Weekly 3rd To 9th December 2012 IAS

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3RD DECEMBER 9TH 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 3rd December 9th December, 2012 [3]
NATIONAL
Government asks states to ban multi-level marketing schemes
What are Ponzi Schemes? A Ponzi scheme is an investment fraud that involves the payment of purported returns to existing investors from funds contributed by new investors. Ponzi scheme organizers often solicit new investors by promising to invest funds in opportunities claimed to generate high returns with little or no risk. In many Ponzi schemes, the fraudsters focus on attracting new money to make promised payments to earlier-stage investors and to use for personal expenses, instead of engaging in any legitimate investment activity. The Centre has proposed state governments to ban all companies running schemes which offer monetary benefits to subscriber for enrolling members to their scheme. The proposal is a part of the centre's effort to curb the menace of ponzi schemes, which has flourished in the country due to absence of regulatory oversight.
After the case of alleged fraud committed by Singapore-based multi-level marketing (MLM) portal Speak Asia Online, the government started the process of reining in such companies which offered impossibly high returns in a very short span or offered huge benefits for enrolling more subscribers. An inter-ministerial committee comprising the Reserve Bank of India, and ministries of consumer affairs, corporate affairs, finance and law, was formed to look into the matter. It suggested setting up of a central agency to oversee MLM schemes and also proposed to filter and block websites above a certain number of subscribers to curb such schemes.
The committee is working on bringing in these companies under the Companies Act. This is possible under section 583 of the act where such unregistered companies will be considered deemed registered, thereby will be brought under the MCA's purview.
The MCA has circulated The State Money Circulation Scheme (Banning), 2012, among states, where it has also suggested that the nodal police authority in the state would be responsible for interacting with other states for information on such companies while the central government and concerned departments will furnish information regarding these companies to the Reserve Bank of India. However, other investigating agencies will also have the authority to get information from states governments and other agencies.
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Weekly Current Affairs 3rd December 9th December, 2012
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Government eases tourist visa norms
As the India's share of international tourist arrivals in 2011 was a mere 0.64%, thus in order to increase the flow of tourists to India the government has eased restrictions on tourist visas which had mandated a two-month gap between consecutive visits by foreign nationals. However, nationals of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh, foreigners of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin and "stateless persons" will continue to come under the 60-day gap rule. The restriction was imposed in 2009 after the Mumbai terror attack of November 26, 2008, when it was found that terrorist David Headley of Pakistanbased militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba had "grossly misused" his multiple-entry visa. With the visa, he had made nine trips to India and prepared footage of attack targets for the group. A decision to review the visa restrictions was taken by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in January 2012 after concerns were raised by the tourism ministry that the negative perception following the move had affected flow of tourists to India. The PMO had asked the ministries of home and external affairs to review the restrictions, including the possibility of bringing in more countries under the visa-on-arrival scheme and improving conditions at major airports. The Indian home ministry, however, made it clear that any applicant for an Indian visa who has any
Pakistani lineage, even if it goes two generations back, must be referred to Delhi by the Indian missions for prior clearance.
Indian Boxing Federation suspended by AIBA
Amateur boxing's international body has suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) after reports of "manipulation" of the IABF elections. The decision, taken by the AIBA at a meeting at Lausanne, Switzerland, comes two days after the International Olympic Committee suspended the Indian Olympic Association, of whom Chautala, former president of IABF, was elected as president on Wednesday. This provisional suspension is also due to the fact that AIBA had learned about possible manipulation of the recent IABF's election. AIBA will now investigate this election and especially a potential political link between IOA President, as former Chairman of the IABF, and the IABF election. 2013 will see the Asian Boxing Championships, the venue and dates for which are yet to be decided and the World Championships in October to be held in Kazakhstan. Under the ban, the participation of Indian boxers under the Indian flag becomes uncertain.
the federation and once they allowed autonomy and new sports legislation, AIBA lifted the ban. Last month, AIBA had first imposed a 3-month suspension on USA Boxing and then revoked it a few days later. The suspension was over controversial statements by its former president, Hal Adonis, but revoked after it was pointed out that athletes would be adversely affected and Adonis stepped down from his post.
New youth policy launched in Kerala
Earlier in September this year, the IABF had elected BJP MLA Abhishek Singh Matoria as its president in the Annual General meeting and Chautala made a re-entry as 'chairman' of the federation. The Indian Amatuer Boxing Federation had at that point amended its constitution to accommodate Chautala, and had created the post of the chairman at the meeting held in Patiala.
With the suspension, the world body can now hold a meeting with the Indian association and the suspension could be lifted if the elections are held again according to the rules, something they mentioned did not happen in September. Some recent examples are: Earlier in November, AIBA had lifted its provisional exclusion of Romanian Boxing federation after recognising that the federation re-conducted elections under AIBA's supervision and held them in accordance with RBF and AIBA statutes. The world body had also excluded the Korean Boxing Federation after the London Olympics due to the boycott of various board members of Korean Boxing Federation in its elections. AIBA also lifted the ban on the Kuwait Boxing Federation imposed in 2010, on Thursday. The AIBA had banned Kuwait for not allowing autonomy in
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The Kerala Cabinet has approved a youth policy proposing a five per cent cess on liquor and tobacco products. The cess will be used for youth welfare activities. The policy also proposes extension of equivalency examinations at the secondary level to the higher secondary level. This will help school dropouts and others to acquire Plus Two certificates. Youth banks will be started in each district to provide loans to young entrepreneurs in starting industrial, business, or agriculture ventures. Groups will be formed in higher educational institutions to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment. Skill development centres will be started at the block level. Further a directory on higher education will be published and a help desk set up for students. A project will be launched in collaboration with local self-government institutions to achieve total computer literacy among the youth. The policy also proposes diversification of services provided by employment exchanges, setting up 'youth clinics' to ensure job security and publication of a higher education directory and online help-desk for benefit of those pursing higher studies. As part of the policy, government would promote formation of co-operatives of young Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) to mobilise their funds, expertise and experience to start business and industrial enterprises for the youth in the state, the policy document, released today said. Giving emphasis on developing the sporting talent and health care, play grounds and swimming pools would be built in all village panchayats as common facilities. The policy promises playgrounds and swimming pools in all grama panchayats. Cycle riding will be encouraged. Local bodies will ensure 30 per cent representation for youths in all popular committees. They will be directed to set apart a certain amount of funds for a component plan for the youth in their annual plans.
A consolidated fund will be formed for providing scholarships and other assistance to poor students taking up higher studies. Voluntary contributions will be sought and credited to the fund, besides revenues from the youth cess. Counselling centres will be started for helping youths suffering from mental problems. Pre-marriage counselling will be promoted for wider reach. The youth will be organised for disaster management, providing first aid to victims of road accidents, for anti-liquor campaigns, and environmental protection. A committee chaired by the Chief Minister will be formed for implementation of the policy.
Two-thirds of the 176 countries recorded a CPI score below 50. Denmark, Finland and Switzerland topped the index with a score of 90 followed by Sweden with a score of 88. Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia were perceived as the most corrupt countries scoring just 8 out of 100. India has been ranked below neighbours Sri Lanka and China, while it fared better than Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The CPI is a combination of surveys and assessments of corruption that was collected by various reputed independent institutions. The ranking is based on ten independent data sources specialising in governance and business climate analysis such as the World Bank, the World Economic Forum and Economist Intelligence unit country risks rankings. Each country's CPI score is made up of a different set of data sources. For a country to be scored and ranked on the index, there must be at least three data sources available for that country. From this year, the CPI methodology has been updated allowing for year-over-year comparisons from 2012 onwards. India was ranked 72 among 180 countries in 2007 and since then the country's ranking fell to 87 in 2010 and 95 in 2011.
Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
India has been ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Last year, India was ranked 95 out of 183 countries that were studied.
In this year's CPI, India earned a very low score of 36 on a scale from 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt). Transparency International India attributed the low score to the recent scams and incidents of corruption in the public sector involving government officials, private officials and private companies.
[ 6 ] Weekly Current Affairs 3rd December 9th December, 2012
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2012
INTERNATIONAL
UN environment agency launches initiative to help Africa adapt to impacts of climate change New UN flagship report urges farmercentred approach to investment in agriculture
The United Nations launched a new initiative to support communities across Africa in adapting to the impacts of climate change which, if left unaddressed, could have major consequences for lives and livelihoods on the continent. A new United Nations report calls for greater investments in agriculture, stressing that it is one of the most effective ways to reduce hunger and poverty while safeguarding the environment, and for creating more favourable investment climates for farmers. 'The State of Food and Agriculture 2012,' the annual flagship report of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), says that the world's more than one billion farmers must be central to any agricultural investment strategy, given that they are the biggest investors in this sector. A new investment strategy is needed that puts agricultural producers at its centre and the challenge is to focus the investments in areas where they can make a difference. New data show that farmers in low- and middleincome countries invest more than $170 billion a year in their farms - about $150 per farmer. This is three times as much as all other sources of investment combined, four times more than contributions by the public sector, and more than 50 times more than official development assistance to these countries, FAO noted. The report states that investing in agriculture is clearly paying off. Over the last 20 years, for example, the countries with the highest rates of on-farm investment have made the most progress in halving hunger, to meet the first of the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The eight MDGs - which range from halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 - form a blueprint agreed to by world leaders and institutions at a UN summit in 2000. The first MDG aims to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty with a target of halving, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day. The regions where hunger and extreme poverty are most widespread - South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have seen stagnant or declining rates of agricultural investment over three decades.
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The information portal known as the Africa Adaptation Knowledge Network (AAKNet), launched by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), will serve as a hub for knowledge, research, successful initiatives and collaborative partnerships on climate change adaptation. It builds on ongoing efforts around the continent to mobilize existing knowledge and provide robust solutions to the major impact of climate change on lives and livelihoods in Africa. Disasters such as severe droughts in the Sahel in 2012 and the Horn of Africa in 2011, noted UNEP, have brought into sharp focus the serious impacts on water, land, soil and other resources linked to climate change on the continent, and the need to build resilience to such pressures. Global warming is expected to pose serious challenges to sustainable development, particularly as most African economies depend on climate-sensitive sectors such as water, agriculture, fisheries, energy and tourism. Further the region lacks the capacity and resources needed to face the challenges of climate change - a problem that could have major economic consequences. The AAKNet aims to support climate change adaptation in Africa by providing services such as aggregating knowledge in addressing pertinent climatic risks and sharing information across regions and countries, and providing tailored support to countries in developing strategic planning processes for climate change adaptation. It also seeks to build partnerships with governments, research bodies, non-governmental organizations and others, with the aim of supporting climate change response. To reach those directly affected by climate change, the AAKNet initiative will also conduct workshops with community organizations, farmers, and other groups, to share knowledge and practical advice.
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Recent evidence shows signs of improvement, but eradicating hunger in these and other regions, and achieving this sustainably, will require substantial increases in the level of farm investment in agriculture and dramatic improvements in both the level and quality of government investment in the sector. It cites a number of factors that reduce the incentive for farmers to invest, including poor governance, absence of rule of law, high levels of corruption, and insecure property rights. Smallholders face specific, severe constraints, often including extreme poverty, weak property rights, and poor access to markets and financial services. The report recommends focusing on a number of areas to foster smallholder investment, including helping smallholders mobilize their own savings and gain improved access to credit. Noting that national governments are the second largest source of investment in agriculture, the report urges governments and donors to channel their limited public funds into areas that have been proven to be strongly supportive of agricultural growth and poverty reduction, such as agricultural research and development, rural infrastructure and education. The report also calls on governments, international organizations, civil society and corporate investors to ensure that large-scale investments in agriculture, like the acquisition of land by private companies and funds, are transparent, accountable, socially beneficial and environmentally sustainable.
Israeli settlement construction lies at the heart of a four-year breakdown in peace talks, and was a major factor behind the Palestinians' UN statehood bid. Since 1967, half a million Israelis have settled in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005, but continues to restrict access to the territory. It says the fate of settlements should be decided in negotiations and notes that previous rounds of talks continued while construction went on.
Russia, 5 CIS countries to cut dollar dependence
Israel to advance East Jerusalem building
Following the last week's U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine - in lands Israel occupied in 1967 - as a non-member observer in the General Assembly, Israel retaliated for U.N. recognition of Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem by announcing plans to build 3,000 homes for Jews in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as preparations for construction of an especially sensitive project near Jerusalem, known as E-1. U.N. recognition could enable the Palestinians to gain access to the International Criminal Court and seek war crimes charges against Israel for its construction of settlements on occupied lands.
Israel also said it is withholding some $US100 million ($A96.37 million) in tax rebates and other fees it collects on behalf of the Palestinians. The monthly transfer of the funds is vital for keeping afloat Abbas' Palestinian Authority, the self-rule government in the West Bank.
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Russia and five other ex-Soviet States have agreed to reduce their dependence on the dollar, and promote payments in national currencies. At a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan signed an agreement to set up an integrated currency market for CIS member States. The agreement is designed to cut the use of the dollar and euro and facilitate transactions in national currencies in foreign trade and financial services. It will, above all, promote the use of the Rouble as a reserve currency given the dominant position of the Russian economy in the former Soviet Union. Two years ago, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhastan established a customs union and last year proclaimed the goal of creating a Eurasian Union, a close economic and political alliance that would embrace more erstwhile Soviet States.
2012 Global Terrorism Index
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) has released their newest report entitled "2012 Global Terrorism Index" (GTI). This report "is a comprehensive body of work which systematically ranks the nations of the world according to their terrorist activity" over the past ten years. The official definition of terrorism used by the GTI is "the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation." While the authors recognize that defining terrorism is a controversial subject, this definition was utilized to ensure consistency in data gathering. Overall, the report found that global terrorism has been "plateauing rather than decreasing" after it experienced a significant spike from 2002-2007 and then fell to 2006 levels in 2011. While these rates are
lower than they have been in the last few years, the authors warn that "the deteriorating situation in Syria and other future possible conflicts in the Middle East could reverse the situation." A new index states that India, Pakistan and Afghanistan were among the nation most impacted by terrorism in 2011. According to the figures put out by the institute, there had been 529 incidents of terrorism in India in 2011 that had taken the lives of 402 people and injured 687. India's high numbers come in the period 2006-2010 when the casualty figures averaged more than 600 per year, peaking at 735 in 2009 and 772 in 2010. However, in terms of public perception there is little doubt that 2008, the year in which the Indian Mujahideen carried out a number of bombing attacks across the country, and the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) strike in Mumbai would have been the deadliest year for the country.
increase after the escalation of the Iraq war. This was subsequently followed by further increasing waves of terrorism in Afghanistan and then in Pakistan 18 months later. Only 31 of the 159 countries ranked have not experienced a terrorist attack since 2001. In analyzing the potential causes of recent terrorism incidents, the report released findings related to both political and economic development. The GTI concludes that "hybrid regimes are the most likely form of government in which terrorist attacks will take place," and that "the ten nations most impacted by terrorism did all score significantly below the global average on political corruption." In terms of economic development, the data suggests that countries with low-medium income levels have the highest rates of terrorist attacks, as these rates are 50% higher than low income countries. According to this data, the authors stress that poverty is not a primary driver of terrorism. The GTI report ends by stressing the importance of using documents such as this to "inform a strategic and intergenerational approach to addressing root causes of terrorism," especially by "important governments and policymakers." This is vitally important to both "peace building and state building" initiatives that prevent "the creation of attitudes which are susceptible to exploitation by terrorists."
In 2011, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Russia were the areas most impacted by terrorism. India's GTI rank was 4 out of the 159 countries surveyed. While Iraq stood at number 1, Pakistan at number 2, Afghanistan at number 3 and Yemen was number 5. Overall, there were 7,473 fatalities in 2011 due to terrorism, which is 25 per cent less than in 2007. The index shows that global terrorism only started to
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ECONOMY
Ministries Seek Aviation Fuel To Fall Under 'Declared Goods' Status
year also India provided over $2 billion to the IMF's fund to help bailouts in Europe and other parts of the world. As part of efforts to overcome the global financial crisis, in April 2009, the Group of Twenty (G-20) industrialized and emerging market economies agreed to increase the resources available to the IMF by up to $500 billion (which would triple the total pre-crisis lending resources of about $250 billion) to support growth in emerging market and developing countries. This broad goal was endorsed by the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) in its April 25, 2009 communiqu. The increase was made in two steps: a) First, through bilateral financing from IMF member countries; b) Second, by incorporating this financing into an expanded and more flexible NAB. On September 25, 2009 the G-20 announced it had delivered on its promise to contribute over $500 billion to a renewed and expanded NAB. Currently, the Fund has sixteen active bilateral loan agreements worth about $200 billion and two active bilateral note purchase agreements for about $60 billion. For NAB participants with bilateral credit lines, these credit lines do not add to the total resources available to the Fund under their NAB credit arrangements. In a bid to bring down the cost of air operations, Civil Aviation and Petroleum ministries would make a joint representation to the Finance Ministry to notify jet fuel as a 'declared good', enabling levying of a flat 4 per cent tax on it. At present, sales tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) ranges from 4 to 35 per cent, varying from State to State. In India, ATF is sold at around 50%-60% higher price as compared to the international markets such as Bangkok, Singapore or Dubai due to an additional 4%-34% state sales tax.
The Indian airlines, which have a combined debt of around $20 billion, are fighting to survive amid stiff competition and rising fuel cost as the jet fuel alone constitutes over 40% of an airline's operating costs.
It was also said that foreign airlines operating to India picked up jet fuel at concessional rates due to international agreements, rates which are far below those paid by Indian airlines for the same amount of fuel. The two ministers also agreed on a proposal to put ATF under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), in a bid to check cartelisation amongst oil companies. But the issue had to be decided by the Finance Ministry. The aviation minister also suggested moving to the Mean of Platts Arab Gulf (MoPAG) pricing mechanism for jet fuel, instead of the import parity pricing that oil firms followed presently. The adoption of the MoPAG model would bridge the huge price differential in ATF pricing that airlines face Maintaining that the government did not regulate air fares.
India to give 11,295cr to IMF
India will provide Rs 11,294.6 crore to the International Monetary Fund's New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) facility as the government has got the parliamentary clearance related to that. Last
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Panel slashes base price by 30 % for unsold spectrum
The panel of ministers on spectrum has reduced the base price for unsold airwaves in four regions Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan - by 30%, and approved the telecom department's plan to simultaneously sell these airwaves along with a portion of spectrum held by incumbent operators before March 31. Compared to the 3G auction, which lasted 35 days and got Rs 67,719 crore, the latest round of 2G spectrum auction held in November lasted just two days.
The Centre had failed to attract even a single bid for 2G airwaves in the 1800 MHz band in these four regions in the recently concluded sale process. The auctions turned out to be a damp squib, with the Centre getting less than a fourth of its revenue target of 40,000 crore as there were no takers for about 57% of the airwaves put on sale. The government would hold another round of auctions in the current financial year, where unsold 2G airwaves in the four regions, as well as airwaves held by incumbents in the 900 MHz band in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, would be sold simultaneously. The CDMA auctions in the 800 MHz band were cancelled after both potential bidders, Tata Teleservices and Videocon, withdrew their applications, citing the high reserve price. The minimum price for these airwaves had been set at 1.3 times that of GSM spectrum in the 1800 MHz band. Further the inter-ministerial panel would seek the Cabinet's approval on the reduced base price for unsold airwaves in Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Mobile operators warned that there would be no takers for airwaves in these four regions despite a 30% cut in the base price.
dispute resolution mechanism, such as a Lok Adalat. The idea is to consider prosecution under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act only if the alternative mechanism too fails. Presently under Section138, the drawer of the cheque, which has been returned unpaid by a bank because money in the account is insufficient, is deemed to have committed an offence that is punishable with imprisonment up to two years, or with fine that may be up to twice the amount of the cheque, or both. Bankers, however, feel that Section 138 has served them well and there is no need to amend it as the existing provisions which make cheque bouncing an offence facilitates recovery of loans and help in reducing bad loans of banks. Most cases under Section 138 relate to recovery of loan defaults that are less than Rs 10 lakh. For the purpose of recovery of such loans civil suits have to be filed by banks. Since the judicial proceedings take a long time, initiating action and proceedings under the Section is facilitating speedy recovery.
The mobile phone permits of incumbents in the four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - are up for renewal in 2014, and the EGoM had recently endorsed sector regulator TRAI's recommendation that airwaves held by these companies in the 900 MHz be 'refarmed', or reallocated, through an auction process 18 months prior to their renewal date. The panel had earlier decided that companies such as Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone could retain 2.5 MHz of airwaves in the more efficient 900 MHz frequency band if they agreed to pay double the price discovered at the recently concluded auctions, and the remaining frequencies would be put up for sale. The telecom department suggested the EGoM that the best option was to combine the sale of the 900 MHz band held by incumbents with the second round of auctions to find bidders for unsold spectrum.
Cheque bounce cases may move to 'Lok Adalat type' redress mechanism
To cut down the number of cheque-dishonour cases, the Finance Ministry is looking at an alternative
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RBI, Bank of Mauritius sign pact to cooperate
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI had entered into an agreement with the Bank of Mauritius for cooperation and exchange of information. Earlier, RBI had entered into similar agreements with China Banking Regulatory Commission, Dubai Financial Services Authority, Jersey Financial Services Commission, Financial Services Authority, the UK and Central Bank of Russian Federation among others. Mauritius is an important source for foreign investments into India with over 40 per cent of FDI coming from the island nation. The two countries are also in process of negotiation to update their bilateral double taxation avoidance pact to include exchange of banking information and other provisions.
FIPB nod for FDI in domestic pharma units must
The government has decided that all foreign investments in existing domestic pharma firms should be allowed only after clearance by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), amid mounting concerns over availability of affordable essential drugs in the wake of multinationals acquiring local companies.
The decision was taken at a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday to formalize norms for pharma foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, according to sources. Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, among others, were present at the high-level meeting, they said. The meeting was called to decide on two important issues in the pharma FDI policy - the limit to which foreign companies will be allowed to acquire shares in a domestic company and the role of Competition Commission of India (CCI) in mergers and acquisitions.
While the finance ministry wants only those cases involving FDI beyond 49 per cent in units to be considered by FIPB, commerce ministry favours all foreign investments in pharma units to be approved by FIPB. The issue was taken up by the government after the acquisition of big Indian companies - including Ranbaxy, Shanta Biotech and Piramal Health Care's health unit - by foreign companies. The domestic industry is apprehensive that the entry of foreign players in the Indian market may impact the availability of generic medicines as the overseas companies would focus on costly patented medicines.
[12] Weekly Current Affairs 3rd December 9th December, 2012
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INDIA AND THE WORLD

Director General Level talks between India and Pakistan to Discuss the issue of Drug Menace
The amnesty period has been declared from December 4 to February 3. Once amnesty is declared, Indians staying illegally would report to the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi or Consulate in Dubai for taking Emergency Certificates (ECs) as most of them would not have their passports. Union Minister for Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi, on being informed by the Indian Mission in UAE about the amnesty scheme, has written to the State governments, including Andhra Pradesh, to make provision for free air tickets to the needy and deserving workers hailing from the respective States. The Overseas Affairs Ministry had created the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) and placed it at the disposal of Indian Mission but it would not be sufficient to meet the demand from large number of needy Indians. Amnesty is generally declared for two to three months and is subsequently extended by another couple of months. Earlier the UAE Government extended amnesty in 1996, 2003 and 2007. The efforts made by the State for repatriation of workers from UAE during the last amnesty in 2007 included the formation of a special team headed by Minister, Minority Welfare and officials was deputed for handling repatriation then to the UAE. The team along with embassy officials, concerned NGOs, local media, strove to reach the immigrants and facilitated air travel of the immigrants unable to purchase their air tickets. Otherwise, they would have been jailed by the UAE Government. Similarly it is proposed to depute an advance team headed by Minister for NRI Affairs D. Sridhar Babu and three officers to interact with Indian Embassy, local media, NGOs for initiating the process for repatriation and assess the number of migrants who needed free air tickets. In 2007, the State Government helped 1,243 migrants to fly back and it had paid Rs. 59 lakh to Air India.
The Ninth Director General level talks between Narcotics Control Bureau, India and Anti Narcotics Force, Pakistan on drug trafficking and related matters were held at New Delhi. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is the national nodal agency looking after the drug related matters in the country. NCB has been mandated to enhance international cooperation including coordinated actions of various organizations.
During the meeting, both sides shared a mutual concern regarding menace of drugs and resolved that coordinated approach will be the key to combat this problem. Both sides exchanged/updated the operational level contacts for sharing of real time information/intelligence. During the meeting, it was also agreed that the effectiveness of cooperation on drug matters largely depends on frequency of interaction. It was agreed to hold the next DG level talks in Pakistan on a mutually convenient date. During these talks, issues such as exchange of intelligence/information on drug trafficking, trends and modus operandi of drug trafficking across the border, smuggling of narcotics across the border, best practices adopted in the field of combating drug trafficking and drug menace were discussed.
The last DG level talks between NCB and ANF was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on 13 - 14th September, 2011. During these talks a Memorandum of Understanding on "Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemicals and Related Matters" was signed between both the countries. During the meeting it was also agreed that the effectiveness of cooperation on drug matters largely depends on frequency of interaction. Accordingly, it was agreed to hold DG level talks annually.
UAE declared amnesty scheme
About 45,000 Indians staying illegally in the United Arab Emirates have been permitted to leave the country by the UAE Government under the amnesty scheme without payment of any penalty.
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UNICEF focus on treatment of HIV pregnant mothers to curb AIDS
With over 14,000 children getting infected with HIV in 2011 and there being over 10,000 deaths of children up to four years of age during the year, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has noted
in its latest report that while "new HIV infections in children are down, reaching the goal of an AIDSfree generation requires that more HIV positive pregnant women receive anti-retroviral treatment to decrease the risk of infection for their babies." The total number of people living with HIV in the country has seen a decline from approximately 2.3 million to 2.1 million. The drop has been much higher among men (16 per cent) than among women (2.6 per cent)." Acknowledging that much progress has been made in the field of treatment, UNICEF has noted that in low and middle income countries, coverage of effective antiretroviral treatment for preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) reached 57 per cent in 2011. The Report indicates that in India the treatment coverage has increased over the years but using a single dose of Nevirapine as the more effective treatment used globally, as per guidelines provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for prevention of MTCT, is still to be scaled up nationwide. Regarding access to treatment of children in need, it increased from 6 per cent in 2006, when the paediatric HIV programme was launched in India, to 34 per cent in 2011. Thus UNICEF India will continue to focus on preventing parent-to-child transmission and eliminating new HIV infections among children.
signed between the two countries to control the illegal cross border activities. Both sides reviewed the functioning of the nodal points for sharing of information on security related matters and expressed satisfaction at its working. The nations also agreed to allow development work within 150 yards of zero line. Both sides agreed to further enhance the level of cooperation and vigilance to control the smuggling of fake Indian currency notes. Both sides also discussed the urgency of stopping the smuggling of narcotics and psychotropic substances.
Home Minister Level talks between India and Bangladesh
At the end of Home Minister level talks between Union Home Minister Shri Sushilkumar Shinde and Minister for Home Affairs of Bangladesh, Dr. Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir India and Bangladesh agreed that an extradition treaty, which is under the consideration of the two governments, would be finalised at an early date and signed in January 2013 along with the Revised Travel Agreement (RTA) Further both leaders reiterated their commitment to further expand and strengthen mutual cooperation in the security and border related issues and reaffirmed their commitment not to allow the territory of either country to be used for any activity inimical to each other's interests. It was agreed to enhance cooperation to address the security concerns and also to implement the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP)
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India, Japan ink USD 15 bn currency swap arrangement
A bilateral swap arrangement (BSA) has been signed between the Reserve Bank of India and the Bank of Japan which will enable both countries to swap their local currencies either Japanese yen or Indian rupee against US dollar for an amount up to USD 15 billion. The BSA was signed by Governor Masaaki Shirakawa of the BOJ and Governor D. Subbarao of the RBI. The arrangement aims at addressing short-term liquidity difficulties and supplementing the existing international financial arrangements. The arrangement to be effective from 4th December 2012 would be for a three year period. Earlier, both countries had a similar arrangement for an amount of up to USD 3 billion for a period of 3 years between June 2008 and June 2011. This enhancement of the BSA will further strengthen economic and financial cooperation between the two countries and accordingly contribute to ensuring financial market stability. Bilateral Swap Arrangement is an agreement between two parties to exchange two currencies at a certain exchange rate at a certain time in the future. For example, if a company knows that it will need British pounds in the future and another company knows that it will need U.S. dollars, they agree to swap the two at the agreedupon exchange rate. This eliminates the risk that the exchange rate will change in a way that is disadvantageous to one party or the other. They are also called currency swaps.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

UN Climate Conference at Doha
Nearly 200 countries that took part in United Nations climate talks in Doha have agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol through 2020. The 1997 agreement, which requires industrialized nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions, had been set to expire on December 31. Parties agreed to extend for another eight years to 2020 with this second commitment period starting in January 2013. This is the only legally binding component of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Within the Protocol developed countries set emission reduction targets. Several key countries have recently dropped out of the mechanisms (notably Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Russia) and those that remain represent just 15% of global emissions. However this is a substantive decision and sends a signal that at least some developed countries are committed to reduce their carbon emissions. calls for public funds for adaptation but does not mention a figure, and encourages developed countries to maintain funding at existing levels dependent on their economies. It does not provide any pre-2020 targets that could have served to instill heightened ambition. On climate change adaptation, an important outcome emerged on 'loss and damage'. The work programme on loss and damage has been given new tasks to inform the establishment of an institutional arrangement, such as an international mechanism, in order to give this urgent issue the political recognition that it deserves - the impacts are happening now. On efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation, a mechanism known as REDD+, decisions on how to measure, report and verify emissions reductions, set baselines against which to measure actions and how to finance results-based actions, were pushed to next year. However, countries did agree to discuss next year the role that forests play in providing benefits beyond carbon reduction, including forest biodiversity, which is essential for the conservation of natural forests. A spate of scientific reports released during the two-week meeting provided compelling new evidence that the Earth's climate is warming. They also predicted dire consequences - from rising sea levels to more severe droughts, floods and storms unless action is taken to reduce climate-changing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Also countries agreed in Doha that in 2014 Kyoto Protocol countries would review their emissions reduction targets in line with the 25-40% range by 2014 at the latest. While it could have been stronger, the decision reinforces a clear moral obligation for countries to increase their emission reduction targets prior to 2020 and provides opportunities for them to do so. These loopholes essentially create 'hot air' and weaken carbon market mechanisms, with countries such as Poland who have not emitted as much as they expected in the previous period, being allowed to trade these permits in the future. Markedly Australia, EU, Japan, Lichtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland provided political declarations (essentially promises) that they would not purchase these emission allowances carry overs (so called AAUs). But to move forward not only more ambitious emission reduction targets are needed but also finance. At the climate negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009 countries pledged to mobilize $100 billion by 2020 to mitigate and adapt to climate change. For the 2010-2012 period approximately $30 billion has been found. The Doha decision asks for submissions from governments on long term finance pathways,
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Global Carbon Project Report
The industrial revolution in the 18th century and the human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and deforestation have disturbed the natural equilibrium of the carbon cycle by adding 10 percent to the emissions. Apart from this, According to a report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in 2011 the amount of heat trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere had reached a record of 391 parts per million. But as per the new statistics produced by the Global Carbon Project, the emissions are set to rise again in 2012 reaching a record high of 35.6 billion tonnes.
The new figures indicate that global emissions from burning fossil fuels are now 58 percent above 1990 levels, which was the baseline year used in the Kyoto Protocol. That is the only global agreement in place that contains mandatory emissions reductions requirements. However, developing countries such as China and India do not have mandatory reductions under that agreement. Some industrialized countries such as the U.S. have slowed, and in some cases reversed, their emissions growth recently due to the economic downturn and the increased use of natural gas for generating electricity (natural gas emits fewer greenhouse gases than coal-fired power plants). But those trends have been more than offset by the rapid growth in emissions from developing countries. In China, emissions grew by 9.9 percent in 2011, and in India emissions rose by 7.5 percent. That compares to an emissions decrease of 1.8 percent in the U.S., and 2.8 percent in the E.U. during the same period. Emissions per person in China of 6.6 tonnes of CO2 were nearly as high as those of the European Union (7.3), but still below the 17.2 tonnes of carbon used in the U.S. Emissions in India were lower at 1.8 tonnes of carbon per person.
of increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Global Carbon Project is responding to this challenge through a shared partnership between the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and Diversitas. This partnership constitutes the Earth Systems Science Partnership (ESSP).
Infant star may explain how our solar system formed
Although CO2 is still the most significant longlived greenhouse gas, levels of other heat-trapping gases have also climbed to record levels, according to the report. Methane, for example hit 1,813 parts per billion (ppb) in 2011, and nitrous oxide rose to 324.2 ppb. The amount of excess heat prevented from escaping into outer space was 30 percent higher in 2011 than it was as recently as 1990.
During the 2009 U.N. climate negotiations in Copenhagen countries committed to a non-binding target of keeping global warming to under 2C, or 3.6F, compared to the pre-industrial levels. However, as the World Bank Report noted and the Global Carbon Project report also said, current emissions trends indicate that the world is on track for far more warming than that, perhaps as much as 7F of warming by 2060. According to the climate scientists, the worst consequences of global warming may be unavoidable, such as several feet of sea level rise due to rapid melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, along with more extreme weather events and harm to ocean ecosystems due to ocean acidification. The Global Carbon Project was formed to assist the international science community to establish a common, mutually agreed knowledge base supporting policy debate and action to slow the rate
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For the first time, a 'baby' star has been captured just before 'birth' by astronomers - a breakthrough scientists believe could hold clues as to how our solar system formed. The discovery provides the missing link in understanding how giant gas clouds collapse to form fully fledged stars. The infant is just 300,000 years old at most compared to the 4.6-billion-year age of our Sun and its planets - and is more than 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. Currently about one-fifth the mass of the Sun, it is expected to pull in material from its surroundings to eventually match it. The disk surrounding the young star contains at least enough 'stuff' to make seven Jupiters - the largest planet in our solar system. Called L1527 IRS, the young star resides in a stellar nursery known as the Taurus Cloud and is one of the closest examples of the earliest stage of star formation. Astronomers detected both dust and carbon monoxide around the object. By measuring radio waves coming from carbon monoxide in the disk they were able to show the rotation speed changes with the material's distance from the star in the same fashion the orbital speeds of planets change with distance from the Sun.
Kudankulam plant gets nod for second heat-up
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board on gave its clearance for the second heat-up of the first unit of the 2,000-MW Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, raising expectations that it could go critical (begin the fission process) around December 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to arrive here for the 13th annual India-Russia summit. The second heat-up of the unit, an important step towards its commissioning, would involve elaborate checking of the performance of various systems. The entire process could take 7-10 days.
mThe procedure would be followed by preparations for the first approach to criticality, which could commence a week later. Achievement of criticality is the major penultimate step before a nuclear power plant goes on stream. After the achievement of criticality, some more tests would be conducted and then the plant would be ready to start generating power. Generation would be stepped up in phases interspersed with tests. The plant, with two units of 1,000 MW each, has been built with Russian collaboration. It will use light water both as coolant and moderator. Russia has provided all equipment including the reactor pressure vessel, steam generators and turbines, and will supply the fuel for the entire life of the reactors. The first unit was earlier scheduled to go on stream about a year ago. But, the process was halted after the Tamil Nadu government asked the Centre to suspend all operations until after local residents, who had launched a protest on safety aspects, were reassured that the plant would pose no danger to them.
valve failure, this device is a rotary-assist pump that provides continuous blood flow once placed just beneath the diaphragm. One end is connected to the left ventricle and the other to the aorta, the main artery carrying oxygenated blood to the entire body. The ensemble also has an external controller unit worn under clothing. The device having survival rate of ten years or more is better than the gold standard of heart transplants and almost replicates the natural survival phenomena. However, there are downsides too, such as the exorbitant cost (upwards of Rs. 50 lakh), the discomfort of wearing the power source under clothes and the pre-requisite of a functional right ventricle for this assist device to work. In spite of the high cost of the imported device, doctors believe that there could be a pool of patients who could afford to benefit from the LVAD as it offers a viable alternative to a heart transplant. An estimated 1.5 million new cases of heart failure emerge every year in India and 50 per cent of them die within five years, making survival rates for the disorder much worse than even cancer. Mortality risks for advanced heart failure are more acute with 90 per cent of patients dying in two years. The device could meet a largely unmet demand in a country like India, which only does about 2,000 heart transplants a year due to donor organ shortage.
Work was resumed in March this year after the State gave its nod following a series of meetings and reports by experts committees.
Mechanical heart implant device launched in India
A mechanical heart implant device has been launched in India.
Unlike the first generation pulsatile pumps on pneumatic drive, which have been associated with
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2 - MARKERS
Indian Air Force Enters into MOU with Confederation of Indian Industry for Training and Placement of Retiring Airmen in Civil Industries
There will be three core activities under the centre: a) Support talent and leadership development: the establishment of graduate/Ph.D. scholarships available specifically to Indian students at Oxford, with a cohort of Indian graduate students participating directly in research of relevance to India. b) Advance sustainability research: the Centre will strengthen interdisciplinary and pioneering research into food security, environmental sustainability and international governance by establishing post-doctoral positions and fellowships; c) Build an inspirational research facility on the University of Oxford's new campus: The Indira Gandhi Centre building will be designed to house an innovative "incubator" environment, fostering new thinking and robust solutions to the challenges facing India and South Asian communities today. Within each Impact Theme, the Indira Gandhi Centre will develop its activities around three core activities: research, talent, and collaboration.
HRD Ministry gave approval for Establishment for Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development at University of Oxford
The Minister for Human Resource Development Dr M M Pallam Raju has announced the Ministry's 'in-principle' approval for setting up the Indira Gandhi Centre for Sustainable Development at the Somerville College, University of Oxford.
The Indira Gandhi Centre will honour the late Indian Prime Minister's legacy to the world by addressing key issues of sustainable development and will result in building up India's intellectual capital and expertise in the area. The proposed Centre will enhance scholarship opportunities at Oxford for the bright and talented students from India in the field of sustainable development. It will invest in intellectual capital and build a platform for strengthening partnerships with Indian scholars and leading institutions thereby creating a community of alumni engaged in lifelong learning.
The Centre is aimed at having a transformational impact on the lives of future leaders, who will help to direct a new paradigm of Sustainable Development in India and beyond.
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With an aim to equip the Airmen with requisite skill sets enabling them to seek sustainable and befitting career prospects in civil industry sector post retirement, Indian Air Force (IAF) in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has embarked on a project of setting up a Vocational Training Centre (VTC) named "Happy Landings". This project is one of the many HR initiatives undertaken by the IAF to ensure the well being of Air Warriors and address their professional and personal aspirations. According to the MoU, CII will train Airmen due for retirement in the near future, focusing on bridging the gap between existing skills possessed by the airmen and those required by the civil industry and also facilitate suitable placements for the personnel in civil sector.
'Life of Pi' Bags National Tourism Awards
Recently released feature film 'Life of Pi' has been given two National Tourism Awards by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India recognizing the impact it has had in promoting India as a tourism destination, especially Puducherry and Munnar (Kerala). This will go a long way in encouraging more and more Film producers from abroad to shoot their films in India. Every year, the Ministry of Tourism recognizes various stakeholders, including film makers and writers for their contribution in promoting India Tourism by conferring National Tourism Awards. The Ministry of Tourism has identified 'Film Tourism' as a Niche Tourism product. It has requested the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations to recognize the potential of Film Tourism and constitute special bodies/cells to facilitate filming in their respective States/Union Territories.
Supervisory college for SBI, ICICI Bank set up
ties, which have helped both the countries to enhance their trade activities. The 'Order de Mayo' is given to selected and distinguished awardees for exemplary work and expert consultant and is named after the May Revolution that led to the birth of the Republic of Argentina.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a supervisory college for State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank. The move is aimed to deal with supervisory issues revolving around these banks, and establish a co-operation mechanism for cross-border supervision. This mechanism was developed with the aim of reducing supervisory overlap, and filling in supervisory gaps for better supervisory cooperation enunciated in Basel II framework.
Parthasarthi Shome
Shakti Bhatt Prize
Mr. Fernandes is also the co-author of Bombay Then and Mumbai Now, a historical narrative, and co-editor of Bombay Meri Jaan.
The other shortlisted books were: Tamasha in Bandargaon by Navneet Jagannathan, The Purple Line by Priyamvada Purushottam, The King in Exile by Sudha Shah, The Inexplicable Unhappiness of Ramu Hajjam by Taj Hassan and Calcutta Exile by Bunny Suraiya.
Argentine honour for Peter Hassan
Honorary Consul for Russian Federation (Hyderabad), Peter Toghrille Hassan, who is also Adviser, Strategy and Planning, FICCI, has been chosen for the 'Order de Mayo-Officer of the Order', the highest Civilian Award of the Republic of Argentina. He has significantly contributed to strengthening Indo-Argentine economic and cultural
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Naresh Fernandes has won the 2012 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay's Jazz Age, which gives the reader an engaging account of the city's thriving music scene between the 1930s and 1960s.
Renowned tax expert Parthasarathi Shome has been appointed adviser to Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Shome had held the same post from October 2004 to January 2008. Even then, he was adviser to Chidambaram. In that stint, he played a crucial role in facilitating state-level value-added tax and initial discussions on goods and services tax. Known for tax reforms, Shome was the brain behind then fringe benefit tax and banking cash transaction tax. Later, he joined Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs in the UK as chief economist from January 2008 to January 2011. Then, he moved to the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. Shome was professor of economics at American University, Washington, from 1975 to 1983. He also worked with the International Monetary Fund from 1983 to 2004 in various capacities. He has provided technical assistance to about 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America and been credited with tax reforms in Brazil. Shome is a PhD. from Southern Methodist University, has Masters degrees from University of Rochester (1973) and Delhi University (1972). His latest work includes a book, Tax Shastra, which is a comparative account of the tax administrations of three countries - India, the UK and Brazil.
EDITORIALS
Dealing with Pakistan's brinkmanship
During the past decade, there have been notable shifts in Pakistan's nuclear doctrine, away from minimum deterrence to second strike capability and towards expanding its nuclear weapons arsenal to include both strategic and tactical weapons. Islamabad has described these developments as "consolidating Pakistan's deterrence capability at all levels of the threat spectrum." These shifts are apparent from the following developments: (1) There is a deliberate shift from the earlier generation of enriched uranium nuclear weapons to a newer generation of plutonium weapons. Olli Heinonen, a former Director of Safeguards at the IAEA has observed: "Commissioning of additional plutonium production reactors and further construction of reprocessing capabilities signify that Pakistan may even be developing second-strike capabilities". These developments are driven by a mix of old and new set of threat perceptions and, equally, political ambitions. The so-called existential threat from India continues to be cited as the main driver of Pakistan's nuclear compulsions. The rapid increase in the number of weapons is justified by pointing to India having a larger stock of fissile material available for a much more numerous weapons inventory, thanks to the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear agreement. Tactical nuclear weapons are said to be a response to India's so-called "Cold Start" doctrine or its suspected intention to launch quick response punitive thrusts across the border in case of another major cross-border terrorist strike. Pakistan's strategic objective has been expanded to the acquisition of a "full-spectrum capability" comprising a land, air and sea-based triad of nuclear forces, to put it on a par with India. However, the focus on India has tended to obscure an important change in Pakistan's threat perception which has significant implications. The Pakistani military and civilian elite is convinced that the United States has also become a dangerous adversary, which seeks to disable, disarm or take forcible possession of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. This threat perception may be traced to the aftermath of 9/11, when Pakistan, for the first time in its history, faced the real prospect of a military assault on its territory by U.S. forces and the loss of its strategic assets. In his address to the nation on September 15, 2001, President Pervez Musharraf justified his acquiescence to the U.S. ultimatum to abandon the Taliban and support U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, on account of four overriding and critical concerns - "our sovereignty, second our economy, third our strategic assets and fourth our Kashmir cause." Pakistan once again became a
(2) This shift has enabled Pakistan to significantly increase the number of weapons, which now appears to have overtaken India's nuclear weapon inventory and, in a decade, may well surpass those held by Britain and France.
(3) Progress has been made in the miniaturisation of weapons, enabling their use with cruise missiles, both air and surface-based (Ra'ad or Hatf VIII and Babur or Hatf-VII respectively) as also with a new generation of short range and tactical missiles (Abdali or Hatf II with a range of 180 km and Nasr or Hatf-IX with a range of 60 km). (4) Pakistan has steadily improved the range and accuracy of its delivery vehicles, building upon the earlier Chinese models (the Hatf series) and the later North Korean models (the No-dong series). The newer missiles, including the Nasr, are solid-fuelled, which are quicker to launch than the older liquid-fuelled versions. Not under safeguards This rapid development of its nuclear weapon arsenal has been enabled by the setting up of two plutonium production reactors at Khusab with a third and fourth under construction. These have been built with Chinese assistance and are not under safeguards. The spent fuel from these reactors is reprocessed at the Rawalpindi New Labs facility, where there are reportedly two plants each with a capacity to reprocess 10 to 20 tonnes annually.
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"front-line state," this time in the U.S. war on terrorism in Afghanistan in contrast to the U.S.-led war against the Soviet forces in that country in the 1980s. But this time round, Pakistan became an ally by compulsion rather than by choice. While the immediate threat to its strategic assets passed, Pakistan's suspicions of U.S. intentions in this regard did not diminish and have now risen to the level of paranoia. The American drone attacks against targets within Pakistani territory and, in particular, the brazenness with which the Abbotabad raid was carried out by U.S. Navy Seals in May 2011 to kill Osama bin Laden, have only heightened Pakistan's concerns over U.S. intentions. These have overtaken fears of India, precisely because the U.S. has demonstrated both its capability and willingness to undertake such operations. India has not. Recent Shifts
Rice remarked that after the "heavy lifting" the U.S. had done to get the nuclear deal through, she hoped India would ensure that U.S. companies got a share of the orders for new reactors. Before our Prime Minister could reply, Mr. Bush stated categorically that he was not bothered if India did not buy even a single reactor from the U.S., since he regarded the agreement as confirming India as a long-term strategic partner rather than a mere customer for U.S. reactors. Pakistan encourages the arguments of the U.S. non-proliferation lobby since this keeps the pressure on India and enables the camouflage of Pakistan's real motivations. It would not wish to project, as an adversary, a much more powerful U.S., and lose out on the economic and military support it receives, however transactional these deals may have become. The implications
Thus the recent shifts in Pakistan's nuclear strategy cannot be ascribed solely to the traditional construct of India-Pakistan hostility. They appear driven mainly by the fear of U.S. assault on its strategic assets. The more numerous and compact the weapons, the wider their dispersal and the greater their sophistication, the more deterred the U.S. would be from undertaking any operations to disable them or to take them into its custody. The U.S. finds it as difficult to acknowledge this reality as it has, until recently, Pakistan's complicity in terrorism directed against its forces in Afghanistan. This permits putting the onus on India to reassure Pakistan through concessions rather than admitting that the problem lies elsewhere. There is also a strong non-proliferation lobby in the U.S. which believes it could leverage the threat of an India-Pakistan nuclear exchange to reverse some of the concessions made to India in the civil nuclear deal. More recently, it is being argued that since the U.S. is finding it difficult to get its promised share of the civil nuclear business in India due to concerns over the country's Nuclear Liability legislation, a major rationale behind the agreement no longer exists. And meanwhile, it is further claimed, the civil nuclear agreement has only heightened the danger of India-Pakistan nuclear war by feeding into Pakistani fears of India's enhanced nuclear capabilities. In this context, I wish to recall an exchange over dinner hosted by President George Bush for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2008 in Washington. The then Secretary of State Condoleezza
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What are the implications of these recent developments?
One, it is not through "strategic restraint" or security assurances by India that Pakistan would be persuaded to change its behaviour and revise its strategy. India and Pakistan have some nuclear CBMs in place and India would be prepared to go further. The main levers for such persuasion lie in Washington and in Beijing, not in New Delhi. Two, whatever sophistry Pakistan may indulge in to justify its augmented arsenal and threatened recourse to tactical nuclear weapons, for India, the label on the weapon, tactical or strategic, is irrelevant since the use of either would constitute a nuclear attack against India. In terms of India's stated nuclear doctrine, this would invite a massive retaliatory strike. For Pakistan to think that a counter-force nuclear strike against military targets would enable it to escape a counter-value strike against its cities and population centres, is a dangerous illusion. The U.S. could acquaint Pakistan with NATO's own Cold War experience when tactical nuclear weapons were abandoned once it was realised that use of such weapons in any conflict would swiftly and inexorably escalate to the strategic level. Instead of urging India to respond to Pakistani nuclear escalation through offering mutual restraint, the U.S. should convince Islamabad that a limited nuclear war is a contradiction in terms and that it should abandon such reckless brinkmanship. The U.S. knows that India's nuclear deterrence is not Pakistan-specific. Any misguided attempt to constrain Indian
capabilities would undermine, for both, the value of Indo-U.S. strategic partnership in an increasingly uncertain and challenging regional and global security environment. Three, Pakistan is no longer India's problem. Its toxic mix of jihadi terrorism and nuclear brinkmanship poses a threat to the region and to the world. Even China, whose culpability in continuing to assist Pakistan in developing its nuclear and delivery capabilities is well documented, is not exempt. It needs to reassess its own policies. An apparently low-cost and proxy effort to contain India may well become China's nightmare, too, in the days to come. Source: The Hindu
or fertiliser at market prices from private traders. This would mean less scope for local corruption as the local boss can no longer decide who will get subsidised kerosene or fertiliser in short supply. Under the existing system, the recipient has to establish his/her eligibility many times by producing documents which then have to be verified by the multiple authorities. With an Aadhaar-based centralised data base, which can be accessed by different government agencies, the cost of duplication of efforts by both the recipients and the government agencies can be avoided. Buying kerosene and LPG at market prices would also reduce the incentive to adulterate diesel/petrol with (cheap) kerosene and diversion of (subsidised) domestic LPG cylinders to commercial use. This would save money for the oil companies while reducing the pollution caused by adulterated fuel. Anticipating Problems
Cash transfers, a potential game-changer
The government has announced that direct cash transfer of subsidies to the bank accounts of the recipients would start in 51 out of India's 659 districts from January 2013 and would be gradually extended to the rest of the country by April 2014.
What NREGS was for UPA-1, direct cash transfer of subsidies is expected to be for UPA-2. The question is: Is it going to be the "game changer" as projected by the UPA spokespersons? The two main pillars on which the scheme stands are the UID or Aadhaar biometric identity card and financial inclusion.
It is proposed that the cash equivalent of all subsidies, such as kerosene, LPG cooking gas, food, fertiliser, scholarships, old-age pensions, NREGS (there are some 42 government schemes), would be eventually transferred directly to the Aadhaar-based bank accounts of all the recipients. Middlemen Eliminated
What are the possible benefits? This should reduce, if not totally eliminate, the enormous leakages by getting rid of ghost and duplicate ration cards and layers of middlemen who siphon off a part of the subsidy by taking 'cuts' at different levels. Therefore, even if the same amount of subsidy is paid out ('revenue-neutral') by the government, the final targeted recipient should get more. The disbursement should also be quicker and not depend on the physical availability of subsidised kerosene, food or fertiliser in the PDS or government shops. The cash can be used to buy kerosene or food
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What are the possible pitfalls? Possibly the biggest problem is how to change the cash subsidy amount when the market prices of grains or kerosene or cooking gas or fertiliser change. The market price can also be manipulated by collusion, especially in areas where only a very small number of private sellers exist. The same cash amount would buy less if prices go up. Can the government bureaucracy change the cash subsidy amount quickly enough? Another fear is that the cash to buy food can be used for other purposes, such as entertainment or liquor. The purpose of the subsidy, tackling malnutrition, for instance, would then be defeated. One may take the position that if a family decides to spend its entitlement this way, why should others object. This argument would not be valid if the decision is taken by, say, the male head of the family without considering the welfare of the wife and the children who have no voice in the decision-making process. The spread of education, the awareness of the rights of women and children and the role of social activists would be crucial here.
Studies undertaken by organisations such as SEWA in areas where cash subsidy has already replaced kerosene subsidy (in pilot projects) indicate that the instances of cash being blown up in liquor is almost non-existent. The availability of banks or ATM nearby is also a big problem for people in remote rural areas, even when they are able to open a no-frills bank account. The cost of visiting the bank to withdraw money may eat up a large part of the subsidy, which amounts to another form of 'leakage'. This can be tackled by the use of the bank correspondents (or commission agents from banks), who would regularly visit the villages with their hand-held machines linked to banks which would transact both authenticated deposits and withdrawals with proper receipts. But this needs to be implemented before the cash subsidy replaces the existing system.
some people for work and cash subsidy under NREGS even when they do not work and so on). The upshot is that the government needs to proceed very carefully. It must study the difficulties faced by the intended beneficiaries in the pilot areas - that too for a small number of items (kerosene, scholarships, pensions, NREGS) to start with - and make the system foolproof, before extending it to more items and more areas. It must be ensured that every eligible person receives the Aadhaar card and the bank account before the scheme is launched in a particular area. The existing system may need to continue in some pockets for a while. Fortunately, the government seems to be fully aware that any large-scale goof-up in administering the new subsidy system would backfire on the UPA in the 2014 elections. Incidentally, districts chosen for the pilot experiment are outside the States that would go to polls in 2013. Source: Business Line
In distant tribal areas with scattered populations, no private shop to sell grains or kerosene may exist. Moreover, the chances of one or two sellers manipulating the price would be quite high. The potential benefits from a greater choice provided to the beneficiary by cash transfer would be illusory. The only realistic solution is to improve the existing PDS system in such areas. Multi-Pronged Approach
If the government machinery and FCI are freed from the task of storing and distributing grains and kerosene for large parts of the country, they may be able to devote their energies to managing their limited storage and distribution capacities better for some specific pockets. Anther point raised is that implementing the Aadhaar system nationwide has its costs, just as administering the PDS. Here, one has to remember that the costs of putting the Aadhaar system in place, though large, are mostly one-time in nature, whereas the PDS involves a recurring annual expenditure, apart from the leakages. Moreover, the Aadhaar system and database, once built, can be used for many other purposes. Cash transfer is not a panacea to cure all ills of the subsidy system. It may plug some leakages but not all (such as issuing BPL certification to non-poor by local politicians in exchange for bribes, crediting
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Remains of the day
Twenty years after the demolition at Ayodhya, what India must not forget On December 6, it will be exactly 20 years to the day the Babri Masjid was demolished. Much has happened to India and the world in between - it is also about 20 years since the first SMS was sent. New countries have been formed. The caste cauldron in north India has swirled in this time and also cooled. The economy has changed beyond recognition since the 1990s. The Uttar Pradesh electorate, in 2012 at least, did not seem to be that taken by either the Uma Bharti brand of BJP politics or the Congress's lure of Muslim reservations. Ayodhya 1992 should not, perhaps, elicit much of a response. Twenty years after the Babri Masjid was pulled down, under the watch of the BJP state government and the Congress government at the Centre, should it not be forgotten as a blip in time? Of course, simmering communal tensions in several UP districts, especially in Ayodhya-Faizabad, make the business of forgetting a little harder. For those interested in the sunnier theme of "India Happening", forgetting Ayodhya is a starting point.
Yet if India is to genuinely transform into a modern republic, remembering the darker moments is as important as commemorating pleasant anniversaries, partly to preempt such horrors from recurring in future. Here are a few reasons why Ayodhya must not be forgotten. If Jinnah fought for a homeland for "wronged" Muslims, a similar case has been made for Hindus - and with some success - since the 1980s. Equating faith with nationalism, using a three-domed mosque as a symbol for excluding a large minority, worked wonders for several political fortunes. That L.K. Advani, the leading proponent of such rhetoric, went on to praise Jinnah a decade and a half after Ayodhya should not have come as a surprise. But certain realities cannot be brushed aside - that a politics can be built by creating a sense of injured pride, that personal belief can be turned into political slogans, that the idea of Siyapati Ramachandraji (Ram as the husband of Sita) can be morphed into the narrower idea of "Shri Ram". This new interpretation was centuries removed from Gandhi's Ram of the "Ram rajya" invocation. A religion does not make for a nation, as other countries, especially neighbouring Pakistan, are discovering at high cost. In this context, re-reading Ayodhya could prove to be valuable.
counter-claims, some in the hope of turning the politics of exclusion into an ideology yet again. Most importantly, to those of us who do not fit into any of the relevant religious categories, Ayodhya 1992 matters because of what happened to the rule of law that day. An important promise of January 26, 1950 was run to the ground. Majoritarianism was wilfully confused with democracy. Governments were dictated by the fear of the mob. Those responsible for Ayodhya are yet to be brought to book. The fear of the mob that became ingrained in democratically elected governments that day was underlined by what happened recently in Mumbai. The state government acquiesced to a state funeral for the deceased Shiv Sena chief, the only political leader to be disenfranchised by the court, and functionaries of the state, instead, arrested those who commented on it on Facebook. Does recalling inflection points in our evolution mean that our society is still "backward" and not quite "emerging"? Inflection points leave their mark and, therefore, need to be acknowledged. In his magnificent book, The Age of Revolution, Eric Hobsbawm speaks of the way the French Revolution lived on in slogans, and even in the choice of a tricolour, in nations that were fighting for liberation more than a century later. Even today, the memory of General Franco's regime is found not just in the art and politics of Spain, but also in its choice of football styles. Closer home, look at how the 2002 violence in Gujarat had threads of Ayodhya woven into it. A BJP that had either set aside or forgotten Ayodhya during its NDA years, also presided over the tragedy that took place 10 years after the demolition. Evidently, forgetting can be dangerous. To truly forget and attain closure, we may have to pause and remember what happened that day. Sometimes, the best way to genuinely get over such an event is to remember and recount clearly, just so that we are not condemned to repeat it. Amnesia does not help. Source: Indian Express
Another reason Ayodhya cannot be forgotten is the way a symbol of confluence was turned into an epicentre of division. The city, with its mandirs, akharas, masjids, and its memories of viharas, has meant so much to different people over the centuries. The city is revered by Buddhists, Jains, Hindus and Muslims. Ayodhya should have been a symbol for the Indianness that each Indian (often unknowingly) embodies - a compound of several identities, speaking many languages. A city that should have stood for the plurality of being Indian was turned into a symbol that divided people. Not only can this not be forgotten, it needs to be recalled, again and again, so that we can pick up the signals of another Ayodhya, and stop it from happening. Ayodhya was also a moment of rupture that gave the right, Muslim as well as Hindu, a chance to vent its grievances and nurse its wounds in public. Even after the moment had passed into history, it left a gnawing imprint, in the way the demolition of December 6 was used to instigate communal tension and violence subsequently, be it in Mumbai or Hyderabad. And in a restless India, people from all sides use these records to buttress claims and
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Fleet Street's grim reaper
IN JULY 2011 a muck-raking journalist at the Guardian newspaper revealed that employees of the much bigger News of the World had illegally accessed the mobile-phone messages of a girl who turned out to have been murdered. Other grim
revelations followed. For a few mad days it seemed as though every paranoid theory about illegality and cover-up in Fleet Street was proved correct. David Cameron, the prime minister, demanded a judge-led inquiry. Lord Justice Leveson, an appeal-court judge, was chosen to conduct a full review of the press and recommend ways of taming its worst abuses. But the problem with asking a judge to investigate something is that he will eventually produce a report. Lord Justice Leveson's, released on November 29th, broadly criticises reporters, newspaper proprietors, police and politicians. The practice of hacking mobile phones, it says, was widely known about and tolerated. The press is often thuggish, harrying some people who are regarded as newsworthy only because their children have disappeared or committed suicide. The Press Complaints Commission (PCC), an industry-funded body that deals with gripes against the newspapers, is largely toothless. Something tougher is required, the judge argues. He proposes a new body that would be more independent of the newspaper industry than the PCC but also, in theory, free from political meddling. It should also provide a cheap forum for resolving libel disputes.
Alarmingly for the press, the judge concludes that legislation is necessary to set up the new outfit. He rejected proposals from Lord Black, the chair of the Press Standards Board of Finance, which currently funds the PCC, who argued that newspapers could be bound into a tougher regulatory system by voluntary contracts. Most newspapers have lined up behind these proposals. Lord Justice Leveson wondered what would prevent a newspaper owner from walking away. The judge had two other inflammatory suggestions. First, the new body should be regularly assessed by Ofcom, a quango that currently regulates television and radio broadcasters rather stringently. Ofcom could step in if it fails. Second, he suggested a limit on a single newspaper group's share of the market. If enacted, this could have the perverse effect of punishing one firm for the failure of its competitors. The report largely clears Mr Cameron, who had been embarrassed by revelations of his chummy relations with senior newspaper executives such as Rebekah Brooks, News International's former boss, who is now facing criminal charges related to phone hacking. But it still gives him a political headache.
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Mr. Cameron does not want a press law, and would prefer the industry to come up with a tough alternative. He fears a slippery slope to state meddling. Ofcom is a powerful regulatory body, he pointed out-and "we should be trying to reduce concentrations of power." Ed Miliband, Labour's leader, is keen on tougher regulation, and would embrace a law imposing it. Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, also takes a harder line than his coalition partner. Mr Cameron's own party is split. Some senior ministers and many old hands fervently oppose parliamentary meddling in principle. But a significant number of Tory MPs, many of them newly-arrived, are more amenable. There could be a parliamentary majority for Lord Justice Leveson's proposals. If they are enacted, the result will neither be the demolition of press freedom that newspapers have warned against, nor the brave, well-behaved press that victims want to see. Lord Justice Leveson's proposal to create an outfit that could hear libel cases cheaply is a good way of compelling newspapers to sign up to it. The Economist has argued for something similar. But there are great dangers in a press law, and the suggestion that Ofcom should oversee the new body is worrying. Regulation has an alarming tendency to creep. The entire press (including this newspaper) will be bound by rules set up for tabloids. The celebrity-quizzing judge showed scant interest in serious journalism. Or, indeed, in the media industry's future. Social media, blogs and news websites-some of them run by newspapers-are rising, bringing new problems. Should an offensive blog post be treated in the same way as an offensive article on a newspaper website? How about a comment-or a tweet? Does it still make sense to regulate the press, as opposed to all public writing? The lawyers and politicians grappling with these questions got little guidance from Lord Justice Leveson, who describes online regulation as "problematic". His report already seems dated. Source: The Economist
A low carbon economy is possible
The development agenda of the country seeks to accelerate and sustain the economic growth rate of 8-9 per cent from now on through 2031-32. This would inevitably require an increase in energy use by almost 6 times from the present level.
Such massive increases in energy supply in a world that is increasingly becoming constrained by climate change concerns led by energy related carbon emissions will not be easy. Further, the primary energy sources for fuelling the growth trajectory will largely be based on fossil fuel. Apart from climate change concerns, availability and cost of fossil fuels will continue to be a challenge, posing a threat to India's energy security. Low carbon growth strategies by adoption of energy efficiency across all sectors are necessary to hedge against this as much as possible. Future Strategy The performance of the country on the energy efficiency front during the last few years provides the hope that this is possible.
(a) Expanded STAR Labelling Programme that must target at least 80 per cent of energy-using appliances. At present about 20-odd equipments are covered by the programme, of which the application in respect of 4 equipment is mandatory. There are many high-energyconsuming appliances that are out of this fold, most notable being those in the transport sector. The standards laid down for the current set of equipments need to be upgraded. BEE has been working on an innovative concept of introducing 'Super Efficient' appliances in the market, ahead of time as a part of an international effort. Such Super Efficient appliances are ones whose energy performance is at least 30-50 per cent better than the best available in the market at present. They need to be implemented in those equipment where the growth rate is the highest (ACs, refrigerators, fans, etc). All government procurements of energy-related equipment must be towards higher efficiency equipment. (b) Mandatory application of energy efficient/ green building code must be made for all new commercial buildings that have connected load of 500 KW or more. In addition, application of the STAR rating programme for buildings need to be made more vigorous in an attempt to drive demand for efficient buildings from the consumers' side. Government could once again take the lead by requiring all its offices to undertake energy efficiency upgrades. Demand-Side Management (c) The innovative Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism, part of the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), announced recently, needs to cover more industrial establishments and sectors. At present, it is applicable to around 400 notified establishments in 8 sectors. Some of the new sectors that need to be covered are refineries, telecom, and auto manufacturing. (d) Demand Side Management (DSM) has the potential of delivering 20-25 per cent reduction in consumption as per several assessments done by the Planning Commission, BEE, and others. DSM could provide the much needed relief to the financially crippled distribution sector by enhancing their revenue realisations and plugging leakages.
The recently concluded XI Plan has set the tone for treating energy efficiency as a resource in the planning process. The Government set a target of 5 per cent reduction in energy consumption by verifiable actions related to energy efficiency, equivalent to 10,000 MW of avoided capacity addition. The Ministry of Power and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) have reportedly exceeded the target and have achieved around 12,000 MW of avoided capacity by implementation of various programmes. These interventions prioritised sectors where the scope of efficiency enhancements is large.
The overall programme has delivered impressive results, particularly in home appliances, where STAR labeling has now become a household identity. The buildings sector, too, has been able to stimulate the 'Green Building movement' while interventions in the industrial sector are making economic sense to the industry to invest in energy efficiency.
The ongoing XII Plan strategy, therefore, must focus on consolidating these gains, while expanding the scope of these interventions to hitherto uncovered sectors. The ones that readily come to mind are the transport sector, where efficiency norm for passenger cars and transport vehicles is long overdue; small and medium enterprises (SMEs), agriculture and municipal sectors, etc. Appliances and Buildings Some of the suggestions for significantly enhancing the offtake of energy efficiency are as follows:
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The Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs) need to encourage utilities to invest in DSM, particularly in municipalities, agriculture and accelerated adoption of high efficiency end-use equipments. Given that the electricity business is regulated and all expenditures by the utilities must have regulatory approval, ERCs need to create an enabling framework for allowing DSM-related expenditures of utilities as pass-through in tariff. Finance Availability In order that these interventions become practicable, availability of financial resources at reasonable rates for energy efficiency and enhanced awareness amongst all stakeholders is necessary. To stimulate financing of energy efficiency investments, Ministry of Power and BEE have set up innovative financial instruments namely, the 'Partial Risk Guarantee Fund' and the 'Venture Capital Fund'. These funds can mitigate the risk perception of banks and financial institutions towards energy efficiency project finance. One of the major successes of the last 5 years has been the STAR labelling programme. Apart from the fact that the programme was well structured and implemented, it owes its success to the impressive consumer awareness campaign implemented by BEE. The demand for efficient appliances has grown rapidly during the last few years, primarily because consumers are willing to pay a higher price for efficient equipment.
against women are so brutal, and up close, that they curdle your morning tea. Such crimes are not only on the rise, but traditional leaders have gone much further than they ever did in the past. Even the Hindu Marriage Act is now being questioned. Why has our world suddenly become so intolerant? Have we turned the clock back? Not exactly! Dreadful as such incidents are, they probably reflect a slow churning at the base of our society. This process is so deep that most people who are in the thick of it do not quite know they are playing a historical role. Women are being attacked not because of a backward movement, but because there is a forward thrust. Women, today, end up offending patriarchal norms simply because they are exercising choice in a way that was unavailable to them in the past. If grandfathers are killing their granddaughters in the name of culture, it is because they feel the old world slipping away. As long as everybody lived by established mores, nobody got hurt. Do things differently and the heavy hand of tradition lands on you. To get a measure of this, think back to the American South in the second half of the 19th century. This appears contradictory, but precisely at the point when slaves were legally freed and Lincoln had won the civil war the lynching of blacks began. As long as they did not raise their heads and played the Uncle Tom and Aunt Mamie stereotypes, it was alright: nothing ever happened to them. Till that time, lynching in America usually involved white people hanging other white people. Those who dangled at the end of a rope were horse thieves, or just plain thieves, or political opponents, and there was hardly a black man among them. Records tell us that between 1830 and 1850, most of those who were lynched were white. All that changed after the American civil war. The slaves had now been freed and were beginning to demand their rights as equals. It was then that white supremacists struck and lynching of blacks went epidemic: how dare they want to be like us? Was there no prejudice against blacks earlier? Sure, there was; but why get angry for they behaved themselves and played the buffoon (if period Hollywood films are to be believed)? It was only when they began to demand their rights as citizens, that lynching began. Its frequency was the highest in southern United States where white people had prospered with slave labour. Ancient prejudices welled up among whites because a new world was threatening their way of life. In 1950, Rosa Parks re-ignited the civil rights
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The recent increase in electricity tariffs almost all across the country would certainly enhance the willingness of the consumers to pay for energy efficiency.
In order that this is achieved, the institutional structure evolved during the last 5 years needs to be sustained and strengthened. The State Designated Agencies (SDAs), which are the implementing entities at the state/ UT level, need further strengthening in terms of their capacity and technical expertise. Ministry of Power and BEE have initiated this effort in the last 5 years and would need to accelerate it. Support by the Government during the XII Plan could put the economy on a low carbon economic development path. Source: Business Line
The Backlash Against Equality
The fear of losing control prompts today's epidemic of violence against women Open the newspapers and the reports of violence
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movement in America when she stubbornly refused to yield her bus seat to a white passenger. Today, it is hard to imagine the kind of white heat that blacks felt on their backs - the United States has changed that much. With some luck and a lot of fortitude, India will too. When Babli and Manoj were killed by their family in 2007, or when Monika and Rinku were done in by their kin in 2010 (their bodies strung up, lynch style), it was as if the medieval world had suddenly returned. The truth is that because these poor couples, in their own way, took on tradition, they had to die. If they had stayed on as obedient children of the clan, they would be with us today. In September, this year, it was big news when Mumbai's Haji Ali Dargah refused to allow women to say their prayers inside the mosque. But had the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan not challenged the traditional norm that kept women out, this matter would never have been known. Male prejudice always ruled the mosque, but most of us were not aware of it. It was the women activists who nailed it to the counter and brought matters to a head. Another piece of good news, but now from Rohtak, Haryana. This region is notorious for honour
killings and many members of parliament are happy to sell the women's cause down the river. But the newly emergent Gramin Mahila Vikas Samiti promises to change all that. Fortunately, it has also won the support of many neighbouring panchayats. They are ready to take khap (or clan) tradition to the wire and not yield to it. When none of this was happening and tradition was left untouched, there was no protest against the Hindu Marriage Act or against the Indian Penal Code. They just did not matter as they were routinely flouted anyway. Now that women are beginning to assert themselves, either quietly by marrying against family wishes, or challenging male authority deliberately, patriarchs have become violent, wild and woolly. In the past, as everybody behaved by established mores, the hold of tradition had never been tested. If violence against women is on the rise today, it is because they are the vanguards of change. They have forced tradition to rear its ugly head and come out from behind the veil. Source: Times of India
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Weekly 3rd To 9th December 2012 IAS

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Government eases tourist visa norms

Indian Boxing Federation suspended by AIBA

New youth policy launched in Kerala

Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

Russia, 5 CIS countries to cut dollar dependence

Israel to advance East Jerusalem building

2012 Global Terrorism Index

India to give 11,295cr to IMF

Panel slashes base price by 30 % for unsold spectrum

RBI, Bank of Mauritius sign pact to cooperate

FIPB nod for FDI in domestic pharma units must

INDIA AND THE WORLD

UAE declared amnesty scheme

UNICEF focus on treatment of HIV pregnant mothers to curb AIDS

Home Minister Level talks between India and Bangladesh

India, Japan ink USD 15 bn currency swap arrangement

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Global Carbon Project Report

Infant star may explain how our solar system formed

Kudankulam plant gets nod for second heat-up

Mechanical heart implant device launched in India

A mechanical heart implant device has been launched in India.

'Life of Pi' Bags National Tourism Awards

Supervisory college for SBI, ICICI Bank set up

Shakti Bhatt Prize

Argentine honour for Peter Hassan

What are the implications of these recent developments?

Cash transfers, a potential game-changer

Remains of the day

Fleet Street's grim reaper

A low carbon economy is possible

The Backlash Against Equality

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