, rapid industrialisation process with focus not be tackled through growth, which health, drinking water and provision of on heavy industry. This was expected to itself was slow over a long period of adequate food and basic infrastructure generate employment opportunities and time.” are listed as the priorities.” reduce inequalities in society through trickling down to the poorer sections in During the 1990s, India introduced Beginning with the 8th FYP, the society. economic reforms, aiming at liberalising Five Year Plans continue to be firmly set the economy through various initiatives. within the human development paradigm. The plan also placed emphasis As stated in the 8th FYP (1992-1997): Addressing human development in India on comprehensive village planning, “The Eighth Plan is being launched at is of vital importance since a large taking the more vulnerable parts of the a time, which marks a turning point portion of the population is living below population, such as landless farmers in both international and domestic the poverty line, and income inequalities and artisans into account. It was, in economic environment. Centralised are rising by the day. This articulation