Weekly 10 To 16 December 2012 IAS

WEEKLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BULLETIN
10TH DECEMBER 16TH DECEMBER, 2012
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2nd December: Infrastructure & Resources 1. Transportation infrastructure: Road and Highway Networks, Mass Transit Systems, Railways, Waterways, Ports.... 2. Energy infrastructure:- Thermal Power Generation, Natural Gas Pipelines & Petroleum Pipelines, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy...... 3. Water management infrastructure:- Drinking water supply, Sewage Collection and Disposal of Waste water, Flood Control, Water Harwesting..... 4. Communications infrastructure:- Television and Radio Transmission, Internet, Social Network, Search Engines, Communications Satellites...... 5. Solid Waste Management 6. Economic Infrastructure: Manufacturing Infrastructure, including Industrial Parks and Special Economic zones, Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Infrastructure.... 7. Resources: Water Resources, Forest Resources, Land Resources, Energy Resources, Minerals, Resource Management..... 9th December: Demography : Population Composition, Density, Literacy, Sex Ratio... 16th December: Environmental Problems & Global Environmental Governance : Deforestation, Pollution: Air, Water, Land, Noise, Desertification, Biodiversity Depletion, Global Warming, SD.......
Production and productivity, Microirrigation, Urbanization, Government Initiatives...... 6th January: Indian Economy Basics, Planning & Trade 1. Industry Services, Agriculture, Energy..... 2. Balance of Payments. Foreign Direct Investment....... 3. Growth, Development and Other Issues......... 4. Poverty Estimates, Impact of Poverty........ 5. Exchange rate. Role of RBI..... 6. Nature of Planning - Five Year Plan, Planning after 1991 (LPG), Inflation..... 13th January: Governance and Contemporary Political Developments : Development Politics, Political and Administrative Institutions, Good Governance, Internal Security....
23rd December: Human Development, Social Sector Initiatives and Programmes & Policies 1. Concept of Human Development, Development vs. Growth, Human Development Index, MPI, Innovation..... 2. Social Inclusion, Child Welfare, Women Welfare.... 30th December: Agriculture, Urbanisation, Health : Agriculture and GDP, Agricultural Regionalization,
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Weekly Current Affairs 10th December 16th December, 2012 [3]
NATIONAL
Government to Provide Insurance to Men, Machines In Naxal Areas
In a move to motivate contractors to take up road construction in left wing extremism (LWE) affected districts, the Centre has decided to provide insurance cover to the men and machines deployed at sites. The highways ministry issued this notification after it found that contractors were not showing any interest in the troubled zones since there was a fear of equipment being damaged and employees getting attacked. There have been instances like the burning of equipment and even the contractor getting killed by Naxals in Malkangiri district in Odisha in October, vehicles being burnt in Kanker in Chhattisgarh in March and also in Dumka and Simdega areas in Jharkhand in the past few years to drive away contractors so that there is no fresh road work. The premium of insurance is to be charged with project cost estimate and to be met out of the contigencies/work charged establishment. The plan is an extension of the gram nyayalaya scheme in which mobile courts visit villages to dispense speedy justice by adopting summary proceedings. With the gram nyayalaya scheme beset with funding problems, the government plans to set up court buildings and provide for their running expenses. In the proposed funding pattern, the Centre will meet 75% of the cost of infrastructure and running expenses while states will pitch in with the remaining 25%, the same as in the case of subordinate courts and high courts. These civil courts will be headed by a judicial magistrate but will not be bound by the rules of Code of Criminal Procedure or those followed in civil suits. These courts have also been exempted from strictly adhering to the rules of evidence, unlike other courts. The Centre had initially agreed to provide Rs 18 lakh in fixed expenditure to set up court infrastructure and Rs 3.20 lakh for running expenses for three years. However, the law ministry has proposed that the Centre meet 75% of the total expenditure as applicable in the case of setting up subordinate courts. The law ministry feels these courts will have an immense impact. Besides bringing down litigation in the higher judiciary, the taluka level courts will help people settle disputes in the villages itself without the need to travel to district centres or state capitals. These courts will be empowered to pronounce judgment, with a time limit of six months set to adjudicate cases. In case the litigants are not satisfied, they can approach higher courts, but a time limit of six months has also been fixed for adjudication of these cases in higher courts.
The relaxation of bidding norms for projects in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra and MP allows smaller and local players in these areas to qualify for projects. The decision was taken after the delay in award and implementation of LWE projects due to poor response of bidders. Another major intention of the government behind this relaxation is to allow the successful contractor to sub-contract non-mechanized/non-bituminous work including earthwork. There are projects like the one in Odisha costing Rs 45 crore which did not get a single bidder even after tenders were floated for the fifth time in 201112. The situation was worse in Chhattisgarh where eight projects covering 252 km are not getting bidders.
Taluka courts for speedy justice in villages
Aiming to bring justice to the doorstep of people in villages, the government plans to set up at least 2,500 courts at the taluka level, saving rural folk the trouble of having to travel to the district headquarters.
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Weekly Current Affairs 10th December 16th December, 2012
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CSIR, HP develop new system for better healthcare
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and IT major Hewlett Packard announced the development of a system that would provide
affordable healthcare to the rural poor and simultaneously facilitate better medicines for various ailments. The system is based on a combination of the latest in IT, cloud computing, and standard shipping containers, which have become unusable for normal freight movement. While the containers would be used for setting up basic health centres in remote areas at a much faster pace and at much lesser cost than a conventional brick and mortar centre, cloud computing would help scientists working in distant laboratories access physiological data required to make new medicines for different ailments. The system would also feature a telemedicine studio, a laboratory and a pharmacy.
Yojana', a direct benefit transfer system and described it as a first-of-its-kind food security scheme integrated with the UID Aadhar in the country. Under the scheme a monthly cash subsidy of Rs. 600 will be directly transferred to the bank account of the senior most female member of 2 lakh poor families, will help eradicate hunger from the country. The scheme was a testimony to the State government's efforts in providing a helping hand to vulnerable families, and an effort to empower women. The scheme was not an alternative to the public distribution system, but was an extension of existing food security efforts being undertaken under the PDS. It would provide an option to beneficiaries to purchase food items and essentials whenever required.
A pilot project of the system has been tried at a village in Kaithal district of Haryana in partnership with O.P. Jindal Gramin Jan Kalyan Sansthan, an NGO for rural welfare run by the Jindal group. The village comes under the Parliamentary constituency of Mr. Jindal. 3M India, and Orion eService are also involved in the project.
Direct benefit transfer system launched in Delhi
United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi has launched the Delhi government's ambitious food security programme, 'Dilli Annshree
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Skill-based programme for Naxal-hit districts in Chhattisgarh
A skill-based training programme will be launched in 10 worst-affected Naxal districts in Chhattisgarh to help the youth sharpen their skills in different professions. The government would launch 'Skill Gurukul' scheme in Rajnandgaon on December 25 which will be later extended to other districts. The state government is already running centres in Naxal-hit districts to provide training to tribal youth in sewing machine, electrical work and data entry operations.
INTERNATIONAL
Newly revised treaty has been launched by ITU China gets law to curb Tibet immolations
Delegates from over 160 countries meeting in Dubai have finished drafting the text of a revised global treaty that sets out general principles for assuring the free flow of information worldwide. Envoys from nearly 90 nations signed the first new U.N. telecommunications treaty since the Internet age, but the U.S. and other Western nations refused to join after claiming it endorses greater government control over cyberspace. The treaty contains many gains and achievements, including increased transparency in international mobile roaming charges and competition, an extremely important win for consumers. The current ITRs functions as the binding global treaty designed to facilitate international interconnection of information and communication services, as well as ensuring their efficiency and widespread public usefulness and availability. Whereas the revised treaty contains a newly updated article that will promote greater connectivity for people with disabilities as well as a new resolution covering land-locked developing nations and Small Island developing States. As the self-immolations in Tibet continued unabated, China has brought a new law under which anyone caught helping someone self immolate would be held liable for "intentional homicide". According to a regulation recently drafted by the ministry of public security and the judicial bodies, people who plan, organize, incite or help others perform selfimmolations will be tried for intentional homicide. Further those who parade a corpse through the streets or gather to watch the immolation without actively stopping the suicide will also be subject to criminal prosecution.
This resolution will set the framework for increased investment and roll out of broadband and mobile broadband, bringing vital services to populations that are currently disconnected. ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies. The ITU coordinates the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and assists in the development and coordination of worldwide technical standards. The ITU is active in areas including broadband Internet, latestgeneration wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, convergence in fixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice, TV broadcasting, and next-generation networks.
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North Korea launches rocket in defiance of critics
Isolated and impoverished North Korea launched its second long- range rocket of 2012 and has succeeded in putting a satellite into space. The rocket, which North Korea labeled as a weather satellite into orbit, has been labeled by the United States, South Korea and Japan as a test of technology that could one day deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting targets as far away as the continental United States. North Korea in 2009 successfully conducted the nuclear test that prompted the U.N. Security Council to stiffen sanctions that it originally imposed in 2006 after the North's first nuclear test. North Korea is banned from developing nuclear and missile-related technology under U.N. resolutions The United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned the North Korean rocket launch, calling it a "clear violation" of UN prohibitions.
Pakistan pledges cash for girls education
President Asif Ali Zardari has announced a $10 million donation for a global war chest to educate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education. The "Malala Fund for Girls' Right to Education" aims at raising billions of dollars to ensure that all girls go to school by 2015 in line with United Nations
Millennium goals. Education Minister Waqas Akram signed the agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization head Irina Bokova. Ziauddin Yousafzai, Ms. Yousafzai's father, a former teacher and headmaster has been appointed special adviser for education, UNESCO, to implement a new 'Malala Plan' to get all girls into school around the world by the end of 2015. The U.N. estimates 61 million children do not go to school and girls account for two-thirds of this number.
U.S. recognition of Syrian rebels draws protests
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President Obama has announced that the United States would formally recognize a coalition of Syrian opposition groups as that country's legitimate representative, in an attempt to intensify the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to give up his nearly two-year bloody struggle to stay in power. Russia and China have rejected the U.S. move to recognise the Syrian opposition, mostly based abroad, and reiterated that the prolonged crisis can be resolved only by Syrians themselves, based on an inclusive internal dialogue.
Russians stressed that it was not by following a partisan approach but only by pursuing the Geneva accord, which had recommended an internationally backed intra-Syrian dialogue, that an amicable Syrian political transition can be achieved. U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon, the former U.N. negotiator on Syria, Kofi Annan, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, the U.S. Secretary of State as well as the Foreign Ministers of Russia, China, Britain, France, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq had endorsed Geneva Accord. The Geneva accord had formally endorsed a plan that would allow the participation of members of the government of President Bashar al-Assad in a broad national coalition that would steer the transition. But the announcement marks a new phase of American engagement in a bitter conflict that has claimed at least 40,000 lives, threatened to destabilize the broader Middle East and defied all outside attempts to end it. The United States is not the first to make this step. Britain, France, Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council have also recognized the Syrian opposition group.
ECONOMY
Cabinet finalizes Reserve Price for the Auction of Spectrum in 1800 MHz band CCEA clears new urea investment policy
The Union Cabinet has approved the Reserve Price for spectrum in 1800 MHz band for 4 service areas (Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan) where no bids were received during auctions held in November, 2012 and for spectrum in 900 MHz band in Metro service areas of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata as recommended by an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM).
The decision includes:
a) The reserve price for 1800 MHz band in the service areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan be reduced by 30 percent from the previous reserve price; b) The reserve price for 900 MHz spectrum in Delhi and Mumbai be twice such revised reserve price for the 1800 MHz band; and
c) The reserve price for 900 MHz spectrum in Kolkata be twice the price obtained for the 1800 MHz band for this service area in the auction held in November, 2012. As regards payment for spectrum currently held in 1800 and 900 MHz bands by existing operators in 4 service areas (namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan) where auction determined price is not available, it has been decided that such operators be charged at the revised reserve price, on the applicable quantum of spectrum, till such time as auction determined price becomes available, and that after the auction price becomes available, the earlier payment made on the basis of reserve price would be adjusted against the amount actually due. The reserve price in last month's auction was Rs 693.06 crore for Delhi circle, Rs 678.45 crore for Mumbai, Rs 330.12 crore for Karnataka and Rs 67.08 crore for Rajasthan. The new base price after 30 per cent cut would be Rs 485.142 crore for Delhi, Rs 474.915 crore for Mumbai, Rs 231.084 crore for Karnataka and Rs 46.956 crore for Rajasthan.
The above decisions are expected to result in further efficient utilisation of the scarce natural resource of spectrum facilitating proliferation of telecom services in the country.
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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a urea investment policy, which is likely to incentivize fertilizer companies to set up new plants and expand existing capacity. The new policy aims at attracting fresh investment of about Rs.35, 000 crore to increase domestic production by eight million tonnes Under the new policy, the government will give 12-20 per cent post-tax return on fresh capital infused by the manufacturers for setting up of new plants as well as for expansion and revamp of the existing ones. To ensure this return, the government would cover the entire cost of natural gas, which is the main feedstock of urea, and accounts for 80 per cent of the cost. The government controls the urea sector and has fixed the maximum retail price (MRP) at Rs.5, 360 a tonne. The difference between the MRP and the cost of production is given as subsidy to manufacturers. For determining the cost of production of new plants to be set up after the policy comes into effect, the government has set a floor and ceiling price of urea, based on the price of natural gas plus 12-20 per cent equity returns. Meanwhile, the CCEA also cleared a proposal to extend additional subsidy to Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT) till June, 2013, to cover the cost of naptha-based complex fertilizer. In the last two years, the government has been giving additional subsidy to naptha-based complex fertilizer makers such as FACT and MFL to cover higher cost of production with a condition that they will convert their units into gas-based. FACT is expected to complete conversion of its units into gasbased by May next. Hence, the CCEA cleared the additional subsidy till June.
Reserve Bank tightens norms for issue of debit cards
The Reserve Bank of India has tightened the rules for issuing debit cards. It stipulated that debit cards
would be issued to customers having Savings Bank and Current Accounts but not to cash credit or loan account holders. Secondly, banks may issue only online debit cards, including co-branded debit cards and rupee denominated co-branded pre-paid cards, without seeking the prior approval of the central bank. Banks are, henceforth, not permitted to issue offline-debit cards. Banks which are now issuing offline debit cards may conduct a review of their offline debit card operations and discontinue operations of such cards within a period of six months from the date of this circular. Banks were also asked to ensure that customers were duly informed regarding switching over to online debit cards. However, till such time as offline cards were phased out, the outstanding balances / unspent balances stored on the cards would be subject to computation of reserve requirements. Whereas no bank shall despatch a card to a customer unsolicited, except in the case where the card is a replacement for a card already held by the customer.
contact number of important executives as well as the grievance redressal officer of the bank may be displayed on the website." Further, the RBI said that there should be a system of acknowledging customers' complaints for followup, such as complaint number / docket number.
SEBI has set up new panel to Standardize Norms for Foreign Investment
Each bank shall make available to the cardholders in writing, a set of contractual terms and conditions governing the issue and use of such a card. These terms shall maintain a fair balance between the interests of the parties concerned and shall be expressed clearly. However, the RBI has further stated that banks would not be held liable for any loss caused by a technical breakdown of the payment system if the breakdown of the system was recognisable for the cardholder by a message on the display of the device or otherwise known. The responsibility of the bank for the non-execution or defective execution of the transaction is limited to the principal sum and the loss of interest subject to the provisions of the law governing the terms.
With a view to reducing the instances of misuse of lost/stolen cards, the apex bank asked banks to issue cards with photographs of the cardholder or any other advanced methods that may evolve from time to time. Banks should undertake review of their operations/issue of debit cards on half-yearly basis. The review would include, inter-alia, card usage analysis, including cards not used for long durations due to their inherent risks. Banks were asked to ensure to put in place an effective mechanism for redressal of customer complaints. "The name, designation, address and
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Presently there are various routes/rules for foreign investors such as sub-accounts, ODIs (offshore derivative instruments), FIIs and QFIs and NRIs etc. thus in consultation with government, SEBI have decided to combine these various routes which are present today into one single route. Thus Market regulator SEBI has set up a committee under former cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar to standardize and unify the rules regarding foreign investments made under various routes into the capital markets. The Chandrashekhar committee will simplify norms regarding overseas entities such as foreign institutional investors (FIIs), foreign venture capital investors (FVCIs), qualified financial/institutional investors (QFIs) and NRIs, and also to strengthen surveillance over them. With a view to rationalize/harmonize different routes for foreign portfolio investments, SEBI will prepare draft guidelines based on the guidance of the working group on foreign investments, for consideration of the government so that uniform guidelines are made for various categories of investors such as FIIs, FVCIs, NRIs, QFIs, etc. Overall, FIIs are the largest players in the domestic market. So far this year, they have pumped in $21 billion into the domestic equities, the second best inflow after 2010, when they had pumped in over $29 billion. On the back of robust fund flows, the BSE's 30-stock benchmark sensex has rallied over 25%.
PM to head Cabinet Committee on Investment
The government has set up a Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) to accord approval to mega projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore, remove investment bottlenecks and drive growth. The panel will be headed by the Prime Minister and seek to "fast-track mega projects of over Rs 1,000 crore. The committee will identify projects in notified sectors and prescribe time limits for approvals. However, the constitution to be decided by the PM will also project monitoring in notified sectors and
review implementation of delayed projects. If a ministry has to give approval there will be a 30 day window and if the ministry does not give some sort of a response by that point in time, it will then be taken over by the Cabinet Committee on Investment to take forward. This is likely to bring in some degree of predictability when it comes to the large degree of infrastructure proposals and large big ticket infrastructure investments. Regulatory delays have been holding up projects worth nearly Rs. 2 lakh crore in the road, power, coal and mining sectors alone. Poor infrastructure is often cited by economists as one of the biggest obstacles to a more robust economic growth for India.
SEBI' new guidelines to prevent flash crashes at bourses
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) announced a series of measures to prevent flash crash. It has asked exchanges to put an upper limit on a single order at Rs 10 crore and also decided to tighten the dynamic price band around a stock that will stretch only 10 per cent either way. The measures are a response to the possibility of flash crashes like the one which happened in October 5 this year at the NSE. This means no order of above Rs 10 crore will be accepted by the stock exchange for execution in the market. The dynamic price band is tighter than the circuit filters that exchanges apply on stock prices daily. The new band will also be applicable on index futures and stock futures. However in case of a market trend in either direction, the dynamic price bands shall be relaxed by the stock exchanges in increments of 5 per cent. As a result of the upper limit on single order, the regulator has made it impossible for anyone to avoid the block deal window and route trades through the normal window. The regulator has introduced minimum pre-trade risk controls for all categories of orders placed on stocks, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Index Futures and Stock futures. While the limit on value of an order has been fixed at Rs 10 crore, the stock exchange will be required to ensure that appropriate checks for value and quantity are implemented by the stock brokers with respect to the risk profile of their clients. SEBI has also directed the stock exchanges to ensure that stock brokers put-in place a mechanism to limit the cumulative value of all unexecuted orders placed from their terminals to below a threshold limit set by the stock brokers. Stock exchanges have also been directed to ensure that the stock brokers are mandatorily put in riskreduction mode when 90 per cent of the his collateral available for adjustment against margins gets utilised on account of trades that fall under a margin system. SEBI's measures and directions are result of a flash crash at Nifty where it fell by 900 points to hit an intra-day low of 4,888 on October 5, 2012. Nifty hit the lower circuit and thereby closing the cash market automatically for almost 15 minutes. The crash was linked to erroneous trades worth $126 million, placed by Emkay Global Financial Services.
A typical infrastructure project requires clearances from 19 ministries and on an average 56 permissions on issues ranging from the environment to defence. The whole process takes up to 24 months. Originally conceived of as the National Investment Board, the proposal of Finance Minister P Chidambram had been stridently opposed by the Environment Ministry and others who felt the new committee would have overreaching powers. The Cabinet, however, renamed the proposed body as Cabinet Committee on Investment. The panel will have ministers in charge of infrastructure sectors as its members.
Mobile number portability to apply countrywide by Feb
The Government announced that nationwide mobile number portability (MNP) is expected to be rolled out by February. This means that users can retain their numbers even if they move from one State (and telecom circle) to another.
Right now, consumers are allowed to switch to a different operator within their circle with the same number. Under NTP 2012, the Government had envisaged implementing MNP on a nationwide level allowing users to retain their mobile numbers even when they shift to a different telecom circle. India has 22 telecom circles. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), by October-end, about 75.14 million subscribers had submitted their requests to the various service providers for moving to other services.
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INDIA AND THE WORLD

India to sign legal aid treaty with 4 nations
India will sign Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal matters with four countries including Israel, Azerbaijan, Nepal and Oman by next year. The treaty facilitates mutual assistance between two countries in prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime. The agreement assumes importance in combating trans-national organized crimes, drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorism, counterfeit currency and smuggling of arms and explosives. As per the agreement, Indian prisoners in the UAE jails, those who have been sentenced, will have a choice to spend the remaining prison term in India.
BEL, IAI ink pact on future long range missile-ship defence
The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal Ministry for concluding Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties in Criminal Matters which are designated to facilitate widest measures of mutual assistance in investigation, prosecution and prevention of crime, service of summons and other judicial documents, execution of warrants and other judicial commissions and tracing, restraint, forfeiture or confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime. These agreements assume importance in combating transnational organized crimes, transborder terrorism, crimes and other serious offences, such as, drug trafficking, money laundering, counterfeit currency, smuggling of arms of explosives, etc. India has so far operationalised these Treaties with 32 countries namely. Further India along with other SAARC countries has signed a Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters in 2008. India has since ratified the Convention. The Convention will come into force after ratification of the Convention by all the Member States. The Convention aims to strengthen regional cooperation in investigation and prosecution of crime.
UAE cabinet approves agreement with India
India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have moved a step forward in enforcing an extradition agreement that would allow around 1,200 convicted Indians jailed in the country to return home to complete their prison terms. The UAE Cabinet formally approved the mutual agreement signed last year.
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extradition
Bharat Electronics Limited has signed MoU with Israel Aerospace Industries for cooperation on future Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM) ShipDefence Systems. The MoU lays out framework for BEL-IAI cooperation, under which BEL will function as the lead integrator and produce major sub-systems. IAI will continue to act as design authority and to produce sub-systems as main sub-contractor of BEL. LR-SAMs, along with MR-SAMs (Medium Range SAMs) for the IAF, is among the major pursuits of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which is said to be developing some of them, also in a tie-up with IAI, at a cost of over around Rs. 2,500 crore. It is based on Israel's Barak missile system and will give the country an advanced, seekerbased missile capability. Indian missiles are 'guided' and the country does not have the 'seeker' technology that enables a missile to home in on the target. The LR-SAM would track and engage multiple targets simultaneously over a 70-km range, defence sources said. The project could span five to eight years. Partnership with BEL will further enhance IAI's ability to provide high quality solutions and service to Indian defence services, best supporting the needs of India. For several years IAI has been engaged in joint development programmes with DRDO and Indian defence industries for the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, including joint manufacturing of sub-systems, according to BEL.
Bilateral Visit of the External Affairs Minister to Myanmar
External Affairs Minister, Shri Salman Khurshid, paid a bilateral visit to Myanmar from December 14 to 16, 2012.
During the visit India has announced assistance of $1 million towards relief in Myanmar's Rakhine state which was rocked by widespread ethnic clashes leaving thousands displaced. Rakhine witnessed clashes between the Rakhine and Rohingya communities, leaving around 35,000 people displaced last month. The total number of displaced since June stands at 110,000 India is also to set up a consulate at Sittwe, capital of Rakhine state, situated on the western coast. India is also involved in developing the $120-million Sittwe deep water port, which is set to become functional by June 2013. The port will allow cargo vessels from India's landlocked Mizoram state to navigate the Kaladan river and connect them to Myanmar and southeast Asia. India and Myanmar enjoy the closest ties of friendship and cooperation based upon the commonalities of history, culture, religion, ethnicity and spirituality. The exchange of high level visits over the past year, including the State visits of the Prime Minister to Myanmar in May 2012 and that of the President of Myanmar to India in October 2011, has further strengthened these multifaceted ties. A number of new initiatives related to enhancing connectivity through land, sea and air; promoting bilateral cooperation and exchanges in the areas of security, border cooperation, trade and commerce, banking, agriculture, health, science & technology, information technology, culture; infrastructure development; capacity building and human resource development; organization of training for Myanmar Parliamentarians and Parliamentary staff in India; and promotion of people to people contacts, among others; are under implementation by the two sides. The visit of the External Affairs Minister provided an opportunity to review the entire gamut of the bilateral relationship and build further upon the momentum in bilateral relations.
Further the two nations agreed on the imperative to develop a meaningful relationship of bilateral engagement by better leveraging significant complementarities existing between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest, such as civil nuclear cooperation, defence and space technology, fertilizers, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and food security, industrial engineering and mining. They agreed to enhance interaction at the political, official and business levels to achieve this objective. Salient outcomes of the meet: In the field of Trade and economy, the two sides reviewed the current level of bilateral trade of around USD three billion and noted the significant growth of nearly 50% in 2012 as compared to 2010. They agreed to make all-round joint efforts to enhance the bilateral trade further. Both sides also took note of the decisions taken during the fourth session of the India-Ukraine Intergovernmental Commission held in June this year in Kyiv. They agreed to streamline the existing mechanism for trade and economic dialogue on a regular basis and reaffirmed their intention to boost bilateral investment. They emphasised the need for the Intergovernmental Commission to meet regularly on an annual basis and directed that its fifth session be held in 2013 in New Delhi. The two sides agreed that there was a need to facilitate broader engagement and more active contacts between business persons. In this context, the Indian side stressed the need to facilitate business visas. Recognizing the technological and engineering prowess of Ukraine and flagging India's liberalized policy of attracting foreign investment, the Indian side invited the Ukrainian side to consider investing in India's infrastructure development and the modernization of its industries, especially in the steel and power sectors. Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Standardisation, Conformity Assessment and Quality between the Bureau of Indian Standards and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine has been signed. The MoU is in continuation of a similar MoU signed for a period of five years in 2005. It envisages enhanced economic engagement through elimination of technical barriers to trade and economic relations.
India and Ukraine Meet
Mr. Viktor Yanukovych, the President of Ukraine paid a State Visit to India, accompanied by a highlevel delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and leading representatives of the Ukrainian business community. The two sides signed agreements in the fields of legal assistance, defence cooperation, science and technology, nuclear safety and standardization.
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The two sides welcomed the signing of the agreement between the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India and the State Nuclear Regulatory Committee of Ukraine. The Agreement envisages cooperation in some very important regulatory activities, including legislative regulations, safety guides and technical criteria on nuclear safety; siting, design, construction, operation, decommissioning of nuclear facilities; waste management and environment impact etc. Both the nations have signed an agreement for the defence cooperation. The Agreement will provide the framework for expanding military technical cooperation on an institutionalized basis. It envisages mechanisms to be set up for promoting defence cooperation. It will pave the way for moving our relationship to a new plane, that of joint research and development in the future. The agreement would also facilitate regular dialogue between the two sides in new areas of cooperation and smooth implementation of ongoing projects.
Diplomatic relations between India and Ukraine were established in January 1992. Thus, the visit of the President is taking place during the 20th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The previous visit at the Presidential level was that of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who had visited Ukraine in 2005. Cooperation between India and Ukraine is multifaceted and covers a wide range of areas including political, defence, S&T, nuclear, space, economic and trade & others. The bilateral trade turnover has increased from US$138.62 million in 1992 to US$ 2,865.45 million in 2011-12. Indian pharmaceutical exports to Ukraine are the largest by volume and second in terms of value (USD 325 million in 2011) for the past several years. India imports 25% of sunflower oil production of Ukraine, which is amongst the world's largest producers of sunflower oil.
Both sides welcomed the conclusion of the bilateral agreement for cooperation in science and technology. The agreement envisages regular meetings of a joint committee, exchange of scientists and holding of seminars, joint research programmes and contacts between scientific organizations. There are over ten ongoing joint research programmes and this agreement will allow for further expansion of collaboration in this area. The Ukrainian side welcomed the establishment of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies at the Institute of International Relations of the Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. The two sides agreed that it was essential to promote regular exchange of academics and encourage study of topics of mutual interest which would serve to deepen mutual cooperation and understanding. They agreed to further enhance the cultural links between the friendly peoples of the two countries. Recognizing that the number of Indians studying in Ukraine has grown considerably over the past five years, with more than 3500 Indian scholars pursuing higher studies, the two sides agreed to negotiate and conclude agreements for mutual recognition of medical and non-medical degrees and to promote mutual educational exchanges. The Indian side requested the Ukrainian side to facilitate the issue of visas to Indian students and also their registration by local authorities.
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Visitor Visa
New Visa Agreement between India and Pakistan
Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Pakistan's Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik jointly operationalised the new visa agreement between India and Pakistan in New Delhi. Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan had signed on 8th September, 2012, a new Visa Agreement to facilitate travel for the nationals of both countries desirous of travelling to the other country and to promote people to people contact.
Key features of the new Visa Agreement are as below:
a) Places of visit allowable increased from three to five places. b) In exceptional cases visitor visa for one year could be issued in the past. Now provision made for issue of visa upto two years in following cases: i. Persons above 65 years of age ii. National of one country married to national of the other country. iii. Children below 12 years accompanying parents in (ii) above
Visa on Arrival
Visa on arrival will also be granted at Attari/ Wagah border to persons more than 65, for 45 days,
with single entry - this concession will be effective from January 15.
Business Visa
Entry and exit
Exemption from Police Reporting for Business visa granted to businessmen with an annual income above Pak Rs. 5 million or equivalent or annual turnover above Pak Rs. 30 million or equivalent.
Group Tourist Visa
Entry and exit points from different designated immigration check-posts would be allowed, if indicated in the application, as per the new visa agreement. However, exit from Wagah/Attari on foot cannot be accepted unless the entry was also on foot from the same point. The New Visa Agreement will facilitate easy movement of people across the two countries. During the visit of Pak Interior Minister, the Indian and Pakistan delegations are also holding a bilateral meeting on issues that include counter terrorism border management, fake Indian Currency Notes and cooperation among security and investigation agencies.
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Group for travel and not operative
tourist visa will also be issued for 30 days in groups, with not less than 10 members more than 50 members. This will be from March 15, 2013.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Titan's Nile: 400km river spotted on Saturn moon
The international Cassini mission has spotted the longest extraterrestrial river system ever - on Saturn's moon Titan - and it appears to be a miniature version of Earth's Nile River. The river valley on Titan stretches more than 400 kilometres from its "headwaters" to a large sea. In comparison, the Nile River on Earth stretches about 6,700 kilometres. Titan is known to have vast seas - the only other body in the solar system, apart from Earth, to possess a cycle of liquids on its surface. However, the thick Titan atmosphere is a frigid one, meaning liquid water couldn't possibly flow. The liquids on Titan are therefore composed of hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA and ASI, the Italian space agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and ASI, working with team members from the US and several European countries. The scientific body predicts a global mean surface air temperature change for the period 2016-2035 compared to 1986-2005 could be in the range 0.4C1.0C. The change, however, is likely to be near the lower range. Scientific evidence, the report claims, shows global combined land and ocean temperature data indicates an increase of about 0.8C over 19012010 and about 0.5C over the period 1979-2010. The inability of climate negotiations to bridge gaps between the US, Europe and much of the developing world, including expanding economies like China and India, makes the report's forecasts even more worrisome. The draft report reaffirms that human-induced climate change is heating up the atmosphere leading to dramatic changes in global ecosystems. The report, leaked by a known climate sceptic, is still in draft form and is to be finalized officially by October 2013. The draft can undergo moderation, but the science and evidence has been spelt out in some detail. The results of the report imply that the world cannot afford more infertile meetings like the recent one in Doha, as there is an increasingly urgent need to set limits on cumulative GHG emissions and find a way to equitably share the finite carbon space. The report says it is likely that hot spells will increase globally and the number of hot days will also go up over the next few decades. As these predictions are probabilistic in nature, scientists use the term "virtually certain" to imply a 99-100% probability of an event happening. Very likely refers to a 90-100% probability and likely 66100% probability. The average decadal extent of Arctic sea ice has decreased in every season since satellite observations commenced in 1979 and its thickness and volume is in decline as well. The report notes that if global temperatures are to be maintained at not more than 2C above preindustrial levels by 2100, the annual greenhouse gas emissions should not exceed 8.5-12.6 pentagrams of carbon per year (PgC per year) by 2020, and 4.6-6.3 PgC per year by 2050.
Arctic summers may become ice-free: UN
Of all the warnings about dramatic effects of climate change, a leaked draft UN report states that Arctic Ocean in summer months can become icefree if global temperature rises by more than 2 degrees Celsius over current levels.
The potential reduction in Arctic ice, resultant rise in water levels and the possibility of new sea lanes accessing the frozen north of Russia, Japan and Scandinavian countries has engaged scientists for some time and the report provides more evidence that this could happen. But any economic benefits apart, changes in the polar ice cap can alter life on Earth for the worse, with more frequent hot spells, unless the annual rate of greenhouse gas emissions is halted and even reversed.
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India against allocation of certain domain names
India has made it clear that it does not favour the allocation of certain terms like 'Indians,' 'Islam' and 'Ram' as new generic Top Level Domain names (gTLDs), the concluding part of the web address that follows the dot, as the global web address system prepares itself for a phase of massive expansion in the coming months. Applicants from different parts of the world have sought the addition of hundreds of such new terms, but the allotment of some of these gTLDs has been opposed by some countries, including India. The organisation that oversees the administration of the global web address system, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), set the ball rolling in January for the global expansion drive, inviting applications from interested parties. The Indian government has also shown the red signal to applications for the allocation of a few other gTLDs as well - 'Bible,' 'army,' 'navy' and 'air force.' It has also expressed its reservations about two others 'shiksha' and 'halal.' Reliance India had applied for the gTLD.indians, which has not been favoured by the Indian government. India is also against the allotment of three other gTLDs - '.ram,' '.islam' and '.bible' under a Section of the Indian Trade Mark Act that states a mark "shall not be registered if it contains or comprises any matter likely to hurt the religious susceptibilities of any class or section of the citizens of India."
to. There are only a limited number of such domains. For example: gov - Government agencies; edu Educational institutions; org - Organizations (nonprofit); mil - Military etc. Because the Internet is based on IP addresses, not domain name, every Web server requires a Domain Name System (DNS) server to translate domain names into IP addresses. On June 20, 2011 ICANN's board voted to end most restrictions on the generic top-level domain names (gTLD). Companies and organizations will be able to choose essentially arbitrary top-level Internet domains. The use of non-Latin characters (such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.) will also be allowed in gTLDs.
Domain names are used to identify one or more IP addresses. For example, the domain name microsoft.com represents about a dozen IP addresses. Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular Web pages. Every domain name has a suffix that indicates which top level domain (TLD) it belongs
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New smart laser device can detect explosives in a jiffy
Scientists have developed a new 100 times more faster and sensitive laser device capable of detecting tiny traces of explosive vapour in a jiffy. The prototype - a pulsed, quantum laser-based, cavity ring-down spectrometer - is being tested at the US government's Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The laser machine developed by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is "about 100 times more sensitive and 100 times faster than any other detection device. The laser device could sniff bags travelling along a conveyor belt and instantly alert security personnel if it detects explosive vapours from a passing object, such as a suitcase. It could replace intrusive airport security checks such as pat downs and full body scans and bomb sniffer dogs. The device uses mirrors to repeatedly pass through the vapour in a "figure-of-eight" path, which provides a more accurate measurement.
2 - MARKERS
Web Ratna Awards 2012
Web Ratna Awards acknowledge the exemplary initiatives in e-Governance using the medium of World Wide Web in different categories highlighting application of ICT, right from web presence to delivery of citizen services to public participation and innovation in use of technology. The Awards bring together many e-Governance Awardees and some of the finest thinkers from the field of IT, eGovernance and academic institutions. Established 19 years ago, WTA is committed to raising the standards of customer service and overall business performance throughout the international tourism industry. This was for the first time that WTA ceremony was held in Asia.
Grammy Lifetime Achievement award for Ravi Shankar
The Awards are conferred to teams from all the constituents of the Indian Government at the Centre and State level in the following categories: a) Citizen Centric Service b) Public Participation Initiative c) Outstanding Web Content
d) Innovative Use of Technology
e) Comprehensive Web Presence - Ministry/ Department f) Comprehensive Web Presence - State The first ever "Web Ratna Awards" were presented in 2010.
These Awards were finalized through a three tier evaluation process. The entries were independently scrutinized using the scientific evaluation matrix devised by IIT Delhi, which was later meticulously evaluated by the Screening Committee. The shortlisted nominations were thoroughly evaluated by the Jury comprising of senior members from the Government, Academia and institutes/organizations.
India Bags three World Travel Awards
India has bagged three prestigious awards from World Travel Awards (WTA). These are: World's Leading Destination- India, World's Leading Tourist Board- Incredible India and World's Leading Tourist Attraction- Taj Mahal. GOI has recently launched Phase-II of Incredible India campaign which indicates a paradigm shift with the focus now being on the consumers. Tourism also has the potential to stimulate other economic factors through its linkages with a host of sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, transport, hospitality and many others.
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Legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar would receive the lifetime achievement Grammy award, organisers of the top music award. Shankar would receive the award posthumous on February 10 at the 55th Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. He has been the three-time Grammy winner. As a performer, composer, teacher and writer, he is considered a pioneer in bringing Indian music to the West. With a performance career spanning more than 80 years, he has influenced a variety of musicians, including the Beatles, John Coltrane, Philip Glass and his daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar. Other recipients of this year's lifetime achievement Grammy awards are Glenn Gould, Charlie Haden, Lightnin' Hopkins, Carole King, Patti Page and the Temptations.
UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize on social science research
Karen Nathalia Cern Steevens was selected for the UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize for the Promotion of Social Science Research in Latin America and the Caribbean by an international jury, in recognition of her research into youth violence in Central America and its application to social policies and prevention plans in Guatemala. Established in 2009 by UNESCO's Executive Board, the UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize - consisting of $10,000 and a diploma - is awarded every two years. It is named after the Juan Bosch, an eminent author, politician, social analyst and advocate of democratic values, who passed away in 2001. According to UNESCO, his work made a "remarkable" contribution to the study of social and political processes in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean.
In keeping with this legacy, the prize rewards young researchers, who contribute to reinforcing the links between social science research and public policies. It also seeks to motivate young researchers and encourage intellectual exchange and dialogue in Latin America and the Caribbean. Candidates are proposed by the countries in which Mr. Bosch lived in exile and which have been historically linked to the experience of democracy in the Dominican Republic - Cuba, Venezuela and Costa Rica. The award will be presented to Ms. Cern Steevens during an official ceremony to be held at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, in the first half of 2013.
Agni-I successfully test fired
In continuing user trials, Agni-I ballistic missile was successfully launched from Wheeler Island, off Odisha coast, by the Strategic Forces Command. The medium range ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation fulfilled its launch objectives. Agni-I, a single-stage missile powered by solid propellants, has a specialised navigation system which ensures that it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision. Weighing, 12 tonnes, the 15-metre-long Agni-I, which is capable of carrying payloads up to 1,000 kg, has already been inducted into the Indian Army. The last trial of the Agni-I missile was successfully carried out on July 13, 2012, from the same test range. The DRDO has developed Agni series of ballistic missiles of different ranges. These include Agni-I (around 700 km); Agni-II (up to 2,000 km), Agni-III (up to 3,000 km), Agni-IV beyond 3,500 km and AgniV which is beyond 5,000 km.
CensusInfo India Software to be Launched Tomorrow
The CensusInfo India Software launched jointly by Dr. C. Chandramouli, Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, the country chief(s) of UNFPA, UN Women and the representative of UNICEF.
The specially developed CensusInfo India Software is an innovative and flexible database technology used for the dissemination of Population and Housing Census results. The software has been developed by the United Nations Statistics Division, in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA, to help countries disseminate their census results at any relevant geographical level, on CD-ROM and also on the web.
CensusInfo India on Houses, Household Amenities and Assets based on Census 2011 data provides access to the dataset on a number of indicators at State and District level. The user is able to extract information quite easily and generate charts and maps depicting the data. This powerful data dissemination tool would not only reduce the burden of statistical drudgery, but at the same time would make using census data an enjoyable experience.
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Pandit Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitarist and composer, who has died recently, was India's most esteemed musical Ambassador. In 1956, he began to tour Europe and the Americas playing Indian classical music and increased its popularity there in the 1960s through teaching, performance, and his association with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and rock artist George Harrison of The Beatles. He has also composed for ballets and films in India, Canada, Europe and the United States. The latter of which includes the films "Charly," "Gandhi," and the "Apu Trilogy". From 1986 to 1992 he served as a nominated member of the upper chamber of the Parliament of India. Shankar was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999, and received three Grammy Awards.
EDITORIALS
Nobel Years Of Peace In Europe
The EU's contribution to promoting reconciliation and democratic values in Europe shouldn't be slighted The Nobel peace prize, awarded to the European Union (EU) at a ceremony in Norway yesterday, had come as a surprise to many. This surely shows that the EU's success as a peace building project has allowed people to take peace in Europe for granted. Let me remind you about the process that brought us here. The attribution in 2012 of the Nobel peace prize to the European Union is not an exercise in hope or an attempt to bolster an innovative approach that may one day succeed. Instead, it looks back at six decades of an extraordinary and unprecedented path to peace against the most dispiriting of backgrounds. The Norwegian Nobel Committee justifies the prize by simply remembering Europe's history and the EU's achievements: ''The union and its forerunners have for six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in EuropeThis shows how, through wellaimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners''. The genius of the European approach is that it began not with grand architecture but with the modest laying of one brick upon another. The purpose was visionary and ambitious, but the method was humble, determined and intelligent as never before. Coal and steel, the essential ingredients of war, were to be shared among six countries (France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), which agreed to pool a modicum of their sovereignty in exchange for the hope of a more peaceful future. Upon this foundation peace was built. Today, the EU counts over 500 million citizens in 27 - soon to be 28 - countries. It has held peace in Europe for 60 years, not through a simple treaty or diplomatic arrangement that might one day be broken with a shift in the winds, but through a gradual process of deep political, economic and social integration. At the outset, war amongst the countries of the EU was merely undesirable; today it has become impossible. That is the measure of the historical achievement. And when we think of conflicts that in our contemporary world appear to be intractable, it is useful to record that for so long Europe was also a continent of permanent conflict. There is of course an irony in the announcement of this most prestigious of prizes at a time when the newspaper headlines speak mostly of the difficulties of Europe: economic slowdown, social crises in some countries, bickering over budgets and uncertainties in the eurozone. All of these matters are certainly
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Like other parts of the world, the history of Europe has had some glorious moments and others that were inglorious. Amongst the latter we may count a tradition of solving disputes through violence. This was so much a part of the European experience that previous generations would look back wistfully at the ''Pax Romana'', the two centuries in which the Roman empire guaranteed relative peace through overwhelming strength. For centuries European history was marked by large and long or small and intermittent wars. Then came an extraordinary and pioneering acceleration of technological and economic progress, which may certainly be counted amongst Europe's achievements, but with it came also a terrifying transformation of man's capacity to kill and destroy. The politics of peace lagged far behind the technology of war and the two devastating world wars of the 20th century originated on the European continent, though their consequences were felt globally.
A handful of 19th-century dreamers had drawn up plans for a united and peaceful Europe, but their contemplations were interrupted by the movements of armies. Not even the trauma of the so-called Great War, the ''war to end all wars'', which devastated a generation between 1914 and 1918, was capable of forging a new path for the continent. It was during those two decades between the world wars that the Norwegian Nobel Committee on a number of occasions awarded the Nobel peace prize for various means and schemes to put an end to the European tradition of war. None of these efforts succeeded in averting the World War II.
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important. But we must have a sense of history if we are to have a sense of the future, and the history of the EU has uniquely prepared it to respond to these challenges. In late 2012 we are finding our way out of a worldwide economic crisis that has hit the EU particularly harshly. We are not yet in calm waters but we no longer face storms of the same magnitude and intensity we have faced over the past couple of years. Understandably, a great part of the attention of European leaders and societies in the recent past has been dedicated to these issues, but it is also fair to say that at no moment have we turned inwards, forgetting our engagement with countries around the world. The EU is the world's largest provider of development assistance and its security policy is helping to put war-torn states like Afghanistan and Somalia back on their feet. Indeed, the Nobel Committee's announcement serves as a timely reminder that the values which Europe seeks to promote around the world are the same which it so painstakingly learnt to promote within Europe itself: peace, democracy and human rights. Source: Times of India
degrees Celsius by the end of this century, double what it should be at 2050. It has just been reported that global carbon dioxide emissions have risen by a record 35.5 billion tonnes this year, a 2.6% rise. These are nearly 60% more than 1990 levels, from which date developed countries are required to cut emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. The US, faced with an intransigent Congress for which the Kyoto Protocol is anathema, has dug in its heels. Analysts assert that Mitt Romney's obscurantist views on the subject were one of the reasons why he lost, particularly after Superstorm Sandy. However, going by past experiences, President Obama's record has not been that different from Bush. He may well be trying to revive the economy and thus resist any cut on emissions. But the world's second biggest polluter - China is the first - ought to realise that such a blinkered approach will actually cost more in the long run in purely financial terms, let alone damage to humans and property. In 2005, Katrina's insured losses were $62 billion and overall losses $125 billion. India is now the world's third largest emitter, though way down in per capita terms. The central issue at Doha was the agreement on a long-term cooperative action, the tenure of which expired last week. It is a depressingly familiar story: how developed countries are backing out of commitments on funding, intellectual property rights, transfer of technologies and equity among nations. The US is for scuttling UN or multilateral agreements in favour of bilateral deals. It opts for a 'building block' approach, to establish standards in various sectors like energy, building and cook stoves to make progress incrementally. The bonus is that it can permit the US to sell its clean energy and similar technologies. Canada has now opted out of Kyoto, emulating the US, while Russia, Japan and New Zealand have refused to make cuts. The European Union, the most proactive by promising to cut emissions by 20% by 2020, rising to 30% if the US comes on board, is now backtracking. All that the first phase of Kyoto compelled industrial countries was to cut 5% by 200812, which has been honoured more in the breach. The Geneva-based South Centre put it tellingly: "If you are adamant in doing away with the life in the body, at least make sure there is a proper allocation of its property and continuity of its heritage, and then give it a proper burial." As always, and in the trajectory of the climate negotiations, one should follow the money. Secretary
Not making the cut
The road from Copenhagen, where the United Nations climate meet four years ago promised so much but delivered nothing, has been steadily downhill. It was only an 'accord' - as distinct from a binding treaty - hammered out literally at midnight of the concluding day, with President Barack Obama playing an uninvited but bullying midwife. The following year in Cancun, Mexico, the continuation of the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, the agreement which most nations barring the US signed and is due to expire at the end of this month, eluded negotiators. They could only come up with an agreement that once again did not compel industrial countries to commit to deadlines for reducing emissions. The third year, there was merely a Durban 'platform' and the Doha conclave which ended last week turned out to be a damp squib.
This is, by no means a gross exaggeration but almost literally, the road to certain perdition. While developed and developing nations bicker over who is to do what, the science on how human intervention is causing irretrievable harm to the planet is incontrovertible. According to the World Bank, which is not given to making sensational pronouncements, the globe is likely to face an average increase of 4
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India, meanwhile, can be accused of grandstanding by sticking to rhetoric abroad and, when push comes to shove, ditching the G77 developing countries for its alliance with the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia and China. While much has been made of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, emissions rose by 7.5% last year. Why India is the third largest polluter even though it has over six decades permitted 600 million people to exist without buying any form of energy, and 450 million of them without electricity, but is now firing over their shoulders, is a question only its elite can answer. Source: Hindustan Times
Slowdown - but who cares?
For a government that has been starved of good vibes, the vote on FDI in retail must have been like spring in winter. Key policymakers keen to push ahead with more changes were, however, in for a shock, as the reactions to the proposed amendments sought in the Banking Laws Bill 2012 showed revived hostility from the Opposition benches. If spring appears a mirage for the UPA Government, it's certainly deep winter for the formal economy. The Manila-based Asian Development Bank has again lowered its growth estimate for the current financial year to 5.4 per cent. It's an anaemic economy, so says the ADB; consumption and investment, not to mention industrial output, are weak. Nothing new there; the perennially slothful core sector still plays its role of pulling down the economy in real terms with resultant power shortages. Grudgingly, policymakers have now accepted the fact of a retreat from those halcyon days of 2004-05
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of State Hillary Clinton triumphantly mounted the stage at Copenhagen and promised $100 billion by way of helping developing countries adapt to global warming. Other leaders clarified that sum would materialise only in 2020; between 2010 and 2012, there would be a yearly infusion of $10 billion as 'fast-start finance'. When observers read the not-sofine print, this would incorporate existing overseas development assistance, private sector investment in clean technologies or, worst, loans. While the US is dreading its 'fiscal cliff' by the end of this month, it - along with other developed countries - is propelling the planet out of control by refusing progressively to cut emissions by half by 2050 over 1990 levels, as science compels them to.
to 2007-08 when both UPA-1 and the formal economy with its privileged stakeholders felt there was no going back.
Who is bothered?
But whom does that retreat really upset? Unlike Greece Ireland or even England, consigned to a long winter of austerity, the economic slowdown we crib about affects almost no one, because India has two kinds of people joined perversely by a bond of indifference to the world outside; those who have, and those who did not have. The latter still do not have, just as the former do. Nothing has changed for anybody. There have been no cutbacks in employment of a kind that sends Grecians and particularly Athenians out onto the streets, simply because there has been no employment for the vast majority in the first place. Privileged urban Indians participating in the formal economy as floor managers in malls or call centres to CEOs would hardly complain of a slowdown, even though the GDP has fallen some four percentage points from its high mark in 200809. And yet the financial media, policymakers and chambers of commerce worry about the slowdown in GDP. They worry that the RBI will not cut interest rates; they worry about the RBI's worries over inflation, its neglect of the "growth" impulse. Key policymakers address these stakeholders in the formal economy. FDI in retail was steered through Parliament not on the basis of genuine belief in the benefits to the Indian farmer, but more because of the supposed benefits to the consumer. We are told to buy into the myth of consumer power - the privilege to get fooled all of the time into buying things you don't need. Its eventual benefit will be reaped by global retail giants whose supply chains in their own economies are increasingly under pressure, owing to weak domestic demand. Job rates in the US are climbing, but not steadily enough to encourage investments there; the European Central Bank has cut the forecast for the Euro Zone in 2013, expecting the economy to shrink by 0.3 per cent; three months ago it had expected the economy to grow 0.5 per cent. China has also slowed but its focus on political stability and endemic corruption coupled with domestic restrictions may not render it particularly attractive to jaded European and American investors: So, India is the best bet.
Aiming global
The UPA victory for FDI in retail may or may not help farmers; but it will drive up real estate prices and, by that token, provide a leg-up to the 'services' economy that rests so much on construction, trade and allied activities. In short, the "reforms" on FDI in retail trade will appeal to the kind of constituency the UPA has increasingly turned its focus upon: urban, globalising India. So too for financial reforms: It may not be easy to get the Banking Laws amendments through Parliament and past a truculent Opposition but the objective is evident: To get a stubborn RBI to commence the process for private bank licences. Permitting private enterprise, flush with funds to acquire more capital by tapping household savings is an easier way of establishing commitment to financial reform than struggling with universal financial empowerment.
Expect the improbable
This is not surprising. Services sector now accounts for 60 per cent share in GDP; the data on employment elasticity reflects this importance with elasticities highest in segments such as trade, transport, construction - much more than in manufacturing or mining or utilities. This is not surprising. The structural shift in the GDP from agriculture to services that now accounts for 60 per cent share in GDP, makes it the engine of growth. The data on employment elasticity it provides also reflects the importance of services since elasticities are highest in trade, transport, construction, much more than in manufacturing or mining or utilities. These services are largely in private hands and work best with casual labour. No wonder the informal sector is so vital to job creation.
Source: Business Line
However, this is India. It is entirely conceivable that the predictions of the most wild-eyed optimist may turn out true. That the big reforms push may witness capital movements into productive sectors; GDP may inch upwards of 5 per cent in 2014, if not earlier. But general elections will keep investors away till the outcomes are known; if the BJP wins and if Murli Manohar Joshi remembers what he has just said, the BJP may thumb down FDI, perhaps more out of sheer cussedness than conviction.
Growth yes, jobs none
Suppose 2013 surprises Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and shows up a climbing GDP. In the twenty-five years to 2026, India's population will increase by 371 million. More than 80 per cent of this increase will be in the age group 15-59 years. To reap the dividends of youthfulness, employment will have to grow dramatically. But if the golden age of high growth is any indication, many may be stuck in the informal economy, or without jobs at all. If India has shown anything, it is that growth may lead to high productivity but not more jobs.
In its December 2011 report on employment in the 12th Plan, the Planning Commission observed almost jobless growth in the formal sector, a huge burden of unemployed on agriculture whose contribution to GDP is falling. The PC breaks through the myth that high GDP leads to increasing employment. As it says: "Although some expansion in employment has taken place in the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors, however (sic) a large part of it falls under the informal sector."
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Change in numbers
Voting with your fingertips
Every October, the Election Commission begins the annual exercise of revising the electoral rolls with the following January 1 as the effective date. This October, there was another important news - the launching of Aadhar enabled service delivery in Dudu in Rajasthan. The EC and Aadhar can meet and let us see where and how. The Commission undertakes two types of revisions of electoral rolls - 'summary revision' and 'intensive revision.' In the former, responsibility is cast on the potential voter to get himself registered by going to the designated centre. In the latter, doorto-door verification is undertaken by the Commission's officers, the electoral roll is prepared afresh and this is generally done in States where a general election to the Assembly is due the following year. Over the years, computerisation of records and integration of voters' photographs in the electoral rolls have helped make for a more error-free roll. They have also helped in undertaking various analyses to gauge the health of the electoral roll.
It is now possible to quickly analyse by constituency and polling station the increase and decrease in the number of electors; based on the Census-given indicators of population growth, midterm population figures and its age-wise distribution, pick out constituencies and polling stations that show a high deviation or, in other words, an abnormal increase or decrease in the number of voters. This helps to focus attention on constituencies and polling
With computerisation, it is also possible now to compare the electors in different age groups in the rolls with the Census given percentage of population in different age groups. Not surprisingly, it has been found that in most States, there is under-enrolment of electors mainly in the age group of 18 to 25, which made the Commission take up a special campaign for enrolling first-time voters. Such analyses, which began on an all-India basis in November 2008, are now de rigueur .
Establishing identity
While establishing a voter's identity at the polling station on the day of election has become easier with the photo electoral roll, problems of missing or leftout voters still remain. The problem is more acute in metropolitan towns because of high level of interState, intra-State and intra-town movement of electors. Rural areas too have this problem even though migration of rural labour from one part of the State to another, as also across States, is seasonal. It results in large-scale deletions from the electoral rolls or absentees on the day of polling - a temptation to impersonation.
EPIC as proof
The Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) given by the Election Commission as a proof of identity is also used as a proof of address and, so, most electors try to keep it safe. However, many are still under the misconception that the card indicating the name of the constituency and the polling station is not a valid document if the elector shifts to a different Assembly constituency. The EC has time and again reiterated that the card is primarily to identify an elector and therefore can be used in any polling
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stations that need further checks and verification for mistakes in the electoral rolls. To quote an instance, immediately before the 2006 general elections to the Kerala Assembly, after an analysis on the above lines, the CEO of Kerala was able to pick two Assembly constituencies - one each in Kasargod and Palghat that showed an abnormal increase in the number of electors. A special check ordered by the Commission, under the supervision of two senior officers, one from Karnataka and the other from Tamil Nadu, revealed large-scale duplication of names in the polling stations on the Kerala side with polling stations in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu respectively. In the Kasargod Assembly constituency, about 5000 duplicate (bogus) voters were deleted. Incidentally, that figure matched the margin of victory in the previous election!
station in India to which the elector has moved, even if it does not show his current address, provided he is enrolled in that place as an elector. A reason why an elector moving to a new area ignores the old EPIC is because it carries the old address; he would rather have a new one incorporating his current address to be able to use it as address proof. The EC can overcome this problem if (a) it sets up a system by which the poll machinery in the new location recognises the EPIC through a shortened procedure of computer-based search, and effects hassle-free enrolment at the new polling station; (b) there is quick replacement of cards, for a fee, effecting the change only in the address but retaining the unique number. It is important to make it attractive for electors to retain the old card with the unique number intact while s/he applies for the new one, as that will help EC officials trace the voter to his/her earlier constituency, consequently, to include the voter in the new constituency and delete his or her name from the old place. Simultaneously, the new card carrying the new address of the voter will fulfil his need for its use as proof of address or residence. With the advent of the Aadhar card, it is time the Commission moved to incorporating the Aadhar number in the electoral roll. Thereafter, the Commission can move towards a system where changes in the electoral roll can be effected literally with one's fingertips. It will also open up the possibility of voter identification at the polling station using either iris or fingerprint. Since Aadhar, unlike EPIC, will be issued to those below the age of 18 also, bringing on record new voters will also become much easier as Aadhar records can provide the details of all those who complete 18 years as on January 1 of a year, enabling the Commission to bring them on the rolls. If the Aadhar information is used with proper safeguards, it will also be possible to avoid the deletion of names of seasonally migrating agricultural labourers, because based on the Aaadhar information and verification using the iris or finger prints, it will be possible for a migrant from, say, Bihar working in Chennai, to be enrolled in his native village - of course, with a little help from the election law by way of a change in the definition of the term "ordinarily resident." In the normal course, the migrant working in Chennai cannot be enrolled in his native village, even if it is in Tamil Nadu. But if an NRI living in the United States can be incorporated in the electoral roll of his village or
town in India, even when he is not 'ordinarily resident' there - the facility has been afforded to him by an amendment to the law - nothing should prevent a similar concession being extended to a migrant within the country.
Vote transfers
mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, who used to be President Barack Obama's chief of staff and is a firm supporter of Israel, called it a betrayal of America's friendship. It is not hard to see why. The decision to withhold the taxes is probably just a temporary punishment. But it will hardly help the more moderate Palestinians of Fatah, which runs the West Bank under Mahmoud Abbas, in favour of Hamas, its Gaza-based rival, which is still loth to accept Israel's existence. The new settlements are far more serious. The houses Israel keeps on erecting on Palestinian territory are the main reason why so much of the world has lost sympathy for Israel's cause. The Palestinians have had to watch the Israelis gobbling up the land on which their state is meant to be based. Worse, the latest planned settlement, in a zone known as E-1, threatens to box Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem, which they hope to make their capital, into a sealed-off enclave, impeding connections to the rest of the fledgling state of Palestine and bisecting the northern and southern halves. Travel from Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, to Ramallah, the Palestinians' administrative headquarters, would be a nightmare. Mr Netanyahu may try to justify his defiance over the settlements by pointing to the Palestinians' unilateralism at the UN and the rockets from Gaza, though Israel has more than replied to them. He may also have an eye on the coming Israeli election. But for those, including this newspaper, who still hope for a two-state solution, the new houses are an impassable obstacle. Palestinian leaders cite them as further evidence that Israel has no interest in ceding territory, even for peace. True to that picture, although Mr Netanyahu endorsed a two-state solution in 2009, his Likud party hasn't: some of its candidates still want a Greater Israel extending to the Jordan river. For Mr Obama, stuck in budget negotiations in Washington, this could not come at a worse time. But he should speak out loudly. Mr Obama's envoys, just like the Europeans, have always stressed that building settlements in the E-1 corridor is unacceptable. Israel still gets billions of dollars from America, and might well rely on its help to attack Iran next year. Yet Mr Netanyahu would not have announced the settlements unless he thought he could get away with it. Israel has enough friends in Congress to protect his back. And thumbing his nose at Mr Obama has cost him nothing with Israeli voters.
Barriers to peace
RARELY has Israel looked lonelier. On November 29th only the United States, Canada and the Czech Republic among serious countries backed its arguments at the United Nations' General Assembly against giving the Palestinians an enhanced status at the UN. Now Binyamin Netanyahu's government has declared its determination to build thousands of new Jewish houses on the West Bank, where the Palestinians hope to turn their virtual state into a real one (see article). It also says it will withhold tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which runs parts of the West Bank under Israeli eyes, to punish the Palestinians for their cheek at the UN.
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Source: The Hindu
However, at the moment, the law may still stipulate that he can vote only if he is physically present on the date of polling at the place where he is a voter. If e-KYC can effect cash transfers, why not vote transfers? So the day need not be far away when a remote-voting solution emerges to combine the Aadhar information of identity with the facility to wire transfer the vote, making it possible for an elector residing in one part of the country to cast his vote in a polling station in another part where he is a registered voter. Not just to migrant voters, such a facility will be a great boon to armed forces personnel and those of the paramilitary forces and police, who live and serve on duty far away from the places where they are voters and are therefore not able to exercise their franchise, notwithstanding the postal ballot facility they are entitled to. But for all these, the first step has to be the incorporation of Aadhar number in the electoral roll. One looks forward to the EC undertaking this exercise sooner than later.
This time, even the Americans objected. Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, chastised Mr Netanyahu for his response. The
Speak now, Mr Obama, loudly
A law against liberty
The Lok Sabha has quietly amended the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, a dangerous tool in the hands of any government
When two young women were arrested for a Facebook post questioning the shutdown in Mumbai for Bal Thackeray's funeral, middle-class fury forced the Maharashtra government to drop the case and suspend two police officers.The Centre also issued a set of guidelines to avoid misuse of the controversial Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. However, even as calls for repeal of the "vague" and "wide" provisions of the IT law that are "susceptible to wanton abuse" grew louder, the government silently pushed through much more controversial amendments to the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the Lok Sabha, making it further mirror previous draconian laws like POTA and TADA. The amendments did not merely make this law more stringent; they have made law enforcement agencies less accountable, despite substantial proof of misuse. The government had, in fact, brought in several amendments to give "anti-terror teeth" to the UAPA coinciding with the repeal of POTA in 2004, and more stringent amendments were pushed through in the backdrop of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The vast scope for the misuse of the amendments to the UAPA has been articulated in the recent citizens' appeal to members of the Rajya Sabha, issued by the Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association
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Source: The Economist
A braver Mr Obama would this time tell Israel some home truths. Yes, many changes are necessary on the Palestinian side: Hamas needs to recognise Israel's existence, for instance, and settle its differences with Fatah. But carving up a prospective Palestine and building a Greater Israel is destroying the prospects for peace. That is not just because it enrages the dispossessed Palestinians and their newly democratic Arab neighbours. It is also because of demographic trends within Israel. The Arab population is growing faster than the Jewish one. Under a single-state solution, Jews would become a minority. Unless they are prepared for Arabs to dominate the country politically, they will have to deprive them of the vote. The road Mr Netanyahu is pushing his country down is an ugly one-and Israel's true friends should tell it so.
(JTSA), which has been endorsed by several senior civil rights groups, scholars and activists. The appeal has questioned five aspects of the amended law. The broad definition of person, especially as "an association of persons or a body of individuals, whether incorporated or not" is open to misuse because "this will actually allow agencies and government to create persons beyond that what are recognised by law and any group of friends/ acquaintances can be labelled an association of persons or a body of individuals by the agencies and the government" like a "book reading club to friends who meet every evening at a dhaba may be deemed to be an association of persons or a body of individuals". Another major amendment to the law has been to include economic offences within the larger definition of a "terrorist act". There are two aspects of this amendment that have raised questions. The criminalisation of "production, distribution of highquality counterfeit currency" is "repetitive" and are already "covered by the equivalent sections 489B, 489C, 489D in the IPC". The civil rights activists question this amendment, arguing that "when comparable provisions in IPC and terror laws are available for same crimes, the police exercise the option of booking an accused under the terror law because it affords them greater leverage: bail provisions are much more stringent and the accused can be kept in custody for long periods (up to 180 days) without the filing of a chargesheet". Another amendment broadens the scope of action against fund raising for "terror activities". Now, the raising of funds likely to be used (in full or in part) to commit a terrorist act or for the benefit of terrorists shall be punishable irrespective of whether the funds have been raised from legitimate or illegitimate sources. This is irrespective of whether such funds were actually used to commit a terror act or not. And it is punishable for a term not less than five years, but extendable to life. The only safeguard is the condition that the accused should know that "such funds are likely to be used... by a terrorist organisation". The civil rights activists apprehend that this amendment will "practically bring under the possibility of prosecution all transactions, even perfectly legitimate ones, without any remote connection to a terrorist act" because "all that the prosecution needs to show is that the accused had knowledge that such funds could be likely used for terrorist act. While such subjective knowledge may again be difficult to prove, it will no doubt result in the incarceration of accused for long periods without bail".
While the introduction of several new changes has already made the UAPA exceptionally harsh, the amendment of Section 6 of the law has taken away the little hope for judicial scrutiny to prevent its misuse. The ban on an organisation under the UAPA, which was earlier limited to a two-year period, has been extended to a five-year period. This means that the government has avoided putting its decision to ban an organisation under the UAPA through the scrutiny of a tribunal headed by a sitting judge of the High Court. For example, the tribunal hearing the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) did not only look into the legality of the government's decision, but it also helped to record and raise the issue of fabricated evidence in individual cases across states. The government's logic, that extending the ban to five years is to lower the costs to administer the ban, is flawed because the delay in such a judicial scrutiny would make law enforcement less accountable. There is enough evidence that scores of young Muslim men were branded members of the banned SIMI and arrested. The terror tag was enough to create an atmosphere of public revulsion and they were guilty till proven innocent. There are cases where these
men were unable to manage a lawyer who would defend them because several bar associations had banned their members from representing these "terror suspects". There are examples where verses of the Quran, religious books and even Urdu literature were shown as incriminating material. There were instances where young men were arrested for "shouting slogans against the government" because they were "angry about the demolition of Babri mosque or Gujarat riots". Under the normal procedure of criminal law, these acts would have been inconsequential. But once the police branded them as members of the banned SIMI, it automatically invoked the provisions of the UAPA, magnifying the seriousness of the charges. And even once these men win long and tiring battles in courts and are acquitted after years of imprisonment, the terror taint stays, making it extremely difficult to pick up the pieces of their lives and start afresh. To understand as to why these stringent amendments to the UAPA are especially dangerous, we need to return to the debate in Parliament when this law was enacted, in 1967. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had called this law a "donkey that had been made to look like a horse" while George Fernandes had "moved an amendment that the period of ban be reduced to one year". While opposing the UAPA
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bill, noted parliamentarian Nath Pai had termed it "a measure introduced by a group of men who have lost faith in the people of India". Nath Pai had addressed the then home minister Y.B. Chavan and asked, "Will the baton of the police be the final guardian of the liberties, freedom and unity of this country? Can we trust the police to be the only fighter for the delicate fabric of our democracy?" Piloo Mody, who represented Godhra in the Lok Sabha, had said that he was "ashamed of the government". J.B. Kripalani, who had been chairman of the Fundamental Rights sub- committee, had said that "all these repressive laws violate the rule of law". He had termed the UAPA "superfluous", one that "may be used by the executive for purposes for which it is
not intended". He had said that he did not question the intentions of the government. "Their intentions are good but it is like putting a sword in the hands of Hanuman. Hanuman may not like to kill, but somehow the sword kills". This time, the passage of amendments to the UAPA in the Lok Sabha happened amid the din of a debate over FDI in retail. Unlike the larger consensus over the need to preserve the freedoms on Facebook, there isn't even a public debate over the UAPA and its misuse, because, in the dominant public discourse, its victims are deemed guilty till proven innocent. Source: Indian Express

Weekly 10 To 16 December 2012 IAS

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