Current Affairs

19thFebruary - 25 February 2013 Issue-8/2013 (19th February to 25 February)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
CLASS NOTES: 19 Feb - 25 Feb, 2013
(Compiled from 11 Newspapers & 7 Magazines)
19 February 2013 NTPL signs pact for 1000-MW Power Project financing with multiple banks
A group of various banks agreed to loan 937 crore Rupees for 1000MW NTPL power project. NTPL power project is the joint venture of Tamil Nadu Power Generation and Distribution Corporation as well as Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC). The project will come up at Tuticorin. NLC Director (Finance) as well as the Bank of India Deputy General Manager (Mumbai) signed an agreement on 18 February 2013. The estimated cost of the project would be 4909.54 crore Rupees having debt-equity ratio of 70:30. The group of various banks included Indian Bank, the Central Bank of India as well as the Bank of India. In the meanwhile, it is important to note that NTPL had tied up with another group of banks earlier. The group was led by Bank of Baroda. NTPL had tied up with other group of banks for the debt which amounted to 2500 crore Rupees. After the pact was signed, NTPL sealed the debt component for this project which amounted to 3437 crore Rupees in all. As of now, 70 percent of the overall project was completed. First unit of the 500 MW would go on stream in December 2013. The second unit, which would have almost similar capability, will start operating in March 2014. For the fuel, NTPL signed the deal with Mahanadhi Coal Fields Ltd, which is a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd. The power which would be generated from this project will be shared among the states of Puducherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. For this purpose, power purchase agreements were signed with Tangedco as well as respective State Electricity Boards. India from adoption of the drawdown technique of flushing for clearing the sedimentation of the run-of-the river project that had been designed and asked it to adopt a different technique for generation of 330 MW power facilities. The Court had also demanded the environmental flows statistics of the project. Pakistan initiated the arbitration against India with a charge that India violated the provisions of the Water Treaty between the two countries. But India denied the charges forced on to it by explain that the country reserved its rights to divert the water from one of the tributaries of Jhelum to another.
President confers the 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development Award on Ela Bhatt
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 18 February 2013 conferred 2011 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development Award to Ela Ramesh Bhatt, a renowned Women social worker. The award was given away at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Ela Bhatt was given away the award for life time achievements in women empowerment, promotion of grassroot level entrepreneurship as well as contribution towards promotion of equitable development and peace. Ela Bhatt has her organisation SEWA (SelfEmployed Womens Association). President Pranab Mukherjee while giving away the award announced that SEWA was a vehicle of self employment and self reliance for the Indian women, while at the same time being synonymous with the rural inclusiveness. Ela Bhatt Ela Bhatt is the founder of more than 1 million SEWAs in India. Since years, Ela Bhatt has been working for women empowerment and bringing women out of poverty through promotion of Self Help Groups. SEWA has empowered women with freedom as well as financial self- reliance.
Issues for Pakistan from its Perspective:

Pakistan on 17 May 2010 raised objections on the making of the Kishanganga Hydro-power project for which it demanded setting up of the Court of Arbitration.
The issues raised by Pakistan in the Court of Arbitration:

The project is being developed at the downstreams of Kishanganga River that is known by the name Neelam in Pakistan and is a tributary of Jhelum. India is diverting the waters of the river from the dam site to Bonar Madmati Nallah that is another tributary of Jhelum. India planned to use modern drawdown flushing technique for sedimentation management in the dam. The technique requires waters to be brought below the dead storage level (as per the treaty the water can be reduced below the dead storage level only in cases of unforeseen emergency) and was this plan was accepted by the neutral expert during the Bahlihar dispute with Pakistan. In June 2011, the members from the Court of Arbitration, The Hague visited India as well as Pakistan for inspection of the site.
India given a green signal on Kishanganga Project

The Court of Arbitration, chaired by Stephen M. Schwebel in its orders stated that India can move ahead with the diversion of water plans of Kishanganga that is a tributary of Jhelum, for generation of hydroelectric power. But it restrained
JTS Institute
Current Affairs Notes
19 February - 25 February 2013 Brief Provisions of Indus Waters Treaty 1960

i. The Indus system of rivers comprises three Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and their tributaries) and threes Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and their tributaries). ii. The Indus Waters Treaty 1960 was signed on 19.09.1960 between India and Pakistan. It is however effective from 01.04.1960. iii. Under the Treaty, the waters of Eastern Rivers are allocated to India. India is under obligation to let flow the waters of the Western Rivers except for the following uses: (a) Domestic Use (b) Non-consumptive use (c) Agricultural use as specified (d) Generation of hydro-electric power as specified ix. The Commissioners of the Indus Waters may discuss the questions arising under the Treaty under Article IX of the Treaty related to Settlement of Differences and Disputes and in the case of nonresolution, take further action under this Article for resolution through a Neutral Expert, negotiators or Court of Arbitration. Articles under Consideration: Article III (2): Let flow all waters of the Western Rivers and not permit any interference with the water Article IV (6): Both the countries require use of the best endeavors at each others end for maintenance of natural channels of the rivers and should avoid all the steps that may obstruct the flow of these rivers creating a material damage at the end of any of the two parties. As per Pakistan, the diversion of the water of Kishanganga as well as implementation of the drawdown flushing technique at Kishanganga project as well as other hydro-electric plants were the violation of the Treat signed in 1960, named Indus Water Treaty. crore project. Kishanganga is called Neelam in Pakistan.
Permanent Court of Arbitration

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) was established during the First Hague Peace Conference 1899 by a treaty. It is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) that provides a variety of dispute resolution services to the international community. It provides resolution to the disputes related to intergovernmental organizations, states, state entities and private parties. PCA is located in The Hague, Netherland. PCA provides services for the resolution of disputes involving various combinations of states, state entities, intergovernmental organisations, and private parties. The PCA can assist in the selection of arbitrators, and may be called upon to designate or act as appointing authority.
February 2013. UAE decided to invest 2 billion dollars in Infrastructure sector projects in India and the two countries decided to work for and support Strategic Oil Reserve in India. The meeting was co-chaired by the Union Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles, Anand Sharma and Sheikh Hamid Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court. As a part of the bilateral agreement, Five high level sub committees will be set up to promote investment in infrastructure and energy, trade and investment, manufacturing and technology, Information and communications technology and aviation sectors. India and UAE also decided to work together for third country projects, including Africa aimed at collaborating in the infrastructure sector and oil and gas exploration. The two countries also agreed to put in place Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA).
Sikkim to get the First Wildlife Skywalk of India in Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary
The first wildlife skywalk of India will be coming up in Maenam wildlife sanctuary, Sikkim. The State Government of Sikkim proposed to construct 22 km rope-way from Maenam sanctuary to skywalk which would be built on edge of Bhalleydhunga steep face. This will also have rain shelter as well as public conveniences. Maenam wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim is 65 km south from Gangtok, the capital of the state. It is a popular tourist destination as well. The environment ministry too has approved the proposal of Sikkim government for the first wildlife skywalk of India proposal that would cost 500 crore Rupees. This skywalk would be like the one in Grand Canyon in North America. The skywalk in Grand Canyon in North America gets more than 300000 visitors every year, inspite of opposition from the wild-lifers.
Viswanathan Anand won Grenke Chess Classic Trophy

Viswanathan Anand, the World Champion in Chess from India won the Grenke Chess Classic trophy of 2013 after defeating Arkadij Naiditsch from Germany on 17 February 2013. To secure his win in the Grenke Chess Classic, Anand also defeated Fabiano Caruana from Italy. This was his first title of the year. The 43 years old Anand, managed to take a 49 move win against Arkadij with his black pieces to claim the title for his all-play-all tournament title in five years. Anand last won a title in March 2008 at Linares, when he topped the field with 8.5 points in the eight player field. In January 2013, Anand finished at third position in the Tata Steel at Wijk aan Zee in although he lost the first round to Wang Hao from China. Standings of Players Point wise: 1. Viswanathan Anand from India (6.5/10) 2. Fabiano Caruana from Italy (6/10) 3. Michael Adams from England (5/10) 4. Georg Meier from Germany (5/10) 5. Arkadij Naiditsch from Germany (4/10) 6. Daniel Fridman from Germany (3.5/10)
Kishanganga Project
Kishanganga hydro-electric power project is a 330 MW project under its construction phase on the Kishanganga River and is developed by the National Power Corporation in Gurez Valley, near Bandipura in North Kashmir. The work on the project started in the year 1992. The Kishanganga hydro-electric project is a 3600
India and the UAE agrees to take their Trade Relations to a higher Level
India and the UAE agreed to improve their trade and investment relations during the first meeting of India-UAE High Level Task Force on Investment in Abu Dhabi on 18
Kai Po Che, Movie based on Chetan Bhagats Novel Premiered

Abhishek Kapoors Kai Po Che
JTS Institute
based on the novel of Chetan Bhagat- 3 Mistakes of My Life was premiered on 18 February 2013. Produced by Sidharth Roy Kapur, the movie premier witnessed some Bollywood stars such as Vidya Balan, Hrithik Roshan and his wife Sussanne Roshan as well as Ranveer Singh. Kai Po Che is the Bollywood debut of Sushant Singh Rajput as well as Amit Sadh. The plot of the movie revolves around three friends, the characters of whom are played by Sushant, Amit and Rajkumar Yadav. Kai Po Che will release on 22 February 2013. In the third week of February 2013, the movie attracted many at Berlin Film Festival.
19 February - 25 February 2013 Afghan Government against aking Air Support from International Forces
The order came after the death of at least ten civilians, including women and children in an air strike by the International Forces in the northeastern Kunar province of Afghanistan recently. The Afghan government on 18 February 2013 prohibited its security forces from taking any air support from the International Forces during security operations in residential areas of the country. The government also instructed the security forces to respect human rights during the security operations.
West continues to cause grave damage to non-target organisms. But in South Asia, the fact that the decline has significantly slowed and possibly even reversed has been directly attributed to prompt action over the past decade. Dr. Balmford says, The vulture collapse is an immense problem in its sheer extent as well as in its significance for people. So news that the declines are beginning to slow and even reverse is extremely welcome and a testament both to the tremendous hard work of all the NGOs in the SAVE consortium and to the responsiveness of governments in the region. Though diclofenac, which is said to be as fatal for vultures as cyanide is for humans just one meal on a contaminated carcass is enough to kill a bird has been banned for veterinary use, the emerging challenge is the misuse by vets of multi-dose vials meant for human use. Vibhu Prakash, Head of the BNHSs vulture conservation programme, says, We have been pressing the Union Health Ministry to ban the production of multi-dose vials of diclofenac sodium, which are generally of 10 ml to 30 ml, and enough for one cattle dose. The other problem is that other veterinary drugs like acyclofenac and ketoprocin, which are also fatal for vultures, are still in use. Since even the 2006 ban on diclofenac took about three years to be effective, he reckons that it will take another five years or so before significant numbers of this scavenger bird can be seen in the wild. The alternate pain killer, meloxicam, is expensive and not as effective, which is why veterinarians sometimes use the ones meant for humans. Just 0.05 per cent of diclofenac in a carcass is enough to kill a vulture, which dies of kidney failure, within days of ingesting the contaminated meat The lack of vulture safe zones where diclofenac does not linger in the food chain, in the country is also the reason why the BNHS is unable to release its captive bred vultures into the wild as yet. Some 300 birds, including 46 chicks, have been bred in the three BNHS breeding centres, Pinjore in Haryana, Rani in Assam and in West Bengal. The BNHS has set 2016 as the target year to begin releasing its captive vultures subject to the availability of vulture safe zones till then.
Meaning of the phrase Kai Vulture population rises Po Che

Kai Po Che is actually a Gujarati phrase which means I have cut. It relates to the kite competition where a competitor after cutting others kite shouts Kai Po Che. It is a held according to the Hindu calendar, but it has long crossed the boundaries of religion. Irrespective of anyones background, if one is in Gujarat, they are part of it.
The good news is that the fall of vultures in South Asia, particularly India, has stopped and is even reversing in the case of some species such as the white-backed vulture. A research paper in journal Science , titled Pollution, politics and vultures, says the 2006 ban on manufacture, import and sale of painkiller diclofenac for veterinary use, a cause for vulture mortality, and the timely response of the governments in India have helped. But the increase in the number of birds has been miniscule, after almost 99 per cent of them in the wild dying. The situation remains precarious, and vulture conservationists say the increase is too little to mean much. As against a population of 40 million vultures of different species in the 1980s, a rough estimate by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in 2011 put the count at fewer than a lakh in India. This is up from the 40,000 or so documented by it in 2007. Oriental white-backed vulture, long-billed vulture and slender-billed vulture, all resident varieties, have been the most affected.
Mritunjay Singh is the Joint COO of Persistent Systems

Mritunjay Singh was appointed as the new joint Chief Operation Officer (COO) of the Persistent Systems, a software product and technology service providing company. At this post, Mritunjay had been made responsible for managing the operations of the company and work alongside the Executive Director and COO, Nitin Kulkarni. Mritunjay Singh had joined Persistent Systems from Infosys, where he served as the delivery head for the financial services and insurance application development and maintenance unit. He was also the head of Infosys Pune development centre.
Persistent Systems
Persistent Systems is a company of global repute, with an employee base of about 6000 employees. The company specializes in software product and technology services and serves customers in the global market, with services like Mobility, Analytics and Collaboration, Cloud Computing and others.
The research paper by Andrew Balmford of Cambridge University, while giving a perspective on the progress of vulture conservation in South Asia, documents the turnaround story of vultures and praises India for timely action in saving the species from extinction. It goes on to say that in comparison, the response of western governments was much slower in banning pesticide organochlorides and DDT 40 years ago. The pesticide effect in the
JTS Institute
19 February - 25 February 2013

Some States like Punjab, Maharashtra and West Bengal also set up vulture restaurants in the last few years, to provide diclofenac free carcasses but the experiment has not been very successful. Says Dr. Prakash, This concept does not work in India because here there is no dearth of food for vultures. It will work only if the authorities can ensure that for at least a 100 kilometre radius no carcass is available, so that the vultures eat only at the restaurant. Only 5 per cent of the Indian cattle bear traces of the drug, but even this has proved enough to decimate the vulture population. formed. Earlier theories revealed that Moon was formed when the Mars-sized body bumped into the young Earth. Eventually the debris broke off and combined into new body. It was believed that a lot of water would have been evaporated in the space, leaving Moon arid. Railway Board, to look into the matter
FIFA confirmed use of Goal-Line Technology at the 2014 World Cup

Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on 19 February 2013 confirmed the use of goal-line technology during the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be organised in Brazil. It also stated that the technology could be introduced in the next seasons Premier league. FIFA had invited tenders from more service providers of the technology to conduct an official bidding ahead of the Confederations Cup to be held in June 2013. Introduction of the technology in football is being insisted to provide a high-tech aid to the World Cup referees to rule on the disputed incidents. IFAB, the rule making panel of FIFA in July 2012 decided to approve the goal-line technology for the competitive matches after it passed an extensive test conducted by the body. The decision by FIFA was expected once its rule-making panel, known as IFAB, decided last July to approve goal-line technology at competitive matches after two systems passed extensive tests.
Rafael Nadal wins Brasil Open 2013 defeating David Nalbandian

This was the second tournament for the former world number 1 Spanish tennis star after returning back from to the game after seven months. He was absent from the game due to the knee injury that he suffered from. Rafael Nadal on 17 February 2013 won the finals of Brasil Open 2013 by defeating Argentinean David Nalbandian in straight sets by 6-2, 6-3 in Sao Paolo. He won the tournament for the second time; he won it for the first time in 2005. His next event is Mexican Open that is scheduled to start on 25 February in Acapulco. Brasil Open The tournament is a part of ATP World Tour 250 Series and is held annually in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is a one of the important tournaments held in Brazil and is played on the South American Clay Court circuit since 2004.
20 February 2013 Researchers discovered water on the oldest rocks of moon obtained through the Apollo missions
Researchers in the third week of February 2013 detected water traces inside the crystalline structure of one of the oldest lunar. As per the study conducted by University of Michigan, the lunar highlands represent original crust which is actually crystallised from Magma Ocean that was found mainly on the molten early Moon. Researchers made use of the Infrared spectroscopy for analysing water content in a part of plagioclase feldspar from lunar anorthosites. Plagioclase feldspar from lunar anorthosites are basically the lunar rocks which are formed of over 90 percent plagioclase. It is believed that these brightcoloured highlands rocks formed early in the history of the moon when plagioclase crystallised from the magma ocean and came up to the surface. The infrared spectroscopy work found out about the presence of 6 parts per million of water in lunar anorthosites. The water content that was measured is not actually liquid water but hydroxyl groups which were distributed in mineral grain. These hydroxyl groups that were detected are evident that the interior of the Moon contained water during the early molten state of it. Later the crust was solidified and played a crucial role in lunar basalts developments. Because there are some oldest rocks from the Moon, therefore it is believed that water would have been there in the Moon when it was
Judicial Probe in Allahabad Railway Station stampede

The State Government ordered a Judicial Probe into the incident that occurred on the day of Mauni Amawasya 10 February 2013 at the Allahabad Railway Station during Kumbh Mela. The State Government of Uttar Pradesh on 18 February 2013 appointed Onkareshwar Bhatt, the retired Justice of Allahabad High Court to conduct Judicial Probe into the Allahabad Railway Station Stampede that occurred during Kumbh Mela. The constituted committee that will probe into the matter is a one-man committee and was directed to submit its report in two months. Note: Earlier, the state Government appointed Jagan Mathews, Chairman of the UP Board of Revenue to conduct an inquiry and submit its report within one month. Railways have also appointed an Inquiry Committee being headed by the Additional member traffic
Goal-Line Technology (GLT)

Goal-line Technology is a technology that is used to determine the fact that has the ball passed the goal-line or not with the support of an electronic-device to help the referee decided to take a call that either it was a goal or not.
Milos Raonic beats Tommy Haas to win third consecutive SAP Open 2013 Singles Title
Milos Raonic on 17 February 2013 won SAP Open 2013 at San Jose defeating Tommy Haas in the championship match. Milos Raonic completed the tournament with 6-4, 6-3 victory over Haas. Raonic won third straight SAP Open singles titles. With this victory, he became first player to grab the trophy for three years consecutively, since Tony Trabert in 1953-55. On the other hand, in SAP Open 2013 doubles final, Xavier Malisse and Frank Moser beat Lleyton
JTS Institute

Hewitt and Marinko Matosevic 6-0, 6-7(5), 10-4 to lift the trophy.
About Milos Raonic

Milos Raonic has the 13th world ranking. After this victory, he has four career titles out of which three came from San Jose only. Before winning the SAP Open 2013 singles titles, he has also won SAP Open 2011 and SAP Open 2012 singles titles. Milos Raonic is basically a Canadian professional tennis player.
Sri Lanka are the largest trade partners of each other in South Asia. After the meeting, it was agreed that a dialogue between the Commerce Secretary of India and Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of Sri Lanka would be initiated to progress the framework for special economic partnership between these two nations.
National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCEAR) and National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). Before this, NIPFP had also carried out the studies in 1976 and 1981 where it was estimated that black money in India was around 15-18 percent of GDP and 18-21 percent of GDP respectively.
About SAP Open

SAP Open commenced in 1889 and it was called Pacific Coast Championships at the Old Del Monte Lodge in California. SAP Open is the second-oldest tennis tournament in US. SAP Open 2013 was last tournament held in Bay Area. Future tournament will have Rio de Janeiro as the venue. In SAP Open 2013, highest ranked player was Milos Raonic who ranked number 13th.
Tzipi Livni enteres a coalition deal with Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel on 19 February 2013 announced a coalition deal with the rival centrist Hatnua Party Chairwomen and the former Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, at Jerusalem. Under the deal agreement, Livni will serve as the new Justice Minister and will oversee the peace efforts with the Palestinians.
The previous estimated of black money generated in India, as per the study of NIPFP are as follows:
1975-76: 15-18 percent of GDP, i.e., 9958 to 11870 crore Rupees 1980-81: 18-21 percent of GDP, i.e., 20362 to 23678 crore Rupees 1983-84: 19-21 percent of GDP, i.e., 31584 to 36784 crore Rupees
About National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)

National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) is the centre for research in public finance and public policy. It was established in 1976. Primary aim of NIPFP is contributing to policy making in areas which are related to public economics. The annual grant-in-aid is received by NIPFP from Ministry of Finance, Government of India and from various State Governments.
India and Sri Lanka signed agreements on combating Terrorism and Avoiding Double-Taxation
India and Sri Lanka on 22 January 2013 signed two agreements for fighting against international terrorism as well as avoiding double taxation. The agreements were signed after 8th India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission meeting which was held in New Delhi.
NIPFP report states that Black Money generated in India would exceed 10 percent of GDP
A 1000 page report submitted by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) to the finance ministry estimated that unlawful wealth would exceed 10 percent or more of GDP, i.e., above 10 lakh crore Rupees as per the size of the economy. The study was commissioned by NIPFP in last week of December 2012 in order to quantify the black money that was generated in India. The study conducted by NIPFP was headed by the head of NIPFPs tax policy and research and also included former director general of income tax investigation. The report presented a sector-wise division of the scope of black money in India, for example, telecom sector, mining sector and real estate sector. A similar study like this was conducted last time by NIPFP in 1984 where it was estimated that black money generated in India was 19 percent to 21 percent of GDP, i.e., up to 36000 crore Rupees. The government, in order to combat this had also selected three thinking tanks in March 2011 in order to estimate the quantum of black money. These three thinking tanks were-National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM),
Worlds first Mercury Treaty adopted by 140 countries at Geneva

An international treaty that legally binds the nation to limit the use of health hazardous mercury was adopted by 140 nations in the third week of January 2013 at Geneva. The treaty would be signed in Minamata, Japan, in October 2013 to honour the inhabitants of town who have suffered the consequences of serious mercury contamination for decades
Discussions held during 8th India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission meeting

The agreements were signed after discussions on cooperation on various areas such as civil nuclear energy and many more. External Affairs Minister led the Indian side in the meeting, while the Sri Lankan side was led by G L Peiris. Issue of the fishermen as well as rehabilitation process of the Tamils in Sri Lanka was also discussed during the meeting. Apart from this, 13th Amendment of the Lankan constitution which provides autonomy to the provinces was also discussed. It is important to note that India and
The treaty that was reached after four years of difficult negotiations will aim at
Reduction of global emission levels of the toxic heavy metal or the quick silver Reduce the production and the use of mercury in industrial processes and product production
JTS Institute

To cut mercury pollution from utility plants, mining, a host of products and industrial processes, and set enforceable limits as well as to encourage alternatives where mercury in not used or released highest jump was in import of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) which increased over 28 percent. In the meanwhile, exports also increased 6.4 percent. The exports were driven considerably by shipment of the manufactured goods. Earlier on 24 January 2013 the authorities approved the screening of the movie in Malaysia but following the directives released by the Home Ministry that the content of the movie portrayed Islam in a negative light, the approval was withdrawn. The movie received a go-ahead in Malaysia after the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and the National Censorship Board studied the movie from all aspects including religious and security fronts and gave a green signal to its screening.
Making of the treaty

Switzerland and Norway pushed forward for making of an international treaty to limit the emission of Mercury in the atmosphere. The two nations came up with the plans of reducing the emission of mercury decades ago and it was finalized after a long conference in Geneva held in February 2013.
Factors affecting Japans export

The exports of Japan are crucial factors that drive its economic growth. Exports of Japan were affected because of various factors. These factors are as follows: Demand from the biggest markets of Japan, Eurozone, was hurt because of ongoing debt crisis of the region. Territorial dispute with the biggest trading partner of Japan, i.e., China hit the sales of goods produced by Japan over the duration of past certain months. The exports also declined to the European Union during January 2013.
Impact of Mercury on Human Being

The natural element Mercury cannot be created or destroyed, but is released in air, water and land from different activities like coal powder plants, gold mining activities as well as electrical goods and other consumer products. Mercury enters the foodchain via fish and poses a threat to the living being more likely to pregnant women and children. As per the data released by the World Health Organisation intake of mercury or any of its compounds to any limit is not safe and it may lead to memory loss, language impairment and kidney damage.
Government of Bulgaria resigned because of protest against high electricity prices

The Government of Bulgaria resigned from the office on 20 February 2013 on grounds of protests in the nation against the high electricity prices. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boiko Borisov earlier tried to bring peace by sacking the finance minister and assured cutting the power prices as well as punishing the foreign-owned companies.
NASA loses communication with ISS for 3 hours

The ground controllers of NASA reestablished its contact with International Space Station in just less than 3 hours after the computer failure had blocked their communication. The flight controllers of Houston were updating the ISS software when the data relay system broke down. But ISS was able to irregularly contact NASA through the Russian stations. Usually, NASA communicates to ISS from Houston through three communication satellites. Interruptions like these have happened certain times in past. The main problem was that the primary computer that has the responsibility of controlling the critical functions of the ISS defaulted to the backup computer. But it did not allow the ISS to communicate with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites of NASA.
Cause of resignation of Bulgarias government

Bulgarians held protests in the country because of concerns over higher energy costs, lower living standards, power monopolies as well as corruption. The Boiko Borisov on 20 February 2013 announced his resignation. While announcing his resignation, Boiko Borisov did not mention anything about the parliamentary elections which are scheduled for July 2013.
Trade Deficit of Japan Hit a new high in January 2013 as Yen Weakens
The monthly trade deficit of Japan hit record in January 2013 after the aggressive monetary policy weakened Yen, its currency considerably. The exports increased in January, which was the first increase in 8 months time. Exports of Japan increased because the goods became affordable for the foreign buyers. However, because of the weakened Yen, the import bill also increased which eventually led to a monthly trade deficit of 1.6tn yen or 17.1 billion US dollars. This was the 10 percent increase from 2012. The deficit of Japan was also affected because of an increase in the fuel imports. Japan is the third largest economy of the world and there was an increase in the fuel imports because most of the nuclear reactors of the country remained shut down. The imports of the country increased 7.3 percent in January 2013 from January 2012. The
Important Facts:
Bulgaria is located in Southeastern Europe. It is the 14th largest country of Europe. Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boyko Borisov belonged to the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, which is abbreviated as GERB (Grazhdani za Evropeysko Razvitie na Balgariya). It is the center-right political party of Bulgaria which was established in 2006. It has remained a ruling party in Bulgaria since 2009, headed by Boiko Borisov.
Malaysia lifted the Ban on public screening of Vishwaroopam

The Malaysian Authorities on 19 February 2013 lifted the ban imposed on the screening of the Tamil movie Vishwaroopam, directed and produced by Kamal Haasan for public screening.
JTS Institute
19 February - 25 February 2013 21 February 2013 CCI approves the proposal for North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Plant in Jharkhand
The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) on 20 February has cleared the proposal of the Power Ministry to set up the North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Plant (NKSTPP) (3 x 660 MW) near Tandwa town in Chatra district of Jharkhand by the National Thermal Power Corporation, NTPC. The CCI also agreed for restoring the original coal linkage for the project and declared that the project will be based on environment friendly super-critical technology. This supply will be made available in the 13th Five Year Plan. The safeguards of the project was recommended by the Chaturvedi Committee were accepted by the Group of Ministers that was chaired by the Finance Minister of Indian Union. The power project is being developed for generation of 1980 MW power. The Plant is expected to generate electricity for a period of about 35 years.
22 February 2013
Hamadi Jebali was trying to create coalition because of the political crisis which took birth by killing of Chokri Belaid, the opposition leader. A cabinet of apolitical technocrats was proposed by Jebali to suppress the disorder created after the assassination of the secular opposition politician Chokri Belaid on 6 February 2013. Belaid, an outspoken critic of the government and a leading lawyer was shot dead and his death created a situation of mass protests across the nation. Assassination of Chokri Belaid on 6 February 2013 led to mass protests as well as resignations from the coalition government of Tunisia.
in the serial blasts that rocked the city around 6:50 pm. The blasts were triggered using the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), which were placed on two different bicycles at a distance of 100 meters from each other near Konark and Venkatadri theatres. The area of blasts lie on the Hyderabad-Vijaywada National Highway within Cyberabad police limits. Investigations were ordered by both the Central Government and the State Government to find out the group involved in the blast. The State Government of Andhra Pradesh appointed a probe team into the matter.
Dilsukhnagar
Dilsukhnagar is a commercial and educational hub of Hyderabad. The market of Dilsukhnagar is packed with shops, restaurants, educational institutions, exam preparation centers and theaters.
About Hamadi Jebali

Hamadi Jebali is the Tunisian Islamist politician, who remained in office as the PM from December 2011 to 19 February 2013. He was also the Secretary-General of the Ennahda Movement which is the Islamist party in Tunisia. He belonged to the Ennahda Movement political party of Tunisia. He is a member of the Islamist Ennahda party.
Blasts in recent past in Hyderabad

A bomb blast occurred at the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad in May 2007 claiming lives of 9 people.
Kerala Government raises T. S. Vijayan, the Former LIC Chief takes charge as age limit for buying and selling liquor from 18 to 21 the new Chairman of IRDA
The State Government of Kerala on 20 February 2013 approved Kerala Abkari Act Amendment Ordinance 2013 that envisaged raising age limit for buying or selling liquor from 18 years to 21 years. T. S. Vijayan, the former LIC chief took over as the Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) on 21 February 2013. Vijayan will succeed J. Hari Narayan. J. Hari Narayan completed the five-year term on 20 February 2013. The tenure for IRDA chairman is five years or till 65 years. T. S. Vijayan will take over as the Chairman of IRDA when the entire industry is facing meltdown. The challenges which will be faced by him include taking the insurance industry to rural areas as well as simplifying the insurance products.
TRAI releases pre-consultation paper on nation-wide Mobile Number Portability

Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) started the preconsultation process for the country-wide mobile number portability services which will enable the users to have the same number even if they change their service area. As of now, mobile number portability (MNP) services were available in one service area only. But with the help of country-wide MNP services, the users would be able to have same number even if they change their location statewise. TRAI announced that it would seek views from the stakeholders on certain issues through the preconsultation paper. TRAI asked the stakeholders to offer their views by 7 March 2013 on methods or techniques that needed to be used for implementation of full MNP, number portability from one service area to another as well as amendments needed in the existing regulation. At present, TRAI announced, that there were two MNP service
The new policy was announced in 2012, according to which Congress had committed to raise liquor buying and selling age from 18 to 21 years. This was aimed at bringing down the consumption of liquor in Kerala. Apart from this, the Kerala Abkari Act Amendment Ordinance 2013 would obligate showing statutory warnings for movies and television, against the consumption of liquor.
Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, resigns

Hamadi Jebali resigned from the office of the Prime Minister of Tunisia on 19 February 2013 after his attempt to end a political standoff by formation of a Government of Technocrats failed.
Two blasts in Hyderabad claims 14 lives leaving 119 injured

Two bomb blasts took place in Dilsukhnagar, the busy shopping area of Hyderabad, the Capital City of Andhra Pradesh on 21 February 2013. 14 people were reported dead and 119 were critically injured
JTS Institute

providers which catered to 22 service areas. Implementing complete MNP service would have issues associated with processing of these porting requests, charging, routing, testing as well as much more. Also, there would be a need to ensure connectivity between the MNP service providers. As per the present MNP regulations, the time required for completing porting for North East, J&K as well as Assam is 15 working days. In other service areas, this time is 7 working days. strategies as well as plans which would have nine themes and these are: visualising of the TOD-based development economic feasibility and market testing strategy for sustainable infrastructure transferring development rights as well as its implementation strategy for incentivising redevelopment strategy for sustainable transport infrastructure strategy for effective parking strategy for rolling out the TOD In order to select the models for retrofitting, green-field development and redevelopment, design competitions will be held.
Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV)

Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV) is the engineering and heavy fabrication company which was established back in 1966 in Andhra Pradesh. The company had suffered immense loss because of various reasons.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) acquired BHPV in 2008 as 100 percent subsidiary. However, because BHVP was a separate company, therefore it was not able to derive complete benefits.
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) projects receive a nod

The UTTIPEC (Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre) on 21 February 2013 started efforts for developing vision as well as strategy for successful implementation of the plans for mass-rapid transport system in Delhi. Already, pilot projects along the four metro corridors as well as Karkardooma have got in-principal approval for first phase of transitoriented development (TOD). UTTIPEC is the division of Delhi Development Authority. It has plans for conducting around 25 workshops in coming months which would focus on metro corridors between Chattarpur to Arjangarh and Peeragarhi to Teekri Kalan. The aim of these workshops is to create awareness about TOD policy. Also, the workshops will include concerns raised by stakeholders such as NGOs, RWAs, DTC, DMRC, private transporters, DTC as well as other experts. UTTIPEC planners on 21 February 2013 emphasised on the fact that TOD system would help in making the transport system friendly to women, cyclists and walkers.
23 February 2013 Justice Usha Mehra commission submitted its report to the Union Government of India
Justice Usha Mehra Commission on 22 February 2013 submitted its report to on the 16 December 2012 Delhi gang-rape incident to the Union Government of India. The report was received by the Union Minister of Law and Justice Ashwani Kumar and the Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh.
Ratan Tata awarded the life time achievement award 2012 by E&Y
Ratan Tata, the former head of Tata Group was awarded the life time achievement award 2012 by Ernst & Young on 21 February 2013. He was given away the award for displaying great role for the Indian businessmen on global business level. The entrepreneur of the year (2012) award was given away to Adi Godrej, Godrej Group Chairman. It is important to note that entrepreneur of the year award is an only business award which is based on self-nomination. Also, Ernst & Young announced names of successful entrepreneurs in various categories and these awards were given away to TT Jagannathan, Chairman, TTK Group; Francisco DSouza, Chief Executive Officer, Cognizant Technology Solutions; Cyrus S Poonawalla, Managing Director, Serum Institute of India and Onkar S Kanwar, Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres.
Major findings of the Usha Mehra Commission

Lack of Coordination between the Police and the transport department Lack of cooperation between the police of National Capital Territory and National Capital Region plays a great role in escape of the criminals from one place to another Lack of PCR vans and public transport facility in Delhi Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Presented Budget for Fiscal Year 2013-14
Aim of TOD
The aim of TOD is building massrapid transport hubs which will have inner zone of 300 metres radius that would be called intense-zone. This intense-zone will give preference to nonmotorised transport, pedestrians as well as high-density mixed use development. Two other concentric zones of 800 metres and 2 km will be built with equal road-space distribution and high-density street network. The workshops would create
Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV) to be a subsidiary of BHEL

The Union Cabinet of India approved merger of Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV) Vishakhapatnam with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 21 February 2013. After the merger, BHVP will be a unit of BHEL. Post-merger, BHVP will be able to participate in the tenders as well as obtain the orders.
Uttar Pradesh Budget 2013-14: 221201.19 crore rupees Budget Planned

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 19 February 2013 presented a budget of 221201.19 crore rupees for the fiscal year 2013-2014 in the Vidhan Sabha. The budget presented for the upcoming fiscal year is 10.5 percent more than the budget presented in the 2012-13 fiscal year. The budget has not presented any new tax. The state finance ministry of Uttar
JTS Institute

Pradesh is led by the Chief Minister of the State Akhilesh Yadav himself. The new budget had levied no new taxes but estimated a deficit of 2.94 percent in the new financial year. the Licensing of New Banks in the Private Sector were finalized after amending the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 in December 2012. corporate structure should not impede effective supervision of the bank and the NOFHC on a consolidated basis by RBI. (viii) Prudential norms for the NOFHC: The prudential norms will be applied to NOFHC both on stand-alone as well as on a consolidated basis and the norms would be on similar lines as that of the bank. (ix) Exposure norms: The NOFHC and the bank shall not have any exposure to the Promoter Group. The bank shall not invest in the equity / debt capital instruments of any financial entities held by the NOFHC. (x) Business Plan for the bank: The business plan should be realistic and viable and should address how the bank proposes to achieve financial inclusion. (xi) Other conditions for the bank: The Board of the bank should have a majority of independent Directors. The bank shall open at least 25 per cent of its branches in unbanked rural centres (population up to 9,999 as per the latest census) The bank shall comply with the priority sector lending targets and sub-targets as applicable to the existing domestic banks. Banks promoted by groups having 40 percent or more assets/income from non-financial business will require RBIs prior approval for raising paid-up voting equity capital beyond 10 billion for every block of 5 billion. Any non-compliance of terms and conditions will attract penal measures including cancellation of licence of the bank. (xii) Additional conditions for NBFCs promoting / converting into a bank: Existing NBFCs, if considered eligible, may be permitted to promote a new bank or convert themselves into banks.
Important points of the state budget 2013-14

People with annual income less than 36000 Rs will be provided free houses in the state Free education for girls in degree colleges, both in government and government aided colleges 750 crore rupees was allocated for a loan waiver for farmers.
Key Features of the issued Guidelines:

(i) Eligible Promoters: Entities / groups in the private sector, entities in public sector and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) shall be eligible to set up a bank through a wholly-owned NonOperative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC). (ii) Fit and Proper criteria: Entities / groups should have a past record of sound credentials and integrity, be financially sound with a successful track record of 10 years. For this purpose, RBI may seek feedback from other regulators and enforcement and investigative agencies. (iii) Corporate structure of the NOFHC: The NOFHC shall be wholly owned by the Promoter / Promoter Group. The NOFHC shall hold the bank as well as all the other financial services entities of the group. (iv) Minimum voting equity capital requirements for banks and shareholding by NOFHC: The initial minimum paid-up voting equity capital for a bank shall be 5 billion. The NOFHC shall initially hold a minimum of 40 percent of the paidup voting equity capital of the bank which shall be locked in for a period of five years and which shall be brought down to 15 per cent within 12 years. The bank shall get its shares listed on the stock exchanges within three years of the commencement of business by the bank. (v) Regulatory framework: The bank will be governed by the provisions of the relevant Acts, relevant Statutes and the Directives, Prudential regulations and other Guidelines/Instructions issued by RBI and other regulators. The NOFHC shall be registered as a non-banking finance company (NBFC) with the RBI and will be governed by a separate set of directions issued by RBI. (vi) Foreign shareholding in the bank: The aggregate non-resident shareholding in the new bank shall not exceed 49% for the first 5 years after which it will be as per the extant policy. (vii) Corporate governance of NOFHC: At least 50% of the Directors of the NOFHC should be independent directors. The
Budgetary Allocation of Money

32886 crore rupees for Education 20292 crore rupees for Social Welfare Schemes 10,654 crore rupees for Health 26,641 crore rupees for developing Infrastructure and Value-Addition on Bridges, Roads, Flyovers, Expressways, this is 25 percent more than the allocation made in 2012-13 budget 17,774 crore rupees for Agriculture 1,200 crore rupees for unemployment allowance 100 crore rupees for the development of Poorvanchal The state Government have allotted a sum of 350 crore rupees for its scheme Hamari Beti Ushka Kal 20292.92 crore rupees have been allocated for uplifting of SCs, STs, OBCs, physically handicapped, Minority groups as well as BPL families of general category The budget has displayed a revenue loss of 3 percent (24000 crore rupees) in the GDP. The budget has assured construction of 313 junior schools and 1200 primary schools in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
RBI announced guidelines for licensing of new banks in private sector

The Reserve Bank of India released the Guidelines for Licensing of New Banks in the Private Sector. The guidelines issued by the Apex Bank have opened gates for private players as well as the finance firms to enter into the strictly regulated banking sector of India. The guidelines for
Sania Mirza and Bethanie-Mattek Sands won the 2013 Dubai Tennis Championship
Indias Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie-Mattek Sands won the Dubai Tennis Championship on 23 February 2013. The Indo-American duo defeated the second seeded Russian-Slovenian combination of Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7.
JTS Institute
19 February - 25 February 2013 24 February 2013

Meanwhile, Czech Republics Petra Kvitova yesterday clinched the Womens Singles trophy. In the finals, she defeated Sara Errani of Italy, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 to win her careers 10th title. material emanating from its equator. The remnant now glows brightly in X-rays and other wavelengths, offering the evidence for a peculiar explosion. By tracing the distribution and amounts of different elements in the stellar debris field, researchers were able to compare the Chandra data to theoretical models of how a star explodes. A careful search of the Chandra data revealed no evidence for a neutron star. The lack of such evidence implies a black hole may have formed. ended up in failure in December 2012 after the rebels accused President Joseph Kabila of failing to honour a deal to integrate rebels into the army. The regions mineral resources have been exploited by numerous groups and countries over the past 15 years and little has been aimed at improving the Democratic Republic of Congos infrastructure.
Assam became the first Indian state to produce over 500 million kilos tea for 2 Years in a row
Assam became the first state in India to produce over 500 million kilogram tea for two years in a row. Assam produced five hundred 88 million kilogram of tea in 2012, which is 53 percent of the countrys total tea production. Earlier in 2011, 589 million kilogram teas was produced in the state. According to an estimate, over seven thousand five hundred crore rupee as turn-over was recorded in Assam tea sector in 2012. It may be recalled that around seven lakh workers are engaged in the tea sector. Fifty percent of them are women.
Bumblebees can detect electric fields of flowers- A study

Scientists discovered in their study that Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) can detect flowers electric fields. Scientific study indicated that floral electric fields improve the bees ability to discriminate between different flowers. When used with visual signals, electrical cues can increase the bees memory of floral rewards. Scientists hinted that this method of signalling provides speedy and dynamic communication between plants and pollinators. Flowering plants provide pollinators with nectar and pollen in exchange for their assistance in the flowers sexual reproduction. Usually, Flowers attract pollinators using cues such as bright colours, patterns and enticing fragrances but this study for the first time revealed the significance of electrostatic information as an additional cue. The investigation done by the scientists put emphasis on the possible importance of electrostatic forces.
African Leaders signed UN-Brokered Accord in DR Congo

Regional African leaders from Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Republic and South Sudan signed UN-brokered accord which aims to bring peace to the troubled eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The deal was signed in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. As many as 800000 people were displaced since rebel group M23 revolted against the Democratic Republic of Congos government in May 2012.The agreement, signed by leaders of the Great Lakes region, will result in setting up of a special UN intervention brigade in eastern Congo.
NASA Scientists spots the youngest Black Hole W49B in our Milky Way
NASA scientists spotted the youngest black hole yet in the Milky Way galaxy called W49B, which is just 1000-years-old and only 26000 light-years away from Earth. New data from NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory suggested a highly distorted supernova remnant may contain the most recent black hole formed in the Milky Way galaxy. NASA explained that W49B appears to be the product of a rare explosion in which matter is ejected at high speeds along the poles of a rotating star. Laura Lopez, who led the study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that W49B is the first of its kind to be discovered in the galaxy. Usually when a massive star runs out of fuel, the central region of the star collapses, triggering a chain of events that quickly culminate in a supernova explosion. Most of these explosions are generally symmetrical, with the stellar material blasting away more or less evenly in all directions. However, in the W49B supernova, material near the poles of the doomed rotating star was ejected at a much higher speed than
M23 Rebels
As per the statement made by M23 rebels, they want to better the conditions for the people of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; however UN says they are supported by Rwanda who is responsible for the countrys genocide in 1994. Bosco Ntaganda set up M23. He was an officer in the Rwandan army earlier. Afterwards, he left to join a rebel movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is accused of using child soldiers and he controls several mines in the east of the country. The M23 group briefly seized control of the city of Goma in November 2012 after carving out an area for themselves in North Kivu province. Congos government and rebels are holding talks in Uganda aimed at reaching an agreement on a range of issues. In January 2013, the rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire. An earlier attempt to reach a deal
Discovery of the deepest Hydrothermal Vents in the world by UK Scientists

UK scientists in January 2013 discovered a set of hydrothermal vents, the deepest anywhere in the world while exploring the ocean floor in the Caribbean islands. Scientists used ROV (Remotely operated vehicle) in the Cayman Trough to make this discovery. They stumbled across a previously-unknown site nearly 5000m below the surface. In the huge pressure of the sea three miles down, the ROV, which is also known as ISIS, was gently steered around the vents, to take pictures and gather samples. Hydrothermal vents are among the strangest features of the deep ocean and their existence was hidden until the 1970s. Since then they have been discovered at about
JTS Institute
10

200 sites across the globe which includes the Southern Ocean and the Atlantic. However it was in 2010 that vents were first detected in the Cayman Trough, a deep trench formed by the boundary between two tectonic plates. One set of vents, known as Beebe, was considered as the deepest on record prior to the recent discovery made in the Ocean floor of Caribbean islands. Two micro-satellites UniBRITE and BRITE from Austria AAUSAT3 from Denmark STRaND from United Kingdom Micro-satellite (NEOSS at) Mini-satellite (SAPPHIRE) from Canada Importance of SARAL SARAL is said to be a very unique satellite which serves the research community. This satellite will assist the researchers in oceanographic studies. SARAL will study the sea surface heights and ocean currents. ARGOS-2 will help in collecting the data, while Altikameter will be responsible for measuring the height of sea surface. SARAL will also assist researchers in studying about the climatic developments. Its practical applications include study of migration of the marine animals, continental ice studies, protection of biodiversity and coastal erosion.
About Marina Erakovic:

With this victory, Erakovic became the first women from New Zealand to win WTA Title since Belinda Cordwell in Singapore in 1989. This is her first career victory
CBI Registered Case against Airtel and Tata Communications for violating DoT Norms
The Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case on 22 February 2013 against Bharti Airtel Ltd and Tata Communications Ltd, the giant telecom companies for having link up with the Singapore Telecom for the purpose of international calls, thereby violating norms of Department of Telecom (DoT). CBI on 24 February 2013 announced that the two companies were charged for causing a loss of around 48 crore Rupees to the Union Government of India since 2004 because of illegal arrangement. CBI filed an FIR in the local court in Delhi after complaints of Communications and IT Ministry.
25 February 2013 Consecutive victory again for ISROs PSLV-C20 rocket with its 22nd successful launch carrying SARAL and six other satellites.
Six foreign micro and mini spacecrafts as well as the IndoFrench oceanographic study satellite, SARAL (Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika) were launched successfully by ISROs PSLV-C20 rocket on 25 February 2013 from the spaceport at Sriharikota. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of Indian Space Research Organizations (ISRO) flew from first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre and was successfully put into the orbit. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee witnessed this launch from mission control centre at Sriharikota.
Marina Erakovic Won the 2013 US National Indoor Tennis Championship making it her first WTA title
Marina Erakovic won her first Womens Tennis Association title, US National Indoor Tennis Championship 2013 after beating Germanys Sabine Lisicki in Memphis on 23 February 2013. The match merely took place for one set with Marina Erakovic winning 6-1 and Sabine Lisicki unable to begin due to illness.
Satellites launched by PSLV-C20 rocket

410-kg SARAL with payloads Argos and Altika
JTS Institute
11
12thFebruary - 18 February 2013 Issue-7/2013 (12th February to 18 February)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
12 February 2013 Vulture population stabilising in Moyar Valley
The population of vultures, a critically endangered species, is stabilising in the Moyar Valley in The Nilgiris North Forest Division in the State, thanks to the efforts of non-governmental organisations and the State Forest Department. S. Bharatidasan, Director, CareEarthArulagam, the nongovernmental organisation involved in the vulture conservation in the Moyar Valley, told The Hindu that through systematic protection measures the number of the forest scavengers nests had increased to 50 in January this year. Similarly, the number of vultures sighted also had also gone up. The vulture nests were found in Semmanatham, Jallikadavu and Siriyur in the Nilgiris North Forest Division. A year ago, when the organisation began its work in the region, the local people had reported that only about 20 nests of vultures were spotted in the area. The area is habitat to four species of vultures Oriental White-backed, Indian, Red-headed and White Scavenger vultures. Use of diclofenac, a drug, which directly affected the vulture population, is virtually absent in the Moyar Valley, which could be one of the reasons for the stabilisation of the four species of vulture population in the region. The State Forest Department on its part to help the conservation effort, has appointed nearly half a dozen vulture watchers. These watchers were selected from the local tribal community, who regularly monitor the nests and breeding of the forest scavengers.
Kaziranga Park to be separated into four divisions, says minister

With a view to strengthen the management system and boost operation efficiency in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), the Assam government has decided to divide the park into four divisions with separate Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) for each park. As part of the Intensification of Management and Restoration of the Kaziranga National Park programme, we have decided that from one division encompassing the whole park, we will now have four divisions with each one having its own DFOs, Minister for Environment and Forest Rockybul Hussain said in Guwahati on Saturday. He said the existing Burapahar and Bagori ranges will together form a new Kaziranga West Division with head quarters at Bagori, while the Kohora and Agratuli ranges would form the Kaziranga East Division head quartered in Bokakhat. The Biswanath range in the northern bank of Brahmaputra river would be converted into a separate North Zone which will have its headquarters in BishwanathChariali.Besides, we will have a separate Division for Eco Development and Eco Sensitisation outside the park area. This Kaziranga Eco Development division will be headquartered in Bokakhat, Mr.Hussain said. A committee which includes the Assam Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and other senior officials have been told to have the project implemented within one month, he added. Shoot-at-sight could be considered The government is taking all steps and shoot-at-sight orders could be considered in the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) to deal with poaching, the minister added.
Some of the demands made recently by the All Assam Students Union (AASU) are sound ones, including deployment of army and shoot-at-sight orders, he told reporters. Extremist groups are reportedly present in the area around the park and forest department personnel cannot deal with them, he said, adding that Poachers now use sophisticated weapons and we are trying to match them, Assam is the only State where forest personnel have been given power to use such sophisticated arms against poachers, he said. Another 200 staff is likely to be added to the park after the new divisions are created, Mr. Hussain said. He, however, refused to provide details regarding current staff strength by citing security issues.
RBI Governor warns of widening CAD

The Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao, on Monday, warned the country against widening Current Account Deficit (CAD), which is expected to be higher than last year. Today, the external sector is vulnerable. Last year, the CAD was 4.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). This year, in 2012-13, we expect the CAD to be significantly higher than that, historically, the highest CAD measured as a proportion of the GDP, said Dr.Subbarao while speaking at the convocation of Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), here. At present, the CAD is at 5.3 per cent of GDP in the second quarter of the current financial year. In his review of third quarter policy in January-end, Dr.Subbarao had highlighted the issue of widening CAD, which would disturb policy actions. Rupee has depreciated by about
JTS Institute

20 per cent in the last two years. We expect the rupee depreciation to be a natural counter-force to increasing CAD, but we have the rupee depreciating and still CAD is high. We would not worry so much if the CAD is high if it was due to import of capital goods but because of import of oil and gold. The other concern is that the way India is financing the CAD which is increasingly through volatile flows instead of getting much of foreign direct investment (FDI). On reducing the rate in the last policy review, Dr.Subbarao said that the dilemma we faced in making our monetary policy in the context of the CAD was that we reduced rates at a time when CAD was so high because one would expect that if the CAD is going to go up, the central bank would keep a tight policy. On the other hand RBI reduced rates. The RBI Governor said that the country was dismayed by the growth number put out by the CSO (5 per cent advanced estimate) as it was the lowest in the last decade. Growth was slow because consumption had fallen, net exports had fallen, and, most importantly, investments had declined. This is a matter of concern because todays investment is tomorrows production capacity. So, if investments are not taking place today, then our growth potential on the way forward is going to be hurt The arbitration was initiated by Pakistan against India on the charge that it had violated the provisions of the bi-lateral Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 that regulates the use of Indus rivers. India denied the charge and said the project was in conformity with the treaty. The project is under construction on Kishenganga (called Neelam in Pakistan), a tributary of the Jhelum river. It diverts waters from a dam site to Bonar MadmatiNallah, another tributary of Jhelum. For management of siltation/ sedimentation in the project, India proposes to use the modern drawdown flushing technique that requires waters to be brought below the Dead Storage Level a technique accepted by the neutral expert in the Baglihar dispute with Pakistan. Concept: The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant is part of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin. It is located 5 km (3 mi) north of Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir, India and will have an installed capacity of 330 MW. Construction on the project began in 2007 and is expected to be complete in 2016. Construction on the dam was halted though by the Hagues Permanent Court of Arbitration in October 2011 due to Pakistans protest of its effect on the flow of the Kishanganga River (called the Neelum River in Pakistan). Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (or Forest Rights Act) and duly incorporated in guidelines issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in July 2012. Rejecting bauxite mining The 2009 order had empowered forest-dwelling communities to reject projects harming the local environment, livelihoods and culture. The best example comes from the affected gram sabhas of the DongariaKondh and KutiaKondh tribes in Odisha refusing their consent to Vedantas bauxite mining project in the Niyamgiri hills. Until the recent order, the Forest Rights Act and its requirement of gram sabha consent had been publicly supported by both the ministers for Environment and Forests, and Tribal Affairs even in the face of sustained pressure from more powerful quarters in government and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO). In December 2012, the Tribal Affairs Minister wrote to Ms JayanthiNatarajan, his colleague in ParyavaranBhavan. The emphatic letter stated: ... the consent of the gram sabha, with at least a 50% quorum (as stated in the Rules and in the 2009 order) is the bare minimum that is required to comply with the Act before any forest area can be diverted, or destroyed. A handwritten postscript said: any dilution of the above mentioned circular of 2009 will have an adverse impact on the Vedanta case, which is sub-judice. One can imagine the pressures when the same Tribal Affairs Minister, weeks later, in a letter to the Power Minister, was forced to set aside this requirement of gram sabha consent for power lines. Following this, the environment ministry revoked the requirement for an even broader range of linear projects. Dangerous consequences When two central ministries, one tasked to protect the environment and forests, and the other to empower tribal and forest peoples, are strong-armed into relinquishing even the bare minimum required to implement the governments flagship forest rights law, it utterly discredits the United Progressive Alliances commitment to inclusion in its proclaimed agenda of inclusive economic growth. Further, the consequences of this single action go well beyond the intents of those who embark on it.
Arbitration Court to give verdict on Kishenganga hydro project

India and Pakistan are bracing themselves for the final order of the Court of Arbitration at The Hague in their dispute over the construction of the Rs. 3,600 crore Kishenganga hydro-electric project in North Kashmir. Highly placed sources told The Hindu on Monday that the court, chaired by Stephen M. Schwebel, has asked the two ambassadors to be present when it hands out its judgment on February 18. The 330 MW run-of-the-river power project is under construction by the National Hydro Power Corporation. Pakistan had sought a stay on it while the dispute was being heard. However, the court only restrained India from certain activities of a permanent nature.
Development minus green shoots

In early February, the Ministry of Environment and Forests partially revoked a crucial order it had issued in August 2009, which made the consent of gram sabhasmandatory for projects seeking diversion of forest lands for non-forest purposes. Now, the ministry has exempted projects like construction of roads, canals, laying of pipelines/optical fibres and transmission lines etc. [sic] where linear diversion of forest land in several villages are involved from obtaining the consent of the gram sabhas concerned. The requirement for gram sabha consent, in the 2009 order, was provided to uphold the rights of forest-dwelling communities, in keeping with the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest
JTS Institute

Linear infrastructure projects, such as roads and power lines, while often integral to growth and development, can also have negative effects. A 2010 background paper, prepared at the initiative of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), lists a range of ecological impacts caused by linear infrastructure intrusions in natural areas: habitat loss and fragmentation, the spread of invasive alien species, fires, animal mortality (e.g., roadkills, electrocution), disruption of animal corridors, increased developmental and hunting pressures, and an increase in pollution and other disturbances. Social impacts may include insensitive developments in tribal areas, encroachments and land-grabbing along roads (witnessed recently in the Aravallis around New Delhi), changes in local communities due to the entry of a large workforce from other regions, and an increase in tourism, and garbage. It is therefore important thatgramsabhas and rural communities retain their right to provide consent after due consideration of how such projects may benefit or affect them. The recent order also appears unjustified and arbitrary because the criteria for arriving at exemption for linear projects and what is meant by several villages are unclear. No evidence is provided as to whethergramsabha consent was in fact hindering vital development projects. Arguably, for large projects that involve a large number of gram sabhas, a situation where dissent from one or a few gram sabhas holds up a project that most other gram sabhas want, may be undesirable. Yet, revoking the requirement for local consent is an undemocratic step that also removes opportunities for critical exploration of alternatives, such as realignments, or other ways of mitigating a projects ecological and social impacts. Instead of viewing local consent as impeding development, it needs to be seen as a legitimate avenue for collective bargaining and peaceful action, vastly preferable to situations where forest communities are forced to turn to violent protest. In ways that an exclusively bureaucratic clearance process can never achieve, gram sabha consent can ensure that citizens are truly made partners in development and its benefits actually flow to the poorest. The recent order of the environment ministry also conflates projects such as roads, power lines, and canals (not to mention the ominous etc.). Bundling them together just because they are all linear is a serious error as the effects of roads or canals on the environment or forest cover and on local communities are substantially different from the effects of power lines. For example, roads through forests can lead to soil erosion and wildlife deaths through collision with vehicles. Roads and canals can change hydrological and agricultural patterns, unlike power lines. While some social or environmental effects may be common to different kinds of linear projects, the distinctions are serious. For more balance Another danger in the order is that it weakens and vitiates the process of settling rights under the Forest Rights Act, which, as many rights groups have pointed out, has not been progressing smoothly, especially in areas where economic interests vie with the claims of forest dwellers. The ministrys exemption affects rights settlement processes and may lead to an unfair rejection of claims. An overarching concern is the issue of precedent. If the Forest Rights Act can be diluted of its most crucial provision for some categories of projects, what is to prevent a cascade of claims for other exceptions, as are already emerging in the case of mining projects? This leads to a slippery slope that can ultimately defeat the entire spirit and intent of this rightsenabling legislation. In the words of the previous Environment Minister, Mr.Jairam Ramesh, The question before the country is very, very simple. Are these laws to be enforced or are they to just adorn the statute books, honoured more in their breach than in their observance? The gains of economic growth frequently carry environmental and social costs. Instead of denying their existence or making arbitrary exemptions for projects, the tradeoffs need to be acknowledged, making them explicit and transparent to citizens, strengthening the democratic foundations of decision-making, and creating more efficient and faster processes so that projects that further inclusive growth and development are not unduly hindered. Indias remaining forest cover, particularly natural forests with native species (in contrast to planted forests of alien species such as eucalyptus), has declined in the last few decades. Remnant natural forests continue to be threatened by loss, degradation and conversion. Conserving remaining forest tracts is critical to safeguard Indias threatened biodiversity, watersheds, and minimise conflicts between people and wildlife, besides providing for vital livelihood and resource needs of forest-dwelling communities. When large infrastructure projects such as roads and canals run roughshod over rural communities without paying heed to social and environmental costs, society will only stand to lose in the long run. In that sense, even the term infrastructure for such projects is a misnomer, as roads and canals are merely superstructures built upon the real infrastructure represented in human and natural capital. The present order of the ministry, masterminded by the PMO, to dilute legal requirements meant to safeguard forest dwellers and the environment, is a move towards greater opacity and central control, favouring corporate-industrial interests over local people and marginalised communities. Where the government could be working to reconcile the needs of development and environment, it is instead driving further wedges between the two.
Amazon pushes for FDI in retail e-commerce

Global online retail giant Amazon.com, on Tuesday, sought opening of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the e-commerce sector as present policy restricts such companies from offering services directly to the consumers. The issue came up for discussion during a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Amazon Global vice-president, Paul E. Misener, here. Currently, 100 per cent FDI is allowed only in business to business (B2B) e-commerce, and not in retail trading. We talked about it, Mr. Misener told newspersons, when asked whether he had sought a change in the policy for retail e-commerce during his meeting with the Commerce Minister. We talked to the government officials on all kinds of issues. We are trying to find a better way to serve our Indian customers, both
JTS Institute

sellers and buyers. We have nearly 9,000 employees here in the country, and we are looking ways to better serve our customers. The Government has been very kind to Amazon.com, and we continue to grow here, he added. India allows 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail stores and 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, subject to sourcing conditions. interest from industry, sending the laser to Mars is his real goal. I wanted to develop this to help gather evidence as to whether or not there was life on Mars, said Weidmann. Weidmann stated that using the laser to measure carbon isotopic ratios in methane on Mars could help determine where the hydrocarbon came from. If its bacterial in origin, it would mean a form of life occurred on Mars, he added. These very large, massive eruptions may be tied to some extinction events, Thorne said. The Ontong eruptions have been blamed for oxygen loss in the oceans and a mass die-off of sea life. Since the early 1990s, scientists have known of the existence of two continent-sized thermochemical piles sitting atop Earths core and beneath most of Earths volcanic hotspots one under much of the South Pacific and extending up to 20 degrees north latitude, and the other under volcanically active Africa. Using the highest-resolution method yet to make seismic images of the core-mantle boundary, Thorne and colleagues found evidence the pile under the Pacific actually is the result of an ongoing collision between two or more piles. Where they are merging is a spongy blob of partly molten rock the size of Florida, Wisconsin or Missouri beneath the volcanically active Samoan hotspot. The studys computer simulations show that when these piles merge together, they may trigger the earliest stages of a massive plume eruption, Thorne said.
Space laser could help detect counterfeit food post life on Mars
The European Space Agency (ESA) has revealed that a laser device developed to measure carbon on Mars could soon be used here on Earth to detect counterfeit food. Todays equipment is large, bulky and stationary. Samples of, say, polluted soil must be collected in the field, put in a flask and brought to the lab for testing clearly unsuitable for space testing. But the new laser isotope ratiometer from RAL Space could change that. Thanks to its small, lightweight, robust, highly accurate lasers, the device could be sent into space to look for trace amounts of gas in very small samples. You take a laser, whose optical frequency or colour can be continuously adjusted, beam it at a gas sample, and detect the level passing through the gas, explained Dr Damien Weidmann, Laser Spectroscopy Team Leader at RAL Space. As the laser colour changes, the light passes straight through the sample until it reaches a particular frequency, specific to the isotopic gas, that is partially blocked. Each molecule, and each of its isotopic forms, has a unique fingerprint spectrum. If, on the other hand, you know what you are looking for, you can simply set the laser to the appropriate frequency. Through an ESA program, Weidmann and his colleagues have been able to demonstrate that the laser can quickly root out counterfeit food. Fake honey made using sugar, for example, would be detected by the laser by scanning the carbon dioxide released from burning only a few milligrams of the product. Likewise, counterfeit olive oil and chocolate could also be detected. Though Weidmann said it was important for his project to attract
Supervolcano forming under the Pacific could wipe out life

Life on Earth could be facing threat from a catastrophic supervolcano which seismologists believe is due to erupt in 200 million years time. At least two piles of rock the size of continents are crashing together as they shift at the bottom of Earths mantle, 2,900 km beneath the Pacific Ocean, researchers say. What we may be detecting is the start of one of these large eruptive events that - if it ever happens could cause very massive destruction on Earth, said seismologist Michael Thorne, the studys principal author and an assistant professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah. However, disaster is not imminent, he adds, This is the type of mechanism that may generate massive plume eruptions, but on the timescale of 100 million to 200 million years from now. So dont cancel your cruises. The new study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, said the activity is creating a Florida-sized zone of partly molten rock that may be the root of either of two kinds of massive eruptions far in the future. Hotspot plume supervolcano eruptions like those during the past 2 million years at Wyomings Yellowstone caldera, which covered North America with volcanic ash. Gargantuan flood basalt eruptions that created large igneous provinces like the Pacific Northwests Columbia River basalts 17 million to 15 million years ago, Indias Deccan Traps some 65 million years ago and the Pacifics huge Ontong Java Plateau basalts, which buried an Alaskasized area 125 million to 199 million years ago.
Indian region moved to Australia when splitted 100 million years ago
The present size and form of Indian Ocean came into being after parts of the Indian region shifted back to the Australian plates during Gondwana split more than 100 million years ago, a new research claimed. An Australian scientist, Ana Gibbson who collaborated with Indian National Institute of Oceanography and Australian National University show that after the continental split, some Indian regions moved back to the Australian plate. Roughly the size of Tasmania, they remained sunk in the seafloor roughly 500-1000 kilometers from the western coast of Australia.Its a bit like doing a really big 3D jigsaw puzzle, she said. Using the magnetic data from the seafloor provided by the institutes, she has been able to reconstruct the movement of the tectonic plates. Her findings are giving scientists new insights into the age and nature of Australias western margins.
JTS Institute

Ana attributed the success of the project to its international reach. She said, being able to work with open-minded, enthusiastic professionals from all over the world has helped a lot. The study has been supported by Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, a statement said. which carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail or exile or a fine. He would be barred from contesting the upcoming Presidential elections if sentenced for more than one year in jail. India is piqued at the current dispensation in Maldives cancelling a contract to an IndianMalaysian consortium for modernising and operating the airport at Male despite Mr.Waheed assuring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that his Government would avoid such a course. It is also upset over the free hand to minor but rabid politicians and religious figures who railed against India over the contract and sought the return of the Indian High Commissioner. Mr.Nasheed was in India and had missed the courts order to appear before it on Sunday due to this reason. The sources pointed out that while Mr.Nasheed and his predecessor Maumoon Abdul Gayoom were granted appointments with senior officials here, feelers for official interactions with the current government have been ignored. opposed cash transfers in lieu of grains. Some of them cautioned the Centre against rushing through the Bill without adequate level of preparedness and availability of grains. Several consuming States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu expressed the apprehension that their share of food grains allocation would decline under the new dispensation. The States said they were utterly confused about how to identify the beneficiaries so that they could fit into the UPAs eligibility criteria for 67 per cent of the population. Moreover, with the socio-economic caste census (SECC) which will determine the eligibility and entitlement of rural households for different programmes and schemes still not complete, the States pointed out that the government was hurrying through the process. Seeking a credible road map, Gujarat cautioned about the level of preparedness and sought careful evaluation of resources.Odisha said there was utter confusion about identification of beneficiaries. It asked the Centre to bear the additional cost of setting up a State food commission, grievance redress mechanism and operating the system. Seeking a revised Bill, Bihar bemoaned that while the Centre exercised its power for fixing the number of beneficiaries, criteria for eligibility and the schemes, it unilaterally put all financial burden on the States.The subsidy bill for mandatory distribution of 5 kg of rice, wheat and coarse cereals at Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Re. 1 a kg respectively under the TPDS for 67 per cent of the population is estimated at Rs. 1.17 lakh crore. The government Bill proposed a coverage of up to 75 per cent rural population with at least 46 per cent as priority (BPL) and up to 50 per cent of the urban population with at least 28 per cent as priority. It suggested monthly entitlement of 7 kg a person. As against this, the Standing Committee recommended coverage of 67 per cent total population with 75 per cent in rural areas and 50 per cent in the urban areas as a single (inclusion) category with uniform entitlement of 5 kg a person. This would exclude separate entitlement for existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households.
13 February 2013 India opts to side with Nasheed

Caught in a cleft stick, India has opted to side with the former Maldives President, Mohd. Nasheed, who entered the Indian High Commission in Male on Wednesday after a court sought his appearance in a case. India admitted Mr.Nasheed had sought refuge in its Male mission and in a message to the Maldives government asked it not to take any steps that would bar candidates from recognised political parties from contesting elections. It also indicated that Maldives President Mohd. Waheed is on watch by asking him to ensure that the elections were free, fair and credible. While New Delhi was confident of resolving the situation (by late evening the court had cancelled its order seeking Mr.Nasheeds appearance), Maldives hit back by asking India to respect its countrys judicial independence. At the same time, the Maldivian government gave the assurance that it would uphold and respect its obligations under international law with regard to diplomatic immunities and privileges granted to resident diplomatic missions. Ironically, the Nasheed drama unfolded at a time when an Indian warship arrived in Maldives to conduct a five-day anti-piracy and maritime domain awareness exercises with the Maldivian Nation Defence Force (MNDF). Sources familiar with the events drew attention to a Ministry of External Affairs statement that named Mr.Nasheed as a presidential candidate and its subsequent exhortation not to disqualify candidates between now and the elections to assert that New Delhi shares the former Presidents apprehension of the court case being a ploy to fix him. Mr.Nasheed has been charged under Article 81 of the penal code
Many States express reservations about Food Security Bill

Even as the Centre hopes to introduce and pass the National Food Security Bill in the coming budget session of Parliament, several States have expressed reservations on the Bill. At a consultation meeting of State Food Ministers here to evolve a consensus on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee to which the government Bill was referred on Wednesday, many States differed on crucial provisions, particularly the ones relating to identification of beneficiaries, sustained availability of grains, proposed cut in individual entitlement and additional expenses to be borne by them. According to Minister of State for Food K.V. Thomas, the Bill will be revised. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh sought a universal public distribution system. Saying there was no procedural clarity, Tamil Nadu sought to be completely exempted from the purview of the Bill. A majority of the States categorically
JTS Institute

Mr. Thomas, who chaired the consultation meeting, said except Tamil Nadu all States welcomed the Bill albeit with certain reservations. We cannot satisfy all states. We will present a revised Bill in Parliament. The Bill was introduced in December 2011 in the LokSabha and referred to the Standing Committee. immunity that is important. We still do not know the protective antigens that will stimulate protective immune responses. For instance, we know that antigen 85A complex elicits strong immune response, but whether it will translate to protective effect in humans is not known. The AVA85A vaccine is the best example of this it induced modest immune responses but the protective effect was low. Hence, it will take a while to produce vaccines that are effective. But meanwhile, across the world, every year, nearly 9 million people will develop active TB and about 1.5 million will die. Worse, fighting the killer disease is getting more complicated with the rapid emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. It took WHOs declaration of TB as a global emergency for the world to shed its indifference and complacency. Now, it is a race against time. improve significantly in the coming months. In the last couple of months, there has been an arrest in the fall of exports, he said.In October 2012, Indias exports declined to 1.63 per cent from 11 per cent in September. In December, shipments declined by 1.9 per cent from 4.17 per cent in November 2012. Imports during the 10-month period rose by 0.01 per cent to $406.8 billion. Trade deficit during the period stood at $167.16 billion. The most worrying aspect as usual is the widening trade deficit. Figures show that there is a substantial increase in the imports of petroleum and crude oil which is widening the trade deficit, Mr.Rao said. Since April 2012, petroleum and crude oil imports too have shown an increase. While in August the imports grew by 3 per cent, in September it jumped by 30 per cent and in October by 31 per cent. In November, December and January, petroleum and crude oil imports went up by 16.8 per cent, 23.6 per cent and 7 per cent respectively. Mr.Rao said these imports were increasing mainly because of its high use in power generation. Unfortunately, at least in 3-4 states power situation is adverse. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, power cuts are very distressing and it is close to 16 hours, he said. The export sectors, which registered positive growth, cumulatively include rice, tobacco, oil meals, carpet, pharmaceuticals and drugs. Fall in the exports of engineering, textiles and gems and jewellery, the main contributors, have also been arrested. Engineering exports declined by 4 per cent, while gems and jewellery and textiles exports shrunk by 0.6 per cent and 8 per cent during AprilJanuary. Oil imports in January grew by 6.91 per cent to $15.89 billion from $14.87 billion in the corresponding period last year. Non-oil imports, too, increased by 5.71 per cent during the month under review to $29.68 billion. During April-January 2012-13, oil imports grew by 11.56 per cent to $140.42 billion from $125.87 billion in the corresponding period of previous fiscal year. However, nonoil imports during the period declined by 5.17 per cent to $266.43 billion.
Setback in TB war
The efforts to win the war against tuberculosis using an efficacious vaccine candidate (MVA85A) in infants aged 4-6 months have returned a disappointing verdict despite showing great promise in pre-clinical trials. Though it fulfilled the primary objective of safety and despite inducing modest immune responses, the efficacy of the vaccine was just 17.3 per cent, and hence considered insufficient to protect the infants against TB, notes a paper published recently in The Lancet. This is the first vaccine trial to be conducted after the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine was introduced in 1921. The vaccine was given to infants in South Africa who had already received the BCG vaccine. The rationale was to prime the immune system with BCG and then boost it with the candidate vaccine to enhance the protective efficacy of BCG. It will take a while to know the reasons behind its failure. Meanwhile, there is still some hope that the vaccine, which is being tested in HIV positive adults, will be successful. An efficacious and safer vaccine that would replace BCG is urgently required for HIV positive individuals; BCG being a liveattenuated vaccine is not recommended for immunecompromised people. While only 5-10 per cent people who are infected with TB develop active disease over their lifetime, the conversion rate dramatically shoots up to 5-10 per cent per year in the case of HIV positive people, notes a 2012 paper inPLoS Pathogens. There is still optimism as a dozen vaccines are being tested in clinical trials. But these are not designed to prevent infection or rid the body of the bacteria; they are aimed at boosting protection against the disease. There are several other challenges too. Unlike in the case of other pathogens, protection against TB does not lie in neutralising antibodies; it is the cell-mediated
Trade deficit soars to $20 b

Indias exports barely inched into the positive zone, after a gap of eight months, recording a meagre 0.82 per cent growth at $25.58 billion in January. The growth, however, is unlikely to help in reaching the $350 billion export target for 2012-13. The positivity in exports has come mainly on account of better performance by sectors such as engineering goods, textiles and gems and jewellery. Exports have been contracting since May 2012. The trade deficit also continues to be a cause of concern, soaring to a three-month high of $20 billion. I hope with exports growing marginally in January, it should help India in narrowing the trade gap at the close of the fiscal, Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma said in a statement here. The countrys exports stood at $25.37 billion in January, 2012. Imports, too, rose by 6.12 per cent to $45.5 billion in the month under review. However, during the AprilJanuary period of 2012-13, the countrys overseas shipments shrunk by 4.86 per cent to $239.6 billion. Commerce Secretary S.R. Rao told journalists here that the export performance in January had shown marginally better resultsand cumulative exports too had shown a slight arrest. Mr Rao said he hoped that the incentive package, which came into force in January, would help the countrys exports
Water from the cold underworld

Water samples retrieved on January 28 from Lake Whillans, a
JTS Institute

sub-glacial lake about 800 metres beneath the western edge of the Antarctic ice-shelf, have shown possible signs of life. The announcement came from an American expedition that gained access to the 3.1-sq kilometre water body after boring through the shelf using a special hot-water drill. The retrieved samples are significant because they come from a lake that has been isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years. Moreover, due to the weight of the massive glacier above it, the lake exists under immense pressure (which shifts the freezing point of its water to a lower temperature). The expedition, dubbed WISSARD (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling), was undertaken to look for the presence of and investigate life in such an isolated and extreme sub-glacial environment. Researchers will also study the influence of such environments on the stability of continental ice-shelves. As a first step in the hunt for life, a common dye was added to some samples to illuminate the DNA of microscopic organisms. When an affirmative bright green glow was observed in response, researchers knew that the water indeed harboured life. Upcoming studies on the samples will throw light on how these organisms exist in such extreme conditions. Dr. Ross Powell, one of the lead scientists on the expedition noted, in an email to this Correspondent, that the organisms would most likely be chemolithotrophs because of the setting under the ice sheet. Chemolithotrophs are microorganisms capable of getting their energy from inorganic compounds, such as elemental sulphur, hydrogen sulphate, thiosulphates, etc. This is in contrast to other life-forms, like humans, which depend on organic compounds as food. Because of their unorthodox needs, chemolithotrophs can survive harsh environments. As Brent Christner, team member, told National Geographic, The conditions faced by organisms in Lake Whillans are quite parallel to what we think it would be like on those icy moons, referring to natural satellites of Jupiter and Saturn. The full analyses will take at least a year, Dr. Powell added, but we are starting to get some results now, showing there is viable life in this environment. We will be studying the cores we have collected after they arrive in our U.S. labs and they, [together with] any organisms they may house, could shed more light on [their environments] history. Lake Whillans itself is part of a densely interconnected network of streams that carry water into and out of sub-glacial pockets. As a result, researchers will also study the lake for its role in stabilising Antarctic ice-shelves. Describing Whillans Lake Whillans was first described by Dr. Helen Fricker, a glaciologist at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and principal investigator of the Whillans team, in 2007. She and her colleagues studied satellite data of the ice surface above the Whillans Ice Stream from 2003 to 2006 and noticed a periodic rising and falling of the surface that hinted at the presence of a lake. In order to get beneath the ice sheet, a custom-designed hotwater drill was used to reduce chances of contamination by the equipment itself. The drill works by blasting a jet of scalding water into the ice to bore a hole. The water then freezes because of the low temperatures and is removed as ice before another jet of water is blasted. Once the surface of the lake was breached, the researchers inserted a probe to collect water samples from different points as well as some sediment from the lakebed. neurological disorders and cancer, they said, creating a phobia among the public. They did not agree that since the energy of RF radiation from cell phone towers is not enough to break chemical bonds in DNA molecules, it cannot cause cancer. While most countries accepted the guidelines of the International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), India enforced one tenth of the ICNIRP guidelines from Sept 1, 2012, based on the advice from an Inter Ministerial Committee. Indias guidelines have a safety factor of 500. The over conservative approach of the IMC also helped to fan the fire. Though it argued that safety standards should be rational and should avoid excessive safety margins, the IMC lowered the radiation levels on highly speculative reasons. The committee did a great disservice by listing selectively a number of reports which showed adverse effects while ignoring many reports which did not show any adverse impact. IMC unwittingly gave a handle to scare mongers who are now demanding lower levels as standard. An agent claimed that Mumbai with too many cell towers is like an open microwave oven. He claimed that by accepting the ICNIRP guidelines we are accepting that a child can be safely kept in a microwave oven for 19 minutes a day! Actually, the possible temperature increase of a human body at ICNIRP level will be 0.1Deg C; at DOT levels, 0.01 Deg C. They claimed that Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limit for cell phones a safety standard of 1.6 W per kg is actually for six minutes per-day usage! So do not use phones for more than 18-20 minutes daily, they asserted . Many reporters publicized these scary sound bites. A cell phone kept near the ear will cause a small increase in temperature in regions close to the phone. The more regulatory mechanisms such as blood flow remove the heat establishing equilibrium in about six minutes. Thereafter, there will not be any increase in temperature. The sixminute interval is the time the bodys defence takes to reach equilibrium temperature. So, it is patently absurd to say that using a
Raising the bogey of radiation

The cell phone industry has registered phenomenal growth in India. Cell towers have mushroomed all over the country and led to growing concerns about the health effects of radiofrequency radiation. Agents who masqueraded as experts and started selling radiation protective screens, fanned the fire. They told that cell tower radiation can cause sleep disturbances, headaches, fatigue, joint pains, memory loss, increased heart rate. ...Prolonged exposure to cell tower radiation increases the risk of
JTS Institute

phone longer multiplies the risk.
Experts claimed cell tower radiation cause several health problems, including cancer
University of California-Irvine scientists and colleagues say the Tigris-Euphrates watershed is drying up at a pace second only to that in India. This rate is among the largest liquid freshwater losses on the continents, they say, the journal Water Resources Research reports. Water management is a complex issue in the Middle East, a region that is dealing with limited water resources and competing stakeholders, says Katalyn Voss, water policy fellow with the Californias Centre for Hydrologic Modeling at Irvine, who led the study, according to a California statement. Turkey has jurisdiction over the Tigris and Euphrates headwaters, as well as the reservoirs and infrastructure of its Southeastern Anatolia Project, which dictates how much water flows downstream into Syria, Iran and Iraq. Unable to conduct measurements on the ground in the politically unstable region, researchers used data from space, provided by NASAs Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, to uncover the extent of the problem.They found that depletion was especially striking after a drought struck the area in 2007. Researchers attribute the bulk of it about 60 per cent to pumping of water from underground reservoirs. For political, economic or security reasons, neighbours dont want each other to know how much water theyre using.In regions like the Middle East, where data are relatively inaccessible, satellite observations are among the few options, he said.
Energy of RF radiation from cell

phone towers is not enough to break chemical bonds in DNA molecules to cause cancer
(ICAR), Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna through Central Institute of Fisheries Education Regional Station, Kakinada by the State Fisheries Department, Government of Bihar. The State Fishery Department, Govt. of Bihar with the help of a local bank called KshetriyaGramin bank and RastriyaKrishiVikasYojana constructed a series of about 50 ponds for increased fish production. About 43 farmers came together and formed Sonmar Chaur Matsya VikashSamiti to monitor these activities, facilitate the resources, inputs and market the fishes. Due to delayed rainfall, tubewells were sunk in several locations and a solar operated pump was also established with the help of fishery department. Participatory mode ICAR joined the farmers to work in participatory mode to boost the economic status and nutritional security of the farmers by enhancing the aquaculture / agriculture production from the chaurs. Since, farmers were finding it difficult to feed the fishes properly due to high cost of concentrate, the Council integrated duck, goat and cattle with fish to facilitate the supply of organic wastes to improve the overall productivity. Fruits and vegetable crops were planted on the pond bunds to give additional income to farmers. Several demonstrations for fish farmers for monitoring water quality in the pond were also done at periodical intervals by the scientist team. A programme was organized to bring in awareness and encourage more farmers to take up this vocation. Concept: Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Mariculture refers to aquaculture practiced in marine environments and in underwater habitats. The reported output from global
Indias guidelines have a safety factor of 500. Over-conservative approach of IMC helped fan the fire Dr Kari Jokela, a member of the International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and Research Professor at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland in an e-mail message to this writer stated that such interpretations are incorrect. On January 4, this year The Hindu quoted the District Health and Family Welfare Officer (DHO) of Dakshina Kannada as saying: enough number of cases of cancer and mental retardation have been found among people residing within a 500-metre radius of cell phone towers. The WHO is aware of such misunderstanding and noted thus in its Fact Sheet No 304: Media or anecdotal reports of cancer clusters around mobile phone base stations have heightened public concern. It should be noted that geographically, cancers are unevenly distributed among any population. Given the widespread presence of base stations in the environment, it is expected that possible cancer clusters will occur near base stations merely by chance. Moreover, the reported cancers in these clusters are often a collection of different types of cancer with no common characteristics and hence unlikely to have a common cause. DOT levels are very safe and enforceable. If they are enforced effectively, there will not be any risk from cell tower radiation.
Integrated aquaculture for improving productivity

The farmers of Sonmar in Sarai Ranjan block, Samastipur district, Bihar have shown a way for productive utilization of water bodies (called chaurs) into an integrated aquaculture model. The chaurs are spread over 44 hectares and about 43 farmers control their ownership. Till 2008, these chaurs were being utilized for capture of wild fishes. Training About six young farmers from the area were trained by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research
Middle East has lost 144 cubic km of water

The Middle East has lost 144 cubic km of water between 2003 and 2010, nearly equal to the staggering volume of the Dead Sea, show data provided by NASA satellites. Four countries of the region along the Tigris and Euphrates Turkey upstream to Syria, Iran and Iraq below alone account for the unprecedented loss.
JTS Institute

aquaculture operations would supply one half of the fish and shellfish that is directly consumed by humans; however, there are issues about the reliability of the reported figures. Further, in current aquaculture practice, products from several pounds of wild fish are used to produce one pound of a piscivorous fish like salmon. Particular kinds of aquaculture include fish farming, shrimp farming, oyster farming, algaculture (such as seaweed farming), and the cultivation of ornamental fish. Particular methods include aquaponics and Integrated multitrophic aquaculture, both of which integrate fish farming and plant farming. what looked like a Tamil-Brahmi script in two lines. Excited, they turned the pages of the book titled Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions, published by the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department in 2006. They read the pages on the earlier discoveries of the Tamil-Brahmi script at Tirupparankundram and found that this was a new discovery. They rang up Dr.Rajan who confirmed that it had not been documented earlier. The lines, each having four letters, read as, Muu-na-ka-ra and Muuca-ka-ti. The first line has a trishullike symbol as a graffiti mark at its end. The first letter muu can mean three or being ancient or old. In the present context, the meaning of ancient is more probable, Ramesh and Prasanna said. The na-ka-ra/na-kar-r represents a town or city. So the first line could be read as ancient town, probably meaning Madurai, they suggested. In the second line, the first letter muu again stands for ancient or old. The remaining three letters, ca-ka-ti/ca-k-ti may represent a yakshi, they said. (Yakshis are women attendants of the 24 Jainatirthankaras). So the inscription can be read as goddess of the ancient city. But it is open to different interpretations, they said. V. Vedachalam, retired senior epigraphist, Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department, said the first line stood for an elderly Jaina monk and the second one could mean motcha/moksha gadhi. So the script could stand for a Jaina monk who, facing north, went on a fast unto death there. That is, he attained nirvana. This is the first time that a Tamil-Brahmi script, referring to a Jaina monk who fasted unto death, had been discovered. Other Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions referred to donors who cut beds on rocks for Jaina monks or sculpted rock-shelters for them. A. Karthikeyan, Professor, Department of Tamil Studies in Tamil University at Thanjavur, suggested that the inscription could be read as the attainment of liberation or salvation (moksha) of a female monk (saadhvi), namely elderly naakaraa. Moksha gadhi could be changed into muccakati. It is difficult to assign a date to this inscription but it can be dated prior to the first century BCE, said Dr.Rajan. resources as the calculations per capita water availability do not include disparity in water allocation and access. This disparity is identified as a major determining factor for water access and use. The validity of the per capita water availability index needs to be rethought in the light of social and economic disparities in water usage that exist. On the same grounds, putting forward the argument that increase in population leads to water scarcity needs rigorous debate, a report Water in India: Situation and Prospects brought out by UNICEF and Food and Agriculture Organisation has said. Pointing out that a farmers need of water for basic livelihood support often gets mingled with wasteful water uses of high-end consumers, the report a first of its kind by UNICEF suggests developing new indices which are able to capture the underlying differences in water access. India has about 16 per cent of the worlds population as compared to only 4 per cent of its water resources. With the present population of over 1,000 million, the per capita water availability is around 1.170 cu m/person/year. Severe water shortages have led to a growing number of conflicts between users in the agricultural and industrial sectors, as also the domestic sector. The lack of water availability and poor management practices have also manifested in poor sanitation facilities, one among the biggest environmental and social challenges India faces today. Lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation can be related to economic, political and social power imbalances, and discrimination against certain groups or communities. The report further says it is imperative to initiate efforts for designing an appropriate industrial water use by this sector. Multiple uses of water and the traditional allocation priorities and quantities also need to be revisited. The concept of scarcity and surpluses of water must look beyond State boundaries, as with a more disaggregated assessment, these comparisons will surely change. It points out that myopic approaches in attaining food security are risking agricultural sustainability by encouraging increased use of water. The water demand from agriculture is set to increase tremendously and will have to be met to ensure food security in a high consumption scenario. The concept of inter-State
Tamil-Brahmi script discovered on Tirupparankundram hill

Young archaeologists M. Prasanna and R. Ramesh like to climb the hills around Madurai, which have pre-historic rock art, Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions on the brow of natural caverns, beautiful bas-reliefs of Jaina tirthankaras and beds cut on the flat rock surface for the Jaina monks to sleep on. These hills include Mankulam, Keezhavalavu, Tiruvadavur, Varichiyur, Mettupatti, Anaimalai, KongarPuliyankulam and Muthupatti. The duo aspired to discover a Tamil-Brahmi script on the hills. While Prasanna is an assistant archaeologist in the Archaeological Survey of India, Ramesh works in the University Grants CommissionSpecial Assistance Programme under Professor K. Rajan of the Department of History, Pondicherry University. On January 20, 2013, they climbed the Tirupparankundram hill, where three Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions, datable to the first century BCE, were discovered many decades ago. As they climbed the several hundred steps leading to the KasiViswanathar temple, they wondered whether they would be lucky this time. Behind this temple are bas-reliefs of Jainatirthankaras on the rock surface. There are also recently carved images of Ganesa, Muruga, Bhairava and others. Near the temple, there is a pond and a shrine dedicated to Machchamuni (matsya muni), meaning fish god. The pond is full of fish. There are steps cut on the rock, leading to the pond. As they were scanning the rock surface, their eyes fell on the steps leading to the pond and they saw
14 February 2013 UN report rings alarm on water scarcity in India

India needs to formulate new indices to measure available water
JTS Institute

virtual water transfer also needs emphasis, according to the report, as the States with lower availability resources end up being the net exporters of virtual water to water surplus States. With the current rate of industrial expansion in the country, the water demand from this sector will also escalate in future. On inter-relation between gender and water in India, the report says any analysis would be incomplete without taking this into consideration. In India, gender intersects with class and caste and produces layered social hierarchies that impinge on ones access to, and control over, this precious resource. Gender and water issues remain at the level of rhetoric for the want of a broad based and shared understanding, without any support from the ground data on changing gender and social relations. The issue of gender disaggregated data needs to be taken up as priority by the state for any progress to be made in mainstreaming gender in water resources management. Another major issue is about how to tackle gender mainstreaming at the organisational level. The bureaucratic set up that manages water also suffers from serious inadequacies with respect to gender mainstreaming. Without addressing these issues, wellmeaning gender inclusion efforts will not lead to logical and intended outcomes. Importantly, the report points out that water quality issues in India have reached an alarming proportion. Augmenting water supply to achieve millennium development goals (MDGs) will not suffice until its quality is ensured. There is no model in India that shows best ways to tackle the waste water generated through the industrial and domestic sectors. The economic implications of poor sanitation in urban India and its impact on water quality are profound. The agencies responsible for checking industrial pollution have failed, the report says while adding that pollution contributes to water scarcity by polluting freshwater resources. The report attempts to provide a comprehensive analysis of the state of water resource development and management in India, based on secondary information. It maps the current challenges and suggests feasible alternatives amidst increasing water scarcity and disenfranchisement of resource bases for the poor and the marginalised. The issues consolidated using secondary data are backed by consultations with major stakeholders. The focus is to evolve an environment where water is available for all in a sustainable manner safe drinking water for basic needs, adequate water for agriculture, water for industry and for the ecosystem. Thus, it encompasses both a depiction of the state of freshwater resources and potential problems and progress towards identified goals, including workable solutions. The report becomes more important as the 12th Five-Year Plan will be implemented shortly, Satya Priya, National Programme Coordinator (Land and Water), FAO-India, said. doing that, we will take into consideration all factors affecting strategic stability, including plans for the deployment of a U.S. global missile defence, lack of progress in ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty by the U.S. and 44 more countries, unwillingness to renounce the deployment of weapons in space, imbalances in the quantity and quality of conventional weapons in Europe and other factors.
Dhaka, New Delhi to consolidate ties

India and Bangladesh are set to review and consolidate their relations by holding the high-level second meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission in Dhaka on Friday. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni will lead the respective sides in the high-level exchanges that are expected to contribute to the deepening and strengthening of bilateral relations, said diplomatic sources. Landmark pact Mr. Khurshid will visit Bangladesh for two days from February 16, at the invitation of Dipu Moni to attend the meeting of the commission established under the landmark Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development signed by the two Prime Ministers in September 2011. The maiden Bangladesh visit of Mr. Khurshid as External Affairs Minister, diplomatic circles said, is likely to lay a concrete positive ground for Sheikh Hasinas visit to New Delhi later this year. Authoritative sources told The Hindu that the Commissions meeting would review progress in various sectors, identify thrust areas and give directions for further growth of the bilateral partnership. Mr. Khurshid is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other Ministers. In a welcoming development, the two countries had last month signed two landmark agreements an extradition treaty to facilitate transfer of criminals and terrorists and an agreement to liberalise the visa regime. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and his Bangladeshi counterpart Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir signed the treaties. Independent analysts said the two accords would give impetus to widening the scope for taking up
No arms cut till new START: Russia

Russia has poured cold water on U.S. President Barack Obamas pledge to pursue new cuts in the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals even as it voiced its readiness to study American proposals. Moscow made it clear that it would say no Washingtons proposal to slash nuclear weapons by 60 per cent, from the current goal of 1,550 deployed warheads by 2018 outlined in the New START the two countries signed in 2010. After Mr. Obama announced in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday that the U.S. would engage Russia to seek further reductions in our nuclear arsenals, White House officials said they were looking to cut deployed nuclear weapons to just above 1,000. However, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow to will not agree to further nuclear arms reductions with the U.S. until the two countries have fully implemented the New START and unless Washington shifts its stance on missile defence, nuclear tests, weaponisation of outer space, and conventional arms in Europe. Once the [New START] Treaty has been implemented, we would be ready to discuss possible further steps in the sphere of nuclear disarmament, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in comments posted on the Ministrys website on Thursday. In
JTS Institute
10

other long-standing problems like formalising the border demarcation agreements, sharing of Teesta waters and putting an end to the border killings by the BSF. It is an aircraft intentionally designed to be unstable, so to speak, for better agility. So unless we exercise utmost care while taking it to a higher angle of attack, it could well depart from a controlled flight cautioned an ace test pilot. The LCA has had limited environmental trials in extreme hot and cold conditions, at sea-level and at high-altitudes in Leh. Every programme goes through this rigour, but being an indigenous programme that has come under fire time and again, the period between IOC-2 and FOC will be decisive for the LCA, he said. Wing Commander (retd.) P.K. Raveendran, group director (flight test) of the National Flight Test Centre that test-flies the LCA, during a chat at the recent Aero India 2013 at Bangalore, said weapon integration on LCA did not pose a challenge, given the aircrafts modular avionics, open architecture and other antiobsolescence features. Adding a new weapon on the LCA is easy, as we know everything about the aircraft. It is entirely ours. It facilitates you to plug a new system in without hassles, he said. Futuristic thinking at the time of design, he said, had taken care of issues such as weapon suite change, upgrade of avionics, effortless maintenance, and reduction of turnaround time. While its aerodynamics is almost plateaued, you are free to change the weapons and avionics. This is what gives an edge to the platform. Separately, it is learnt that handling flight of the LCA by the Air Force pilots will soon begin. Once the aircraft is certified for induction, it will get detached from the umbilical. It will then become an Air Force fighter, said an official of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which designed and developed the aircraft. missile systems, the military said in a statement. It described the test as successful but did not say where it was conducted. The missile can carry nuclear or conventional warheads with high accuracy, the statement said. The weapon system with its varied manoeuvrability options provides an operational level capability to Pakistans Strategic Forces, it said. On February 11, Pakistan tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-IX tactical missile with a range of 60 km. The military had said the weapon system was specially designed to defeat anti-tactical missile defence systems. Analysts say the short-range Hatf-IX missile is primarily aimed at deterring Indias Cold Start military doctrine, which envisages quick thrusts by small integrated battle groups in the event of hostilities. Fridays test was witnessed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne, Strategic Plans Division Director General Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Army Strategic Forces Command chief Lt Gen Tariq Nadeem Gilani, senior officers from the Strategic Forces and scientists and engineers of strategic organizations. The President and Prime Minister congratulated the scientists and engineers on the test which consolidates Pakistans deterrence capability both at the operational and strategic levels, the statement said.
Tejas to be subjected to field conditions soon

Set to demonstrate its swing-role capability by firing both missiles and laser-guided munitions at the Air Force firepower demonstration Iron Fist in Pokhran later this month, the long-delayed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas will face its biggest ever challenge once it receives complete initial operational clearance, IOC-2 as it is called, hopefully by the end of the year. From a guarded and secured environment, where it has been flying with a brilliant track record of 2,000 flights without an incident, Tejas will then move into an operational environment, where it will be subjected to field conditions. It would be a test of Tejas capabilities, an official associated with the development of the LCA told The Hindu. No matter how much care you have taken, some issues will always crop up when it gets exposed to the field, but the earlier we get these inputs, the quicker we can fix them, he added. Tejas whose seventh Limited Series Production aircraft (LSP-7) is flying now will soon be joined by the eighth, and the last, after which series production of 40 aircraft ordered by the Air Force will commence. LSP-8 has begun engine ground run and is expected to take to the skies in March. Meanwhile, cutting of metal is under way for the series production aircraft. In the run-up to complete initial operational clearance, the aircraft would continue weapon trials in Pokhran to better its accuracy of delivery of ammunition. Besides test-firing laser-guided bombs, it would drop dumb bombs, unguided munitions, with this aim, said the official. The phase between full IOC and final operational clearance, likely by 2015, will see the aircraft incrementally expand its flight envelope with a higher angle of attack indicative of its agility and manoeuvrability without compromising on safety and take on additional weapons like those beyond visual range [Derby, in this case] and an air-to-air gun [still not decided].
Meteorite falls in Russian Urals, 100 injured

A meteorite streaked across the sky over Russias Ural Mountains on Friday morning, causing sharp explosions and reportedly injuring around 100 people. Fragments of the meteor fell in a thinly populated area of the Chelyabinsk region, the Emergency Ministry said in a statement. Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov said 102 people had called for medical assistance following the incident, mostly for treatment of injuries from glass broken by the explosions. Kolsenikov also said about 600 square meters of a roof at a zinc factory had collapsed.
Pak successfully tests nuclear-capable Hatf-II missile

Pakistan on Friday successfully tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-II ballistic missile with a range of 180 km, marking the second test of a missile system in four days as part of measures to evaluate the capabilities of its Strategic Forces. The test of the Hatf-II or Abdali short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile was part of the process of validation of land-based ballistic
JTS Institute
11

Reports conflicted on what exactly happened in the clear skies. A spokeswoman for the Emergency Ministry, Irina Rossius, told The Associated Press that there was a meteor shower, but another ministry spokeswoman, Elena Smirnikh, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying it was a single meteorite. Amateur video broadcast on Russian television showed an object speeding across the sky about 9-20 a.m. local time (0320 GMT), leaving a thick white contrail and an intense flash. Why do some particles have mass while others, such as light, have none? That question was a gaping hole in the Standard Model of particle physics, a conceptual framework for understanding the nuts-andbolts of the cosmos. Initially we thought wed have the long shutdown in 2012, but in 2011, with some good results and with the perspective of discovering the boson, we pushed the long shutdown back by a year. But we said that in 2013 we must do it, said Bordry. Unlike the LEP, which was used to accelerate electrons or positrons, the LHC crashes together protons, which are part of the hadron family. Its about recreating the first microsecond of the universe, the Big Bang. We are reproducing in a lab the conditions we had at the start of the Big Bang, Bordry said. Five billion collisions yielded results deemed worthy of further research and data from only 400 threw up data that paved the road to the Higgs Boson. people stay on dialysis for months or years while waiting for a kidney transplant. For the new study, Maduell and his colleagues randomly assigned 906 people currently on dialysis in Spain to remain on their normal regimen or switch to hemodiafiltration. Over the next two years, just under 40 percent of those participants left the study because of a kidney transplant, a change in dialysis unit or another reason. Of the remaining kidney disease patients, 207 died. Death rates over three years were 27 percent among patients on standard dialysis, compared to 18 to 19 percent for those on the more thorough filtration method. In particular, people getting hemodiafiltration were less likely to die of infections. That group also had fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease, although the finding could have been due to chance, the researchers wrote Thursday in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. They calculated that eight people would have to switch from regular dialysis to hemodiafiltration to prevent one death each year. Dr. Katrin Uhlig, a kidney disease researcher from Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said she welcomed the new research. Our survival numbers are not great for this population, said Uhlig, who wasnt involved in the new research. Hemodiafiltration has some benefits in terms of the size of the molecules that you can remove, so there is some theoretical benefit that you might be removing stuff that might otherwise be harmful, she told Reuters Health. However, she said, the cards may have been stacked against the group of people getting standard dialysis in the study, in that those patients were a bit older, on average, and more of them had diabetes. Standard dialysis costs between $200 and $250 per session in the U.S., and even for younger adults is covered by Medicare. Maduell said hemodiafiltration is usually slightly more expensive, but not by much. Patients in his study tended to feel better, and had fewer symptoms such as low blood pressure during treatments with that technique.
After Higgs Boson, scientists prepare for next quantum leap

Seven months after its scientists made a landmark discovery that may explain the mysteries of mass, Europes top physics lab will take a break from smashing invisible particles to recharge for the next leap into the unknown. From tomorrow, the cutting-edge facilities at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) will begin winding down, then go offline on Saturday for an 18-month upgrade. A vast underground lab straddling the border between France and Switzerland, CERNs Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was the scene of an extraordinary discovery announced in July 2012. Its scientists said they were 99.9 percent certain they had found the elusive Higgs Boson, an invisible particle without which, theorists say, humans and all the other joined-up atoms in the Universe would not exist. The upgrade will boost the LHCs energy capacity, essential for CERN to confirm definitively that its boson is the Higgs, and allow it to probe new dimensions such as supersymmetry and dark matter. The aim is to open the discovery domain, said Frederick Bordry, head of CERNs technology department. We have what we think is the Higgs, and now we have all the theories about supersymmetry and so on. We need to increase the energy to look at more physics. Its about going into terra incognita (unknown territory), he told AFP. Theorised back in 1964, the boson also known as the God Particle carries the name of a British physicist, Peter Higgs. He calculated that a field of bosons could explain a nagging anomaly:
More thorough dialysis may reduce deaths

A more thorough dialysis technique may help prevent deaths due to heart conditions and infections in people with advanced kidney disease, according to a new study. Known as hemodiafiltration, that method is better able to clean the kidneys of larger toxins than standard dialysis, which mainly removes small molecules. When not removed from the kidneys, larger toxins could play a role in inflammation and cholesterol buildup, researchers said. People on dialysis are most likely to die of complications such as heart disease and infection, according to Dr. Francisco Maduell, the studys lead author from the University of Barcelona in Spain. Maduell said hemodiafiltration has been available in Europe for almost two decades and more recently in Asia and Canada as well. The Food and Drug Administration gave the okay for the first hemodiafiltration devices to be marketed in the United States less than a year ago. About 350,000 people in the U.S. are on dialysis. Dialysis machines do the work of healthy kidneys for people with end-stage renal disease, filtering clean fluid into the kidneys and toxins out. Many
JTS Institute
12

The tolerance is equal or better with hemodiafiltration, he told Reuters Health. The United States, G20 delegation sources said, was blocking attempts to agree on a commitment to cut borrowing to replace a collective pledge to halve budget deficits agreed at the G20 Toronto summit in 2010. The socalled Toronto goal expires this year. The euro zones largest economy, Germany, and the European Central Bank, want a new borrowing pledge - in line with their own tough medicine for the currency blocs ailing periphery. BACK TO THE 80S The maneouvring on currencies is reminiscent of the 1980s, when the Plaza and Louvre accords sought to manage first the excessive strengthening, and then weakening, of the U.S. dollar. But, with the collapse of communism in eastern Europe and Chinas adoption of its own brand of capitalism, the world has changed. Emerging markets, as exporters and reserve holders, now demand a greater say in global financial management. One senior G20 source said late on Thursday that there would be no separate statement on currencies. A passage would be inserted into the main communique, but it would not repeat the G7 line that we will not target exchange rates. This, the source said, would not be acceptable to China - which is now the worlds second-largest economy and holds much of its $3.3 trillion in foreign reserves in U.S. Treasury bonds. DEFLATION, REFLATION Japans embrace of Abenomics entails a huge round of fiscal and monetary expansion aimed at raising the inflation rate to 2 per cent. The yen has fallen by around 20 percent since November, triggering a rally in Japanese stocks that, the government hopes, will kick-start growth by encouraging savers to spend and companies to invest. With the United States, Britain and euro zone all running ultra-loose monetary policies, some emerging market exporters have sounded the alarm over currency wars that they say will devalue their foreign reserves and hit their competitiveness. But not all: Mexicos central bank governor Agustin Carstens said that while he backed the G7s commitment to market driven exchange rates, it was important to refrain from rash rhetoric. If we enter into a real currency war what will end up happening is adding a lot of volatility to markets, pushing up risk premiums and no one would end up winning, Carstens said. Russian officials note that Japan has not intervened on currency markets to weaken the yen, suggesting that Tokyo would not be singled out as a miscreant. Before flying to Moscow, Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa defended the monetary expansion, saying it was aimed at reviving the economy - which shrank in the fourth quarter - and not at weakening the yen.
Currency wars come to Moscow as G20 spars over yen

It may not be hand-to-hand combat, but currency wars came to Moscow on Friday as finance officials from the Group of 20 nations sparred over Japans expansive policies that have driven down the value of the yen. The G20 forum, which put together a huge financial backstop to halt a market meltdown in 2009, is back in the spotlight after a week in which the Group of Seven rich nations tried, and spectacularly failed, to speak on currencies with one voice. The G7 has long been the powerhouse of financial diplomacy. But tension between Washington and Tokyo has risen over new Prime Minister Shinzo Abes bid to end two decades of deflation. The G7 issued a joint statement on Tuesday reaffirming our longstanding commitment to market determined exchange rates. Yet the show of unity was quickly undermined by off-therecord briefings critical of Japan. Hosts Russia say the G20 - which includes leading emerging markets and accounts for 90 percent of the world economy - will back the thrust of the G7 text when they issue their communique on Saturday. Russias finance sherpa, Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak, said the drafting discussion was proving difficult, but the final text would not single out Japan for criticism. There is no competitive devaluation, there are no currency wars, Storchak told reporters. Whats happening is market reaction to exclusively internal decision making. When the G20 last met in November, its statement contained a call to refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies that was omitted by the G7 this week in what Tokyo took to mean its policies had won a free pass. As the G20 meeting in Moscow gets underway, the battle lines are drawn - it isnt G6 against Japan as much as it is G7 against G13, French bank Societe Generale wrote in a note.
15 February 2013 Meteor rattles Siberian city, nuclear, chemical facilities safe
A major Russian city in Siberia had a miraculous escape on Friday when a meteor streaked above it, shattering windows, shaking the ground and injuring hundreds of people. Amateur videos taken in and near Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains captured an incredibly bright fireball speeding across the sky shortly after 9 a.m. local time, leaving a thick white smoke trail, followed by several powerful blasts. Eyewitnesses said the fireball was brighter than the Sun, hurting vision and causing headaches. The Russian Academy of Sciences estimated that a 10-tonne meteor entered the atmosphere over Siberia at a speed of 15-20 km a second and exploded into fragments at a height of about 50 km above the Earth. The fragments hit several regions of Siberia and Kazakhstan, with Chelyabinsk, a city with a population of 1.12 million people about 1500 km east of Moscow, suffering largest damage. Meteor shock waves blew out windows in hundreds of multi-storeyed apartments, hospitals, schools and sports facilities and damaged several industrial plants in the city. No fatalities have been reported so far, but the number of injured people reached 1,000 by Friday
JTS Institute
13

evening, including 200 children, in Chelyabinsk alone. Most injuries were caused by flying glass. The authorities declared a state of emergency in Chelyabinsk region and deployed 20,000 emergency response personnel to ascertain the damage and help the injured people. Municipal services struggled to replace 100,000 square metres of smashed windows as temperatures in Siberia are well below zero degree Celsius. Fortunately for Chelyabinsk, the fragments of the meteor missed it and crashed in a thinly populated area about 200 km away. The military found three meteor impact sites, including a six-metre crater near Lake Chebarkul and a large hole in the ice on the lake. Chelyabinsk region has several nuclear and chemical industry facilities, including the Mayak fuel reprocessing factory and a huge nuclear waste storage. Emergency officials said the facilities were safe and background radiation levels remained low. Mayak was the site of a nuclear catastrophe in the 1950s, when a blast in a liquid waste tank caused massive radioactive contamination in the region. Astronomers did not rule out that the meteor was part of the 2012 DA14 asteroid, which was due to pass close by the Earth later on Friday. Concept: A meteor or shooting star is the visible streak of light from a meteoroid or micrometeoroid, heated and glowing from entering the Earths atmosphere, as it sheds glowing material in its wake. Meteors typically occur in the mesosphere at altitudes between 76 km to 100 km (4662 miles). Millions of meteors occur in the Earths atmosphere daily. Most meteoroids that cause meteors are about the size of a pebble. Meteors may occur in showers, which arise when the Earth passes through a stream of debris left by a comet, or as random or sporadic meteors, not associated with a specific stream of space debris. A number of specific meteors have been observed, largely by members of the public and largely by accident, but with enough detail that orbits of the meteoroids producing the meteors have been calculated. All of the orbits passed through the asteroid belt.The atmospheric velocities of meteors result from the movement of Earth around the Sun at about 30 km/s (18 miles/ second), the orbital speeds of meteoroids, and the gravity well of Earth.
The plate is full (Finance commission)

The Fourteenth Finance Commission has recently been constituted under Article 280 of the Constitution, with a former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Y.V. Reddy, as its chairman. The primary task of the FFC is the same as that of its predecessors: to make recommendations regarding the sharing of Union taxes, the principles governing grants-in-aid to States and transfer of resources to the States. Its period of reference is five years commencing April 1, 2015 and it is expected to submit its report by October 31, 2014. Over the recent past, successive Finance Commissions have been saddled with a large, onerous agenda that has gone well beyond their main tasks of correcting fiscal imbalances between the Centre and the States on the one hand, and among States on the other. The Thirteenth Finance Commission was given the important, but still out of the way, job of preparing a fiscal consolidation road map. The FFC will look into the deficit of the States keeping in view its predecessors report. It has also been asked to suggest measures to raise the tax to GDP ratios of both the Centre and the States, tackle challenges in ecology, environment and climate change. The FFCs other terms of reference include such omnibus items as the need for making public sector enterprises competitive, divestment, and listing and relinquishing ownership of nonpriority enterprises. A few other tasks such as calculating the level of subsidies needed and figuring out how to insulate the pricing of public utilities from policy fluctuations can be contentious. Most of these issues do impact public finance but the FFC need not be burdened with some of these lest its primary function is diluted. Recently, after much delay and protracted discussions among State finance ministers at Bhubaneswar, a breakthrough in terms of compensating States for possible revenue losses post the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax appears to have been made. The FFC might still have a say in the final GST format, which however is not expected to roll out until April 2014 at the earliest. Two other core issues need to be addressed by the FFC. The widening inequality in growth and consequently, in per capita income across States have increased
EC disqualifies 2,171 candidates for not filing returns in time

The Election Commission has disqualified 2,171 candidates who contested by-elections/general elections to the LokSabha and Legislative Assemblies and Councils for failing to submit their poll expenditure accounts within the stipulated 30 days from the date of announcement of results. These persons, most of them nonserious contestants, will be barred from contesting any election conducted by the EC for three years from the date of its disqualification order, issued under Section 8A read with 11 (A) (2) and 10A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Some of the candidates have been disqualified till January 2016. Maharashtra tops the list with 260 contestants, followed by Chhattisgarh (259) and Haryana (197). In Delhi, 29 candidates have been disqualified. Though some of the contestants filed their returns within time, it was not done in the proper format, informed sources said. The EC, in a letter sent to the Chief Electoral Officers, asked them to furnish a copy of the list of disqualified candidates to the respective returning officers. The list is also posted on the Commissions website www.eci.nic.in under the heading judicial reference-list of disqualified persons. Before disqualifying them, notices had been issued to the candidates and the order was passed only against those who failed to give satisfactory reasons for the delay/ failure. Though the State Election Commissions (SEC) normally adopt the ECs rules and procedures, the disqualification order could not restrain these contestants from contesting the local body/civic polls. For, the SEC is independent of the EC and the disqualification order would not apply automatically to local polls, it is said. The disqualified candidates who wish to go in for an appeal will have to submit a petition to the EC with proper reasons for their failure to submit accounts/delay.
JTS Institute
14

inequalities in fiscal capacity. Second, the uniform fiscal deficit targets that States have opted for under their fiscal responsibility legislations have most probably resulted in and the FFC will confirm this compressed development expenditure. It is hoped that the FFC will recommend steps to safeguard the autonomy of States in fiscal matters and specifically suggest ways to overcome the restrictions imposed by stiff fiscal targets without, of course, sacrificing fiscal prudence. Friday hurtled toward the Earths backyard, destined to make the closest known fly-by for a rock of its size. NASA said the asteroid would miss the Earth by 17,150 miles (27,600 km). But thats still closer than many communication and weather satellites are to the planet. Scientists insisted those, too, would be spared. Scientists at NASAs Near-Earth Object programme at Californias Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimate that an object of this size makes a close approach like this every 40 years. The likelihood of a strike is once every 1,200 years. The fly-by provides a rare learning opportunity for scientists eager to keep future asteroids at bay. We are in a shooting gallery We are in a shooting gallery, and this is graphic evidence of it, said former Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart, chairman emeritus of the B612 Foundation, committed to protecting the Earth from dangerous asteroids. Asteroid 2012 DA14 is too small to be visible to the naked eye even at its closest approach, which will occur around 1925 hours GMT (0055 IST Saturday), over the Indian Ocean near Sumatra. The best viewing locations, with binoculars and telescopes, are in Asia, Australia and eastern Europe. Even there, all anyone can see is a pinpoint of light as the asteroid zooms by at 17,400 mph (28,000 kph). As asteroids go, DA14 is a shrimp. The one that supposedly wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was 6 miles (9.6 km) across. But this rock could still do immense damage if it struck, releasing the energy equivalent of 2.4 million tonnes of TNT and wiping out 750 square miles (1,950 square km). Most of the solar systems asteroids are situated in a belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and remain stable there for billions of years. Some occasionally pop out, though, into the Earths neighbourhood. Mr.Schweickart noted that while 500,000 to 1 million sizable nearEarth objects, asteroids or comets were out there, yet, less than 1 per cent fewer than 10,000 have been inventoried. DA14, which was discovered by Spanish astronomers last February, is such a close call that it is a celestial torpedo across the bow of spaceship Earth, Mr.Schweickart said in a phone interview. Astronomers have organised asteroid-encounter parties.
BJP for SIT probe into chopper deal monitored by SC, Parl panel
Charging Congress with misusing the CBI, the BJP today demanded a probe into the VVIP chopper deal by a Special Investigation Team monitored either by the Supreme Court or a parliamentary committee. With accusing fingers also being pointed at itself, the main Opposition party said it had no problems with the probe covering the period when it was in power at the Centre. Congress is notoriously known for misusing CBI for partisan political ends. Thats why for BJP the suggestion of a CBI inquiry is not acceptable. Because, CBI has no credibility and the governments intention is also doubtful, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters. He said the government talked about a CBI inquiry only after a case was filed over the issue in Italy and the revelations came to light that payments were made to Indian middlemen also. He wanted to know why the government acted belatedly despite the issue being raised in Parliament in 2011 and BJP MP PrakashJavadekar writing to the Defence Minister. We do not have confidence in CBI. Because we have seen how the CBI, the governors institution, the Income Tax department, the Enforcement Directorate and all other organisations are being misused by the government. One, to harass political opponents, second, to keep its allies under control and third, to win over neutrals, he alleged. In New Delhi, BJP Secretary BalbirPunj told reporters: The details coming out indicate a very serious conspiracy hatched at the top level which includes the bureaucracy, armed forces and most importantly the political leadership who were a part of it. All efforts are now being made to cover-up this conspiracy. He maintained that while the Indian government has been silent on this issue for so long, it is the Italians who took the initiative to uncover the scam.
Gold ETFs allowed to invest in Gold Deposit Schemes

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Friday allowed Gold Exchange Traded Fund schemes (Gold ETFs) to invest in Gold Deposit Schemes (GDS) of banks, as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) changed the maturity period of gold deposits, from six months to seven years instead of three to seven years making the product more attractive for investors. The total investment in GDS will not exceed 20 per cent of total asset under management of Gold ETFs, said SEBI in a circular to asset management companies (AMCs). Before investing in GDS of banks, mutual funds shall put in place a written policy with regard to investment in GDS with due approval from the Board of the AMCs and the Trustees. Further, SEBI said that this policy would be reviewed by mutual funds, at least once a year. Gold certificates issued by banks in respect of investments made by Gold ETFs in GDS shall be held by the mutual funds only in dematerialized form, it added. While changing the maturity period of GDS on Thursday the central bank said that banks would not be required to obtain prior approval of RBI for introducing the scheme. Banks, however, asked to inform the details of the scheme including names of branches operating the scheme to the Reserve Bank of India Banks would be required to report the gold mobilised under the scheme by all branches in a consolidated manner on a monthly basis.
2012 DA14 will miss Earth, but it will be a close fly-by

A 45-metre (150-foot) asteroid on
JTS Institute
15
12 February - 18 February 2013 No capital gains tax on Sanofi for Shantha deal: HC
In what showed the limitation of Indias recent retrospective amendments in tax laws concerning indirect transfers abroad of Indian assets, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday ruled that notwithstanding the bolstered law, French drug multinational Sanofi need not pay capital gains tax in India for its acquisition of Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Shantha Biotech in 2009. The court said Sanofi, which is liable to pay tax in France for the Rs 3,800-crore deal, wont have to pay tax in India also thanks to the protection afforded by the IndiaFrench double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA). Indian tax authorities had asked Sanofi to pay over Rs 650 crore as capital gains tax. Sanofi Aventis, as it was then known, had bought out ShanthaBiotechnics through acquisition of ShanH, which held a majority stake in Shantha. ShanH, the French subsidiary of Merieux Alliance, had earlier bought out Shantha in November 2008. The court held that ShanH was a company with commercial substance and so the deal was eligible for treaty protection. The government is likely to challenge the order in the Supreme Court. The HC ruling have positive implications for at least a couple of similar cross-border deals where the buyers face Indian tax demands, including British brewing giant SAB Miller, which bought out Fosters Group for $10.2 billion in September 2011. SAB Miller claims that the transaction enjoyed protection of the India-Australia DTAA. Rajiv Chug, partner, direct tax, Ernst & Young said: As long as the entity in the treaty-partner country has commercial substance and is not a sham entity or mere nominee, the treaty protection is bound to be there. However, Fridays court ruling will have little effect on the high-profile Vodafone case, as the relevant deal did not enjoy any duty protection. The government is apparently having a rethink on the retrospective amendments of Section 9 of the Income Tax Act meant to tax deals similar to Vodafone involving offshore transfer of shares, which have derived value substantially from assets located in India. Separately, informal talks are on with Vodafone on reaching an amicable settlement over the Rs 11,000-crore tax demand raised. As the law stands today, the amendment covers all such offshore transactions. The ParthasarathiShome committee has voted against retrospective applicability of the law on indirect transfer of assets brought in through the Finance Act, 2012, but proposed some clarifications that would substantially reduce the irritant nature of the law, regardless of whether past cases remain within its domain. It said the government should apply the provision only to the taxpayer who earned capital gains (the seller) and suggested that no taxpayer in such cases be asked to pay interest and penalty on the tax computed. The Sanofi case came up for hearing on Friday and law firm Economic Laws Practice appeared for the petitioners. Rohit Jain, partner, Economic Laws Practice, said: This is a good judgment and sets out the law as applicable by the Indo-French treaty which continues even after retrospective amendments. According to the counsel, the transaction of the sale of shares of ShanH by the French company Sanofi is not a design for tax avoidance. The transaction is chargeable to tax in France, in terms of the provisions of the DTAA, and retrospective amendments to the Income Tax Act have no impact on the DTAA. Earlier also, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had dismissed the plea of the tax authorities against the Authority for Advanced Rulings (AAR) admission of Sanofis application regarding the Shantha Biotech deal. I believe the Forward Contract Regulation Act (FCRA) Bill will be passed in the coming session of Parliament, the Minister said while addressing an Assocham event on the commodity futures market. There are apprehensions about futures trade that it is leading to price rise in commodities. But a number of studies have indicated there is no evidence to prove it, he added. The FCRA Amendment Bill, 2010 aims at developing the commodities futures market by arming the regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) with financial autonomy and facilitating the entry of institutional investors, among others. On reports that government was mulling imposing commodity transaction tax (CTT), the Minister said: When the issue of CTT came before us in October last year, we immediately discussed it with stakeholders and an independent view has been passed on to the Finance Ministry. This is a goose (commodity market) that lays the golden eggs. When the issue (CTT) comes, we should not take a partisan view, he said. Thomas had recently written a letter to the Finance Minister saying that any move to impose CTT would affect the nascent market, sources said. Speaking on the occasion, Financial Technologies Director (Research and Strategy) MadhooPavaskar said, The market is gripped with fear of CTT. Financial Technologies is the promoter of leading commodity bourse, MCX. Introduction of CTT would divert hedgers and speculators to rampant dabba trading. The tax would also impact the volume and liquidity of commodity exchanges, Pavaskar said. While the stock markets are to channelise investments for capital formation, commodity markets are price discovery and risk management platforms, he said, adding that the commodity, before it comes for trading on the exchange platforms, is already taxed heavily. The CTT of 0.017 per cent on commodity derivatives was levied in the 2008-09 Budget, but was not operationalised and was kept in abeyance. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs
FCRA Bill to develop the commodities futures market could be passed in Budget session: K V Thomas
The FCRA Bill to develop the commodities futures market could be passed in the forthcoming Budget session of Parliament, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister K V Thomas said here today.
JTS Institute
16

regulates the commodities market through the FMC. Currently, there are 21 commodity bourses with a combined turnover of Rs 136.51 lakh crore as on January 15 of the current financial year. A village water supply scheme ensures that each family gets a bucket of water once or twice a week, but the daily requirement is 40 to 50 buckets, she says. Sohra (56 km from Shillong) and Mawsynram (68km from Shillong) in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya take turns in recording the heaviest rainfall on the planet. Yet for the parties, candidates as well as voters in a number of constituencies the water shortage has become a poll issue with the water crisis season coinciding with the current elections. While top soil erosion, deforestation are cited as key culprits behind the water running off to Bangladesh where it causes much hardship, in Jaintia hills, indiscriminate coal mining has polluted water sources. The United Democratic Party, a partner in the Congress-led coalition government but fighting against each other in this poll, has promised in its manifesto that it will go all out to tap all rivers flowing to Bangladesh, Assam and other areas. The Congress has promised to tap the rain water running off the hills to the plains of Bangladesh and neighbouring Assam by using the natural gorges and creating multilevel waterbodies along the river basins. This, the party said in its manifesto, will recharge the critical catchment areas, recharge ever depleting underground water tables and ensure the availability of water for irrigation and drinking water in a sustained manner. The Greater Sohra Water Supply Scheme that was commissioned at an estimated cost of Rs 4.13 cr in December 2010 is catering to the Sohra town and adjacent villages but yet to cover thousands of people living in greater Sohra region falling under Sohra and Shella assembly constituencies. When the parties and candidates came to our village for campaigning we tell them whoever gets elected must solve the problem of water crisis. For it is the most important issue among all other issues raised by them. However, in every election they make promises to solve it but conveniently forget them, Ms. Dohling says. resistance in bacteria and their presence in water may cause mutation in the human DNA. This fact was highlighted by bio-scientist P.P. Bhakre at a national conference on water quality management in Jaipur recently. Pointing out that 50 to 90 per cent of administered pharmaceuticals are released into waste water, Dr. Bhakre especially warned about the non-metabolised part of chemotherapy drugs that are used for treatment of cancer patients. Such drugs reach wastewater and may kill the normal cells of people who use this water after treatment from water bodies such as rivers and lakes calling for the development of an alternative system to dispose of the unused pharmaceutical drugs. The three-day conference discussed the challenges of supplying clean and adequate water to the people of Rajasthan as well as the scope for development of new technologies for purification of water for domestic use. Ninety per cent of the total groundwater in the desert State is used in the agricultural sector and the rest 10 per cent is used for domestic supply. The event was organised jointly by the Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur and the Communication & Capacity Development Unit (CCDU) of the States Water Resources Department. The State government has decided to use perennial sources of water for civic water supply because of the presence of fluoride in groundwater. Representatives of the Environmental Management Centre, Mumbai, emphasised the need for developing new technologies for water purification, while pointing out that a dollar invested in water quality management has returns of at least three times in the States economic development. The deliberations covered chemical and biological aspects of water quality management, contamination in distribution system, domestic devices for water and wastewater treatment. Paediatrician Sunil K.Gupta discussed the health aspects of fluorosis and nitrate toxicity from drinking water and threw light on hazardous effects of nitrates and fluoride content present in water. In a presentation on membranebase technologies for water and wastewater treatment, the example
16 February 2013 Freak rains, hailstorm in northern India

Freak rains accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorm that lashed parts of the State on Friday night claimed 10 lives, besides causing extensive damage to standing rabi crops and mango trees which are at a flowering stage. Weathermen at the Met Office here said such freak weather phenomenon was normal at the advent of summer on the close of winter due to a variety of factors, including sudden troughs of erratic winds in the atmosphere.
Thang-Ta
Thang-ta or huyen lallong is a weapon-based Indian martial art created by the Meitei of Manipur. In the Manipuri language, thang means sword and ta means spear. As its name implies, the sword and spear are the primary weapons in thang-ta. The spear can be used in its non-missile form while in close or thrown from afar. Other weapons used include the shield and axe. Because of Manipurs cultural similarity, geographic proximity and ethnic ties with Myanmar, thang-ta is closely related to banshay. Both can be practiced in three different ways: ritual, demonstration and combat. The first way is related to the tantric practices and is entirely ritualistic in nature. The second way consists of a spectacular performance involving sword and spear dances. These dances can be converted into actual fighting practices. The third way is the true combat application.
Persistent drought in wet State

Ever since her childhood, Monderal Dohling, a mother of six who lives in Umdingpoh close to Sohra (previously known as Cherrapunji), remembers her village and nearby ones facing acute water shortage during winter despite heavy rainfall during monsoon. Sohra gets soaked in heavy rain. Yet there is not a single drop of water in winter as if this is a desert, she says.
Treat the water better

Unabsorbed pharmaceuticals in the human body find their way to wastewater streams after being excreted, they develop drug
JTS Institute
17

of Dubai was cited in the context of seawater being treated there using a sequential process of conventional and membranebased methods. Since membranebased technologies are not based on chemical treatment, they can rightly be termed green technologies. The keynote address on water purification technologies, delivered by P.K. Tiwari, head, desalination division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, pointed out that water treatment segment in India was estimated to be of the size of $15 billion and was growing at the rate of 18 per cent every year. The gross wastewater generated in the country is 35,000 million litres per day (MLD) and is predicted to reach 83,000 MLD in 2050. Looking at its potential reuse, there is a vast scope for research in wastewater treatment. The Rajasthan government has invited technical education institutions as knowledge partners if they have expertise to investigate and deliver right solutions for water quality problems. The MNIT plans to reuse 70 per cent of its treated wastewater on the campus to reduce the requirement for fresh water. A reference to the traditional source of water supply to the Walled City of Jaipur Ramgarh Lake drying up was also made at the conference, while the participants suggested the use of membrane thermal desalination for the purification of water in the rural areas which lack adequate power supply. Presenting the Rajasthan perspective of the national rural drinking water quality monitoring and surveillance, CCDU director Hemant Joshi highlighted the plans for maintaining water quality in the State and said the quality had been affected because of overexploitation of ground water sources. Pankaj Mathur of Rajasthan office of UNICEF said the World Health Organisation and UNICEF had chalked out a joint monitoring programme for water supply and sanitation. According to the 2011 Census data on drinking water access, five out of 20 persons do not have access to improved drinking water sources in the country. Besides, open defecation results in direct contamination of sources of water supply. A panel discussion at the conference led to a view that the technical institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology, National Institutes of Technology and engineering colleges must join hands to fill up the knowledge gaps to resolve the issue of water quality. taking into account uncertainties about sodiums direct effect on the heart Coxson and her colleagues calculated 280,000 to 500,000 fewer Americans would die over the next decade as a result of that reduction. A more dramatic and immediate decline to 1,500 mg of salt per day across the U.S. population could prevent up to 1.2 million deaths, largely from heart disease or stroke, the researchers calculated. But that isnt very realistic, policywise. The gradual reduction is something that many countries around the world are working on in various ways, Coxson told Reuters Health. For example, she said, some countries have worked with bakers to cut back on sodium in bread, and others have focused on meat and canned goods. The big majority of our intake of sodium is coming from those types of processed foods, Coxson said. The individual at home with their salt shaker only controls maybe 20 to 25 percent of their intake. TOO LITTLE SODIUM? Dr. Michael Alderman from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, said the researchers calculations are missing data on how too little sodium can also raise heart risks, through its effect on blood fats and insulin. They begin with the hypothesis that lowering sodium intake, because it will lower blood pressure - and nobody debates that - will inevitably translate into a reduction in cardiovascular events, he told Reuters Health. But in reality, he said, The net effect of these conflicting consequences of reducing sodium will be the health effect. Alderman said theres no evidence eating less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day is beneficial for the average person. Like every other essential nutrient that I know of, too little is not good for you, and too much is not good for you, he said. For people who do want to cut back on their sodium, Coxson said diet changes are possible despite the influence of the countrys salty, processed food environment.
Reduction in salt intake could prevent deaths

The United States could prevent up to half a million deaths over the next decade if Americans cut their salt intake to within national guidelines, according to a new study. That finding which comes the week New York City announced success toward its goals of cutting salt levels by one-quarter by 2014 is based on computer simulations using data from various studies on the effects of extra sodium on blood pressure and heart risks. The Institute of Medicine recommends most healthy people get 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, with an upper limit of 2,300 mg. But the average American eats more like 3,600 mg each day, largely through processed food. Reducing sodium intake is important for everyone, not just a small subset of people who are salt sensitive, said Pamela Coxson, the studys lead author from the University of California, San Francisco. Although the health effects of a salt cutback may be small for the average person, she said, the results show they add up when projected across millions of Americans. Still, one blood pressure researcher not involved in the new study said the models dont reflect the full picture of health consequences tied to too little or too much salt. Coxson and her colleagues ran three salt-reduction scenarios through models that predicted how a lower-sodium diet would impact a persons risk of having high blood pressure or dying of cardiovascular disease. The most realistic scenario was a gradual decline in Americans average sodium intake over ten years to about 2,200 mg per day. That goal would be optimistic but potentially achievable, the researchers wrote in the journal Hypertension. Based on their calculations and
Swine flu claims 23 lives in Gujarat; 82 under treatment

Swine flu has claimed 23 lives in Gujarat since the onset of winter
JTS Institute
18

and 82 patients are being treated, the government said today. There have been 23 deaths due to swine flu in the state since the latest outbreak of the disease this season. Eighty- two people are being treated in various hospitals, Nitin Patel, Health Minister and Gujarat government spokesperson, told media persons here. The disease, he said, has aggravated because of the prolonged winter. The test kit of swine flu costs Rs 5,000. This kit is being provided free in both staterun and private hospitals, he said. Seven patients in the age bracket of 1-14 years, 43 in 15-45 years and 32 patients above 45 years have been admitted in various hospitals, Patel said. Concept: Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection caused by any one of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus (SIV) or swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs. As of 2009, the known SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2, H2N1, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3. Swine influenza virus is common throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human flu, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human flu, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infection. During the mid-20th century, identification of influenza subtypes became possible, allowing accurate diagnosis of transmission to humans. Since then, only 50 such transmissions have been confirmed. These strains of swine flu rarely pass from human to human. Symptoms of zoonotic swine flu in humans are similar to those of influenza and of influenzalike illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. In August 2010, the World Health Organization declared the swine flu pandemic officially over.
17 February 2013 High-power panel to review Sachar panel report, 15-Point Programme
Ahead of the next general elections in 2014, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government has proposed constitution of a high-power committee to review and assess the implementation of Justice Rajinder Sachar Committees recommendations and Prime Ministers 15-Point Programme. This comes after a barrage of complaints from the Muslim community and a perception widely shared by people inside and outside the government that minority welfare schemes have failed to reach the intended beneficiaries. Talking to The Hindu, Union Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan said the Committee was needed as there was criticism from the community that the implementation of the Sachar Committee recommendations was actually an eyewash. Even though the government has implemented almost all the Sachar Committee recommendations, I honestly feel that the benefits have not reached the intended beneficiaries. So there should be an independent review by people outside the government, he said. Mr. Khan said the committee, which is expected to be announced soon, would be given a timeframe to submit its report in. It will suggest ways to improve the delivery mechanism. Experts like Dr. Amitabh Kundu from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and Dr. Manzoor Alam from the Institute of Objective Studies have been approached by the government to be a part of the committee. While highlighting the governments attempt to reach out to more members of the minority community, Mr. Khan said that in the 12th Five-Year Plan the government has made blocks and not districts as the unit of planning for implementation of the MultiSectoral Development Programmes (MSDP). As many as 776 minority-concentrated blocks in 196 districts have been identified for coverage under MSDP which aims to improve the socioeconomic standards of the minority communities.
Sources in the Congress said the government came up with the proposal of constituting the committee after numerous delegations led by Muslim groups met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to make a point about the minority welfare schemes being ineffective. The minority communitys argument about the need for restructuring of minority schemes was strengthened, they said, by several research reports, including one by former National Advisory Council member Harsh Mander, whose Center for Equity Studies (CES) has termed the flagship programme MSDP blunt and ineffective. However, the government had rubbished the CES report. The scale of government intervention is too small to touch even the fringes of the numbers who live with these deprivations, the CES report had stated, while underlining the institutional failure in dealing with the development deficit which was highlighted by the Sachar Committee report. The immediate trigger for the proposal for the committee was another well-publicised research paper by chief scholar at the U.S.India Policy Institute Abusaleh Shariff in which he argued that there was no perceptible improvement in the status of Muslims.
The health of nations

The United Nations has been drawing attention in recent years to the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, which have been adding to morbidity and premature deaths in most countries. In a declaration issued at a high-level meeting in 2011, the U.N. argued that low and middle income countries should actively pursue public health policies that will reduce the incidence of NCDs arising from diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and a high body mass index. One of the countries that is at the epicentre of these health concerns is India, due mainly to weak public health policies and changing lifestyles. As The Lancet points out in recent commentary, much of the burden of non-communicable diseases is linked to the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and ultraprocessed food and drink (which are energy dense but nutrient poor). The public health community
JTS Institute
19

now unanimously accepts the link between these and a higher burden of NCDs. Neglect of chronic diseases by India has, according to the World Health Organisation, cost the country $9 billion in 2005 due to premature deaths caused by heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Over a 10-year period, the losses are projected to rise to a colossal aggregate of $237 billion. While tobacco and alcohol are receiving close scrutiny as key factors influencing disease burdens, including cancer, the role of ultra-processed packaged food is not getting the attention it deserves. The makers of all forms of packaged food see India as a gigantic emerging market and source of profit growth. Moreover, advanced markets are saturated. It is here that regulation of unhealthy food holds the key. The primary goal should be to use taxation, labelling and awareness creation to make high-energy, low nutrition foods unattractive to the consumer. There is a deplorable trend among food manufacturers to push less harmful packaged food as being actually healthy. This travesty must be reversed through determined policy intervention, and consumption of wholesome, fresh meals high in vegetable and fruit content must be encouraged. It is relevant to point out here that the biscuit industry has been lobbying in India to displace fresh-cooked food in the school noon meal programme, with its own packaged products, drawing sharp criticism from nutritionists and development experts. Packaged meals high in calories, sugar and salt are no substitute for fresh food and actually cause harm. They can only add to the risk of death by cardiovascular disease, estimated to be about five million by 2020. By contrast, a dramatic decline in death due to infectious diseases is projected. The agenda for social and political action is clear. by the heat of the atmosphere, but those that survive and strike the Earth are called meteorites. They often hit the ground at tremendous speed up to 30,000 km an hour, according to the European Space Agency. That releases a huge amount of force. Experts say smaller strikes happen five to 10 times a year. Large impacts such as the one Friday in Russia are rarer but still occur about every five years, according to Addi Bischoff, a mineralogist at the University of Muenster in Germany. Most of these strikes happen in uninhabited areas where they dont cause injuries to humans. WHAT CAUSED THE DAMAGE IN RUSSIA? Alan Harris, a senior scientist at the German Aerospace Centre in Berlin, said most of the damage would have been caused by the explosion of the meteor as it broke up in the atmosphere. The explosion caused a shockwave that sent windows and loose objects flying through the air in a radius of several kilometres. By the time the remaining fragments hit the ground they would have been too small to cause significant damage far from the site of impact, he said. IS THERE ANY LINK TO THE ASTEROID FLYBY TAKING PLACE LATER FRIDAY? No, its just cosmic coincidence, according to European Space Agency spokesman Bernhard von Weyhe, who says Asteroid 2012DA14 is unrelated to the meteorite strike in Russia. WHEN WAS THE LAST COMPARABLE METEORITE STRIKE? In 2008, astronomers spotted a meteor heading toward Earth about 20 hours before it entered the atmosphere. It exploded over the vast African nation of Sudan, causing no known injuries. The largest known meteorite strike in recent times was the Tunguska event that hit Russia in 1908. Even that strike, which was far bigger than the one that happened over Russia on Friday, didnt injure anyone. Scientists believe that an even larger meteorite strike may have been responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago. According to that theory, the impact would have thrown up vast amounts of dust that blanketed the sky for decades and altered the climate on Earth. WHAT CAN SCIENTISTS LEARN FROM THE URALS STRIKE? Mr. Bischoff says scientists and treasure hunters are probably already racing to find pieces of the meteorite. Some meteorites can be very valuable, selling for up to 500 ($670) per gram depending on their exact composition. Because meteors have remained largely unchanged for billions of years unlike rocks on Earth that have been affected by erosion and volcanic outbreaks scientists will study the fragments to learn more about the origins of matter. Mr. Harris, of the German Aerospace Centre, says some meteorites are also believed to carry organic material and may have influenced the development of life on Earth. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A METEORITE HIT A MAJOR CITY? Scientists hope never to find out, but theyre still trying to prepare for such an event. Von Weyhe, the European Space Agency spokesman, says experts from Europe, the United States and Russia are already discussing how to spot potential threats sooner and avert them. But dont expect a Hollywood style mission to fly a nuclear bomb into space and blow up the asteroid.
Studies confirm cosmic rays originate in the aftermath of exploding stars

Hundred years after Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays in 1912, astronomers have finally found proof of what they had always suspected but could not find direct evidence that these highly energetic particles, which are constantly bombarding the Earths atmosphere from all directions, originate in the aftermath of exploding stars, or supernovae as they are called, which are the most energetic events in the galaxy. Importantly, the proof is doubly strengthened as the evidence has come from two different experiments one space-based and the other ground-based which have looked at different supernova remnants (SNRs) in different parts of the sky and interpreted their observations from different physical perspectives. The results of both experiments have been published in the latest issue of Science. The first is based on years of data from two 10,000-year-old SNRs IC443 (which is 5,000 light years away in the constellation Gemini) and W44 (which is 10,000 light years away in the constellation
Meteorites strike Earth every few months

A meteor exploded in the sky above Russia on Friday, causing a shockwave that blew out windows injuring hundreds of people and sending fragments falling to the ground in the Ural Mountains. Heres a look at those objects in the sky whats the difference between a meteor and a meteorite? Meteors are pieces of space rock, usually from larger comets or asteroids, which enter the Earths atmosphere. Many are burned up
JTS Institute
20

Aquila) gathered by NASAs Fermi Gamma Ray Telescope (launched in June 2008). The experiment is led by scientists of the Kavli Institute for Particle Physics and Cosmology at the SLAC National Accelerator laboratory. The second is based on detailed observations of the remnants of a 1,000-year-old supernova SN1006 with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile. The research was carried out by astronomers from the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg. Supernovae occur in our galaxy 2 to 3 times a century when a massive star explodes. While the stars core remains as a neutron star, or a black hole, the rest is ejected into the space in the form of rapidly expanding debris behind a powerful shockwave. As the remnant expands, it gathers the low density interstellar gas (about one particle/cm3) and gradually decelerates but the imprint remains in the sky for thousands of years which is what astronomers study to solve the mystery of cosmic rays. Cosmic rays mostly comprise protons (about 90%), electrons and other nuclei. The two experiments claim to have found tell-tale evidence of the protons being accelerated to nearly the speed of light by the shockwave that precedes the ejecta from the supernovae. This acceleration occurs due to a mechanism proposed in 1949 by Enrico Fermi after whom the space telescope has been named in which protons are trapped in the fastmoving shock region by magnetic fields that travel with the shock front and are boosted to high speeds when they are repeatedly reflected in the magnetic field. With each round trip, protons gain energy by about 1 per cent. After several tens to hundreds of such round trips, the protons are travelling at nearly the speed of light when they are able to break free from the shockwave front. But because protons get deflected by any magnetic field they encounter on the way to the Earth, and their paths are totally scrambled, tracing them back to their source becomes impossible. It is for this reason that one could not unambiguously say cosmic rays are produced in the SNRs. So scientists look for indirect signatures of this acceleration. One such signature is the production of gamma rays (high-energy photons), when these speeding protons meet slow-moving protons in the surrounding clouds of gas or dust in the debris. These protonproton collisions create chargeless particles called neutral pions. The pions, in turn, decay quickly into two gamma ray photons. Unlike protons, photons, being neutral, are unaffected by intervening stellar magnetic fields and travel in straight lines, which can be traced back to the source. The problem is that there are different processes in the universe that produce gamma rays. But the energy of gamma rays from pion decays have a characteristic energy range arising from the fact that the pion has a rest mass of 135 MeV (in energy units through E=mc relation) which is divided between the two photons. Accordingly, the gamma ray spectrum declines steeply toward lower energies. Detecting the lower-end cut-off would be clear proof that the gamma rays observed by the Fermi Telescope are from the decaying pions formed by protons accelerated within the SNRs. The SLAC team analysed four years of data collected by the Fermi observatorys Large Area Telescope (LAT), whose efficiency is just right to look at gamma rays in this distinctive energy band, from the two SNRs, IC 443 and W44 and, by measuring photons down up to 60 MeV, found that the gamma ray photons did have the low energy cut-off. But such gamma rays can also come from another competing source: electron bremsstrahlung where high energy electrons emit gamma rays because of deceleration when they pass atomic nuclei, which can occur within the SNRs. But the authors, Stefan Funk and colleagues, have modelled the observed gamma ray spectrum based on both the possible processes but find that while the pion decay mechanism fits the spectrum without any further assumptions, electron bremsstrahlung requires an ad hoc assumption to be made with regard to the electron energy spectrum in a way that is not consistent with the radio astronomy observations on the synchrotron radiation from such electrons. This has led them to conclude that the observed gamma ray spectra provide direct evidence for the acceleration of protons in the SNRs. The arguments are persuasive, but not yet conclusive, said Professor Sunil Gupta, a cosmic ray scientist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental research (TIFR). The other ground-based experiment using the VLT has attempted to actually see the presence of fast-moving protons in the shock region through a different signature. The team, led by Sladjana Nikoloc, has used the instrument called Visible Multi Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) on the VLT to look at the remnant of SN1006 designated so because it was seen in the south-western skies in the year 1006 in various parts of the world in more detail than ever before. The scientists wanted to study what exactly happens where the high-speed ejecta is ploughing into the expanding high-velocity shock front. For the first time, the team has not just obtained information about the shock front but also built up a map of the properties of the gas, and how these properties change across the shock front. In particular, they have looked at the characteristics of a particular emission line of hydrogen (protons are nuclei of hydrogen atoms) called H-alpha Balmer line, which dominate the spectra of hydrogen in the environments of shocks surrounding SNRs. This directly probes the proton populations in the pre-shock and post-shock phases and the broadening of the spectral line is a measure of the velocity distribution of the protons.
Discharge-free transport
The year 2013 started on a green note with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launching the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 (NEMMP), under which the government plans to spend at least Rs. 13,000 crore to Rs. 14,000 crore in the next eight years to promote electric and hybrid vehicle on Indian roads. The NEMMP document claims that the subsidies would reduce carbon dioxide emission up to 1.5 per cent, eliminate the need for up to 2.5 million tons of fuel, and add six to seven million electric vehicles to the roads by 2020. Again, auto-major Mahindra announced the launch of its new model electric vehicle e20. That was a good enough beginning for Indias nascent electric vehicle (EV) market. Frost & Sullivan forecasts the market for electric passenger
JTS Institute
21

vehicles in India to reach 20,400 units by 2014-15 from 810 units a year in 2009-10. Similarly, the twowheeler EV market will grow from 0.14 million units in 2009-10 to 0.45 million units in 2015-16. In India, the major players in the electric bike segment include Hero Electric, Yo bikes, Lohia Auto Industries and TI Cycles BSA Motors. Mahindra Reva is the only domestic electric car brand currently. However, almost all the companies are finding it difficult to sell EVs to the Indian consumers who show reluctance to pay a premium to go electric. A recent TERI report says that the growth in EV market needs to be fuelled with organic consumer demand rather than being incentivised by the government to buy electric vehicle, which is currently the case. The Indian consumer is price, fuel economy and style conscious and will therefore appreciate the long term savings of EV versus Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). In which case, growth of the EV value chain must be fuelled by organic consumer demand, and not pushed by unsustainable government subsidies for consumers, to drive purchases, says the report. The running cost of an electric twowheeler is one-tenth of a conventional petrol-driven scooter at Re. 1 per 100 km, which is just the cost of charging the battery. An electric vehicle needs eight hours to fully recharge. Nevertheless, it always carries the fear of battery running out. The TERI report points to the need to invest in public charging point for the electric vehicle that would besides providing much relief against low battery life of these vehicles, will also give visibility to electric vehicles and comfort potential buyers. Rising price of crude in the international market, rapid urbanisation, impending public transport infrastructure breakdown and rising number of vehicles on road all point to the need for green mobility options and EVs can fill that vacuum. laws including greater authority to nail manipulators by way of powers to conduct search and seizure operations and to demand information from any person in relation to its probes. It has also proposed the recovery of monetary penalties through Income-Tax arrear mechanism, setting up of special courts to deal with criminal prosecution for violation of securities laws and recognition of Sebis counsels as public prosecutors. The proposals have been discussed by the Sebi board and are being sent to the Ministry of Finance for necessary amendments to the relevant securities laws, a senior regulatory official said. Sebi has decided to pursue these proposed amendments in view of the challenges faced by it in areas such as the recovery and realisation of monetary penalties and regulation of pooling of monies from public by schemes including those in the nature of collective investments, among others. The market regulator has been facing impediments on its investigation and enforcement powers with regard to protecting investments by attachment of assets. It has also faced challenges to enforcement and implementation of its orders, the official said. In addition, Sebi has been facing restrained in taking necessary actions against market manipulators as it lacks an effective power of search and seizure, and due to limited sharing of information with overseas regulators as well as lack of power to call for information from any person in relation to inquiry or investigation. Sebi had last sought amendments to the Securities Laws in 2009 and had sent its recommendations to the Finance Ministry. However, the Ministry later informed it that Sebi should pursue only critical amendments for the time being, as the government had set up a Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) to rewrite and harmonise the entire gamut of financial sector laws. Accordingly, Sebi in 2011 forwarded a proposal conaining only critical amendments to securities laws, which it felt cannot wait long and must be perused independent of the recommendation of the FSLRC. The Finance Ministry in December had sought certain clarifications with regard to the proposed amendments, pursuant to which Sebi has now decided to limit its proposals to the most important and critical amendments and keeping the others for consideration after FSLRC recommendations.
18 February 2013 China takes control of Gwadar Port

China on Monday took control of Pakistans Gwadar Port located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf just outside the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The official transfer of Concession Agreement from the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) to the China Overseas Port Holding Company was carried out in the presence of President Asif Ali Zardari. Mr. Zardari described the development as another manifestation of growing PakistanChina relations. About the projects strategic importance, the President said nearly 60 per cent of Chinas crude oil was imported from the Gulf countries. The proximity of the Gulf countries to Gwadar would facilitate the oil flow to it, he pointed out. Last month, the federal Cabinet had approved the transfer of Gwadar Deep Sea Port to the Chinese. Billed as Pakistans biggest infrastructure project, the port has failed as a business venture till date because the security situation in Balochistan discouraged PSA from investing in the development of the port and offshore infrastructure. Add to this the governments failure to transfer 584 acres under Navys possession to the port. Though China which had invested in the construction of the port had been a contender for running the port, PSA bagged the contract for 40 years during the Musharraf era. While PSA won the bid, the widely held perception is that former President Pervez Musharraf awarded the contract to the Singapore entity to keep the U.S. happy as Chinese control over the port on a major shipping route not only facilitates access to oil producing countries but also provides a major gateway for Chinese goods. In August last year, the federal government announced that PSA
Sebi seeks overhaul of securities laws for greater powers

Market regulator Sebi has sought major overhaul of the securities
JTS Institute
22

had been allowed to quit the 40year management, operation, maintenance and development contract in view of the failure to transfer the 584 acres. This issue remains unresolved despite the federal and provincial governments offering land elsewhere in lieu to the Navy recommended the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to charge ISP companies amount equivalent to what companies mobile phone service providers paid for licences. This is the cost if you want to enter voice telephony business. We support government not bundling spectrum with this payment, Cellular Operators Association of Indias Director General Rajan S Mathews said. The Association of United Telecom Service Providers of India (Auspi), however, said the charge of Rs 1,658 crore is minuscule compared to the amount that companies paid for 3G spectrum. Telecom Commissions reported action will allow BWA licencees to offer Pan India Voice after paying a paltry incremental amount of Rs 83 crores per MHz. Given that the difference between the prices of 3G and BWA on a per MHz prices was Rs 1,033 crores per MHz, Auspi Secretary General Ashok Sud said. Internet Service Providers Association of Indias President Rajesh Chharia criticised the decision and said: This is not at all a level-playing field. These charges are abnormally high without spectrum. In 2010, six private players RJI, Bharti Airtel, Aircel, Qualcomm, Tikona Digital and Augere had won BWA spectrum. The Telecom Commission deferred decision on single entity providing both telecom and television services like mobile calling services, DTH, cable TV that would charge customers for all these services through a single bill. We are putting framework in place to enable this model but it will require recommendation from TRAI and can be done in phase 2 of UL, Mr. Chandrashekhar said. Decision on IP-1 deferred The TC also deferred decision on bringing telecom tower companies, called IP1, under licences. Issue of IP1 operators under UL regime was deferred and it was decided that this required further study of certain aspects, Mr. Chandrashekhar said. Companies such as Bharti Infratel, GTL Infrastructure, Indus Towers are involved in IP1 business. The DoT committee had recommended bringing IP1 companies under licence regime. Telecom regulator TRAI has recommended a charge of 8 per cent licence fee to IP1 companies once they are brought under licences. Concept: In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of mobile phone mobile communications standards. It is a successor of the third generation (3G) standards. A 4G system provides mobile ultrabroadband Internet access, for example to laptops with USB wireless modems, to smartphones, and to other mobile devices. Conceivable applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, 3D television and Cloud Computing. Two 4G candidate systems are commercially deployed: the Mobile WiMAX standard (at first in South Korea in 2006), and the firstrelease Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard (in Oslo, Norway since 2009). It has however been debated if these first-release versions should be considered to be 4G or not, as discussed in the technical definition section below. In the U.S., Sprint Nextel has deployed Mobile WiMAX networks since 2008, and MetroPCS was the first operator to offer LTE service in 2010. USB wireless modems have been available since the start, while WiMAX smartphones have been available since 2010, and LTE smartphones since 2011. Equipment made for different continents are not always compatible, because of different frequency bands. Mobile WiMAX are currently (April 2012) not available for the European market. In Australia, Telstra launched the countrys first 4G network (LTE) in September 2011 claiming 2100 Mbps speeds and announced an aggressive expansion of that network in 2012.
4G spectrum holders can provide call facility

Inter-ministerial body Telecom Commission on Monday approved a recommendation that allows companies having ISP licences and holding 4G spectrum to offer phone calls services by paying a fee of Rs 1,658 crore each, a decision that left industry bodies divided. The Telecom Commission decision, if finally approved by Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, will allow companies such as Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJI), Augere, Tikona Digital, if they want, to offer mobile phone service using BWA spectrum that they won in 2010 auction. The Commission broadly endorsed recommendation of DoT committee with regard to Unified Licensing regime...The ISP (Internet service provider) licence holder who hold BWA spectrum if they wish to provide using that spectrum then an additional fee of Rs 1,658 crore will be levied for migration to unified licences (UL), Telecom Commission Chairman R Chandrashekhar, who is also the Telecom Secretary, said here. The framework for new licences will be ready by end of this financial year, he added. For companies who wish to continue to provide limited services like only Internet services under cafeteria approach they can do so with a lower entry fee which will be same as present, Mr. Chandrashekhar said. Telecom service providers who want to provide any additional services apart from their current offerings, will have to go for unified licence. In case of mergers and acquisitions also, the companies need to go for unified licence. UL (Unified licence) does not include any spectrum. Grant of UL including migration to UL does not include any spectrum, Mr. Chandrashekhar said. Industry divided Reacting to the development, GSM industry body COAI said that it had
How to balance growth and contain inflation?

All the macroeconomic numbers are in, but barring headline inflation based on the wholesale price index (WPI), which is only mildly positive, none of the other indicators provide any level of comfort or confidence to Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in preparation of his budget for the new fiscal. Having committed to investors at home and at recent road shows abroad on presenting a
JTS Institute
23

responsible Budget, adhering to the path of fiscal consolidation to contain the fiscal deficit at 5.3 per cent of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 2012-13 and bring it down to 4.8 per cent in 2013-14, particularly irksome for Mr. Chidambaram possibly a rude shock was the CSOs (Central Statistics Office) Advance Estimates projecting a mere 5 per cent GDP growth in 2012-13. No wonder, in separate statements, the Finance Ministry as well as Mr. Chidambaram himself questioned the CSOs projection, arguing that the GDP growth this fiscal would be in the region of 5.55.7 per cent. It was also pointed out that the 5 per cent growth forecast was a gross underestimate as the CSO had failed to factor in the green shoots in the economy. North Blocks protests on GDP growth were not without reason. For, it was only in late January during his road show in Hong Kong that the Finance Minister had exuded confidence on economic recovery setting in. Having buried the ghost of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) which had scared away foreign investors, Mr. Chidambaram had said: At the end of this year, we will achieve the target of 5.3 per cent of fiscal deficit and next year I will budget for fiscal deficit no more than 4.8 per cent. Predictably, his optimism stemmed from the data Mr. Chidambaram had on GDP growth. The projection I have received is that [the] economy will grow above 6 per cent [in 2013]. My own assessment is it will be between 6 and 7 per cent. Will be happy if it is closer to 7 per cent, but we should be happy if it is 6 to 7 per cent, he had said. To North Blocks chagrin, the controversy over GDP growth estimates has been set at rest by the dismal factory output figure as measured by the IIP (Index of Industrial Production). As per the data, also released by the CSO, industrial output contracted by 0.6 per cent in December, the second such consecutive monthly decline, owing to poor shows by the entire manufacturing sector including capital, intermediate and consumer goods and mining coupled with a deceleration in the services sector growth. In effect, the recovery process still remains illusive as the cumulative IIP growth for the ninemonth period (April-December) works out to a mere 0.7 per cent as against a 3.7 per cent growth in the year-ago period with just the last quarter (January-March) left for a likely transformation as a result of the reforms initiated thus far. Surely, the CSOs growth estimate has turned out to be a major setback to Budget formulation. For the simple reason that the fiscal deficit at 5.1 per cent of the GDP later eased to 5.3 per cent owing to economic uncertainties and other targets pegged in the Budget presented by the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were based on a higher GDP growth assumption. Now, with GDP growth in 2012-13 projected way lower at 5 per cent is likely to upset the budgetary arithmetic as the twin deficits on the fiscal side and current account deficit (CAD) are designated as a percentage of the GDP and both are burgeoning wide off the target. In effect, adhering to the fiscal deficit target in a shrinking GDP will turn out to be a much more challenging task. Not just that. With low manufacturing output and subdued consumer demand, tax realisations are tepid and the overall revenue collection target set for 2012-13 is unlikely to be met as the mop-up on the indirect taxes front. To make up the shortfall, aggressive measures are afoot to add whatever is possible to the revenue kitty. If this was not bad enough, the trade gap is also widening at last count it was at $ 20 billion in January following a steep rise in imports of oil and gold while exports have largely remained muted owing to downturn in markets abroad. As a consequence, the CAD is widening beyond sustainable levels, adversely impacting the exchange rate of the rupee. So, we have a macroeconomic situation where the GDP growth rate is faltering and needs a dose of adrenalin, industrial growth is straying almost to negative territory and needs steps to kick-start investment, fiscal deficit is way up and needs to be contained and the CAD needs to be tamed by either higher exports or larger foreign capital inflows. Unless these ills are effectively tackled, India runs the risk of a rating downgrade, as threatened by global rating agencies. The only silver lining is the decline in WPI inflation, despite the fact that food inflation at the retail level is almost near 11 per cent. The Finance Minister thus is faced with an exercise in contradiction. While food inflation can be brought down by looking into the supply-side problems in the long term and is not particularly a budget initiative per se interest rates need to be eased to induce consumer spending as also kick-start investment by corporates at a time when there is not much space for either fiscal or monetary stimulus. The current gloomy scenario thus calls for a fine balance between growth spurs and steps to contain inflation with effective measures to wean away investment from idle gold assets to the equity markets. Apart from high oil imports, a major reason for a widening CAD is the increased investment in gold, not just as a hedge against inflation, but also as a speculative commodity to make a fast buck. From all accounts, the Finance Minister has a challenging task on hand, possibly the toughest one among his earlier Budget presentations. The irony is that this is the UPA II governments last fullfledged budget before the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and party constituents would be duly looking forward to a presentation by Mr. Chidambaram on February 28 tinged with some populist measures to woo the electorate. But does the Finance Minister have the scope? Precious little.
Another wet spell likely over Delhi, north-west India

Delhi and other parts of north-west India could be in for another wet spell later this week, making it one of the wettest Februarys for the region. According to the India Meteorological Department, another western disturbance was on its way and it could bring in more rain or thundershowers to Delhi and States adjoining it during the weekend February 23 and 24. The rainfall over Delhi is likely to commence in the early morning of 23rd and continue till 24th morning, a statement from IMD said. Besides Delhi, the system is expected to affect north Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh. Thunderstorms accompanied by hail storms may occur at one or two places in the region during the two days. In addition, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand could receive heavy to moderate rain or snowfall between February 21 and 24. The upcoming event is the third
JTS Institute
24

spell of western disturbance to affect the north-west India since the beginning of this month. Noting that western disturbances were not unusual for February normally five such systems affect the region during this month, a spokesperson of the IMD said what was significant about this year was that the quantity and spatial distribution of the precipitation has been much more than normal both over the plain and the foothills of the Himalayas. This was because the induced systems associated with western disturbances this year were in the form of depression or a low pressure areas instead of the usual upper air cyclonic circulations and this led to moisture incursions from both Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and their convergence over the region. Following the first two spells the first from February 4 to 6 and the second from February 15 to 17, some meteorological stations in the region have already broken old records for rainfalls for the entire month of February. Lucknow, for instance, has recorded a total rainfall of 135.7 mm, an all time record for the month, while at Dehra Dun, the precipitation recorded so far is the highest after 1961 and at Barmer in Rajasthan it is highest after 1939. In Delhi, the meteorological station at Safdardjung has recorded a total rainfall of 93 mm, which is the fifth highest since 1901 for the entire month of February after 143.2 mm in 1915, 128.2 mm in 1942, 123.5 mm in 1990 and 96.6 mm in 1954. The spokesperson said the ensuing rains could be the last wet spell of the current winter season. Concept: Western Disturbance is the term used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal to describe an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean that brings sudden winter rain and snow to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. This is a nonmonsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the Westerlies. The moisture in these storms usually originates over the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Extratropical storms are a global, rather than a localized, phenomena with moisture usually carried in the upper atmosphere (unlike tropical storms where it is carried in the lower atmosphere). In the case of the subcontinent, moisture is sometimes shed as rain when the storm system encounters the Himalayas. Western Disturbances are important to the development of the Rabi crop in the northern subcontinent, which includes the locally important staple wheat. the Earth-Moon system. This new discovery is a twin for one we reported on last year in the Eromanga Basin in south-western Queensland called the Tookoonooka Crater. It looks like both impacted at the same time.He also said that there is a link between this site and a nearby potential impact site on the South Australian/Northern Territory border known as the West Warburton geophysical anomaly, and another site at Woodleigh in Western Australia.
Over 300 million years old asteroid impact zone found in Australia
Scientists in Australia have found a major ancient asteroid impact zone on Earth in the countrys outback, dating back to over 300 million years. The impact zone, which centres on the East Warburton Basin in north-eastern South Australia, was caused by an asteroid up to 20 kilometres-wide that slammed into the planet between 298 and 360 million years ago, researchers at Australian National University (ANU) and University of Queensland have claimed. Terrain around the impact site shows evidence of changes caused by shock-wave related deformation and heating of the ground by an impact event, Andrew Glikson of ANU was quoted as saying by Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This shock metamorphic terrain covers an area of over 30,000 square kilometres making it the thirdlargest site of its kind ever discovered on Earth, Glikson said. To confirm the area was an impact zone, Glikson and colleagues studied quartz grains retrieved from drill holes. Optical and electron microscopic examination revealed tiny fractures, which indicate the quartz grains had been shocked by an asteroid or meteor impact. This is the only way these features are formed, he said. Follow up observations detected deep seismic anomalies below the terrain where the samples were taken. This allowed us to determine the scale of the impact site which is buried under four kilometres of younger sediments, he said. He said that there is a link between this impact site and three or four other large impact sites of the same age scattered around Australia. Asteroid impacts commonly occur in clusters of two or more projectiles, he said, adding Where impacts are nearcontemporaneous theyre usually fragments of a larger body broken apart by the gravitational effect of
Astronomers detect breakthrough cosmic dark matter filament

For the first time, astronomers have found direct evidence that the Universe is filled with a giant weblike structure of dark matter, arrayed in vast filaments between the galaxies. A team including Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) researchers Norbert Werner and Aurora Simionescu and led by Jorg Dietrich of the University of Michigan, has presented evidence for the first detection of the presence of a cosmic web filament. The filament in question stretches between two large galaxy clusters, known as Abell 222 and 223. The teams evidence for a filament is two-fold, according to the study published in the journal Nature. On one hand, they were able to reconstruct the mass distribution of the two clusters and the region in between them using the technique of weak gravitational lensing. Weak lensing is where a concentration of mass subtly distorts the observed shapes of background objects because of the way matter bends light. In the case of the current measurement, weak lensing observations revealed that the mass distribution included an overdense filament between the two clusters. From the X-ray data, they estimate that the mass of this collection of hot ordinary matter in the filament is about 6 trillion times the mass of the Sun. Even so, it is only a tiny fraction of the total mass of the filament, which they estimate from the measurements to be ten or more times that, so that 90 per cent or more of the filament mass is in the form of dark matter, consistent with
JTS Institute
25
predictions that the cosmic web filaments are entirely dominated by dark matter, according to KIPAC statement. Actually observing the structure of the cosmic dark matter web would be a stunning confirmation of our current understanding of dark matter and dark energy over the history of the Universe, and could open the door to much deeper understanding going forward, researchers said. Any observation of the web has evaded astronomers, until now. This observation is confirmation that a filament of dark matter exists between two massive galaxy clusters. In the past 15 years, a remarkable consensus has emerged that the Universe is completely dominated by unseen dark matter and dark energy. Linear filaments of dark matter stretch across the enormous distances between galaxy clusters, and where the filaments intersect mass is concentrated and galaxy clusters form and grow from ordinary matter. The cosmic web structure arises due to the way that dark matter particles swarm together because of their gravitational attraction combined with the pull of the everexpanding Universe.
12 February - 18 February 2013 Scientists discover water on Moons oldest rocks

Researchers have detected traces of water within the crystalline structure of one of the oldest rocks obtained from the Apollo missions on Moon. The new findings indicate that the early Moon was wet and that water there was not substantially lost during the Moons formation. The lunar highlands are thought to represent the original crust, crystallised from a magma ocean on a mostly molten early Moon, according to a University of Michigan study.Researchers used Infrared spectroscopy to analyse the water content in grain of plagioclase feldspar from lunar anorthosites - highland rocks composed of more than 90 per cent plagioclase. The brightcoloured highlands rocks are thought to have formed early in the Moons history when plagioclase crystallised from a magma ocean and floated to the surface. The infrared spectroscopy work detected about 6 parts per million of water in the lunar anorthosites. The surprise discovery of this work is that in lunar rocks, even in nominally water-free minerals such as plagioclase feldspar, the water content can be detected. Its not liquid water that was measured during these studies but
hydroxyl groups distributed within the mineral grain, researcher Youxue Zhang said in a statement. We are able to detect those hydroxyl groups in the crystalline structure of the Apollo samples, said studys first author Hejiu Hui from the University of Notre Dame. The hydroxyl groups the team detected are evidence that the lunar interior contained significant water during the Moons early molten state, before the crust solidified, and may have played a key role in the development of lunar basalts. The results also contradict the predominant lunar formation theory that the Moon was formed from debris generated during a giant impact between Earth and another planetary body, approximately the size of Mars.Because these are some of the oldest rocks from the Moon, the water is inferred to have been in the Moon when it formed, Zhang said.That is somewhat difficult to explain with the current popular moon-formation model, in which the Moon formed by collecting the hot ejecta as the result of a super-giant impact of a martian-size body with the protoEarth. Under should almost water, that model, the hot ejecta have been degassed completely, eliminating all Zhang said.
JTS Institute
26
th February - 11 February 2013 Issue-6/2013 (5 th February to 115 February)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
5 February 2013 Tsunami hits Solomon Islands
1. A powerful earthquake off the Solomon Islands generated a tsunami of about 5 feet that damaged dozens of homes in the South Pacific island chain on Wednesday, but authorities cancelled warnings for tsunamis on more distant coasts. 2. Solomons officials reported two 4 foot, 11-inch) waves hit the western side of Santa Cruz Island, damaging around 50 homes and properties, said George Herming, a spokesman for the Prime Minister. There were no reports of injuries or deaths. Villagers were heading for higher ground as a precaution, Mr.Herming said.The tsunami formed after an 8.0-magnitude earthquake near Lata in Temotu province, the easternmost province of the Solomons. 3. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said a tsunami of about 3 feet was measured in Lata wharf, in the Solomon Islands. The centre said an 11-centimetre wave was observed in neighbouring Vanuatu.The centre cancelled earlier warnings for tsunami waves further away.There was no immediate report of damages or any accidents, said George Herming, a spokesman for the Prime Minister. Weve been hoping that reports will come in from the responsible authorities ... very soon. 4. The tsunami warning is in effect for the Solomons, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna. A tsunami watch is in effect for American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand and eastern Indonesia.The US Geological Survey said the quake struck 81 kilometres west of Lata, at a depth of 5.8 kilometres.More than 50 people were killed and thousands lost their homes in April 2007 when a magnitude-8.1 quake hit the western Solomon Islands, sending waves crashing into coastal villages. Concept: The Pacific Ring of Fire, or just Ring of Fire for short, is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the worlds active and dormant volcanoes. It is sometimes called the circumPacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt. About 90% of the worlds earthquakes and 81% of the worlds largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. Also, many of the worlds volcanoes are located here. The next most seismic region (56% of earthquakes and 17% of the worlds largest earthquakes) is the Alpide belt, which extends from Java to Sumatra through the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the third most prominent earthquake belt. The Ring of Fire is a direct result of plate tectonics and the movement and collisions of lithospheric plates. The eastern section of the ring is the result of the Nazca Plate and the Cocos Plate being subducted beneath the westward moving South American Plate. The Cocos Plate is being subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate, in Central America. A portion of the Pacific Plate along with the small Juan de Fuca Plate are being subducted beneath the North American Plate. Along the northern portion, the northwestward-moving Pacific plate is being subducted beneath the Aleutian Islands arc. Farther west, the Pacific plate is being subducted along the Kamchatka Peninsula arcs on south past Japan. The southern portion is more complex, with a number of smaller tectonic plates in collision with the Pacific plate from the Mariana Islands, the Philippines, Bougainville, Tonga, and New Zealand; this portion excludes Australia, since it lies in the center of its tectonic plate. Indonesia lies between the Ring of Fire along the northeastern islands adjacent to and including New Guinea and the Alpide belt along the south and west from Sumatra, Java, Bali, Flores, and Timor. The famous and very active San Andreas Fault zone of California is a transform fault which offsets a portion of the East Pacific Rise under southwestern United States and Mexico. The motion of the fault generates numerous small earthquakes, at multiple times a day, most of which are too small to be felt. The active Queen Charlotte Fault on the west coast of the Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada, has generated three large earthquakes during the 20th century: a magnitude 7 event in 1929; a magnitude 8.1 in 1949 (Canadas largest recorded earthquake); and a magnitude 7.4 in 1970.
SARAL launch between February 22 and 25

1. The launch of SARAL satellite that will study the ocean currents and sea surface heights by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C20)0 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh will take place any time between February 22 and 25. The vehicle will put six other satellites also into orbit. 2. As per earlier plans, a PSLV-20, with the seven satellites, was to lift off on February 13/14 from the first launch pad at the SatishDhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. 3. The PSLV core-alone version was fully stacked up in the launch pad and the vehicles and the satellites are all right, he said. All the seven satellites had arrived at
JTS Institute

Sriharikota but they have not been integrated with the rocket.It is the VSSC which has built the PSLVC20. It is the nerve centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). SMALL DELAYS 1. Asked whether fresh glitches had arisen during the testing of SARAL, he said there were no problems. There were small delays but there was always a cushion for the launch and so the PSLV-C20s liftoff had now been rescheduled between February 22 and 25, Mr.Ramakrishnan said. 2. SARAL stands for Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika. French space agency CNES contributed the two payloads to the 400-kg SARAL: Argos-3 for data collection and Altikameter for measuring the height of the sea surface. would reduce the ice mass balance even as it resulted in formation of new lakes with loose moraine. This in turn could lead to a sudden breach of the unstable moraine dams and the phenomenon of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), posing a serious hazard to settlements downstream. She said many previous studies in the Himayalan region revealed that the rate of melting was increasing. If the same trend continued, glaciers would vanish in the long-term, adversely impacting the storage of freshwater resources as also hydro-power generation. 5. In a bid to overcome any future problem, she suggested that foundations of such morainedammed lakes should be strengthened. Besides by studying the rate of glacier melting, it could be predicted when a lake would burst and the people living downstream could be forewarned, she added. Colombia or FARC. Its President, Ral Castro took over the Presidency of CELAC for 2013 in Santiago. Cuba remains outside the Organisation of American States, which includes all CELAC members, plus the United States and Canada, since its expulsion in 1962. Bolivia, which does not have diplomatic relations with host Chile on account of an ongoing territorial claim by the former, was represented by its President. The commitment to democracy was emphasised. Paraguay did not attend the summit, under pressure from the five-nation MERCOSUR, and the 12-nation UNASUR (The Union for South American Nations) the sub-regional South American organisations from which it was suspended after a legislative coup deposing former Paraguayan President Lugo in June 2012. 4. The deliberations and ancillary events revealed fundamental differences in political and economic orientation, principally between the left-leaning regimes and the hosts and their supporters. The CELAC-EU Declaration maintains a balance between the EUs insistence on protection of investment and the assertion of overriding sovereign policy by the left in Latin America. Mr.Piera admitted that within CELAC we have learnt to live with our differences. The Santiago Declaration, adopted by the CELAC Summit, orchestrates regional consensus on incandescent issues such as security, narcotrafficking, multilateral negotiations on disarmament, sustainable development, etc. and reveals the regions collective determination to make up for lost time. 5. The stakes for India are high in this region five times its territory, with a population of 600 million producing over $10,000 on average annually per capita. Political relations are cordial, while bilateral trade crossed $32 billion in 201112 (30 per cent compound growth over the past decade). The Commerce Ministry has negotiated an amplification of a preferential tariff agreement with Chile and is preparing to negotiate similar agreements with other LAC countries. Indian enterprise is increasingly aware of, and present across, the region. Focus on India 6. August 2012 saw the most significant development in Indias relations with LAC countries. The Chilean presidency, clearly with the tacit approval of the entire region,
As glaciers melt in Himalayas, new lakes crop up

1. Indicating the impact of global warming, glacier melting over a 47-year period has led to formation of seven new glacial lakes in Chandra-Bagha Basin of western Himalayas. 2. Preliminary findings of an ongoing study by researchers from IIT, Bombay, showed that glacier lakes underwent continuous changes between 1963 and 2010. Geographical Information System (GIS) tools and high resolution remote sensing technology were used to delineate glacier lakes situated in inaccessible Himalayan terrain. In all, 15 large glacier lakes situated at an elevation between 4069 meters to 5252 meters were chosen for monitoring the changes that occurred. 3. Continuous ice-melting due to glacier recession (loss of ice due to excess melting) caused the formation of seven new lakes near the mouth of the glaciers. These were formed as moraine-dammed lakes and the glacier-lake area was estimated to have increased approximately by 2591 sq.meters during the 47-year period. Moraine is a depositional feature of glacier. As the glacier starts moving, it accumulates small rocks, debris, ice fragments and soil. 4. There was no significant change in the area of eight other glacier lakes which were situated at a higher altitude and not created by melting. According to Farjana Sikandar Birajdar, lead author of the study, the melting of glaciers
India-Latin America
1. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid began an official visit to Chile and Argentina on Tuesday night. This is the first ever visit of an Indian Foreign Minister to Santiago. The fact that Mr.Khurshid will be there less than four months since taking charge is hopefully a sign of evolving priorities towards the region. 2. On January 27-28, Chilean President SebastinPiera, pro tempore President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States CELAC hosted leaders from the region in Chile. This was preceded by the First CELAC Summit planned biennially with the 27 nations of the European Union. Mr.Piera welcomed Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain, struggling with 25 per cent unemployment, and a mountain of debt, to a better world. The irony, accentuated by the self-confidence of the Latin American and Caribbean leaders, was not lost on the former colonial power. The CELAC Summit, aiming to unite our continent as never before, revealed the distance the region has come from its troubled past. Towards regional consensus 3. Communist Cuba was simultaneously hosting peace talks between the conservative government of Colombia and the ultra-left guerrilla force, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
JTS Institute

identified India as its first port of call, followed by China. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reciprocated the initiative with alacrity. The Joint Declaration issued after the meeting of the External Affairs Minister with his counterparts from Chile, Venezuela and Cuba (the Troika of CELAC) signalled the start or at least the definition of a new era. 7. Mr.Khurshids visit should largely fulfil the commitment to annual meetings, even though Chile has handed over the presidency. The identification of specific areas for collaboration business, science and technology, agriculture, energy, culture and education on separate platforms, provides a road map. Steps to implement these have been initiated by the MEA and should find resonance among stakeholders on both sides. A worthwhile return on diplomatic investment is guaranteed. 8. In the 1990s, the MEA convinced the Government of India of the need to Look East, after having virtually ignored Asean and our relations with that vital part of the world. A similar exercise was carried out the following decade with Africa. Both were focused programmes, funded and executed with determination by the ministry in concert with other stakeholders. The results and benefits are evident. 9. The time has now come to carry out a similar exercise with the 33 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean. The complexity of the diplomatic challenge cannot be underestimated. To the geographic distance and magnitude, we must add the difficulties of communication, a lack of cultural appreciation, historic proclivities to Europe and the U.S., and the deep inroads already made by others, notably China. A CELAC-China Cooperation Forum finds mention in the Santiago Declaration. 10. Mr.Khurshids visit comes at a crucial juncture. It must be utilised to emphasise our determination to engage Latin America in all aspects of the relationship. An important catalyst will be the business community, which will require official patronage to elevate the economic relationship to the next level. India needs to accelerate and upgrade its political and diplomatic exchanges with the region. More frequent visits at all levels, including by the Prime Minister, and a conscious effort to invite more leaders from Latin America, will help convince our friends across the South Atlantic of our sincerity.
Green with Manush

An enthusiastic bunch of people and plenty of hard work this is what it took to create a bird sanctuary on a lakebed in Tamil Nadu. At 6 a.m. every Sunday, for seven consecutive months, about 150 men, women, and children gathered at the polluted Mookaneri Lake in Salem. Excavators were employed to dig out soil from the 58-acre lake and heap it to form islands on the surface. The people planted saplings that included naaval, neem, aalamaram, arasamaram and vetiver on the islands. Soon, the skies opened up and the plants thrived. Curious birds flew in to check out the new green spot. Mookaneri came alive. Today, the Mookaneri is an example that wetland conservationists across Tamil Nadu want to emulate. The mammoth task was possible because of an ordinary young man who sells bamboo furniture for a living Piyush Manush.
between 1997 and 2009, the team examined blood samples taken before onset of the disease, and compared the samples with those of 613 people in a control group, not having the disease.
Summit to focus on adolescent health

1. India will launch a strategic roadmap with focus on adolescent health at the upcoming national meet on Indias Call to Action: Child Survival and Development Summit in Tamil Nadu later this week. 2. Entitled Strategic Approach to Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A), the meet is aimed at accelerating reductions in preventable child deaths through sharper national plans and improved monitoring and evaluation. 3. It will engage with all partners to arrive at actionable goals and commitments for high-burden States aimed to reduce the deaths of children from preventable causes, Anuradha Gupta, Additional Director and Mission Director National Rural Health Mission, told reporters here on Monday. 4. Though the child mortality rate in India has dropped by almost 50 per cent since 1990, it is still among the top four nations that account for 50 per cent of global under-five mortality. 5. India accounts for the largest number of under-five deaths nearly 1.5 million, of which close to 0.8 million die within 28 days of birth. 6. Ms. Gupta said neonatal mortality was very high in the country. The big step forward for the summit is sharing of strategic approach, she said. The strategy is to develop peer educators who can give out very critical information to adolescent girls through counselling so that when they get married they will have very good understanding of basic things such as birth control. 7. The government will unveil a national iron plus initiative targeting 13 crore adolescent girls. A strategy for strengthening the nursing profession will also be launched at the summit. 8. During 2005-10, Indias decline in under-five mortality rate has accelerated to an average of 7.5 percent each year. Even though the average under-five mortality rate
Vitamin D levels could halve diabetes risk

1. Adequate levels of vitamin D during young adulthood may halve the risk of adult-onset Type 1 diabetes, according to a new research.The findings by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) could lead to a role for vitamin D supplementation in preventing this serious autoimmune disease in adults, when the immune system starts damaging tissues. 2. It is surprising that a serious disease such as Type 1 diabetes could perhaps be prevented by a simple and safe intervention, said KassandraMunger, research associate at HSPH, who led the study, the American Journal of Epidemiology reports. 3. In Type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and permanently disables the insulin-making cells in the pancreas. About five per cent of the estimated 25.8 million people in the U.S. suffer from this condition, according to the American Diabetes Association.Although it often starts in childhood, about 60 per cent of Type 1 diabetes cases occur after age 20, according to a Harvard statement. 4. Identifying 310 individuals diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes
JTS Institute

has been always lower in urban areas, the rate of decline has been much faster. field work, immunisation, and a host of other administrative jobs. CHCs too have no takers among the public. The UHC pilot project envisages sub-centres as service delivery centres more involved in screening programmes, and delivery of elderly care and palliative care through trained field workers and ASHAs. The PHCs are to be equipped with more facilities and manpower to deliver most of the healthcare requirements of the community. Every PHC will have at least three doctors and four staff nurses. Nurses will have a more pro-active role, on the lines of nursepractitioners of U.K.s NHS. Team work, multi-tasking, skill development and a better use of technology are some of the watch words here. A shift is being envisaged in the role of CHCs, with these becoming training centres and also offering rehabilitative care. Training Training is to be a crucial area. The Community Medicine Department at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College is thus being primed as a Primary Healthcare Department, which will give academic inputs for training doctors and nurses to be posted at PHCs. It will chart out the guidelines for CHCs, draw up clinical protocols, take up primary care research, and develop care pathways and curriculum for doctors and nurses. e-health initiative The State has already received approval for a Rs.96 crore e-health initiative from the Centre, to support the pilot project. Utilisation of information technology to build up a health database of communities; equipping field workers with tablets or PDA devices for data collection; and creating portable workstations with Wi-Fi connectivity to ease workflow are being envisaged under the project A lot of ground work needs to be done before we can achieve the vision of UHC. We will have to work on building the infrastructure as well as the professional competency of doctors and nurses. Within a regulatory framework, the State can also rope in private sector healthcare providers, points out a senior Health Department official. Mark-II trainer aircraft, the Indian Air Force trainee pilots will now get a new set of wings to learn their basic flying skills. Swiss made Pilatus also knows as Astra would fill the void in basic flying training after indigenous HPT-32 Deepak was grounded around two years back. Pilatus would also draw a lot of attraction during Aero India-2013, Asias premier Air Show being held at Air Force Station, Yelhanka, Bangalore between February 6-10, 2013. It is an excellent training aircraft. Flying in new aircraft is always a fine experience. I enjoyed my flight from Hyderabad to Yelhanka , said squadron leader SushantMitra of Indian Air Force after landing at Yelhanka in the Pilatus. His co-pilot Stefan Greub, who came from Switzerland as a test pilot described Pilatus as a superior training aircraft. He said that safety, instruments, controls systems and flexibility of avionics configuration are key features of the Pilatus Pilatus named after a mountain in central Switzerland is an improved version of the PC-9s airframe and avionics, fitted with the PC-7s smaller turbine ensures lower operating and maintenance costs. It would provide Stage-I flying training and also help streamline flying training of Stages II and III which had to be modified earlier in absence of the basic trainer. said a Senior Officer of IAF during interaction on condition of anonymity. He said that Pilatus would provide even better preparation during Stage-I flying training so that training for operational pilots can take place in quicker time frame. Pilatus would thus lay the foundation for future generations of Indian Air Force pilots. While being the smallest aircraft in the IAF inventory, the Pilatus would shoulder a much heavier responsibility in building future generation of the IAF pilots.
Healthcare for all, through an overhaul

As Kerala aspires to move towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as envisaged in the 12 Plan, the government is preparing to strengthen the primary healthcare system of the State by revamping the structure, reworking the role of healthcare providers, and by envisaging a greater role for local communities. If the project proposal, included in the Plan Implementation Programme of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) this year, gets the Centres approval, Kerala could be the first State in the country to pilot an experiment in UHC. The Health Department has selected three institutions in Thiruvananthapuram district to pilot the UHC project the primary health centres (PHC) of Kallikkad and Chemmaruthi and the community health centre (CHC) of Venpakal. Technical support The project will have the technical support of the National Health Service (NHS) of U.K. The department is being assisted by Mala Rao, Professor of International Health, University of East London, who has a wealth of experience in strengthening public health systems, having been the Director of Public Health, NHS, for several years. Dr.Rao has been working with a group here for a while now. The concept of UHC cannot happen unless there is a wellfunctioning primary healthcare system the friendly neighbourhood PHCs where a chunk of the healthcare needs of local communities will be met. Good, quality care at the primary healthcare-level alone can bring down the healthcare costs. The focus will be on better infrastructure, more staff, and a total revision of the traditional roles played by our health workers, says Dr.Rao. Three tiers The current three-tier primary healthcare system consists of subcentres, PHCs and CHCs. While the sub-centres are inadequately staffed, the PHCs have just one doctor who ends up doing clinics,
From Moth to Master

1. Air Force Station yelahanka displays an amalgamation of two generations of aircraft during Aero India-2013. One, the vintage Tiger Moth and other the latest to join the Indian Air Force(IAF), C -17 Globmaster III, the largest strategic heavy lift aircraft. The Tiger Moth aircraft resurrected recently as part of the IAF vintage flight will fly for the first time in the Aero India 2013. This would
Pilatus: Wonderful Wings for Perfect Pilots

With induction of Pilatus PC-7
JTS Institute

showcase the spectrum of technological advancement between the Moth and the Master. While, the de Havilland DH82 Tiger Moth is a two-seat, single bay biplane powered by a 145 hp GYPSY MAJOR four cylinder inverted air-cooled engine. It was the primary trainer aircraft for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and was also the basic trainer aircraft in the IAF right from 1940. Training schools in the IAF operated the Tiger Moth and later it was replaced by the HT-2.The Tiger Moth has no electric system and has to be started manually. Even it is refueled manually by pouring fuel in the tank above on the biplane. The Indian Air Force is procuring this latest heavyweight from the US. Globemaster is capable of carrying a maximum payload of 77.5 tones, including combat vehicles, artillery guns and battle-ready troops and will strengthen Indias strategic capabilities. The four-engine aircraft is capable of take-off and landing on makeshift runways, barely 3,500-feet long and 90-feet wide. The skies of Air Force Station Yelhanka would treat the spectators with the flight of these to aviation marvels representing different era. farmers co-operatives since the prohibitive cost of hi-tech and high productive equipments renders it difficult for individual ownership.. The other major components included in the Sub-Mission, apart from custom hiring facilities for agricultural machinery are promotion and strengthening of agricultural mechanisation through training, testing and demonstration; post-harvest technology and management (PHTM); financial assistance or procurement subsidy for agriculture machinery and equipments; establishment of farm machinery banks for custom hiring; enhancing hi-tech, high productive equipment hub for custom hiring; enhancing farm productivity at village level by introducing appropriate farm mechanisation in selected villages; and creating ownership of appropriate farm equipments among small/marginal farmers in eastern/north eastern region. Concept: What are optionally fully-convertible debentures (OFCD)? These debentures can be converted into shares, when debt holder (investor) wishes. But the rate, will be decided by the company
Five books shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize

A collection of short stories, Difficult Pleasures, and four novels Bitter Wormwood, Narcopolis,Em and the Big Hoom and The Extras have been shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize. Nilanjana Roy, a member of the jury, which also comprises Susie Tharu, Pradeep Sebastian, Anita Nair and Paul Zachariah, announced the shortlist on Wednesday on the New Delhi leg of The HinduLit for Life. From Goa to Bangalore, Europe to Shillong, this collection of short stories reminds us of the power of craft and voice and our first nominee is AnjumHasan for Difficult Pleasures, published by Penguin Viking, Ms. Roy said. The second nominee, EasterineKire for Bitter Wormwood, published by Zubaan Books, has written about a neglected part of Indian history. As the introduction of the book says, it is about ordinary people whose lives were completely overturned by the Naga struggle, Ms. Roy said. The third book on the list starts with a sentence that I am not going to quote in its entirety: Bombay, which obliterated its own history is the hero or heroin of this story. For his unusual city story, JeetThayyil for Narcopolis (Faber and Faber). The jury member termed the fourth book on the list as an unusual love story. It concerns an entire family not just one or two people. The family is described by the author as a family of survivors shipwreck survivors. Our fourth nominee is Jerry Pinto for Em and the Big Hoom from Aleph Book Company. The fifth book on the shortlist, The Extras by KiranNagarkar, published by Fourth Estate, is a sequel to his 1994 novel Ravan and Eddie. His fans waited for decades to see these two back: Ravan, a taxi-driver, and Eddie, a bouncer and bartender, Ms. Roy said.
6 February 2013 Apex court pulls up SEBI for not freezing Saharas accounts
1. The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Sahara group, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against it for not implementing the August 31, 2012 directions of the court on refund of Rs. 24,000 crore to depositors. 2. A Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and J.S. Khehar was acting on a contempt petition filed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India, which complained that the Sahara group had flouted the courts directions and had not submitted documents to it (SEBI). 3. While seeking its response in four weeks, the Bench exempted the contemnors the managing director and directors of the Sahara India Real Estate Corporation and the Sahara Housing Investment Corporation, and the companies as well from personal appearance at the next hearing. Justice Radhakrishnan told counselPratapVenugopal, appearing for the SEBI: Our directions were very clear. Our judgment provided for consequences. What steps are you taking? You are not taking any action. The judgment tells you what you should do but you are not doing it.
New Strategy for Promoting Farm Mechanisation during 12th Five Year Plan Dedicated Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation Proposed
1. Ministry of Agriculture is promoting a new strategy for farm mechanization through its various schemes and programmes. A dedicated Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization has been proposed for the XIIth Plan which includes custom-hiring facilities for agricultural machinery as one of its major components. The Sub-Mission aims at catalyzing an accelerated but inclusive growth of agricultural mechanization in India. Its focus is on increasing the reach of farm mechanization to small and marginal farmers and to the regions where availability of farm power is low. Custom hiring of farm machinery envisages promoting establishment of farm machinery banks for custom hiring by way of providing financial assistance to individual self-help groups or
Pak calls for OIC probe into LoC violations

Seeking to internationalise
JTS Institute

tensions along the Line of Control, Pakistan has called for an investigation into the recent incidents there by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. We would also welcome an OIC fact-finding mission to investigate the recent incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC, Foreign Minister HinaRabbaniKhar said while addressing a meeting of the OIC contact group on Kashmir in Cairo on Tuesday. She reiterated that Pakistan is ready to work with the United Nations Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan to carry out an independent inquiry into the ceasefire violations.Earlier, Pakistans attempt to rope in the United Nations by demanding a probe by UNMOGIP was foiled by India, which rejected it saying the matter can be settled bilaterally. Clashes between Indian and Pakistani troops last month were among the worst violations of the ceasefire that was put in place along the 742-km LoC in late 2003.One Indian soldier was beheaded while the body of another jawan was mutilated by the Pakistan army men in ceasefire violations in Mendhar sector in Poonch last month. Pakistan claims three of its soldiers were killed in Indian firing. Ms.Khar again contended that there were negative and hostile statements emanating from the Indian leadership during the ceasefire violations.She said Pakistan chose to exercise restraints to keep the PakistanIndia peace process on track. Pakistan has entered into dialogue with India in good faith to amicably resolve the Kashmir dispute. We are earnestly implementing the cross-LoC confidence-building measures to bring relief to the divided families and reduce the sufferings of the Kashmiris on both sides of the LoC, she said in her address.The CBMs had contributed towards creating a congenial environment between the two countries to address the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, she said. Islamabad is committed to finding a peaceful solution in line with UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiris, she said. Concept: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is an international organisation consisting of 57 member states. The organisation attempts to be the collective voice of the Muslim world and to safeguard the interests and ensure the progress and well-being of its member countries in an atmosphere of international peace. The OIC has a permanent delegation to the United Nations. The official languages of the OIC are Arabic, English and French. mortality rate as manifested by the common prevalence of child deaths and malnutrition in areas such as Jawhar and Mokhada. 9. As per the scheme, dedicated five-member teams will be established at the taluka level, comprising two medical officers, one auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) and one pharmacist. Around three teams are to be provided for every block. 10. Medical teams will carry out screening of all the children up to six years enrolled at anganwadi centres at least twice a year besides screening all children enrolled in government and government-aided schools. 11. A set of 30 common ailments have been identified for screening and early intervention, including birth and heart defects, deficiency conditions, developmental delays and disabilities such as hearing impairment and vision impairment. 12. As part of the programme, District Early Intervention Centres are to be made operational in all districts to treat cases referred from block levels. Tertiary health services would also be made available for cases requiring surgery.
Infant mortality an area of concern

1. Despite significant efforts to improve child healthcare, the infant mortality rate in the country was still an area of grave concern, said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday. 2. She was speaking at the launch of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) an initiative of Child Health Screening and early intervention service at Palghar in Maharashtras Thane district. 3. Expressing satisfaction at Maharashtras fund utilisation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), she said the UPA government had given a total of Rs. 90,000 crore to the States over a period of seven years to firm up their health apparatus. 4. As the thrust was on bolstering healthcare in remote areas, Palghar, a predominantly tribal belt, was chosen by the UPA government for launching the Rs. 130-crore RBSK under the NHRM, Ms. Gandhi said. 5. The initiative aims to provide a comprehensive healthcare package for all children up to 18 by conflating earlier programmes where children up to six years of age were examined in anganwadis by a medical officer, while those from six to 18 years were covered under the School Health Programme. 6. The programme would soon be extended to all districts of the country in a phased manner. This ambitious scheme, when implemented, is expected to benefit approximately 27 crore children across the country. 7. In Thane district, more than 4,600 schools are proposed to be covered under the scheme with more than 12 lakh children up to 18 years of age expected to be the beneficiaries with the long-term aim of stemming instances of child morbidity. 8. The district has a high infant
Dropped from the agenda

1. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) claims to have been stunned to see that its submissions to the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (2012-14) on critical issues of childrens food and nutritional security have not found place in the Committees 27th Report The National Food Security Bill, 2011 (NFSB) which guarantees some legal entitlements to the population at large. 2. The NCPCR has noted that it is widely acknowledged that 46 per cent of the countrys children in the age group of below six years are malnourished: It was hoped that the Standing Committee would seize the opportunity of drafting the NFSB to remedy the bane of malnourishment in the country. Instead, even the entitlements provided for children in the NFSB were dropped. 3. More specifically, the universal and unconditional maternal entitlements enabling exclusive breast-feeding to babies for the first six months of life that was provided for in the NFSB is now
JTS Institute

withdrawn, said NCPCR chairperson ShantaSinha, adding that ignoring the importance of exclusive breast-feeding would only perpetuate child mortality and malnutrition. This is unjust and violates the fundamental right to equality. 4. She said: On the contrary, the Committee imposed the two-child norm denying entitlements to the third born and higher order of babies in order to encourage stabilisation of population. 5. Further highlighting the shortcomings in the report of the Committee, the NCPCR has noted that the group has imposed that the maternity benefits are to be availed by the pregnant woman after three months into pregnancy. This will prevent these entitlements from coming into play for the entire period of six months post-delivery, pointed out Ms.Sinha. 6. Meanwhile for children under two years, the Committee has recommended that no Take Home Rations may be needed as they recommend replacement with food grains to the family. Stating that this is clearly an irrational withdrawal from existing entitlements under the Supreme Court rulings in the Right to Food Case, the NCPCR has pointed out: Experience of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) program clearly shows that food for children is not the same as for adults. The provisions for quality food as exist in the ICDS policy are to be made available through law. 7. The NCPCR claimed to have made specific recommendations to the Committee on facility and community-based entitlements for malnourished children, legal status for ICDS, honouring Supreme Court rulings pertinent to children, inclusion of pulses and oils in entitlements, etc. but these have not found reflection in the Committees Report. 8. We had hoped that this Bill would deliver serious legal underpinnings to efforts being made to ensure childrens right to food and nutrition. However, the recommendations of the Committee do not even accommodate existing entitlements in law and policy, leave alone create a vision for the future, said Ms.Sinha. 9. We feel that the countrys children, especially in the 0-6 years age group, have largely been uncovered in terms of legal entitlements in the report/ recommendations of the Committee on NFSB. We now hope that Parliament will give serious consideration to these issues, she noted. bases and referred to as A, G, C and T) put together in a string of sequence similar to what the English language does with its 26 alphabets and punctuation marks, or digital computers with the combination of zeros and ones in chosen sequences. DNA has been used since life was born over 2 billion years ago to store and transfer information right through evolution. It is small in size the entire information content of a human is stored in a 3 billion long sequence of A, G, C and T, and packed into the nucleus of a cell smaller than a micron (thousandth of a millimetre). It is stable and has an admirable shelf life. People have isolated DNA from the bones of dinosaurs dead about 65 millions ago, read the sequence of bases in it and understood much information about the animal. The animal (shall we say the host of the DNA) is long since dead but the information lives on. 5. DNA is thus a long-lived, stable and easily synthesized storage hard drive. While the current electronic storage devices require active and continued maintenance and regular transferring between storage media (punched cards to magnetic tapes to floppy disks to CD...), DNA based storage needs no active maintenance. Just store in a cool, dark and dry place! 6. The Goldman group is not the first one to think of DNA as a storage device. Dr E.B. Baum tried building an associative memory vastly larger than the brain in 1995, Dr C.T. Clelland and others hid messages in DNA microdots in 1999, JPL Cox wrote in 2001 on long-term data storage in DNA, Allenberg and Rotstein came up with a coding method for archiving text, images and music characters in DNA, and in 2012 Church, Gao and Kosuri have discussed the next-generation digital information storage in DNA. 7. What is novel in the Hinxton method is that they moved away from the conventional binary (0 and 1) code and used a ternary code system (three numerals 0, 1 and 2 using combinations of the bases A, G, C and T) and encode the information into DNA. This novelty avoids any reading errors, particularly when encountering repetitive base sequences. Also, rather than synthesize one long string of DNA to code for an entire item of information, they broke the file down to smaller chunks, so that no errors occur during synthesis or read-out. These chunks are then
DNA as an information storage device

1. Since time immemorial, mankind has wanted to share and use information for later use. First, it was through the caveman paintings and symbols. Then we invented the alphabets, ideograms, numbers and other symbols. Using these, books were written and stored for future generations, in palm leaves, papyrus sheets or paper. The invention of printing brought the Gutenberg revolution, making multiple copies easily and spreading education to millions of people. 2. Printed books occupy space. Libraries and archives are bursting at the seams. Enter the computer age and digitization using the binary code of combining zeros and ones (0,1) for alphabets and other such symbols, and reading them using the on-off electrical signals, which has made electronic storage possible, cutting down the size and space for hard copies. Integrated circuits, processors and related electronic wizardry have shrunk the size of computers and storage devices from room-size to finger nail size. 3. But even so, the amount of information storable in a given hard drive (from a printed book to an Amazon or Kindle e-book, or the Encyclopaedia Britannica to Google) is growing exponentially. That means the cost of storage is rising but our budgets are not, as Dr. Nick Goldman of the European Bioinformatics Institute at Hinxton, UK told The Economist (in its January 26, 2013 issue). Goldman (together with 4 colleagues at Hinxton and 2 from Agilent Technologies, California, U.S.) decided to use DNA (yes, the molecule which stores the code to make life possible) as the information storage device, rather than electronics. Their paper titled Towards practical, high-capacity, low maintenance information storage in synthesized DNA has just been published in the journal Nature two weeks ago (doi:10.1038/nature 11875). 4. Why DNA? Indeed the question should be why not DNA. It is a long chain, consisting of 4 alphabets (chemical units called
JTS Institute

read in an appropriate manner or protocol, providing for 100 percent accuracy. 8. How much information can be stored in DNA? Goldman and co have been able to store 2.2 petabytes (a peta is a million billion or 10 raised to power 15) in one gram of DNA (and as The Economist says enough, in other words, to fit all of the worlds digital information into the back of a lorry). What about the speed? And how does one read the files? 9. Today, the speed is slow and the reading using DNA sequencers is expensive, but in time both the speed will improve and the cost come down considerably. Recall that it took $3 billion to read out the entire human genome a decade ago, and months to do so. Today, the speed has improved, and it is predicted that in a couple of years, the human genome can be read for $1000. But even today, DNAbased information storage is a realistic option to archive long-term, infrequently accessed material. 10. What did Goldman and group store in DNA? For starters, they stored all 154 sonnets of Shakespeare (in ASCII text), the 1953 Watson-Crick paper on the DNA double helix (in PDF format), a colour photograph of Hinxton (in JPEG) and a clip from the I have a Dream speech of Martin Luther King (in MP3 format). Natural selection and evolution have used DNA to store and read out to make our bodies. And we are now using DNA to store and archive the products of our brains. What a twist! inherited. We sent her samples, along with our findings, for a molecular analysis to a research group which was working on the genetics of this disease. At that time four years ago, there were only two known genes for it and we did not have mutation in the known genes. However, as it turned out, this child had a unique disorder and similarly around nine other patients across the world had similar mutations which led the research group to identify a change and the new gene is now called GLRB, says Dr.Puri. Rare disorder Stating that this was a rare disorder in which the child used to get startled at even a small touch, Dr.Puri said it can run in families and can occur again. So, she said, the discovery of the new gene offers greater hope of better treatment to such patients. The patient, who is now six, was prescribed medication and her condition has improved with it. But she still has episode trips and we are confident that our work would lead to better understanding of her disorder and its treatment, Dr.Puri adds. Research on in premier institutes As per the research, GLRB is the third major gene-of-effect in hyperekplexia. The main research in the subject has been done by a group of premier medical institutes while the corresponding author is Dr.Seo-Kyung Chung of Institute of Life Sciences College of Medicine, Swansea University, United Kingdom. Hyperekplexia is a severe paroxysmal neuromotor disorder that typically presents soon after birth or in the first week of life. It involves exaggerated startle response upon tactile or auditory stimulus. suggested the Moon would have formed mainly from the remnants of the pulverised foreign body, not from pieces of Earth, Earth magazine reported. However, newer analytical evidence has since shown that the Moons chemical composition closely matches that of Earths mantle. Whereas all other known extraterrestrial bodies in the solar system today have different isotopic ratios than Earth, the Moon has almost identical isotopic ratios. This seemed to create a problem: the match of lunar and Earth material is too perfect, says William K Hartmann, senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute (PSI). The perfect isotopic match called the giant impact theory into question and suggested the Moon likely formed from Earth material, but how remained unknown. Now, two new models suggest different ways a giant impactor could produce a Moon chemically similar to Earth. In one model, Robin Canup, an astrophysicist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, suggests a larger impactor than previously considered possible, about the same size as the early Earth. A collision with a similar-sized impactor would leave in its wake a mixture of debris from Earth and the impactor. After the planet consolidated, the remaining debris would produce a chemically similar Moon, Canup reported.
Researchers stumble upon new gene with Delhi hospitals input

Quick to realise that a two-year-old girl admitted with them for problem of seizures and for getting started on touch was suffering from hyperekplexia and not epilepsy, the doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here sent her samples for further study abroad and these have now become part of a path-breaking research that has led to the discovery of a new gene. The events that led to it As per senior consultant in the Department of Genetics at SGRH, Dr.RatnaDuaPuri, when the child was brought in, the clinical diagnosis had led them to confirm hyperekplexia. The genetics of this disorder is known and can be
Advance Estimates of National Income, 2012-13

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the advance estimates of national income at constant (200405) and current prices, for the financial year 2012-13. 2. These advance estimates are based on anticipated level of agricultural and industrial production, analysis of budget estimates of government expenditure and performance of key sectors like, railways, transport other than railways, communication, banking and insurance, available so far. The advance estimates at current prices are derived by estimating the implicit price deflators (IPDs) at sectoral level from the relevant
Giant collision may have formed Moon from Earth

Moon could have indeed been born from the compositionally similar Earth, following a giant collision, new models have indicated. The giant impact theory the idea that a catastrophic collision about 4.5 billion years ago between Earth and aprotoplanet about half Earths size created a disk of molten rock, gas and debris that consolidated to form the Moon was first set forth in the mid-1970s. In the 1980s, computer modelling of the physics of such a collision
JTS Institute

price indices. The salient features of these estimates are detailed below: available on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), the index of manufacturing and electricity registered growth rates of 1.0 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively during April-November, 2012-13, as compared to the growth rates of 4.2 per cent and 9.5 per cent in these sectors during April-November, 2011-12. The mining sector is likely to show a growth of 0.4 per cent in 2012-13 as against negative growth of 0.6 per cent during 2011-12. The construction sector is likely to show a growth rate of 5.9 per cent during 2012-13 as against growth of 5.6 per cent in the previous year. The key indicators of construction sector, namely, cement production and steel consumption have registered growth rates of 6.1 per cent and 3.9 per cent, respectively during April-December, 2012-13. Services 7. The estimated growth in GDP for the trade, hotels, transport and communication sectors during 2012-13 is placed at 5.2 per cent as against growth of 7.0 percent in the previous year. This is mainly on account of decline of 3.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent respectively in passengers and cargo handled in civil aviation and decline of 3.1 per cent in cargo handled at major sea ports during April-November, 201213. There has been an increase of 4.3 per cent in stock of telephone connections as on November 2012. The sales of commercial vehicles witnessed an increase of 0.74 per cent per cent in AprilDecember 2012. The sector, financing, insurance, real estate and business services, is expected to show a growth rate of 8.6 per cent during 2012-13, on account of 11.1 per cent growth in aggregate deposits and 15.2 per cent growth in bank credit as on December 2012 (against the respective growth rates of 17.2 per cent and 16.0 per cent in the corresponding period of previous year). The growth rate of community, social and personal services during 2012-13 is estimated to be 6.8 per cent. National Income 8. The net national income (NNI) at factor cost, also known as national income, at 2004-05 prices is likely to be Rs.47,64,819 crore during 2012-13, as against the previous years First Revised Estimate of Rs. 45,72,075 crore. In terms of growth rates, the national income registered a growth rate of 4.2 per cent in 2012-13 as against the previous years growth rate of 6.1 per cent. Per Capita Income 9. The per capita income in real terms (at 2004-05 prices) during 2012-13 is likely to attain a level of Rs.39,143 as compared to the First Revised Estimate for the year 201112 of Rs. 38,037. The growth rate in per capita income is estimated at 2.9 per cent during 2012-13, as against the previous years estimate of 4.7 percent. Estimates at Current Prices Gross Domestic Product 10. GDP at factor cost at current prices in the year 2012-13 is likely to attain a level of Rs. 94,61,979 crore, showing a growth rate of 13.3 per cent over the First Revised Estimate of GDP for the year 201112 of Rs. 83,53,495 crore. National Income 11. The NNI at factor cost at current prices is anticipated to be Rs. 83,68,571 crore during 2012-13, as compared to Rs. 73,99,934 crore during 2011-12, showing a rise of 13.1 percent. Per Capita Income 12. The per capita income at current prices during 2012-13 is estimated to be Rs. 68,747 as compared to Rs. 61,564 during 2011-12, showing a rise of 11.7 percent. II ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURES ON GDP, 2012-13 13 Alongwith the Advance Estimates of GDP by economic activity, the CSO is also releasing the Advance Estimates of expenditures of the GDP at current and constant (2004-05) prices. These estimates have been compiled using the data on indicators available from the same sources as those used for compiling GDP estimates by economic activity, detailed data available on merchandise trade in respect of imports and exports, balance of payments, and monthly accounts of central government. As various components of expenditure on gross domestic product, namely, consumption expenditure and capital formation, are normally measured at market prices, the discussion in the following paragraphs is in terms of market prices only. Private Final Consumption Expenditure 14. Private Final Consumption
ADVANCE ESTIMATES OF NATIONAL INCOME, 2012-13

Estimates at Constant (2004-05) Prices Gross Domestic Product 3. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at factor cost at constant (2004-05) prices in the year 2012-13 is likely to attain a level of Rs.55,03,476 crore, as against the First Revised Estimate of GDP for the year 201112 of Rs. 52,43,582 crore, released on 31st January 2013. The growth in GDP during 2012-13 is estimated at 5.0 percent as compared to the growth rate of 6.2 per cent in 2011-12. 4. The sectors which registered growth rate of over 5 percent are Construction, trade, hotels, transport and communication, financing, insurance, real estate and business services, and community, social and personal services. There may be slow growth in the sectors of agriculture, forestry and fishing (1.8%), manufacturing (1.9%) and electricity, gas & water supply (4.9%). The growth in the mining and quarrying sector is estimated to be (0.4%). Agriculture 5. The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector is likely to show a growth of 1.8 per cent in its GDP during 2012-13, as against the previous years growth rate of 3.6 per cent. According to the information furnished by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC), which has been used in compiling the estimate of GDP from agriculture in 2012-13, production of foodgrains is expected to decline by 2.8 per cent as compared to growth of 5.2 per cent in the previous agriculture year. The production of cotton and sugarcane is also expected to decline by 4.0 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively, in 2012-13. Among the horticultural crops, production of fruits and vegetables is expected to increase by 3.5 per cent during the year 2012-13 as against 5.1 percent in the previous year. Industry 6. The manufacturing sector is likely to show a growth of 1.9 percent in GDP during 2012-13. According to the latest estimates
JTS Institute
Expenditure (PFCE) at current prices is estimated at Rs. 57,05,857 crore in 2012-13 as against Rs. 50,56,219 crore in 2011-12. At constant (2004-05) prices, the PFCE is estimated at Rs. 34, 72,980 crore in 2012-13 as against Rs. 33,34,900 crore in 2011-12. In terms of GDP at market prices, the rates of PFCE at current and constant (2004-05) prices during 2012-13 are estimated at 56.9 per cent and 59.7 percent, respectively, as against the corresponding rates of 56.3 percent and 59.2 percent, respectively in 2011-12. Government Final Consumption Expenditure 15. Government Final Consumption Expenditure (GFCE) at current prices is estimated at Rs. 11,86,726 crore in 2012-13 as against Rs 10,42,677 crore in 2011-12. At constant (2004-05) prices, the GFCE is estimated at Rs. 6,60,630 crore in 2012-13 as against Rs. 6,34,559 crore in 2011-12. In terms of GDP at market prices, the rates of GFCE at current and constant (2004-05) prices during 2012-13 are estimated at 11.8 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively, as against the corresponding rates of 11.6 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively in 2011-12. Gross Fixed Capital Formation 16. Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) at current prices is estimated at Rs. 29,93,873 crore in 2012-13 as against Rs. 27,49,072 crore in 2011-12. At constant (200405) prices, the GFCF is estimated at Rs. 19,44,279 crore in 2012-13 as against Rs.18,97,309 crore in 2011-12. In terms of GDP at market prices, the rates of GFCF at current and constant (2004-05) prices during 2012-13 are estimated at 29.9 per cent and 33.4 per cent, respectively, as against the corresponding rates of 30.6 percent and 33.7 percent, respectively in 2011-12. The rates of Change in Stocks and Valuables at current prices during 2012-13 are estimated at 3.0 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively. 17. Estimates of gross/net national product, gross/net domestic product and per capita income, alongwith GDP at factor cost by kind of economic activity and the Expenditures on GDP for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 and 2012-13, at constant (2004-05) and current prices are given in Statements 1 to 6.
5 February - 11 February 2013 Rashtriya Bal Swasthya karyakram launched

With the launch of the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, regular health screening of children in public health facilities, Aanganwadis and Government and Government aided schools for defects at birth, diseases, deficiencies and development disorders will be done now. This programme will cover 25 crore children all over the country in a phased manner and provide for free follow up management and treatment at the district hospitals and at tertiary levels. She hoped that all State Governments would march in step with the Central Government and take proactive steps to roll out the screening and intervention services at the earliest to improve the survival, health and overall development of children. A new health initiative Rashtriya BalSwasthya Karyakram was launched by Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, UPA from Palghar, a Tribal Block in Thane district, Maharashtra today. The initiative is to provide comprehensive healthcare and improve the quality of life of children through early detection of birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays including disability.
5. Another peculiar feature are the so-called wings, or the expanded part of epidermis near the body tip. The function of the wings is still unknown to scientists, but it has been suggested that they evolved to assist breathing in such aquatic habitats. 6. Since the wings will be located deep in the burrow at a low oxygen supply and are absent in sexually immature juveniles, a more conventional explanation might be that they are used to aid copulation rather than respiration. 7. The worms turn out to play an important role in the development of rice farming, being a facilitator in the decomposition of organic matter to be a natural fertiliser, as well as improving the soil properties for better rice root system. 8. The species also assist the release of essential minerals in some chemical fertilisers, though not in pesticides, which prove to be lethal to the worms. 9. The worms will survive in areas using chemical fertilisers but not those using chemical pesticides, said the author of the report, Dr.SomsakPanha, from the Animal Systematics Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. 10. However, the worms did well in areas of organic farming and so are likely to be sensitive to modern agrochemical contamination of the environment. They may play an important role in organic rice farming, he said in a statement.
7 February 2013 10 new species of freshwater earthworms discovered in Thailand

1. Scientists have discovered an astonishing 10 new species of semi-aquatic freshwater earthworms in river systems in Thailand. 2. According to a report published in the journal ZooKeys, the earthworms in the genus Glyphidrilus occur in a wide range of natural freshwater habitats, including rice fields, where they might play an important role in the development of organic farming. 3. The newly-discovered worms have a rounded body tip, while the end is square shaped. When twisted, the posterior end, which is normally above the soil surface, forms U-shaped channels. These are used to allow water circulation down the burrow. 4. This is probably an evolutionary adjustment that ensures oxygen transport to the deeper surface of the worms, while their bodies remain in the burrows.
Notes on nutrition
1. Food is not just about weight management. There are people who say, I didnt gain weight, even after eating junk food everyday. So why should I bother? But, instead of waiting for something to happen, its important to prevent problems, says Samantha Lzzy, scientist and researcher. A pharma major, Samantha got interested in nutrition when her friend was diagnosed with Crohns disease. I realised nutrition was fairly important to bring diseases under control; and that made me switch my major. I also understand that people now have a greater desire to educate themselves about nutrition. In the U.S., its an obsession; and I think its making its way around the world. 2. Women, in particular, need to be armed with nutritional information, says Samantha. Women are
JTS Institute
10

traditionally the backbone of the family, and they can influence healthy eating. If she slips, everybody slips, she reasons. 3. During the course of her research, Samantha studied the biochemical processes in the body, and the way nutrients affect it. Nutrition, she says, affects everything from appearance to anaemia. Omega-3 is a wonder nutrient. There are nearly 18,000 publications in support of it. Its very important for the brain development of babies, and so pregnant and lactating mothers should ensure they get their daily dose of it. Seafood, she says, is an excellent source; and vegetarians can rely on vegetable oils and flax seeds. 4. Good nutrition also goes a long way in preventing debilitating conditions. Take osteoporosis; statistics say it affects 200 million women worldwide. But if you exercise, get enough calcium and vitamin D while youre young, you can prevent loss of bone density later. You get your daily dose of calcium, if you have three glasses of milk, says Samantha. But if you happen to be lactose intolerant, you can always take supplements. Use of supplements 5. Besides filling in the gaps in the diet, supplements can also target specific issues like anaemia or menopause. The roots of black cohosh can help relieve menopausal troubles in women; it is, in fact, the most commonly used herb in the USA and Europe. With longevity on the rise, Samantha stresses on the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle early. If theres emphasis on good nutrition, then long life can be accompanied by vitality. outrageous results in ridiculous periods of time. They were created with only one thing in mind sustainable long-term health. 3. One must realise that the majority of health recommendations that make their way from developed countries originate from traditional cuisines. Be it Indian or Mediterranean or Mexican or Ethiopian, all traditional cuisines have in them a plethora of nutritional wisdom. 4. Today, nutrition experts start off with an aim to create a diet plan that is satiating, sustainable, tasty and health promoting and end up learning (or in some cases, borrowing) from traditional cuisines. Take South Indian cuisine for instance. 5. Turmeric (manjal), which we add to pretty much everything, is rich in circumin which is now known to combat cancer. Coconut, again a regular in South Indian cooking, is abundant in lauric acid which is antimicrobial. 6. Dairy products and red meat are a great source of conjugated lineolic acid which is shown to protect against high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol, various types of cancers and promote optimal body composition. Lentils (paruppu) are rich in magnesium which is a natural calcium channel blocker and protects against heart disease. I can keep going but you get the idea. 7. All this applies not only to the South Indian diet. Every traditional cuisine has such elements of health in different forms and proportions. Based on what the rest of the diet looks like, such protective and health promoting elements are incorporated accordingly. 8. The South Indian diet is, by design, high in starch (carbohydrates) and hence is more inflammatory than a diet that is low in starch. In order to protect against such inflammation, our diet is rich in spices that are anti-inflammatory by nature (ginger, cardamom, coriander, clove, turmeric). 9. The point here is that though weve been saying that we understand nutrition for many decades now, it is a science that isnt fully understood by modern man yet. 10. For example, leptin, a hormone which is now thought to be a key player in regulating appetite and metabolism and hence an integral factor in obesity research, was only discovered in 1994 but diet programmes that claimed to be the best fat loss solution and nutrition experts who claimed to have all the answers have been in existence for much longer.For the thousands of researchers and nutritionists trying to crack the health and obesity code the answers are right in front of us. 11. What we need to do now is to merely break down our traditional diet and understand the importance of the different elements there in. Once we do that, it is just a matter of customising our traditional cuisine to suit our unique needs.
Aravallis being gobbled up by land developers

Two decades ago when Sunils parents sold off 25 acres of their familys share of land in the Mangar forests of Faridabad, they and other villagers thought the buyers were fools to buy it up because they were assured that they could continue to use it for grazing cattle and firewood. Today, 25-year-old poliostricken Sunil has dropped all his other dreams and moves with lightning speed on his crutch, across the forest, in government offices and with fellow activists to save the forests from a determined State government that wants to open it for colonisation. What he does not know is that it is not only his village and its 740 acres of sacred MangarBani grove, where for centuries not even a twig was cut, that is under threat, but thousands of acres of gairmumkinpahar (uncultivable forested hills) in Gurgaon and Faridabad face the same prospect ever since they were designated as agricultural zones under the MangarBani development plan 2031, the Sohna master plan 2031 and the Gurgaon Manesar Master plan - 2031 drawn up last year. The land of some 25 villages from these master plans fall in the Aravalli hills, which are not only a natural recharge zone for several fresh water lakes in the vicinity, but are identified by the Central Ground Water Board as the last source for recharging depleting ground water reserves that are already inadequate to meet the drinking water needs of the population of Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad. Identify forest areas
Traditional treasures
Modern nutritional research or ancestral wisdom? 1. Its true. Clarified butter sounds more 21st Century than nei. Take circumin as a supplement sounds more like health advice than Add manjalpodi. A medley of multi-coloured mixed root vegetables in a coconutty broth sounds fancier and healthier than avial. 2. But let me tell you this traditional cuisine rules! They are a result of thousands of years of experimentation and research. They have been tried, tested and proven on millions of humans. They are not marketed or sold. They dont contain additives or preservatives. They dont promise
JTS Institute
11

In 1996 and then in July 2011, the Supreme Court directed all States to identify areas which are forests irrespective of whether they are so notified, recognised or classified under any law and irrespective of whether they were once forests and now stand denuded, degraded or cleared for other use. Despite the efforts of civil society and environment activists, who have pointed out that these natural forests come under the definition of forests and need to be protected as deemed forests, this has not been done. On the other hand, Haryanas town planning department is pushing through its real estate zoning plans on these natural forests by designating them as agricultural zones. Result: The Aravalligairmumkinpahar, which are not recorded as forests to be protected under the Forest Conservation Act 1980, or any other protective mechanism, so far, have been bought up by realtors, politicians, bureaucrats in anticipation of the urbanisation as envisaged in the new master plans. In the MangarBani plan for instance, the Aravalli hills have been included as an agricultural zone, which permits 22 kinds of real estate activities, including mega recreational zones. Mangar village alone has 3595 acres of gairmumkinpahar and nine Aravalli villages form part of the plan. About one-third of the Aravalli hills are protected under Section 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) 1900 and, as Haryanas Principal Chief Conservator of Forests C.R. Jotriwal told The Hindu, the government presently recognises only these areas as forests. Some area that comes under the Aravalli Plantation Scheme is also protected. In December 2011, the Deputy Commissioner of Faridabad, after a site visit, opposed the Mangar development plan and recommended that the whole of the Aravaligairmumkinpahar zone should be excluded from the agriculture zone and delineated as a water recharge and forest conservation zone. He also pointed out that it is critical to preserve this area because the district of Faridabad depends on groundwater for its domestic water supply and had recommended that the entire gairmumkinpahardeemed forests of Aravallis should be brought under PLPA to protect it. These suggestions were not accepted. The Aravalli hills are not only rich in floral biodiversity, but are an important wildlife corridor between the AsolaBhatti wildlife sanctuary in Delhi and the Rajasthan Aravallis. They are also the catchment for several lakes like Badhkal, Surajkund, Dhauj and Peacock, some of which have turned seasonal in the last decade. Concept: The Aravalli range are the oldest fold mountains in India.The northern end of the range continues as isolated hills and rocky ridges into Haryana state, ending in Delhi. The famous Delhi Ridge is the last leg of the Aravalli Range, which traverses through South Delhi and terminates into Central Delhi where raisina hill is its last extension . It is one of the worlds oldest mountain ranges. Its dates back to pre-Indian subcontinental collision with the mainland Eurasian Plate. The southern end is at Palanpur near Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The highest peak is Guru Shikhar in Mount Abu in Rajasthan. Rising to 5650 feet (1722 meters), it lies near the southwestern extremity of the range, close to the border with the Gujrat District. The city of Udaipur with its lakes lies on the south slope of the range in Rajasthan. Numerous rivers arises amidst the ranges including, Banas River, Luni River, Sahibi, Sakhi, Sabarmati River. emergency for the areas around Lata in the Santa Cruz area. An aerial reconnaissance team from Australia is surveying the damage. Concept: An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock. Aftershocks are formed as the crust around the displaced fault plane adjusts to the effects of the main shock.
Agrawal sworn in High Court judge

Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal was on Thursday sworn in Judge of the Madras High Court. Since he is the senior-most Judge of the Madras High Court, he will be the acting Chief Justice, as per a notification. The strength of the court has now increased to 49 against the sanctioned strength of 60. Mr. Justice Agrawal was hitherto a Judge of the Allahabad High Court. At a brief function in Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan, the Governor K. Rosaiah administered the oath of office to Mr. Justice Agrawal. The Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and other Judges of the Madras High Court, and the Chief Secretary, SheelaBalakrishnan, were present. The Chief Secretary read out the notification of appointment of the new Judge. Ms.Jayalalithaa greeted Mr. Justice Agrawal by presenting a bouquet. As per the notification of the Ministry of Law and Justice, Mr. Justice Rajesh Kumar Agrawal would perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court with effect from the date of assuming office in the High Court.
Strong aftershock disrupts Solomon Islands aid efforts

A 6.6-magnitude aftershock has forced an aid flight to turn back on its way to Lata in the Solomon Islands, local news reported.The relief flight was carrying supplies and the Solomons Prime Minister from Honiara to the worst affected areas. The delay in aid efforts comes as officials discover the tsunami damage is much worse that originally indicated.The shallow aftershock southeast of Kirakira follows a powerful 8.0 earthquake on Wednesday, which sent a devastating tsunami over the island of Lata.The 1-metre wall of water swept away whole villages in the flat region and killed at least nine people. The area of destruction is much larger than first thought with up to 20 villages badly damaged or destroyed.Prime Minister Gordon Lillo is declaring a state of
Doping widespread in Australian sport, finds probe

1. Australian sport is awash with peptides, hormones and other banned drugs with whole teams believed to be doping, an official report said on Thursday. 2. Some professionals were taking substances not yet approved for human use, the Australian Crime
JTS Institute
12

Commission said in its report delivered after a year-long investigation. 3. The commission also alleged that criminal elements might have infiltrated professional sports and fixed matches to manipulate betting markets. 4. It found dope being administered by sports scientists in cahoots with coaches, doctors and pharmacists. 5. Justice Minister Jason Clare said the findings were shocking and would disgust Australian sports fans. But he did not reveal which clubs and which sports stars were fingered by the investigators because that might impede criminal charges being laid. 6. Sports Minister Kate Lundy said administrators should set up integrity units that would work with the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Agency (ASDA) and the police to root out doping. 7. If you want to cheat well catch you. If you want to fix a match well catch you, Ms. Lundy said. 8. Australias John Fahey, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), said the report tells us how wide, how deep, this problem is in a country that prides itself on fair play. 9. Former ASDA head Richard Ings welcomed a promise from the government of enhanced powers for agency sleuths, describing the revelations as the blackest day in Australian sport. He said some had turned a blind eye to the use of performance-enhancing substances because weve been seduced by the romantic nature of sport. Theres been a belief with some sports and even with some officials that doping just would not take place in Australian sport and if it did it was isolated and sporadic. development projects and ensuring they are not affected are said to be one of the keys to his party repeating the showing when elections are held in June this year. Mr.Thinleys focus on economic ties with India is not surprising. During its years of good economic growth, India contributed generously to Bhutans Tenth Plan as well as maintained the flow of funds for three ongoing mega hydel projects the 1,200-mw Punatsangchhu-I, the 1,020-mw Punatsangchhu and the 720-mw Mangdechhu. This smooth flow of funds now appears to be in danger of being curtailed after Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram indicated his intention to take a closer look at the allocation for Bhutan as part of his overall drive to compress allocation of budgetary resources to most Ministries including the Ministry for External Affairs which channels Indias external assistance. Mr.Thinley is also keen to know the status of seven other major hydel projects that have a generation potential of over 7,000 MW. The clearance schedule of all these projects has been pushed back by four to six months amid apprehensions that some of them involving central public sector enterprises may get further delayed. As for China, sources close to Thimphu said the top leadership, including King JigmeKhesarNamgyalWangchuk, are kept acquainted about the situation on his countrys borders by Indias Research & Analysis Wing. So far, Beijings activities have not been an area of concern though middle ranking Chinese officials have visited Bhutan to test the waters on the prospect of establishing diplomatic ties. Bhutanese sources also refer to the general aversion to the Chinese among middle level officials as one reason why the opening up towards China will not take place soon. During 10 years between the mid 60s to the mid 70s, when many of the officials were in their formative years, they were witness to the pitiful state of Tibetan refugees as they sought shelter in their villages along the route to India. These memories still live with them and frequent reports of Tibetan monks immolating themselves has led them so far to politely stall Chinas probes for a diplomatic presence in Bhutan. The dispute with China over what some Bhutanese regard as traditional grazing pastures for their cattle around the Sikkim-Bhutan-China tri-junction also dissuades them from getting too close to China. Basically at the back of Mr.Thinleys mind is the nervousness every politician suffers from before an election. Between now and June, when the elections are likely to be held, they dont want a slowdown in Indian assistance for Bhutans budget or the hydel projects to become a factor, said official sources here.
Growth estimates below expectations: FinMin

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), on Thursday, projected a slide in the countrys GDP (gross domestic product) growth to a decade low of 5 per cent in 2012-13, which marks a sharp drop from the 6.2 percent expansion witnessed in the previous fiscal year. The CSO, in its advance estimates, pegged the expected growth in agriculture and allied activities much lower at 1.8 percent for the fiscal year (2012-13) which is just one-half of the 3.6 per cent expansion achieved in 2011-12. Likewise, the growth rate in the manufacturing sector is also seen as slipping to 1.9 percent from 2.7 per cent in the previous fiscal. Also, owing to external turbulence and subdued demand at home, the robust services sector, which used to make up for the slide in other sectors, is witnessing a growth deceleration. Needless to say, the Finance Ministry is disappointed and has termed the growth estimates as below expectations. The silver lining is that the growth estimates for the entire year are extrapolated based on data for April-November and do not take into account the reform measures put in place by the government and its likely impact in the remaining months of 2012-13. Reacting to the GDP numbers, the Finance Ministry, in a statement, said: The CSOs growth estimate, no doubt, is below what we had expected it to be. We are keeping a watch on the situation. We have taken and we will continue to take appropriate measures to revive growthAs per practice, this projection is based on extrapolation of numbers till November 2012. Since then, leading indicators have turned up,
Bhutan-Indian equation
Cash, rather than China, tops the agenda of Bhutan Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley, who arrived here on a three-day visit. With elections due in Bhutan towards the middle of this year, Thimphu is keen that its development plans and hydel projects being constructed by India are not affected by the Finance Ministrys move to reduce fiscal deficit, said government sources. Mr.Thinley was a surprise winner in Bhutans maiden parliamentary polls and his group is keen to repeat the performance in the next elections as well. Showcasing ongoing road, hydel and other
JTS Institute
13

suggesting some hope that we will end the year on a better note. Also, sectors such as trade and transport, which are related to industry, would tend to get revised upwards, if growth outcomes are better, the ministry said in a statement. In a similar argument, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia sought to point to what could be a statistical fallacy. I am not certain that whether they [CSO] have done it in a correct way. In the past also, the quarterly [GDP] data was very frequently adjusted I get the impression that they have not actually addressed the question... could it be that the economy bottomed out, in that case straight forward linear projection would not be right, he said, indicating thereby that the CSO ignored the growth uptrend seen towards the second-half of the fiscal year while computing the data for the entire financial year. As per the CSO data, the slide to 5 per cent growth would mean that the pace of expansion, in fact, tended to decelerate during the second-half of the fiscal, for the simple reason that GDP growth in April-September stood pegged at 5.4 percent. The advance estimates reveal that the services sector, is anticipated to grow by 8.6 per cent this fiscal as compared to 11.7 percent in 2011-12. The only plus points are that the mining and quarrying sector is expected to return to positive territory with a growth of 0.4 per cent as compared to a 0.6 percent contraction a year ago and the growth in construction is also likely to be slightly higher at 5.9 percent against 5.6 percent. out of sight in Cuba recovering from cancer surgery. It was the first devaluation to be announced by Chavezs government since 2010, and it brought down the official value of the bolivar by 46.5 per cent against the dollar. By boosting the bolivar value of Venezuelas dollardenominated oil sales, the change is expected to help alleviate a difficult budget outlook for the government, which has turned increasingly to borrowing to meet its spending obligations. Planning and Finance Minister Jorge Giordani said the new rate will take effect Wednesday, after the two-day holiday of Carnival. He said the old rate would still be allowed for some transactions that already were approved by the state currency agency. Venezuelas government has had strict currency exchange controls since 2003 and maintains a fixed, government-set exchange rate. Under the controls, people and businesses must apply to a government currency agency to receive dollars at the official rate to import goods, pay for travel or cover other obligations. While those controls have restricted the amounts of dollars available at the official rate, an illegal black market has flourished and the value of the bolivar has recently been eroding. In black market street trading, dollars have recently been selling for more than four times the official exchange rate of 4.30 bolivars to the dollar. The announcement came after the countrys Central Bank said annual inflation rose to 22.2 per cent in January, up from 20.1 per cent at the end of 2012. The oil-exporting country, a member of OPEC, has consistently had Latin Americas highest officially acknowledged inflation rates in recent years. Spiralling prices have come amid worsening shortages of some staple foods, such as cornmeal, chicken and sugar. Seeking to confront such shortages, the government last week announced plans to have the state oil company turn over more of its earnings in dollars to the Central Bank while reducing the amount injected into a fund used for various government programs and public works projects. It was the fifth time that Chavezs government has devalued the currency since establishing the currency exchange controls a decade ago in an attempt to combat capital flight. Mr.Giordani said at a news conference that the government also decided to do away with a second-tier rate that has hovered around 5.30 bolivars to the dollar, through a bond market administered by the Central Bank. That rate had been granted to some businesses that hadnt been able to obtain dollars at the official rate.
UNMOGIP
The senior official who reportedly asked whether the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, UNMOGIP existed, was not serious, just a bit facetious. For, not very far from his office lie those of the UNMOGIP. The Protocol Division of the Ministry of External Affairs annually publishes the Diplomatic List. It lists U.N. Offices; International organisations and other Foreign Agencies. UNMOGIPs address is helpfully mentioned 1AB, PuranaQila Road; its phone numbers, and names of three personnel besides the Head of Mission/Chief Military Observer are provided. All enjoy diplomatic status. It has offices in Srinagar and Muzaffarabad also. India knows that if the UNMOGIP is expelled, the U.N. Security Council would be activated with predictable consequences. It chose, instead, in 1972, to prevent it physically from undertaking probes into complaints on the Indian side. Pakistans aggression in 1965 The Group could have played a useful role last month, when charges of violations of the Line of Control were traded. In 1965, it played a crucial role in establishing Pakistans aggression, a fact few care to recall. The U.N. Secretary Generals Report to the Security Council was based on the Report of Lt. Gen. R.H. Nimmo, head of UNMOGIP. Gen. Nimmo has indicated to me that the series of violations that began on 5 August were to a considerable extent in subsequent days in the form of armed men, generally not in uniform, crossing the CFL [Ceasefire Line] from the Pakistan side for the purpose of armed action on the Indian side. He reported artillery fire and shelling from the Pakistan side. On September 1, one and a half Pakistan tank squadrons crossed the CFL supported by artillery. The Councils Resolutions fixed August
8 February 2013 Venezuela devalues its currency by nearly half

Venezuelas government announced on Friday that it is devaluing the countrys currency, a long-anticipated change expected to push up prices in the heavily import-reliant economy. Officials said the fixed exchange rate is changing from 4.30 bolivars to the dollar to 6.30 bolivars to the dollar. The devaluation had been widely expected by analysts in recent months, though experts had been unsure about whether the government would act while President Hugo Chavez remained
JTS Institute
14

5 as the date of casus belli. We won a big moral and political victory. India has no use for such verdicts now. It will be judged in its own cause despite the clear legal position. A ceasefire in Kashmir went into effect on New Years Day, 1949. On January 15, representatives of the two armies signed an agreement on consolidating the ceasefire. The Notes made that day by Lt. Gen. Maurice Delvoie, Military Adviser to the U.N. Commission for India and Pakistan and later head of UNMOGIP, make sad reading: On my request, both Commanders-inChief agreed to restore the communications by road between Srinagar and Rawalpindi, and to rebuild the necessary bridges. In addition, telephonic liaisons between these two localities will be restored. On July 27, 1949, the parties signed at Karachi an Agreement defining the ceasefire line in Kashmir. A cease-fire line is established. The U.N. Military Observers say on disputes was final. By November 1, the line was demarcated on the ground. Definition of breaches was settled. The UNMOGIP derived its authority from the Security Council Resolution of April 21, 1948 that empowered the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan to establish such observers as it may require. India-Pakistan accords merely fortified it. Professor Rosalyn Higgins, later a Judge of the International Court of Justice, opined in 1970 that this resolution would seem clearly to fall within the terms of Article 40 of the U.N.s Charter even though that Article was not specifically mentioned. The authority for establishing UNMOGIP thus stemmed from Chapter VII rather than Chapter VI. Article 40 authorises the Council to call upon the parties to comply with such provincial measures as it deems necessary. Chapter VI pertains to disputes on which the Council can make recommendations. Chapter VII deals with acts of aggression on which it decides. All doubt was removed when the UNCIP was replaced by a Special Representative, Sir Owen Dixon, on March 30, 1951 when the Council decides that the Military Observer Group shall continue to supervise the cease-fire in the State. As a result the authority for UNMOGIP was thus confirmed. It functions under the control and supervision of the SecretaryGeneral. After the 1965 war, India wanted its mandate to extend to the international border. Since Pakistan opposed this, the U.N. Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan was set up. The United Nations India-Pakistan Observation Mission soon vanished; UNMOGIP survived. The Tashkent Declaration of January 10, 1966 bound the parties to withdraw to the positions they held prior to August 5, 1965, and both sides shall observe the ceasefire terms on the ceasefire line. What followed is very relevant. On January 29, 1966, Lt Gen. Harbaksh Singh and Lt. Gen. BakhtiarRana signed an agreement at Lahore on their troops withdrawals. It said: Both forces will withdraw 1,000 yards from the line of actual control in specified sectors. The LoC did not coincide with the CFL. But it was always open to the parties to vary the line. If they did so, the line changed, but the agreement did not. Adjustments in the ceasefire line New Delhi decided to use the 1971 war to settle Kashmir. The Security Council adopted a resolution on December 21, 1971 calling for return of troops to their former positions. On the same day, Foreign Minister Swaran Singh spoke meaningfully of some adjustments in the ceasefire line in order to make it more stable, rational and viable. This we propose to discuss with Pakistan. The U.N. Secretary General reported on May 12, 1972 that India has stopped complaining to the UNMOGIP; flag meetings of both sides sufficed to resolve disputes. Pakistan disagreed. On May 17, 1972, even before the Simla pact, Swaran Singh told the LokSabha that the CFL was violated by Pakistan in December 1971 and no longer exists. A new ceasefire line came into existence on 17 December 1971. The UNMOGIP worked under the 1949 agreement but now there is no subsisting agreement for this. The absurdity is palpable. Violations do not destroy a CFL or anLoC. The UNMOGIP received a mandate from the Security Council. The 1949 Agreement merely abided by it. On October 13, 1972, C.V. Narasimhan, the Under-Secretary General of the U.N., said in New Delhi: there has been no written request from New Delhi to withdraw U.N. Observers from the Indian side of the old ceasefire line in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that they were there under a Security Council resolution followed by an India-Pakistan agreement. They could not be withdrawn as long as the resolution remained. This was said after the Simla pact of July 3, 1972 which simply stated that in Jammu and Kashmir, the line of control resulting from the ceasefire of December 17, 1971 shall be respected by both sides without prejudice to the recognised position of either side. An accord on August 29, 1972 amplified that the LoC will be delineated along its entire length. That was done at Suchetgarh on December 11, 1972. It did not rescind the terms of the Agreement of 1949 on the ceasefire line, concluded under the U.N. auspices. Starkes International Law, an authoritative work, cites various modes of terminating hostilities by Armistice Agreements, truce accords or ceasefire, etc. No matter what the language, each case yields an LoC resulting from cessation of hostilities. The Secretary-Generals spokesman, Martin Nesirky, said on January 23 that the Secretary-Generals position has always been that the UNMOGIP can only be terminated by a decision of the Security Council. Indias Permanent Representative to the U.N. Hardeep Singh Puris assertion in the Security Council on January 22, that the UNMOGIPs role has been overtaken by the Simla Agreement is belied by the records. So, is his colleague Manish Guptas plea that the CFL is replaced by the LoC ergo the UNMOGIPs role has been overtaken by these developments. Obstruction of the UNMOGIP began well before the Simla Pact and the LoC. India would do well to reflect on a sad fact of life protesting Kashmiris do not go to Ministers offices; they invariably head for the office in Srinagar of the UNMOGIP. We have travelled a long way on the bilateral route, with some achievements en route. Kicking the U.N.s agency like the UNMOGIP in the teeth is not the best way to secure a permanent seat on its Security Council, nor for that matter is doggedly avoiding a settlement of the Kashmir problem.
It carries passengers as well as choppers

At an altitude of about 6,000 ft. a
JTS Institute
15

sudden, brief turbulence left some of us scrambling for support when the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III hit an air pocket somewhere over Bangalore. We were ambling around the aircrafts innards, studying its finer details when we were jolted back to, well, the air. Theres lot of cloud, that is why theres some turbulence. Otherwise the aircraft flies smoothly, said technical sergeant Jerome Thomas, a loadmaster on board, minutes after the aircraft demonstrated a steep landing at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka. Deal with Boeing On our missions, we have carried a lot of stuff vehicles and helicopters among others on the C17, said Mr. Thomas, who has been on missions to Iraq and Afghanistan, providing details on the Globemaster that will equip the Indian armed forces. In 2011, India signed a $4.1 billion deal with Boeing to supply 10 aircraft. During the half-hour demonstration flight, Maj. Kenneth Kirkpatrick and co-pilot Captain Chris Ross conducted manoeuvres, including a couple of 360 degree turns, steep landing and backing among others. The Globemaster has a modest seating arrangement for 54 people, leaving a huge space in the centre where the floor can be flipped to make changes either to move cargo and reconfigure seats. Loadmaster Thomas demonstrated the operation of the ramp. The aircraft has a capacity to carry 77 tonnes of cargo and has a range of 5,000 to 7,000 km, depending on wind, temperature and weight. The cruise speed of the aircraft is .76 Mach, said Marc E. Caudill. The seating capacity can be reconfigured up to 184 depending on the need. Honour to fly it Captain Angela Kimler, another pilot on board, said: It is an honour to be flying the Globemaster and its doing a great job. It is also giving [us] many opportunities to participate in various missions. The young captain has been flying the C-17 since 2007 and has been on missions in Iraq and Afghanistan that included medical evacuation, cargo and movement of people. At least 10 per cent of the flying crew of Globemaster are women, she added. The Globesmaster has been flown down here by a demonstration team of the Pacific Air Force based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, led by Maj. Kenneth Kirkpatrick of 535th Airlift Squadron. It is one of the nine Globemasters at the base. It took the 16-member team nearly 20 hours to reach Bangalore after a stopover at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The flight has a call sign Reach on international missions and Slew at the home station. Boeing, in a release, said the C17s unique ability to fly long distances, and land in remote airfields in rough terrains and landlocked regions, makes it the premier transporter for military, humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. three hours or more. A severe blizzard has winds over 72 km/h (45 mph), near zero visibility, and temperatures of 12 C (10 F) or lower. Technically, the difference between a blizzard and a snowstorm is not the amount of snow but the strength of the wind.
FinMin confident of upward GDP revision

Shrugging off the Central Statistics Offices (CSO) dismal projection on GDP (gross domestic product) growth for the current fiscal as an underestimate, the Finance Ministry, on Friday, expressed confidence that subsequent revision in estimates as is the norm would peg the economic expansion figure higher at 5.5 per cent or more. In a statement here, the Finance Ministry pointed out that while the CSOs advance estimates on GDP growth for 2012-13 at 5 per cent was indeed disappointing, such advance estimates had been revised more than once in the past years as more data is available to it in the months ahead. Churning out CSO data on various estimates of GDP growth since 2005-06 which showed upward or downward correction in the final projection, the statement said: It is, therefore, likely that the advance estimates of 5 per cent will be revised and the final estimate will be closer to the governments estimate of a growth rate of 5.5 per cent or slightly more. The Finance Ministry argued that since the CSO bases its advance estimates on the data till November or December, depending on availability, this makes its estimates accurate when GDP growth is following a trend, but not when it is turning. So, for example, growth was overestimated as the economy slowed in 2008-09 and 2011-12, while it is probably underestimated now. To prove that there was still room for cautious optimism, the statement also drew attention to certain indicators which point to early sign of an upturn in the economy. The first such sign is the Purchasing Managers Index (manufacturing) which started moving up since October 2012 and is accompanied by a seasonally adjusted stabilisation of the IIP (Index of Industrial Production) from the same month onwards. Moreover, while the year-on-year growth in excise duty at 16 per cent and 33 percent in service tax in
Blizzard threatens northeastern United States

The mayor of Boston ordered all vehicles off the citys streets from 12 noon (1700 GMT) on Friday as the north-eastern US braced for a blizzard. The storm was expected to form just off the southern coast of Massachusetts when two weather systems one approaching from the south and the other from the west combine. The National Weather Service said on Thursday a major and potentially historic winter storm was expected to impact an area encompassing all of New York State, most of the state of Pennsylvania and all of New England, Friday into Saturday. New England consists of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Use common sense. Stay off the streets of our city. Basically, stay home, Mayor Thomas Menino said at a news conference at city hall. New York City also was bracing for the storm. It could get as much as 30 centimetres of snow, the weather service said. In addition to snow, the storm will pack wind gusts as high as 100 kilometres per hour. More than 1,000 flights were cancelled as of Thursday. The weather service said the storm also was likely to take out electrical power to thousands of homes. Concept: A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds of at least 56 km/h (35 mph) and low temperatures lasting for a prolonged period of time typically
JTS Institute
16

April-December, 2012, is yet another indicator of a turnaround, the moderation in inflation to 7.2 per cent, particularly core inflation to 4.2 per cent in December, 2012, and the Reserve Banks decisions to reduce policy rates by 25 basis points will also help in spurring growth, it said. Meanwhile, in his lecture at a symposium organised by CitiSloan here, Chief Economic Advisor Raghuram G. Rajan noted that the CSO estimate for the fiscal year was below potential and the government would have to pursue policies to push growth to at least 8 per cent. CSOs estimate of 5 per cent or 5.5 per cent growth [for 2012-13] is way below potential. We do need to up growth, we need to undertake policies that will enable us to reach at least to 8 per cent, which people think is lower bound for our potential growth, Dr.Rajan said. As in the Ministry statement, Dr.Rajan also pointed to some problem in CSOs estimate of GDP growth. One of the problems with the CSO estimate is that it is based on past data, and at turning points in GDP growth...Looking at past data, underestimates change, he said. The CEO also underscored the need to contain the fiscal deficit. We need to fix the fiscal deficit. We cant keep running large fiscal deficit and borrowing to finance it, he said. This is where Finance Minister has made a firm commitment that this years fiscal deficit will be 5.3 percent, he said. purchase of gold in any form.
NASAs new mission to estimate impact of asteroids on Earth

NASA plans to launch a new mission in 2016 to find potentially hazardous asteroids and predict their impact threat to Earth. NASAs OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission will arrive at RQ36 in 2018 and orbit the asteroid until 2021. By communicating continuously with a spacecraft in orbit around RQ36, the team will get a much better idea of the asteroids orbit. We expect OSIRIS-REx will enable us to make an estimate of the Yarkovsky force on RQ36 at least twice as precise as whats available now, says Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. The Yarkovsky effect happens simply because it takes time for things to heat up and cool down. Objects tend to be coldest just before dawn and warmest at midafternoon, after hours of illumination by the high Sun. The team will use what it learns about the Yarkovsky effect on RQ36 to help estimate the effects on other asteroids, NASA said in a statement. The key to all these strategies is to discover the asteroid well in advance of its impact date and attempt to deflect it early, according to Edward Beshore of the University of Arizona, Tucson, deputy principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. One of the first things that would be done if an asteroid appeared to be on a collision course with Earth is to send a probe to the asteroid that might look very much like OSIRISREx, said Beshore. OSIRIS-REx will determine if RQ36 is actually a rubble pile by orbiting it and revealing the subtle effects on the orbit from the gravity of any large and dense lumps within the asteroid. A probe like OSIRIS-REx could map the internal structure of an asteroid this way, providing valuable information on where to target the deflection mechanism. OSIRIS-REx will also determine the composition of RQ36 using remote measurements from both visible light and infrared spectrometers, and by collecting a sample of
material from the asteroids surface and returning it to Earth for study. Since the Yarkovsky effect may vary depending on the type of material and its distribution, a probe with OSIRIS-RExs capability to map the surface composition will enable a more precise estimate of the effect on the asteroids orbit. The mission will also provide critical experience navigating around asteroids. According to NASAs Near-Earth Object (NEO) programme, there are more than 1,300 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) objects at least 150 yards across with a very small chance of impacting us someday because their orbital paths take them close to Earths orbit.
India working on Agni-VI missile, to be in worlds elite nuclear club

India today said it is developing a long-range nuclear-capable Agni-VI ballistic missile that would carry multiple warheads allowing one weapon system to take out several targets at a time. Agni-V is a major strategic defence weapon. Now we want to make Agni-VI which would be a force multiplier, DRDO chief V K Saraswat said here. Refusing to divulge the range of the new under-development missile, he said the force multiplier capability of the missile would be because of its Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) capability. The Agni-5 ballistic missile, which was test-fired in April last year, has a range of upto 5,500 kms and it is believed that the Agni-6 would have a range longer than its predecessor. It will have force multiplier capability by the MIRV approach which would enable us to deliver many payloads at the same time using only one missile. Work is on in this area and designs have been completed. We are now in the hardware realisation phase, he said. DRDO officials said once the Agni6 is developed, it would propel India into the elite club of nations with such a capability including the US and Russia. The DRDO chief said his organisation was also working towards developing a cruise
Co-op banks told not to give loans for gold purchase

The Reserve Bank of India, on Friday, directed State and Central co-operative banks not to grant loans for purchase of gold in any form to check the significant rise in import of the precious metal in recent years. In view of the concerns..., it is reiterated that State and Central cooperative banks should not grant any advance for purchase of gold in any form, including primary gold, gold bullion, gold jewellery, gold coins, units of gold exchange traded funds (ETF) and units of gold mutual funds, the RBI said in a notification. At present, these banks are permitted to grant loans against pledge of gold ornaments, but not permitted to grant any advance for
JTS Institute
17

missile defence programme which would enable the armed forces to defend against low-flying cruise missiles and enemy aircraft. one lucky user discovers a new prime. GIMPS software runs on around a thousand university computers, one of which spent 39 days straight proving that the number was prime, which was then independently verified by other researchers. To upgrade the skills of personnel in the industry, the Ministry proposed to start an Aviation University and had appointed a consultant. It was in the process of creating a Civil Aviation Authority, which would replace the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the regulatory authority. A draft bill had been prepared, which would ensure that the authority had more powers and acted as a better regulatory agency. The Ministry was concentrating on four important aspects connectivity to remote areas by promoting tier 2 and tier 3 cities; upgrading manpower skills required for the industry; strengthening the regulatory body and modernisation. Yeshwant Bhave, Chairman, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), justified the introduction of user development fee at the new terminals here. The Airports Authority of India had created the facility and incurred expenditure, which it was recovering. Mr Bhave said that the Chennai airport had a good air cargo terminal. The airport could emerge as a hub not only for passenger movement but also cargo transportation. Space was not a constraint for the cargo terminal. The demand for air cargo transportation has increased significantly over the last few years, said JawaharVadivelu, president of the SICCI. This was due to the increase in demand for rapid delivery of products. Changing business models such as Just-intime manufacturing and global outsourcing had contributed to the rapid growth of air cargo logistics. Historically, sea cargo has been the most dominant form of shipping cargo from and to India, while air cargo accounted only for a negligible proportion of the total cargo trade within the country. The main goods transported by air are perishables, pharmaceuticals, garments, textiles, electronics and vulnerable cargo besides express mail items with the time definite delivery, he said.
Worlds largest prime number discovered with 17 million digits, prime search continues
Researchers have identified the worlds largest prime number yet, beating the previous record by over four million digits. The number has now shot up to 2 multiplied by itself 57,885,161 times minus 1, breaking a four-year dry spell in the search for new, ever-larger primes. Curtis Cooper from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg made the finding as part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS), a distributed computing project designed to hunt for a particular kind of prime number first identified in the 17th century, the New Scientist reported. Its sort of like finding a diamond, says Chris Caldwell at the University of Tennessee, Martin, who keeps a record of the largest known primes. For some reason people decide they like diamonds and so they have a value. People like these large primes and so they also have a value, said Caldwell. All prime numbers can only be divided by themselves and 1. The rare Mersenne primes all have the form 2 multiplied by itself p times minus 1, where p is itself a prime number. The new prime, which has over 17 million digits, is only the 48th Mersenne prime ever found and the 14th discovered by GIMPS. The previous record holder, 2 multiplied by itself 43,112,609 times minus 1, which was also found by GIMPS in 2008, has just under 13 million digits. All the top 10 largest known primes are Mersenne primes discovered by GIMPS. Until today, the most recent addition to the list was found in 2009, but it was smaller than the 2008 discovery. Though there are an infinite number of primes, there is no formula for generating these numbers, so discovering them requires intensive computation. GIMPS uses volunteers computers to shift through each prime-number candidate in turn, until eventually
9 February 2013 Mark-2 to be powered by GE F-414 engine

The LCA Navy programme would go it alone in the development of its Mark-2 version with a GE F-414 engine. It will be a lighter aircraft with better manoeuvrability, whose concept design, done over nine to 12 months, will kick off in March. EADS Cassidian will be the consultant. Once the detailed concept design is done, preliminary design review, in consultation with the Navy, will be carried out. The process of procurement of raw material would have already got under way then, mainly to ensure no time is lost for cutting metal after the critical design review gets over and the project is sealed. The global standard of building and equipping an aircraft is 36 months from the time its design is frozen. In all, it would take eight years from now for the first flight of LCA Navy Mark-2, which will come equipped with an anti-ship missile, an addition on the Mark-1 variant. The Mark1, currently being developed, will be optimised for an air defence role with the same weapons as on its Air Force counterpart.
Tier-2, 3 cities to boast of no-frills airports

A study on creating no-frills airports in the country has been completed and the Civil Aviation Ministry is looking at the feasibility of generating an environment for a new kind of aviation, said S. Machendranathan, Additional Secretary in the Ministry, here on Saturday. Speaking at an interactive session on Aviation Cargo Industry: A Vital Link in Logistics, organised by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), Mr. Machendranathan said that the no-frills airports would be created in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. The idea was to create connectivity for regional and remote areas. The airports would boost economic activity and smaller aircraft could be operated.
9 new cases of swine flu

Nine new cases of swine flu were reported in the Capital on Saturday. Health officials said the number of cases so far this season now stands at 73. An official of the Delhi Health Service said nine people tested positive for swine flu, but there
JTS Institute
18

were no deaths on Saturday. There were 39 cases and one death in January, and 25 cases and two deaths so far in February. In 2012, a total of 78 cases and one death were recorded. The Delhi Health Minister has directed 17 government hospitals and five private hospitals to gear up for swine flu treatment in the wake of a spurt in the number of cases. Symptoms of swine flu include high-grade fever, respiratory problems, chest pain Sources close to Mr. Mukherjee take a more nuanced view of his rejection of these two mercy petitions: they say he viewed the two cases differently while he felt that there were no two views on Kasabs guilt, he was aware that in Afzal Gurus case, there had always been a question mark on the extent of his involvement in the attack on Parliament and made that distinction in private conversations after the execution of the 26/11 accused last November. However, these sources added, Mr. Mukherjee also believed that the attack on Parliament was an attack on Indian democracy and a message needed to be sent out that such assaults would not be tolerated. Though Afzal Gurus mercy petition file came to RashtrapatiBhavan on August 4, 2011 (when Ms.Patil was in office), Mr. Mukherjee, after taking charge, sent the file back on November 15, 2012 to the Home Ministry for a fresh look. The Home Ministry returned the file to the President on January 23 this year, and he sent it back, rejecting the petition, on February 3, paving the way for Saturdays execution.In short, Mr. Mukherjee did send back the file for reconsideration once. However, he could have sat on the file as there is no time limit for the President to take a decision. The Congress line for a while has been that the Supreme Court verdict must be executed. General secretaryDigvijay Singh, while articulating this view last year, cited two reasons: that the attack on Parliament was a serious terror attack and that the highest court in the land had handed the death penalty to Afzal Guru. Repeating that view on Saturday to The Hindu , he said, Any kind of mercy shown to the perpetrator of a terror attack on Parliament would not have been the right thing to do. To a question on the timing of the hanging, he said, The timing had to be decided by the government, keeping the ground situation in mind and ensuring that all the reports were ready... the Home Ministry had not recommended the case earlier as it had to consult the State [J&K] government. With these two executions, government sources said, the Congress-led UPA sent out a signal that it was prepared to take the harshest possible steps to deal with acts of terror. This would also strengthen Mr.Shindes hands, they added, in dealing with acts of terror committed by Hindu organisations. Concept: Clemency The Indian Constitution grants clemency powers to the President and the Governors of States, respectively through Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution of India, respectively. The purpose was to add a humane approach by means of a reprieve or mercy. Forgiveness, as we all know, is considered to be divine. In matters pertaining to public welfare, it becomes necessary to see whether granting pardon overturns the intention of the conviction. The Constitution of India permits any convict who is sentenced to death to appeal for mercy. However, the President and the Governors are not obliged to accept every mercy plea. They are supposed to take their decisions on the basis of the advice given by the cabinet. Constitution of India: Scope of Clemency Powers and Their Judicial Review According to the Constitution of India, the President and the Governors of State are bound to act on the advice of the Union council of ministers while deciding on mercy petitions. The exercise of these powers can be granted under Articles 72 and 161, but they are subject to judicial review. However, the scope of this judicial review is limited to examining whether the clemency powers have been used with reasonable application of mind or on the basis of extraneous or malafide consideration. When a decision is made on application of mind, the court will take no action over it but if the pardon appears to be based on malafide or extraneous considerations, it can set aside the decision of the President or the Governor. A clear instance of this principle was evident in a court judgment that set aside the decision of Andhra Pradesh Governor, Sushil Kumar Shinde to remit the sentence of a Congress activist. GouruVenkata Reddy. Reddy was undergoing a ten-year prison sentence for killing two persons including a TDP activist. Constitution of India: Identifying Extraneous and Malafide Consideration The Constitution of India mandates that the rule of law is essential for all considerations. When the President of Governor, considers the mercy petition or clemency
The role of Pranab Mukherjee

The execution of two convicts on charges of terror in less than three months a record of sorts in recent times has unwittingly put the spotlight on President Pranab Mukherjee, who took office last July. His quick rejection of the mercy petitions of AjmalKasab, the only survivor among the perpetrators of 26/11, and Mohammad Afzal Guru, the main accused in the case of attack on Parliament in 2001, has helped the Congress-led UPA government neutralise its critics who say this is an administration that is soft on terror. Of course, publicly, through the day, government managers sought to delink the hanging of Afzal Guru from any politics. Unlike the BharatiyaJanata Party, we dont politicise decisions that pertain to national security, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said, adding, When you are dealing with a process under criminal jurisprudence, you see that the law is followed rigorously. Union Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singhs tone was equally sombre: This is not a time for politics but calm, restraint and sobriety. But government sources told The Hindu that their task had been made easier by having a Home Minister SushilkumarShinde and a President who were agreed on speedy disposal of the Afzal Guru case. They pointed out that A.P.J Abdul Kalam, during his tenure as President, indicated to the then Home Minister ShivrajPatil shortly after he cleared DhananjoyChatterjees execution in 2004 his lack of enthusiasm for the death penalty. His successor, PratibhaPatil, commuted as many as 35 death sentences to life imprisonment before she demitted office and was seen as opposing the death penalty in principle.
JTS Institute
19

petition on the basis of caste, religion or political loyalty, it becomes a case of extraneous consideration. The President and the Governors can also exercise their power to pardon on the ground that they do not feel justice was done or the sentence passed by the court is too harsh. Opportunities. The event will have two major components namely, Multi-disciplinary Dialogue in form of a Conference and a concurrently running exhibition enriching the theme and showcasing the technologies in water sector. The theme for India Water Week- 2012 was Water, Energy and Food Security - Call for Solutions which from 10-14 April, 2012. In this connection, Union Minister for Water Resources, Shri Harish Rawat today issued, a Curtain Raiser Function of India Water Week-2013 at Central Soil & Materials Research Station, New Delhi. Secretary(WR), Chairman, CWC, Senior Officers from MoWR, Head of Departments under MoWR and various Central Govt. Ministry/ Departments/ Public Sector Undertakings/ Private Industries/ NGOs and individuals were present during the issuance of this curtain raiser. On this occasion the Minister highlighted the importance of organizing IWW-2013 considering the limited availability of Water Resources of the country. He stressed on the need of conservation, equitable distribution and adoption of most rational and scientific approach for judicious use of Water Resources. Organization of event will help in sharing the experience of professional working in the Water Resources Sector World over for better management of Water Resources. He also launched the Second Information Bulletin of IWW-2013. Dr. S.K. Sarkar, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources in his remarks highlighting the vital role of water in all spheres of life, stressed on the need of better management and planning for prosperity through efficient and optimal use of water resources at the National level and International level. The Organization of IWW 2013 by Ministry of Water Resources will give a splendid opportunity for the stakeholders from all over the world to come together and exchange views, discuss topics of contemporary relevance technologies in Water Sector and deliberate on challenges being faced the Water Sector. He expressed the hope that Curtain Raiser Function/ Road Show will create awareness about the organization of IWW-2013. Director General, NWDA, made a detailed presentation covering the objectives and organizational details. He informed that the event has generated considerable interest amongst water resources professional community and 1008 registrations from 53 countries have already taken place. The technical themes have been well received with 245 papers likely to be presented at the Conference. Large segments of industry are participating in the exhibition and showcasing their products. Similar functions are proposed to be organized at Chennai on 19th February, at Ahmedabad on 22nd February and at Kolkata on 1st March, 2013.
Civil Aviation Minister launches ShubhYatra Magazine

Civil aviation minister, ShriAjit Singh today released ShubhYatra, an exclusive monthly bi-lingual (Hindi & English) inflight magazine of Air India, It covers travel, lifestyle, culture and entertainment in all colour and spice. This is the new name of the inflight magazine.
10 February 2013 Nigeria wins Africa Cup of Nations

Nigeria returned to the top of African football on Sunday by beating Burkina Faso 1-0 in the Cup of Nations final for its first continental title in nearly two decades.Sunday Mbas goal in the 40th minute delivered another triumph for coach Stephen Keshi after he captained Nigeria to its last African Cup crown in 1994. Mba decided the game in front of around 87,000 fans at Soccer City with a left-foot volley into the far right corner after he expertly controlled a rebound and clipped the ball over a defender.Burkina Faso fell short of what would have been a surprising triumph in its first final, having progressed beyond the group stage for only the second time at the African championship.
Handing over of ALH MkIV Rudra A Milestone

An Advanced Light Helicopter Mk-IV army version Rudra was handed over by Dr RK Tyagi, Chairman, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to Lt Gen Narendra Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (P & S), Indian Army during AERO India 2013 at Yelahanka Air Base, Bangalore today. At the outset of the ceremony, Shri P SoundaraRajan, Managing Director said Rudra, first armoured helicopter - is the Mk IV variant of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) designed and manufactured by HAL. This helicopter is fitted with Day and Night Targeting systems and can carry a mix of weapons (70 rockets, anti-tank missiles, air to air missiles and 20 mm turret gun), providing the required capability to search and destroy any targets. Rudra is designed indigenously at the Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR & DC) to meet the mission specifications and tested extensively over varied terrains and firing ranges in India. Regional Center for Military Airworthiness has provided Initial Operational Clearance for the project facilitating delivery of helicopters to Indian Armed Forces. Rudra is all set to redefine battle tactics in modern day conflicts.
Argo wins top Bafta prize

Iran hostage drama Argo continued its journey from awards season outsider to favourite on Sunday, winning three prizes, including best picture, at the British Academy Film Awards. Ben Affleck was named best director for the based-on-reality story of a long shot plan to rescue a group of American diplomats from Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and the film also took the editing trophy.Affleck dedicated his directing prize for anyone out there whos trying to get their second act. Daniel Day-Lewis won his universally expected best actor trophy for Lincoln the only prize out of 10 nominations for Steven Spielbergs historical biopic.Emmanuelle Riva was named best actress for Michael Hanekes poignant old-age portrait Amour. French revolutionary musical Les
Water Resources Ministry to Organize India Water Week-2013

Ministry of Water Resources is organizing the India Water Week2013 from 8th-12th April, 2013 here at VigyanBhawan, New Delhi with the theme Efficient Water Management: Challenges and
JTS Institute
20

Miserables won four prizes, including best supporting actress for Anne Hathaway. James Bond adventure Skyfall spied some elusive awards recognition, winning trophies for music and best British film.Kathryn Bigelows Osama bin Laden thriller Zero Dark Thirty was shut out of the prizes, despite five nominations.This seasons movie with momentum is crowd-pleaser Argo, which has been building steam with big prizes at ceremonies such as the Golden Globes, the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild of America Awards. It is now considered a front runner for the best picture award at the Oscars on Feb. 24, even though Affleck was not nominated for best director.The early prizes were shared widely, with Les Mis taking trophies for sound and makeup/ hair and Life of Pi receiving the honour for cinematography. Quentin Tarantino picked up the original screenplay award for Django Unchained, and Christoph Waltz was named best supporting actor for playing a loquacious bounty hunter in Tarantinos slave-revenge thriller. cost $7 billion more than the costliest 2010 Summer Olympics in China, given the fact that summer games are far more expensive to prepare. Russian media said corruption was the main reason for the huge cost escalation. At a meeting with officials responsible for Olympic construction Mr. Putin warned them to ensure that no one steals anything and there are no unexplained [further] increases in costs. He personally sacked a deputy president of the Russia Olympic Committee over delays and cost overruns in the construction of a ski jumping venue. Lack of snow may be another headache for organisers. While Russia as a whole is having its snowiest winter in 100 years, with more than two metres of snow falling in Moscow, Sochi is woefully short of snow. Some slope-style skiing events had to be cancelled in Sochi this week because of heavy rain. Subtropical Sochi, one of Russias warmest health resorts sitting on the Black Sea, basked in 19 degrees Celsius on Thursday, and though mountains above the city are covered with thick snow, organisers take no chances. They are busy hoarding snow for the next years Olympics. Several hectares of snow are being covered with a 40-centimetre blanket of sawdust to keep it from melting during summer months. Officials say they plan to save a total of 150,000 cubic metres of snow for the next winter just in case. unanimously upheld the death sentence. Subsequently, following the legal course, the President also rejected the mercy petition. Responding to questions related to various issues being thrown up by the incident, especially the timing that had been preceded by delays, Mr. Kumar said the processes for exercising the sovereign power to pardon, on the advice of the Home Ministry, were well established and reviewed from time to time. However, Mr. Kumar agreed that there was a case for fixing a time frame in which power to pardon should be exercised, taking into consideration the exigencies of the situation and a variety of factors that must be brought to the knowledge of the President before a final decision was taken. The Minister said India had arrived at a moment in which all political parties needed to commit themselves to a constructive discourse that was anchored in the spirit of contestation of ideas and ideologies rather than remaining restricted to conflict-ridden rhetoric on all issues. There are far too many grave challenges before the nation, which require a broad and sustainable political consensus to facilitate complex policy decisions, particularly considering the need for a harmonious engagement between the States and Union, he said. Reacting to concerns from various quarters, Mr. Kumar said the recent ordinance for amending the criminal law was just the first step towards revising and fine-tuning the relevant legal provisions to put in place an effective deterrent against crime, especially targeting women and children. He said the amendment would be discussed by Parliament and the government was completely responsive to any constructive suggestions to reduce the scope for abuse of power by the law-enforcing agencies. He expressed satisfaction that the UPA government had risen to the challenge in bringing the ordinance in record time to respond to the sensitivities of a nation that had been shocked by the horrific incident in Delhi.
Winter Olympics on thin ice?

Russia has launched the one-year countdown to its first ever Winter Olympics amid fears that the games will be too high on costs and too low on snow. Giant timers, set up in Moscow, St. Petersburg and six other biggest cities of Russia, started on Thursday counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds left to the opening of the 14th Winter Olympic Games in the health resort of Sochi on February 7, 2014. President Vladimir Putin and head of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge marked one year to Olympics in Sochi on Thursday. A day earlier, Mr. Putin inspected the Olympic facilities, which are two-third ready, voicing concern over skyrocketing construction costs. According to the Russian government, the games will cost $51 billion, five times the original price tag and 15 times more than Canada spent on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Even considering that all facilities and infrastructure for the Sochi games had to be built from scratch, experts find it hard to explain why the Russian Winter Olympics will
Mercy pleas need to be settled within a time frame: Minister

Union Minister for Law Ashwani Kumar on Sunday warned against any attempt to politicise the hanging of Afzal Guru, who was convicted for his involvement in the December 13, 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament. He, however, agreed that there was a need to fix a timeframe, within which Presidential pardon could be granted to those on death row, Talking to The Hindu here, the Minister said hanging Guru was a decision in the right direction to uphold the law as well as for the security of the Indian state. He sought to dispute all suggestions that the execution of the death sentence had any political consideration as Guru went to the gallows after three courts
Indo-French satellite set for launch

Indo-French space cooperation is all set to soar to new heights with the scheduled launch of a satellite to study changes in the environment soon after the visit of
JTS Institute
21

French President Francois Hollande here next week.The SARAL-Altika satellite, a joint project of the space agencies of India and France, will complement the observations of the seas made by current satellites. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has identified a launch window between February 22 and February 25 for putting the 450 kg Indo-French satellite into orbit from its spaceport at Sriharikota, official sources said here.Indias warhorse rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will put the satellite into orbit. SARAL is short for Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa, the two main devices on it which have been provided by French space agency CNES. Besides building the spacecraft, ISRO will launch and operate it through its life.SARAL would be one of the very few ocean-centric satellites and a vital cog in studying sea surface heights and other aspects. Earlier, the launch was scheduled for December last year but it had to be put off to complete a few tests and validations.AltiKa is anKaband altimeter system, dedicated to accurate measurement of the rise in the sea levels. The satellite would be useful in studying the sea state, light rainfall climatalogy, mean sea level and coastal altimetry.The satellite would help ocean scientists gather accurate data on the rise in the sea level which could threaten the low lying and coastal areas of the country. had not extended the deadline, but a circular was issued as a followup to all banks to review the position by September 30, 2012. Most banks have complied with the norms, an official said. State Bank of Travancore, one of the major public sector banks operating in Kerala, maintained that the process of furnishing the account details was underway. The delay was on account of the large number of inoperative accounts, a senior official of the bank said. The bank has initiated steps to trace accounts holding low balance and follow-up measures have been initiated. The RBI directive has prompted Union Bank of India to contact many dormant account holders and about 40-50 per cent of them have been reactivated, a top official of the bank said. Some of the accounts are operated by government departments and involve litigations. The total amount of unclaimed deposits is being mentioned in the balance sheets regularly, he said. Federal Bank and South Indian Bank, scheduled commercial banks based in Kerala, are among banks which have already published the details of the dead accounts in their websites. Federal Bank had over 82,000 inoperative accounts holding Rs.13.9 crore as deposits, as on December 31, 2010. South Indian Bank has over 1,4600 dormant accounts with Rs. 84 lakh; Dhanlaxmi Bank had 54,247 inoperative accounts with Rs.1.19 crore; Catholic Syrian Bank had over 1.79 lakh dormant accounts with Rs.4.15 crore. State Bank of Travancore had over 63,900 inoperative accounts with Rs.8.16 crore in them, as on December 31, 2010, according to information available from RBI. Carelessness, migration, death of the account holder and failure of the legal successors to submit evidence are among reasons behind the existence of inoperative accounts. The RBI wanted the banks to adopt a customer-friendly policy with a view to helping the account holders or their successors to revive the accounts. GDP, but this year we expect it would be significantly higher than that. Its going to be historically the highest CAD measured as a proportion of GDP, the Governor said, though he refrained from giving any figure. He also expressed concern over the way the CAD, which is the gap between forex gained and forex spent, is being financed by volatile inflows instead of more foreign direct investments. Subbarao was addressing the convocation ceremony of the RBIset up Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) here. The trade gap is widening mainly because of higher import of oil and gold. The third quarter numbers are expected later this week. Flagging his concerns over CAD, which was the overriding theme of the third quarter monetary policy announced on January 29, Subbarao said these were regarding its level, quality and the way it is being financed. We would not worry if the widening CAS is on account of import of capital goods, but here it is high on account of import of oil and gold. The other concern is the way we are financing it. We are financing our CAD through increasingly volatile flows. Instead, we should ideally be getting as much of FDI as possible to finance the CAD. On the other hand, what we are getting is a lot of volatile flows to finance it, Subbarao said. In FY12, after hitting a high CAD of 4.3 per cent, which was then a record, CAD had declined to 3.9 per cent of GDP, though it was 10 bps above the year ago period.
Banks yet to comply with norms on dormant accounts

Several banks are yet to comply with the Reserve Bank of India norm to furnish details of accounts which have been remaining inoperative for a decade. The RBI had asked all public sector and scheduled commercial banks to provide the details of dormant accounts online by June 30 last year. As on December 31, 2011, a total amount exceeding Rs.2, 481 crore was lying as unclaimed deposits in 1.1 million accounts of various banks in the country, according to the RBI. On a modest estimate, at least Rs.100 crore could be remaining idle in banks operating in Kerala. RBI officials said the apex bank
France runs into German wall on EU growth drive

French efforts to divert Europe from economic austerity have foundered twice in a week due to German resistance, underlining a growing policy divide that is hobbling the core partnership. Berlin rejected President Francois Hollandes call on Tuesday to set a mid-term target for the euro, a move he hoped would bring the single currency down to a level that would make it easier for French industry to sell its goods abroad. Three days later, German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined forces with Britains David Cameron at a Brussels summit to
Subbarao warns of record current account deficit

Reserve Bank of India Governor DuvvuriSubbarao today cautioned the country was headed for the highest ever current account deficit this fiscal, after it rose to 5.3 per cent of GDP in the second quarter. Last year, CAD was 4.2 per cent of
JTS Institute
22

push through the first ever cut in the 27-nations budget, taking an axe to spending on infrastructure projects backed by Paris. Is it the budget I would have liked if it was just up to me? No. But the problem with Europe is that there are others involved, a resigned Hollande told reporters after allnight talks secured a deal on EU funding from 2014-2020. Both Hollande and Merkel have insisted that the Franco-German motor is still driving EU integration 50 years after the friendship pact between the former World War Two foes. But while they say achievements such as last years deal on EU banking supervision show that Paris and Berlin can still overcome their differences to forge compromises, the French voice is increasingly struggling to make itself heard. EU budget: Hollande left out of pocket, ran the headline of the leftleaning Liberation newspaper on the roughly three-percent cut in EU spending, mainly at the expense of transport, energy and telecoms projects which Paris has argued would foster growth and make Europes economy more competitive. Cameron and Merkel impose austerity on Hollande was how the conservative Le Figaro summed up the meeting. PRE-SUMMIT HUDDLE Hollande could have expected a heros welcome in Brussels for his handling of his first war in the African state of Mali, where French forces have driven al Qaeda-linked rebels out of its main northern towns and into the hills. Moreover, with Cameron having put Britains EU membership on the line by promising a referendum on it if re-elected, last weeks summit could have offered France and Germany the stage to rally together in a demonstration of European solidarity. But in the budget wrangling that ensued, it was Hollande who looked isolated as his efforts to forge a coalition of southern and eastern European states demanding more generous spending were quashed by Germany, Britain and other northern countries. EU officials were mystified when Hollande, citing other engagements, chose not to attend a pre-summit huddle with Cameron, Merkel and EU President Herman Van Rompuy on Thursday afternoon where key details of the deal were hammered out. From then on, what Cameron called the band of like-minded budget disciplinarians including Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland had the upper hand and for France, it was a matter of salvaging what it could from the summit. While the overall EU farm spending of which France is the main beneficiary will fall sharply from its 2007-2013 level, Hollande managed to limit the damage to French farmers with a small rise in related funds for rural development. But he had to concede that Britains cherished 29-year-old rebate from EU spending, about which he had noisily complained in the run-up to the summit, would have to remain untouched. We are seeing the Germans extending a hand more and more often to the British than to us, French political analyst Eric Zemmour said, suggesting Merkels priority was to give Cameron ammunition at home to defend Britains membership in the EU. WIDENING GULF Ultimately, cuts to an EU budget which in total represents barely one percent of the regions economic output are unlikely to influence how quickly it comes out of the current downturn. However the clash between Paris and Berlin on the level of the euro currency points at deep-rooted differences in the national interests of the two countries that may prove more telling in the long run. A study by Deutsche Bank last month calculated that Frances exporters start being priced out of world markets when the euro rises above 1.22-1.24 dollars - a level it has already long left behind to trade at $1.33 now. Germanys higher value-added export products, however, only start to be disadvantaged when the exchange rate is above $1.54. Until that point, there is little damage to the German economy and indeed some benefit in a strong euro because it keeps the prices of imported goods and hence inflation in check. We do not agree on economic policy and a number of other areas, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, head of the Robert Schuman Foundation, a French think tank on Europe, told Europe 1 radio. The gulf between France and Germany is widening somewhat and that worries me.
Colours of exoplanets could reveal signs of life

One way to find whether exoplanets would contain life forms would be by looking at their distinctive colours, say scientists. When seen from space, Earth gives off a large amount of nearinfrared light, which is reflecting off the chlorophyll in plants. It is possible that we might see a similar red edge on distant exoplanets if they also host green vegetation. But SiddharthHegde and Lisa Kaltenegger of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, think that many rocky worlds will possibly have extreme heat, dryness or acidity, and that hardier life forms will dominate their surfaces, according to the New Scientist. To find out what would these organisms look like from a distance, the pair looked at the light reflected by some of Earths more extreme life forms: lichens in arid regions, bacterial mats in very hot water and red algae in acid mine drainage. They calculated that seen from afar each type of organism would create a unique colour pattern. Lichens, for instance, appear more yellow than the algae or bacteria. Finding these patterns could help narrow down exoplanets for more detailed searches, the scientists said. Its an attractive idea, said Nicolas Cowan of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. But he noted that the work has its limits. For instance, he said that atmospheres on other planets may be very different from our own and could scatter light in ways we wouldnt expect.
UN Security Council looms for Iran as IAEA tries again

Iran faces possible referral to the UN Security Council in early March unless Tehran and the UN atomic agency defy expectations in talks Wednesday and reach a deal on
JTS Institute
23

enhanced inspections. Iran has consistently rejected as unfounded what the International Atomic Energy Agency calls overall, credible evidence that until 2003 and possibly since, it conducted nuclear weapons research. The Vienna agency closely monitors Irans declared nuclear facilities but wants Iran also to grant access to sites, scientists and documents involved in these alleged military activities. Iran accuses the IAEA of basing its conclusions on faulty intelligence from foreign spy agencies intelligence it complains it has not been allowed to see. A series of meetings over the past year, the latest in January, have failed to overcome the differences, and hopes are not high at agency headquarters for these next talks, one Vienna diplomat told AFP. It doesnt seem as if any of the areas of difficulty have been resolved, the envoy said. The consequences of another failure could be serious. In November, Washington warned that if there was no progress, it would push for the IAEA board at its next meeting from March 4-8 to take the rare step of referring Iran to the UN Security Council. The impression is that (China and Russia) are increasingly frustrated with Iran. It is an open question but there is some optimism that they will join Western countries in supporting such a procedure, the diplomat said. This will do little to improve the already frosty ambience in parallel diplomatic efforts between Iran and six world powers, due to resume in Kazakhstan on February 26 after an eight-month hiatus. Iran has spurned calls from the P5+1 the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany to scale back parts of its nuclear work because it was not offered sanctions relief in return. The tone of comments Thursday by Irans supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggested that Tehran is in no greater mood to compromise, spurning an offer of bilateral talks with Washington. You (Americans) want to negotiate when you are pointing the gun at Iran. The Iranian nation will not be intimidated by such actions, the 73-year-old said. Some rejoice at the offer of negotiations ... (but) negotiations will not solve anything. recommendations of the LLRC, which went into the causes of the war with the Tamil Tigers. Concept: Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was a commission of inquiry appointed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2010 after the 26-year long civil war in Sri Lanka. The commission was mandated to investigate the facts and circumstances which led to the failure of the ceasefire agreement made operational on 27 February 2002, the lessons that should be learnt from those events and the institutional, administrative and legislative measures which need to be taken in order to prevent any recurrence of such concerns in the future, and to promote further national unity and reconciliation among all communities. After an 18 month inquiry, the commission submitted its report to the President on 15 November 2011. The report was made public on 16 December 2011, after being tabled in the parliament. The commission concluded that the Sri Lankan military didnt deliberately target civilians but the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) repeatedly violated international humanitarian law. According to the commission the military gave the highest priority to protecting civilians whereas the Tamil Tigers had had no respect for human life. The commission admitted that civilians had been killed by the Sri Lankan military, albeit accidentally, contradicting the governments line that there were zero civilian casualties. The commission did however receive some eyewitness evidence alleging abuse by the military which warranted further investigation and, if necessary, the prosecution of perpetrators. The commission acknowledged that hospitals had been shelled, resulting considerable civilian casualties, but it did not say who was responsible for the shelling. The commission blamed Sinhalese and Tamil politicians for causing the civil war: the Sinhalese politicians failed to offer a solution acceptable to the Tamil people and the Tamil politicians fanned militant separatism. The commission has been heavily criticised by international human rights groups, the UN Panel of Experts and others due its limited
11 January 2013 February U.S. sure India will go with it again in new Sri Lanka resolution
The United States is sure that India will support a country-specific resolution sponsored by it in the coming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The U.S. representatives revealed here that it had decided to sponsor a procedural resolution at the March 2013 session of the U.N. Human Rights Council along with international partners. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Moore told select media here that the resolution will be straightforward; it will be a procedural resolution, and it will build on the 2012 resolution which called on Sri Lanka to do more to promote reconciliation and accountability. The resolution will ask the government of Sri Lanka to follow through on its own commitments to its people, including the implementation of the LLRC [Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission] recommendations. Responding to a question, a transcript of which has been posted on the U.S. Embassy website, Mr. Moore said he was sure that India and all the countries that voted with the U.S. last year would follow the same lead this year: And the reason there would be another resolution this coming March is because we and the other 23 members of the Human Rights Council who voted for the resolution in 2012 believe that the government of Sri Lanka needs to fulfil the commitment that its already made through the LLRC to its people, he said. So this new resolution would reflect our support for those commitments, our continued support. And for the people of Sri Lanka as they continue to face these important issues, he said. Official confirmation of the Indian stand was not available. But it is reliably learnt that the issue did figure in all the recent high-level engagements. Sri Lanka has responded to the U.S. announcement, saying that it will defend its rights record. Significant progress has been made, it contended, in implementing the
JTS Institute
24

mandate, alleged lack of independence and its failure to meet minimum international standards or offer protection to witnesses. They believed that the Sri Lankan government was using the commission as a tool to prevent an independent international investigation of alleged abuses. As a consequence of this Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group refused to appear before the commission Deposits and Advances, subject to their reporting to the Board immediately thereafter. The banks were also to declare the maximum spread over BPLR with the approval of the ALCO/Board for all advances]. The Base Rate is the minimum interest rate of a Bank below which it cannot lend, except in cases allowed by RBI. The Base Rate system has replaced the BPLR system with effect from July 1, 2010. Base Rate shall include all those elements of the lending rates that are common across all categories of borrowers. Banks may choose any benchmark to arrive at the Base Rate for a specific tenor that may be disclosed transparently. There can be only one Base Rate for each bank. However, banks have the freedom to choose any benchmark to arrive at a single Base Rate but the same needs to disclosed transparently. As per RBI guidelines (as in July 2012), the following categories of loans could be priced without reference to Base Rate :(a) DRI Advances; (b) Loans to banks own employees including retired employees; (c) Loans to banks depositors against their own deposits The Empowered Committee also decided to suggest to the Finance Ministry incorporation of provisions for allowing states to opt out of the GST fold, thereby making it optional. Moreover, states had agreed to a lower payment of Rs 34,000 crore for phasing out the Central Sales Tax, a pre-condition for rollout of the GST. Besides, they had agreed that instead of a single rate for GST there would be a floor rate with a band, giving freedom to states to fix their own rates. The meeting also assumes significance as the Centre is in the process of firming up indirect tax proposals for the Budget.
More banks cut lending rates

Syndicate Bank, on Monday, announced a cut of 25 basis points in its base rate to 10.25 percent with effect from February 13. The bank also revised downward its benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) by a similar margin to 14.50 percent. Tamilnad Mercantile Bank reduced its base rate by 25 basis points to 10.75 percent from 11 per cent, and prime lending rate (PLR) to 16.50 per cent from 16.75 per centeffective February 11, S. Selvan Rajadurai, General Manager, (Business Development), said in a statement. Concept: Base Rate Vs BPLR In banking parlance, the BPLR means the Benchmark Prime Lending Rate. However, with the introduction of Base Rate (explained below), BPLR has now lost its importance and is made applicable normally only on the loans which have been sanctioned before the introduction of Base Rate (i.e. July 2010). The BPLR system, introduced in 2003, fell short of its original objective of bringing transparency to lending rates. This was mainly because under the BPLR system, banks could lend below BPLR. For the same reason, it was also difficult to assess the transmission of policy rates of the Reserve Bank to lending rates of banks Thus, BPLR was / is the interest rate that commercial banks normally charge (or we can say they were expected to charge) their most credit-worthy customers. [ Although as per Reserve Bank of India rules, Banks were free to fix Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR) for credit limits over Rs.2 lakh with the approval of their respective Boards yet BPLR was to be declared and made uniformly applicable at all the branches. The Asset-Liability Management Committee (ALCO) of respective bank fixed interest rates on
Double tax avoidance pact with Colombia may be delayed

The ratification of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between India and Colombia will take a little more time due to procedural delays by the South American nation. This was conveyed to India by the visiting Colombian Vice-Minister of Entrepreneurial Development, Carlos Andres de Hart Pinto, when the matter was raised by India during the second meeting of the Joint Committee of Business Cooperation. In Colombia, the Constitution procedure takes a little bit longer than it takes in India, Mr. Pinto told reporters after the meeting. The two sides had signed the treaty in 2011 in a bid to give a big boost to investment. The pact is yet to be ratified by Colombia. The ratification is likely to happen in the first-half of this year, he said. The Colombian side also raised the issue of high tariffs in the coffee sector. Their request is for opening up the domestic sector for Colombian coffee. And, we have agreed to examine the request after doing consultation with the stakeholders, Additional Secretary in the Commerce Ministry Madhusudan Prasad said. In a bid to boost trade and investments between the two countries, both sides agreed to set up five joint working groups (JWGs) on pharmaceutical/bio-technology, IT, FMCG, automobile and textiles. Concept: Double taxation
GST rollout: Chidambaram to meet state FMs on Feb. 14

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram will meet state finance ministers here on February 14 to seek their approval on design of GST so that a broad outline of the indirect tax regime can be included in the next Budget. After holding discussions with states, sources said, Mr. Chidambaram is likely to recommend certain changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance. Mr. Chidambaram had recently told state finance ministers that he would include a broad outline of the Constitution Amendment Bill on GST in his Budget speech if there was a consensus. The Union Budget is scheduled to be presented on February 28. Last month in Bhubaneshwar, the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers had reached a broad consensus on the design of GST, under which the states will be free to decide on the time of its introduction.
JTS Institute
25

Double taxation is the levying of tax by two or more jurisdictions on the same declared income (in the case of income taxes), asset (in the case of capital taxes), or financial transaction (in the case of sales taxes). This double liability is often mitigated by tax treaties between countries. The term double taxation is additionally used, particularly in the USA, to refer to the fact that corporate profits are taxed and the shareholders of the corporation are (usually) subject to personal taxation when they receive dividends or distributions of those profits. This use of the term double taxation is politically freighted since it selectively concatenates, out of all describable sequences of taxation, two particular taxes on two particular transactions. reported. North Korea wont be able to avoid grave responsibility, said the statement, which was issued shortly after President Lee Myung-bak convened an emergency National Security Council meeting. South Korea has requested the UNSC to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday evening, an official toldYonhap. In Tokyo, Japanese officials said they would deploy military jets to survey the radiation levels following the test. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the country was considering imposing unilateral sanctions on the North. News of the test first emerged early on Tuesday morning, when a magnitude 5.1 artificial earthquake was reported near a nuclear test site at 11.57 am local time (8.27 am IST). Tremors were also felt in parts of northeastern China near the border with North Korea. A South Korean defence ministry official told Yonhap the nuclear device had, according to initial estimates, yielded 6-7 kilotons, suggesting Tuesdays test had exceeded the yields reported in tests in 2006 and 2009. A third nuclear test was expected by Chinese and Western officials sometime this week, with Saturday the birthday of former leader Kim Jong-il earlier seen as a likely date. The North had notified the United States and China a day earlier, according to South Korean officials quoted by Yonhap.On Monday, Kim Jong-ils son and successor Kim Jong-un, who took over as the new leader following his fathers death in December 2011, had signalled that the North officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) would continue with conducting longrange rocket tests despite recent warnings from the UNSC and even China, the Norths only ally. Call for tougher approach In recent weeks, Chinese officials in Beijing have said they had cautioned the North against going ahead with the test. While Beijing has continued to support the regime as it fears instability on its northeastern borders, Chinese analysts and State media have recently called on the country to take a tougher approach in dealing with the North. The Communist Party-run Global Times said in an editorial last week, if North Korea insists on a third nuclear test despite attempts to dissuade it, it must pay a heavy price. The assistance it will be able to receive from China should be reduced, the newspaper said.The Chinese government should make this clear beforehand to shatter any illusions Pyongyang may have. However, China, which is the Norths only ally and biggest source of financial and food aid, views the country as a crucial strategic buffer against the U.S. and its allies in the region, and has shown no signs of rethinking its close strategic ties following the previous nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.
An abomination called AFSPA

At an institute that is virtually owned, funded and run by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram did the unthinkable the other day. He virtually attacked the Army for refusing to review and amend the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), if not repeal it altogether. Like a clever politician, he tossed the issue squarely into the lap of the Army and the MoD, saying they were unambiguously opposed to any change and that you should ask the question to the armed forces and ask why are they so opposed to even some amendment to AFSPA which will make [it] more humanitarian. We have [the] Jeevan Reddy Committee report but yet if the Army takes a very strong stand against any dilution or any amendment to AFSPA, it is difficult for a civil government to move forward. This raises a startling issue about democracy, the rule of law and of civilian control over the military. Now that the most powerful figure in the Cabinet after the Prime Minister has spoken, perhaps someone will take notice. But the problem is far more complex than it appears to be. After all, the Minister did not say why the Government of India has refused to publish the Reddy Committees report or even table it in Parliament eight years after it was submitted. It remains accessible on The Hindus website, the place where the report was first leaked and published verbatim in 2005. It is not that the question is simple, stark and frightening: who runs the north-east or Jammu & Kashmir or
North Korea conducts third nuclear test

North Korea on Tuesday said it had conducted a successful third underground nuclear test, in a move that brought quick condemnation from the United Nations and the Norths neighbours and is set to heighten regional tensions. The State-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said a miniaturised nuclear device had been detonated successfully at the test site. The test was reported to have taken place at a test site in the North Hamgyeong province, where the Punggye-ri nuclear complex that conducted tests in 2006 and 2009 is located. The previous nuclear test in 2009 resulted in fresh resolutions aimed at the North from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), tighter sanctions and increased tensions with South Korea and Japan. UN, South Korea deplore test Tuesdays test brought quick condemnations from the United Nations and the Norths neigbours. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon in a statement condemned the test as a clear and grave violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions. It is deplorable that Pyongyang defied the strong and unequivocal call from the international community to refrain from any further provocative measures, he said. South Korea described the test as a violation of U.N. resolutions and as an unacceptable threat, the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency
JTS Institute
26

any area that is affected by insurgency? AFSPA is put in place after the area has been declared disturbed under the Disturbed Areas Act, the enabling provision of law, which facilitates the summoning of the Army to the aid of civil authorities who are unable to control armed insurrection. This is the call of the State government or the Centre. No prosecution in over 50 years Passed in 1958 when the Naga movement for independence had just taken off, AFSPA is a bare law with just six sections. The most damning are those in the fourth and sixth sections: the former enables security forces to fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death where laws are being violated. The latter says no criminal prosecution will lie against any person who has taken action under this act. In 54 years, not a single army, or paramilitary officer or soldier has been prosecuted for murder, rape, destruction of property (including the burning of villages in the 1960s in Nagaland and Mizoram). In the discussions over the past days, no one has even mentioned the regrouping of villages in both places: villagers were forced to leave their homes at gunpoint, throw their belongings onto the back of a truck and move to a common site where they were herded together with strangers and formed new villages. It is a shameful and horrific history, which India knows little about and has cared even less for. Impact of Verma report A year ago, two judges of the Supreme Court, intervening in a case where the Central Bureau of Investigation was seeking to prosecute army officers accused of murdering five villagers in Jammu & Kashmir, in what is known as the Pathribal incident, declared clearly that AFSPAs protection was limited to acts conducted in the line of duty. You go to a place in exercise of AFSPA, you commit rape, you commit murder, then where is the question of sanction? It is a normal crime which needs to be prosecuted, and that is our stand, declared the bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and B.S. Chauhan. Its simple: you dont rape or murder in the line of duty. These are aberrations to the law of military conduct with civilians. And the Army is upset that the Justice J.S. Verma Committee even suggested that military men accused of sexual assault should be tried under normal law and not be protected by the law that guarantees absolute protection: Immunity. A retired general came on a TV programme the other day and fumed that reviewing AFSPA was not the mandate of the Verma Committee. Sorry sir, youve got it completely wrong. The question of life and death in a disturbed area where, according to a case now before the Supreme Court 15,000 people (men, women and children) have disappeared from the killing fields of Manipur is everyones concern. Army circles are worried that soldiers and officers will be dragged to civilian courts and that frivolous cases will be filed against them. This is a real matter of concern but it cannot be the rationale for blocking efforts to repeal or amend AFSPA. Come up with an alternative instead. But the MoD has not or is perhaps unable to do so. A former general even said publicly that 97 per cent of all cases against army men were found to be false. The question I will put is simple: how far back are you going? Do you forget those murdered, raped and tortured, their homes and granaries burned and their places of worship desecrated? Should these crimes go unpunished? Remember too that the Indian Air Force, in March 1966, bombed Aizawl and civilian targets in the Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) to repulse an insurgent attack that had almost overrun the district headquarters. Many in Mizoram do not even talk about those days. They are simply spoken of as the troubles and no discussion takes place, such is the trauma that has been inflicted on people. And are we merely supposed to forget all this, to sweep it under the carpet and move on? Why should the victims continue to pay the price? Why not those who inflicted the devastation, who gave the orders and who carried them out? Nagaland is peaceful now We need to remember two points here about AFSPA and the place where it all began Nagaland, in 1958. Nagaland today is peaceful. It is not free of intimidation, extortion or factional killings, but not a single Indian solider has fallen in combat here for the past five years. The State government has been asking, since 2005, for the removal of the Disturbed Areas Act. The Government of India refuses to listen. What is the greater abomination then? Is it that the Army, which is easy to blame and always in the line of fire, is stuck in a thankless task? Or is it that the civilian government which first sent them there is unable to take the political decision that will bring the boys home? Fifty-four years is a long time to have a law as revoltingly brutal and obscure as AFSPA. Now, both sides are stuck. The army says it is like its Bible and that if the Act is removed it will face the prospect of fighting with one hand tied. The central government says that it cant persuade the Army to back down. What will it take to close this sad, ignominious and bloody chapter in our nations history? We will need to go beyond Mr. Chidambarams remarks for what he was doing is to lay the blame at the door of the Army. That is not right for the civilian government is equally complicit in this. He is seeking to show that the civilian government is opposed to a doctrinaire securitised approach and that the MoD and the Army are isolated. But this approach doesnt work. Instead, it shows that the two, even when isolated, are more powerful than the rest of the government put together. They have, after all, successfully stalled any effort to dilute or amend the Act. Why did the civilian government not have the courage to act in 2005 when the Reddy Committee gave its report, which not only recommended AFSPAs repeal but also proposed a legal mechanism by which the Army could be used in extraordinary situations involving national security? Our essential recommendation was that no one could be above the law; everyone must be equal before and under it. Display statesmanship The Centre has lost more than seven years in coming to no decision on the recommendations. Yes, internal wrangling is difficult to resolve but how long should anyone have to wait for a resolution? Today, the situation has become much more complex because the window of opportunity provided by the Reddy Committee has virtually closed. The Army has bolted it because it does not want to be seen as the villain of the piece. It did not ask to go anywhere. It was sent to Nagaland and Manipur. But now it must, in its own interests and that of the country, get out of places where threats to
JTS Institute
27

national security simply do not exist, and when the central government thinks it should leave. After all, if required, the security forces can always be summoned again. The situation calls for statesmanship of a very high order. AtalBihari Vajpayee showed this in 2003 on his maiden visit to Kohima when he reflected, as Prime Minister, on the suffering that both sides had faced and sought to reach out and seek reconciliation: Let us leave behind all the unfortunate things that happened in the past. For too long this fair land has been scarred and seared by violence. It has been bled by the orgy of the killings of human beings by human beings Each death diminishes us The past cannot be rewritten. But we can write our common future with our collective, cooperative efforts. The present situation demands measures no less significant from the current Prime Minister, who decided that AFSPA must be reviewed. But he did not follow this up because the opposition from the Defence Ministry was just too strong. So, we must ask, as we rest and wrestle with this tortuous story: how many more deaths, how many more naked protests, how many more hunger strikes, how many more committees, how many more editorials and articles and broadcasts before AFSPA goes? Cardinals that will name his successor. The Conclave of Cardinals meets in the famous Sistine Chapel under a frescoed ceiling painted by Michelangelo, depicting Mans fall from the Garden of Eden and The Last Judgement. There are 209 cardinals in all but only 118 of these are allowed to vote. Cardinals aged 80 years and above are not allowed to vote. The voting system was first established in 1059. The system has become increasingly complicated over the centuries and voting for oneself was outlawed in 1621. Election in March The next conclave will take place at the end of March, probably during Holy Week which ends on Easter Sunday on March 31. The cardinals are housed in private rooms in what is known as the House of Santa Maria and are cut off from the outside world during the electoral process. There can be several rounds of voting and the used ballots are burnt in the chimney. When the result is inconclusive the ballots are burnt with damp straw, helped along by chemicals to emit a thick dark smoke. When a Pope is finally selected, the ballots that are burnt send up a distinctive white smoke from the chimney which announces to the world that a new Pope has been chosen. There is tremendous speculation on the name of the next Pope. Europe is in a favoured position with a total of 115 Cardinals. Latin America comes next with 30 cardinals (Brazil has nine and Mexico has four). Asia has 20 cardinals India leads with seven followed by the Philippines with three. Africa has 18 cardinals whereas the United States has 19 and Canada three.The Australia-New Zealand region boasts a total of four cardinals. Most Popes have been Italian and there is speculation on whether the office will return to Italy. Latin American church officials as well as cardinals from Africa are pushing hard for a non European Pope since it is in Africa and the emerging economies that Catholicism is growing the fastest. The odds appear to be stacked in Italys favour Europe will be reluctant to let go of its hold over the Papal office and after two non-Italian Popes, many in the Vatican feel the next Bishop of Rome should in fact come from Rome or somewhere close by. In order to be elected Pope a Cardinal must receive two-thirds plus one vote from the Conclave. After the cardinal deacon announces HabemusPapam to the crowds outside Latin for We have a pope, the new Pontiff appears on the balcony of the Vatican to give his first message to the world.
Pakistan successfully test fires nuclear-capable HatfIX missile

Pakistan today successfully tested the nuclear-capable Hatf-IX tactical missile with a range of 60 km, designed to defeat all known antitactical missile defence systems. The test consisted of successive launches of two missiles from a state-of-the-art multi-tube launcher, the military said in a statement describing the test of the short range surface-to-surface missile as successful. The Hatf-IX or Nasr, which has inflight manoeuver capability, can carry nuclear warheads of appropriate yield with high accuracy. This quick response system, which can fire a four missile salvo, ensures deterrence against threats in view of evolving scenarios. Additionally Nasr has been specially designed to defeat all known anti-tactical missile defence systems, the statement said. The test was witnessed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne, Strategic Plans Division chief Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Army Strategic Forces Command chief Lt Gen Triq Nadeem Gilani, senior officers from the armed forces and scientists and engineers of strategic organisations. The statement did not say where the test was conducted. Addressing scientists and military officers of strategic organisations, Wynne congratulated them for a high standard of proficiency in operating the Nasr weapon system. He said the armed forces were fully capable of safeguarding Pakistans security against all kinds of aggression. The
Provisions in Code of Canon

Canon Law makes provision for the resignation of a Pope. However, that has not happened since 1415 and all successive Pontiffs have died in office. Canon 3322 of the Code of Canon Law states: If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone. However, there is no further elaboration on the subject in the Code of Canons and it is quite likely that the Pope will promulgate such a law before he steps down on 28 February, sources close to The Vatican told The Hindu. When he has stepped down, Pope Benedict XVI will revert to his former name Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger and will no longer be addressed as His Holiness. The Vatican has announced that he will not participate in the Conclave of
JTS Institute
28

successful test was appreciated by the President and Prime Minister, who congratulated the scientists and engineers. The first test of the Hatf-IX was conducted in April 2011. At that time, experts and analysts said the short-range nuclear-capable missile was primarily aimed at deterring Indias Cold Start military doctrine, which envisages quick thrusts by small integrated battle groups in the event of hostilities. Experts said the Hatf-IX would be deployed with a mobile multi-barrel launch system that has shoot and scoot attributes, or the ability to fire at a target and immediately relocate to another position to avoid enemy counter-fire. At present, 115 countries of the world cultivate sugarcane for sugar production and produce about 133 million tonnes of sugar which is three fourth of the total sugar production (169 million tonnes) of the world. Remaining sugar comes from sugarbeet. Sugarbeet cultivation and processing is highly subsidized in the European Union, which contributes nearly 21.5 percent of world sugar. With the WTO agreement in place, sugarbeet cultivation may not remain a profitable proposition in European Union due to drastic reduction in subsidies on its production and processing. In this situation, the shortfall in sugar may be compensated by sugarcane producing countries like Brazil, India, China, Pakistan, USA, Australia, Thailand, Philippines, etc. India is a major producer as well as consumer of the sugar in the world and during 2009-10, it produced 18.9 million tonnes of sugar, which was nearly 11.8 percent of the total sugar production of the world. In India, there are two distinct zones for sugarcane cultivation, tropicalsouth and subtropical north. Subtropical north whilecomprising 60 per cent of total cane area contributes only 48 percent to total cane and 37 per cent to total white sugar production in the country. The lower cane productivity and sugar recovery in subtropical north zone is the main cause of variation between the zones. The average cane productivity in subtropical north zone was 54.7 and 56.4 tonnes/hectare in comparison to 81.9 and 80.8 tonnes/hectare in tropical south zone (2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively).
Sugar production and scenario in India and world:

Indian Sugar Industry at a glance
Sr. Particulars Crushing Season 2010- 20092011 2010
2 3 4 5 6
Number of Sugar Factories in Operation Crushing Capacity (million TCD) Sugarcane Crushed (million tons) Sugar Produced (million tons) Recovery % Cane Yield of sugarcane (tons per hectare)
527
490
24.171 23.625 239.807 185.548 24.394 18.912 10.17 10.19 68.6 70.0
JTS Institute
29
29 January - 4 February 2013 Issue-5/2013 (29 th January to 4th February)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
CLASS NOTES: 29 Jan - 4 Feb, 2013
29 January 2013 China gives go-ahead for three new Brahmaputra dams
1. China has given the go-ahead for the construction of three new hydropower dams on the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra river, ending a two-year halt in approving new projects on the river amid concerns from India and environmental groups. 2. The three new dams have been approved by the State Council, or Cabinet, under a new energy development plan for 2015 that was released on January 23, according to a copy of the plan available with The Hindu. 3. China has, so far, only begun construction on one major hydropower dam on the main stream of the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra or YarlungZangbo as it is known in China a 510 MW project in Zangmu in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), which began to be built in 2010. 4. One of the three approved new dams is bigger than the Zangmu project. 5. A 640 MW dam will be built in Dagu, which lies 18 km upstream of Zangmu. Another 320 MW dam will be built at Jiacha, also on the middle reaches of the Brahmaputura downstream of Zangmu. A third dam will be built at Jiexu, 11 km upstream of Zangmu. The capacity of the Jiexu dam is, as yet, unconfirmed. 6. The three projects were listed in the State Councils energy plan for the Twelfth Five Year Plan period (2011-15), which was released on January 23. Vigorous push 7. The plan said the government will push forward vigorously the hydropower base construction on the middle reaches of the YarlungZangbo. In the Twelfth Five Year plan period (2011-15), the government will begin construction of 120 million kilowatt of conventional hydropower. Feasibility study 8. A pre-feasibility study report for the 640 MW Dagu dam passed review in November, according to the Huadong Engineering Corporation, a hydropower company that was tasked with conducting the study by the local government. 9. A notice posted on its website said a two-day review conference for the pre-feasibility study of the dam was held in November, organised by the Tibet Autonomous Region governments Development and Reform Commission. The notice said the study successfully passed review, adding that the dam would be located 18 km upstream of the already in-construction Zangmu dam. 10. The catchment area at the dam site, according to the Huadong Engineering Corporation, is 157,400 square kilometres, and the average annual discharge is 1010 cubic metres per second. 11. The dam will be built with a height of 124 metres and 640 MW capacity. The construction of the Zangmu dam in 2010 triggered concerns in India regarding possible impact on downstream flows. Chinese officials, however, assured their Indian counterparts that the project was only a run-ofthe-river hydropower station, which would not divert the Brahmaputras waters. The government has also built at least six smaller hydropower projects on the Yarlung Zangbos tributaries, which, officials say, will have no impact on downstream flows. Diversion plan shelved 12. The government has, for now, shelved a long-discussed plan to divert the YarlungZangbos waters to the arid north, citing technical difficulties. The plan is part of the proposed Western route of the massive South-to-North diversion project, on which construction is yet to begin. Chinese officials and analysts say a diversion plan is very unlikely, considering the difficult terrain and technical problems. 13. However, with the three new approvals under the energy plan, four hydropower projects will now be built all located within a few dozen kilometres of each other on the main stream of the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra. Fresh concerns likely in India 14. While they are run-of-the-river projects, they will be required to store large volumes of water for generating power. Their construction is likely to trigger fresh concerns in India on how the flows of the Brahmaputra downstream will be impacted.
Leprosy continues to haunt India, social stigma remains

1. While India celebrates its near victory over polio, another dreaded disease, leprosy, that was overpowered in 2005 continues to haunt the government. Those affected by the disease continue to face social stigma and discrimination. 2. In addition to the 12,305 child cases detected during the past year, 16 States and Union Territories have also shown an increase in the number of cases. 3. Though in 2005 leprosy was eliminated (having less than 1 patient per 10,000 population), now it has the worlds highest burden of disease, accounting for close to 58 per cent of the cases in the world. A total of 1.27 lakh new cases were detected in 2011-12 which gives an Annual New Case Detection Rate (ANCDR) of 10.35 per 100,000 population, which is marginally less than that of 10.48 in 2010-11. 4. Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It usually affects the skin
JTS Institute
29 January - 4 February 2013

and peripheral nerves, but has a wide range of clinical manifestations. The disease is characterised by long incubation period generally 5-7 years and is classified as paucibacillaryor multibacillary, depending on the bacillary load. Leprosy is a leading cause of permanent physical disability. Timely diagnosis and treatment of cases, before nerve damage occurred, is the most effective way of preventing disability due to leprosy. 1.26 lakh new cases 5. Of the total of 1.26 lakh new cases deleted from record, a total of 1.16 lakh completed their treatment within the specified period. However, only 69.5 per cent people were able to complete their treatment in Delhi, 66.7 per cent in Tripura, 67.7 in Meghalaya and 32.4 per cent in Himachal Pradesh 6. According to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the eve of the Anti-Leprosy Day, a total of 0.83 lakh cases are on record giving a prevalence rate of (PR) of 0.68 per 10,000 population though only 530 districts out of the 640 have achieved the elimination level. Chhattisgarh (1.69 per 10,000 population) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (2.93 per 10,000) have the prevalence rate between 1 and 3 per 10,000. Although Bihar has reached the PR of less than 1 in 2011-12, the government is still keeping an eye over it. 7. I would say leprosy is effectively cured in India with MDT (multi drug therapy) since 1985. It is not an infectious or a contagious disease any more but the stigma associated with it is unacceptable, says P.K. Gopal, who for over four decades has championed efforts to help eradicate leprosy and to further the cause of those who are affected by this disease. 700 leprosy colonies 8. Dr.Gopal, International President of the International Association for Integration, Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), which he helped to set up in 1994, says there are 700 leprosy colonies in the country where over 2 lakh people live marginalised lives. 9. Even if they do not have the disease, merely the address of a leper colony is reason enough for disqualification for applying to a job or being denied admission in a school, Dr.Gopal told The Hindu while citing a recent case of Bihar, where a child was denied admission merely because someone in the family had the disease. 10. Despite being part of a panel that is now busy preparing a new official programme for leprosy with on early detection and removal of stigma, Dr.Gopal feels that there has been some complacency in the implementation of the National Leprosy Eradication Programme launched in 1983. There is some kind of lack of interest because the disease is believed to have gone. But there is a steady flow of new cases, he explains. 11. With the introduction of MDT, India with help from the World Bank and the World Health Organisation (WHO) started providing MDT free of cost to affected people from 1993 until 2004. India took over the programme in 2005 after it pronounced that the disease was eliminated. Reduction in funds 12. There has been a huge reduction in the funds ever since leprosy was eliminated that has adversely impacted the nongovernmental organisations and civil society activists working for the uplift of the leprosy-affected and cured people, says V. Narasappa of the National Federation of Leprosy Cured People in India. People in the rural areas do not even know MDT is available free and importantly they keep away from health facilities for fear of stigma, says Mr.Narasappa. The burden of the disease is highest among the Scheduled Castes (18.40 per cent) and Scheduled Tribes (15.83 per cent). 13. Under the 11th Five Year Plan, leprosy services were being provided through the PHC with general health staff. However, a component called District Nucleus was kept at the district-level under the District Programme Officer with persons from the erstwhile vertical staff under NLEP. As against 642 districts, there are only 369 sanctioned posts of District Leprosy Officers, remaining districts are managed by the District Programme Officer, who also works for other programmes. Concept: Leprosy Leprosy is a disease that has been known since biblical times. It causes skin sores, nerve damage, and muscle weakness that gets worse over time. Causes, incidence, and risk factors Leprosy is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It is not very contagious and it has a long incubation period (time before symptoms appear), which makes it hard to know where or when someone caught the disease. Children are more likely than adults to get the disease. Leprosy has two common forms: tuberculoid and lepromatous. Both forms produce sores on the skin. However, the lepromatous form is most severe. It causes large lumps and bumps (nodules). Leprosy is common in many countries worldwide, and in temperate, tropical, and subtropical climates. About 100 cases per year are diagnosed in the United States. Most cases are in the South, California, Hawaii, and U.S. islands. Effective medications exist. Isolating people with this disease in leper colonies is not needed. Drug-resistant Mycobacterium leprae and an increased numbers of cases worldwide has led to global concern about this disease. Symptoms Skin lesions that are lighter than your normal skin color Lesions have decreased sensation to touch, heat, or pain Lesions do not heal after several weeks to months Muscle weakness Numbness or lack of feeling in the hands, arms, feet, and legs Signs and tests Lepromin skin test can be used to tell the two different forms of leprosy apart, but it is not used to diagnose the disease Skin lesion biopsy Skin scraping examination Treatment A number of different antibiotics (including dapsone, rifampin, clofazamine, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, and minocycline) are used to kill the bacteria that cause the disease. More than one antibiotic is often given together. Aspirin, prednisone, or thalidomide is used to control inflammation.
Loans to become cheaper as RBI cuts policy rate

1. For the first time in nine months, the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday cut the indicative policy
JTS Institute

rate (repo) by 25 percentage points, from 8 percent to 7.75 percent, and the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 25 percentage points, from 4.25 per cent 4 percent. 2. The step is likely to benefit retail borrowers, as lending rates are likely to come down. After meeting RBI Governor D. Subbarao, bankers said they would pass on the benefit to borrowers. 3. The RBI first cut the repo rate in the current fiscal in April 2012, with a reduction of 50 percentage points, from 8.5 per cent to 8 per cent. It reduced the CRR from a peak of 6 percent to 4.25 till midDecember 2012.Repo is the rate at which banks borrow funds from the central bank. CRR is the portion of deposits banks must keep with the RBI. 4. In its third quarter review, Dr.Subbarao said: While the series of recent policy initiatives by the government has boosted market sentiment, it will take some time to reverse the investment slowdown and reinvigorate growth.The RBI has scaled down the projection for GDP growth for the current year, from 5.8 per cent to 5.5 per cent, and for the wholesale price inflation in March 2013, from 7.5 percent to 6.8 percent. 5. This provides space, albeit limited, for monetary policy to give greater emphasis to growth risks, Dr.Subbarao said.However, the RBI has warned that retail inflation is still at a higher level. Standing Committee recommendations on Agriculture, the group said that the panel had clearly warned the government against the facilitative benevolence of opening the agriculture sector up to private prospectors as done in communications, pharma, mineral wealth and other sectors If the shortcomings in the food sector are addressed, there would not be any compelling need for adopting technologies which are yet to be proven totally safe for biodiversity, environment, human and livestock health and which will encourage monoculture an option best avoided, the panel had observed. 4. The coalition said the conference had a predominance of vested interests behind it promoting the conference with full-page advertisements in newspapers such as the Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India, the biotechlobby group [Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises] and the National Seed Association of India. It has included controversial speakers who are known for their support to GM crops without supporting scientific facts or evidence. 5. It is unethical for the Ministry to blatantly promote technologies such as genetically modified crops, when India is trying to come out of the pesticide treadmill and make its production, farming and farmers livelihood sustainable, safe and remunerative, it added. 6. The coalition has objected to the Ministry, which is answerable to the larger public, acting at the behest of these industries who stand to profit from these unneeded and hazardous technologies. 7. The conference, Doubling Food Production in Five Years, is slated to be inaugurated by President PranabMukheree with Mr.Pawar as a key speaker. Concept: GM crops Genetically modified crops (GMCs, GM crops, or biotech crops) are plants, the DNA of which has been modified using genetic engineering techniques, to resist pests and agents causing harm to plants and to improve the growth of these plants to assist in farmers efficiency. Genetic engineering techniques are much more precise[1] than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms include selective breeding; plant breeding, and animal breeding, and somaclonal variation. In most cases the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in this species. Examples include resistance to certain pests, diseases or environmental conditions, or the production of a certain nutrient or pharmaceutical agent. Critics have objected to GM crops per se on several grounds, including ecological concerns, and economic concerns raised by the fact these organisms are subject to intellectual property law. GM crops also are involved in controversies over GM food with respect to whether food produced from GM crops is safe and whether GM crops are needed to address the worlds food needs.
Iron, folic acid tablets to be given to 13 crore girls every week

1. In an effort to prevent anaemia, the government will soon launch an ambitious programme to provide Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets every week to 13 crore adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 years across the country. 2. Health Ministry will roll out the programme across the country in the next three months under which girl students will be administered the tablets every Monday. This is a programme wherein we will give the tablets to 6 crore girl students in schools and another 6 to 7 crore who are outside schools. The tablets will be given to them after the mid-day meals, Anuradha Gupta, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission, said on Tuesday. 3. She also said the adolescent girls will be given six monthly dose of Albendazole (400 mg) tablet for deworming.The aim of the programme is also to inform adolescent girls of the correct dietary practices for increasing iron intake, she said. 4. Briefing reporters about the Indias Call to Action Summit for Child Survival and Development in Chennai from February 7, organised in collaboration with UNICEF, she said, since 1990, the child mortality rate in India has dropped by 45 percent.
Agro-conference teems with vested interests, group tells Centre

1. The Ministry of Agriculture has no intentions of keeping off a conference it has supported despite the Coalition for GM-free India having taken umbrage at the government associating with an event organised by the agrochemical industry to be addressed by speakers known for being promoters of genetically modified (GM) crops as an answer to food security. 2. In a letter written to Agriculture and Food Processing Minister SharadPawar, the group urged the government not to go ahead with the conference scheduled for next week, saying it would provide a platform to hazardous industries and waste precious public funds in support of their cause. 3. Quoting from the Parliamentary
JTS Institute

5. She also admitted that there has been no progress in neo-mortality rate but hoped that the situation will improve in the coming years.India is still among the top four that account for 50 per cent of global under-five mortality. In this context, India co-convened the June 2012 Global Call to Action on child survival along with Ethiopia and United States of America. questions, but makes sure that the papers are in order. The hospital does not cater to foreign clients, but has had NRI customers. Their charge is same whether for IVF or surrogacy, which is Rs. one lakh per cycle. The doctors in these institutions feel that sensational media coverage has boosted the industry that sorely needs regulation. At the only private hospital that agreed to be interviewed for the study, the doctor said that she had been providing IVF services since the early 1990s. She did have some clients seeking surrogacy, but she did not like the issues attached to it and so had stopped catering to such clients. She has restarted offering this service of late since she knows a reliable third party agency that handles all legal and other issues. She deals only with the medical aspect, till a pregnancy is successful, after which an obstetrician takes over. All the doctors were aware of some doctors running hostels for surrogates where they could be monitored and supervised. This was, of course, against ICMR guidelines. On the other hand, surrogates clearly need such institutions since they need to stay away from home for a long period and then return claiming that they had been away on work, so that their neighbours do not find out about their pregnancies. Many of the commissioning couples also prefer the surrogate to stay in a hostel so that they could be in regular contact with the surrogate, and indeed bond with her, even as the doctor keeps an eye on her and supervises her diet and medication. The surrogates husband and children are permitted to visit her regularly. All the doctors interviewed are highly qualified specialists. They have been in this field for 20 years or more and all of them are members of Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Society of India (FOGSI) and the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR). In the public sector institutions, postgraduates are trained in assisted reproduction. The other doctors interviewed, one from the trust hospital and the other from a clinic, are also involved in training workshops as members of ISAR. It was found that due to severe shortage of qualified embryologists, medical and ethical rules are flouted with aplomb. While untrained doctors pass off as embryologists, there are no standard guidelines for facilities required or uniform rate of charges and payment. The harvesting of up to 20 eggs, the insertion of any number of embryos and the widespread practice of embryosharing are the unethical practices. The study observed that immediate passage of the ART (Regulation) Bill in Parliament is the need of the hour; it will create transparency because ART banks, and not clinics, will deal directly with surrogates. The registration of such banks would also mean that middlemen, who now thrive, would be weeded out. FAQs about surrogacy laws in India: What claims does a surrogate have over the child? In India the surrogate is not considered as the legal mother. As per ICMR Guidelines 2005, a surrogate mother cannot be genetically related to the child . She is legally and psychologically counselled that she will not be having any rights over the child. Her rights and obligations towards the intended parents as well the child are formulated in the gestational surrogacy agreement. Moreover, a child born through surrogacy shall be presumed to be the legitimate child of the intended parents/s and shall have all the legal rights to parental support, inheritance and all other privileges which a child born naturally to the intended parents/s would have had. Who is the legal mother of the surrogate child under Indian law? As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR Guidelines) the surrogate mother should not be biologically connected to the child (Guideline 1.2.33).The Indian Law recognises the Intended mother only as the legal mother in surrogacy arrangements. Also Guidelines 3.10.1 and 3.16.1 make it very much clear that the intended parents only would be the legal parents of the child with all the attendance rights, parental responsibility etc. Also Guideline 3.5.4 states that the surrogate mother shall not be the legal mother and the birth certificate shall be in the name of the genetic parents. 3.5.5 Provides that the surrogate mother shall relinquish in writing all the parental rights over the child. India is very soon going to enact its legislation on the field
Reproductive Tourism in India

Expansion and proliferation of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has been facilitated by economic globalisation wherein reproductive tissues like sperm, ova, and uteri are traded like any other commodity to make profit, says a new study, adding that India has emerged as the surrogacy outsourcing capital of the world. Titled Reproductive Tourism in India: Actors, Agencies and Contemporary Transnational Networks, the study was conducted by the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, JNU, Sama-Resource Group for Women and Health and Kings College London. The study focuses on the scenario in New Delhi where a large number of private hospitals and government institutions offer ART. It was found that public sector institutions offer only altruistic surrogacy services which are medically indicated. Leading obstetricians and gynaecologists from a top government-run hospital admitted that they have performed in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in some cases where they were not sure if it was altruistic surrogacy. One doctor said that she once had a patient, a doctor by profession who bore a surrogate baby for her sister-in-law who was also a doctor, married to a doctor, since they could not have their own biological baby. We do counsel about adoption, but the urge to have their own child is very strong here, she said. She gets about five to six surrogacy cases a year and they are all Indian couples. According to the doctor, the surrogates are clearly doing this to educate their children and get ahead in life. At trust hospitals, the focus is on infertility and IVF and not on surrogacy. They handle about two to three surrogacy births and about a hundred IVF cases a year. The commissioning couple brings the surrogate and the doctors ask no
JTS Institute

of Assisted Reproductive Technology. The Proposed act also has the same favourable provisions. Who is the legal father of the surrogate child under Indian law given that the surrogate mother is widowed and the sperm derives from the intended father. Indian law doesnt put any bar on opting for donor sperm or eggs. In cases where the child is biologically related to the intended father the intended father only would be the legal father provided the child so born should not be biologically connected to the surrogate mother. In such a scenario the donor egg should be used and the donor under guideline 3.5.5 shall be bound to relinquish all the parental rights over the child so born, thus making the intended father only as the legal father of the child as per Indian law. Is there are any requirement for a court application to be made in India for a pre-birth order and a post-birth order such as is required in some other nations? No, there is no requirement to make a court application for prebirth order or post-birth order in India. However there are some countries which require us to obtain the declaration decree for the intended parents. In case the country of intended parents requires obtaining a court decree getting themselves declared as the legal parents the same can be obtained by applying to Indian Courts under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908. What would be the legal position under Indian law if the surrogate mother changed her mind upon birth and refused to hand over the child to intended parents? However such instances have not been witnessed in the Indian scenario but still if a situation like this arises then the surrogacy contract can be the saviour. The contract must clearly state that the child /children born out of surrogacy shall be the legal children of the intended parents and that the surrogate shall have no rights over the child/children. The said contract can then become the basis of legal action against the surrogate mother also the law pertaining to surrogacy i.e. ICMR Guidelines also support the intended parents only as the legal parents. haemophiliacs in the district dry as they will have to shell out at least Rs. 24,000 to buy blood clotting agent in private hospitals. 2. Even a year after registering their names with the Karunya Benevolent Fund, haemophilia patients here are yet to get blood clotting factors free of cost. 3. The Karunya Benevolent Fund was set up by the government to provide financial assistance to under-privileged people suffering from acute ailments. 4. Persons who lack blood factor that helps clotting need immediate treatment with externally supplied factor for every bleed. Haemophilia is a genetically-transmitted disease that impairs the bodys ability to help blood clotting. 5. The quantity of the clotting factor required for a haemophiliac during bleeding depends on the weight of the patients body. 6. As a unit of the factor costs Rs. 12, a patient on average may require up to Rs. 24,000 for treating a small bleed. (See graphic) 6,500 HAEMOPHILIACS 7. The State has about 6,500 registered haemophiliacs. But there could be a lot more in the population that go undetected, said N. Vijaykumar, medical officer incharge of Regional Blood Transfusion Centre, Aluva. 8. In the open market, the blood factor is expensive. The World Federation of Haemophilia Societies provides the blood clotting factors only to registered societies. 9. There are 860 haemophilia patients registered with the Haemophilia Society, Angamaly, which is among the most active societies in mid-Kerala region. DEADLY DISEASE 10. Chronic shortage of the factor, high cost of treatment and poor financial capacity of patients make this genetically transmitted disorder a deadly disease. 11. Karunya Fund was expected to issue identity cards for all registered patients so that they can access the factor free of cost from medical colleges and district hospitals. However, neither have the identity cards come through nor has the government started making the blood factor available at the district hospitals. In Thiruvananthapuram, the blood clotting factor is available free of cost under the Karunya scheme. 12. A judicial intervention about two years ago had made the factor available at all medical colleges in the State. HAEMOPHILIA CENTRE 13. A full-fledged haemophilia centre proposed at the Regional Blood Transfusion Centre at a cost of Rs. 3.5 crore is also in limbo. While the State had given its nod for starting the centre, construction work is yet to begin. Such a centre would be the first in the State and third in the country after CMC Vellore and St. Johns Hospital, Bangalore. 14.The district panchayat will provide Rs. 40 lakh for setting up the centre, panchayat president EldoseKunappilly said. The project has been approved and tendering process is on, he said. 15. The National Rural Health Mission and Kerala State Medical Services Corporation are also expected to chip in. According to Dr.Vijayakumar, equipment worth Rs. 8 lakh is ready but there is no building to house it.
Asteroid to come close to earth on Feb 15

An asteroid will come close to the earth on February 15, according to Birla Science Centre here. This is the first near-earth asteroid to pass so close to the earth, said B M Birla Science Centre Director Dr B G Sidharth said in a release here. The asteroid 2012 DA 14 measures about 50 metres and would swoop to about 27,000 km near earth or roughly about one tenth the distance to moon, he said.
Antarctic drillers reach lake buried beneath ice

1. US scientists have successfully drilled into Lake Whillans, a body of water buried almost one kilometre under the Antarctic ice. 2. Scientists reported that sensors on their drill system had noted a change in pressure, indicating contact had been made with the lake. 3. A camera was then sent down to verify the breakthrough, BBC News reported. 4. The Whillans project is one of a number of such ventures trying to investigate Antarcticas buried lakes. In December, a British team
Lack of free pill bleeds dry haemophiliacs

1. A small cut will bleed
JTS Institute

had abandoned its efforts to get into Lake Ellsworth after encountering technical difficulties. 5. The Russians have taken water samples from Lake Vostok, although they have yet to report any big discoveries, the report said. 6. Lake Whillans is situated in the west of Antarctica, on the southeastern edge of the Ross Sea. It is less of a lake and more of a dense system of streams, almost like a delta, that covers some 60 square kilometre. The liquid body is quite shallow - just a few metres in depth. 7. The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (Wissard) team has been using a hot-water drill to melt a 30cm-diameter hole through the overlying ice.The intention, now that the hole is secure, is to lower various sampling tools and sensors into the lake to study its properties and environment. 8. Samples will be assessed onsite at the ice surface in temporary labs, and others will be returned to partner universities for more extensive analysis. 9. The thickness of the overlying ice was measured to be 801m, which agreed well with the estimates from seismic imaging, the Wissard blog said. More than 300 large bodies of water have now been identified under the White Continent. Scientists are still unsure whether the bacteria and fungi they found routinely inhabit the sky, living off carbon compounds, or are continually borne aloft by winds and air currents. We did not expect to find so many micro-organisms in the troposphere, which is considered a very difficult environment for life, lead researcher Dr Kostas Konstantinidis, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, said. There seems to be quite a diversity of species, but not all bacteria make it into the upper atmosphere, Konstantinidis said. DNA analysis revealed that bacteria made up 20 per cent of particles previously thought to consist of nothing but sea salt or dust. Marine bacteria were mostly found over the ocean, while their terrestrial cousins tended to occupy the air above land. There was strong evidence that hurricanes affected the distribution and dynamics of microbial populations. Around 17 different families of bacteria were detected. The bugs can help trigger cloud formation by supplying the particles around which ice crystals form. In the absence of dust or other materials that could provide a good nucleus for ice formation, just having a small number of these micro-organisms around could facilitate the formation of ice at these altitudes and attract surrounding moisture, said coauthor Professor Athanasios Nenes, also from the Georgia Institute of Technology. helping banks to transmit the rate cut to customers immediately. HDFC Bank reduced its auto loan rates by up to 0.5 percentage point. The interest rate on car loans will be lower by 0.25 percentage point ranging from 10.50 per cent to 11.50 per cent (from 10.75 per cent to 11.75 per cent). The new rates would be effective from February 1. In the two-wheeler segment, loans will be cheaper by 0.5 percentage point. The bank reduced the interest rate on commercial vehicle loans by 0.25 percentage point. With regard to commercial vehicles, rates for heavy commercial vehicles loans will be down to 11 percent, while that on light commercial vehicles to 13.75 percent from 14 per cent. Among the old private sector banks, Federal Bank slashed its interest rates on auto loans to 10.45 percent from 11.20 per cent. Concept: Base Rate vs BPLR Rate BPLR is the Benchmark Prime Lending Rate and is the rate at which banks in the country lend money to their most credit worthy customers. Till now, RBI had given a free run to the banks to fix their BPLR and different banks do have different BPLR causing resentment among customers. Add to it the practice of banks to provide loans at a much higher rate than their BPLR and it completes the misery of the common people. Keeping all this in mind, RBI has suggested the use of a Base Rate in place of BPLR from July 1, 2011 that will be applicable to all banks across the country. Let us understand the differences between BPLR and Base rate in detail. Though all banks have a BPLR, it has been seen that they charge a higher rate of interest on home loans and car loans from customers. In some cases, the difference between BPLR and the rate of interest charged by the bank is as much as 4%. There is no mechanism at present to educate a customer about BPLR and the rate at which he is being offered a loan and why there is a difference between the two rates. Though BPLR, also known as prime lending rate or simply prime rate, was originally meant to bring transparency in the system of loaning, it was seen that banks began to misuse BPLR as they were at a liberty to set their own BPLR. It became difficult for a customer to compare BPLR of
Significant number of unknown bugs living above the clouds

Scientists have discovered a significant number of bugs living in the middle and upper troposphere, the airy layer eight to 15 kilometres above the Earths surface. The microbes could have a previously unrecognised impact on cloud formation, according to the research. Long distance travel by the airborne organisms may also help spread infections around the world, researchers believe. The bugs were discovered in air samples scooped up by a DC-8 aircraft flying over both land and sea across the US, Caribbean and western Atlantic, the Daily Mail reported. Samples were collected at altitudes of eight to 15 kilometres before and after two major tropical hurricanes in 2010.
30 January 2013 SBI cuts Base Rate marginally

State Bank of India surprised the markets with a cut of only 0.05 percentage point in its Base Rate on Wednesday from 9.75 percent to 9.70 percent with effect from February 4. SBI cut rates following a 25 basis point cut in policy rate (repo) by the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday in its third quarter review of monetary policy from 8 percent to 7.75 percent. The RBI has also cut Cash Reserve Ratio by 25 basis points from 4.25 per cent to 4 percent to cushion the rate cut
JTS Institute

different banks as all had different BPLR. Another point of resentment is that when RBI reduced its prime lending rate, banks did not automatically followed suit and continued to lend money at a higher rate of interest. It became clear to RBI that BPLR system was not functioning in a transparent manner and complaints of consumers were increasing in an exponential manner. This is why, RBI, after studying the recommendations of a study group has decided to enforce a Base Rate instead of BPLR from July 1, 2011. The difference between BPLR and Base Rate is that now the banks are given parameters like cost of funds, operational expenses, and a profit margin that banks have to provide to RBI as to how they arrived at their base rate. On the other hand, though there were similar parameters in case of BPLR also, they were in less detail and also RBI did not have the power to scrutinize BPLR of the banks. Now the banks will be forced to follow a consistent method of calculation as against arbitrary methods they chose while calculating BPLR. Earlier banks gave loans to blue chip companies at rates even lower than their BPLR and compensated by giving loans at higher rates to common consumers but now they have been asked not to give loans at a rate lower than the Base Rate. All this obviously means the system of Base Rate will be more transparent than BPLR system. In brief: BPLR Rate vs Base Rate BPLR is Benchmark Prime Lending Rate which is set by banks to lend money to customers. Banks gave loans at even lower than BPLR to blue chip companies while charged higher rate of interest from common people. This is why RBI has decided to scrape the BPLR system and introduced a Base Rate that will be applicable from July 1, 2011 Base rate will bring transparency in the loan segment as banks cannot give loans at rates lower than Base Rate. epidemic causing 1.9 million deaths every year. 2. Studies carried on the people of Arunachals Idu-Mishmis tribe, suffering from this dreaded disease, have discovered a possible reason for the resistance of tuberculosis, said the scientists from the Stanford University and Forsyth Institute. 3. According to results of the study published in the prestigious Science Translational Medicine journal, this is because of the ability of the tuberculosis bacteria to infiltrate and settle down in a particular class of stem cell in the bone marrow. 4. By doing so, the bacteria take advantage of the bodys own mechanisms of self-renewal. 5. Cancer scientists have noted that self-renewing stem cells like these in the bone marrow have properties such as natural drug resistance, infrequent division and a privileged immune status that make them resistant to many types of treatment, said Dean Felsher, MD, PhD, professor of oncology and of pathology. 6. Not only did the scientists find genetic material from the bacteria inside the stem cells, they were also able to isolate active bacteria from the cells of human patients with tuberculosis who had undergone extensive treatment for the disease. 7. We now need to learn how the bacteria find and infect this tiny population of stem cells, and what triggers it to reactivate years or decades after successful treatment of the disease, said postdoctoral scholar Bikul Das, from the Stanford University, and lead author of the study. 8. The researchers and doctors conducted free general medical camps in five villages of Arunachal Pradesh in India and gave free medicines to all patients belonging to the Idu-Mishmis sub tribe. 9. This effort led to identification of individuals who had TB, and successfully completed drug treatment. 10. From these individuals, the team isolated the CD271+ stem cells, and found evidence of dormant TB bacteria in those stem cells.These results supported Dass laboratory and CamposNetos animal study evidence that dormant TB hide in the CD271+ stem cells, the press statement said. 11. The findings raise the possibility that other infectious agents may employ similar wolfin-stem-cell-clothing tactics. 12. And, although any new human treatments are likely to still be years away, they suggest a new possible target in the fight against tuberculosis, which infects nearly 2.2 billion people worldwide. 13. The study as to why TB treated patients remain sensitive to TB tests for life made a breakthrough, the results now will have direct implications in anti-TB drug development and explain why it is so difficult to treat active and latent TB said the RIWATCH release.This medical research has brought the Idu-Mishmi people and Arunachal on the world map.
India slides down in press freedom index

1. India has dropped nine places to 140 in the list of 179 countries in the 2013 World Press Freedom Index, which its authors, Reporters Without Borders, said was the lowest for the worlds biggest democracy since 2002. 2. In Asia, India (140th, 9) is at its lowest since 2002 because of increasing impunity for violence against journalists and because Internet censorship continues to grow, Reporters Without Borders said. 3. China (173, +1), it said, had shown no sign of improving. Its prisons still hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopular Internet censorship continues to be a major obstacle to access to information. 4. As last year, the list is topped by three European countries Finland, Netherlands and Norway. Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea continue to be at the bottom of the list as has been in the last three years. 5. The Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders does not take direct account of the kind of political system, but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted, Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. In dictatorships, news providers and their families are exposed to ruthless reprisals, while in democracies news providers have to cope with the
Arunachal tribe helps in TB research breakthrough

1. A small Arunachal sub-tribe has helped U.S. scientists made a major breakthrough in tuberculosis research, giving them new insight on how TB remains a global
JTS Institute

medias economic crises and conflicts of interest. While their situation is not always comparable, we should pay tribute to all those who resist pressure whether it is aggressively focused or diffuse, he said. 6. According to the report, in almost all parts of the world, influential countries, including India, that are regarded as regional models have fallen in the index. 7. Observing that there was a general decline in freedom of information in South Asia, the report said the Indian subcontinent was the region in Asia that saw the sharpest deterioration in the climate for those involved in news and information in 2012. Brahmaputra on the Arunachal Pradesh, Assam border.
Vodafone issue will be resolved shortly

9. Finance Minister P Chidambaram has exuded confidence that the Rs.11,200-crore Vodafone tax dispute will be resolved within a month. 10. They (Vodafone representatives) are being invited to a third round of discussions this week....they (the Central Board of Direct Taxes) expect them to come any time this week and I am looking forward to a resolution of the Vodafone issue. And Im confident we will resolve that issue, he told the Financial Times in an interview. 11. When asked whether the issue would be resolved in the next month or so, the Minister said, I am trying to resolve it even sooner than that. 12. British telecom major Vodafone was slapped with an income tax demand notice of Rs.11,200 crore on its 2007 acquisition of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoas stake in its Indian telecom business. The liability arose following the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee amending the Income Tax Act, 1961, with retrospective effect to undo the Supreme Court judgment that had ruled in favour of the company. 13. Mr. Chidambaram said he was happy that Vodafone has formally written to the government offering to engage senior government officials to find a way out of the problem. They have held two rounds of discussions with my Revenue Secretary and the Chairman of the CBDT. 14. The Minister said he was confident about resolution of the dispute soon because for the first time, Vodafone has offered to engage the government in a discussion to find a solution rather than persist with its Notice of Arbitration. 15. The Indian government is working towards a solution based on recommendations of the Shome panel, which suggested that either the government should withdraw the retrospective tax amendment or waive the penalty in case it had to recover the taxes. 16. Withdraw spectrum guidelines 17. Meanwhile, Vodafone India has sought withdrawal of the recently issued guidelines for the second round of spectrum auction, terming
U.S. fears over compulsory licence for anti-cancer drug allayed

1. India, on Wednesday, conveyed to the U.S. that it had not violated any multilateral trade agreement by issuing compulsory licence for Bayers patented anti-cancer drug Nexavar to a local firm so as to make it affordable.It also asserted that such a move should not be seen as routine by the U.S. 2. The message was conveyed by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma to U.S. Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment RoberHormats, who raised concerns over the matter during a meeting here, according to an official. 3. Mr. Sharma has assured him that the move was totally compliant with multilateral agreements. The compulsory licence (CL) was issued after a due adjudication process, so it should not be seen as routine, the official added. 4. In March last, Hyderabad-based NatcoPharma was allowed to manufacture and sell cancertreatment drug Nexavar at a price that was just a fraction of that was charged by patent-holder Bayer Corporation, under CL. The German firm has already filed an appeal against the Indian Patents Offices order with the Intellectual Property Appellate Board. 5. Mr. Hormats raised the U.S. pharmaceutical industrys concern over issuance of CL by India and said that patent holders should be assured that it should not be a routine thing, the official said. 6. The Minister informed him that India is a responsible state and it will not do anything which will hamper innovation in the pharma sector, the official added. 7. As per the WTO agreement, a CL can be invoked by a national government, allowing someone else to produce a patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner in public interest. Drug price 8. Natco was allowed to sell the drug at a price not exceeding Rs.8,880 for a pack of 120 tablets required for a months treatment as compared to a whopping Rs.2.80 lakh charged by Bayer for its patented Nexavar drug.
Run-of-the-river dams wont affect inflows into India

1. Amid concern in India over Chinas plans to construct dams upstream on the Brahmaputra, a senior government official said here on Wednesday that the run-ofthe-river projects would not affect inflows into India. 2. Reacting to the news that China plans to construct three new hydropower dams in the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra (or YarlungZangbo as it is known in China), Union Water Resources Secretary Dhruv Vijay Singh told The Hindu that the Indian government was aware of the dams being constructed/proposed by China. We are keeping a close watch. These are run-of-the-river dams with no storage and will not affect inflows into India, he said. 3. However, the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, an NGO, said these being run-of-theriver projects, there may not be any change in the annual flows of the river, but the flow patterns may change and concern about flooding and erosion could not be overlooked. 4. The Hindu reported on Tuesday that the Chinese State Council had approved the construction of three new dams on the Brahmaputra under a new energy development plan for 2015. 5. In India, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation is constructing the Upper Siang Hydroelectric Project on the Siang tributary of the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh and the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri project on Subansiri, another tributary of the
JTS Institute

them illegal, discriminatory and benefiting one set of players. 18. Vodafone said the guidelines were discriminatory in nature, as they fix the reserve price of 900Mhz at three times the price of 800Mhz, while The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended both these bands to be treated on a par. 19. Fixing reserve price of 800 MHz band at comparatively low levels benefits a certain set of telecom operators, it said in a letter to Telecom Secretary R. Chandrashekhar, while seeking withdrawal of the guidelines. 20. Vodafone also said auction of 900MHz spectrum included the spectrum which was now being used by the company for Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata circles and since the same spectrum was already being used in its networks, it could not be put out for auction. X-ray or radio frequencies, a pulsar located 3,500 light years away has been found emitting both radio and X-ray radiation in sync When a star heavier than our Sun by eight to 50 times runs out of hydrogen, it blows away its outermost layers of gas in a supernova explosion and undergoes a gravitational collapse. The remnant of this is a core of neutrons called a neutron star usually around 20 km across, densely compacted and highly magnetised. When the neutron star is spinning, it emits strong radiation from its poles which can be detected only when it is pointed towards the Earth. Because of the spin, these emissions point at Earth periodically, making it appear as though the neutron star is pulsating. For this reason, spinning neutron stars are called pulsars. In a paper published in Science journal on January 25, an international team of scientists working on the LOFAR telescope in the Netherlands and the GMRT telescope near Pune, India, announced a strange behaviour of a pulsar PSR B0943+10. Located 3,500 light years from Earth, PSR B0943+10 has been known since the 1980s to emit radiation in the radio frequency. Pulsars usually emit radiation at radio or X-ray frequencies exclusively, although ones emitting purely gamma radiation have also been found. Some other pulsars also switch modes, emitting brightly for some time and weakly for the some other time, within seconds. While this behaviour has been known for some time, a self-consistent theory to explain it still eludes astrophysicists. However, for the first time ever, a pulsar, PSR B0943+10, has been observed switching between two different modes of radiation X-ray and radio within a second. The Xray mode showed itself when the radio mode had weakened. Also, anomalous weak radio signals were observed when the pulsar was in the bright X-ray mode. As Dr.WimHermsen, the lead author of the study, in an email to this Correspondent noted: The details of our findings were totally surprising, and cannot be explained with the different presently prevailing theories. Dr.Hermsen is associated with the Netherlands Institute for Space Research. Dr.DipanjanMitra, from the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune, led the Indian effort of the study, working with the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT). Alongside Dr. Joanna Rankin of the University of Vermont, Dr.Mitra continuously monitored the pulsar in 2009, and laid the foundation for the published paper. Spotting the anomaly The X-ray emissions were tracked using the European Space Agencys XMM-Newton orbiting space telescope, and the radio signals were studied using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) near Exloo, the Netherlands, and GMRT. While LOFAR can detect only at a fixed frequency, GMRT can sweep a range of frequencies. First, the radio and X-ray emissions were recorded simultaneously over several days. The times at which the flips occurred were first noted in the radio data. Then, the scientists studied the behaviour of the X-ray mode during these flip times. They found that the radio and X-ray modes were perfectly synchronised with each other. While the radio signals were strong and highly organised, the X-ray signals were weak and disorganised, and vice versa. Also, each mode lasted typically for seven hours, although over the course of the study, they also observed that the X-ray mode sometimes lasted for only half-hour or so, making it unpredictable. As Dr.Mitra said, Its as if the pulsar has two personalities. We knew about this behaviour in the radio, but now we see it in the Xrays as well. The team also found that the X-ray emission seemed thermal in origin. This suggests that a temporary hotspot appears close to the pulsars magnetic pole which switches on and off as the pulsar flips.The scientists will go on to analyse the data further to see if they have missed out anything, such as how much of an influence the pulsars plasma-atmosphere has on such emissions.
NASA launches communication satellite

NASA on Thursday launched a new communication satellite to stay in touch with its space station astronauts and relay more Hubble telescope images. An unmanned Atlas V rocket blasted into the starry night sky carrying the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.This is the 11th TDRS satellite to be launched by NASA.The space agency uses the orbiting network to communicate with astronauts living on the International Space Station. The first TDRS spacecraft flew in 1983; it recently was retired along with No. 4. The second was lost aboard space shuttle Challenger in 1986; Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the launch disaster.This newest thirdgeneration TDRS carries the letter K designation. Once it begins working, it will become TDRS-11. It will take two weeks for the satellite to reach its intended 22,300-mile-high orbit. Testing will last a few months.NASA estimates the satellite costs between $ 350 million and $ 400 million. Another TDRS spacecraft, L in the series, will be launched next year.NASA wants at least seven TDRS satellites working in orbit at any one time. The one launched today will make eight.
At last, hideout of dormant TB bacteria found

The hiding place of dormant tuberculosis bacteria in humans has been finally found. The bacteria are present in a nonreplicating, dormant but viable state, and can get reactivated to cause active TB in people who have been successively treated earlier. The
Pulsar behaviour defies theories

Unlike pulsars that emit either at
JTS Institute

remarkable study published today (January 31) in the Science Translational Medicine journal unequivocally demonstrates that a particular kind of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (CD271CD45) provide a safe shelter for the dormant TB bacteria. Recurrence of TB after successful drug treatment remains a big challenge in controlling the disease. Recurrence could happen either due to reactivation of the dormant TB bacteria residing somewhere inside the body or through reinfection. Several studies have shown that more than reinfection, it is the reactivation that causes disease recurrence. Hence management to prevent reactivation is essential. But the precise location where the bacteria hides was not known. But, no longer. The first step adopted by Bikul Das from Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanford University, and the lead author of the paper, and others was to study bone marrow stem cells. There was a reason to target these cells they provide a safe haven for the dormant TB bacteria to hide from the immune system; the bacteria are not exposed to TB drugs either. In fact, the stem cells have an efficient way of removing TB drugs that can kill the bacteria, thus providing the bacteria a perfect environment to remain viable for extended periods of time. The germ of an idea to look for TB bacteria in bone marrow samples occurred to Dr. Das way back in the mid 1990s when he was doing biopsies of bone marrow samples. In those biopsies I saw AFB [stained] positive bugs in bone marrow [samples], and occasionally inside progenitor cells. I was not sure if they were stem cells, as a biopsy cannot confirm those cells to be stem cells or progenitor cells, noted Dr. Das in an email to this Correspondent (see box item). An idea came to my mind that if TB bugs indeed reside inside bone marrow stem cells, it could explain why it is so difficult to treat TB. So they started off by studying different bone marrow stem cells from healthy humans to know if the bacteria could infect specific stem cells in vitro. They solved the first piece of the puzzle when they found that the bacteria could infect a few BM stem cells in vitro. Of them, the CD271/CD133 stem cells proved to be the most permissive for TB bacteria infection. After infection, the bacteria multiplied just twofold to threefold within four days and then remained unchanged. Also the bacteria remained viable inside the cells for about two weeks. Differentiation of the stem cells was the only factor that could affect the long-term viability. The viability reduced fourfold when the stem cells differentiated to form specific cell types. The stem cells contain both haematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells. On further scrutiny, they found that the bacteria preferentially infects only the mesenchymal stem cells (CD271). Mesenchymal stem cells are capable of becoming any of the specialised cells in the body. They are essentially found in the bone marrow but can migrate to the lungs. They then performed several experiments using mice. First, they demonstrated the ability of the TB bacteria to migrate to the mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) of mice once the animals were exposed to a low dose of aerosolised virulent TB bacteria. Four weeks after infection, the animals were killed and the presence of TB bacteria in MSC studied. They did find the bacteria in the bone marrow cells. By performing another kind of experiment, they found that TB bacteria retained viability in the mice mesenchymal stem cells. Besides bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, they found viable nonreplicating TB bacteria in lung mesenchymal stem cells too. They progressed to the next stage of studying the infectious nature of the nonreplicating bacteria hiding in the stem cells. To do this, they retrieved the dormant bacteria from the lung mesenchymal stem cells of some mice and injected them into other healthy mice. The recipient mice did develop lung granulomas. The final piece of the puzzle was solved by looking for the presence of dormant TB bacteria in humans who were successfully treated using anti-TB drugs. Nine individuals who had undergone complete treatment and a control group of six healthy people from non-endemic regions were chosen. While all the six healthy people in the control group did not exhibit measurable dormant TB bacteria, eight of the nine people who had successfully undergone treatment did have the bacteria in the CD271 BM mesenchymal stem cells. Our work is only a basic research and does not provide any therapy for patients with tuberculosis, stated Dean W. Felsher of Stanford University in an email to this Correspondent. We do hope that our work will provide potentially new scientific approaches that may lead to new treatments for TB.
Habitable Zone for alien planets redefined

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have redefined the boundaries of the habitable zone for alien planets, kicking out some exoplanets that were thought to fall within it, and allowing a few others to be included in the zone. This will have a significant impact on the number of exoplanets that are within habitable zone, said research team leader Ravi Kumar Kopparapu of Penn State University. One of the most important characteristics of an alien planet is whether or not it falls into whats called the habitable zone - a Goldilocks-like range of not-tooclose, not-too-far distances from the parent star that might allow the planet to host life. The habitable zone defines the region where a planet might be able to retain liquid water on its surface. Any closer to the star and water would vaporise away; any farther, and it would freeze to ice, Space.com reported. But water in its liquid state is what scientists are after, since that is thought to be a prerequisite for life. The new definition of the habitable zone is based on updated atmospheric databases called HITRAN (high-resolution transmission molecular absorption) and HITEMP (hightemperature spectroscopic absorption parameters), which give the absorption parameters of water and carbon dioxide - two properties that strongly influence the atmospheres of exoplanets, determining whether those planets could host liquid water. The scientists cautioned that the habitable zone definition still does not take into account feedback effects from clouds, which will also affect a planets habitability. The previous habitable zone definitions were derived about 20 years ago by Penn State researcher
JTS Institute
10

James Kasting, who was also part of the team behind the updates. The new definition isnt radically different from the old one. For example, in our own solar system, the boundaries of the habitable zone have shifted from between 0.95 astronomical units (AU, or the distance between Earth and the Sun) and 1.67 AU, to the new range of 0.99 AU to 1.7 AU. Its a surprise that Earth is so close to the inner edge of the habitable zone, said astronomer Abel Mendez of the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, who was not part of the team behind the redefinition. Right now as I see it as a significant change. Many of those planets that we believe were inside are now outside. But on the other side, it extends the habitable zones outer edge, so a few planets that are farther away might fall inside the habitable zone now, Mendez said. He mentioned one planet in particular, Gliese 581d, was thought to lie at the outer edge of its stars habitable zone. With the new definition, though, it falls almost smack in the middle, making it perhaps a better candidate for extraterrestrial life. The new habitable zone definition will be published in the Astrophysical Journal. Avoidance Agreement with Chile and has asked that country to further liberalise its visa regime to help the movement of professionals and businessmen. Chiles main export to India is copper, and with the inking of the new trade agreement the product is expected to reach India with zero tariffs. Chile also exports paper pulp among other things to India. The two countries are seeking cooperation in areas like information technology, oceanography, science and technology, agriculture and food processing and engineering and infrastructure. India and Colombia have a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) which came into effect in June 2012. India has also urged Colombia to expedite ratification of a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to boost investor confidence. Earlier this month, ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), has discovered oil on an on land block, CPO-5, in Colombia. OVL holds 70 percent participating interest in the block located at the Ilanos basin of Colombia. The project was under phase-1 of exploration, with a commitment of drilling two exploratory wells. Argentina, a leading agricultural economy, has invited farmers from India to purchase land there and cultivate it. India is also a major importer of Argentine soybean oil, importing $1.8 billion in 2010. Indian companies have a major presence in Latin American countries. Indian IT companies in Chile include TCS. While in Argentina, there are over 15 Indian companies, with many being in the IT and IT-enabled services sector, employing thousands of people. The others are in various manufacturing areas, from pharma to cosmetics to agro chemicals. India-Latin American trade stood at $20 billion in 2010, way below the $140 billion trade between ChinaLatin American. Monday to push the long-pending India-EU trade accord. Khurshid will hold discussions with German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle and would call onchancellor Angela Merkel during his two-day visit on January 28-29. Germany is Indias largest trading partner in Europe.
31 January 2013 Look-East policy bring India into Asia Pacific: Hillary
1. Lauding Indias Look East policy, outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that America supports New Delhis move to weave it into the fabric of Asia Pacific region. 2. Weve encouraged Indias Look East policy as a way to weave another big democracy into the fabric of the Asia-Pacific, Ms. Clinton said on Thursday in her last foreign policy speech as the Secretary of State at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a Washington-based think-tank. 3. This was the only place in Ms. Clintons speech that mentioned India as she described Americas expanding engagement in the Asia Pacific region. 4. Now, much attention has been focused on our military moves in the region. And certainly, adapting our forces posture is a key element of our comprehensive strategy. But so is strengthening our alliances through new economic and security arrangements, she said. 5. We responded to the triple disaster in Japan through our government, through our businesses, through our not-forprofits, and reminded the entire region of the irreplaceable role America plays. 6. First and foremost, this so-called pivot has been about creative diplomacy, like signing a littlenoted treaty of amity and cooperation with ASEAN that opened the door to permanent representation and ultimately elevated a forum for engaging on high-stakes issues like the South China Sea, she said. 7. Referring to the agenda of the next four years and beyond, she said the U.S. would have to keep pushing forward on this agenda: consolidate its engagement in the Asia-Pacific without taking eyes off
Ties with Latin America to deepen further

Like Look East Policy of the Indian Government, Focus on Latin America has been the recent emerging policy and will get further boost when external affairs minister Salman Khurshid leaves on a ten-day visit to that region. Khurshid, who returns Thursday after a four-day visit to Germany and Belgium, will leave on Friday for Argentina, Colombia and Chile. India and Chile are close to formalizing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), an arrangement equivalent to a free trade agreement, which would help reduce or eliminate duties on maximum number of products they trade in. Chile is also considered to be the gateway to Latin America in the areas of investment and trade opportunities. With the bilateral trade at $2.6 billion in 2011-12, India has been pushing for a Double Taxation
Khurshid to visit Germany, Belgium to push EU accord

External affairs minister Salman Khurshid will visit two important European Union countries Germany and Belgium from
JTS Institute
11

the Middle East and North Africa. 8. She also called for keep working to curb the spread of deadly weapons, especially in Iran and North Korea; effectively manage the end of combat mission in Afghanistan without losing focus on al-Qaeda and its affiliates and pursuing a far-ranging economic agenda that sweeps from Asia to Latin America to Europe; and keep looking for the next Burmas. 5. Some Indian participants, evidently upset and taking advantage of this candour, reminded the Iranian gentleman that Iran had always sided with Pakistan and asked him what it was that Iran had done for India, that Iran was buying wheat from the U.S. but was not willing to buy it from India, that Iran was spreading radicalisation among the Shia community in India, that India says Iran is important for India but Iran never says India is important for Iran, etc. Someone pointed out that Shiite Iran supported the Taliban in Afghanistan, which was a diehard Sunni movement. 6. The Iranian friend we have to describe him as a friend since friends are supposed to talk frankly without worrying about offending anyone was not nonplussed. It was not Iran which placed obstacles for Indian wheat sales in Iran; this was a matter of business considerations. He added that India could not have an unfriendly attitude towards Iran and, at the same time, expect special consideration. Iran was a land of moderation, not a land of extremism; it never exported Shia extremism to India. If there is Shia extremism in India, there is also Hindu extremism, he added for good measure. As for supporting Pakistan, he said Iran had to, since Pakistan was a neighbour and a friendly country, but Iran had never done anything against India and wanted to be helpful to both. He rubbished the reports about supporting the Taliban and added that India had been in touch with the Taliban. 7. On the nuclear issue, the Iranian expert said Iran was not asking for anything more or less than the rights and obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran had always been in full compliance with its treaty obligations. No section of Iranian society saw nuclear weapons as a matter of privilege or security. Islamic jurisprudence specifically forbade intentionally polluting the atmosphere. Nuclear weapons did not provide security to nuclear weapon states; the U.S. and Nato had nukes but of what use had they been in Afghanistan? Had India been able to use them against Pakistan? As for some evidence contained in a laptop revealed in Vienna, it was fabricated and a cheap argument. 8. The friend used the very point raised by the Saudis and others; India, he pointed out, could easily get oil from other sources, Iran was not really important for India as an energy source.Instead of taking offence at his remarks, we ought to draw some lessons from them. 9. Unlike Iran, which never says India is important for it, Indian strategic community never tires of repeating how crucial Iran is to us for its energy resources, for alternative access to Afghanistan and for the northern corridor to Central Asia. For good measure, we often remind ourselves of the fact that there is a large Shia community in India, the assumption being that the Shias in India expect the government to be mindful of their religious sentiments while deciding on the policy towards Iran. Such talk only strengthens Irans attitude of being somewhat contemptuous or dismissive of India. It further makes people in Iran and India conclude that India needs Iran much more than Iran needs India, if at all. 10. As of today and this must be emphasised Iran certainly needs Indias friendship. It is true that our anti-Iran vote in IAEA has harmed our relations with Tehran, but international relations cannot forever be held hostage to past actions. We ourselves have long forgotten even the fact that many countries had voted against us in the United Nations at the time of Bangladeshs war for independence in 1971. 11. The Iranian friend was right; there are other sources from where India can buy oil. Saudi Arabia would be delighted if we were to turn to it to make up the shortfall, since it would clearly be interpreted as India siding with it in the undeclared politico-sectarian war against Iran. (This is one reason why India would not want to do so.) But the number of buyers of Iranian oil is dwindling fast and Iran is hard put to find alternative buyers, even at discounted prices. Contrary to what our friend said, his Oil Minister has publicly acknowledged that Irans oil exports fell by 40 per cent last year. Iran needs Indias friendship 12. The Prime Minister paid an official visit to Iran last year for the non-aligned summit, no doubt upsetting the Americans. The fact that he was granted an audience by the supreme leader should not flatter us. Iran certainly needs friends like India. Would the supreme leader have received the Prime Minister if his country did not
Lesson on diplomacy, from an Iranian

1. Track II meetings can be useful when participants express their views candidly, without worrying about offending the sensitivities of others. When the event is held in India, visiting think tankers take pain not to upset their hosts. Since most foreigners have rightly concluded that Indians are not only flattery prone but credulous as well, they are usually complimentary about Indias role in various situations such as in Afghanistan, Syria, Middle East, etc. 2. It is therefore refreshing when a visiting participant in a Track II meeting gives free rein to his views about Indias foreign policy as was the case when an Iranian expert, familiar with the official thinking of his government, spoke his mind at an event in Delhi some time ago. Other Iranian participants at the same meeting spoke in a similar vein. 3. Inclined towards U.S. 4. India, he said, was anxious not to make the United States unhappy. Your qibla, he said, is Washington. India was much inclined towards the U.S. and should reconsider striking a balance in its foreign policy; India had some shortcomings and should reconsider its relations with Iran; India was not being pragmatic but opportunistic. Traditionally, India enjoyed huge social capital in Iran; it was hugely popular with the Iranian people. All that had been destroyed for generations in one stroke because of Indias anti-Iran vote in the International Atomic Energy Agency. India could not vote against Iran and claim, at the same time, that Iran was important for India; it just did not make sense. A little later in the interactive session, he reiterated his view that India could not vote against Iran and, at the same time, say it wanted to work with Iran. I repeat this because it was a very harmful act and it is very hard for any friend of India in Iran to accept this.
JTS Institute
12

face sanctions? Iran surely knows that India has not joined in the unilateral sanctions imposed by the West. If Iran, in the face of these facts, has convinced itself that Indias qibla is in the direction of Washington, there is nothing we can do to disabuse it of its thinking. 13. The above analysis is not an argument for downgrading Irans importance for us and for the region of which it is a part. Rather, it is meant to keep in mind what Harish Khare, the respected columnist, recently observed: Appeasement policy does not serve national interest, in domestic politics or in international relations. His advice is aimed at the government but is equally true at the non-governmental level. International relations must be conducted on the basis of reciprocity and mutuality of interests. We also have to keep in mind that countries which at present have strained, even hostile relations with Iran, can and will change their policy at a time of their choosing; we should not be left surprised. We are trying to see what could be the best in terms of transparency so that issues that are hurting industry could be covered adequately, Dr Shome said while noting that the Finance Ministry was also engaged in addressing the issue of expenditure control which remained a major challenge. expansion in GDP during 2011-12 was mainly on account of growth in sectors such as financing, insurance, real estate and business services by11.7 percent, transport, storage and communication (8.4 per cent), electricity, gas and water supply (6.5 per cent) and trade, hotels and restaurants (6.2 per cent). 10. As for gross domestic savings (GDS), the growth in 2011-12 at current prices fell to 30.8 percent of the GDP at market prices and is estimated at Rs.27.65 lakh crore during the year as compared to an increase of 34 percent to Rs.26.52 lakh crore in 2010-11 Deceleration 11. The deceleration in GDS growth in 2011-12, the statement said, was mainly owing to declines in household financial savings from 10.4 percent to 8 percent, in private corporate sector savings from 7.9 percent to 7.2 per cent and in public sector savings from 2.6 per cent to 1.3 per cent as compared to a year ago. 12. Among other major indicators, the gross national income at constant (2004-05) prices and at factor cost in 2011-12 is estimated at Rs.51.97 lakh crore as compared to Rs.48.82 lakh crore in 2010-11, which works out to an increase of 6.4 percent during the year and marks a decline from the previous years growth figure of 8.8 per cent. On the other hand, the GNI at current prices in 2011-12 is estimated at Rs.82.77 lakh crore as compared to Rs.71.85 lakh crore in 2010-11, an increase of 15.2 percent which is lower than the 18.4 percent growth achieved in the previous year. Household sector 13. Household sector savings in absolute terms, the data showed, increased from Rs.18.33 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs.20.04 lakh crore in 2011-12 to pose an increase of 9.3 percent while private corporate sector savings rose by 4.1 percent from Rs.6.19 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs.6.44 lakh crore in 2011-12. 14. Savings of the public sector, however, fell by a hefty 41.4 per cent from Rs.1.99 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs.1.17 lakh crore in 2011-12. 15. As per the data, gross domestic capital formation increased from Rs.28.72 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs.31.41 lakh crore in 2011-12 at current prices. 16. At constant prices (2004-05), it increased from Rs.21.20 lakh crore
GDP growth for 2011-12 lowered to 6.2 percent

1. The government, on Thursday, announced a downward revision in GDP (gross domestic product) growth to 6.2 percent for fiscal year 2011-12 from the earlier provisional estimate of 6.5 per cent. 2. Alongside, however, the GDP growth for 2010-11 fiscal stands revised upwards to 9.3 percent from 8.4 percent, as per the first revised estimates of National income, consumption expenditure, saving and capital formation, released here by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for 2011-12 along with second revised estimates for 2010-11 and the third revised estimates for 2009-10. 3. GDP at factor cost at constant (2004-05) prices in 2011-12 is estimated at Rs.52.43 lakh crore as against Rs.49.37 lakh crore in 2010-11, registering a growth of 6.2 per cent during the year as against a growth of 9.3 per cent in the year 2010-11, a CSO statement said. 4. As per the statement, the GDP in 2011-12 at current prices is estimated at Rs.83.53 lakh crore as against Rs.72.67 lakh crore in 2010-11, marking an increase of 15 per cent as against an increase of 19 per cent in the previous fiscal year. 5. The per capita income in real terms (at 2004-05 prices), the CSO said, is estimated at Rs.38,037 for 2011-12 as against Rs.36,342 in 2010-11, which works out to an increase of 4.7 per cent during the fiscal as against an increase of 7.2 per cent in the previous year. 6. However, the per capita income at current prices is estimated at Rs.61,564 in 2011-12 as against Rs.54,151 in the previous fiscal to mark a lower growth of 13.7 per cent as compared to an increase of 17.1 per cent posted in 2010-11. 7. Standard of living 8. As a measure to assess the standard of living, the per capita income on a monthly basis works out to Rs.5,130 during the fiscal as compared to Rs.4,513 in 2010-11. 9. According to the CSO data, the
Modified DTC soon, says Shome

A modified Direct Taxes Code (DTC) Bill is to be placed in Parliament for approval after incorporating changes as per the suggestions made by the Standing Committee on Finance. [We] will come out with [a] modified DTC [Bill] in response to Standing Committee suggestions, Advisor to Finance Minister ParthasarathiShome said at a FICCI event here. Dr.Shome informed industry leaders that the Finance Ministry was looking at the Bill, and working on the tax structures, as was suggested by the Parliamentary panel. In its report on the DTC Bill submitted to Parliament in March last year, the standing panel on finance headed by former Finance Minister and senior BJP leader YashwantSinha had suggested a hike in the income tax exemption limit to Rs.3 lakh as against Rs.2 lakh proposed in the original DTC Bill. The Bill, tabled in August, 2010, was referred to the standing panel for scrutiny. Among other things, the committee had also suggested that subsequent tax slabs be accordingly adjusted to provide relief to the taxpayers who were already burdened under the impact of inflation.
JTS Institute
13
in 2010-11 to Rs.21.32 lakh crore in 2011-12. 17. Accordingly, the rate of growth of gross capital formation at current prices stood at 35 per cent in 201112 as against 36.8 per cent in 2010-11 and at 37.9 per cent and 40.0 per cent during the two years at constant prices.
29 January - 4 February 2013 Tobacco use accounts $ 502 mn as indirect costs, says a Journal
1. The country suffers a huge loss of about $ 502 million a year as the indirect cost of tobacco-induced morbidity, says an article published in a medical journal. 2. While $ 398 million is estimated to be the indirect morbidity costs on smoked tobacco, smokeless tobacco products results in $ 104 million, says a review paper carried in the recent issue of Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. 3. Indirect morbidity costs are explained as costs on caregivers and value of work loss due to illness. 4. This is apart from the direct medical costs of treating tobaccorelated diseases, which for the year 2004 was $ 907 million for smoked tobacco, and $ 285 million for smokeless tobacco. 5. The paper is authored by Dr Gauravi A Mishra of Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, with Dr Sharmila A Pimple and Dr Surendra S Shastri. 6. The total economic cost of tobacco use in India in 2004 was calculated to be 16 per cent more than the total excise tax revenues from all tobacco products during the year. 7. The total economic cost includes direct health care expenditure for inpatient hospitalisation or outpatient visits, expenditures incurred for transportation other than ambulance and lodging charge of caregivers and wage income lost to the whole household due to inpatient hospitalisation or outpatient visits. 8. The paper also underlines the need for adequate tobacco cessation services in the country. Lack of cessation services may lead to an additional 160 million global deaths among smokers by 2050. Cessation centres in India have reported quit rates of around 16 per cent, six weeks after intervention, the paper notes.
Yamuna river bank or water bodies near it. It also ordered the governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and their agencies to immediately start removing the debris and dumping it at appropriate sites. We hereby issue an injunction restraining anybody, any person, authority from throwing any debris of any kind including solid wastes on the river bank of Yamuna or the water body near the river. State of UP, DDA, Government of NCT Delhi and East Delhi Municipal Corporation shall forthwith start removing debris from the river bank of Yamuna and the water body, NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said. The green panel directed the authorities to communicate this order to all, primarily the builders who are involved in huge construction in and around NCT of Delhi. According to the order, all municipal solid wastes will have to be taken to the MCDs dumping site in Ghazipur while construction material and similar waste shall be removed to other identified sites.
Environment and developmental agendas linked: PM

The global environmental agenda and the global development agenda were interlinked, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday while stressing that resource efficiency was a necessary condition for sustainable development. A global growth model, which is inclusive and sustainable, would assist developing countries pursue their objectives, Dr. Singh said at the inauguration of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) in New Delhi. Resource-efficiency is a necessary condition for sustainable development, and a key element of the economic pillar of sustainability. The global environmental agenda and the global development agenda are now inter-linked, he said. India is committed to meeting its domestic mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 20-25 per cent by 2020. What is required are regulatory regimes that are transparent, accountable and subject to oversight and monitoring. I would like to mention that protection of the environment and promoting development need not amount to a zero sum game, he said. We in India are fully conscious of the need to conserve our resources through their utilization in a sustainable manner, he added. We need to re-engineer our economies in ways that are both frugal and innovative in their use of resources, Dr. Singh said. The 13th edition of the DSDS focuses on the theme The Global Challenge of Resource-Efficient Growth and Development. It provides an efficient platform for thought leaders and policymakers to discuss effective policy mechanisms to reduce energy and resource footprint, a statement from the organisers The Energy Research Institute (TERI) said.
May fall short of stake sale target (disinvestment)

In a challenge for the fisc, the finance ministry on Thursday conceded that it may fall short of the estimated target of Rs 30,000 crore from disinvestment proceeds during the current fiscal. Rs 30,000 crore disinvestment target may be difficult to reach. My calculation is Rs 25,000 or Rs 26,000 crore. We will try to cover Rs 27,000 crore, disinvestment secretary Ravi Mathur said on Thursday. The department of disinvestment has raised about Rs 6,900 crore from stake sales of in state owned NMDC Ltd and Hindustan Copper Ltd. On Friday, it is scheduled to auction 10 per cent stake in Oil India Ltd (OIL) that is likely to raise about Rs 3,065 crore. The government has fixed the floor or the minimum offer price for OIL stake sale at Rs 510 a share, which is a discount of 5.41 per cent over Thursdays market price of Rs 539.20. We expect a good response (to the OIL issue). It (Rs 510) is at a good discount, Mathur said. The government is also planning to sell 9.5 per cent stake in NTPC Ltd
Green tribunal bans dumping of debris on Yamuna banks

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday issued an order restraining all individuals, companies as well as public authorities from throwing any debris or solid waste on the
JTS Institute
14

and has already begun roadshows in five countries, including the US, the UK and Japan, for promoting the proposed Rs 13,000 crore issue. NTPC roadshows are going on. As soon as roadshows are over we will fix a date for share sale, Mathur said. The DoD plans to divest stake in a host of bluechip PSUs in the current fiscal, including SAIL, NALCO and MMTC. The government has already identified 10 PSUs for divesting stake. Fiscal deficit at 78.8% of target The Centres fiscal deficit during the April-December period stood at Rs 4.04 lakh crore or 78.8 per cent of the Budget Estimate of Rs 5.14 lakh crore, according to data released by the Controller General of Accounts. During the same period in the previous fiscal year, the deficit was 92.3 per cent of the target. The improvement has been brought about by a strict tightening of the expenditure since September and some fruition of the efforts to arrest the fall in tax revenue growth. The government is aiming to contain fiscal deficit at 5.3 percent of the GDP during current fiscal, despite a difficult economic environment that has resulted in less than anticipated level of growth in tax and non-tax revenue. The latest data signal the need for further aggressive measures to meet the revised target to reduce the fiscal deficit to 5.3% of the GDP, including a focussed push to disinvestment. FE 15 spots in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and the Union territory of Chandigarh. The NDMA and Delhis DDMA had conducted the largest ever mock disaster drill on February 15 last year. The Delhi exercise will be the benchmark for the upcoming one. Eventualities such as a chemical explosion, a bridge collapse, fire, a gas leak and building collapses will be simulated at flyovers, markets, offices, government and private schools and colleges, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands, airports and residential areas. There are three aspects to it to develop realistic scenarios to know the vulnerability and preparedness of state machinery as well as the publics response; to make the government machinery more knowledgeable about such scenarios; and to conduct awareness campaigns and mock drills, Gupta said. We have estimated the population that will be exposed to the risk as against the total population density, and, considering topography and other surface features, the human loss that such a scenario can lead to, Gupta said. Factoring in the aftershocks that come 20-30 seconds after the first earthquake impact, the NDMA has projected that 231.8 lakh people will be exposed to intensities X-IX on the MSK scale, 323.6 lakh to intensities IX-VIII, and 251.6 lakh to intensities VIII-VII. The idea is to first bring about participation of various stakeholders, and check how all the emergency support functionaries police control room, fire brigades, ambulances, hospitals, administration, disaster management, volunteers respond, and to calculate their response time, an NDMA official said. The drills are likely to be held at bus stands, markets, colleges, schools, administrative offices, railway stations... The Army will be requested for observers to conduct a third-party assessment. Over the last four months, authorities in the areas to be covered have mapped their resources, prepared scenarios for the mock drill, identified venues, and trained volunteers as dummies (dead, critically injured, minorly injured). DDMA officials said the process of laying the groundwork began six months ago in a series of meetings initiated between NDMA vice chairman Shashidhar Reddy and other officials, the chief ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, and the Chandigarh governor. The Himalayan region was counted among the most vulnerable on the global seismic hazard map prepared during the International Decade on Natural Disaster Reduction during 1991-2000. And experts say the number of deaths due to natural disasters during the first 12 years of the 21st century has already crossed the total of the 20th century, despite advancements in science and sociology. Risk assessment and preparedness can mitigate effects of disasters to a great extent, Gupta said. Gupta, a seismologist and a member of the Integrated Research on Disaster Risk programme as well as the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, is credited with developing Indias tsunami warning system. In 1977, a cyclone caused 20,000 deaths on the east coast of India. In the years that followed, an early warning system was established, complete with meteorological radars and emergency plans. As a result fewer lives were lost about 1,000 when the same area was hit by a cyclone of similar strength in 1996, and again in 2005, when the death toll was just 27.
1 February 2013 Gates emphasises quality metrics, technological firepower

1. What links the efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality in Bihar, the battle against cassava plant diseases in Brazil and tuberculosis interventions in South Africa? 2. While one would be tempted to assume these are United Nations or World Bank initiatives, it is a purely private sector supported organisation that drives these projects the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 3. Bill Gates, the Foundations head and Chairman of Microsoft Corporation, commands the kind of attention among global policy makers that World Bank executives would envy. Releasing his annual letter to policymakers this week, he said in an India-exclusive interview with The Hindu that one word
Faking magnitude 8 in the Himalayas, to handle earthquakes better

Rather than wait for an earthquake to happen in the high-risk Himalayan region, disaster managers will simulate the aftermath of one of magnitude 8 on the Richter scale. Since there is no method of forecasting an earthquake the most instantaneous natural disaster we need to be better prepared, said Prof Harsh K Gupta, member of the National Disaster Management Authority. The imagined earthquake will have its epicentre at Sundarnagar in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. It will have struck at 11.30 am on February 13 and ruptured an entire 200-km faultline, causing tremors of varying intensities and affecting
JTS Institute
15

summed up the guiding principle of his foundation in pursuing its broad, multi-pronged agenda: measurement. At a time of shrinking aid and development budgets in many Western economies, Mr. Gates emphasis on measurement is timely. Not only is it rooted in an urge to ramp up project efficiency across the developing world but it is also, as he admits in his letter, a response to governments... rightfully demanding effectiveness in the programs they pay for. Quality metrics 4. Apart from the sheer scale of resources the Foundation, with an asset base of $32.6 billion, tops 104 of the 190 nations ranked according to nominal GDP by the World Bank Mr. Gates said a sharp focus on quality metrics and keenness to deploy technological firepower set his approach apart from standard public-sector strategies. 5. Measurement is something that comes naturally to the private sector, because they have to have a theory about how their business works, said Mr. Gates. Though governments and philanthropic groups had not done much measurement the good news is that measurement is easier to do in a world of satellite photos, cell phones, cheap software and databases, he added. 6. His point resonates well in India, which has seen the breathtaking effectiveness of the polio eradication campaign. Earlier this year, the nation marked two years since a child was crippled by polio an impossible outcome had it not been for millions of volunteer vaccinators fanning out across the nation during immunisation weeks. 7. Lavishing praise on one of Indias biggest accomplishments in the last decade in his letter, Mr. Gates points to the importance of micro-level delivery mechanisms the country adopted. 8. However, India has a long way to go in other areas, according to him. The quality of execution is a limiting factor, he said. But he cited Kerala as an example of a State that achieved great health results not so much by putting in a lot more money than other places. 9. When pressed on specifics regarding challenges to Indias policy implementation, Mr. Gates revealed as much about his familiarity with the signs of failure as he did about his impatience to bring technology on board to mitigate the situation. Going digital 10. Does grain for the poor get diverted corruptly? he asked, Do teachers show up? Are healthworker jobs filled? Are they properly trained? Why dont kids get vaccinated? We should be able to register them digitally and follow up digitally. 11. This last innovation of digital vaccines, Mr. Gates said, had actually taken root in Bihar after the Foundation ran the project in pilot districts and then handed it over to the government to propagate. But to ask whether the Foundation can boost effectiveness of government policy implementation is to raise an even bigger question: Is it possible to harmonise private and public sector strategies when they are often driven by different motives and represent varied stakeholders? 12. Mr. Gates, at least, is unequivocal about this. A lot of what we are able to do... is hire what we call strategy units... analytical-type personnel, create the right tools and salary structures for them and connect them up with a government activity like vaccination coverage or spending or getting contraception out and make sure that the increased government investment is actually being used appropriately. 13. Sure enough, the Foundation works with an impressive analytical arsenal. Convinced by the data on the financing of their worldwide polio eradication drive, the organisation keeps a steady eye on the year-on-year requirement of $1 billion. Any less, warns Mr. Gates, and hundreds of thousands of polio cases will start cropping up. Nigeria and Pakistan 14. Similarly, the Foundation soldiers on to meet vaccination targets in the two countries that have proved the most dangerous for vaccinators Nigeria and Pakistan. Nigeria witnessed a crisis due to religion-based objections to vaccines and fears and misinformation about negative effects. In December, militants in Pakistan stalked and killed nine women polio workers prompting the United Nations to suspended its anti-polio drive and risk a public health crisis. 15. When queried about this, Mr. Gates praised his staffs bravery, saying, I am afraid of unrest and instability... But it doesnt mean we are not going to do our best to eradicate polio and partner with our government to try to save those million lives. By persevering we honour the people in Pakistan who died. The benefits of getting rid of these things are so clear. 16. This points towards the core debate on large-scale philanthropic interventions that sit beside government policies: can the private sector model be applied anywhere to developmental issues without severe modifications to suit local idiosyncrasies? 17. In Mexico, for example, where Mr. Gates argued that the status quo in the education sector was highly defended by the teachers unions, is there some way that the Foundation mantra of personnel system reform and technology could assuage concerns over employment, equity and poverty? 18. While it may sound like the perfect blueprint for a profit-driven firm such as Microsoft, Mr. Gates believes both the model and the skills behind it ought to be deployed more widely in development policy. Giving pledge 19. Indeed, along with Co-Chair and wife Melinda, he has launched what is called the Giving Pledge (GP), Mr. Gates said with a twinkle of pride in his eyes. GP is a fundraising drive aimed at tapping the resources and skills of billionaires across the world for the express purpose of philanthropy. 20. Until 2013, it was focused on ultra-high-net-worth individuals in the U.S. and there were at least 91 dollar billionaires who had pledged to give the majority of their wealth away during their lifetimes or through their wills. 21. Mr. Gates appeared enthused, holding firm to the view that philanthropy ought not to be a passive thing that you should do through your will but... an enjoyable thing that you do with the same skills that helped you make the money. 22. Just this year we are recruiting internationally... but it will be a long time before there are as many non-U.S. GP members as U.S. members, even though there are more international billionaires than U.S. billionaires, he explained. While there were wonderful, giving people, such as Azim Premji in India, Mr. Gates said, it is just less of a tradition.
JTS Institute
16
Rangarajan sees growth rate moving closer to about 6 p.c. this fiscal
1. Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister C. Rangarajan on Friday expressed optimism that the economy had the resilience to bounce back to eight to 9 percent growth rate and asserted that firm action would be taken on the macro-economic and sectoral fronts to achieve this goal. 2. While the macro-economic issues that needed to be tackled were inflation, fiscal consolidation and the balance of payments deficit, the sectoral concerns that urgently required attention were those governing agriculture and infrastructure, he said. 3. Dr.Rangarajan was addressing the Chamber Day celebrations of the Hindustan Chamber of Commerce. 4. Some recent actions by the Centre, especially in improving the investment sentiment, clearly indicated a commitment to taking this road to achieve higher growth rates, he said. 5. According to Dr.Rangarajan, the new economic policy had nothing that took away the role of the State; it only redefined its charter. The thrust of the policy was on removing entry barriers to improve domestic and international competitiveness of industry. 6. In his estimation, the growth rate would move closer to about 6 per cent this fiscal, with manufacturing expected to shift gears in the January-March period. The next fiscal is going to be much better when the full impact of the change in investment sentiment that we are seeing now will manifest and result in private investment picking up, he said. 7. N. Lakshmi Narayanan, Vice Chairman, Cognizant, who was a special guest, said that while medical technology saw amazing advances over the years, the cost factor remained prohibitive. He called for applying technology for cost targeting, especially in the diagnostics sector that had a pronounced electronic component. Dr.Rangarajan presented the Champion of Humanity awards instituted by the Chamber to G.S.K. Velu, Managing Director of Trivitron Group of Companies, and RadhikaSanthanakrishnan, founder of Penn Nalam, an NGO that works with women cancer patients.
29 January - 4 February 2013 Oil India share oversubscribed

1. The disinvestment initiative of the UPA Government gather pace with Oil India Limited (OIL) stake sale getting an over-whelming response from the markets and getting over-subscribed even before the closure of market hours. 2. The government is estimated to get a minimum of Rs. 3,100 crore from the third divestment this fiscal. The auction, which started in the morning, got bids for over 7.50 crore shares by noon against an offer of over 6.01 crore as per data on National Stock Exchange. The indicative price, which is the weighted average price of all valid bids, was Rs. 518.04 a share. At this price, the government would garner at least Rs. 3,100 crore. The government had fixed the floor price for the 10 per cent share auction of OIL at Rs. 510 apiece. Shares of OIL were quoting at Rs 527.8 on NSE. 3. Bids for over 4.94 crore shares were with 100 percent margin which meant that if the bidder decides to withdraw later they can do so. The government is selling 6.01 crore shares or 10 percent of its stake in OIL through the offer for sale route. The government holds 78.43 percent stake in the company which would come down to 68.43 per cent after disinvestment. OIL got listed on stock exchanges in 2009. As on March 31, 2012, the company had employee strength of 8,096. 4. The government has fixed a disinvestment target of Rs 30,000 crore for the current financial year. With the OIL issue going through successfully, the receipts from PSU stake sale are set to cross Rs. 10,000 crore while two more months are remaining in the current financial year.
part of pre-Budget consultations, Mr. Chidambaram highlighted the efforts being made to turn the economy around and create a more investor-friendly climate. 3. In his address while chairing the sixth meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), Mr. Chidambaram, according to an official statement here, reiterated the governments firm resolve on observing the path of fiscal consolidation and imposition of fiscal targets and policies that will make necessary fiscal correction needed for the economy and take the economy back to the path of higher growth. 4. The Finance Minister also informed members that to encourage foreign flows into India and offer reassurance on the positive investment climate, he had recently held discussions with a cross-section of international investors at Singapore, Hong Kong, London and Frankfurt last month and hoped to get positive results. 5. The FSDC meeting was attended by RBI Governor D. Subbarao, SEBI Chairman U. K. Sinha, PFRDA Chairman YogeshAgarwal and IRDA Chairman J. Hari Narayan. The Finance Ministry was represented, among others by Finance Secretary R. S. Gujral, Economic Affairs Secretary ArvindMayaram, Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose, Disinvestment Secretary Ravi Mathur, and Chief Economic Advisor Raghuram G. Rajan.
Ozone thinning has changed ocean circulation

1. A hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has changed the way waters in the southern oceans mix, which scientists say could impact global climate change.The situation has the potential to alter the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. 2. In a study, published in the journal Science, Darryn W. Waugh and his team show that subtropical intermediate waters in the southern oceans have become younger as the upwelling, circumpolar waters have gotten older - changes that are consistent with the fact that surface winds have strengthened as the ozone layer has thinned. 3. This may sound entirely academic, but believe me, its not, said Mr. Waugh of the Morton K. Blaustein Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. This matters because the southern oceans play an
Steps on to boost investor trust

1. Back from his road shows in East Asia and Europe to allay investor concerns over Indias taxation policies for attracting foreign investment and laying down the contours of the reforms agenda, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, on Thursday, reiterated the governments commitment to fiscal consolidation along with efforts to boost investor confidence to get back to the high growth path. 2. Addressing the countrys financial sector regulators here as
JTS Institute
17

important role in the uptake of heat and carbon dioxide, so any changes in southern ocean circulation have the potential to change the global climate, he said in a statement. 4. Researchers used measurements taken from the early 1990s to the mid-to-late 2000s of the amount of a chemical compound known as chlorofluorocarbon-12, or CFC12, in the southern oceans. 5. CFC-12 was first produced commercially in the 1930s and its concentration in the atmosphere increased rapidly until the 1990s when it was phased out by the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. 6. Researchers were able to infer changes in how rapidly surface waters have mixed into the depths of the southern oceans. Because they knew that concentrations of CFCs at the ocean surface increased in tandem with those in the atmosphere, they were able to surmise that the higher the concentration of CFC-12 deeper in the ocean, the more recently those waters were at the surface. The inferred age changes - younger in the subtropics and older nearer the South Pole - are consistent with the observed intensification of surface westerly winds, which have occurred primarily because of the Antarctic ozone hole, suggesting that stratospheric ozone depletion is the primary cause of the changes in ocean ventilation. New technique to measures mass of black holes 1. Scientists have developed a new technique of measuring the mass of Supermassive black holes which they say could revolutionise our understanding of how they form and help to shape galaxies. 2. The method, developed by a team including Oxford University scientists, can spot the tell-tale tracer of carbon monoxide within the cloud of gas (mostly hydrogen) circling a supermassive black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy. By detecting the velocity of the spinning gas they are able to weigh (determine the mass) the black hole. 3. Detailed information is scarce on supermassive black holes, thought to be at the heart of most galaxies. The problem is that most other supermassive black holes are too far away to examine properly even with the Hubble Space Telescope. 4. The new method, when combined with new telescopes such as ALMA (Attacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array), promises to extend this black hole weigh-in to thousands of distant galaxies. 5. It will also enable the study of black holes in spiral galaxies (similar to our own Milky Way), which are hard to target using currently available techniques. 6. Technique exhibited 7. The team demonstrated the new technique on the supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy, NGC 4526, in the constellation of Virgo. NGC 4526 was chosen as a test because it has been widely studied but the team believes the technique will work on a wide range of different galaxies. 8. We observed carbon monoxide molecules in the galaxy we were monitoring using the Combined Array for Research in Millimetrewave Astronomy (CARMA) telescope. With its super-sharp images we were able to zoom right into the centre of the galaxy and observe the gas whizzing around the black hole, Tim Davis of the European Southern Observatory, lead author of the paper, said in a statement. 9. This gas moves at a speed which is determined by the black holes mass, and the distance from it. By measuring the velocity of the gas at each position, we can measure the mass of the black hole, Davis said. 10. Because of the limitations of existing telescopes and techniques we had run out of galaxies with supermassive black holes to observe, said Dr. Michele Cappellari of Oxford Universitys Department of Physics, another author of the paper. 11. Now with this new technique and telescopes like ALMA we will be able to examine the relationship between thousands of more distant galaxies and their black holes giving us an insight into how galaxies and black holes coevolve, Cappellari said. vision, while cones offer a fullcolour look at the world during the day. 3. It was not known, says University of Alberta researcher Ted Allison, whether stem cells could be instructed to only replace the cones in its retina. This could have important implications for human eyesight, the journal Public Library of Science ONE reports. 4. Almost all success in regenerating photoreceptor cells to date had been limited to rods, not cones. Most previous experiments were conducted on nocturnal rodents, animals that require good night vision and have far more rods than cones, according to an Alberta statement. 5. This is the first time in an animal research model that stem cells have only repaired damaged cones, said Allison. For people with damaged eyesight, repairing the cones is most important because it would restore day-time colour vision. 6. Researchers say this shows some hope for stem cell therapy that could regenerate damaged cones in people, especially in the cone-rich regions of the retina that provide daytime/colour vision.
Long live your liver

1. As the largest single organ in our bodies and one of the most complex, the liver is very difficult to replace or replicate artificially. And while diseases that affect the liver can be treated, they can hardly be cured. So never make the mistake of ignoring this life sustaining organ until it is too late. 2. Its as soft as a rose petal and doctors refer to it as the chemical factory of our bodies. But while the heart gets star billing, many of us tend to completely ignore the life sustaining liver, mostly because were not aware of how it tirelessly strives to ensure our good health. The liver has a multitude of functions, says Dr A.R NitinRao, consultant gastroenterologist and a specialist in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery (treating diseases associated with the liver, pancreas and bile) at MS Ramiah Memorial Hospital, Bangalore. It produces bile (and other enzymes) which help in digestion of food; it also aids in the storage of fats, eliminates poisonous substances from our bodies and provides us with better immunity. It is important that we take some simple steps on a daily basis to care for this organ better.
Zebrafish stem cells could heal human retinas

1. Stem cells from zebrafish, the staple of genetic research, could regenerate damaged cones in retinas and restore eyesight to people. 2. Rods and cones in the eyes are the most important photoreceptors. In humans, rods provide night
JTS Institute
18

3. Dont overdose: There are many ways in which we unknowingly abuse our liver but drinking excessive alcohol is just one of these. Ensuring that your alcohol intake is regulated in small doses should be the first step to maintaining a healthy liver. Also, never overdose on any medication, especially over-the-counter drugs. Many of us tend to get careless about dosage, but if you take medication often for chronic ailments, then this is something you need to approach with caution. Every medicine you ingest is full of chemicals that are finally processed in the liver, says Dr NitinRao. Too many chemicals can cause the liver to harden and can result in permanent damage. Paracetamol in particular (the most commonly prescribed fever medication) can be very damaging to your liver if taken in excessive amounts. So use medication judiciously and the next time youre tempted to pop pills for a mild head or body ache, spare a thought for the health of your liver. 4. Beware of a fatty liver: When you eat a diet that is rich in calories, your liver will work overtime to process all that extra fat. While some amount of fat in the liver is normal, when it makes up more, that 5-10% of the weight of the liver, it could lead to serious complications. An overload of iron in the diet, obesity, excessive alcohol consumptionall this can cause a fatty liver. A fatty liver is undesirable because it produces a thicker bile solution, explains Dr Prof. N. Rangabashyam, a pioneer in pancreatic hepatobiliary surgery in India and former Head of the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Proctology, Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital, Chennai. This can cause stones to form in the gall bladder which require surgical intervention to remove. 5. Avoid food traps and go green: Your diet plays an important role in keeping your liver sound, but what you dont eat is as important as what you do. There is a species of wild mushroom that can cause liver failure immediately upon consumption, warns Dr Rao. While button mushrooms and most other species are harmless, one must avoid mushrooms grown in the wild, because the poisonous variety can be sold unknowingly in rural areas. 6. Many vegetarians dont consume enough protein, says Dr Rangabashyam. A chronic protein deficiency can cause hardening and sclerosis of the liver, resulting in permanent damage. For instance, we tend to eat more carbohydrate rich food like idli-dosa for breakfast, accompanied by a sambhar that is devoid of vegetables. To ensure adequate protein intake, make chick-peas (sundal), dhal, and soybean a regular feature in your menu. A vegetable dish with breakfast (for instance, spinach, drumstick or ladies finger) is a must as it adds more fibre, aids digestion and prevents other complications such as constipation and piles. Traditional herbs like keezhanelli have long since been used to treat a malfunctioning liver. These herbs are effective in enhancing liver function and can be used as a preventive aid, but studies are yet to prove that they can cure liver diseases, says Dr Rao. 7. Stock up on antioxidants: Foods that are rich in antioxidants are especially good for the liver. The paan leaf (vethilai) taken plain without the supari is an excellent source of antioxidants and has a protective effect. The curry leaf is good source as well, but though it is used in cooking, it is unfortunately discarded when we consume the food. Garlic and turmeric also help enhance liver function, says Dr Rao. 8. Stay away from plastic: Drinking a water bottle that lies in the sun, placing food in a flimsy plastic take-away carton and reheating it at home plastic is a part of our daily lives. But cheap plastic has several layers and when this melts and is consumed, it can pose a serious hazard to the health of our liver, even causing liver cancer, says Dr Rao. 9. Regular check-ups and vaccinations: Today, vaccinations are available to prevent two of the most dreaded liver diseases Hepatitis A and B. These viral infections, when unchecked, can lead to severe jaundice and have the potential to destroy the liver. However there is no vaccine to provide protection against Hepatitis C, though research is ongoing. Every year, after the age of 35, doctors recommend that you take a liver function test that can help ascertain whether the liver is functioning normally. An ultrasound is also essential. The liver has the remarkable power to regenerate itself, so no matter what abuse you have subjected it to, there exists a miraculous power of healing and restoration, says Dr Rangabashyam.
Geographic mapping services log $3 billion sales, 1.35 lakh jobs in 2011
Geographic mapping and locationbased services (geo services) generated $3 billion in revenue and created 1.35 lakh jobs in 2011 in the country, a study by Google has said. According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report commissioned by Google, the impact of geo services industry is valued at approximately 15 times of the current size. In India, geo services help Indian businesses drive $40-45 billion in revenue, save $70-75 billion in costs and affect 8-9 million jobs in India, it said. The Indian geo services industry is comprised of companies that process location data, produce geo-enabled software, and expert industries that use geospatial data to generate insights. The report also found that Indian consumers are also willing to spend $1.5-2 billion more than they currently do for geospatial services like online maps, navigation systems and local searches. Geo services helped generate $2 billion in revenue within the Indian accommodation and food services industry alone. Users benefit as it makes it easier for them to find the information on local offerings and creating valuable efficiencies in their day-to-day lives, Google India Head Product LaliteshKatragadda said. Geo services like Google Maps are helping to grow the Indian economy by enabling job opportunities, and paving the way towards future innovation, he added. To enable continued growth, governments, companies, researchers and consumers all need to encourage mapping innovations and investments in India, Katragadda said. A variety of other industries like transportation use geo services for making their businesses more efficient and productive. Currently, geo services represent 0.2 per cent of Indias GDP and affect 2 per cent of the national workforce. However, there is tremendous room to grow this
JTS Institute
19

industry and create a lasting source of competitive advantage for India, said PrashantAgrawal, one of the BCG consultants who worked on the report. 2007, in order to co-ordinate National Action for Assessment, Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change. The National Action Plan of Climate Change (NAPCC) was released by the Prime Minister in June 2008. Under the NAPCC, with the approval of PMs Council on Climate Change, eight national missions are being implemented. areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with over 230,000 people killed in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The Greek historian Thucydides suggested in 426 BC that tsunamis were related to submarine earthquakes, but the understanding of a tsunamis nature remained slim until the 20th century and much remains unknown. Major areas of current research include trying to determine why some large earthquakes do not generate tsunamis while other smaller ones do; trying to accurately forecast the passage of tsunamis across the oceans; and also to forecast how tsunami waves would interact with specific shorelines.
Executive Committee on Climate Change constituted

The Prime Minister has decided to constitute an Executive Committee on Climate Change to assist the Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change. The Executive Committee on Climate Change would focus on the following tasks: 1. Assist the PMs Council on Climate Change in evolving a coordinated response to issues relating to climate change at the National level. 2. Regularly monitor the implementation of the eight national missions and other initiatives on Climate Change. 3. Advise the PMs Council on Climate Change on modifications in the objectives, strategies and structure of the missions, as may be necessary. 4. Co-ordinate with various agencies on issues relating to climate change. The Chairman of the Executive Committee on Climate Change will be the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests will be the MemberConvenor. Other members of the Committee include Cabinet Secretary, Finance Secretary, Secretary, Planning Commission, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Secretary, Water Resources, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & co-operation, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education, Secretary, Department of Earth Sciences, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. The Chairman of Executive Committee on Climate Change may invite any other officer/Expert to the meetings as may be necessary. The PMs Council on Climate Change and the Executive Committee on Climate Change would be serviced by Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change was constituted in
2 February 2013 NREGS: national award for Vizag

The Steel City has received a national award for successfully implementing the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and thereby improving social equality. Collector V. Sheshadri received the award from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a function held in New Delhi on Saturday. A beneficiary K. Ramanamma shared her experiences at the meeting in the presence of Dr. Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi
LED lights on roads in added city areas soon

1. The civic body has initiated a programme to improve lighting with energy-saving lamps in the added areas of the city. 2. In the first phase of the proposal, 1.1 lakh streetlights will be installed. The Chennai Corporation has floated tenders for over 9,000 LED fittings in eight zones. 3. The work will begin in the third week of February. The LED streetlights will be commissioned in 45 days. 4. The initiative of the civic body is expected to help residents in the added areas of Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valsaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur. 5. The LED lights will considerably improve lighting in the added zones as they last five times longer than sodium-vapour lamps. 6. The initiative is also expected to bring down the level of energy consumption by 25 per cent and save power in the coming year. The civic body was also impressed by the aesthetic value of the LED streetlights. 7. The 426 sq. km. of the city have over 2.2 lakh streetlights and the expanded areas have 88,000 streetlights. 8. Even though roads in the seven zones of Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Adyar in the old city limits have superior illumination with a very low percentage of faulty streetlights, the added areas continue to have the
Quake rocks Japan island; no tsunami

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Japans Hokkaido island late on Saturday, but there was no tsunami warning. Concept: A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations of underwater nuclear devices), landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide, and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called wave train.[4] Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal
JTS Institute
20

old system of illumination put in place by many erstwhile panchayats in the region. 9. The civic body has divided the work to install LED fittings into 68 packages in order to speed up work. 10. The new streetlights will be put up 25 metres apart from each other. 11. As many as 1,000 roads in the added areas will be illuminated by the LED streetlights. Many of the roads are bus routes. The streetlights will have underground cables. 12. The LED streetlights have advantages such as improved night visibility due to higher colour rendering and higher colour temperature. 13. The significantly longer lifespan, lower energy consumption, reduced maintenance costs, absence of disposal hazards and lower carbon footprint has made the civic body opt for LED streetlights. Defence Ministry brass. It is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world, he said while insisting the F-313 was a deterrent meant to send a message of peace despite its aggressive name. Low radar signature Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted in media as saying the plane boasted a very low radar signature, and that advanced materials were used to build it. The unveiling comes as Iran marks the 34th anniversary of the 1979 revolution, which replaced the U.S.backed Shah with an Islamic regime. On January 28, Iran said it sent a monkey into space to an altitude of 120 km for a sub-orbital flight, challenging UNSC sanctions against development of its ballistic programme. AFP side, limit intake to 300 gm a week. French fries and chips: The process in making French fries and potato wafers creates acrylamide, which has been linked to cancer. This is a carcinogen that is present in foods that have been baked, fried or grilled at temperatures higher than 120C. Doughnuts: Doughnuts increase risk of cancer in more than one way. First, they are made with white flour, sugar and hydrogenated oils. Then they are deep-fried at high temperatures. The high sugar content influences the production of insulin, encouraging growth and division of cancerous cells, especially in the pancreas. Pickles: Everyone loves pickle because it enhances the taste of a boring dish. Unfortunately pickled foods may increase risk of cancer of the stomach, particularly if they are very salty. Sodas and soft drinks: These contain chemical additives, sugar and caffeine. Having just two soft drinks a week appears to nearly double the risk of getting pancreatic cancer. White bread and rice: Anything that is white is unhealthy because white means processed food. White bread comes from bleached flour but even unbleached white flour is processed and contains a high level of saturated fats, which are closely linked to breast cancer. White rice has a high sugar content compared to brown rice. To balance this out, there are other foods that can help reduce the risk. Include the following foods with cancer-fighting benefits in your diet: Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower contain a chemical component called indole3-carbinol that can combat breast cancer by converting a cancerpromoting oestrogen into a more protective variety. Organic green tea: This is one of the most well studied foods and has been on the health charts for many years because of its cancer fighting properties. It contains antioxidants that help prevent damage to cells and help in cases of bladder cancer, breast cancer, and even skin cancer. Green tea also modulates blood sugar levels. Mushrooms: Many mushrooms contain compounds that can help the body fight cancer. Shitake, maitake, reishi and even the inexpensive button mushrooms all have immunity-boosting properies
SEBI plans colour-coded MF products

1. In a bid to caution people about the risks associated with a certain mutual fund product, SEBI is planning to introduce colour- coded mutual fund products to depict the level of risk involved with the instrument, according to a senior official of the capital market regulator. 2. Addressing a conference here, S V MuralidharRao, executive director , SEBI said that a SEBI subcommittee had been set up to deal with the introduction of product labelling for MF schemes. 3. He also said that SEBI was working on a long-term policy for the MF sector. 4. Mr Rao felt that sound business models, better distribution networks and increased investor awareness about mutual funds could propel a sustainable growth path for the industry, which now commands an asset under management of Rs 7.5 lakh crore. Of the 45 million folios, 97 percent was with retail investors. 5. D. Chatterjee, the managing director and CEO of SBI Funds Management Pvt Ltd felt that for the sustainability of AUM, the MF industry should earn the trust of investors. Cancer cuisine Red Meat: Its more tempting than white meat but various studies suggest that it increases the risk of cancer death by 10 per cent. It also increases risk of breast, colon and prostate cancers. To be on the safe
NH-5 to be widened
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will widen the National Highway (NH)-5 between Vijayawada-Gundagolanu. A 3G notification has been issued in The Hindu on January 20. The farmers who claim ownership on the lands will have to produce relevant documents registration, link, pattadar passbook before RDO Vijayawada. The farmers of Gollapudi will have to appear on Monday, while Jakkampudi and Ambapuram farmers will have to appear on Tuesday. Nunna farmers (February 6) and K.V. Kundrika, Pathapadu and P. Nainavaram (February 7). The farmers will have to bring both original and photocopy of the documents.
Iran develops fighter jet

Iran has trumpeted military, space and nuclear advances in a series of announcements coinciding with a new bid by world powers to revive stalled talks with Tehran over its atomic ambitions. Unveiling it on Saturday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled a futuristic-looking fighter jet he said ranks among the most sophisticated aircraft, media reports said. Code-named the Qaher (Conqueror) F-313 and shaped similar to stealth bombers, the grey warplane was designed and built domestically, Mr. Ahmadinejad told an audience of
JTS Institute
21

that help prevent cancer. Reishi mushrooms have been shown to inhibit the growth of malignant tumours. Maitake mushrooms help reduce blood sugar levels and thereby reduce cancer risk. Garlic: Garlic contains a powerful plant phytonutrient called allicin that protects the body against cancer. Studies show that Allicin has the power to kill tumour cells. Garlic also releases a powerful antioxidant effect that helps protect against free radicals, which can cause cancer. Grapefruits: Like orange and other citrus fruits, grapefruits contain monoterpenes that help prevent cancer by sweeping carcinogens out of the body. They also contain vitamin C, beta-carotene, and folic acid. Tomato: The antioxidant lycopene, which gives it the red colour, plays an important role in reducing risk of many cancers. They are also a vital source of vitamin C antioxidant that can prevent cellular damage leading to cancer. Turmeric: Turmeric possesses medicinal properties because it hampers production of the inflammation-related enzyme cyclooxygenase 2, whose levels are abnormally high in certain inflammatory cancers, especially bowel and colon cancer. size and appearance of malignant cells, namely, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). 5. Traditional treatment options are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. New developments in imaging and radiation techniques have helped treatment of lung cancers. One such innovation is the Radiosurgery-CyberKnife technique. Little known in India, it is an advanced method of robotic radiosurgery for lung tumors, whether primary and early stage, recurrent, or secondary, central or peripheral. The technology delivers high doses of radiation with great accuracy with minimal radiation exposure and side effects as compared to traditional radiotherapy procedures. 6. Because of their anatomical location, lung tumors move a lot with respiration. The new techniques image guidance capability, coupled with software that predicts the tumours location according to the respiratory cycle, allows for a correction of the radiation beam during the sessions, unlike other imageguided conventional radiation techniques. 7. Compared to invasive surgical methods, the healing process involves fewer complications. The systems advanced technology enables treatment to be tailored for the needs of the individual. 8. Early detection is the best defence against cancer. According to the National Cancer Registry Project, India, more than 60 per cent of patients are diagnosed late due to poor awareness of symptoms. Symptoms Chronic cough, abnormal shortness of breath, repeated lung infections, coughing up blood, change in voice, persistent thoracic pain and permanent swelling of neck and face. Lung cancer can also manifest through general symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, prolonged fever, headache, nervous disorders, progressive swelling of fingers. Causes Chronic exposure to tobacco smoke, including passive smoking. Other risk factors include occupational hazards, exposure to contaminated drinking water, breathing polluted air and a family history of the disease.
Earthquake hits the coast of the Solomon Islands

A 6.6-magnitude quake hit the Solomon Islands, Australian seismologists said, but there were no reports of damage and a tsunami threat was also ruled out. The quake struck today near the Santa Cruz islands about 623 kilometres (387 miles) from the capital Honiara and was followed by a series of smaller aftershocks, according to Geoscience Australia. The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake at 6.7magnitude but later revised it down to 6.3 at a depth of 19 kilometres. Weve got it at 6.6, Geoscience Australia seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said, adding that the quake was very unlikely to have generated a tsunami. A separate bulletin from the the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also ruled out the threat of a Pacific-wide destructive tsunami. The Solomon Islands are part of the Ring of Fire, a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific Ocean that is subject to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 2007 a tsunami following an 8.1magnitude earthquake killed at least 52 people in the Solomons and left thousands homeless. Bathgate said the latest tremors follow two 6.1-magnitude quakes and one 6.4-magnitude in the same area over the past few days. Theres been four quakes over six (magnitude) in the last three days in that area. It doesnt necessarily indicate that theres anything bigger to come. There could be some more to come or there could be nothing. We just dont know.
Reducing mortality
1. Lung cancer is hard to treat. According to the World Health Organisation statistics, lung cancer accounted for 18.2 percent of cancer mortalities in 2010. Survival rates are poor partly because it goes undetected till it is in an advanced state. 2. As the lung does not contain nerve endings, the occurrence of a tumor does not cause direct pain. This is experienced when the tumor reaches the pleura or the tissues surrounding the lungs, or when it presses on nerve structures in proximity. The tumor can also compress or invade other organs and cause other symptoms. 3. A clinical examination followed by a chest x-ray or a CT scan are the first steps in diagnosis. This is then confirmed by a biopsy. A PETCT is the best to pick up distant metastases in lung cancer as it can detect tumors as small as 3-4 mm in any part of the body except the brain. 4. There are two main types of lung cancers classified according to the
Global warming leading to extreme rainfall

In the most comprehensive review of changes to extreme rainfall ever undertaken, researchers from the University of Adelaide, evaluated the association between extreme rainfall and atmospheric temperatures at more than 8000 weather gauging stations around the world, the telegraph reported. The results are that rainfall extremes are increasing on average globally. They show that there is a 7 percent increase in extreme rainfall intensity for every degree increase in global atmospheric temperature, lead
JTS Institute
22

author Dr Seth Westra said. Assuming an increase in global average temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century, this could mean very substantial increases in rainfall intensity as a result of climate change, he said. Dr Westra, a Senior Lecturer with the University of Adelaides School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering and member of the Environment Institute, said trends in rainfall extremes were examined over the period from 1900 to 2009 to determine whether they were becoming more intense or occurring more frequently. The results show that rainfall extremes were increasing over this period, and appear to be linked to the increase in global temperature of nearly a degree which also took place over this time. If extreme rainfall events continue to intensify, we can expect to see floods occurring more frequently around the world. Dr Westra added. The strongest increases occurred in the tropical countries, although some level of increase seems to be taking place at the majority of weather gauging stations. Most of these tropical countries are very poor and thus not well placed to adapt to the increased risk of flooding, which puts them in a larger threat of devastation, he said. is also a provision for monthly pension for those unable to work. 3. Amendments have been sought to Section 56 of the Indian Railways Act 1989, which empowers the Railways to refuse to carry a person suffering from leprosy; Section 13 (IV) of the Hindu Marriage Act, Section 27 (1) (g) of the Special Marriage Act, the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, the Indian Christian Marriage Act and the Indian Divorce Act, under which the spouse can seek separation if his/her partner is suffering from a virulent and incurable form of leprosy. 4. There are misperceptions about leprosy and LAP. With the advancement of science, the disease is curable and noncontagious now. In this changed scenario, it is necessary to review and amend nearly 16 Acts, Brahmdutt, president, Federation of Leprosy Organisations, told The Hindu. 5. Leprosy affected persons are not allowed to get driving licence in Maharashtra due to certain discriminatory provisions. Therefore, an amendment has been sought in the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation Act, 1980. 6. An amendment also has been proposed in the Life Insurance Corporation Act, in which people with infectious diseases are made to pay a higher premium; the Persons with Disabilities Act, the Industrial Disputes Act, the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act (Section 419), the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act (Section 18), the Rehabilitation Council of India Act and the Prevention of Begging Act (in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka). 7. The now annulled Indian Lepers Act, enacted by the British, sought to segregate the affected persons by creating asylums at least 10 km away from main cities. The affected persons had no property rights or even marriage rights. It was repealed in 1985 after leprosy was declared curable with multidrug therapy (MDT). varieties such as Thonnuramthondy and Palthondy; medicinal varieties such as Navara and Chennellu; and droughtresisting varieties such as Chenthadi and Chenthondi. This process, which goes on for up to two months, helps in the event of a crisis. If the long-term seeds are destroyed in climatic vagaries, the short-term seed varieties are used to avoid famine. 2. The process of Moodakettal takes place seven to 15 days after harvest. For preparing each Mood, different varieties of seeds are dried separately for nearly 15 days in an open place, day and night. Later, each species of rice seeds are wrapped in a layer of dry hay or plantain sheaths with bamboo plinths. Eachmooda can hold 10 to 60 kg of rice seeds. The seeds preserved in a mooda can be conserved for a longer period without fear of pest attack or moisture loss. Besides preservation, the tribesmen (including Kurichya and Kuruma) have been propagating the seeds by disbursing them to other farmers showing interest in cultivating rice. 3. As far as the tribesmen are concerned every stage of paddy cultivation is a divine activity as well as a ritual. Hence, the occasions such as the sowing of paddy seeds on the field and the transplanting of paddy and harvest are celebrated with religious fervour. From the sowing of seeds to the harvest, they consider the advice of Nikal (the spirit of their ancestors) or a shaman, the representative of the vegetation cults. 4. Cheruvayaltharavadu (homestead), near Kammana in Wayanad district, is a treasure house of indigenous rice seeds and the members of the tribal homestead have preserved a rare collection of 29 varieties. A few generations ago, our ancestors had cultivated more than 150 varieties of rice seeds, but most of them were lost over time, says Raman of Cheruvayal, who owns 2.5 hectares of land and is yet to get any assistance from governmental agencies. 5. The Edathana Kurichiya tharavadu, at Edathana near Valad, also has a rare collection of germ plasm. Every year, the members of this homestead have been cultivating different varieties of seeds on 5.6 hectares of land owned by the joint family. I fear that the traditional practice may vanish
3 February 2013 Long after Lepers Act is gone, discrimination still stays on statute
1. The draconian Indian Lepers Act, 1898 that sought to shun people afflicted with the disease, may have gone long ago but there are more than a dozen laws discriminating against them despite its being curable and non-contagious now. 2. Several petitions have been filed before the Centre, including the RajyaSabha, seeking amendments to the discriminating clauses. A draft Bill for The Leprosy Affected Persons Welfare is also in circulation. It seeks to create a separate body for the welfare of leprosy affected people (LAP), on the lines of the Disability Commission, in addition to reservation in educational institutions and employment. There
The rice is right

1. For many generations, the tribesmen of the Wayanad district of Kerala have employed a traditional method called Moodakettal to preserve nearly 35 varieties of indigenous rice seeds. These include aromatic rice seeds such as Gandhakasala, Kayama and Jeerakasala; short-term rice
JTS Institute
23

in the near future as the number of experts in Moodakettal is very few now, says AchappanVaidyar, 87, the chieftain of the homestead and traditional tribal healer. The new generation has lost interest in Moodakettal, as they prefer to store seeds in gunny or plastic bags. 6. All the work, from sowing to harvesting, is being done by my family and we have no practice of purchasing rice from shops, says AchappanVaidyar. Now, many farmers in the district are showing interest in traditional rice cultivation, thanks to the various afflictions suffered by the hybrid varieties recently. We are giving them seeds from our gene bank. 7. Instead of selling seeds for cash, they follow a type of barter system: for every pothi (approximately 60 litres) of rice seeds purchased, the buyer should return 70 litres of seeds after harvest. AchappanPeruvadi, a tribal chieftain near Vellamunda in Wayanad, says, I plan to set up a gene bank of traditional rice seeds to preserve the remaining seeds for our future generation, even though it is not a remunerative business. high and low blood pressure, and anaemia. Exclusion of Gods grain, the small millets, and overdependence on rice and wheat had accelerated the spread of urban ailments into the hinterland. 5. Palanichamy, the convenor of Walkathon 2013, showcased the potential of small millets to prevent malnutrition among women and children. 6. Pandiammal from Peraiyur recalled how food made from small millets provided them with the strength and stamina to labour in agricultural fields from dawn to dusk. The absence of millet in the daily diet was sending people to hospital, she noted. 7. M. P. Vasimalai, Executive Director, Dhan Foundation, speaking on the sidelines of the meet, said that the objective of organising the walkathon in 26 district headquarters in five States was to promote agricultural biodiversity through small millets. The Dhan Foundation had come out with a 10-point strategy to encourage cultivation of rain-fed millet. The strategy includes creation of farm ponds, preservation of oorunis (used for drinking water) and kanmais (used for irrigation) and development of orchards and seed farms. 8. Food processing centres to come out with value-added products such as cookies using small millets would be started in Peraiyur in Madurai district, and Anjatti and Javvadu Hills in Krishnagiri district. Research conducted by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University showed that millets facilitated slow release of sucrose and glucose and helped in controlling diabetes. and recommend actionable strategies. In this scenario, the 16th National Conference on eGovernance based on the theme of Towards an Open Government seeks to explore effective strategies for social, financial & digital inclusion and transformation in governance through innovation and technology. a. To recognise and promote excellence in implementation of eGovernance initiatives, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India, presents National Awards for e-Governance every year. 3. Category of Awards are: A) Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering B) Exemplary Horizontal Transfer of ICT-based Best Practice C) Outstanding Performance in Citizen-Centric Service Delivery D) Innovative Usage of Technology in e-Governance E) Exemplary Usage of ICT by PSUs F) Best Government Portal G) Sectoral Award (Focus Sector Social Sector Programs) 4. Gold, Silver and Bronze icons will be awarded in each category. State-wise award are as follows:Assam-01, Karnataka-01, Gujrat-04, Jharkhand-01, Andhra Pradesh -02, Odisha- 02, Rajasthan-01, Madhya Predesh02., Jammu & Kashmir -01, Bihar01, Govt. of India -01. Category 1 - Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering GOLD: Computerisation of Registration (Panjeeyan) Project in Assam, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Government of Assam SILVER: Transformation of Mineral and Administration through eGovernance (Geology and Mining), Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Karnataka BRONZE : Online Voting System (OVS), State Election Commission, Gujarat Category 2 - Exemplary Re-Use of ICT Based Solutions GOLD: XLNXtended Licensing & Laboratory Node of SALES, Food & Drugs Control Administration, Gujarat SILVER: Electronic Benefit Transfer through BC Model
Eat millet and steer clear of disease

1. To hundreds of women gathered at the Tamukkam Auditorium, it was a message that brought cheer. When the chairperson of Kalanjiam, a confederation of womens self-help groups, Chinnapillai, recommended the consumption of millet on a daily basis, they cheered. Millet is the staple diet in many households. 2. The message was boycott junk food; go back to small millets. The women and children had assembled at the Tamukkam Ground at the culmination of Walkathon 2013, organised by Dhan Foundation with the theme Food security through agricultural biodiversity: relevance of small millets. 3. Outside the venue were posters carrying information on the nutritious value of each variety of small millets such as kezhvaragu (ragi) and panivaragu (common millet). 4. Their samples were kept on display. Several speakers, including Lakshmikanthan of VayalagaIyakkam, explained how consumption of small millets controlled the spread of diabetes,
National Awards for E-Governance

1. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India, in association with the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India and the Department of Information Technology & Communication, Government of Rajasthan, is organizing 16th National Conference on e-Governance on 11 - 12 February, 2013 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. 2. The National Conference on eGovernance has been providing a platform to policy makers, practitioners, industry leaders and academia to deliberate, interact
JTS Institute
24

at Pragya Kendras, Jharkhand Agency for Promotion of IT, Department of IT, Government of Jharkhand BRONZE : IT enabled services in Gurukulam institutions, APTWREIS (Gurukulam), Tribal Welfare Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh Category 3 - Outstanding performance in Citizen-Centric Service Delivery GOLD: Students Academic Management System (SAMS), Department of Higher Education, Government of Odisha SILVER: Mail Network Optimization Project, Department of Posts, Government of India BRONZE: Use of ICT for Delivering Mechanized Agricultural Implements & Effective Monitoring of Input Delivery System through ICT, Directorate of Agriculture & Food Production, Government of Odisha Category 4 - Innovative use of Technology in e-Governance GOLD: iBHUGOAL, Information Technology Department, Government of Bihar and National Informatics Centre, Bihar SILVER: Measuring Physical Accessibility to Healthcare Network and Population Coverage Modeling in J&K State using Geoinformatics, Directorate of Environment & Remote Sensing, Government of J&K BRONZE: MAGIC: Mineral Administration and Governance Using ICT,Commissionerate of Geology and Mining, Government of Gujarat Category 5 - Innovative use of ICT by PSUs for Customers Benefits GOLD Integrated System for Online Generation of Electrical Specifications for Transformers, Informatics Center (IFX), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bhopal SILVER EPIMRS, IT Wing, Eastern Power Distribution Company of A.P. Limited. BRONZE iMINE (IT Intervention for Managing Integrated Networked Enterprise), Information Technology Department, Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Limited (GMDC) Category 6 - Best Government Portal GOLD: RPSC e-Governance, Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Ajmer Category 7 Specific Sectoral Award - Focus Sector Social Sector Programmes GOLD: SPARSH Special Project for Assistance, Rehabilitation & Strengthening of Handicapped A healing touch for disabled, old age and destitute, Directorate Social Justice, Government of Madhya Pradesh and National Informatics Center, Madhya Pradesh SAIL, NTPC and CIL and 16 Navratna companies, including RashtriyaIspat Nigam Limited and NMDC.
ShanuLahiri, a great Bengali Painter Died at 85

ShanuLahiri, the renowned painter of Bengal School died on 1 February 2013 following a brief illness at the private hospital in Kolkata. She was 85 years of age. She is survived by daughter Damayanti and son Arnab. She was cremated at the Keoratala Crematorium on 1 February 2013.
BHEL and GAIL Granted Maharatna Status

The Union Government of India gave the Maharatna status to two PSUs- BHEL and GAIL on 1 February 2013. Granting Maharatna status to BHEL and GAIL will provide them with better functional and financial freedom and will also guarantee them with better valuation of the shares. Ideally any Maharatna firm has a capacity to take investment decision of around 5000 crore Rupees without taking assistance from the government. On the other hand, forms with Navratna status have the capability of 1000 crore Rupees. However, both BHEL and GAIL do not have enough non-official directors on the board, which is why they cannot exercise their Maharatna powers. Even though all other conditions of Maharatna status were met by both these PSUs but their boards do not have requisite number of board members. While GAIL is short of 4 independent directors, BHEL, on the other hand is short of 6 nonofficial directors. In terms of turnover, networth as well as net profit, both these companies meet all the eligibility criterions. Eligibility of a company to get a Maharatna status For any company to qualify for Maharatna status, the annual turnover should be over 20000 crore Rupees in past three years, as per the guidelines issued by Department of Public Enterprises. The net worth of the PSU should be more than 10000 crore Rupees in past three years. The net profit should be over 2500 crore Rupees during past three years. At present, there are five Maharatna companies - ONGC, Indian Oil,
Different ways to tell age of a person:

1. School Records 2. Methods like Orchodometry which measures testicular volume. The test is available in India. 3. Teeth (Forensic experts check teeth first. All molars are up by 18.) 4. X-Ray of elbow, hip, knee, wrist, shoulders and collar-bones are taken for bone ossification (hardening) test. Bone age is correlated to chronological age. 5. TW3 Test (Tanner-Whitehouse Tests) or Bone Maturation Test Has been introduced by BCCI to check age fraud in junior cricket. It works out skeletal maturity from hand and wrist bones. 6. Telomeres Age determination based on the length of telomeres, the protective cap of chromosomes. Telomere length varies with age.
At 105, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan is the oldest to get Padma Award
Hindustani vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan (105) has become the oldest person to be chosen for this years Padma Shri award. Previously, in 2011, Indias first woman photo-journalist HomaiVyarawala was honoured with the Padma Vibushan at the age of 97. She passed away in 2012. Khan is also a poet who has penned around 2000 compositions under the pseudonym RasanPiya.
Iran claims to have sent monkey into space

Iran has claimed that it has successfully sent a monkey into
JTS Institute
25

space, boasting the launch as another step toward Tehrans aspirations of a manned space flight. As per reports, the rocket dubbed Pishgam (Farsi for pioneer), reached a height of 120 km. The monkey is learnt to have returned to earth safely. The west is worried that Irans advancements in this technology from the space program could also be used to develop longrange missiles that could possibly be armed with nuclear warheads. Iran aims to place its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation, improve telecommunications and expand military surveillance in the region. The country has a key satellite launch complex nearSemnan, about 200 km east of Tehran. It also has a satellite monitoring facility outside Mahdasht, about 70 km west of the Tehran. six warheads in the vehicle, how to disperse them and the pattern of their dispersal. The warheads could be released in an order, one after another. If one warhead were to hit a place, another could fall 100 km away from it, the technologists said. Both Agni-V and Agni-VI have three stages, all powered by solid propellants, and their diameter is two metres. And the comparison ends there. While Agni-V weighs 50 tonnes and is 17.5 metres long, Agni-VI belongs to the 65-70-tonne class and will be 20 metres long. Agni-VI will be a massive vehicle, the technologists said. It was too early to say when its first launch would take place. It would be road-mobile and blast off from trucks with launching platforms. have argued that a credible measurement of sustainability should include not just natural resources, such as wetlands, forests, coastlines, mountains and their biodiversity, but other components. These should provide future generations a set of opportunities as large as the one available to the present. It is critical, therefore, to also factor in human capital and account for public expenditures on education and health as productive rather than consumptive. India has visibly failed on these counts. While the country is consuming scarce resources rapidly, it is investing little in real terms in the key social areas. Now that the Prime Minister has acknowledged the need to adopt green accounting, it would be good to start the exercise of creating baseline knowledge on the contribution of the environment to many sectors of the economy. Natural systems, after all, represent the GDP of the poor. This can lead to greater legal protection, and help arrive at the real prices that commercial sectors must pay for these resources. The unfortunate reality is that in the absence of any attempt at monetary quantification, nature is often seen by industry as inherently worthless. A more enlightened approach should set the balance right.
Green calculations
At the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh introduced a much-needed corrective to the GDP-focused development debate by underscoring the problem of replacing environmental resources consumed at a rapid pace. His reference to the depletion of freshwater in particular, and the likelihood of alarming scarcities arising from a demand-supply mismatch in the future should give pause to stakeholders who are mindlessly extracting it. What he should also have emphasised is the need for users, especially industries, to meet the actual cost of mitigating the pollution that is degrading this precious asset. Given its life-sustaining role, and its importance to agriculture, water should be treated as a vital part of the commons and protected from pollution through a strong legal approach. A model Bill has been circulated to the States to regulate groundwater, and it should help end the ineffectual approach of pollution control authorities towards the issue. The broader discussion on development, however, goes well beyond water and needs to encompass the idea of sustainability in its entirety. The definition of sustainability is far from settled, and economists and environmentalists have not achieved convergence on the metrics to be included. What is important, however, is to recognise that progress has been made in narrowing down metrics that are important to assess future wellbeing. Forward-looking economists
4 February 2013 Agni-VI all set to take shape

Agni-VI with multiple nuclear warheads, which can reach targets 6,000 km away, is all set to be developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Only in April last, it carried out the maiden launch of Agni-V, which has a range of more than 5,000 km. So far, all the strategic missiles developed by the DRDO Agni-I, II, III, IV and V, and the submarinelaunched K-15 and its land-based version Shourya can carry only single nuclear warhead. The DRDOs tactical missiles and supersonic cruise missile BrahMos can carry one conventional warhead each. We have started working on the multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles [MIRV] version [Agni-VI]. It will carry four or six warheads depending upon their weight, DRDO missile technologists said. The constraint is the vehicles mass. Although the Union government is yet to sanction Agni-VI project, the DRDO has done all the enabling studies, finalised the missiles design and started working on the engineering part. It had also figured out how to anchor four or
SEBI revises rules for amalgamation of companies

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Monday revised rules for merger and amalgamation of companies, which requires stricter valuation of entities. In the recent past, SEBI said it received applications seeking exemption from certain entities containing inadequate disclosures, convoluted schemes of arrangement, exaggerated valuations, etc. SEBI is of the view that granting listing permission or exemption from the requirements based on such applications would not be in the interest of minority shareholders. At the same time, if listing permission or such an exemption is delayed or denied, it would add to the uncertainty and would deprive shareholders of an exit opportunity. SEBI asked listed companies to place before its audit committee the valuation report obtained from an independent chartered accountant.
JTS Institute
26

The audit committee would furnish a report recommending the draft scheme, taking into consideration of the valuation report. SEBI has also said that one of the stock exchanges, having nationwide trading terminals, would be the designated stock exchange for the purpose of coordination. The entities were asked to include the observation letter of the stock exchanges in the notice sent to the shareholders seeking approval of the scheme and bring the same to the notice of the High Court at the time of seeking approval of the scheme. The stock exchanges were asked to forward the draft scheme to the capital market regulator within 3 working days. The stock exchanges were also asked to process the draft scheme (including seeking clarifications from company and/or opinion from an independent chartered accountant) and forward their objection/no-objection letter on the draft scheme to SEBI. SEBI also asked exchanges to disclose the draft scheme and all the documents on its website. It shall also disclose the observation letter of the stock exchanges on its website within 24 hours of receiving the documents. About 50 per cent of the population in Mumbai stays in slums. In cities like Delhi also, about 84 per cent of homeless people are selfemployed. Since they are an integral part of Indias urbanisation story, irrespective of location categories, we need to create affordable housing even in the premium locations of mega cities. It is required to bring these service providers nearer to service consumers, Mr.Maken said. Adi Godrej, President, CII, said that with increased urbanisation, India would need $800 billion in the coming years towards urban development, and out of this, $350 billion would go towards building roads. According to K.C. Sivaramakrishnan, Chairman, Centre for Policy Research, megacities contribute 14-36 per cent of GDP of their respective states and the urban centres have also become critical in deciding the political leadership at the state and central levels. vaccine while the other half got a placebo. They were followed for up to three years. In the group that got the vaccine, there were 32 cases of TB, versus 39 cases in the group that got a placebo. The vaccines efficacy rate was about 17 per cent. No serious side effects related to the vaccine were reported. The study was paid for by Aeras, the Wellcome Trust and the OxfordEmergent Tuberculosis Consortium. The results were published online Monday in the journal Lancet. There is much that we and others can learn from the study and the data it has produced, said Helen McShane of the University of Oxford, one of the study authors, in a statement. She and colleagues are further analyzing the samples from the trial to better understand how humans become infected with TB bacteria. McShane and her co-authors wrote that the vaccine could potentially protect adolescents or adults against TB since their immune systems work differently from those of infants. The shot is also currently being tested in people with HIV. If this vaccine is effective in adults, that would be hugely valuable because the majority of TB disease and deaths are among adults, said Richard White, an infectious diseases expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. But no one knows the answer to that right now. A vaccine is likely to be a cost effective way of preventing TB, he said, comparing the $650 million that has been invested into vaccine development in the past decade versus the more than $4 billion it currently costs to control the disease every year, according to the World Health Organization. White also warned the world couldnt afford to ignore the spike in TB and its drugresistant forms. There are certain boroughs of London that have higher rates of TB than parts of Malawi, he said. TB is such a big problem that we really need to throw the book at it.
New TB vaccine doesnt protect infants: study

The worlds most advanced tuberculosis vaccine failed to protect babies against the infectious disease, according to a new study in South Africa. The vaccine, MVA85A, was designed to improve protection from the only existing tuberculosis vaccine, BCG, which is routinely given to newborns. Though the new vaccine appeared safe, scientists found no proof it prevented tuberculosis, an airborne disease that kills more than 1 million people worldwide every year. Previous tests of the vaccine in adults had been promising and researchers said the trial provided useful data to inform future studies. There are a dozen other TB vaccines currently being tested. Some health officials were discouraged by the results. Its pretty disappointing, said Dr. Jennifer Cohn, a medical coordinator at Doctors Without Borders, who was not part of the study. Infants are at really high risk of TB but this doesnt seem to offer them any protection. MVA85A was developed at Oxford University and was tested in nearly 2,800 infants in South Africa who had already been given a BCG shot, between 2009 and 2011. About half of the babies got the new
Mega cities should review FSI policy to boost affordable housing: Ajay Maken
There is a need to review the FSI (Floor Space Index) policy and make appropriate changes to boost affordable housing in mega cities like Mumbai, according to Ajay Maken, Union Minister for Housing and Poverty Alleviation. The state is the responsible authority to do so, and, in our opinion, it should consider this option, Mr.Maken said, while addressing an international conference on Governance of Megacity Regions in India, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here on Monday. At the central level, the policy for providing infrastructure status to affordable housing schemes was on the cards to improve the urban housing scenario, the minister said, adding, this can be treated as a sub sector of real estate and at least this sub sector can be given infrastructure status.
Indian economys growth slashed to 5.6% in 201213 by NCAER

Indian economy will grow 5.6 per cent in the current fiscal, lower than 5.9 per cent projected earlier but will be higher in 2013-14,
JTS Institute
27

economic think-tank NCAER said today. Based on quarterly model estimates, the GDP growth for 2012-13 is projected at 5.6 percent... Our preliminary estimates show GDP growth in constant 2004-05 prices (to be) at 6.1 percent in 2013-14, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) said its report on Quarterly Review of the Economy. It said economic slowdown is evident not only on the production side of the economy but also on the demand side. The estimates show downward revision of GDP growth rate in the final two quarters, as compared to the previous estimate in October, it added. This is mainly due to contraction of output in all three sectors agriculture, industry and services. While lower agricultural output is explained by high deficit in rainfall, lower industrial and services output growth are a result of decline in...growth and decline in government expenditure. However, in 2013-14, it expected that all these sectors would perform better than the previous fiscal. The manufacturing sector alone, in the first half of 2012-13 declined steeply to 0.49 per cent, which is a record decline and acts as a severe pull-down factor for the growth of GDP, the report said. It said services sector has been slowing down and there are indications that the sector will register low growth in the current fiscal. Investment and private consumption were significantly contracted during the first half of the fiscal.
JTS Institute
28
15 th January - 21 January 2013 Issue-3/2013 (22 nd January to 28 January)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
CLASS NOTES: 22 Jan -28 Jan, 2013
Union for telecom services.
22 January 2013 India committed to implementing TAPI Project by 2017

President Pranab Mukherjee said India is fully committed to implementing the TurkmenistanAfghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Project by August 2017. During his interaction with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov at RashtrapatiBhavan here on Monday, Mr. Mukherjee said India is deficient in energy resources, whereas Turkmenistan is rich in hydrocarbon resources. Concept: TAPI The TransAfghanistan Pipeline (also known as TurkmenistanAfghanistan PakistanIndia Pipeline, TAP or TAPI) is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. The abbreviation comes from the first letters of those countries. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road. The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the projects revenue. GAIL India may become a part of TAPI project. Bangladesh is also keen to join the TAPI project.
3. We have set up a lab in the country so that mobile phones can be tested here for electromagnetic radiations, Mr.Sibal said. 4. He added more such labs will be set up across the country starting with Mumbai. 5. The Telecommunication Engineering Centre SAR lab, which has been commissioned at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore, is the first lab in the country for independent audit of SAR value, self-certified by mobile handset manufacturers and importers in India. 6. The lab is capable of making SAR measurement for CDMA, GSM 2G and 3G mobile handsets in the frequency band of 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz. 7. The lab is also capable of making measurement of SAR value against the International Commission on non-Ionising Radio Protection (ICNIRP) limit of 2 Watt per kg measured over 10 gram of tissue as well as the recently adopted 1.6 watt per kg measured over 1 gm of tissue. 8. Mr.Sibal also commissioned a Next Generation Network (NGN) lab in TEC, which serves the objectives of testing and certification as well as network related study for any Internet Protocol (IP) based equipment. Concept: 4G In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of mobile phone mobile communications standards. It is a successor of the third generation (3G) standards. A 4G system provides mobile ultrabroadband Internet access, for example to laptops with USB wireless modems, to smartphones, and to other mobile devices. Conceivable applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing and 3D television. Two 4G candidate systems are
commercially deployed: the Mobile WiMAX standard (at first in South Korea in 2006), and the firstrelease Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard (in Oslo, Norway since 2009). It has however been debated if these first-release versions should be considered to be 4G or not, as discussed in the technical definition section below.
Alarm in China over high gender imbalance

1. The gender imbalance in China has remained at an alarmingly high ratio of 117 newborn boys for 100 girls in 2012, officials said on Tuesday. 2. The imbalance, which has remained far higher than the normal 103 to 107 ratio, has prompted renewed promises from the government to crack down on illegal selective abortions, while also triggering strong calls for China to discard its unpopular family planning restrictions. 3. According to census data released on Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics, the gender ratio was 117.7 newborn boys for every 100 girls in 2012, the official Xinhua news agency reported. 4. The report said Chinas gender imbalance had widened after ultrasound examinations were widely available in the 1980s. The ratio reached a record 120.56 in 2008, the report added. 5. In 2011, the government had punished 13,000 people following a campaign to monitor selective abortions, she said. The government has announced a target to bring down the imbalance to 115, from the current 117, by 2015. 6. The widening gender imbalance, coupled with concerns over Chinas ageing labour force, has renewed calls for the government to relax family planning policies. Enforced in the early 1980s, and known widely as the one-child policy although the rules are more
Govt to auction 700Mhz spectrum for 4G services next year

1. The government on Monday said it will auction spectrum in 700 Mhz band, which is used for offering high-speed Internet services through fourth generation technologies, in 2014. 2. The 700-Mhz spectrum band ranges from 698 Mhz to 806 Mhz and has been identified by the International Telecommunication
JTS Institute
15 January - 21 January 2013

complex, the measures have been seen as a major reason behind the fast-widening gender imbalance. 7. Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said at a press conference on Friday that the government would need to come up with an appropriate and scientific family planning policy to address the ageing labour force. 8. The government says the policy prevented 400 million additional births since the 1980s, and spared China a burden on resources it could not afford to bear. The policy now covers two-thirds of the population. In rural areas, families can have a second child if their first-born is a daughter, while members of Chinas 55 minority groups are also exempt from the restrictions. 1 in 6 cases of adult asthma caused by workplace environments There are many occupations that are thought to cause asthma in adults, according to researchers. In a new study, the start of asthma in adulthood was clearly linked to 18 types of job, and the strongest evidence seems to be for jobs involving cleaning or cleaning agents. The researchers base their findings on the job histories up to the age of 42 of almost 7,500 British adults born in 1958, all of whom were taking part in the National Child Development Study, which is tracking the long term health of more than 11,000 people living in Britain. University of Copenhagen. 4. By examining 73,000 persons, we found that an increase in the ugly cholesterol triples the risk of ischemic heart disease, which is caused by lack of oxygen to the heart muscle due to narrowing or blocking of the coronary arteries, he said. 5. I hope that this new knowledge will lead to better preventive treatment including lifestyle changes, as more than one in five individuals in affluent countries suffers from high ugly cholesterol, he said. 6. We also hope that the pharmaceutical industry will develop new drugs targeted specifically at raised ugly cholesterol levels, he emphasises, he added. 7. High ugly cholesterol is the result of high blood levels of normal fat (triglycerides). The most important cause of high ugly cholesterol is overweight and obesity. Persons with high ugly cholesterol should therefore be advised to lose weight, but drugs such as statins and fibrates may also lower levels of ugly cholesterol in the blood, says BorgeNordestgaard. them to glow. However, before hitting the atmosphere, these particles also emit radio waves into space. 7. It found that the radio emissions from a number of ultracool dwarfs may be caused in a very similar, but significantly more powerful, way to Jupiters auroras. 8. We have recently shown that beefed-up versions of the auroral processes on Jupiter are able to account for the radio emissions observed from certain ultracool dwarfs - bodies which comprise the very lowest mass stars - and brown dwarfs - failed stars which lie in between planets and stars in terms of mass, Nichols said. 9. These results strongly suggest that auroras do occur on bodies outside our solar system, and the auroral radio emissions are powerful enough - one hundred thousand times brighter than Jupiters - to be detectable across interstellar distances, Nichols said in statement. 10. The radio emission could provide key information about the length of the planets day, the strength of its magnetic field, how the planet interacts with its parent star and even whether it has any moons, researchers believe.
Auroras also occur outside our solar system: scientists

1. Auroras occur on several planets within our solar system, and the brightest on Jupiter are 100 times brighter than those on Earth. 2. However, no auroras have yet been observed beyond Neptune. 3. A new study led by University of Leicester lecturer Dr Jonathan Nichols has shown that this phenomenon is not limited to our solar system. 4. Researchers found that processes strikingly similar to those which power Jupiters auroras could be responsible for radio emissions detected from a number of objects outside our solar system. 5. In addition, the radio emissions are powerful enough to be detectable across interstellar distances - meaning that auroras could provide an effective way of observing new objects outside our solar system. 6. Auroras occur when charged particles in an objects magnetosphere collide with atoms in its upper atmosphere, causing
Mars mission to boost Indias global credentials

1. Indias proposed Mars mission in November would boost New Delhis credentials to become a partner in international ventures of such kind in the future besides achieving its scientific objectives and demonstrating capability, veteran space scientist K Kasturirangan said. 2. Planning Commission Member Kasturirangan, who was also former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, said while the mission is indeed a logical extension of the country planetary exploration programme, it more than just a technical bonanza. 3. Once you show an affordable scale of the activity, then you qualify yourself to be a partner of international programme. So, when future manned missions or even future important missions to Mars take pace, India would be part of the global community because you have already demonstrated that you have reached the place (Mars), Kasturirangan he said. 4. According to ISRO officials, the proposed mission to demonstrate
Ugly cholesterol may triple risk of heart disease: study

1. People with high levels of ugly cholesterol face three times increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease, the most common cardiovascular disease. 2. Cholesterol is divided into the good HDL cholesterol, the bad LDL cholesterol and the ugly cholesterol. It is the so-called ugly cholesterol - also called remnant cholesterol - that can be really harmful. 3. LDL cholesterol or the bad cholesterol is of course bad, but our new study reveals that the ugly cholesterol likewise is the direct cause of atherosclerosis resulting in ischemic heart disease and early death, said Professor Borge Nordestgaard from the
JTS Institute

Indias capability to reach Martian orbit is planned to be completed by 2015-2016. The Mars orbiter is planned for launch using Indias Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sri harikota. It will be placed in an orbit of 500 x 80,000 km around Mars and will have a provision for carrying nearly 25 kg of scientific payloads onboard, they said. 5. On concerns in sections of the Indian space establishment about China forging ahead in the area of space, with New Delhi lagging behind, Kasturirangan dismissed suggestions of a space race between the two countries. We have never been at competition with China. We have our own pace. We have our own priorities. There are many things in which we have scored very high in terms of international reckoning, the use of space for socio-economic sectors, and we are one of the well organised systems in the world in terms of getting mission benefits out a shoe-string budget, he said. 6. Kasturirangan underlined that Indias space programme is guided by the countrys own requirements and the nation has world-class remote sensing and communication satellites and rocket developments are contemporary in nature. degasses to form solidified pumice that can be sufficiently light to float on water. In air pumice is obviously associated with violent, explosive eruptions. Consequently underwater volcanoes flanked by highly vesicular pumice have, to date, also been interpreted as having erupted explosively. But the results of the new study by Victoria University, Wellington and the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton indicate that there is a third eruptive style unique to underwater volcanoes, which is neither effusive nor explosive. By documenting the shape and density of bubbles in pumices generated by an underwater caldera volcano in the southwest Pacific Ocean - the Macauley volcano - we found large differences in the number and shape of bubbles in the same pebble-sized samples, different to anything previously documented, said Professor Ian Wright of the National Oceanography Centre, who co-authored the paper. This range of bubble densities distinct in these pumice samples indicates that the lava erupting from the caldera was neither vigorous enough for an explosive eruption, nor gentle enough for an effusive flow, Wright said in a statement. The study proposes that rather than exploding in the neck of the volcano, the formation and expansion of bubbles in the magma created a buoyant foam, which rose to the seafloor and then buoyantly detached from the volcano as molten pumiceballoons but with chilled margins. During its ascent to the sea surface, the vesicles within the molten interior would have continued to expand as the pressure reduced. These processes explain the unique bubble structure seen in the samples analysed, which could have only occurred with an intermediate eruption style and in an underwater setting, said Wright. The authors proposed that this style of eruption be named Tangaroan, the Maori god of the sea, and name of the research vessel used to collect the samples. are exploring how to mimic the way plants transform sunlight into energy and produce hydrogen to fuel vehicles. They will join other researchers around the world studying artificial photosynthesis as governments seek to cut greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. The research will use synthetic biology to replicate the process by which plants concentrate solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then released into the atmosphere. We will build a system for artificial photosynthesis by placing tiny solar panels on microbes, said lead researcher Julea Butt at the University of East Anglia (UEA). These will harness sunlight and drive the production of hydrogen, from which the technologies to release energy on demand are well-advanced. Hydrogen is a zero-emission fuel which can power vehicles or be transformed into electricity. We imagine that our photocatalysts will prove versatile and that with slight modification they will be able to harness solar energy for the manufacture of carbon-based fuels, drugs and fine chemicals, she added. The 800,000 pound ($1.3 million) project will be undertaken by scientists from UEA and Cambridge and Leeds universities. The scientists believe copying photosynthesis could be more efficient in harnessing the suns energy than existing solar converters. CUTTING CO2 Many countries have deployed at least one kind of renewable energy, such as solar, wind power or biofuels, or use a mixture to see which becomes most competitive with fossil fuels. But as carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, some experts argue more extreme methods are needed to keep the average rise in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius this century, a threshold scientists say would avoid the most harmful effects of climate change. Many renewable energy supplies, such as sunlight, wind and the waves, remain largely untapped resources. This is mainly due to the challenges that exist in converting these energy forms into
Scientists discover new type of underwater volcanic eruption

Scientists have uncovered a previously undocumented type of eruption in underwater volcanoes by looking at tiny original bubble spaces trapped in volcanic rocks. Volcanic eruptions are commonly categorised as either explosive or effusive but researchers from the UK and New Zealand have uncovered a new type of eruption in underwater volcanoes. Inside volcanoes, gases are dissolved in the molten magma as a function of the very high pressures and chemistry of the magma. In the same way that gases dissolved in carbonated drinks bubble up when the lid is taken off, when magma is erupted as lava, the pressure is relieved and the gases exsolve to form small gas bubbles or so-called vesicles. In explosive eruptions these vesicles expand so quickly they fragment the magma, violently ejecting lava, which cools and
UK scientists to mimic plants to make zerocarbon fuel

British scientists seeking to tap more efficient forms of solar power
JTS Institute

fuels from which energy can be released on demand, said Butt. Some of the more extreme methods which are being studied are controversial, such as removing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and geo-engineering techniques such as blocking sunlight using artificial clouds or mirrors in space. Such technology is far from being employed on a large scale and the costs are enormous. Critics argue these techniques manipulate the climate, are too costly, take too long to prove and governments should concentrate on more mainstream renewable energy sources. provided due orientation, training and skill development opportunities not only to attain appropriate operating skills of advanced technological platforms but also contribute efficiently to the quality enhancement through customization of sector specific warning and forecasting services. Commissioning of the High Performance Computing (HPC) system at the ESSO-National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) and ESSOIMD has provided opportunity to assimilate satellite radiance data in to the global/regional forecast systems and to enhance the spatial resolution of the global forecast systems from about 50km grid scale to about 22km grid scale. The performance evaluation of the new global forecast system has demonstrated enhanced forecast skill quantitatively. In order to capture the characteristics of the severe weather in real time, state-of-theart 24X7 monitoring system comprising 14-DWRs, located at Agartala, Chennai, Delhi-Airport, Delhi-Lodi Road, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Machilipatnam, Nagpur, Patna, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Patiala and Mohanbari is made functional. DWRs at Mumbai and Bhuj are undergoing site acceptance tests while it is under commissioning at Bhopal. DWRs commissioning is put on hold at Goa, Paradip and Karaikal for the want of clearances from the Ministry of Defence that is under the consideration of Committee of Secretaries (COS). Commissioning of DWR network covering the whole country would have to happen in a phased manner in view of the various factors such as site selection; site survey for height of line of sight of locating the antenna; available/ emerging technology variants for their suitability as per terrain variability based frequency of operation over hill states and NE States etc. Despite the above, the Government is committed to set up and enhance gradually its observational network of DWRs, AWSs, ARGs, etc. for monitoring abnormal weather patterns and upgrading its forecasting capabilities, so that advance warning can be provided to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture to tackle the impacts of the adverse and extreme weather phenomena.
Measure to Increase Availability of Pulses

In order to increase the availability of pulses, especially for the people living under the low poverty line, the government has resumed import of pulses through State Governments for distribution under Public Distribution System. The centre will provide subsidy for this import to the states. The thrust of the scheme is to make pulses available to the BPL card holders at least one kg. per month. An increase availability of pulses would also have a controlling effect on prices. Imported susidised pulses will also be provided to youth hostels, homes for poor and other such institutions which house people belonging to low income groups in large numbers. Besides this the centre has taken a number of steps recently to control prices of pulses which include-
23 January 2013 Nowcasting of Weather

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences has operationalised its location specific nowcasting weather services through Earth System Science Organization (ESSO)-IMD across the country. This includes the web based inputs. Under this service activity, that covers 117 urban centres currently on experimental basis,nowcast of severe weather (Thunderstorms; heavy rainfall from lows/depressions over the land) in 3-6h range is issued. Origin, development/movement of severe weather phenomena are regularly monitored through all available observing systems (Automatic Weather Stations-AWSs; Automatic Rain Gauges-ARGs; Doppler Weather Radars-DWRs; Automatic Weather Observing SystemsAWOS; satellite derived wind vectors, temperature, moisture fields etc.) are assimilated to generate predictions (prepared both in text as well as in graphical form) on 3h time range. Web GIS rendering of the nowcast products is implemented for enhanced spatial representation of the severe weather intensities associated with warnings. With the commissioning of the state-of-the-art observing (675 Nos. of AWSs; 955 Nos. of ARGs; 15DWRs), monitoring/early warning and data visualization/information processing and communication technologies under the Phase-I of the modernization of IMD, several manual operations have been fully automated. All the manpower that was engaged earlier for such manual operations have been
Reduced import duties to zero for pulses. Banned export of pulses (except Kabuli chana and organic pulses and lentils up to a maximum of 10000 tones per annum).
Imposed stock limits from time to time in the case of pulses. Suspended Futures trading in urad and tur. Several measures have also been taken to increase domestic supply of pulses. The National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-Pulses is under implementation in 468 districts. The Accelerated Pulses Production Programme (A3P) has been launched under the NFSMPulses from Kharif 2012 for demonstration of production and protection technologies on village level compact Blocks for enhanced production of pulses as well as motivating farmers. To compensate the losses of production of Kharif pulses, a programme on additional area coverage of pulses during Rabi/Summer 2012-13 has been sanctioned with an allocation of Rs. 100 crore to increase production of Rabi/summer pulses through area expansion of Rabi pigeon pea, gram, pea and lentil during Rabi and green gram and black gram during summer. Besides, under the Macro Management of Agriculture (MMA) scheme, assistance is also provided for pulses development in the states which are not covered under NFSM-Pulses.
JTS Institute
15 January - 21 January 2013 Initiatives to Boost Manufacturing Growth

The Global economic turmoil has impacted the overall economy in general and industry in particular. This is quite evident from the deceleration witnessed in the performance of industrial sector in the recent past. During 2011-12 industrial growth in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), showed a low growth of 2.9% compared to 8.2% growth registered in 2010-11. The moderation in the industrial growth, however had started in 2008-09. The IIP growth rate was 2.5% in 2008-09 which improved slightly to 5.3% in 2009-10 compared to the peak growth rate of 15.5% achieved in the year 2007-08. Manufacturing Growth During 2011-12, a low growth in manufacturing (3.0%) was a main reason for moderation in IIP growth. The cumulative growth of manufacturing sector was 1.0 per cent during April-October, 2012-13 compared to its 3.8 per cent growth during corresponding period of the previous year. Similar to the overall industrial growth, the reasons for moderation in the growth of manufacturing include global slowdown, moderation in domestic demand, hardening of interest rates etc. Amongst the manufacturing goods the moderation in its growth rate is largely accounted by the performance of capital goods and intermediate goods which has been in the negative trajectory for most part of the year. Capital goods witnessed a sharp decline in growth during 2012-13 (AprilOctober) with growth rate of 11.4%. Items such as Boilers; Grinding Wheels; Cement Machinery; Sugar Machinery; Textile Machinery; Plastic Machinery Incl. Moulding Machinery; Transformers (Small); Earth Moving Machinery; Computers has shown a consistent negative growth. Measures to Boost Manufacturing The future trajectory of the index of industrial production (IIP) depends largely on the revival of investment. Low economic activity due to weak investment sentiments and global slowdown is well reflected in National Accounts Statistics. Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) as a measure of addition in productive capacity of the economy grew at 5.5 percent in 2011-12 compared to 7.5 percent in 2010-11. The GFCF as a percent of GDP at 2004-05 prices moderated to 32.0 % in 2011-12 compared to 32.5 % in previous year. Gross Fixed Capital Formation grew at 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2012-13 against 0.7 percent in the first quarter. The Government has been taking confidence building measures for improving the industrial climate and manufacturing in the country. Three important initiatives taken in this regard are announcement of National Manufacturing Policy (NMP), implementation of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project and policy reforms to promote Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) The National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) was approved by the Government in October, 2011. The major objectives of the policy are for enhancing the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% and creating additional 100 million over a decade or so. Other quantitative and qualitative changes that are envisaged by the policy include creation of appropriate skill sets among the rural migrant and urban poor to make growth inclusive; increasing domestic value addition and technological depth in manufacturing; enhancing global competitiveness of Indian manufacturing through appropriate policy support; ensuring sustainability of growth, particularly with regard to the environment including energy efficiency, optimal utilization of natural resources and restoration of damaged/ degraded eco-systems etc. The Policy also provides special focus to the industries that are employment intensive, those producing capital goods, those having strategic significance, small and medium enterprises, public sector enterprises besides industries where India enjoys a competitive advantage etc. In addition, specific instruments have been conceptualized under NMP to achieve its stated objectives. Accordingly the policy envisages among others rationalization and simplification of business regulations; simple and expeditious exit mechanism for closure of sick units while protecting labour interests; financial and institutional mechanisms for technology development, including green technologies; industrial training and skill up gradation measures; incentives for SMEs, clustering and aggregation support through National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs), trade policy etc. Promoting clustering and aggregation, especially through creation of NIMZs is a major policy instrument of NMP. NIMZs as key instruments to catalyze the growth of manufacturing are envisaged to be developed in the nature of green field industrial townships, benchmarked with the best manufacturing hubs in the world. The Zones are expected to help in meeting the increasing demand for creating world class urban centres in India, while absorbing surplus labour by providing them gainful employment opportunities. These NIMZs will seek to address the infrastructural bottleneck which has been cited as a constraining factor for the growth of manufacturing.Ten NIMZs have been announced, eight of which are along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project The Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project is being implemented on both sides of the 1483 km long Western Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor between Dadri (UP) and JNPT (Navi Mumbai). The project seeks to create a strong economic base with a globally competitive environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance investments and attain sustainable development. The DMIC Project covers the six States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC) was incorporated in January 2008 for project development, coordination and implementation of the numerous projects. Looking at the magnitude and diversity of the project, it is planned to be implemented in phases. Initially, eight industrial cities have been taken up for development. So far the overall perspective plan for the entire DMIC Region has been completed. The Master Planning for the Investment Regions and Industrial Areas taken up initially to be developed as New Cities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have been completed
JTS Institute

and Master Planning in Uttar Pradesh has started. The State Governments have initiated the process of obtaining land for the new industrial regions/areas as well as for the Early Bird Projects. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Studies have been initiated for five industrial cities. DMICDC had initiated development of Smart Communities or Eco-Cities that can contribute to improving the sustainability of the DMIC region. Japanese technology and expertise is being made available under collaboration with METI, Government of Japan for the Smart Community projects. Significant progress has been reported by DMICDC in the development of Smart Communities or Eco-Cities. Along with the planning of each city, preparation of feasibility studies for Early Bird Projects has been taken up on the recommendation of the State Governments. These projects are in the sectors of water supply, transport connectivity, logistic hubs, mega industrial parks, knowledge cities etc. As the Master Plans progressed, it was felt necessary and essential that new industrial cities must be created on the back of world class trunk infrastructure i.e. drainage, sewage, solid waste, water supply, internal roads. Without the trunk infrastructure the development of PPP projects in greenfield cities was not feasible and it was felt that this may lead to real estate development without trunk infrastructure and a developed backbone. Accordingly the project was restructured in September, 2011 with an Implementation Fund of Rs.17,500 crore to be utilized over a period of five years and an additional project development Fund of Rs.1000 crore for project development. The land for the new industrial cities will be the contribution of the State Government. The DMIC Project Implementation Fund, is a revolving fund, and has been set up as a Trust. It will be a repository of Government of India financial assistance. The funds will flow from the Trust to the SPVs and the Trust will receive upside from bidding and monetization of land values. The Trust will also provide resources to DMICDC for project development activities. The Japanese Government has also announced their financial support for DMIC project to an extent of US $ 4.5 billion in the first phase for the projects with Japanese participation. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy Domestic savings in India have not been adequate to meet the investment requirement of the country. The ratio of domestic savings to GDP has generally been lower than the ratio of GCF to GDP. During 2008-11 share of Gross Domestic Capital Formation in the GDP was 35.3% whereas share of domestic saving during the period was only 32.7%. Capital inflow from other countries, particularly of an investment nature, therefore adds to the domestic investment. It also brings in new management practices and technologies, besides subsequently contributing to enhancement of the export potential/earning of the country. Indias attractiveness as an investment destination has to be seen in the context of major economic reforms embarked upon by the Government of India since mid-1990s, the objective being the achievement of a greater level of integration with the world economy and the emergence of India as a significant player in the globalization process. The larger and ultimate goal however is to step up the scale of development of the economy. As a part of this process, the FDI policy is being liberalized progressively on an ongoing basis in order to allow FDI in more industries under the automatic route. Some recent changes in the FDI policy, besides consolidation of the policy into a single document include FDI in Multi-Brand Retail Trading up to 51% subject to specified conditions; increasing FDI limit to 100% in Single-Brand Retail Trading; FDI up to 49 percent in Civil Aviation and Power Exchanges; FDI up to 49 percent in Broadcasting sector under the automatic route and FDI beyond 49 percent and up to 74 percent under the Government route both for Teleports and Mobile TV. The advantages of India as an investment destination rest upon strong fundamentals, which include a large and growing market; world-class scientific, technical and managerial manpower; cost effective and highly skilled labour; abundant natural resources; a large English speaking population; independent judiciary, etc. This is now recognized by a number of global investors. Ongoing initiatives, such as further simplification of rules and regulations, improvements in infrastructure are expected to provide the necessary impetus to increase FDI inflows in future. The Government continues to make efforts to increase economic cooperation with the developing as well as developed countries through different fora such as Joint Commissions/Joint Committees, other bilateral channels like interaction with the delegations visiting the country and organizing visits abroad for discussions on issues of mutual interest and business/ investment meets between Indian and foreign entrepreneurs to stimulate foreign investment into India. It has announced the setting up of Invest India, a joint venture company between the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and FICCI, as a not-for-profit, single window facilitator, for prospective overseas investors and to act as a structured mechanism to attract investment. In addition, the Government has initiated implementation of the e-Biz Project, a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) for promoting an online single window at the national level for business users. The objectives of setting up of the e-Biz Portal are to provide a number of services to business users, covering the entire life cycle on their operation. The project aims at enhancing Indias business competitiveness through a service oriented, event-driven G2B interaction.
Indian Railways Covers New Grounds in 2012

The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during 1st April to 31st December 2012 were Rs. 89906.46 crore compared to Rs. 75009.17 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 19.86 percent. The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 49868.95 crore during 1st April 31st December 2011 to Rs. 62413.41 crore during 1st April 31st December 2012, registering an increase of 25.15 percent. The total passenger revenue earnings during 1st April 31st December 2012 were Rs. 23025.34 crore compared to Rs. 20999.01 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 9.65 percent. In the calendar year 2012, Indian Railways has achieved scrap sale of Rs. 3903.84 crore till Nov. 2012. For the corresponding period in 2011 sale achieved by
JTS Institute

Railway was 3748.68 crore. The total approximate numbers of passengers booked during 1st April 31st December 2012 were 6422.29 million compared to 6210.12 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 3.42 percent. Indian Railways have carried 735.10 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during April-December 2012. The freight carried shows an increase of 31.33 million tonnes over the freight traffic of 703.77 million tonnes actually carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.45 percent. In a path breaking initiative taken by the Ministry of Railways, a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in February 2012 for setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) namely Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDL) to take up work of redevelopment of railway stations along with station maintenance across India in a dedicated manner. Under new SPV, it is proposed to provide the identified stations with well designed concourses, high quality waiting spaces, easy access to the platforms, congestion free platforms, modern State of the art Catering facilities, Hotels and other facilities. After conducting preliminary studies & holding consultations with zonal railways, five stations, Bijwasan (Delhi) Habibganj (Bhopal), AnandVihar (Delhi), Chandigarh, Shivaji Nagar (Pune), have been identified for implementation through IRSDC in the first phase. As a major initiative to further facilitate the travel of bonafide and legitimate passengers and to reduce the scope for misuse of reserved ticketing system by unscrupulous elements/ middlemen, the Ministry of Railways has now made it compulsory to carry prescribed original proof of identity cards during train travel on all reserved classes of tickets. Those travelling without an original identify proof shall be treated as without ticket and charged accordingly. This new change of policy is aimed at facilitating the travel of bonafide and genuine passengers and simultaneously checking the scope for travel on transferred tickets. It is also considered that this policy provision shall also be useful from the security point of view. The year 2012 saw a big push for the key infrastructure projects of Railways. After a review meeting on infrastructure held by the Prime Minister in the last week of November 2012, deadline has been set for such important infrastructure projects like the elevated rail corridor in Mumbai, setting up of locomotive factories on public private partnership, rail tariff authority and Dedicated Freight Corridors. A time bound action plan has since been initiated by the Railway Ministry on these issues. Mumbai has one of the most crowded and overloaded suburban systems in the world. Concerned about the capacity constraint on the Corridor, Ministry of Railways has decided to augment the system capacity and has accordingly envisioned a two track elevated corridor along Churchgate-Virra section. This new Elevated Rail Corridor (ERC) will be between Oval Maidan and Virar of Western Railway in Mumbai area. The indicative cost of 63.27 km-long ERC project is approximately Rs. 21,000 crore. Under this corridor, 26 stations are proposed, out of which 5 stations would be underground, 19 elevated and 2 at grade. The Indian Railway has achieved one more milestone in transportation sector with the completion of Banihal-Qazigund section of ambitious and challenging UdhampurBaramullah-Srinagar Rail link Project. Trials by running trains have started in the section by Railways with the arrival of first Track Tamping machine at Banihal on 24th December 2012 from Qazigund. All the major works have been completed and finishing touch is being given. This section will be ready for opening shortly the 17.729 km long section consists of only one tunnel of 11.215 km length known as PirPanjal Tunnel, which is the longest transportation tunnel in India and second longest in Asia. Opening of Banihal-Qazigund railway section will be a turning point not only in the history of Jammu & Kashmir State only, but for the Indian history. Indian Railways ambitious project of Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) continued its implementation momentum during this year. There has been progress on both the corridors namely 1499 km long Western DFC from JawaharLal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai to Dadri/Tughlakabad (Near Delhi) and 1839 km long Eastern DFC from Ludhiana (Punjab) to Dankuni (Near Kolkata). Land acquisition is progressing well and as on November 2012, out of total land of 10703 hectares to be acquired for both corridors, 7768 hectares i.e. 73% has been acquired. Initial funding agreements for Western DFC through JICA and part of Eastern DFC (Ludhiana-Khurja-KanpurMughalsarai) through World Bank have already been formalized while remaining Dankuni-Sonnagar section of Eastern DFC is proposed to be implemented through PPP and MughalsaraiSonnagar section of Eastern DFC is being implemented through the resources of the Ministry of Railways. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Campaign Clean India was signed between the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Railways. Under the MOU, the two Ministries will work together towards a sustained sensitization campaign to train travelers and service providers under the Capacity Building for Service Providers scheme of Ministry of Tourism and for consultations and discussions with the stake holders including the travel trade to evolve strategies for the up-keep and cleanliness of the stations and coaches. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways has issued a notification containing rules on prohibition of activities affecting cleanliness and hygiene in the Railway premises alongwith penalties for contravention of these rules. Whosoever contravenes any of the provisions of these rules or fails to comply with such provisions shall be punished with a fine which shall not exceed five hundred rupees. Indigenously designed, developed and manufactured Air conditioned double decker train was introduced for the first time between Howrah and Dhanbad. This year, an improved design of the train has been developed and its services between Jaipur and Delhi and Ahemdabad and Mumbai have been introduced. Such services are also planned between HabibganjIndore and Chennai-Bangalore in near future. AC double decker train with improved passenger friendly design is having capacity of 120 passengers per coach and are becoming popular among passengers. Continued efforts and constant persuasion by Railway Board and energy conservation initiatives by
JTS Institute

Zonal Railways have resulted into bagging highest ever 11 National Energy Conservation Awards by the Indian Railways out of total awards of 87 from 773 applications during 2012, which were awarded by the President of India during National Energy Conservation Day on 14th December 2012. Indian Railways continued its thrust on enhancing safety. Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) was extended on pilot basis on main line operations on Hazrat Nizamuddin Agra Section of Northern/North Central Railway (200 Route Kilometres) where work is under progress. Based upon experience gained from ACD & TPWS systems, Indian Railways has now taken up development of Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). TCAS shall be a fusion of functionalities of TPWS & ACD and shall prevent Signal Passing at Danger as well as Collisions. After invitation of Expression of Interest, six Indian firms have been shortlisted. One of the firm has developed the Prototype which underwent field trials in Oct2012 over South Central Railway. To bring further convenience to the rail users, Indian Railways through Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Railway, is offering the service of booking e-ticket over the mobile phone. After initial registration and downloading of suitable software on the mobile handset with internet facility, it is quite easy for the mobile users to book a reserve ticket through their own mobile. After booking, the passenger l receives a reservation message with full details of the ticket including PNR, Train No, date of journey, class etc. This virtual message is treated at par with the print-out of the e-ticket. With a commitment to provide hygienic environment to its passengers and staff, Indian Railways, along with Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) have developed Environment Friendly Bio-toilets for its passenger coaches. In these bio-toilets, the human waste is treated by bacteria, which is benign to the humans. This bacteria converts human waste into water and gases (methane and CO2). The gases escape to atmosphere and treated waste water is discharged after chlorination. Human waste thus does not fall on the tracks. Eight trains are running with 436 biotoilets and in the year 2012-13, 2500 more bio-toilets are planned to be introduced. A complete switch-over to bio-toilets in new coaches has been planned by 2016-17 and the Indian Railway has targeted elimination of direct discharge passenger coach toilet systems by the end of the Thirteenth Five Year Plan i.e., 202122. The travel distance from l00 kilometres has been extended to 150 kilometres under IZZAT scheme. There is no change in other terms and conditions. This extension of travel distance from 100 kms to 150 kms is admissible on IZZAT Monthly Season Tickets (MST) purchased on and after June 1, 2012. IZZAT is a scheme of uniformly priced MST of Rs. 25/inclusive of all surcharges issued up to distance of 100 Kms to persons working in unorganised sector with monthly income not exceeding Rs. 1500/-. This distance has now been increased from 100 km to 150 km. Supervision and monitoring of catering services both in trains and at stations has been strengthened, as a result of this the number of complaint cases has reduced by 4.82 % (approx.) during the calendar year (up to October, 2012) as compared to the corresponding period of last year. About 26860 inspections have been carried out during January, 2012 to October, 20 12 by Zonal Railways for ensuring quality in catering. In order to make catering services effective, a Standard Bid Documents (SBDs) have been prepared for award of tenders for various catering services over Indian Railways. To provide accurate train running information to the public, the Indian Railways has expanded the train running information facility. Now the information on the running of all trains is available at www.trainenquiry.com. Similarly this facility is available through SMS on 139. Earlier, train running information of only selected 36 important trains (Shatabdi, Rajdhani & Duronto) were available at website www.simran.in and through SMS on 9415139139. Indian Railways is adopting a multi pronged strategy to provide a safer, faster, cleaner, and comfortable passenger trains. Firstly, seven corridors have been identified for conducting pre-feasibility studies for running high speed trains (popularly referred as) at speeds above 350 kmph. These corridors will be set up through PPP route. Initially, Mumbai- Ahemdabad corridor has been taken up for which pre-feasibility has been completed. Secondly, a study is also being done on Delhi-Mumbai route with Japanese help to raise the speed of passenger trains from 160 kmph to 200 kmph being referred to as Semi-High Speed. Thirdly, Indian Railways is working on the concept of acquiring Electrical Multiple Units (EMU) Train sets for intercity journeys for operating speed ranging from 130160 km/hour. With high pick-up and increased acceleration & deceleration characteristic, these proposed modern distributed powered EMU train sets will provide faster and safer movement and will substantially reduce run time. Continuing with the Indian Railways and State Government partnership model, a MOU for the development of rail corridors in Chhatisgarh state was signed. The three rail corridors meant for both passengers and freight would be developed in northern region of Chhatisgarh state, approximately 452 kilometres in total length.. These are:- 1) East Corridor: Bhupdevpur-GharghodaDharamjaygarh up to Korba with spur from Gharghoda to Donga Mauha to connect mines of GarePelma block, approximately 180 kilometres in length, 2) North Corridor: Surajpur-Parsa-KatghoraKorba, approximately 150 kilometres in length and 3) EastWest Corridor: Gevra Raod to Pendra Road via Dipka, Katghora, Sindurgarh, approximately 122 kilometres in length. These corridors will be implemented through specific Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). Filling up of vacancies is a matter of priority and is being actively pursued by Railways Recruitment Boards. In 2012, fourteen written examinations have been held for 271 categories, covering 50515 vacancies. Panels of about 15,838 candidates mainly for safety category posts have been supplied to Zonal Railways/Production Units during the last 11 months period i.e. 1st January 2012 to 30th November 2012. Five centralized notifications have been issued in 2012 covering 27,038 vacancies in 138 categories. Examinations against 4 notifications, out of five issued in 2012, have already been held in this year itself for 26,213 vacancies. Railway sportspersons were felicitated by the Railway Ministry for their remarkable performance in the London Olympics 2012. They
JTS Institute

were presented with a shawl, a memento and the cheque of the award amount. Sushil Kumar, who won silver medal in wrestling (66 kg. Free Style) event in London Olympics was given a cash award of Rs. 75 lakh. JoydeepKarmakar who got 4th position in the final in Shooting (50m Prone) and Ms. Krishna Punia who got 7th position in the final in Discuss Throw were given Rs. 25 lakh cash award each. In a momentous recognition of the role and contribution of the Indian Railways in promoting sports in the country, Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) of Ministry of Railways has bagged Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, for the year 2012 which is a part of National Sports Awards, announced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Bilateral cooperation in Railway sector with foreign countries is an ongoing process. India and China, among others, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Cooperation in Railway Sector. Under this MoU, both the countries will enhance mutual cooperation across various areas of rail technology including High Speed Rail, Heavy Haulage and Station Development. A MoU was also signed between Indian Railways and Belgium on bilateral co-operation for the effective development and modernization of railway sector of both the countries. Another Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of India and Government of Spain on technical cooperation in the field of Railway sector. Delegation level talks were held separately with Switzerland and Germany on bilateral cooperation in the railway sector. Manager Gary Sanders told newspersons here at the end of a meeting of the Projects Governing Board. 3. Edge sensors and actuators, in particular, would play a key role in the working of the telescope. Since the primary mirror of the telescope would be made of an array of 492 identical mirror segments, the main challenge in its working would be to ensure that the segments remained aligned properly all the time. The edge sensors and the actuators would help in this task. 4. Work on producing prototypes of these have already been initiated. While Pondicherry-based General Optics Asia Limited [GOAL] has been asked to produce 25 prototype edge sensors, Avasarala Technologies of Bangalore, has been engaged to produce 20 prototype actuators, Dr. Sanders said. 5. Programme Director for the India component of the mega science project, Eswar Reddy noted that Indian companies have been selected following a very stringent process, said the telescope would be 81 times more sensitive and resolve objects by a factor of 3 times better than the largest ground-based telescopes that are available at present across the world. 6. The unprecedented light gathering capability and angular resolution of the telescope is expected to help shed new light on many unsolved and challenging problems in astronomy and astrophysics. 7. The telescope is being constructed by a consortium consisting of US, China, Japan, Canada and India. India is making a contribution of 10 per cent 70 per cent of it in kind and 30 percent in cash. 8. India presently has a status of an observer and it is in the process of becoming a permanent member. A note for approval of the Union Cabinet in this regard is currently under preparation. Indian funding will be done through the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy. outbreak of the dreaded poultry disease in Bhutan. 2. Thousands of birds have been culled in Bhutan after the outbreak, which is yet to be controlled. Earlier this month, samples of affected birds were sent to Indias High Security Animal Disease Lab in Bhopal and they tested positive. Concept: Avian influenza Avian influenza is flu infection in birds. The virus that causes the bird infectin can change (mutate) to infect humans. Such mutation could start a deadly worldwide epidemic. Causes, incidence, and risk factors The first avian influenza virus to infect humans occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. The epidemic was linked to chickens and classified as avian influenza A (H5N1). Human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) have since been reported in Asia, Africa, Europe, Indonesia, Vietnman, the Pacific, and the near East. Hundreds of people have become sick with this virus. Slightly more than 60% of those who became ill have died. The more the avian flu virus spreads, the greater the chances of a worldwide outbreak in humans. There is a tremendous concern that H5N1 poses an enormous pandemic threat. The following people have a higher risk for developing the bird flu:
Indian firms to supply parts for billion-dollar telescope

1. Several Indian companies are gearing up to play a major role in the construction of the $1.2 billion Thirty Metre Telescope, which will be the worlds most advanced ground-based observatory that will be operating in optical and midinfrared wavelengths. 2. The Indian companies will be supplying high-end components such as edge sensors, actuators, segment support assemblies and provide services such as polishing of the mirror segments, and software to control the operations of the telescope, the mirror, and telescope dome, its Project
Farmers and others who work with poultry Travelers visiting affected countries Those who touch an infected bird Those who eat raw or undercooked poultry meat, eggs, or blood from infected birds Health care workers and household contacts of patients with avian influenza may also be at an increased risk of the bird flu. The avian flu virus (H5N1) has been shown to survive in the environment for long periods of time. Infection may be spread simply by touching contaminated surfaces. Birds who were infected with this flu can continue to release the virus in their feces and saliva for as long as 10 days. Symptoms Symptoms of avian flu infection in humans depend on the strain of virus.
Border States on high alert after bird flu in Bhutan

1. The Centre on Wednesday sounded high alert in border States against avian influenza after
JTS Institute

Infection with the H5N1 virus in humans causes typical flu-like symptoms, which might include: of the law, this constitutes a dueprocess violation, which offends against the rule of law. Due process has also been frequently interpreted as limiting laws and legal proceedings (see substantive due process), so that judges - instead of legislators may define and guarantee fundamental fairness, justice, and liberty. This interpretation has proven controversial, and is analogous to the concepts of natural justice, and procedural justice used in various other jurisdictions. This interpretation of due process is sometimes expressed as a command that the government must not be unfair to the people or abuse them physically. Due process is not used in contemporary English law, though two similar concepts are natural justice (which generally applies only to decisions of administrative agencies and some types of private bodies like trade unions) and the British constitutional concept of the rule of law as articulated by A. V. Dicey and others. However, neither concept lines up perfectly with the American theory of due process, which, as explained below, presently contains many implied rights not found in the ancient or modern concepts of due process in England. Due process developed from clause 39 of the Magna Carta in England. When English and American law gradually diverged, due process was not upheld in England, but did become incorporated in the Constitution of the United States. Home Ministry on Wednesday, committee member GopalSubramaniam said going by the testimonies of the people from Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and the North-East, it was evident that there was a pressing need to try armed forces personnel guilty of sexual offences in conflict areas under the ordinary criminal law. Taking cognisance of the complaints and reports of sexual assaults on women by men in uniform and the civil societys demand for repeal of the AFSPA, the committee recommend an immediate resolution of jurisdictional issues. Simple procedural protocols must be put in place to avoid situations where the police refuse to register cases against paramilitary personnel. Concept: AFSPA The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), was passed on September 11, 1958, by the Parliament of India. It grants special powers to the armed forces in what the act calls disturbed areas in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. It was later extended to Jammu and Kashmir as The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 in July 1990. This act has been regarded as a shameful act, which perpetuated all the ills in India and hampering the development of the country. According to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), in an area that is proclaimed as disturbed, an officer of the armed forces has powers to Fire upon or use other kinds of force even if it causes death, against the person who is acting against law or order in the disturbed area for the maintenance of public order, after giving such due warning.
Cough (dry or productive) Diarrhea Difficulty breathing Fever greater than 100.4F (38C) Headache Malaise Muscle aches Runny nose Sore throat
U.S. calls for due process in 1971 war trial

The U.S. has extended support to the trial of the people who committed crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Washington, however, stressed the need for holding the trial in a free and fair way. Victoria Nuland, spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, spoke at a press briefing in Washington DC on January 22, a day after Bangladeshs war crimes tribunal passed its maiden verdict ordering giving death sentence to an Islamist leader, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, on charges of genocide, killing, rape and arson as the local cohorts of the Pakistani army during the war. The press statement was posted on its website. As Bangladesh addresses the legacy of atrocities committed during the Liberation War and as we await further verdicts by the International Crimes Tribunal, the U.S. urges the government of Bangladesh to adhere to the due process standards that are part of its treaty obligations, and to fully respect the rule of law, the statement said. However, we believe that any such trials must be free, fair, and transparent, and in accordance with domestic standards and international standards Bangladesh has agreed to uphold through its ratification of international agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Concept: Due process Due process is the legal requirement that the state must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it. When a government harms a person without following the exact course
Dont allow Armymen to take cover under AFSPA, says Verma

The Justice J.S. Verma Committee, set up to suggest amendments to laws relating to crimes against women, has recommended review of the continuance of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the context of extending legal protection to women in conflict areas. There is an imminent need to review the continuance of the AFSPA and AFSPA-like legal protocols in internal conflict areas as soon as possible, it said. This is necessary for determining the propriety of resorting to this legislation in the area(s) concerned. In its report submitted to the Union
Destroy any arms dump, prepared or fortified position or shelter or training camp from which armed attacks are made by the armed volunteers or armed gangs or absconders wanted for any offence
To arrest without a warrant anyone who has committed cognizable offences or is reasonably suspected of having done so and may use force if needed for the arrest.
To enter and search any
JTS Institute
10

premise in order to make such arrests, or to recover any person wrongfully restrained or any arms, ammunition or explosive substances and seize it. composed of not just anti-particles but anti-atoms by mid-2014. 4. AEgIS is one of six antimatter experiments at CERN that create antiparticles and anti-atoms in the lab and then study their properties using special techniques. The hope, as Dr. Jeffrey Hangst, the spokesperson for the ALPHA experiment, stated in an email, is to find out the truth: Do matter and antimatter obey the same laws of physics? 5. Spectroscopic and gravitational techniques will be used to make these measurements. They will improve upon, precision measurements of antiprotons and anti-electrons that have been carried out in the past without seeing any difference between the particles and their antiparticles at very high sensitivity, as Dr. Michael Doser, AEgIS spokesperson, told this Correspondent via email. 6. The ALPHA and ATRAP experiments will achieve this by trapping anti-atoms and studying them, while the ASACUSA and AEgIS will form an atomic beam of anti-atoms. All of them, anyway, will continue testing and upgrading through 2013. Working principle 7. Precisely, AEgIS will attempt to measure the interaction between gravity and antimatter by shooting an anti-hydrogen beam horizontally through a vacuum tube and then measuring how it much sags due to the gravitational pull of the Earth to a precision of 1 percent. 8. The experiment is not so simple because preparing anti-hydrogen atoms is difficult. As Dr.Doser explained, The experiments concentrate on anti-hydrogen because that should be the most sensitive system, as it is not much affected by magnetic or electric fields, contrary to charged antiparticles. 9. First, antiprotons are derived from the Antiproton Decelerator (AD), a particle storage ring which manufactures the antiparticles at a low energy. At another location, a nanoporous plate is bombarded with anti-electrons, resulting in a highly unstable mixture of both electrons and anti-electrons called positronium (Ps). 10. The Ps is then excited to a specific energy state by exposure to a 205-nanometre laser and then an even higher energy state called a Rydberg level using a 1,670nanometre laser. Last, the excited Ps traverses a special chamber called a recombination trap, when it mixes with antiprotons that are controlled by precisely tuned magnetic fields. With some probability, an antiproton will trap an anti-electron to form an antihydrogen atom. Applications 11. Before a beam of such antihydrogen atoms is generated, however, there are problems to be solved. They involve large electric and magnetic fields to control the speed of and collimate the beams, respectively, and powerful cryogenic systems and ultra-cold vacuums. Thus, Dr.Doser and his colleagues will spend many months making careful changes to the apparatus to ensure these requirements work in tandem by 2014. 12. While antiparticles were first discovered in 1959, until recently, it was impossible to measure anything about anti-hydrogen, Dr.Hangst wrote. Thus, the ALPHA and AEgIS experiments at CERN provide a seminal setting for exploring the world of antimatter. 13. Anti-particles have been used effectively in many diagnostic devices such as PET scanners. Consequently, improvements in our understanding of them feed immediately into medicine. To name an application: Antiprotons hold out the potential of treating tumors more effectively. 14. In fact, the feasibility of this application is being investigated by the ACE experiment at CERN.In the words of Dr.Doser: Without the motivation of attempting this experiment, the experts in the corresponding fields would most likely never have collaborated and might well never have been pushed to solve the related interdisciplinary problems.
Stop and search any vehicle or vessel reasonably suspected to be carrying such person or weapons.
Any person arrested and taken into custody under this Act shall be made over to the officer in charge of the nearest police station with the least possible delay, together with a report of the circumstances occasioning the arrest.
Army officers have legal immunity for their actions. There can be no prosecution, suit or any other legal proceeding against anyone acting under that law. Nor is the governments judgment on why an area is found to be disturbed subject to judicial review.
Protection of persons acting in good faith under this Act from prosecution, suit or other legal proceedings, except with the sanction of the Central Government, in exercise of the powers conferred by this Act.
For declaring an area as a disturbed area there must be a grave situation of law and order on the basis of which Governor/ Administrator can form opinion that an area is in such a disturbed or dangerous condition that use of Armed Forces in aid of civil power is necessary
A different kind of experiment at CERN

1. At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland, experiments are conducted by many scientists who dont quite know what they will see, but know how to conduct the experiments that will yield answers to their questions. They accelerate beams of particles called protons to smash into each other, and study the fallout. 2. There are some other scientists at CERN who know approximately what they will see in experiments, but dont know how to do the experiment itself. These scientists work with beams of antiparticles. According to the Standard Model, the dominant theoretical framework in particle physics, every particle has a corresponding particle with the same mass and opposite charge, called an anti-particle. 3. In fact, at the little-known AEGIS experiment, physicists will attempt to produce an entire beam
China confers top science award on noted scientist Dr C N R Rao

1. Noted Indian scientist Dr C N R Rao has been conferred with Chinas top science award for his important contributions in boosting Sino-India scientific cooperation.Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) yesterday gave its 2012 Award for International Scientific Cooperation to three scientists from India, Germany, and Russia. 2. Rao, 79, founder of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced
JTS Institute
11

Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, shared the 2012 award with Herbert Jaeckle of Germanys Max Planck Society and Russian space physicist G AZherebtsov. 3. The awards are given every year by the CAS, which is Chinas top academic and research institution for natural sciences.It has so far honoured 17 international scientists for their contributions in Sino-Foreign research cooperation, since the prize was instituted in 2007. 4. Rao is devoted to the research of solid-state and structural chemistry. He was awarded for his important contributions in boosting scientific cooperation between China and India, as well as raising the scientific capabilities ofdeveloping countries, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted CAS as saying in a statement.Rao has won various prestigious awards. He is currently the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister.German scientist Jaeckle specialised in the fields of molecular developmental biology. He has actively promoted scientific cooperation between China and Germany, CAS said. 5. He has explored and put into practice approaches thatintegrate a Max Planck management model with the CASs scientific research system, as well as set up an international team of researchers, it said. 6. Zherebtsov has actively promoted the construction of a Sino-Russian weather research centre and is currently working to get Russia involved in a CAS space science programme, the CAS said. times more brightly, Betelgeuses impressive statistics come with a cost. For this star is likely on its way to a spectacular supernova explosion, having already swelled into a red supergiant and shed a significant fraction of its outer layers. The new far-infrared view from Herschel shows how the stars winds are crashing against the surrounding interstellar medium, creating a bow shock as the star moves through space at speeds of around 30 km/s. A series of broken, dusty arcs ahead of the stars direction of motion testify to a turbulent history of mass loss. Closer to the star itself, an inner envelope of material shows a pronounced asymmetric structure. Large convective cells in the stars outer atmosphere have likely resulted in localized, clumpy ejections of dusty debris at different stages in the past. An intriguing linear structure is also seen further away from the star, beyond the dusty arcs. While some earlier theories proposed that this bar was a result of material ejected during a previous stage of stellar evolution, analysis of the new image suggests that it is either a linear filament linked to the galaxys magnetic field, or the edge of a nearby interstellar cloud that is being illuminated by Betelgeuse. If the bar is a completely separate object, then taking into account the motion of Betelgeuse and its arcs and the separation between them and the bar, the outermost arc will collide with the bar in just 5,000 years, with the red supergiant star itself hitting the bar roughly 12,500 years later. The Super-TIGER was launched from the Ross Ice Shelf on Dec. 9, 2012, and has circled the South Pole two and a half times at an altitude of about 130,000 feet, three or four times higher than passenger planes cruise. The team hopes it will complete the circuit in another 8 to 10 days, coming back round to McMurdo latitude, or at least close enough that it can be retrieved. New venture to mine asteroids for metals within two years A US company plans to mine asteroids for metals, useful ores and minerals as they hurtle past the Earth using the first rockprospecting spacecraft by 2015. Deep Space Industries says it wants to start sending miniature scout probes, dubbed Fireflies, on one-way missions to near-Earth asteroids as soon as 2015. Company CEO David Gump said larger probes, Dragonflies, that will bring back 50-to 100-pound samples from prospective targets could be on their way by 2016, CNN reported. The goal is to extract metals, water and compounds that can be used to make spacecraft fuel from the chunks of rock that float within about 50 million kilometres of Earth. Gump said the ability to produce fuel in space would be a boon for NASA, as the US space agency shifts its focus toward exploring deeper into the solar system. As much as 90 percent of the weight of a prospective monthslong Mars mission could be fuel and it costs between USD 5,000 and USD 10,000 per pound to put anything into space. If NASA can launch just the hardware and tank up in orbit, where the fuel is cheap, that means we could get to the Red Planet a lot sooner than we currently expect, Gump said. It could also allow commercial satellite companies to extend the life of hardware thats now written off when fuel for manoeuvring thrusters runs out. If you give it one more month of active work in orbit, its worth about USD 5 (million) to USD 8 million to the owner of that satellite, Gump said. The announcement comes nine months after the unveiling of a similar project by Planetary
Supergiant star nearest to Earth on its way to spectacular explosion

New image from ESAs Herschel space observatory has revealed multiple arcs around Betelgeuse, the nearest red supergiant star to Earth, and scientists analysing the image have suggested that the star and its arc-shaped shields could collide with an intriguing dusty wall in 5000 years. Betelgeuse rides on the shoulder of the constellation Orion the Hunter. It can easily be seen with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere winter night sky as the orange-red star above and to the left of Orions famous three-star belt. Roughly 1,000 times the diameter of our Sun and shining 100,000
Super-TIGER smashes cosmic-ray balloon record in Antarctica

Super-TIGER, the balloon carrying the cosmic-ray detector, has set a new record by floating in the air 45 days serenely in the Antarctica. It shattered the previous record of 42 days set by Cream I, another cosmic ray experiment that flew during the winter of 2004-2005. The team celebrated by thanking everyone involved in a long series of tweets including the balloons maker, Raven Aerostar, and NASAs Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, which tracks and controls the balloon.
JTS Institute
12

Resources, a company backed by investors such as filmmaker James Cameron and Google executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt. The group says it hopes to get its first unmanned probes into space by the end of 2013. Since the retirement of its space shuttles, NASA has outsourced supply missions to the International Space Station to the private rocket company Space X. Deep Space Industries said it can build its first class of probes largely with off-the-shelf parts and book them on other launch vehicles, such as the French-built Ariane rockets or the Falcon boosters developed by SpaceX. Its executives said the company is also developing a foundry designed to produce metal parts from nickel, an element abundant in asteroids, and operate in space, and a class of Harvestor craft to extract valuable material from the asteroids. Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Policy with effect from 1.4.2010 for decontrolled P & K fertilizers (w.e.f. 1.5.2010 for SSP). As per this policy, the fertilizers namely DAP, MOP, NPKS complexes, MAP, TSP, Ammonium Sulphate (AS) and Single Super Phosphate (SSP) are provided to the farmers at the subsidized rates based on the nutrients (N, P, K & S) contained in these fertilizers. Additional subsidy is also provided on the fertilizers fortified with secondary and micronutrients as per the Fertilizer Control Order such as Boron and Zinc. NBS has been announced for 2010-11 on annual basis based on prevailing international prices and price trends. Since this scheme has just been launched about 3 months ago, therefore at present, Government is not considering any change in the NBS. Subsidy under the NBS is being released through the manufacturers/importers. mutual fund debt schemes, subject to a total overall ceiling of $1 billion. 5. This limit of $1 billion shall continue to be over and above the revised limit of $50 billion for investment in corporate debt, the RBI added. 6. As a measure of further relaxation, it has been decided to dispense with the condition of one year lock-in period for the limit of $22 billion (comprising the limits of infrastructure bonds of $12 billion and $10 billion for non-resident investment in IDFs) within the overall limit of $25 billion for foreign investment in infrastructure corporate bond. 7. The residual maturity period (at the time of first purchase) requirement for the entire limit of $22 billion for foreign investment in the infrastructure sector has been uniformly kept at 15 months. The five-year residual maturity requirement for investments by QFIs within the $3 billion limit has been modified to three years original maturity.Maturity restrictions for first time foreign investors on dated G-Secs removed. Removal of rules requiring FIIs to hold infrastructure debt for at least one year Definition of Gilt-Edged Securities High-grade bonds that are issued by a government or firm. This type of security originally boasted gilded edges, thus the name. In the case of a firm, a gilt-edged security is a stock or bond issued by a company that has a strong record of consistent earnings and can be relied on to cover dividends and interest.
Reserve Bank eases rules for FII investment in debt

1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Thursday, notified the enhanced limit of investing in government securities (G-Secs) by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and long-term investors by $5 billion to $25 billion from $20 billion.It also hiked the investment limit in corporate bonds by these entities by $5 billion $50 billion from $45 billion. 2. Long-term investors include SEBI-registered sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), multilateral agencies, endowment funds, insurance funds, pension funds and foreign central banks.The RBI also relaxed some investment rules by removing the maturity restrictions for first time foreign investors on dated G-Secs. Earlier it was mandated that the first time foreign investors of G-Secs must buy securities with at least threeyear residual maturity. But such investments will not be allowed in short-term paper like Treasury Bills, the RBI added. 3. Further, the central bank has also restricted foreign investors from buying certificates of deposits and commercial paper. 4. In the total corporate debt limit of $50 billion, the RBI stipulated a sub-limit of $25 billion each for infrastructure and other than infrastructure sector bonds. In addition, qualified foreign investors (QFIs) would continue to be eligible to invest in corporate debt securities (without any lock-in or residual maturity clause) and
24 January 2013 GoM set up to review urea pricing policy

1. The Centre has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM), which will look into the modified new pricing scheme (NPS) III for urea as well as consider earlier proposals for de-regulating the sector. 2. The GoM is likely to be headed by Agriculture Minister SharadPawar. Apart from Mr.Pawar, the GoM is likely to include Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Chemical and Fertilizer Minister M. K. Alagiri and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister VeerappaMoily. 3. Urea is the only fertilizer that remains under full price control. Its current retail price is Rs.5,360 a tonne. The proposal to hike urea prices was made to redress imbalanced use of soil nutrients and reduce governments subsidy burden. Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme for Fertilizers In the context of Nations food security, the declining response of agricultural productivity to increased fertilizer usage in the country and to ensure the balanced application of fertilizers, the Government has introduced the
Antibiotic resistances apocalyptic threat

1. Britains most senior medical adviser has warned MPs that the rise in drug-resistant diseases could trigger a national emergency comparable to a catastrophic terrorist attack, pandemic flu or major coastal flooding. 2. Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, said the threat from infections that are resistant to frontline antibiotics was so serious that the issue should be added to the governments National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies. 3. She described what she called an apocalyptic scenario where people going for simple operations in 20 years time die of routine infections because we have run out of antibiotics.
JTS Institute
13

4. The register was established in 2008 to advise the public and businesses on national emergencies that Britain could face in the next five years. The highest priority risks on the latest register include a deadly flu outbreak, catastrophic terrorist attacks, and major flooding on the scale of 1953, the last occasion on which a national emergency was declared in the U.K. 5. Speaking to MPs on the Commons science and technology committee, Davies said she would ask the Cabinet Office to add antibiotic resistance to the National Risk Register in the light of an annual report on infectious disease she will publish in March. 6. Davies declined to elaborate on the report, but said its publication would coincide with a government strategy to promote more responsible use of antibiotics among doctors and the clinical professions. We need to get our act together in this country, she told the committee. 7. The issue of drug resistance is as old as antibiotics themselves, and arises when drugs knock out susceptible infections, leaving hardier, resilient strains behind. The survivors then multiply, and over time can become unstoppable with frontline medicines. Some of the best known are so-called hospital superbugs such as MRSA. 8. In the past, most people havent worried because weve always had new antibiotics to turn to, said Alan Johnson, consultant clinical scientist at the Health Protection Agency (HPA). What has changed is that the development pipeline is running dry. We dont have new antibiotics that we can rely on in the immediate future or in the longer term. Changes in modern medicine have exacerbated the problem by making patients more susceptible to infections. For example, cancer treatments weaken the immune system, and the use of catheters increases the chances of bugs entering the bloodstream. 9. We are becoming increasingly reliant on antibiotics in a whole range of areas of medicine. If we dont have new antibiotics to deal with the problems of resistance we see, we are going to be in serious trouble, Johnson added. The supply of new antibiotics has dried up for several reasons, but a major one is that drugs companies see greater profits in medicines that treat chronic conditions, such as heart disease, which patients must take for years or even decades. There is a broken market model for making new antibiotics, Davies told the MPs. 10. She has met senior officials at the World Health Organisation and her counterparts in other countries to develop a strategy to tackle antibiotic resistance globally. Powerful drugs losing efficacy 1. Drug resistance is emerging in diseases across the board. Davies said 80 per cent of gonorrhea was now resistant to the frontline antibiotic tetracycline, and infections were rising in young and middle-aged people. Multi-drug resistant TB was also a major threat, she said. 2. Another worrying trend is the rise in infections that are resistant to powerful antibiotics called carbapenems, which doctors rely on to tackle the most serious infections. Resistant bugs carry a gene variant that allows them to destroy the drug. What concerns some scientists is that the gene variant can spread freely between different kinds of bacteria, said Johnson.Bacteria resistant to carbapenems were first detected in the U.K. in 2003, when three cases were reported. The numbers remained low until 2007, but have since leapt to 333 in 2010, with 217 cases in the first six months of 2011, according to the latest figures from the HPA. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2013 2012-13 for his research. From the infected monkeys that serve as its hosts, this parasite gets transmitted to humans through the Leucosphyrus group of Anopheles mosquitoes that serve as vectors, Mr. Das said.Till date there has been no confirmatory report about any Plasmodium Knowlesi infection in the mainland. It is likely that the parasite migrated to the islands from neighbouring south-east Asian countries, which have similar flora and fauna.Poachers from Thailand and Indonesia are said to secretly visit the islands. Probably this new malaria-causing parasite has been introduced to Indian islands through poachers, Mr. Das said.
Verma report for parliamentary panel

The Union government is planning to send the Justice Verma Committee report to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs for consideration even as Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Thursday hinted that it would not be possible to implement all recommendations, particularly on review of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and disqualification of tainted lawmakers. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was studying the report and whatever fresh recommendations were found, would be flagged and forwarded to the parliamentary committee, a senior government official said. Notably, the committee, headed by the former Chief Justice of India, J.S. Verma, has recommended harsher punishment for rape convicts besides bringing stalking, marital rape and other women related issues within the purview of criminal law. According to government sources, many of the recommendations given by the three-member committee on Amendments to Criminal Law had been incorporated in the Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2012, which was introduced in Parliament during the winter session. The MHA has set no time frame to introduce the proposed amendments in Parliament as suggested by the panel, they said.
Malaria-causing parasite found in Andamans

Researchers have located a new malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium Knowlesi for the first time in humans in India. A team of researchers, consisting of Manoj Kumar Das of the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), Shiv S. Singh of G.B. Pant Hospital, Port Blair, Rupesh K. Tyagi and Yagya D. Sharma of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), have made this discovery. They located the plasmodium in tribal people in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Mr. Das, during his visit to the city, said monkeys, especially crabeating ones found in the islands, served as hosts for this parasite. Mr. Das, who has spent 16 years of research as officer-in-charge of the field unit of the malaria research centre in the Car Nicobar island, received the ICMR award for senior bio-medical scientists for the year
Justice verma report reccomendations:

1. The equality of women, being integral to the Constitution, its
JTS Institute
14

denial is a sacrilege and a constitutional violation. Sustained constitutional violations mean that governance is not in accordance with the Constitution. A fortiori, all limbs of the State - the executive, the legislature as well as the judiciary -must respect womens rights and must treat them in a non-discriminatorymanner. 2. As a primary recommendation, all marriages in India(irrespective of the personal laws under which such marriages are solemnised) should mandatorily be registered in the presence of a magistrate, which magistrate will ensure that the marriage has been solemnised without any demand for dowry having been made and that the marriage has taken place with the full and free consent of both partners. 3. The manner in which the rights of women can be recognised can only be manifested when they have full access to justice and when the rule of law can be upheld in their favour. The proposed Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2012, should be modified as suggested, and to secure public confidence, be promulgated forthwith. Since the possibility of sexual assault on men, as well as homosexual, transgender and transsexual rape, is a reality the provisions have to be cognizant of the same. 4. In respect of certain categories of cases, such as those where the victim is in custody of persons in authority including police and armed personnel, certain statutory presumptions must apply under Section 114A of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Every complaint of rape must be registered by the police and civil society should perform its duty to report any case of rape coming to its knowledge. 5. Any officer, who fails to register a case of rape reported to him, or attempts to abort its investigation, commits an offence which shall be punishable as prescribed. We have also taken into account offences of eve teasing, voyeurism, stalking as well as sexual assault and unsolicited sexual contact. 6. A special procedure for protecting persons with disabilities from rape, and requisite procedures for access to justice for such personsis also an urgent need. Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which are necessary, have been suggested. 7. The protocols for medical examination of victims of sexual assaulthave also been suggested, which we have prepared on the basis of the best practices as advised by global experts in the fields of gynaecology and psychology. Such protocol based, professional medical examination is imperative for uniform practice and implementation. 8. The insensitivity of the police to deal with rape victims is well known. The police respect a patriarchal form of society, and have been unable to deal with extraordinary cases of humiliation and hardship caused by the khappanchayats, as is evident from various judgments of the Supreme Court. The police are involved in trafficking of children (including female children) and in drug trade. To inspire public confidence, it is necessary that there must not only be prompt implementation of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh case, but also police officers with reputations of outstanding ability and character must be placed at the higher levels of the police force. In the present context, and in view of the facts revealed to us, it is necessary that every police commissioner and director general of police of this country must be selected in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singhs case, who can lead by example. The leader makes all the difference. As such, all existing appointments need to be reviewed to ensure that the police force has the requisite moral vision. 9. It is settled law that every policeman is bound to obey the law and any order of a superior officer, which is contrary to law, is no defence for his illegal action, which may be a punishable offence. Accordingly, any political interference or extraneous influence in the performance of the statutory duty by a policeman cannot be condoned.This principle has to be clearly understood by every member of the police force their accountability is only to the law and to none else in the discharge of their duty. Dereliction of this duty has to be punished according to the service rules and applicable law. 10. Authentic figures of missing children in India are not available for obvious reasons of the complicity of law enforcement agencies. Children have been driven into forced labour, sex abuse, sexual exploitation as well as made victims of illegal organ trade. Our report includes the testimonies of children (whose identities have been concealed for their safety) to verify facts from their personal experience. As a small gesture, this Committee has (at its own cost) taken necessary steps for proper rehabilitation and education of one of these children, payment of the minimum wages due to the said child, her safe passage and reintegration with her family, psychotherapeutic intervention, and to fulfil her educational aspirations.The Committee expects similar treatment by the State of all such deprived children. 11. Every District Magistrate is responsible for carrying out a census of missing children within his district. Having regard to the apathy shown by the district magistrates and the police in the matter of missing children, evident from advisories issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs as late as on 30th January 2012, this issue needs immediate attention. This is necessary also for the credibility of the political establishment. 12. The judiciary has the primary responsibility of enforcing fundamental rights, through constitutional remedies. The judiciary can take suomotu cognizance of such issues being deeply concerned with them both in the Supreme Court and the High Court. An all India strategy to deal with this issue would be advisable. The Chief Justice of India could be approached to commence appropriate proceedings on the judicial side. The Honble Chief Justice may consider making appropriate orders relating to the issue of missing children to curb the illegal trade of their trafficking etc. Social activists involved in curbing this menace could assist the court in the performance of this task. The question of award of compensation and rehabilitation could also be considered in such cases by the court. 13. Juvenile homes in the country, i.e. child homes, and observation homes, are not being run in a manner consistent with the spirit of the Juvenile Justice Act. To ensure that the constitution of the Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board, the infrastructural facilities in a home, the quality of food, the quality of counselling and psychotherapy required for a child
JTS Institute
15

to wipe out the scars of abuse and deprivation in early childhood and to mainstream him/her in society and to educate him/her fully requires a deeper and profound engagement of the State and civil society. This is the primary duty of the State, which is found wanting. We are shocked to note that so many of these children have been forced into bonded labour and beggary, which is in violation of Article 23 of the Constitution. India should not permit cheap child labour to be an incentive for foreign investment to boost our economy. 14. It is time for the judiciary to step in to discharge the constitutional mandate of enforcing fundamental rights and implementation of the rule of law. In performance of this obligation, the Chief Justice of the High Court in every State could devise the appropriate machinery for administration and supervision of these homes in consultation with experts in the field. For the safety and physical security of children, women, persons with disabilities, inmates of mental homes and widows, monitoring by the judiciary is necessary. The immediate and ultimate guardianship of such persons has to be with the court, founded on the principle of parenspatriae. 15. To augment the police force, there is a need to develop community policing by involving the local gentry, which would also motivate them to perform their duty as citizens. Respectable persons in each locality could also be appointed Special Executive Magistrates under Section 21, Cr.P.C. and invested with powers to deal with the traffic offences and other minor offences. In addition, to assisting the maintenance of law and order in the locality, their presence would inspire greater confidence of safety in the locality. 16. Street lighting everywhere would provide more safety since dark areas are more prone to facilitate crimes. There is great wisdom in the words of the American Judge Louis Brandeis, that Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectant; electric light the most efficient policeman. 17. Street vending should be encouraged to make the bus stops and footpaths safe for communities and pedestrians, in addition to providing street food for the common man. 18. We recommend the creation of a new constitutional authority akin to the Comptroller and Auditor General for education, nondiscrimination, in respect of women and children. the Act? It is very doubtful, legally perhaps. 6. Mr.Vahanvati said he did not want to give off-the-cuff answers. I need time to go into these issues. Justice Lodha told the AG: From your affidavit itself, it appears that minerals and mining lease has to be executed by the State and not by the Centre. It strikes at the root of all allocations. Referring to counsel PrashantBhushans submission that the Coal Secretary had filed an affidavit on how the blocks were decided by a Screening Committee, Justice Lodha observed: This seems to be extra legal.
Coal allocation is none of your business

The right vests with States, Supreme Court tells Centre 1. The Supreme Court on Thursday made it clear to the Centre that it had no power to allocate coal blocks to private companies and sought legal explanation from Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati for making the allotments. 2. A Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and J. Chelameswar told the AG that there was absolutely no power given to the Centre under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. It was vested only with the States. 3. The Bench was hearing a petition filed by a group of prominent citizens and Common Cause, a non-governmental organisation, seeking cancellation of the allocation of captive coal blocks made from 1993 and a probe by a special investigation team. The petitioners included T.S.R. Subramanian, former Cabinet Secretary; N Gopalaswami, former Chief Election Commissioner; Ramaswamy R. Iyer, former Secretary, Government of India; Admiral (retd.) R.H. Tahiliani; SushilTripathi, former Secretary, Government of India; and Admiral (retd.) L. Ramdas. 4. They said that according to the CAGs conservative estimates, the allocation between 2004 and 2010 caused a windfall gain of Rs. 1.86 lakh crore to private companies, making it a bigger scandal than the 2G scam. There was a related loss to the public exchequer. Various political and commercial vested interests joined forces to block competitive bidding [auction].A petition by advocate M.L. Sharma was tagged with this plea. 5. The Bench wanted to know from the AG whether the Centre derived any power to allocate coal blocks to private companies under the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act. Justice Lodha told Mr.Vahanvati: You are required to give a lot of legal explanation. The question is: does the Centre have power under the MMDR Act and does it have the power to undermine the entire statutory mechanism? Can you override the statutory provisions of
25 January 2013 Norms revised for offer for sale mechanism

1. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on Friday, revised the offer for sale (OFS) mechanism as the deadline is approaching for the promoters of listed companies to offload their stake to meet the minimum public shareholding norm of 25 per cent by June 2013. 2. Based on past experience of sale of shares through OFS, the mechanism of OFS has been found to be useful by market participants and popular for offloading shares of promoters in listed companies in order to achieve minimum public shareholding, said SEBI in a circular to all sock exchanges. 3. The revised norms would be more economical, efficient and transparent, it added. 4. The cumulative bid quantity will be made available online to the market throughout the trading session at specific intervals in respect of orders with 100 per cent upfront margin and separately in respect of orders placed without any upfront margin. 5. The indicative price shall be disclosed to the market throughout the trading session. This is also calculated based on all valid bid / orders. 6. Institutional investors have an option to pay either upfront 100 per cent margin in cash or without margin. However, non-institutional investors have to pay 100 per cent upfront margin in cash. 7. Orders with 100 per cent margin paid upfront by institutional investors and non-institutional investors can be modified or
JTS Institute
16

cancelled at any time during trading hours. Orders without paying upfront margin by institutional investors can not be modified or cancelled except make upward revision in the price or quantity. Institutional investors who placed orders / bids with 100 per cent margin upfront, custodian confirmation would be within trading hours and settlement shall take place on T+1 (trading plus one day) and without upfront margin it will be on T+1 and settlement will be on T+2 as it is now followed in secondary market transactions. 8. The extended half-an-hour time after trading hours given to the custodians earlier has been done away with. it out along with sewage, burdening the system. More important, the precious water is lost. In contrast, countries such as Japan extensively recycle water and successfully tide over their water deficit. Through a combination of strategies involving small treatment plants and closed loop water supply at building level, Japan reuses more than 53 million litres of water every day. In addition, innovative bathroom fixtures conduct used sink water directly to the flush tank of the toilet and save about 22,000 gallons every year. Recycling needs changes to plumbing arrangements in a building, but it is not hard to implement or monitor. What is missing is the will and regulatory framework. Cities such as Nanded have amended their building rules to make wastewater treatment in large buildings compulsory, but such provisions are present more on paper than in practice. If policymakers are serious about increasing water use efficiency through recycling a goal set by the National Water Mission buildings should be compelled to meet most of their non-potable water requirement through grey water reuse. the statute or amended or repealed. Cutting down delays 5. Another area that needed urgent attention would be amendments to the civil procedure code to cut down procedural delays, viz whether appeals could be cut down. He suggested that instead of legislation, the Supreme Court, after discussion with various stakeholders, could come out with guidelines on cutting down delays on account of arguments. 6. Asked about the Law Commissions earlier report on rape laws and the Justice Verma Committees report, he said he would look into both reports. A large number of issues were pending with the Commission and would be examined. 7. On the government not acting on the Law Commissions report, he said the Supreme Court had been using these reports in judgments and I am sure these reports will get the attention they deserve. Godhra cases 8. Justice Jain, heading a threemember Bench, monitored the Special Investigation Team probe into the Godhra and post-Godhra cases in Gujarat and the Gulberg Society case in which the court directed the Ahmedabad magistrate to decide on the closure report. Last week, the magistrate was restrained from pronouncing final orders on the report. 9. Justice Jain was heading the Benches on sensitive Mullaperiyar and Cauvery disputes cases. Election commission of India: A Constitutional Body India is a Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic and the largest democracy in the World. The modern Indian nation state came into existence on 15th of August 1947. Since then free and fair elections have been held at regular intervals as per the principles enshrined in the Constitution, Electoral Laws and System. The Constitution of India has vested in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for conduct of elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India. Election Commission of India is a permanent Constitutional Body.
Recycle grey water

1. UN-Habitat has commenced a new global consultation to reiterate the crucial role of wastewater management in the water cycle and explore policy options for a sustainable future. These consultations have also become necessary to set a future goal for water use, particularly for the years following 2015, which is the target year for the Millennium Development Goals. For India a severely water-stressed region this offers an opportunity to reflect on its policies and draw lessons from best practices across the world. The core challenge facing the country is the yawning gap between demand for water and the severely constrained supply. From 813 billion cubic metres the figure for 2010 demand is set to reach 1,093 BCM by 2025. Conventional resources alone cannot meet this steep increase. There is a pressing need to explore alternative sources. In this context, policymakers have done well to promote water harvesting to improve supply. But they have utterly failed when it comes to reusing water. Industrial scale recycling would help, but it could be expensive. On the other hand, the often overlooked building level reuse of grey water wastewater from kitchen sinks, showers and laundry fixtures is a more effective strategy to pursue. 2. According to a Centre for Science and Environment estimate in 2011, kitchen use, shower and laundry consume more than 70 per cent of the 920 litres of water supplied per household per day. Building systems seldom trap this wastewater for non-potable use such as toilet flushing, fire fighting and gardening. Instead, they drain
Immediate priority to poll reforms, says new Law Commission chief Jain
1. Justice D.K. Jain, retired judge of the Supreme Court, took charge as Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India at a brief ceremony here on Friday. 2. He laid down office as judge on the evening of Thursday when he was given a warm farewell by members of the Bar and the Bench at a function held on the Supreme Court lawns. 3. Justice Jain had been a judge of the Supreme Court from April 2006 and during the over six-year tenure he had delivered several landmark judgments and he endeared himself to the members of the Bar. 4. Speaking to The Hindu soon after assuming office as Law Commission Chairman, he said his immediate priority would be to look into electoral reforms, which, the government had asked him to do. In particular, the Commission would look into state funding of elections and preventing criminalisation of politics etc. There were many outdated laws and the Commission, in consultation with other members, would see whether these could be taken out of
JTS Institute
17

The Election Commission was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950. The Commission celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2001. For details, please click here Originally the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. It currently consists of Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. For the first time two additional Commissioners were appointed on 16th October 1989 but they had a very short tenure till 1st January 1990. Later, on 1st October 1993 two additional Election Commissioners were appointed. The concept of multi-member Commission has been in operation since then, with decision making power by majority vote. Appointment & Tenure of Commissioners The President appoints Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. They have tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They enjoy the same status and receive salary and perks as available to Judges of the Supreme Court of India. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through impeachment by Parliament. Transaction of Business The Commission transacts its business by holding regular meetings and also by circulation of papers. All Election Commissioners have equal say in the decision making of the Commission. The Commission, from time to time, delegates some of its executive functions to its officers in its Secretariat. The Setup The Commission has a separate Secretariat at New Delhi, consisting of about 300 officials, in a hierarchical set up. Two or three Deputy Election Commissioners and Director Generals who are the senior most officers in the Secretariat assist the Commission. They are generally appointed from the national civil service of the country and are selected and appointed by the Commission with tenure. Directors, Principal Secretaries, and Secretaries, Under Secretaries and Deputy Directors support the Deputy Election Commissioners and Director Generals in turn. There is functional and territorial distribution of work in the Commission. The work is organised in Divisions, Branches and sections; each of the last mentioned units is in charge of a Section Officer. The main functional divisions are Planning, Judicial, Administration, Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation, SVEEP, Information Systems, Media and Secretariat Co-ordination. The territorial work is distributed among separate units responsible for different Zones into which the 35 constituent States and Union Territories of the country are grouped for convenience of management. At the state level, the election work is supervised, subject to overall superintendence, direction and control of the Commission, by the Chief Electoral Officer of the State, who is appointed by the Commission from amongst senior civil servants proposed by the concerned state government. He is, in most of the States, a full time officer and has a small team of supporting staff. At the district and constituency levels, the District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers, who are assisted by a large number of junior functionaries, perform election work. They all perform their functions relating to elections in addition to their other responsibilities. During election time, however, they are available to the Commission, more or less, on a full time basis. The gigantic task force for conducting a countrywide general election consists of nearly five million polling personnel and civil police forces. This huge election machinery is deemed to be on deputation to the Election Commission and is subject to its control, superintendence and discipline during the election period, extending over a period of one and half to two months. Budget & Expenditure The Secretariat of the Commission has an independent budget, which is finalised directly in consultation between the Commission and the Finance Ministry of the Union Government. The latter generally accepts the recommendations of the Commission for its budgets. The major expenditure on actual conduct of elections is, however, reflected in the budgets of the concerned constituent units of the Union - States and Union Territories. If elections are being held only for the Parliament, the expenditure is borne entirely by the Union Government while for the elections being held only for the State Legislature, the expenditure is borne entirely by the concerned State. In case of simultaneous elections to the Parliament and State Legislature, the expenditure is shared equally between the Union and the State Governments. For Capital equipment, expenditure related to preparation for electoral rolls and the scheme for Electors Identity Cards too, the expenditure is shared equally. Executive Interference Barred In the performance of its functions, Election Commission is insulated from executive interference. It is the Commission which decides the election schedules for the conduct of elections, whether general elections or bye-elections. Again, it is the Commission which decides on the location polling stations, assignment of voters to the polling stations, location of counting centres, arrangements to be made in and around polling stations and counting centres and all allied matters. Political Parties & the Commission Political parties are registered with the Election Commission under the law. The Commission ensures inner party democracy in their functioning by insisting upon them to hold their organizational elections at periodic intervals. Political Parties so registered with it are granted recognition at the State and National levels by the Election Commission on the basis of their poll performance at general elections according to criteria prescribed by it. The Commission, as a part of its quasi-judicial jurisdiction, also settles disputes between the splinter groups of such recognised parties. Election Commission ensures a level playing field for the political parties in election fray, through strict observance by them of a Model Code of Conduct evolved with the consensus of political parties. The Commission holds periodical consultations with the political parties on matters connected with the conduct of elections; compliance of Model Code of Conduct and new measures proposed to be introduced by the Commission on election related matters. Advisory Jurisdiction & QuasiJudicial Functions
JTS Institute
18

Under the Constitution, the Commission also has advisory jurisdiction in the matter of post election disqualification of sitting members of Parliament and State Legislatures. Further, the cases of persons found guilty of corrupt practices at elections which come before the Supreme Court and High Courts are also referred to the Commission for its opinion on the question as to whether such person shall be disqualified and, if so, for what period. The opinion of the Commission in all such matters is binding on the President or, as the case may be, the Governor to whom such opinion is tendered. The Commission has the power to disqualify a candidate who has failed to lodge an account of his election expenses within the time and in the manner prescribed by law. The Commission has also the power for removing or reducing the period of such disqualification as also other disqualification under the law. Judicial Review The decisions of the Commission can be challenged in the High Court and the Supreme Court of the India by appropriate petitions. By long standing convention and several judicial pronouncements, once the actual process of elections has started, the judiciary does not intervene in the actual conduct of the polls. Once the polls are completed and result declared, the Commission cannot review any result on its own. This can only be reviewed through the process of an election petition, which can be filed before the High Court, in respect of elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures. In respect of elections for the offices of the President and Vice President, such petitions can only be filed before the Supreme Court. Media Policy The Commission has a comprehensive policy for the media. It holds regular briefings for the mass media-print and electronic, on a regular basis, at close intervals during the election period and on specific occasions as necessary on other occasions. The representatives of the media are also provided facilities to report on actual conduct of poll and counting. They are allowed entry into polling stations and counting centres on the basis of authority letters issued by the Commission. They include members of both international and national media. The Commission also publishes statistical reports and other documents which are available in the public domain. The library of the Commission is available for research and study to members of the academic fraternity; media representatives and anybody else interested. The Commission has, in cooperation with the state owned media - Doordarshan and All India Radio, taken up a major campaign for awareness of voters. The Prasar Bharti Corporation which manages the national Radio and Television networks, has brought out several innovative and effective short clips for this purpose. Voter Education Voters Participation in the democratic and electoral processes is integral to the successful running of any democracy and the very basis of wholesome democratic elections. Recognising this, Election Commission of India, in 2009, formally adopted Voter Education and Electoral participation as an integral part of its election management. 2009, it was 60.03, 75.87 and 82.68 respectively more candidates got elected to the LokSabha by securing less than 50 per cent of the total votes polled in their constituencies. 4. The conclusion is inescapable that a majority of elected members of the LokSabha in recent years, and even earlier, won on a minority of votes cast in their constituencies. The situation is no better, perhaps worse, in the Assembly Elections with the percentage of the returned candidates on minority of votes cast going above 70 in several cases. 5. When this percentage is considered alongside the average voter turnout, it would suggest that the elected representative may not be, often is not, representative of his/her electoral constituency. Furthermore, this system encourages candidates to focus on securing votes of a segment of the electorate and thereby accentuate or reinforce social divisions based on narrower considerations that derogate from inclusiveness and promote divisive tendencies and social conflict, Mr. Ansari said. 6. The Vice-President also called for a fresh debate on the right to reject (the candidate during the polls by voters). It was argued in terms of the democratic theory, that the right to vote carries with it an obligation to exercise the franchise in favour of a candidate of choice. A corollary of this would be the right to reject if none of the candidates on the list found favour with the voter. Such a conscious rejection would be preferable to abstention from voting. The procedural modality for bringing this about can be worked out on the model of some of the democracies where it is in vogue. 7. Law and Justice Minister Ashwani Kumar said the government remained irrevocably committed to electoral reforms in a major way. First past the voting system: A first-past-the-post (abbreviated FPTP or FPP) election is one that is won by the candidate with more votes than any other(s). It is a common, but not universal, feature of democratic political systems with single-member legislative districts, and generally results over time with a two-party competition.
First past the post not real victory in polls: Ansari

1. Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Friday initiated a fresh debate on electoral reforms by suggesting introduction of the right to reject in the voting system, and discussing the increasing number of candidates winning polls (to the LokSabha/Assemblies) with minority votes getting elected by securing less than 50 per cent of the total votes polled in their constituencies. 2. Addressing a function of the Election Commission, to celebrate the third voters day (to enrol new voters in the country), Mr. Ansari, who is also Chairman of the RajyaSabha, said there was need for taking corrective steps relating to the first-past-the-post system in which the successful candidate wins on the plurality, rather than the majority, of votes cast. 3. Its limitation was evident from factual data. In the first general election in 1952, the percentage of successful candidates who secured less than 50 per cent of the total votes cast in their constituencies was 67.28. This figure went down to 58.09 per cent in the 1957 election. In the general elections held in 1999, 2004, and
Governor may ask Shettar to prove majority in House

Chief Minister JagadishShettar may
JTS Institute
19
be directed by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj to prove his majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly ahead of the joint session of the Legislature provided there is prima facie evidence that the government has been reduced to a minority. Mr. Shettar called on the Governor at the Raj Bhavan on Friday and is said to have conveyed that his government enjoys a majority. Should there be a need, he would prove his majority on the floor of the House. As is customary, the Chief Minister invited the Governor to address the joint session. No directive Meanwhile, the Governor has said that there appears to be a split in the BharatiyaJanata Party, and the relative strength, if required, may have to be established in the Assembly. There is, however, no directive issued by the Raj Bhavan calling upon the Chief Minister to face a vote of confidence. The two Houses of the legislature are scheduled to meet on February 4, and the Chief Minister, who holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the State Budget on February 8. It is evident that the Governor will wait for Speaker K.G. Bopaiah to accept the resignations of the 13 legislators in the Yeddyurappa camp. With the expectation of a trust vote coming into play, the political atmosphere in the State, particularly in the BJP, is surcharged, and efforts are on to shore up numbers. There is also the talk of a Ministry expansion to win over legislators who may be tempted to cross over to the Karnataka JanataPaksha led by B.S. Yeddyurappa. The Governor on Friday accepted the resignations of two Ministers, ShobhaKarandlaje and C.M. Udasi, which were forwarded to him by the Chief Minister. The KJP, which already enjoys the support of 13 legislators, is expected to receive the support of a few more legislators and two more Ministers prior to the commencement of the legislature session. The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have made it clear that they will vote against the government if it comes to a confidence vote. With elections round the corner, they would not like to be seen as aligning with the BJP.
15 January - 21 January 2013 Padma Vibhushan:

The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. It is awarded to recognize exceptional and distinguished service to the nation in any field, including government service.The first recipitants of this award were SatyendraNath Bose, NandLal Bose, Zakir Hussain, BalasahebGangadharKher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, V. K. Krishna Menon in the year 1954
determined government, since the change of guard at the Finance Ministry, has taken some bold decisions. The government expects that the measures announced by it and the central bank will stimulate the economy and reduce fiscal and current account deficits (CAD). 3. Since Mr. Chidambaram took over the Finance Ministry last August, he was able to cheer up the stock market substantially. The benchmark 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) shot up from 17257.38 on August 1, 2012, to 20103.53 on January 25, 2013. In this period, more than $16 billion foreign institutional investor (FII) inflow was recorded. A rate cut by the RBI would provide an essential euphoria in the market. The departure of SubirGokarn, the former Deputy Governor of RBI, who guided the policy rates, has raised expectations of a cut much before the end of the fourth quarter. Dr.Gokarn had always maintained that inflation was a major worry for the central bank as he had said Runaway inflation could be much worse in the long-run. Rate cut hopes 4. Inflation rate, especially the wholesale price index (WPI), is not in the comfortable level of 5-5.5 percent which the central bank was anticipating for a long time. This is at present hovering around a stubbornly high level of 7-7.5 percent. Retail inflation (based on consumer price index) is above 10 per cent. 5. The recent statement of the RBI Governor D. Subbarao that inflation remained too high hit the hopes of a sharp cut of 50 basis points in policy rate, after nine months. 6. The RBIs last rate cut was in April 2012 when it reduced the repo rate by 50 basis points from 8.5 per cent to 8 percent. Meanwhile, the RBI had brought down the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from a high of 6 per cent to 4.25 percent pumping liquidity to the banking system. 7. The repo rate is the rate at which banks borrow funds from the central bank. Cash Reserve Ratio is the portion of deposits banks are required to maintain with the Reserve Bank of India. The RBI had forecast which was unusual and surprised market participants in the second half of monetary policy review in October that there was a reasonable likelihood of further policy easing in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year.
Padma Shri:
Padma Shri (also Padmashree) is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. It is awarded by the Government of India. It is awarded to citizens of India to recognize their distinguished contribution in various spheres of activity including the Arts, Education, Industry, Literature, Science, Sports, Medicine, Social Service and Public Affairs. However it has also been awarded to some distinguished individuals who were not citizens of India and who did contribute in various ways to India
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.
26 January 2013 News Analysis - RBI in a fix as growth concerns rise

1. While inflation and inflationary pressures are major concerns of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), bankers and the market expect a rate cut of 25 basis points to balance growth and inflation as envisaged by the government. 2. The RBI had asked the government to cut subsidies and help fiscal consolidation but coalition politics made the decision-making difficult for the government for some time. Now a
JTS Institute
20

8. The central bank reiterated that in its mid-quarter review in December Inflation patterns and projections provide a basis for reinforcing our October guidance about policy easing in the fourth quarter. The yield of benchmark 10-year Government Securities (GSec) has fallen below 7.9 per cent from above 8 per cent prevailed in mid-December in anticipation of a rate cut. 9. However, the RBI said risks to inflation remained. Even though it said that the policy emphasis shifts towards growth, the policy stance would remain sensitive to two risks: falling growth and rising inflation. 8. ESAs Euclid mission is designed to probe one of the most fundamental questions in modern cosmology, and we welcome NASAs contribution to this important endeavour, the most recent in a long history of cooperation in space science between our two agencies, said Alvaro Gimenez, ESAs Director of Science and Robotic Exploration. 9. In addition, NASA has nominated three US science teams totalling 40 new members for the Euclid Consortium. This is in addition to 14 US scientists already supporting the mission. 10. Euclid will map the dark matter in the universe. Matter as we know it the atoms that make up the human body, for example is a fraction of the total matter in the universe. 11. The rest, about 85 per cent, is dark matter consisting of particles of an unknown type. Dark matter first was postulated in 1932, but still has not been detected directly. 12. It is called dark matter because it does not interact with light. Dark matter interacts with ordinary matter through gravity and binds galaxies together like an invisible glue. 13. While dark matter pulls matter together, dark energy pushes the universe apart at ever-increasing speeds. In terms of the total massenergy content of the universe, dark energy dominates. Even less is known about dark energy than dark matter. 14. Euclids observations will yield the best measurements yet of how the acceleration of the universe has changed over time, providing new clues about the evolution and fate of the cosmos, researchers said. Defence (R&D) and DRDO Director General, said. He said Nirbhay has good loitering capability, good control and guidance, high degree of accuracy in terms of impact and very good stealth features.
Indo-Pak water talks put off

Talks between the Water Secretaries of India and Pakistan, scheduled to begin in Islamabad on January 28, have been put off in the wake of tensions over ceasefire violations along the LoC . The two sides were scheduled to discuss the Tulbul navigation project-Wullar Barrage issue . Tulbul project: The Tulbul Project is a navigation lock-cum-control structure at the mouth of Wular Lake. According to the original Indian plan, the barrage was expected to be of 439 feet (134 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, and would have a maximum storage capacity of 300,000 acre feet (370,000,000 m3) of water. One aim was to regulate the release of water from the natural storage in the lake to maintain a minimum draught of 4.5 feet (1.4 m) in the river up to Baramulla during the lean winter months. The project was conceived in the early 1980s and work began in 1984. There has been an ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the Tulbul Project since 1987, when Pakistan objected that the it violated the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. India stopped work on the project that year, but has since pressed to restart construction. The Jhelum River through the Kashmir valley below Wular Lake provides an important means of transport for goods and people. To sustain navigation throughout the year a minimum depth of water is needed. India contends that this makes development of the Tulbul Project permissible under the treaty, while Pakistan maintains that the project is a violation of the treaty. India says suspension of work is harming the interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir and also depriving the people of Pakistan of irrigation and power benefits that may accrue from regulated water releases.
NASA joins probe to solve dark energy puzzle

1. NASA has teamed up with the European Space Agency to probe one of the most fundamental questions in modern cosmology the existence of dark matter. 2. ESAs Euclid mission, a space telescope designed to investigate the cosmological mysteries of dark matter and dark energy will launch in 2020, NASA said. 3. Euclid will spend six years mapping the locations and measuring the shapes of as many as 2 billion galaxies spread over more than one-third of the sky. 4. It will study the evolution of our universe, and the dark matter and dark energy that influence its evolution in ways that still are poorly understood. 5. The telescope will launch to an orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2 the location where the gravitational pull of two large masses, the Sun and Earth in this case, precisely equals the force required for a small object, such as the Euclid spacecraft, to maintain a relatively stationary position behind Earth as seen from the Sun. 6. NASA is very proud to contribute to ESAs mission to understand one of the greatest science mysteries of our time, said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate, in a statement. 7. NASA and ESA recently signed an agreement outlining NASAs role in the project. The US space agency will contribute 16 state-ofthe-art infrared detectors and four spare detectors for one of two science instruments planned for Euclid.
India to launch sub-sonic missile next month

India would flight test sub-sonic, medium range cruise missile Nirbhay, next month, a key defence official said on Friday. Nirbhay is being developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a Defence Research and Development Organisation lab based here, V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, told a press conference here. This is in the final stage of integration and we expect to launch it next month, Mr.Saraswat, also Secretary in the Department of
Solar cities
1. Fifty-four cities across India have received in-principle approval to be developed as solar cities by the
JTS Institute
21

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The draft Master Plans have been prepared for 28 cities, of which eight have been approved by the Ministry for implementation; the development of projects is in progress in Agra and Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), Thane and KalyanDombivli (Maharashtra), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizawl (Mizoram) and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. 2. An amount of Rs. 19.23 crore has been sanctioned for preparation of Master Plans, solar city cells and promotional activities for 41 cities, out of which Rs. 4.22 crore has been released. Further, an amount of Rs.11.98 crore has been sanctioned for execution of renewable energy projects in five cities, out of which Rs. 3.87 crore has been released. 3. According to New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, the criteria set by the Ministry for the identification of cities include a city population between 50,000 to 50 lakh (with relaxation given to special category States, including the north-eastern States), initiatives and regulatory measures already taken along with a high level of commitment in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. Dr. Abdullah said renewable energy has the potential to be cost effective with advancement in technologies and economies of scale. Power generation from renewable is at present generally more expensive than that from conventional sources. While cost of power generation from wind, biomass and small hydro are comparable with cost of power from conventional sources, solar power may take some more time to achieve grid parity. The total installed capacity of renewable energy-based power in the country is 26,267 MW. A capacity addition of 30,000 MW is proposed from renewable energy during the 12th Plan period. The Ministry is supporting research in various renewable energy technologies for improvement in efficiency, reduction in cost and to develop new applications. Meanwhile, global venture capital (VC) investments in the solar sector have touched a five-year low down by nearly 50 per cent in 2012 to $992 million involving 103 deals compared to $1.9 billion raised from 108 deals in 2011. 4. The slowdown in VC funding can be attributed to the grim prospects for thin-film, concentrating solar and concentrating PV technologies, Mercom Capital Group managing partner Raj Prabhu said. 5. The thin-film companies saw the largest amount of VC funding in 2012, although the total fell by 47 per cent to $314 million compared to almost $600 million in 2011. During the past three years, thinfilm companies have received the most VC funding, with almost $1.5 billion. The diminished funding activity is not a true reflection of the health of the solar sector, because the demand side of global solar installations has continued to grow, Mr.Prabhu added. 6. Corporate merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity in solar industry amounted to $6.7 billion in 52 transactions compared to $4 billion in 65 transactions in 2011. It was a buyers market in 2012 acquirers were targeting distressed companies with the goal of buying technology or equipment on the cheap. More than half the 52 M&A deals in 2012 involved solar manufacturers and equipment makers, he said. 7. VC funding in Q4 2012 came in at $220 million in 27 deals compared to just $72 million in 14 deals in Q3. Twenty-five investors participated in the 27 deals in Q4, and no investor was involved in multiple deals. About 35 solar companies filed for insolvency or bankruptcy protection over the course of 2012. More than 70 per cent of these companies were active in manufacturing and all but a few were based in Europe and the U.S. Thin-film manufacturers accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the bankruptcies.The solar cities project, however, may help to boost investment in the sector. Europes, Merkels persistence appeared to pay off after she met her Brazilian and Argentina counterparts and warned them not to revert to the kind of protectionism of the 1930s that deepened the Great Depression. A tremendous effort has been made to install new momentum into the discussions, the EUs Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told Reuters during the summit. Asked if there had been a breakthrough, he said: I think we have to be careful with that word. Its moving on the political front. Five years after the global financial crisis and with the euro zone in its second recession since 2009, the European Union needs Latin Americas buoyant economies. But it is frustrated by Brazil and Argentinas policies to protect local industry. Both sides have now agreed to exchange offers by the end of the year on how far they are willing to go in opening up sectors ranging from services to agriculture and De Gucht said the European Union will reciprocate Mercosurs offers. We need to have open markets in terms of free trade and not protectionism, Merkel told a meeting of business leaders. History taught us that in the 20s and 30s, she said, flanked by the pro-free trade presidents of Mexico and Chile. Negotiations on a trade pact with Mercosur began in the 1990s and were relaunched in 2010. If successful, the accord would encompass 750 million people and $130 billion of annual trade. But talks have yet to make real progress due to disputes over European farm subsidies and moves by Brazil and Argentina to shield local industry from cheaper, foreign-made imports. In a further complication, Venezuela became a member of the bloc last year. Its president, Hugo Chavez, is an outspoken critic of free trade. In the meantime, Brussels has signed free-trade deals with a number of Latin American countries, including Mexico, Peru and Chile, exposing a split between the free-trade advocates on the Pacific side and the more closed economies, such as Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela, on the other side of the continent. Standing out in orange among other leaders dark suits, Merkel shared a joke with Brazilian
Mercosur to unblock trade talks, hurdles remain

EU leaders won a promise from Argentina and Brazil on Saturday to revive stalled talks on a free-trade deal that would be a major prize for Europe as it emerges from crisis, but disputes over key issues mean a breakthrough appears distant. At a summit in Santiago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the Europeans in a new push in the negotiations with the South American trade bloc Mercosur that is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and Uruguay. In a region whose economies are in markedly better shape than
JTS Institute
22
President DilmaRousseff and Argentinas Cristina Fernandez as about 60 leaders posed for a summit photo. Within Mercosur, those in favor of this agreement have won the battle, said Gianni Pittella, vice president of the European Parliament, which has to approve the EUs trade pacts. LATIN AMERICAS DECADE 1. Europe wants to retain its influence in a region it conquered 500 years ago and where it remains the biggest foreign investor as China steps up its investment in mining and energy. 2. After decades of hyperinflation and financial crises, Latin Americas economic fortunes are now better than Europes. Latin Americas economic output is expected to grow almost 4 percent this year, while the 17-nation euro zone will probably contract. 3. Latin Americas per capita gross domestic product could double by 2030, according to the Inter American Development Bank, meaning Europe will have more potential buyers of its cars, luxury goods, banking services and pharmaceuticals. 4. Gathered at a luxury hotel in a part of the Chilean capital dotted with newly built glass skyscrapers, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos declared it was Latin Americas decade. 5. But differences with Argentina and Brazil represent a new hurdle to a Mercosur deal, one that Germany as Europes top exporter is especially keen to see resolved. 6. Argentinas fiery, left-leaning Fernandez, slapped sweeping controls on imports in February 2012 in a bid to prop up the trade surplus and keep industry competitive as labor costs soar. 7. According to Global Trade Alert, an independent body monitoring commerce, Argentina is the worlds worst offender when it comes to protectionist measures because the policies affect so many industries and sectors all over the world. 8. Neighboring Brazil - Latin Americas largest economy - has also raised import barriers on goods ranging from European steel to powdered milk. In the first 10 months of 2012, Brazil opened 47 trade defense cases, more than double the number in all of 2011.
15 January - 21 January 2013 Voters day

25th January is also the foundation day of the Commission, which came into being on this day in 1950. The Commissions objective through NVD is to increase enrolment of voters, especially of the newly eligible ones, to make universal adult suffrage a complete reality. The National Voters Day is also utilized to spread awareness among voters regarding effective participation in the electoral process.
of integrating K-15 missile with INS Arihant, the indigenously-built nuclear submarine, will begin soon. As many as 12 nucleartipped missiles, each weighing six tonnes will be integrated with Arihant, which will be powered by an 80 MWt (thermal) reactor that uses enriched uranium as fuel and light water as coolant and moderator. India is only the fifth country to have such a missile the other four are the United States, Russia, France and China. Meanwhile the reactor has been integrated with the submarine and it was expected to go critical in May/ June 2013. Once that was done, the harbour trials will begin. Besides Arihant, three other nuclear-powered submarines were being constructed one at Visakhapatnam and two at Vadodara. India is also developing K-4 missile with a range of 3,000 km.
National Communal Harmony Award 2012

The National Communal Harmony Awards were instituted in 1996 by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous organization set up by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, for promoting communal harmony and national integration. The ward has been instituted with a view to demonstrating due appreciation and recognition of the efforts of individuals and organisations for promotion of communal harmony and national integration in a sustained manner over a sufficiently long period of time. In addition to a citation, the award carries a cash prize of Rupees five lakh for the Organisation.
Farmers of the forests

Bangalore to Beijing and Baghdad to Bangkok there will be no husband worth his weight in gold when compared to the hornbill. A bird blessed with immense patience and perseverance in the world of bird brain a definition with which human beings tend to delight in describing other creatures. Taking this into cognisance, recently the Environment Ministry declined a proposal to set up a RADAR installation on a secluded Island in the Andamans thus saving the remaining 300 wild Narcondam Hornbills from extinction. Hornbills are a group of birds distinguished by very large bulky curved beaks. If that is not enough, most Hornbill species have an extra projection known as casque on the upper beak and the precise use of this outcrop has yet not been deciphered by scientists. The utility of such an enormous beak in these birds is intriguing because it is almost half the size of its body. Watching hornbills in the Silent Valley and Periyar Sanctuary of Kerala and in the jungles of Digboi, Kaziranga and Namdapha national parks in the north east, I wondered whether the birds topple forward with their oversized beaks. However, I learnt that the big beak is not as heavy as it looks since it contains perforated spaces to make it lightweight. Perfectly built and suitably streamlined, the beak of the bird is designed to fly like an
27 January 2013 India successfully testfires underwater missile

India on Sunday successfully testfired the underwater ballistic missile, K-15 (code-named B05), off the Visakhapatnam coast, marking en end to a series of developmental trials. In its twelfth flight trial, the 10-metre tall Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) lifted off from a pontoon, rose to an altitude of 20 km and reached a distance of about 700 km as it splashed down in the waters of the Bay of Bengal near the pre-designated target point. According to scientific advisor to the Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat, the missile was tested for its full range of 700 km and the mission met all its objectives. He said the impact accuracy of the medium range strategic missile was in single digit. With the completion of developmental trials, the process
JTS Institute
23

airbus with a nozzle nose in front. The big beak is, however, dexterously deployed to pluck ripened fruits and berries from treetop canopies. Scientists at the San Diego Safari Park, USA, explain that hornbills are the only birds in which the first two neck vertebrae (the axis and atlas) are fused together. This probably provides a stable platform for carrying big beaks with ample agility even while airborne. While most hornbills inhabit thick jungles of the north-east and south-west India, Indian Grey Hornbill, the smallest, is sighted even in Allahabad, Chandigarh and Delhi due to availability of tree canopy. Basically arboreal, all hornbills are sighted in pairs as they tend to be life-long couples. As the birds grow older, their feathers turn black and yellow from grey. The beaks also obtain grey, yellow to orange and all hues in-between as they mature. The most exceptional aspect of all hornbills is that they nest in naturally prefabricated cavity of large trees that are refurbished with love and care. A peculiar characteristic of this bird during nesting is that the female stays inside the nest and is literally imprisoned. The male, assisted by the female from inside, seals the nest entrance leaving only a small opening for feeding the female. By this clever modus operandi, the eggs and hatchlings are protected from possible predators and vagaries of nature as well. The entire process takes about three to four months depending upon specific species. Inside the nest, the female uses its own feathers to line up the nest bottom to cushion the delicate eggs and the chicks as they hatch. All the while, the male feeds the female and the fast growing chicks even as it itself becomes emaciated with the toil. The fresh growth of feathers on the female hornbill corresponds with maturity of the young chicks at which point the nest entrance is broken open and the mother escapes from its captive tree hollow. Now both parents feed the perpetually hungry chicks in the nest until they grow big enough to flutter away to freedom. As hornbills are omnivorous, they feed on fruits, occasionally crunchy insects, lizards; even rodents and small snakes are also relished. Unfortunately, most of the 10 hornbill species in the subcontinent are now endangered due to fragmentation of forests, vanishing woodlands and mushrooming concrete jungles. These birds cannot live and procreate without the help of large trees. While the tree provides space to make a home in its wooden lair, the birds provide bird excreta rejected from the nest serving as manure for the tree. They are also excellent at dispersing seeds from the canopy to various locations propagating forest growth. A perfect example of interaction between two different organisms that is beneficial to both species, hence scientists the world over acknowledge that hornbills as the farmers of the forests. In December last year, a Hornbill Festival was held in Nagaland to enhance the understanding of hornbills through tourism and a variety of cultural activities. The event used rock concerts, motor races, trekking, painting competitions, dance and drama to spread the message of nature conservation and to discourage tribal hunters who use hornbill beaks as decorative headgear for their rituals. The mutual fund houses have already started lining up mutual fund schemes focused on the RGESS. Two state-owned fund houses SBI and IDBI and one private fund house DSP Blackrock have filed draft offer documents for such schemes with the market regulator SEBI, while others may soon follow suit. The scheme was notified by the Department of Revenue, Finance Ministry on November 23 last year.
Internet tax, a flawed idea

A levy will not work as 99.5 % of traffic exchange on the Net happens for free Weve become the bad gatekeepers, lamented Sunil Mittal, CEO, BhartiAirtel. When somebody watches YouTube on a mobile and ends up [with a] big bill, he curses under his breath at telecom operators. But YouTube is consuming a massive amount of resources on our network. Somebodys got to pay for that. What Mittal suggested at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last year, and is gaining rapid popularity with service providers around the world, was an inter-connect charge, an effective Internet tax that would force companies such as Google and Facebook to pay network operators a levy similar to the termination fee that networks pay one another to complete a voice call. This growing clamour for an Internet tax was obliquely backed by the Government at a U.N conference, held last month. The advantages for both telecom operators such as Airtel, and the Government (which too might look to levy a similar tax) are immediate and obvious. Telcos, which dole out huge investment for spectrum and network infrastructure, will be able to get a bigger slice of what goes to companies such as Google. This is exactly the new source of revenue that operators, which are suffering from shrinking revenue and rising costs, have been waiting for. Gated highway If this is put into practice, service providers would be able to essentially prioritize certain types of traffic, and the sending party Facebook, YouTube would have to pay Airtel and BSNL for the privilege of reaching consumers. Its glaringly obvious to see where this idea, where the sending party
Chidambaram to launch RGESS in Mumbai

Aiming to attract first-time stock market investors, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram will launch the much-awaited Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS) in Mumbai on February 9. He (Chidambaram) is going to Mumbai next month and will formally launch the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Scheme there, sources told PTI. The RGESS, which was announced in the Budget for 201213, seeks to provide tax benefits to first-time investors in stock markets. Under the scheme, an individual with an income of less than Rs 10 lakh would get tax incentives for investing up to Rs 50,000 in the stock market. As per the notification issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on the RGESS, there would be a lockin period of one year on investments made under the scheme. For transactions undertaken by investors through their RGESS designated Demat account, depositories would be required to seek necessary transactional details from stock exchanges for enforcing lock-in.
JTS Institute
24

must pay, originates from however. Data inter-connections in the phone world work this way where if Rajesh in America, a customer of AT&T, wanted to call Lata in India, a customer of Airtel, Rajesh would first pay AT&T. AT&T would then pay Airtel a little for their efforts in connecting the call. The principle of allowing the sending party to pay is a good, and natural fit for the way phone networks work. This will not work on the Internet though, for the simple reason that 99.5 percent (OECD statistics) of the exchange of traffic between Internet networks typically happens for free. This method, which is known as the peering system, has benefited both content providers and telcos. It is also what has directly led to the rapid growth of the Internet over the past fifteen years if a telephony inter-connection model would be imposed on the Internet, it would create big problems; for content networks and ISPs would have to use massive resources to bill each other. A customer would also have to think twice before jumping onto Google to make a quick search, lest he rack up his bill too much. Other disadvantages would surface unregulated markets for Internet service have proved to work exceedingly well. Even in places with limited broadband competition, for instance, the amount of bandwidth that consumers get for their money has increased at rates far beyond those of any other industry. Lowest common denominator Having an inter-connection pricing model for a better quality service would also unwittingly create strong incentives for ISPs to let their current service get worse than what it is today. It is similar to how the less-than-average quality of general-compartments on trains has led to the popularity of the more expensive air-conditioned compartments. This tiered- Internet, where one must pay more and more for better service, will only result in the lowest denominator reaching rockbottoma result that will have devastating consequences for a country where its population can hardly afford the basic package. While most of this talk of an Internet tax was mere wishful thinking on the part of telcos, the recent International Telecommunication Union conference in Dubai has shown that the Indian Government is only too willing to jump on board. The conference, which sought to bring the Internet under the framework of the U.N agency, saw a proposal from the Indian Government which said: Member States are free to levy fiscal taxes levied on collection charges for international telecommunication services...in accordance with their national laws. Another section of the proposal stated: Member States should endeavour to take measures to ensure that an adequate return is provided on investments in network infrastructure. If this cannot be achieved through market mechanisms, then other mechanisms may be used. These two statements point to the fact that the Government is indeed eager to cash in on a time when public finances have been stretched thin. The funds collected from this tax could, ostensibly, be used for the development and laying of fibre optic throughout the country, something the Government is planning. Not that easy However, a recent study shows that the sending party pays principle may not result in the growth of Internet-related development infrastructure as it hasnt worked for telecommunication networks. A study from the Mercatus Centre at George Mason University charted international billing rates against four statistics that measure the development of telecommunication networks: fixed telephone lines per 1090 people, mobile subscribers per 100 people, Internet users per 100 people and broadband subscribers per 100 people. The author, Eli Durado, found little correlation between long distance rates and fixed telephone line construction. For the other three variables he found a negative correlation. My results contradict the hypothesis that the ability to charge more for international Internet traffic is all that is needed to build out telecommunications infrastructure in poor countries, Dourado concludes. No chest-thumping High international telephone collection rates have not led to greater build-out and adoption of telecommunications infrastructure in the past two decades. It seems unlikely, therefore, that adopting a sender-pays model for Internet traffic would increase build-out of Internet infrastructure today. Therefore, it becomes clear that the development of the telecommunication/fibre optic network depends on the quality of domestic institutions, rather than collection of external funds which are often misused. The curious part, however, is that there are solutions with far less political implications and make more economic sense. Taxing Internet advertising, for instance, is something that can be done easily and legally. An additional tariff could be placed on the purchasers of ads being shown to Indian residents. This would have nearly the same effect as taxing Internet companies directly, minus the political fuss. Vint Cerf, Vice-President of Google, Special Services and founder of the TCP/IP protocol, feels that the move to tax Internet firms is strongly anticompetitive, and does not bode well for the spread of Googles services in India. I dont deny that if Governments and telcos collect the money, they might do something with it. But for that, I might as well go rob a bank and justify myself, saying, I am robbing the bank and getting this money and doing something good with it. I see this proposal as a gun to the head, he said. If you are building a piece of infrastructure, and we are building applications on top of that theres nothing wrong with your Government and companies building applications to compete with us. But when you oppose network neutrality and inhibit other people from using that pipe it is anti-competitive and it is wrong.
Home-grown GPS Gagan likely by 2014

India will launch this year the first of its series of navigation satellites required to provide regional navigation service, independent of the U.S.-controlled GPS (Global Positioning System), said S. Ramakrishnan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). He said that now we rely on the GPS for the navigation service. Europe, Russia and China were either having or evolving their own navigation services independent of the GPS. The Indian Space Research Organisation too was planning to evolve indigenous navigation service to provide
JTS Institute
25

enhanced and more precise navigation. To provide this service, to be christened Gagan, India needed to launch a number of satellites and the first of this series, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), would be launched by the PSLV C-22 rocket, probably in the second half of this year. After all the required satellites were launched, India would be in a position to provide navigation service through Gagan probably in 2014, Dr.Ramakrishnan added. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an international conference on Bio energy, Environment and Sustainable Technologies (BEST 2013), a fourday event, organised by the Arunai Engineering College here. To a question on Chandrayaan-II, he said the moon mission was getting delayed since Russia, partner of the programme, was completely reviewing the spacecraft design after the failure of its own mars mission. Earlier, delivering the inaugural address at BEST 2013, he said space science was playing a crucial role in surveying and assessing environmental damage like depletion of the ozone layer, shrinking of the polar ice cap and pollution of coastlines. said. The audience comprised trade ministers, diplomats and CEOs who descended here for the annual summit. The RCEP is an ASEAN-led trade agreement, linking the economies of 16 Asia-Pacific countries. The grouping, which includes more than 3 billion people, has a combined GDP of about $17 trillion and accounts for about 40 percent of world trade. Mr. Ansari said the global market place would change with the formation of new trading blocks and enlarged markets and companies must gear themselves to meet the new requirements. Innovation and creativity will play an important role in reviving growth, especially in emerging economies that often struggle with limited resources and dated technology, he said. Restore trajectory He said the challenge before India was to restore as soon as possible the high growth trajectory, along with adequate employment generation, in a sustainable and inclusive manner. This would be the necessary condition for addressing the primary challenges of poverty alleviation and socio-economic development confronting us. As the new economic order emerges and the weight of the global economy moves towards Asia, I invite countries from across the globe to partner with India so that we move together towards a better economic future for all our people, he concluded. Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to contributing banks in proportion to their contribution to the warehousing fund, alleging violation of RBI Interest Rate Directives and also that funds under RIDF could not be used for providing refinance to banks. The RBI reiterated its objections on December 17, 2012 a week after The Hindus expose and advised the NABARD to either refund the entire amount to banks or treat the deposits used for refinancing as our own commercial borrowings from the depositing banks, by paying interest rate at which NABARD raises money from open market through non-SLR and Non-Priority Sector bonds/ debentures for an equivalent tenor of RIDF deposits, the boards minutes note. The RBIs unrelenting stance has forced the NABARD management to change tack. In view of the above, the following proposals are made: NABARD (Warehousing) Refinance Scheme 2011-12 will be withdrawn with retrospective effect in view of the RBI advice. Banks which availed [themselves of] refinance during 2011-12 would be advised either to refund the entire amount drawn by them at the contracted rate (i.e. 8% pa) or carry the entire amount as per the repayment schedule prescribed by us at the prevailing rate of General Refinance (i.e. 10% pa for RRBs/ SCBs/PUCBs and 10.25% for Commercial Banks). Further, NABARD would refund the entire amount of Rs. 759.09 crore drawn under RIDF XVII to the contributing banks with interest as applicable. This implies a loss of Rs. 125.86 crore of losses will be booked by the NABARD in the present financial year. Finally, the management has also decided NABARD (Warehousing) Refinance Scheme 2012-13 would be withdrawn with immediate effect. Chairman, NABARD, PrakashBakshi, did not respond to a detailed questionnaire emailed by The Hinduon January 14, including on whether any enquiry had been initiated to probe the matter. Two loans compared Investigation reveals that under the same scheme, NABARD refinanced Federal Bank at 8% for onward finance to a small entrepreneur Abdul Kareem for a small Rs. 60-lakh loan as well as
G-20 and RCEP will redefine contours of Indian, global economy, says Ansari
Batting for advanced and emerging economies working in tandem to prepare a roadmap for global recovery, Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Sunday said partnerships would redefine the contours of the Indian economy. Delivering the inaugural address at the Global Partnership Summit2013 here, organised by the CII, Mr. Ansari said the emerging economies leveraged each others strengths and comparative advantages to create a new economic world order. Partnerships, such as the G-20, whose member countries account for two-thirds of the worlds population, 90 percent of worlds GDP and 80 per cent of world trade; and the recently launched Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) a group of 16 countries comprising ASEAN member-states and six countries with which they have free trade agreements will redefine the contours of the global economy, he
NABARD scraps controversial scheme for corporate warehousing

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), whose funding of corporate warehousing projects on terms far softer than those offered to poor and often suicidal farmers was highlighted by The Hindu last month, has withdrawn its controversial scheme with retrospective effect under pressure from the Reserve Bank of India. The minutes of a meeting of the sub-committee of the NABARD Board held last month confirm that the RBI had advised the NABARD on September 27, 2012, to refund the amount refinanced to banks in the year 2011-12 with interest at applicable rates under the Rural
JTS Institute
26

for a Rs.100-crore loan to Emmay Logistics of the over $4.5-billion Middle East retail giant EMKE Group (the parent company of the famous Lulu hypermarket chain). However, Federal Bank lent to Emmay Logistics at 10.65% (effective rate after rebate of 1.5% for prompt repayment is only 9.15%), with a grace period of 2 years. EMKE has so far claimed only Rs. 573.30 lakh as refinance. In contrast, Mr. Kareem, the ideal target group for such welfare schemes, was charged 13.22% interest (eventual interest burden of 11.72%) with a grace period of just 6 months on a small Rs.60-lakh loan. In effect, the rate of interest charged is inversely proportional to the amount of loan sanctioned culminating in the powerful Emke Group paying 2.57% less interest than the aamaadmi. The Managing Director, EMKE Group, Yusuf Ali MA, did not respond to questions about its funding or whether the warehouse is used to stock material for the Hypermarket or for some other purpose. While active in supporting rich corporates, the NABARD has been found to be choking the credit flow to farmers throughout the country by systematically withdrawing support to cooperative banks. From its inception, the NABARD was refinancing State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (SCARDBs) by way of contributions to debentures floated by them. Following advice from its freshly appointed consultant the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in September 2011, the NABARD, without prior warning to the State governments or SCARDBs, replaced this with a loan system. The NABARD also insisted on executing a revised guarantee deed as a pre-condition for refinance. According to Chairman, National Cooperative Agriculture & Rural Development Banks Federation Ltd, K. Sivadasan Nair, the NABARD delayed disbursement of refinance to most of the SCARDBs up to 9 months by placing additional conditions throughout the year. Moreover, the NABARD imposed a second audit on the banks to be conducted by chartered accountants empanelled by it in addition to the statutory audit undertaken by the SCARDBs. NABARD has never at any time in the past, ever pointed out any shortcomings in the audits conducted by the CAs empanelled by the States. This second audit results in the doubling of expenditure with Rs. 8 lakh being the lowest rate quoted by CAs empanelled by NABARD and can only be viewed as a deliberate move to delay release of refinance and make these institutions unviable, Mr. Nair told The Hindu. Data bears out this claim. Though the NABARDs refinance business grew 208% over a decade from Rs. 7,418.77 crore to Rs. 15,471.20 crore in 2011-12, the share of commercial banks grew from 16.73% to 54.68%, while the share of SCARDBs declined by from 63% in 2002-3 to 15.86% in 2011-12. and improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers in African countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya, and is crucial to the food security in India. 6. ICRISAT and its partners have once again demonstrated the power of productive partnerships by achieving this breakthrough in legume genomics, says William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT. 7. In the face of the growing global hunger and poverty amid the threat of climate change, the chickpea genome sequence will facilitate the development of superior varieties that will generate more income and help extricate vulnerable dryland communities out of poverty and hunger for good, particularly those in the drylands of Asia and subAfrica for whom ICRISAT and our partners are working, Dr. Dar said. 8. This study will provide not only access to good genes to speed up breeding, but also to genomic regions that will bring genetic diversity back from landraces or wild species to breeding lines, said Dr. Rajeev Varshney, coordinator of ICGSC and Director Center of Excellence in Genomics, ICRISAT. 9. Renowned agricultural scientist and RajyaSabha member M.S. Swaminathan said chickpea occupied a pride of place in the struggle against protein hunger. I am confident that the knowledge provided by this study will help accelerate the improvement of this crop through marker-assisted breeding. AshishBahuguna, Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture, said the development was of great importance to India, the largest producer and consumer of chickpea.
28 January 2013 Genome sequence of 90 chickpea lines decoded

1. In a breakthrough that promises improved grain yields and quality, greater drought and disease resistance and enhanced genetic diversity, a global research team has completed high-quality sequencing of not one but 90 genomes of chickpea. 2. Nature Biotechnology featured the reference genome of the CDC Frontier chickpea variety and genome sequence of 90 cultivated and wild genotypes from 10 different countries as an online publication on January 27. 3. The paper provides a map of the structure and functions of the genes that define the chickpea plant. It also reveals clues on how the sequence can be useful to crop improvement for sustainable and resilient food production. Global partnership 4. The global research partnership, led by the International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based here, succeeded in identifying an estimated 28,269 genes of chickpea after sequencing CDC Frontier, a kabuli (large-seeded) chickpea variety. This will help chickpea farmers become more resilient to emerging challenges brought about by the threat of climate change. The genome map can also be used to harness genetic diversity by broadening the genetic base of cultivated chickpea gene pool. 5. Chickpea is the second largest cultivated grain food legume in the world, grown in about 11.5 million hectares mostly by resource poor farmers in the semi-arid tropics. It contributes to income generation
Foodgrains output may drop

1. After a record run in two consecutive years, foodgrains production is likely to decline this year owing to the deficient southwest monsoon during the 2012-13 kharifseason. This adversely impacted the output of pulses, coarse cereals and oilseeds, with a bearing on their price levels. 2. But what may bring down the overall output is the slightly lower area sown under rabi wheat, rice, coarse cereals and minor oilseeds. The crops that are under stress include minor oilseeds, jowar and bajra, while pulses
JTS Institute
27

remain an area of concern. 3. With rabi sowing complete, the picture has become clearer now and it is expected that against an output of 257.44 million tonnes last year, the country will be lucky if it can reap a harvest of 250 million tonnes this year. 4. Kharif production was lower by 12.6 million tonnes this year. Rabi crops will be harvested in MarchApril. 5. The States that have suffered the most due to rain deficit are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. 6. Rice output will be hit in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh because of water deficiency, while rabi sowing is down in Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh, official sources said. 7. The good news is that the estimate of the highest ever foodgrains production of last year at 257.44 million tonnes may be better by about one per cent in the final estimates that will be released shortly. The loss in kharif output will be lower than the initial estimate of nearly 10 per cent, Agriculture Secretary AshishBahuguna told journalists here on Monday. 8. The last rabi wheat output was an all-time record of 93.9 million tonnes. This year, it may be close to that, he said, adding that the fine weather available for wheat in January-March of 2012 was the best ever in the last 22 years. According to him, the area under rabi wheat this season is 0.4 hectares lower than last year, but higher by 4.1 lakh hectares if the average of the last five years is taken into account. level has to be raised from 132 ft to 136 ft, Kerala says the structure is weak and it has to be replaced with a new one. 4. As tension rose between the two states in December 2011, a twomember technical team of apex court-appointed Empowered Committee visited the site and concluded that recent tremors in that region did not have any impact on the dam and that it was safe. 5. The committee, set up in February 2010 to look into all aspects of the dam, had submitted its report to the apex court in a sealed cover on April 25. 6. The five-member committee headed by former Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand, which had finalised the report, is understood to have examined all aspects of the 119-year-old dam, including its safety. 7. Earlier, the apex court had directed the registry to digitise the 50,000-odd page report so as to enable it to examine it. 8. The Bench is hearing a suit filed by Tamil Nadu questioning the law enacted by Kerala in 2006 to restrict the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam at 136 ft though the Supreme Court had permitted Tamil Nadu to raise the water level up to 142 ft. Concept: The Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Kerala state of India. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (presentday Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation, and a length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dams reservoir. The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but is controlled and operated under a period lease by neighboring Tamil Nadu state. Although the Periyarriver has a total catchment area of 5398 km2 with 114 km2 in Tamil Nadu, the catchment area of the Mullaperiyar dam itself lies entirely in Kerala. The control and safety of the dam and the validity and fairness of the lease agreement have been points of dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu states. Supreme court judgment came in 27 February 2006, allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the level of the dam to 152 ft (46 m) after strengthening it. Responding to it, Mullaperiyar dam was declared an endangered scheduled dam by the Kerala Government under the disputed Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006.
Consensus over key issues of GST

1. States have agreed to the compensation formula suggested by the Centre for their CST (Central Sales Tax) revenue loss for implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), said Sushil Kumar Modi, Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, here on Monday. 2. States will be given 100 per cent compensation of their claims for 2010-11, 75 percent for 2011-12 and 50 percent for 2012-13. The compensation formula has been prepared on the basis of the August 22, 2008, guideline, Mr.Modi said. 3. He said, States are not responsible for the delay in introduction of GST. They have lost heavily on account of gradual cut in the Central Sales Tax (CST). GST was scheduled to be launched on April 1, 2010. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has not given its views on the 115th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2011. Payment schedule 4. According to initial estimates, the total compensation which the States will receive, comes to around Rs.34,000 crore. The provision for CST compensation could be reflected in the forthcoming budget, Mr.Modi said. 5. The Empowered Committee has asked the Centre to prepare a payment schedule. Some States are of the view that they should revert to the earlier 4 per cent CST to make up for the huge losses in case there is a delay in introduction of GST beyond April 1, 2014. 6. States having manufacturing base and mineral export are the worst sufferers. States that have lost more than Rs.1000 crore due to gradual cut in CST include Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Haryana. Critical finances 7. For the year 2010, States had demanded a compensation of
Mullaperiyar dam row: SC final hearing from April 9

1. The final hearing on the legal battle between Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the controversial Mullaperiyar dam will be held from April 9 in the Supreme Court. 2. A five-judge Constitution Bench of justices R.M. Lodha, H.L. Dattu, C.K. Prasad, Madan B. Lokur and M.Y. Eqbal directed both the states to exchange all documents and findings of the expert committee by March 15 and posted the matter for final day-to-day hearing from April 9. 3. There has been tension between the two states over the safety of the dam. While Tamil Nadu contends that the dam is safe and its water
JTS Institute
28

Rs.19,000 crore-, but the Centre could pay only Rs.6,000 crore owing to the critical financial position. 8. Mr.Modi said States would continue to lose even after rolling out of GST. States are afraid of incurring heavy losses in the initial years of the GST regime. We have asked the Centre to evolve a mechanism to compensate States for subsequent five years as was done in the case of value added tax. 9. Mr. Modi said all the States were in favour of introducing GST. The Empowered Committee would discuss the GST design on Tuesday. point and then apportioned, split and routed to the respective heads of account of Central / State / parastatal (a quasi-governmental organisation, corporation, business, or agency) agencies along with generation of challans and MIS (management information systems) reports. why some areas are experiencing warmer winters than predicted by climate models, researchers said. 4. The study found that temperatures in some remote areas increase by as much as 1 degree Celsius. At the same time, the changes to atmospheric circulation caused by the waste heat cool areas of Europe by as much as 1 degree Celsius. 5. The net effect on global mean temperatures is nearly negligible an average increase worldwide of just 0.01 degrees Celsius. This is because the total human-produced waste heat is only about 0.3 per cent of the heat transported across higher latitudes by atmospheric and oceanic circulations. 6. The waste heat is also changing atmospheric circulation,including jet streams - powerful narrow currents of wind that blow from west to east and north to south in the upper atmosphere, LiveScience reported. 7. In the new study, the researchers looked at urban heat, produced directly by transportation, heating and cooling units, and other energy-consuming activities. 8. The burning of fossil fuel not only emits greenhouse gases, but also directly affects temperatures because of heat that escapes from sources like buildings and cars, said study researcher Aixue Hu, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). 9. Although much of this waste heat is concentrated in large cities, it can change atmospheric patterns in a way that raises or lowers temperatures across considerable distances, Hu said. 10. The team studied the energy effect using the NCAR model and ran it with and without the input of human energy consumption, to see whether it could account for largescale regional warming. 11. When man-made energy was included in the model, it led to winter and autumn temperature changes of up to 1 degree Celsius in mid- and high-latitude parts of North America and Eurasia. 12. The energy consumption in highly populated areas can cause changes in wind patterns, and that causes climate change far away from the heating source, said meteorologist and study author Ming Cai of Florida State University.
Forget 3D as 4K TVs are now the latest must-have

1. With the endless upgrades to high definition and screens that could show 3D images it seems it could all have be in vain as the technology is already out of date through the arrival of the 4K picture. 2. The ultra-high quality definition is four times as sharp as standard quality high definition and is close to that viewed only in an Imax cinema. 3. However, for those wishing to view the latest picture in their own living room, they must have plenty of room available for the 84inch screen and plenty of spare cash, the Daily Mail reported. 4. Sony has brought out a model that is more than 7ft wide and can play the new technology. Costing 25,000 pounds, only Harrods in central London currently sells the television. 5. The giant screen can convert ordinary television into 3D, and comes with five pairs of glasses for viewing the pin-sharp images. 6. Even without 3D, the ultra-high definition images are 16 times sharper than those on a normal television. 7. According to experts, the televisions picture is so technologically advanced that few broadcasters can yet take advantage of its full potential.
eBiz portal launched

1. As part of the UPA Governments National eGovernance Plan, the Commerce and Industry Ministry, on Monday, announced the launch of an eBiz portal aimed at providing Government-to-Business (G2B) services for Indias investor and business communities. 2. The portal was launched by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma at the CII Partnership Summit here. The portal was developed by Infosys in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode. Infosys has been selected as the concessionaire/ project implementation partner, and is responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of the eBiz solution. 3. The online single-window concept was visualised to enable businesses and investors to save time and costs and improve the business environment. The project aims to create a business and investor-friendly ecosystem in India by making all business and investment-related regulatory services across Central, State and local governments available on a single portal, thereby obviating the need for an investor or a business to visit multiple offices or a plethora of websites, he said. 4. eBiz will create a 24x7 facility for information and services, and will also offer joined-up services where a single application submitted by a customer, for a number of permissions, clearances, approvals and registrations, will be routed automatically across multiple governmental agencies in a logical manner. 5. An in-built payment gateway will also add value by allowing all payments to be collected at one
City heat affecting temperatures thousands of kilometres away

1. Heat generated by everyday activities in major cities affects temperatures across thousands of kilometres, significantly warming some areas and cooling others, according to a new study. 2. The waste heat generated from buildings, cars, and other sources in major Northern Hemisphere urban areas causes winter warming across large areas of northern North America and northern Asia, US scientists found. 3. The impact on temperatures may explain a climate puzzle of sorts:
JTS Institute
29
st January - 21 January 2013 Issue-3/2013 (15th January to 2115 January)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
15 January 2013 As pollution concerns rise, China pledges emission curbs
Rising public concerns over hazardous pollution triggered by intense smog that blanketed Chinese cities for much of the past week has prompted the government to pledge fresh emission curbs and to suspend work in 58 factories. The Chinese capital has been shrouded under a cloud of smog since Saturday, when pollution readings went off the charts. The readings for PM 2.5 particles airborne particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less which can cause health problems when inhaled soared to a record 993 micrograms per cubic meter on Saturday night. According to the World Health Organisation, a reading above 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups, while the air quality scale index itself has a maximum reading of 500. By Tuesday morning, the smog in the capital had lifted a little, with air readings falling to less than 200. According to the Environmental Performance Index at Yale University, China ranks 116th overall, and 128th when it comes to air pollution. India, however, fares even worse, ranking 125th overall and 132nd on air quality. The official Xinhua news agency went as far as saying in jeopardy are the efforts of the Communist Party of China and government authorities to advance ecological progress and their new promise to build a beautiful China. A country with a brown sky and hazardous air is obviously not beautiful, the commentary said. Concept: Photochemical smog Photochemical smog was first described in the 1950s. It is the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere, which leaves airborne particles and ground-level ozone. This noxious mixture of air pollutants can include the following: 1. Aldehydes 2. Nitrogen oxides, such as nitrogen dioxide 3. Peroxyacyl nitrates 4. Tropospheric ozone 5. Volatile organic compounds All of these chemicals are usually highly reactive and oxidizing. Photochemical smog is therefore considered to be a problem of modern industrialization. It is present in all modern cities, but it is more common in cities with sunny, warm, dry climates and a large number of motor vehicles. Because it travels with the wind, it can affect sparsely populated areas as well. 5. It is quite possible there are other targeted sectors which havent been discovered yet, Kaspersky cautioned. Kaspersky Lab detected the attack in November 2012 thanks to its security network. What makes this campaign different is that it uses the most sophisticated and elaborate modular structure yet with unprecedented number of spy codes, said VitalyKamlyuk of the Kaspersky Lab. 6. The expert believes the attack could have Russian roots, while the bulk of servers the spy network uses are in Germany and Russia. The majority of servers were used as proxies, in order to hide the command server at the core of the operation. 7. The Rocra malware, called Backdoor.Win32.Sputnik, has been stealing data both from computer workstations, removable disk drives and smartphones, including iPhones, Nokia and phones running on Windows mobile. 8. It is capable of regaining control of computers cured of the malware and has even stolen documents encrypted with classified software Acid Cryptofiler used by NATO and the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 2011.
India among key Red October victims

1. India and many other countries across the world have fallen victim to an unprecedented cyber espionage attack uncovered, but not yet neutralised by Russias leading internet security company. 2. Unidentified criminals have been siphoning off secret data from hundreds of computer systems used by government agencies, nuclear, aerospace and military institutions and private companies, in dozens of countries for the past five years, said the Kaspersky Lab in a report released in Moscow. 3. While Russia tops the list of countries with 38 detected infections, India ranks fifth with 14 infections, after Kazakhstan (21); Azerbaijan (15); and Belgium (15). The United States is also on the list with six attacks. 4. Termed Red October or Rocra for short, the cyber spying campaign was launched in 2007 and is still active, the report warned.
Health Ministrys healing touch to non-BPL poor

1. There is something to cheer about for poor people who do not fall under the Below the Poverty Line (BPL) category as the eligibility criterion of annual income to avail themselves of the Health Ministers Discretionary Grant (HMDG) has been raised from Rs.75,000 to 1,00,000, as also an increase in the financial limit for treatment. 2. The Union Ministry has also expanded the list of diseases for treatment of which financial help is given. 3. Under the HMDG scheme, a maximum assistance of Rs. 50,000 was given to the poor and needy as
JTS Institute

part of the expenditure incurred on hospitalisation for major surgical interventions and treatment of major diseases including heart ailments, kidney transplant, hip and knee replacement, cancer, AIDS, hepatitis and tumour. 4. As per the existing guidelines, assistance is granted up to Rs. 20,000 if the cost of treatment is Rs. 50,000; up to Rs. 40,000 if the cost is above Rs. 50,000 and up to Rs. 50,000 if it is above Rs. 1,00,000. 5. As per the new guidelines, approved by Health and Family Welfare Minister GhulamNabi Azad last week, the entitlement will now be Rs. 50,000 if the estimated cost of treatment is Rs. 1,00,000; Rs. 75,000 (above Rs. 1,00,000 and up to 1,50,000) and Rs 1,00,000 (above Rs 1,50,000). 6. The new areas covered under the scheme are urology, nephrology, gastroenterology, liver transplant and surgery for portal hypertension, cases of complicated diabetes which require one-time treatment such as amputation or renal transplant. BPL families are covered under the Rashtriya ArogyaNidhi (RAN), where financial assistance is provided for treating life-threatening diseases and medical aid is received in government hospitals. The financial assistance is released in the form of a one-time grant. nanotechnology, nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, satellite and space technologies, pharmaceutical industry and oil extraction. 4. She invited Indian companies to invest in Vietnams infrastructure development projects such as construction of ports, power generation and steel production. 5. Speaking at the event, Mr. Ansari said that greater awareness needed to be generated about mutually beneficial business opportunities. India is also prepared to continue extending lines of credit on concessional terms, especially for infrastructure development, he said. 6. The MoU signed on Tuesday will focus on developing policy and institutional frame work through exchange of experts for the development of MSMEs and conducting industrial surveys and feasibility studies to identify thrust areas and opportunities for development of MSMEs in Vietnam. 7. Meanwhile, it is understood that direct air services are likely to take off later this year once the legal formalities regarding renewing the air services agreement are finalised. Though an agreement was reached between the two countries in 2011, direct air services have not commenced yet. Answering a question on this, Indias ambassador to Vietnam, Ranjit Rae, pointed out that viability and sustainability of flights need to be considered. OVL and petro Vietnam have a joint venture for oil exploration in Phu Kahn basin oversubscription of up to Rs.8,886 crore. The public issue of tax-free, secured, redeemable, nonconvertible bonds in the nature of debentures will open on January 21 and close on January 29. The face value of each bond is Rs.1,000, and an applicant can apply for a minimum of five bonds. However, there is no upper limit. The bonds have a tenure of 10 years and 15 years and have an interest rate of 7.18 per cent and 7.34 per cent per annum respectively. RATING The bonds, proposed to be issued, have been rated AAA/stable by Crisil, CARE AAA by Care and AAA by ICRA. These ratings are considered to have the highest degree of safety with regard to timely servicing of financial obligation and carry lowest credit risk. We are a zero NPA (nonperforming assets) company and have been growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21 per cent. We buy rolling stocks, including locomotives, coaches and wagons and lease them out to the Indian Railways for 30 years. Our income is the lease rentals from these assets and Indian Railways pays us twice a year and there has never been a default, said Rajiv Datt, Managing Director, IRFC. UTILISATION He said the funds raised through this issue would be utilised towards financing the acquisition of rolling stock which would be leased to the Ministry of Railways in line with the present business initiatives. As per the last Railways budget, IRFC was to finance rolling stocks worth Rs.15,000 crore in financial year 2012-13. The bonds will be listed on the BSE and NSE within 12 working days of the issue closing date. Concept: How do firms determine share price for an IPO? In stock markets, numbers speak louder than words. Whether it is quarterly results of companies or price discovery mechanisms in an initial public offering (IPO), numbers are our trusted signposts. But numbers dont fall from the sky. There are well-known price discovery mechanisms in case of an IPO. Our friend Johnny thinks that one should clearly understand
Expanding trade ties with Vietnam

1. The ongoing visit of Vice-President, Hamid Ansari to Vietnam may be largely ceremonial in nature but the two sides are also using the opportunity to push trade and business ties and indeed the larger bilateral relationship. 2. While a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) was signed between the two countries on Tuesday, the Vietnams Vice-President NguyenThiDoan, made a strong pitch for development of ties in the fields of information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and space research. 3. Speaking at the closing ceremony commemorating 40 years of friendship and 5 years of strategic partnership between the two countries, Ms. Doan said: We believe India will continue to share with Vietnam your valuable experience in information technology, biotechnology,
Tax-free bonds from IRFC

The company has an option to retain oversubscription up to Rs.8,886cr Indian Railway Finance Corporation Ltd (IRFC) is launching a tax-free bond issue to raise Rs.8,886 crore to augment resources for buying rolling stock for the Indian railways. As per Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notification, IRFC has been authorised to issue bonds up to Rs.10,000 crore during 2013 financial year. Out of this, the company had already raised Rs.1,114 crore through private placement of bonds. This trench issue by the company is of bonds aggregating Rs.1,000 crore with an option to retain
JTS Institute

these mechanisms before investing in IPOs. So lets try to understand how the book-building price discovery method is different from the fixed-price method. How is the price discovered during IPOs? Well, discovery of price in an IPO is both a science and an art. The issuer companies have two options for fixing the price. They can either fix the price themselves or they can let the investors determine it. The first method, in which the company itself fixes the price, is known as the fixed-price method and the second, in which investors determine the price, is known as the book-building method. It is important to keep in mind that even in the fixed-price method, the prices are not determined randomly and the company has to disclose all the quantitative and qualitative factors that justify the fixed price. But the fixed-price method has one drawback. It does not take into account investor demand into price discovery. If you want to sell a piece of gold at its intrinsic value but there is no demand in the market, your piece of gold will not be able to fetch that price. Fixed-price issues also face a similar problem. The issuers arrive at the fixed price after taking into consideration the reasonable value of their company but if there is no demand in the market, the shares will fail to generate subscription. In the opposite scenario, if the demand in the market is high, the price fixed by the issuer may not reflect the true market value and the shares may get sold at a low price. To overcome these kinds of problems, issuers use the book-building method. It helps in matching the price of shares with the demand. How does the book-building method work? In the book-building method, the issuers indicate either a floor price or a price band within which the investors can place their bids. For executing the whole process, the issuers appoint the lead merchant banker as a book runner. The book runner appoints syndicate members who collect bids from investors. Both retail and institutional investors can take part in the bid. The bids received from investors are recorded in a book in electronic form. The book runner, in consultation with the issuer company, evaluates the bids and decides the final price, which is also known as the cut-off price. The cut-off price is the price at which the demand for the shares meets the price. In case your bid is below the cut-off price, you will not receive any allotment. However, you can avoid this situation by submitting your bid without indicating any price. You have to simply indicate in your bid that you are ready to accept the offer of shares at whatever cut-off price the company fixes in the book-building process. This option is available only to retail investors and most of them submit their bid at the cut-off price. If all investors start submitting their bid at the cut-off price, the price discovery would become a discovery without surprise. FIPB The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) is a government body that offers a single window clearance for proposals on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India that are not allowed access through the automatic route. FIPB comprises of Secretaries drawn from different ministries with Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, MoF in the chair. This inter-ministerial body examines and discusses proposals for foreign investments in the country for sectors with caps, sources and instruments that require approval under the extant FDI Policy on a regular basis. The Minister of Finance, considers the recommendations of the FIPB on proposals for foreign investment up to 1200 crore. Proposals involving foreign investment of more than 1200 crore require the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). FIPB is mandated to play an important role in the administration and implementation of the Governments FDI policy. It has a strong record of actively encouraging the flow of FDI into the country through speedy and transparent processing of applications, and providing on-line clarification. In case of ambiguity or a conflict of interpretation, the FIPB has always stepped in with an investor-friendly approach. President, ShriPranab Mukherjee today presented Krishi Karman Awards to eight States for their achievements in foodgrains production in 2011-12. Ten States were given commendation awards. Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland received the awards for special contribution to total foodgrains production. Bihar received the award for contribution to production and productivity of rice, Haryana for wheat, Jharkhand for pulses and Uttar Pradesh for coarse cereals. Punjab, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh received commendation awards. The awards were received by Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Manipur and Agriculture Ministers/ Agriculture Secretaries of other States. For the first time one female and one male farmer from the eight award winning States were also given awards for their outstanding performance. Background Krishi Karman Awards were instituted in 2010-11 for recognizing the meritorious efforts of States in foodgrain production. The awards announced now - for 2011-12 - will be presented by the President tomorrow to Chief Ministers or Agriculture Ministers of these States. The awards are given to best performing States in two broad sets, one for the total foodgrain production and the other for individual foodgrain crops of rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals. States for total foodgrains category are further divided into three categories based on total foodgrain production capacity of the State. Award winning States get a trophy, a citation and cash award. The cash award is Rs. 2 crores for total foodgrain production and Rs. 1 crore for each of the four individual crops. Commendation award winners get a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakh. Individual farmers get Rs. one lakh besides a trophy and citation. A selection committee headed by Secretary (Agriculture and Cooperation) assessed the performance of States against criteria that took into account production outcomes, implementation of crop production programs and innovative
President Presents Krishi Karman Awards to States, Farmers for Outstanding Performance in 2011-12
Shri Pawar Reiterates Resolve to Achieve 4% Farm Growth in 12th Plan
JTS Institute

approaches adopted for effective service delivery. Jeevan Raksha Padak Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are given to a person for meritorious act of humane nature in saving the life of a person. The award is given in three categories, namely, Sarvott am Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak. Persons of either sex in all walks of life are eligible for these awards. The award can also be conferred posthumously. The decoration of the award (medal, certificate signed by the Home Minister and demand draft for lump sum monetary allowance) is presented to the awardee in due course by the respective State Government to which the awardee belongs. The lump sum monetary allowance is given at the rate of 1,00,000, Rs.60,000, and Rs. 40,000 to the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padakand Jeevan Raksha Padak awardee respectively. health of the BRICS population. The BRICS Health Ministers resolved to continue cooperation in the sphere of health through the Technical Working Group. 4. The Ministers drew attention to the current global threat of noncommunicable diseases and noted that in 2008, around 80% of all NCD deaths occurred in low and middle income countries. The Ministers recognized the significant role of BRICS countries in the global process of prevention and control of NCDs including the Moscow Declaration of April 2011, the WHA Resolution 64.11 of May 2011 and the Political Declaration of the UN General Assembly of September 2011.The Ministers recognized the need for more research into the social and economic determinants leading to occurrence of non-communicable diseases, amongst the BRICS countries. They resolved to collaborate and cooperate to promote access to comprehensive and cost-effective prevention, treatment and care for the integrated management of noncommunicable diseases, including access to medicines and diagnostics and other technologies. 5. The Ministers also recognized the need to combat mental disorders through a multi-pronged approach including the World Health Assembly Resolution 65.4, consideration of a Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan through sharing of innovations in the field of Mental Health Promotion, diagnosis and management, exchange of best practices and experiences amongst BRICS countries. 6. The Ministers renewed their commitment to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and stressed the importance of research and study by WHO and other stakeholders into the social and economic determinants of tobacco use and its control. 7. The Ministers recognized that multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is a major public health problem for the BRICS countries due to its high prevalence and incidence mostly on the marginalized and vulnerable sections of society. They resolved to collaborate and cooperate for development of capacity and infrastructure to reduce the prevalence and incidence of tuberculosis through innovation for new drugs/vaccines, diagnostics and promotion of consortia of tuberculosis researchers to collaborate on clinical trials of drugs and vaccines, strengthening access to affordable medicines and delivery of quality care. The Ministers also recognized the need to cooperate for adopting and improving systems for notification of tuberculosis patients, availability of anti-tuberculosis drugs at facilities by improving supplier performance, procurement systems and logistics and management of HIV-associated tuberculosis in the primary health care system. 8. The Ministers called for renewed efforts to face the continued challenge posed by HIV. They committed to focus on cooperation in combating HIV/AIDS through approaches such as innovative ways to reach out with prevention services, efficacious drugs and diagnostics, exchange of information on newer treatment regimens, determination of recent infections and HIV-TB co-infections. The Ministers agreed to share experience and expertise in the areas of surveillance, existing and new strategies to prevent the spread of HIV, and in rapid scale up of affordable treatment. They reiterated their commitment to ensure that bilateral and regional trade agreements do not undermine TRIPS flexibilities so as to assure availability of affordable generic ARV drugs to developing countries. 9. The Ministers committed to strengthen cooperation to combat malaria through enhanced diagnostics, research and development and committed to facilitate common access to the technologies developed or under development in the BRICS countries. 10. The Ministers renewed their commitment for effective control of both communicable and noncommunicable diseases through cooperation in sharing of existing resource information, development of risk assessment tools, risk mitigation methods, referral systems, life course approaches, community empowerment, monitoring health impact assessments of all public policies at national and international levels. 11. Recognizing that an effective health surveillance, including injury surveillance, is the key strategy for controlling both communicable and non-communicable diseases, that surveillance is also the
BRICS Delhi Communique on Health Issues

1. The BRICS countries, represented by the Ministers of Health of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, Peoples Republic of China and Republic of South Africa, met in New Delhi on 11 January 2013 at the Second BRICS Health Ministers Meeting. 2. The meeting recalled the Delhi Declaration of 29 March 2012 during the BRICS leaders summit and the Joint Communiqu of the BRICS Health Ministers at Geneva of 22 May 2012 including specific areas of work under the BRICS Health Platform for each Member State, focussed on the theme BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity to address emerging health threats. 3. The Ministers recalled that BRICS is a platform for dialogue and cooperation amongst countries representing 43% of the worlds population. The Ministers reiterated their commitment to the Beijing Declaration of July 2011 for strengthened collaboration in the area of access to public health and services in BRICS States including implementation of affordable, equitable and sustainable solutions for common health challenges. The Ministers committed to strengthen intraBRICS cooperation for promoting
JTS Institute

cornerstone around which the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) is based and further recognizing that the countries may be using different models for surveillance based on different realities and best practices, the Ministers committed to strengthen cooperation in the mechanisms for planning, monitoring and evaluating disease prevention and control activities and capacitybuilding for effective health surveillance systems. 12. The Ministers urged focus on the unique strength of BRICS countries such as capacity for R & D and manufacturing of affordable health products, and capability to conduct clinical trials. The Ministers called for strengthened cooperation in application of biotechnology for health benefits for the population of BRICS countries. 13. The Ministers emphasized the importance of child survival through progressive reduction in the maternal mortality, infant mortality, neo-natal mortality and under-5 mortality, with the aim of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. They confirmed their commitment to a renewed effort in this area and to enhance collaboration through exchange of best practices. 14. The Ministers discussed the recommendations of the Consultative Expert Working Group on Health on coordination and financing of R & D for medical products and welcomed the proposal to establish a Global Health R&D observatory as well as the move on holding regional consultations to set up R&D demonstration projects. The Ministers urged that the entire process, including priority setting, should be driven by WHO Member States and should be based on public health needs, in particular those of developing countries, with the cost of R & D delinked from the final products. 15. The Ministers reiterated their support to the continued discussions on the process of reform of WHO, to better respond to global challenges in programmatic, organizational and operational terms, including the future financing of WHO, and welcomed the proposal to establish a financing dialogue based on priorities collectively set by WHO Member States in a structured and transparent process. 16. The Ministers acknowledged the value and importance of traditional medicine and need of experience and knowledge-sharing for securing public health needs. They urged for cooperation amongst the BRICS countries through visits of experts, organization of symposia to encourage the use of traditional medicine, in all spheres of health. 17. The Ministers confirmed their support for the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on universal health coverage and committed to work nationally, regionally and globally to ensure that universal health coverage is achieved. 18. The Ministers recalled the Beijing Declaration of the 1st BRICS Health Ministers Meeting in 2011, emphasizing the importance and need of technology transfer as a means to empower developing countries. In this context, they underlined the important role of generic medicines in the realization of the right to health. The Ministers renewed their commitment to strengthening international cooperation in health, in particular South-South cooperation, with a view to supporting efforts in developing countries to promote health for all and resolve to establish the BRICS network of technological cooperation. 19. The Ministers acknowledged the need of use of ICT in Health services to promote cost-effective treatment in the remote areas. They encouraged to strengthen cooperation amongst the BRICS countries to share their experiences in e-Health including tele-medicine. 20. The Ministers agreed to cooperate in all international fora regarding matters relating to TRIPS flexibilities with a public health perspective. ManaBiyyam here on Wednesday, all in anticipation of the much awaited boons.The Chief Minister sought the cooperation of FPS dealers for the success of the reforms being brought about in the PDS to check pilferages.
Reaching consensus on GST

Even as Finance Minister P. Chidambaram sought to induce consensus among States on issues that still stand in the way of progress towards implementation of the much delayed Goods and Services Tax (GST), they reiterated their demand for a higher compensation on account of reduction in the Central Sales Tax (CST) from four to two per cent. Alongside, the two committees which were set up one to sort out the CST compensation issue and the other to look into the GST design network are expected to submit their reports to the Centre on January 21. Highlights of New Proposed Goods & Service Tax (GST) 1. The basic principal governing behind GST is to have single Taxation System for Goods and Services across the country. Currently Indian economy has various taxes on Goods and services such as VAT, Service Tax, Excise, Entertainment Tax, Luxury Tax Etc. now in the new Proposal of GST; we will be having only two taxes on all goods and Services as follows: a. State Level GST(SGST) b. Central Level GST (CGST) 2. In case of Central GST, following Taxes will be subsumed with CGST which are at presently levied separately on goods and services by Central government: a. Central Excise Duty b. Additional Excise Duty c. The Excise Duty levied under Medicinal and toiletries preparation Act d. Service Tax e. Additional Custom Duty (CVD) f. Special Additional Duty g. Surcharge h. Education Cess and Secondary and Higher Secondary education Cess 3. In case of State GST, following taxes will be subsumed with SGST; which are priestly levied on goods and services by State Governments: a. VAT/ Sales Tax
16 January 2013 ManaBiyyam (Andhra Pradesh)

1. The formal launch of ManaBiyyam scheme by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to give good quality raw rice to white cardholders at Rs.1 a kg ended with the government getting brickbats from fair price shop (FPS) dealers for its failure to announce promised sops. 2. Thousands of FPS dealers from all over the State, mobilised in special buses, turned up at Lalitha Kala Thoranam, for the launch of
JTS Institute

b. Entertainment Tax (unless it is levied by local bodies) c. Luxury Tax d. Tax on lottery e. State Cess and Surcharge to the extend related to supply of goods and services. 4. The basic principal for subsuming of taxes in GST is provided as follows: a. Those taxes which commences with import / manufacture / production of goods or provision of services at one end and the consumption of goods and services o other end. b. The taxes, levies and fees which are not related to supply of goods & services should not be subsumed under GST. 5. Taxes on items containing alcohol and petroleum product are kept out of GST. They will continue to be taxed as per existing practices. 6. Tax on Tobacco products will be subject to GST. But government can levy the extra Excise duty over and above GST. 7. The Small Taxpayer: The small taxpayers whose gross annual turnover is less than 1.5 Crore are exempted from CGST and SGST. 8. Input Tax Credit (ITC): Taxes Paid against CGST allowed as ITC against CGST. Taxes paid against SGST allowed as ITC against SGST. 9. Cross utilization of ITC between the Central GST and State GST would not be allowed. Exception: Inter State Supply of goods and services. 10. PAN based identification number will be allowed to each taxpayer to have integration of GST with Direct Tax. 11. IGST Model and ITC: a. Center would levy IGST levy ( CGST + SGST) b. The ITC will be allowed in this transaction will be SGST, IGST, CGST as applicable. c. Appropriate provision will be provided for consignment or Stock transfer. 12. GST Rate Structure: a. Two Rate Structure b. A lower rate for necessary items and goods of basic importance c. Standard rate for goods in General d. Special Rate 13. Exports are fully exempted with Zero rates. suggests, could be one way to ensure that graduates acquire the necessary competence and skills. Such a system would naturally be far superior to distance learning courses. The poor performance of teacher-trainees in recruitment examinations is a clear indicator of the failed assembly-line system of training that exists today. It is also important to note that 90 per cent of the pre-service teacher education courses are in the non-government sector and the state needs to play a more active role in improving institutional capacity especially in the East and Northeast.
Training & teacher

1. The failure of the vast majority of candidates in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test is convincing proof that the system of teacher education is in urgent need of repair. In this case, trainees with a B. Ed degree could not pass the examination designed to test their fitness for appointment as teachers in Central government schools, and some Central Board of Secondary Education institutions. The overall system of teacher training in the country has been found wanting for decades and many recommendations have been made by expert panels for improvements. A good critique of what ails the various B. Ed programmes, as well as diplomas in education is to be found in the National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education. Demand for greater numbers of teachers has led to massive quantitative expansion of the number of institutions and courses at various levels in recent years, but without the necessary emphasis on infrastructure, faculty qualification and learning resources. A key point the Framework makes is that state provisioning of elementary education is marked by an attitude of resignation towards the existing system of pre-service and inservice training, which leaves little inspiration for the practitioners to improve. 2. The gamut of issues surrounding teacher education needs a fresh look. The imperative to raise the entry-level qualification for training of teachers from Plus Two, and make it a well-rounded degree programme has been underscored by the NCFTE. It would be worthwhile to invest in a four-year degree programme after senior secondary, or a two-year programme after acquiring a Bachelors degree. The J.S. Verma Commission appointed by the Supreme Court has also highlighted the importance of making teacher education a part of the higher education system to introduce the necessary rigour and exposure to various integral disciplines. It is the poor preparation in both the disciplinary and pedagogical domains that produces trainees who are found wanting. Making it compulsory to have a dedicated school attached to a pre-service teacher education institution, as the Verma panel
Archaeology needs support

The recently inaugurated exhibition Rediscovering India: 1961-2011 in Delhi was a fitting finale to the year-long celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). This exhibition displayed the achievements of ASI in the past five decades. The list is long and impressive: discoveries of existence of Harappan culture in places such as Kalibangan in Rajasthan and Dholavira in Gujarat; excavations at Buddhist sites in Kanaganhali in Karnataka and Boxanagar in Tripura; salvage operations at Nagarjunakonda, Andhra Pradesh, and conservation efforts in Hampi, Karnataka, are some of its remarkable projects. The ASI protects 3,677 monuments and has copied more than 74,000 inscriptions. It has shaped the discipline of archaeology, history and heritage conservation in the country through these significant contributions. Despite all this, the fact remains that the ASI has not institutionally innovated to meet emerging challenges. State apathy and poor financial support have added to its woes. The question is how to continue the good work and secure the past better for the future. Art and culture received only a meagre 0.16 per cent of the total Central Plan of the government in the Eleventh Five-Year plan allocation. As a result, the Ministry of Culture, which the ASI is a part of, received only a fraction of what it needed. This poor funding pattern is unlikely to improve. For the year 2012-13, the government has sanctioned only one-third of the requested Rs. 2,916 crore. Of the scant funds that the ASI receives in turn, less than one per cent is spent on excavations (2011-12). This would neither help expand the investigation of the unexplored historical landscape nor lead to greater investment in
JTS Institute

archaeological science. The casual approach to publication of reports also reflects the declining importance of excavation. Despite the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture reminding the ASI to speed up the publication of 56 pending excavation reports five years ago, progress has been tardy. In 2007, the Working Group on Art and Culture for the Eleventh Five-Year plan recommended that more historical structures should be protected and the ASI should notify every year about 70 unprotected structures as monuments for better care. language and its arguments have no scientific support from wellconducted EMF research. There is a lack of balance in the report; no mention is made in fact of reports that do not concur with authors statements and conclusions. 2. The Committee on Man and Radiation (COMAR) Technical Information Statement stated that BIR has many weaknesses and is a selective, rather than a comprehensive, review of the literature in various topical areas. 3. According to the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection, the report has clear scientific weaknesses including selection bias in several research areas. 4. The Health Council of Netherlands highlighted the fact that [WHOs and ICNIRPs] multidisciplinary weight-of evidence method leads to a scientifically sound judgment that is as objective as possible. 5. The BIR report did not follow this procedure. The Council asserted that (The report) is not an objective and balanced reflection of the current state of scientific knowledge and does not provide any grounds for revising the current views as to the risks of exposure to electromagnetic fields. The Australian Centre for Radiofrequency Bioeffects Research (ACRBR) concurred. 6. This writer received from Dr Mike Repacholi, Chairman-Emeritus, ICNIRP, a list of 95 statements from Governments and expert panels concerning health effects and safe exposure levels of radiofrequency energy (2000-2012). Their conclusions were similar to those of ICNIRP and WHOthat there is no established evidence that EMF exposure within the internationally accepted limits causes any adverse health effects. International guidelines at 4500 mW per sq.metre have a safety factor of 50. Indian guideline at 450 mW per sq.metre has a further safety factor of 10. BIR proposes an additional factor of 900! 7. Though BIR is not based on sound science, cell tower radiation scare mongers selling protective shields and RF measuring instruments (complying with BIR 2007 recommendations) love to uphold BIR values. They can then scare the public further and make hay while the sun shines! cancer registries for the last 20 years, the government has taken the plunge to start a stroke registry at Bangalore National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research. According to Dr. A. Nanda Kumar, the Director of the Centre, registries for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes would be started in the future. It is pertinent to note that chronic diseases like cancer, stroke, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are growing at an alarming rate in India, and the number of people who either die or suffer from morbidity is quite high. Despite knowing that a number of people suffer from stroke, precise information on prevalence and incidence is lacking. The registry has been started with the sole intent of providing this vital information. Objectives The Centre has two major objectives: To generate reliable data on the magnitude and incidence of stroke, and to know the patterns of care in patients with stroke, notes the NCDIR website. These objectives are expected to generate researchable data bases and thereby lay a strong foundation for epidemiological, clinical and control research in stroke. This would be supplemented constantly and steadily. According to a news piece in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), this data could be used to plan and implement future programmes on management, prevention, and rehabilitation and to monitor patterns of care for patients who have had a stroke. It is a challenging task, said Dr. Nanda Kumar. It will take a while before we know the exact prevalence and incidence of stroke. In the absence of such information, he refused to provide even a ballpark figure of the number of stroke patients in India. From January 1, 2013 The registration is only for all newly diagnosed patients with stroke diagnosed on or after January 1, 2013. It is also restricted to those patients who are registered and/or diagnosed/treated in that respective institution/individual specialist. For purposes of calculation of incidence rates, only those patients who are residents of the registry area for at least one year is required, the website notes.
Biased, unscientific report on electromagnetic radiation

The recently released BioInitiative Report 2012 (BIR-2012) on standards for electromagnetic radiation is a perfect clone of a similar report published in 2007. According to many responsible agencies it is biased and unscientific. BIR-2012 claimed that the evidence for risks to health from wireless technologies and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) has substantially increased since 2007. The studies alleged a link between cell phone radiation and brain tumours. Agencies such as the World Health Organization, UK Health Protection Agency and the International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) do not support the conclusions. A self appointed group 1. The BioInitiative Working Group which prepared the report originated as a self appointed group from a mini symposium during the annual meeting of the Bioelectromagnetic Society in 2006 and has no official status. 2. BIR 2012 gave a shot in the arm of anti cell phone tower radiation enthusiasts and sellers of protective screens, and talisman against electromagnetic radiation! 3. Dr David Carpenter and Ms Cindy Sage, the editors of the report clarified that each author is responsible for his/her own chapter in BIR 2012.The views are that of individual authors. It is a very unusual procedure. Critique of BIR 1. Responsible agencies roundly criticized the report. The European Initiative EMF-NET noted that the Summary for the public is written in an alarmist and emotive
After cancer, India starts stroke registry

After its successful operation of
JTS Institute

It has been estimated that the combined annual cost to India of stroke, coronary heart disease, and diabetes will be about $54bn by 2015, about six times the $8.7bn lost through these diseases in 2005, notes BMJ. The modus operandi of collecting stroke data is quite similar to that of cancer, and hence simpler, he said. But what makes it simpler compared with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes? In the case of cancer, microscopic analysis is done, and in the case of stroke MRI [and] or CT is required. Hence hospitalisation or diagnostic requirement is necessary, he said. In the case of cardiovascular diseases or diabetes testing is easy and treatment can be started. The NCDIR is the custodian of a given centres/individuals data. Neither centres or individuals data would be provided to another centre nor access provided, it states. The NCDIRICMR has the obvious strength of clinically neutrality and will act accordingly. Patient identity would be immediately encrypted on data entry. widely due to increased movement of people and goods - including carrier objects such as bamboo plants and used tyres - as well as floods linked to climate change, the United Nations agency said. The viral disease, which affected only a handful of areas in the 1950s, is now present in more than 125 countries - significantly more than malaria, historically the most notorious mosquito-borne disease. The most advanced vaccine against dengue is only 30 percent effective, trials last year showed. In 2012, dengue ranked as the fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease with an epidemic potential in the world, registering a 30-fold increase in disease incidence over the past 50 years, the WHO said in a statement. Late last year, Europes suffered its first sustained outbreak since the 1920s, with 2,000 people infected on the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira. Worldwide, 2 million cases of dengue are reported each year by 100 countries, mainly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, causing 5,000 to 6,000 deaths, said Dr. Raman Velayudhan, a specialist at the WHOs control of neglected tropical diseases department.But the true number is far higher as the disease has spread exponentially and is now present on all continents, he said. The WHO estimates that on average about 50 million cases occur every year. This is a very conservative estimate, Velayudhan told Reuters, adding that some independent studies put the figure at 100 million.Dengue is the most threatening and fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease. It is pandemic-prone, but it is a threat only.Definitely a bigger threat now than ever, he saidMalaria caused more deaths but was on the decline, affecting fewer than 100 countries. SILENT EXPANSION: Speaking to a news briefing after the WHO released a report on 17 neglected tropical diseases affecting 1 billion people, Velayudhan said: The mosquito has silently expanded its distribution. So today you have (the) aedes mosquito in over 150 countries. The threat of dengue exists all across the globe.In Europe, the aedes mosquitoes that cause both dengue and chikungya disease have spread to 18 countries, often via the importation of ornamental bamboo or secondhand tyres, he said.But we are trying to address this in a more systematic way, by controlling entry of vectors at points of entry seaports,airports, as well as the ground crossings, Velayudhan said, noting that it was hard to detect mosquitoes and their eggs.Dengue causes flu-like symptoms that subside in a few days in some sufferers. But the severe form of the disease requires hospitalisation for complications, including severe bleeding, that may be lethal. But researchers said it did show for the first time that a safe vaccine was possible. The WHO also said aims to eliminate globally two neglected tropical diseases, dracunculiasis, known as guinea worm disease, in 2015, and yaws, or treponematoses, in 2020. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by John Stonestreet)
In vitro fertilisation treatment may raise risk of life-threatening blood clots

1. Women who become pregnant through In vitro fertilisation (IVF) may be more likely to develop lifethreatening blood clots, scientists have found in a first-of-its-kind study. 2. The risk rose fivefold in early pregnancy compared with women who conceived naturally, researchers found. IVF is linked to more cases of pulmonary embolism, in which a blood clot causes a blockage in the main artery of the lung, and venous thromboembolism - blood clots which form elsewhere but can break off and become life threatening. 3. The researchers believe doctors should be aware of thedanger, saying the number of cases remains small but blood clots on the lung are a leading cause of death in pregnant women, the Daily Mail reported. 4. They suggest the reason may be a huge rise in oestrogen levels triggered by IVF drugs, with the effect diminishing later in pregnancy. Hormonal drugs are widely used in IVF to stimulate the ovaries, allowing up to 15 eggs to mature and be removed from a womans body at the same time. 5. In the latest study, researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden compared the risk of both pulmonary embolism (PE) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in almost 24,000 women having an IVF pregnancy and 117,000 women having a normal pregnancy.
Arunachal Pradesh voted favourite upcoming tourist destination

Arunachal Pradesh has added another feather to its wings after being voted the Favourite Upcoming Destination by a travel magazine. Tourism Parliamentary Secretary P.D. Sona produced a letter sent by Outlook Traveller president AlokSrivastava to the states tourism secretary SonamChombay. Informing that the outcome was the result of a survey conducted in 2012 by an IPSOS poll of readers through the magazine and its website, he said the survey is an authoritative benchmark of consumer preferences in travel and tourism across 18 categories, including hotels, airlines and holiday destinations.
Dengue is fastest-spreading tropical disease, World Health Organization says

Dengue is the worlds fastestspreading tropical disease and represents a pandemic threat, infecting an estimated 50 million people across all continents, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. Transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes, the disease is occurring more
JTS Institute

Women were matched for age, with an average of 33. The study found the proportion of IVF women diagnosed with VTE was 4.2 in 1,000 compared with 2.5 in 1,000 for those who had a natural pregnancy. 6. The proportional risk for those who had had IVF compared with those who had not was highest in the first three months of pregnancy: 1.5 in 1,000 compared with 0.3. 7. There was no difference in risk before pregnancy or during the year after delivery. Researchers identified 19 women with potentially nlife-threatening artery blockages in the IVF group (a rate of 0.08 per cent) compared with 70 women (a rate of 0.05 percent) having natural pregnancies. 8. The risk in the IVF women was increased during the whole pregnancy and particularly in the first trimester. Absolute risks for pulmonary embolism were low however, with two to three additional cases per 10,000 IVF women, found] the study. Study leader Professor Peter Henriksson said it was not clear why IVF mothers were more at risk, but hormonal drugs were a plausible cause. 9. During the IVF procedure hormonal drugs are given to stimulate the egg follicles to grow more eggs. This increases oestrogen levels in the body between ten and 100-fold and is likely to impact on the coagulation of the blood and increase blood clot formation, he said. It is highest during the first third of pregnancy. would be entitled to decide under paragraph 6 of the Tenth Schedule whether the member concerned had, in fact, incurred disqualification and to pass appropriate orders on his findings. Writing the judgment on an appeal filed by Odisha Speaker, the CJI said: In a case such as this, where all four members elected from the Nationalist Congress Party had changed their allegiance to the Biju Janata Dal, there would be no one to bring the fact to the notice of the Speaker and ask for their disqualification. After the four MLAs crossed over to the BJD, the president of the NCP, Utkar Keshari Parida, who was not an MLA, filed an application to the Speaker seeking their disqualification. As no action was taken on the complaint, he moved the Orissa High Court, which held that the writ petition was maintainable. Dismissing the Speakers appeal against this order, the Supreme Court said: Although disqualified under paragraph 2(1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule, in the absence of any application for disqualification to the Speaker, they [the four MLAs] would continue to function as members of the Assembly, which was not the object sought to be achieved by the 52nd Amendment, by which the Tenth Schedule was introduced in the Constitution. The Bench said: The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, which finally became the Constitution [52 Amendment] Act, 1985, indicated that the evil of political defection had become a matter of national concern and if it was not checked, it could very well undermine the very foundation of our democracy and the principles which sustain the same. In such an event, if the provisions of the Tenth Schedule are interpreted to exclude the right of any person interested to bring to the notice of the Speaker of the House the fact that any or some of its members had incurred disqualification on any of the eventualities indicated in paragraphs 2 and 4 therein, it would render the inclusion of the Tenth Schedule in the Constitution otiose and defeat the objects and intent of the 52nd Amendment. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has slated its first launch of the year ocean study spacecraft SARAL for February 14. It will herald the 8 to 10 missions, including satellites and launch vehicles, which ISRO has planned this year, Flights of the GSLV rocket would be resumed and the first of the navigational spacecraft would be sent up, an ISRO official told The Hindu. Along with the 450-kg Indo-French SARAL, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will put into orbit six small experimental satellites built by western universities for a fee. SARAL would be one of the very few such ocean-centric satellites and a vital cog in studying sea surface heights and other aspects, the official said. It would be similar to ISROs Oceansat-2, but with an altimeter (named Argos here) to measure heights. In October 2012, NASA relied on Oceansat-2 to get finer details of Hurricane Sandy that wreaked havoc on the eastern U.S. SARAL is short for Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa, the two main devices on it which have been provided by French space agency CNES. Besides building the spacecraft, ISRO will launch and operate it through its life. SARAL will come up two months later than the earlier planned fancy date of 12-12-12. The December launch was put off to complete a few tests and validations, the official said. Around April this year, ISRO expects to resume flying the GSLV rocket. The GSLV-D5 will lift the communications satellite GSAT-14 into orbit. ISRO had put the GSLV programme on hold after it suffered two successive failures in April and December 2010. The lapses were analysed and corrections made, the official said. NAVIGATIONAL SATELLITE May will see the first of the national navigational satellites or navsats the IRNSS-1 which will fly on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. IRNSS or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System with its seven satellites is tipped to be Indias own regional Global Positioning System.
17 January 2013 Even non-member can move Speaker for disqualification of defectors, rules SC
Not only an MLA but any interested person is entitled to bring to the notice of the Speaker the fact that a member has incurred disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (antidefection law) and the presiding officer is bound to take action on the complaint, the Supreme Court held on Thursday. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice AltamasKabir and Justices J. Chelameswar and VikaramaitSen said: On receipt of such information, the Speaker
ISRO lines up SARAL for February, restored GSLV for April

SARAL will study sea surface heights and have an altimeter
JTS Institute

We hope to complete the navigation constellation during 2015-16, by following this up with two more navsats in 2014 and the remaining a year later, the official said. For all these launches from the Sriharikota launch centre, we normally need an interval of 45 days between two launches since we have two launch pads, he said. GSAT-7, a dedicated satellite for the Navy, is also set to be launched around May on a European Ariane rocket. Two other larger satellites, INSAT-3D and GSAT-10, will also use procured or foreign launches on separate Ariane vehicles in the second half of this year. its cap. Under the approved formula, the floor price of KG Basin gas determined at a crude price of $25/barrel is $2.50/MMBTU but it rises exponentially to $3.50/MMBTU at a crude price of $26/barrel yielding a 40 percent increase in the price of gas for a 4 per cent increase in the price of crude. In the then relevant range of crude prices between $50/barrel and the cap determined at $60/barrel, the price of gas varies very narrowly between $4.1 and $4.2 per MMBTU. In essence, the approved formula violated international practice to ensure that, under prevailing market conditions, the KG Basin gas receives a price that was well beyond the price at which the same gas was bid out under an international tender or its cost of service. Fortunately, KG basin produces dry gas thereby negating any additional bonanza from natural gas liquids. Suffice it to say that despite the CAGs report, the full extent of the KG Basin scam is far from being completely exposed. The Rangarajan Committee, nevertheless, finds the KG Basin gas price, that also triggered an increase in the gas prices approved for ONGC, not sufficiently remunerative. The above shortfalls, I dare say, are minor oversights when compared to the indefensible formula recommended for determining the well head price of conventional natural gas produced in India. The recommended formula estimates the price by averaging some numbers derived from foreign gas markets even though those numbers neither represent well head price of conventional natural gas anywhere in the world nor reflect the cost of service for producing conventional natural gas in India. In layman terms, the suggested formula establishes the fair price of carrots based on some imputed prices of bananas, apples and oranges. Let me explain this in more detail. As a first step, the Committee recommends estimating, on a monthly basis, what it calls the Average Producer Net Back for Indian Imports for the trailing 12 months by deducting $3 to $4 from the prices paid by India for import of LNG from different sources over the same period. It is recommended that all LNG imports, including spot purchases and term contracts, be included. The $3-$4 number representing current cost estimates of liquefaction, transportation and sweetening natural gas would be updated regularly. Surely, such an exercise would yield a number. What this number represents, though, is anybodys guess. Certainly, it is not the average well head price of conventional natural gas in the countries exporting LNG to India; nor is it relevant to determining fair well head prices for Indian producers of conventional natural gas. Next, the Committee recommends that we estimate, on a monthly basis, something that it calls the Weighted Average Price to Producers in the Global Markets during the trailing 12 months. To calculate this number it uses the Henry Hub spot index as the price for all U.S. gas sales, the NBP spot index of U.K. for all gas sales in every country comprising Europe and the Former Soviet Union and the Average Producer Net Back for all Japanese LNG imports (computed on the same basis as recommended above for India); over the same period. Again, it is recommended that total volume of all gas contracts in the respective jurisdictions be included irrespective of their differences. This exercise too will yield a number but what it represents or its relevance to Indian gas producers is beyond comprehension. Finally, the Committee recommends that the average of the two numbers calculated above, based on hitherto unknown concepts in the global gas markets, be used to compensate producers of conventional natural gas in India. I cannot lay bare all the complexities of the regionally fragmented global gas markets here but let me simply state that natural gas varies widely in its characteristics across different sources and the three regions covered have distinctly different pricing mechanisms for gas. The ownership structures in the industry make it difficult to fathom at what point in the value chain is the profit being booked and how much. Gas contracts vary from spot purchases to long term with widely varying basis for pricing. The structure of the regional gas market and the related gas infrastructure in the relevant jurisdiction impact gas prices significantly. Finally, nonprice elements that are not transparent, geo political considerations and security of supply concerns play an important role in the pricing of gas. The Henry Hub benchmark index is available
Making a mockery of domestic gas pricing

Price sensitivity The report recognises the price sensitivity of gas demand in India, yet, like most government documents, it presents indefensible demand and supply numbers completely independent of gas prices. The report confirms that most Indian natural gas producers are currently guaranteed a well head price of at least $4.2 to $5.25/MMBTU. However, it does not clarify if this is the price for dry or wet gas thereby forgetting the economic value of natural gas liquids extracted by producers before selling the dry gas as feed stock and/or an energy source. More importantly, the report suggests that the above price is not sufficiently remunerative to encourage domestic natural gas production but fails to provide any evidence to support such a conclusion. Can the Committee identify any significant independent conventional gas field in the world that receives or has received this high a well head price for dry natural gas year after year on an arms-length basis? The Committee justifies the formula approved for pricing natural gas from KG Basins D-6 field, overlooking the objections that the then Cabinet Secretary and I had raised against the proposed formula. Here too, the Committee fails to point out that India is the only country in the world that adopted a formula by which the gas price rises exponentially with the price of crude between its floor price and its cap. The rest of the world follows formulae by which such linkage is a linear function, with a more gradual slope between the floor price of gas and
JTS Institute
10

for next day delivery and up to 108 months in the future. Similarly, the more recent NBP benchmark index permits trading of gas as a commodity on spot and longer term basis. However, importantly, the physical trade occurring at the typically quoted Henry Hub or NBP price is minuscule compared to the global trade in gas. Disequilibrium Unlike oil, natural gas does not have a fungible global market thereby exacerbating the above complexity. The resulting disequilibrium is illustrated by the fact that in 2011 the reported average dry gas price per MMBTU at Henry Hub was $4.01 while at NBP it was $9.03 and the Japanese LNG imports averaged $14.73 cif which, based on the Rangarajan Committees definition, would yield an Average Producer Net Back of $10.50 11.50/ MMBTU for Japanese imports. IEA projects that such disequilibrium will continue at least for the coming 10-15 years. Given above market realities and the current state of the gas industry in India, a well regulated cost of service would be the preferred option for determining the well head price of Indian gas. And as the original proponent of price discovery through limited sectoral competition, let me reiterate that, if done properly, it too deserves a far more serious consideration than that given by the Rangarajan Committee. Both these approaches have been successfully implemented in markets at a stage of development similar to India. The diffidence of the Committee in recommending these two approaches perhaps reflects its lack of confidence in Indias governance and regulatory capacity/capability. Recommending a Mickey Mouse formulation as a substitute to improving such governance and regulatory capacity/capability is, however, clearly undesirable. As long as the PMO keeps appointing acceptable babus and academics to such important committees and specialised positions of governance and regulation, it will be the blind leading the blind and we will stumble from one blunder to another under historical myths that pervade Indias energy and other key sectors. This ruling cliques inability to deal with well informed and well intentioned professionals who raise fundamental questions is evident in more arenas than just energy. The forbidden citadel must open its gates to such professionals if India is to move forward. Tuareg militia after all, some in the latters ranks were trained by American troops but France could have facilitated the adoption of preventive measures early on in the crisiss timeline. No such support was forthcoming. In late 2012, the AU and Ecowas made repeated appeals to the council to help deploy the Africanled International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA). In pursuit of their endeavour, African states drew up a Strategic Concept for the Resolution of the Crises in Mali as well a Concept of Operations that dealt with logistics, intelligence gathering, and even issues of internal displacement and humanitarian aid. The Security Council considered this blueprint, along with the U.N. Secretary Generals ground report which highlighted the importance of a political settlement in Mali. As an important and responsible supraregional actor, France could have helped bridge differences among Ecowas members and provide financial assistance as well as training to AFISMA at this stage, as the UNSC urged members to do. Then, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian advertised a hands-off approach, specifically suggesting France would not be directly involved in the intervention. Now, he is contemplating a troop deployment that could reach 2,500 in number. The result The military intervention in Mali is Frances desperate attempt to rejuvenate its waning clout in the Sahel, an area that Paris considers to be within its sphere of influence. Mr.Hollande could have harvested the many chances that came his way to not only engage this crisis, but also promote African-led conflict resolution. France now bombs Mali knowing that its actions will be met with no resistance and maybe even support among other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. African states, playing catch-up, need to support the intervention or struggle to stay relevant in this conflict. The collateral damage from all this remains the same: local or regional armed forces stay illequipped to tackle such crises without training or financial support; U.N. peacekeepers continue to play second fiddle as they are delegated to clean up the trail of destruction left in the wake of this assault; militarised alliances like NATO strengthen
Pushing Africa aside in Mali

French jets are zipping past northern Mali, bombing the region and with it, a participatory framework that had thus far allowed African states to troubleshoot what is first and foremost a regional political crisis. Frances aerial assault and imminent deployment of ground troops is a volte face from its original plan to offer logistical aid to African peacekeepers in Mali. For all of French President Franois Hollandes promises to treat Africa as a partner and friend, his governments military intervention in the Sahel is proof that Franafrique is alive and well. Its monopoly over the rapid deployment of military force allows France to sustain a relationship of dependency with the continent, at a time when governments in North, West and Central Africa are struggling to control armed rebels. In the last few months, the U.N. Security Council had placed Mali at the centre of its agenda, while coopting the concerns and counsel of West African states along the way. Last year, the council adopted Resolutions 2056, 2071 and 2085 each facilitating progressively tough measures to tackle this conflict. The U.N.s efforts, which France has now upended, were aimed at bringing African stakeholders on board. In July 2012, the UNSC emphasised dialogue between various stakeholders in Mali, while acknowledging the sovereign authority of Malis interim government. The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) mediated this dialogue, often interacting with fringe elements such as Ansar Dine, the Islamist group that has now coalesced with other Tuareg outfits in northern Mali. For a regional-led force Negotiating and sustaining an agreement is feasible only if there is a mechanism to enforce its terms. The Ecowas and the African Union (AU) had therefore requested the Security Councils blessings for an African-led stabilisation force in Mali. Where was Frances enthusiasm then to train or provide non-lethal support to this force? No one is suggesting African forces can overrun the
JTS Institute
11

their grip as the worlds policemen. As in the past, the cure to Africas ungovernable malaises will come from foreign shores. Which is another way of saying that there will actually be no cure. If anything, French intervention in Mali is likely to exacerbate regional conflict and strengthen the hands of extremists in the Maghreb. The Tuareg rebels have shown little inclination to surrender. With an increase in civilian casualties, public sentiment towards the already fragile Malian government could turn hostile, only to be cultivated by separatist elements in the northern provinces and extremists elsewhere. If NATOs Libyan intervention spawned armed militants who have now joined their kinsmen in northern Mali, this assault too will have a ripple effect. A vicious cycle has been set in motion. It is no revelation that political violence in Africa comes at the cost of institution-building, without which many states are forced to rely on resource rents. Connect the dots between intervention in a conflict, the ensuing political instability, and the adoption of open door policies in commodity-driven economies, and it is clear who profits most from Africas wars. Vive la France, vive la Franafrique! used for subscribing to the shares being issued by the Central public sector enterprise (CPSE) including public sector banks (PSBs) and public sector insurance companies, on a rights basis so as to ensure that 51 per cent ownership of the government is not diluted. Alongside, the Fund will also be utilised for issuing preferential allotment of shares of the CPSE to promoters as per the Securities and Exchange Board of India SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009, so that government shareholding does not go down below 51 per cent, in all cases where the CPSE is going to raise fresh equity to meet its capital expenditure programme. Fund managers now managing the NIF will stand discharged of their responsibility from the date the funds and the interest income are transferred to the NIF, it said. Set up in 2005, the NIF is being hitherto managed by three fund managers UTI Asset Management Company, SBI Funds Management Company and LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management Company. Essentially, while about 75 per cent of the income from NIF is being used to fund select social sector programmes, the balance amount is utilised to meet the capital investment requirements of profitable PSUs and revival of sick state-owned units. However, following the global meltdown and its impact on the domestic economy, the government, in November, 2009, decided to utilise the disinvestment proceeds only for social sector spending. employee welfare trusts from the secondary market, it has been decided to prohibit the listed entities from framing any employee benefit schemes involving acquisition of own securities from the secondary market, SEBI added. SEBI said that some listed entities have been framing their own employees benefit schemes wherein Trusts have been set up to deal in their own securities in the secondary market, which was not envisaged within the purview of SEBI (ESOS and ESPS) Guidelines 1999. It is apprehended that some entities may frame such schemes with the purpose of dealing in its own securities with the object of inflating, depressing, maintaining or causing fluctuation in the price of the securities by engaging in fraudulent and unfair trade practices, said SEBI in a notification. Such dealing in the companys shares by the Trusts may also raise regulatory concerns regarding compliance with SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to the Securities Market) Regulations, 2003, and SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992, SEBI warned. In respect of those companies, which have already framed and implemented before the date of this circular any employee benefit schemes involving dealing in the securities of the company and are not in accordance with SEBI (ESOS and ESPS) Guidelines, the regulator directed those companies to inform the details of their schemes to the stock exchanges within 30 days from date of this circular. They were also asked to align any existing employee benefit schemes with SEBI (ESOS and ESPS) Guidelines on or before June 30, 2013.
National Investment Fund gets nod to buy PSU shares

Aimed at taking the disinvestment exercise forward at a faster clip, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on Thursday, authorised the National Investment Fund (NIF) to buy shares of public sector undertakings (PSUs), including banks and insurance companies. As per the string of approvals given by the CCEA at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to align the NIF operation to enhance the disinvestment policy, the NIF will also be used to recapitalise public sector banks (PSBs) and state-owned insurance companies. According to an official release here, the disinvestment proceeds with effect from the fiscal year 2013-14 will be credited to the existing public account under the head National Investment Fund (NIF), and they would remain there until withdrawn/invested for the approved purposes. The NIF, the release said, will be
Companies cant trade in ESOS, ESPS shares: SEBI

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has amended its Employee Stock Option Scheme (ESOS) and Employee Stock Purchase Scheme (ESPS) Guidelines, 1999, by prohibiting companies from dealing in their own shares in the secondary market under these schemes, with immediate effect. No ESOS / ESPS shall involve acquisition of securities from the secondary market, said the capital market regulator while adding a new clause in the guidelines. In order to address the concerns over acquisition of shares by
Constitutional amendment must for GTA Act: Centre

The Centre on Thursday informed the Calcutta High Court that a constitutional amendment is essential to validate the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) Act and for which it has asked the West Bengal government to hand over the draft of the Bill. SomnathBasu, representing the Centre, said the constitutional
JTS Institute
12

amendment was required for a technical purpose otherwise there was no illegality in the Act. To which, Justice DipankarDutta asked whether the GTA Act was introduced before amending the Constitution. Bose said yes. SubashGhising, president of Gorkha National Liberation Front and former chairman of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, had filed a writ petition in June 2012, challenging the legal validity of the GTA Act which was passed in the state Assembly in September 2011. The Act paved the way for the formation of the GTA as agreed in the tripartite agreement between the Centre, state and GorkhaJanmuktiMorcha. The case will come up for hearing next week. Fresh petition against teacher hiring drive A petition was moved on Thursday urging the Calcutta High Court to stop the recruitment process initiated by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) by an advertisement issued in December 2011. The written test has been held, although the interview process is yet to start. Several candidates who appeared in the examination challenged the recruitment process on the ground that the WBSSC could not put the candidates, who have not received training, with the trained ones. The petition contended that only BEd candidates could be recruited as per NCTE Act and Right to Education Act. The next hearing is on January 28. standardisation of products, including quality assessment, and the third phase comprises development of technology and infrastructure for web-based mandis facilitating national trading. It is a fairly large pilot aimed at switching an entire State into the model. We are confident of rolling out full-fledged services, primarily aimed at providing better prices to farmers, within a year. Concept: Derivatives A security whose price is dependent upon or derived from one or more underlying assets. The derivative itself is merely a contract between two or more parties. Its value is determined by fluctuations in the underlying asset. The most common underlying assets include stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, interest rates and market indexes. Most derivatives are characterized by high leverage. Futures contracts, forward contracts, options and swaps are the most common types of derivatives. Derivatives are contracts and can be used as an underlying asset. There are even derivatives based on weather data, such as the amount of rain or the number of sunny days in a particular region. Derivatives are generally used as an instrument to hedge risk, but can also be used for speculative purposes. For example, a European investor purchasing shares of an American company off of an American exchange (using U.S. dollars to do so) would be exposed to exchange-rate risk while holding that stock. To hedge this risk, the investor could purchase currency futures to lock in a specified exchange rate for the future stock sale and currency conversion back into Euros. proceedings in view of lack of jurisdiction by any state in India to make its marines stand the murder trial. A Bench of CJI AltamasKabir and Justice J Chelameswara also clarified the bail conditions of the marines, MassimilianoLatorre and Salvatore Girone, who had been released on bail by the Kerala High Court, which lost its jurisdiction following the apex court judgment. The Bench said the two marines will be shifted to Delhi and will be considered to be under the custody of the Supreme Court till the Centre constitutes the special court. It asked them to report to Chanakyapuri police station once every week and directed that their passports be handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Marines Latorre and Girone were part of a military security team aboard cargo ship EnricaLexie when they opened fire on a fishing boat, killing two fishermen. They said they mistook the boat for a pirate craft. They were subsequently charged for murder and a Kerala court initiated their prosecution. In its verdict, the Supreme Court Bench held that Kerala had no jurisdiction to conduct the trial because the incident occurred in the Contiguous Zone. Since the government of India extended the application of the penal laws to the Contiguous Zone that extends up to 24 nautical miles from the baseline only the Centre could take cognizance of, investigate and prosecute persons for any crime, the court said. However, the court also made it clear that its judgment was confined to the limited aspects and that the marines as well as the Italy government will be at liberty to invoke pertinent provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) during the trial. Article 100 of the Convention obligates all countries to cooperate in the repression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any state. Article 97 of the Convention says no penal or disciplinary proceeding can be instituted against the Master or any other person in service of the ship, except before the judicial or administrative authorities, either of the Flag State or of the State of which such person is a national. I am also of the view that till such
18 January 2013 NCDEX in talks with States for mandi modernisation project
The National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) is in active consultation with various States, including Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, for replicating its mandi modernisation project. The exchange is implementing a pilot project in Karnataka, covering 15 major mandis out of the 54 agricultural produce market committees and trading in eight commodities. The first phase of automating the mandis has been completed, and inter-linking them is in progress. The second phase of the project, launched in 2010, involves
India has jurisdiction to try Italian marines, says SC

The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed Indias jurisdiction to try the two Italian marines, accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast in February last year, after underlining that a criminal act cannot be said to be an incident of navigation. It ruled that the two marines will be tried in a special court to be set up by the government after consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI), while dismissing Italys plea to quash all criminal
JTS Institute
13

time as it is proved that the provisions of Article 100 of the UNCLOS apply to the facts of this case, it is the Union of India which has jurisdiction to proceed with the investigation and trial of the petitioners. It is also made clear that nothing in this judgment should come in the way of such reconsideration, if such an application is made, noted the court. Significantly, the Supreme Court order leaves the marines and the Italy government with yet another opportunity to re-agitate the issues relating to the lack of jurisdiction by the Indian courts, now before the special court, which will adjudicate it on the basis of the evidence and other records. However, while authoring a concurrent but separate judgment, Justice Chelameswar held that Article 97 of UNCLOS has no application to the Exclusive Economic Zone, of which the Contiguous Zone is a part, and that is the area relevant, in the context of the incident in question. The judge also the dismissed the contention of the marines that the sovereignty of India did not extend beyond its territorial waters and therefore, the extension of the IPC beyond the Indian territorial waters was impermissible. The marines and the Italy government had moved the SC, saying no court in India had jurisdiction to try them since the incident occurred in international waters. Seeking to get all criminal proceedings quashed in India, Harish Salve, appearing for them, had assured the court they will be properly tried as per the law of Italy for their alleged offences. The Cabinet discussed the report of Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed who has suggested imposition of Presidents Rule while keeping the 82-member state Assembly in suspended animation. The state was placedunder Presidents Rule in 2009 and 2010. The present political instability erupted on January 8 when BJPs ruling coalition partner JMM, in a letter to the governor, formally withdrew its support to the 28-month-old government pushing it into a minority. Munda had resigned the next day and sought dissolution of the state Assembly. Concept: Presidents rule What is Presidents rule? Article 356 of the Constitution of India deals with the failure of the Constitutional machinery of India. In laymans language, this means when the government in a state is not able to function as per the Constitution, the state comes under the direct control of the central government, exercised through the governor. What happens to the legislative assembly? When Presidents rule is imposed, the assembly is either dissolved or kept in suspended animation. How is Presidents rule imposed? After Governor recommended Presidents rule, the decision was taken by the central government. The United Progressive Alliance government in New Delhi, in turn, needed the Presidents assent on imposing Presidents rule. The Constitution says there should not be a gap of more than six months between the end of the last session of the assembly and the start of the new one. Who approves Presidents rule? Parliament needs to approve Presidents rule, which is for a sixmonth period and can be extended, again subject to Parliament approval. In the case of Bihar, with both the Congress and BJP, the two largest parties in the LokSabha, quite keen to approve Presidents rule, Parliamentary approval should not be a problem. Does politics play a part in imposing Presidents rule? It sure does. In fact, to many observers, it is usually a case more of politics and less of Constitutional crises. The complaint against Presidents rule is that the words constitutional crisis have often been interpreted to suit the interests of the ruling party at the Centre, especially if the parties in power at the Centre and in the state were different. When then prime minister Indira Gandhi was in power dismissing state governments run by nonCongress parties almost became government policy. The Justice R S Sarkaria Commission, set up to look into Centre-state relations, had recommended that Presidents rule be imposed only as a last resort. And if recent years have seen a decline in the once common trend of dismissing state governments, it is because regional parties have become powerful at the Centre and thus, national parties can no longer ignore their sentiments. What is the Bommai judgment all about? The judgment, delivered by the Supreme Court on May 11, 1994, defined the use of Article 356 and imposition of Presidents rule. When the then Congress government at the Centre dismissed the S R Bommai government in Karnataka in 1993, Bommai challenged the dismissal. In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court held that a state government could be dismissed only under extenuating circumstances, and laid down guidelines for such a dismissal. Though political parties have flouted the Supreme Court norms, the Bommai case has made dismissing state governments and imposing Presidents rule a little more difficult. How long will Presidents rule continue? Presidents rule is for six months, but can be extended, subject to Parliaments approval. The length of Presidents rule in Bihar depends on the political situation. If any party/alliance can show it has a majority or is in striking distance of such majority, then the governor can invite the party/alliance to form the government and prove its majority, thus ending Presidents rule in the state. If no party/alliance can cobble together majority within the next six months, then the central
Jharkhand brought under Presidents Rule

Ten days after it plunged into political crisis, Jharkhand was on Friday brought under Presidents Rule for the third time since its formation 12 years ago. President Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a visit to Kolkata, signed the proclamation imposing the Central rule in the state which is known for political instability and has seen eight governments since 2000, RashtrapatiBhawan sources said. The Union Cabinet had yesterday recommended imposition of Presidents Rule, where Chief Minister ArjunMunda has resigned after his government was reduced to a minority.
JTS Institute
14

government will have no choice but to extend Presidents rule for another six months and get Parliaments approval for the same. becomes more of an estimate. There is also a generally negative correlation between Gini coefficients and per-capita GDP, because poorer nations tend to have higher index figures. sets of orders cumulative orders/bids with 100 per cent margin and cumulative orders/bids without margin. Concept: Offer for sale route: In February, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) created two new routes for raising public money and diluting promoter shareholding to meet the minimum public shareholding norms before the deadline. The two routesOFS and institutional placement programmes (IPPs)allow all companies to pare the promoter stake through an auction of shares on stock exchanges during normal market hours to comply with minimum public holding norms.
Gini coefficient shows Chinas wealth gap at warning mark

The Gini coefficient, which reflects the wealth gap between rich and poor, was at 0.474 level for China in 2012 well above the warning levels, a report has said. Known as the Gini coefficient, the index has been retreating gradually since hitting a peak of 0.491 in 2008, dropping to 0.49 in 2009, 0.481 in 2010 and 0.477 in 2011, against the warning level of 0.4 set by United Nations, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Ma Jiantang. The index stood at 0.479 in 2003, when the present administration led by Hu Jintao took power in 2003 and gradually climbed up as Chinese economy opened up to private investment and reforms. The Gini coefficient has stayed at a relatively high level of between 0.47 and 0.49 during the past decade, indicating that China must accelerate its income distribution reform to narrow the rich-poor gap, Ma said. Concept: GINI Index A measurement of the income distribution of a countrys residents. This number, which ranges between 0 and 1 and is based on residents net income, helps define the gap between the rich and the poor, with 0 representing perfect equality and 1 representing perfect inequality. The index is named after its developer, CorradoGini, an Italian statistician of the early 20th century. It is typically expressed as a percentage, so a 20 coefficient would be shown as 20%. Dont mistake the measurement of income distribution with the measurement of wealth. A wealthy country and a poor country can have the same Gini coefficient, even if the wealthy country has a relatively equal distribution of affluent residents and the poor country has a relatively equal distribution of cash-strapped residents. The Gini index is only as accurate as the gross domestic product (GDP) and income data that a country produces. Many developing nations do not produce accurate or trusted economic data, so the index
Sebi tweaks OFS norms; abolishes 25% margin requirement

To make it easier for companies to comply with public shareholding norms, Sebi today decided to abolish the 25 per cent margin money requirement for entities bidding through the auction route. The market regulator has also said that indicative prices during Offer for Sale (OFS) or auction route, should be disclosed throughout the trading session. Sebi said these decisions would make the OFS mechanism more economical, efficient and transparent. OFS route is being introduced because many participants have expressed their difficulty in following 25 per cent minimum margin requirement at the bidder stage, he added. Sebi said that institutions may place orders/bids with 100 per cent upfront margin and modification/ cancellation of such orders/bids shall be permitted. Custodian confirmation shall be within the trading hours. However, the settlement of funds and securities shall take place on T+1 (next day after transaction) day, it added. Further, institutions can place orders without upfront margin in line with secondary market practice. However such bids/ orders cannot be modified / cancelled, except upward revision in the price or quantity, Sebi said. Indicative price shall be disclosed to market throughout the trading session. The indicative price shall be calculated based on all bids/ orders, Sebi said. Sebi noted that OFS mechanism has been found to be useful by market participants and popular for offloading shares of promoters in listed companies to achieve minimum public shareholding. Regarding OFS, the regulator said that cumulative bid quantity of 100 per cent margined orders as well as non-margined but noncancellable orders would be made available to the market throughout the trading session. The order book shall display two
Worlds most complex 2D laser beam created

Researchers, including one of Indian origin, have demonstrated the most complex 2-D optical phased array ever that can generate high-resolution beam patterns. The new 2-D optical phased array technology will enable advanced Light Detection And Ranging (LADAR) and other defence applications. LADAR provides a more detailed level of information that can be used for applications such as rapid 3-D mapping. The array, which has dimensions of only 576 micro metre x 576 micro metre, roughly the size of the head of a pin, is composed of 4,096 (64 x 64) nanoantennas integrated onto a silicon chip. Key to this breakthrough was developing a design that is scalable to a large number of nanoantennas, developing new micro-fabrication techniques, and integrating the electronic and photonic components onto a single chip. Integrating all the components of an optical phased array into a miniature 2-D chip configuration may lead to new capabilities for sensing and imaging, said Sanjay Raman, program manager for DARPAs Diverse Accessible Heterogeneous Integration (DAHI) program. By bringing such functionality to a chip-scale form factor, this array can generate high-resolution beam patterns - a caapability that researchers have long tried to create with optical phased arrays. This chip is truly an enabling
JTS Institute
15

technology for a host of systems and may one day revolutionise LADAR in much the same way that ESAs revolutionised RADAR. Beyond LADAR, this chip may have applications for biomedical imaging, 3D holographic displays and ultra-high-data-rate communications, said Raman. Radio frequency (RF) waves travel through the atmosphere, reflect off of a target, and return to the RADAR system to be processed. The amount of time it takes to return correlates to the objects distance. In recent decades, this technology has been revolutionised by electronically scanned arrays (ESAs), which transmit the RF waves in a particular direction without mechanical movement. Each emitter varies its phase and amplitude to form a RADAR beam in a particular direction through constructive and destructive interference with other emitters. Similar to RADAR, laser detection and ranging, or LADAR, scans a field of view to determine distance and other information, but it uses optical beams instead of RF waves. Government of India to connect all education and research institutions in the country and is being implemented by the National Informatics Centre. Currently, NKN has connected over 900 nodes in the country with a dedicated bandwidth of 1Gbps/ 100mbps. The National Innovation Council has been constituted by the Prime Minister, under the Chairmanship of Mr Sam Pitroda, to outline policy recommendations and interventions to boost innovation performance in the country, with a focus on inclusive growth. November, 2005, and the NIF started functioning from October, 2007. As on 31st August 2012 the corpus in the NIF consisted of Rs.1814.45 crore, comprising the disinvestment proceeds of Power Grid Corporation of India and the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited done during 2007-08. This corpus is presently invested through three Public Sector fund managers (SBI, LIC and UTI Mutual Funds).
19 January 2013 Aadhaar-linked DCT for job scheme workers launched

The Aadhaar-linked Direct Cash Transfer (DCT) scheme, under which wages of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) workers are transferred directly to bank accounts, was launched here on Saturday. Job cards of beneficiaries will be linked to the Aadhaar card. A.H. Vishwanath, Mysore MP, launched the programme. No middlemen About 1,64,000 beneficiaries under the MNREGA in the 235 gram panchayats in Mysore would be brought under the purview of the DCT scheme soon, Chief Executive Officer of the zillapanchayat, M.N. Ajay Nagbhushan said. Dr.Nagbhushan stated that if five members of a family were involved in the job scheme, the wages would be transferred to one account. If the beneficiaries demanded that their accounts remain separate that could be done, he said. There were over 50,000 beneficiary accounts in post offices in Mysore district, Dr.Nagbhushan stated. Concept Aadhaar: The UID brand name and logo The brand name of the Unique Identification number (UID) will be Aadhaar. The name and logo for the unique numbers to be issued by the UIDAI have been developed keeping in mind the transformational potential of the program. Together, they communicate the essence and spirit of the UIDAIs mandate to people across the country. The UIDAIs mandate is to issue every resident a unique identification number linked to the
Aligning National Investment Fund operation to enhance Disinvestment Policy

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved the following: (i) The disinvestment proceeds with effect from the fiscal year 2013-14 will be credited to the existing public account under the head National Investment Fund (NIF), and they would remain there until withdrawn/invested for the approved purposes. (ii) The NIF will be used for the following purposes: (a) Subscribing to the shares being issued by the Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) including Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Public Sector Insurance Companies, on rights basis so as to ensure that 51 percent ownership of the Government is not diluted. (b) Preferential allotment of shares of the CPSE to promoters as per Securities and Exchange Board of India SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009 so that Government shareholding does not go down below 51 percent, in all cases where the CPSE is going to raise fresh equity to meet its capex programme. (c) Recapitalization of PSBs and Public Sector Insurance Companies. (iii) Fund Managers presently managing the NIF will stand discharged of their responsibility from the date the funds and the interest income are transferred to the fund. The NIF was constituted by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 27th January 2005. The objectives structure and administrative arrangements, investment strategy were notified in
National Innovation Council Launches the First Public Lecture Series on the National Knowledge Network
The National Innovation Council is launching a Public Lecture Series where it will host eminent individuals from diverse fields to talk to students across the country via the National Knowledge Network (NKN). The first public lecture on Democratising Information, Justice, Equality and the Rule of Law will be delivered by Professor Michael Sandel, from Harvard University, author of What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets, and Justice, and Mr Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation on 23rd January 2013. The lecture will be broadcast on NKN from Delhi University, from 10am to 11.30am, to at least 3 lakh students across India. The lecture will be followed by an interactive Q&A session with students at NKN connected locations. Questions can also be submitted via Twitter (@pitrodasam). Live webcast of the lecture will be streamed at www.webcast.gov.in/nkn The NKN is a multi gigabit pan India network, built by the
JTS Institute
16
residents demographic and biometric information, which they can use to identify themselves anywhere in India, and to access a host of benefits and services. The number (referred to until now as the UID) has been named Aadhaar, which translates into foundation, or support. This word is present across most Indian languages and can therefore be used in branding and communication of the UIDAI program across the country.
15 January - 21 January 2013 Reliance closes share buyback programme

Reliance Industries on Saturday announced the closure of buyback of equity shares of the company, with effect from January 19. The company had announced its buyback programme on January 23, 2012. Concept: Share buyback The repurchase of outstanding shares (repurchase) by a company in order to reduce the number of shares on the market. Companies will buy back shares either to increase the value of shares still available (reducing supply), or to eliminate any threats by shareholders who may be looking for a controlling stake. A buyback allows companies to invest in them. By reducing the number of shares outstanding on the market, buybacks increase the proportion of shares a company owns. Buybacks can be carried out in two ways: 1. Shareholders may be presented with a tender offer whereby they have the option to submit (or tender) a portion or all of their shares within a certain time frame and at a premium to the current market price. This premium compensates investors for tendering their shares rather than holding on to them. 2. Companies buy back shares on the open market over an extended period of time.
constructed in J.P. Nagar was found attractive enough for investing and the 3-BHK seemed good enough. The problem seemed to be the immediate cash required for payment. The compulsions The compulsion of arranging the immediate substantial payment to the builder was the deciding factor for the choice of loan. And the couple opted for a bridge loan from a housing finance institution. Home bridge loans are specially designed to meet such requirements for the interim period between sale of the existing house and purchase of a new one. The HFI will lend approximately 80 per cent of the value of the new property. This is useful when you do not want to take a long-term home loan. It gives you enough time to sell your existing property and make payment for the new house and also pay off the loan quickly. How to go about it The loan will be sanctioned only upon entering into a formal sale agreement with the builder of the new house. The documentation process will be similar to that of taking a loan on a new house/flat but the duration of the loan will have to be defined, which usually will be for a period of two years. What is to be noted importantly is that the interest rates for these types of loans are higher than the normal long-term loans since the duration of bridge loans are shorter.
Anand Sharma to woo global investors at WEF

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma will woo global investors at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos from January 23 to 27 by offering them investment opportunities in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, new manufacturing zones and foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail which has been opened up for big retail chains. Mr. Sharma will also host a Global Investment Roundtable. Around 20 global business leaders, including those from TESCO, Standard Chartered, Diageo, Novartis, Merck, Unilever and Philips, will meet Mr. Sharma to discuss and apprise him of their business plans in India. The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva. It describes itself as an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. The Forum is best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubnden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland. The meeting brings together some 2,500 top business leaders, international political leaders, selected intellectuals and journalists to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world, including health and the environment. The organisation also convenes some six to eight regional meetings each year in locations such as Latin America and East Asia, as well as undertaking two further annual meetings in China and the United Arab Emirates. Beside meetings, the foundation produces a series of research reports and engages its members in sector specific initiatives.
Financial bridges
Bridge loans are for the period between sale of an existing house and purchase of a new one. A look by BALAJI RAO Apart from offering regular new home loans and house renovation loans, housing financial institutions offer the facility of bridge loans too. Consider the example given below to understand the same in a perspective. Manoj and Roopa were living in their own house in Ramamurthy Nagar along with their daughter Surabhi. Since their work place was in J.P. Nagar, travelling to and fro on an everyday basis to their respective offices was cumbersome. Also, Surabhi was ready for her schooling stint which prompted them to contemplate moving out from their current house to the vicinity of J.P. Nagar. It was through Manojs colleague that an apartment being
Strong muscles for strong bones

Its true that stronger muscles mean stronger bones. Not long ago, there was a study of women who went through early menopause (that increases the risk for osteoporosis) and then adopted a workout routine combining a range of physical activities from lifting weights to jumping rope. After two years of cross-training, the womens muscle strength and bone mass increased. Another recent study confirms that increasing muscle mass makes the spongy insides and the hard outsides of bones stronger. For women it is particularly effective in developing stronger, load-bearing bones, such as the hip, lumbar spine and thigh bone.
JTS Institute
17
15 January - 21 January 2013 The fats in your blood

Almost everyone knows that the build-up of cholesterol in the arteries is harmful for the heart. But what many dont know is that this build-up can occur anywhere in the body and might lead to lower limb gangrene and kidney damage in addition to heart attack and stroke, collectively referred to as CVD (cardiovascular disease) by doctors. CVD has a number of risk factors, most important of which are diabetes, high blood pressure (BP), smoking and abnormal lipid levels or dyslipidemia. Lipids are types of fats in the body. The two main forms are cholesterol and triglycerides. Both travel in the blood in the form of lipoproteins, which are of three types: lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) which carries 60-70 per cent of the total blood cholesterol; high-density lipoprotein (HDL) which carries 2030 per cent of the total blood cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), which is rich in triglyceride and carries 10-15 per cent of the blood cholesterol. Any imbalance or abnormality in their levels is known as dyslipidemia. Although dyslipidemia can occur because of genetic causes, it is more often due to lifestyle factors such as diabetes, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Certain medicines (steroids and some hormones) and disease conditions (thyroid problems) can also cause dyslipidemia. LDL, better known as the bad cholesterol, is the most important lipid element responsible for cholesterol build up. At any given LDL level, every 1 mg/dl increase leads to a one per cent increase in heart attack risk. Although, there is no normal range of LDL, the risk of heart attacks increases particularly rapidly when the LDL levels increase above 100 mg/dl. However, more recent data suggests that among those with a heightened risk of heart attacks and strokes (such as those already having heart disease), it is good to have even lower levels i.e. less than 70 mg/dl of LDL. It is better to start lowering LDL levels at a younger age. For example, a 10 mg/dl reduction in LDL level at the age of 40 is likely to reduce the life-time risk of heart attacks by 50 per cent whereas the same reduction achieved at 70 years will lead to only 20 per cent reduction. LDL levels as low as less than 40 mg/dl have been shown to be safe, and even beneficial to some patients with a history of heart attacks. HDL, better known as good cholesterol, removes cholesterol from blood vessels and returns it to liver where it is broken down. Thus, HDL appears to protect against the development of atherosclerosis. A low level of HDL has been consistently shown to be associated with an increased risk of CVD and seems to be a stronger reason for heart attacks than increased LDL. Ideally, the HDL levels should be maintained above 40 mg/dl in men and above 50 mg/ dl in women. Increased triglyceride levels point only towards coming cardiovascular risk, rather than being the cause of CVD itself. However, newer evidence has clearly shown that raised triglyceride levels on their own also increase the risk of heart attacks. A triglyceride level of less than 150 mg/dl is considered ideal. Dyslipidemia can be managed in simple ways, like being active, balancing your calorie intake and expenditure. Manage your weight, stop smoking and take precautions if you are a diabetic. As always, your doctor is the best judge to monitor your condition. more disconcerting in the light of a recent TEEB (The Economics and Ecosystems and Biodiversity) report which states that the world has lost almost half of its wetlands in the last 100 years. Surrounded by around 10 villages and a rural ring road, the AlwaraTaal named after the bordering village of Alwara is a natural but shallow depression lying within the meander of the river; it gets filled with rain water each monsoon. With a recorded spread of some 3,000 bighas (700 hectares) and a maximum depth of about five metres, its watery spread fluctuates with season, over the year. We were informed by the locals that the high floods in the Yamuna in 1978 had flooded the entire expense of the natural depression right up till the raised ring road. As we tried to approach, in a small country boat, the ramshackle bamboo lookout located approximately at the centre of the wetland, we came across not only the wetlands aquatic richness, but many alarming signs of its possible destruction, if requisite protective steps are not taken with a sense of urgency. There were signs of rampant poaching of birds, coots in particular, and alarming spread of weeds like water hyacinth (besharam) and acacia (babool) plants. High input (chemical fertiliser and pesticides) farming on its fringe must be in form of run-off adding to the pollution load of the wetland.
Wetland in search of a Salim Ali

It first caught our attention on a Google Earth image as a markedly unusual geographical feature, located along a pronounced meander in the river Yamuna. Later, a reference to the road map of Uttar Pradesh confirmed that it is a major riparian wetland called the AlwaraTaal in the district of Kaushambi, some 90 km west of Allahabad. Impressed by its aquatic expanse, we assumed that it must be a notified bird sanctuary teeming with birds of all kinds. And we were not really disappointed with its bird life when we could find time on December 19 to visit and briefly survey it. More than 1,200 birds of 55 species, including 57 sarus cranes, could be counted during mid-day over a period of some four hours. A number of birds flying in formation and out of counting distance certified to the wetlands richness. But we were certainly disappointed by the fact that the wetland, despite its size, had not yet received the kind of official or non-official attention and patronage that it rightly deserves. This is all the
Green energy
1. In a pre-budget exercise, the Climate Parliament group of Members of Parliament asked the Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram to incorporate a series of financial measures for renewable energy in the Budget 2013-14, so that the targets set in the National Action Plan of Climate Change (NAPCC) and in the draft 12 Plan document, presented recently to the National Development Council, are met fully. 2. The MPs emphasised that sufficient budget allocation is crucial for a time bound development of transmission network and grid infrastructure for renewable energy absorption and supply, in tandem with the renewable energy capacity addition plans in the country. 3. The Climate Parliament group of MPs had recently met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
JTS Institute
18

submitted a memorandum. Dr. Singh had assured the MPs to positively look into the demands of viability gap funding for encouraging private sector investments in the enhancement of transmission infrastructure for renewable energy, additional central assistance to such States that install progressively higher infrastructure for feeding renewable energy based electricity to the grids, establishing a partial risk guarantee fund for renewable energy projects and implementation of the Estimates Committees 13 Report with respect to increasing the allocations of Renewable Energy Ministry to one per cent of the total national budgetary allocation. 4. The MPs also asked the Finance Minister to implement the assurances given by the Prime Minister in the coming Budget. The letter submitted to the Finance Minister stated that the actual budget allocated to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in 2012-13 was only 50 per cent of the budget suggested by the Planning Commission and 25 per cent of the budget proposed by the MNRE. Thus, some of the key programmes of the Ministry under the first phase of the National Solar Mission have faced serious setbacks due to the lack of adequate budget. According to the Climate Parliament, the achievement of 15 per cent renewable energy in the total electricity mix of the country by 2020 under the NAPCC and the target of achieving 30,000 MW by 2017 (more than the double of the capacity addition targeted in the last five year plan) are challenging ones. 5. Thus, in the forthcoming Budget, there must be an adequate allocation to the Ministry of Power, specifically for strengthening the transmission network for renewable energy in light of the report Green Corridors carried out by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited where it estimates a requirement of Rs. 42,000 crore for establishing the intra and interstate transmission for renewable energy. Gray winter mornings explained 1. In New York, early January mornings seemed darker than ever while at the same time, the sky was clearly lighter around 5 pm. The answer to this mystery lay in the Equation of Time, a grandly name formula relating to the fact that not all days are 24 hours, if you track noon by the position of the sun instead of on a clock. 2. Weve all seen readout of the Equation of Time. Its that uneven figure 8 that can be found on globes in a deserted part of the Pacific, a shape known as an analemma. If Earths axis were perpendicular to its orbit instead of tilted, and if its orbit were a circle instead of an ellipse, the sun would appear in the same spot in the sky each day and clocks and sundials would always match. Instead, they can be as much as 16 minutes apart, and thats where things get complicated. 3. As Earth moves toward winter solstice, you have different things going on at the same time, said Jay M. Pasachoff, a professor of astronomy at Williams College. Earths tilt means that every day during the fall, the angle at which we view the sun changes. It appears farther south and travels a shorter arc across the sky, affecting sunrise and sunset equally, and making the day shorter. 4. The changes in the solar time follow a different cycle. In the early 1600s, Kepler discovered that planets move faster at the part of their orbit that is closest to the sun, the perihelion. For Earth, perihelion comes after the winter solstice, so from November on, Earth is accelerating. 5. That increased speed means we reach the suns maximum a little earlier each day, which pushes solar noon backward against clock time. That shift is amplified because the sun is travelling a little south each day, while clocks only count its east to west traverse. 6. Add it all together and you get sunrise and sunset times that are not symmetrical. In the weeks before the winter solstice, sunrise is being pushed later by both the changing angle of the sun and the slowing of solar time. But sunset is being pushed in both directions. 7. The result is more darkness in the morning and less in the afternoon. Thats why the earliest sunset of 2012, at 4:29 pm, in New York fell as soon as November 30, while mornings continued to stay dark later. Its is really a figment of our timekeeping system, said Joseph Gangestad, a PhD in orbital mechanics, Purdue University. That is, we would never notice it if we all just used sundials.
20 January 2013 Arunachal Pradesh gets Pawan Hans helicopter

The Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited has delivered an Mi-172 helicopter on wet lease to the Arunachal Pradesh government for resumption of passenger services that were suspended after the helicopter accident on April 30, 2011, that killed the then Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu. An official of Arunachal Pradesh Civil Aviation Department told The Hindu on Sunday that Chief Minister NabamTuki would take the final decision on routes and timings for the Pawan Hans helicopter services once the necessary safety clearance was obtained. The government had invited bids for twin engine large helicopter (Mi-172/Mi-171 or equivalent) not older than five years. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended the Pawan Hans service in the northeast region from May 5, 2011 to June 6, 2011 after two helicopter crashes one on April 19, 2011 of an Mi-172 and the second on April 30, 2011 of an AS 350 B3. In the first accident, the Mi-172 helicopter with 23 persons on board flying on the GuwahatiTawang sector crashed at the Tawang helipad while landing, killing 19 persons, including two crew members.
Soon, India to have common emergency response number

Finally, India seems to have woken up to the urgency of having a single emergency response number on the lines of Americas 911. This number may be called for any emergency police, fire or ambulance. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is planning to bring a consultation paper in this connection soon to kick-start the process of having a single emergency helpline where a call centre will receive all distress calls and then accordingly alert departments or agencies concerned depending upon the type of emergency. Today, various states have separate emergency response numbers and in some states even
JTS Institute
19
police helpline 100 does not work properly. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also been pushing for a single helpline number in its bid to prepare better for police, fire, medical and other kind of emergencies, said a senior TRAI official. We need a number that could be reached by all types of technologies be it landline, GSM or CDMA. Within next couple of months we will seek opinion from various stakeholders, including Central and state government bodies and private telecom operators, in this connection, the official said. Pointing out that the current emergency response system was not appropriate, a senior Ministry of Home Affairs official said it has been observed that people call up emergency number, normally police helpline 100, only to get diverted to other departments, which delays response time. Having a single emergency number will ensure that a person in distress does not gets diverted to other department or agencythe person manning the emergency number would take the call and then alert the department concerned, say police, fire, medical or disaster management. It will also help fix responsibility if someone is found guilty of any kind of laxity, the official added. He further noted that today, there were separate emergency numbers and helplines in most states. For instance, for police a person dials 100 and 101 for fire emergency. Similarly, for medical emergency the helpline is 102 or 108 in many states. But there is no single helpline as in the U.S. where a person just needs to dial 911 to get immediate help. Interestingly, if someone dials 911 and then hangs up, the call centre person calls that number back to check if everything was okWe also need to have a similar system in India, he added. We want to make the new emergency mechanism a hi-tech one where all calls would be registered in a computerised system that would track the geographic location of the caller and then alert the closest PCR, fire or ambulance fitted with GPS system to reduce response time. All this would have to be completed within a standard response time, he said.
15 January - 21 January 2013 The politics of good economics

The governments decision to allow oil companies to increase pump prices of diesel in small increments will help it kill many birds with one stone. Ministers and bureaucrats may not want to call it deregulation given the political implications but the fact is it is indeed that, for oil companies can now charge market prices to bulk consumers of diesel. While there are obvious positive economic implications, the most important gain for the government from this move will be on the political front. How can an increase in prices be politically gainful? Part of larger political game-plan Simple. The gradual increase in pump prices of diesel will ease the subsidy burden on the government and free up precious funds for its social programmes, increasing food subsidy and providing for the cash transfer scheme. Importantly, all this can be done without attracting the disapproval of the rating agencies or the central bank. The total subsidy on petroleum products in 2011-12 was close to Rs 70,000 crore. With petrol prices already marked to market, cooking gas subsidy pruned by capping the number of subsidised cylinders per connection and now gradual elimination of diesel subsidy, the government has probably freed up at least Rs 50,000 crore in the coming fiscal for spending on its social programmes which are politically more rewarding. Imagine the ballast that this will provide for the government to dish out the lollies in the approach to elections in 2014! If the economy picks up, as is the general expectation, then the government will have greater elbow room to spend on the social sector programmes that proved so rewarding for the UPA in the last general elections in 2009. So, there is obviously a larger game-plan that is being played out; diesel deregulation is only one part of that. Of course, there is going to be the inevitable political opposition to the move in the short-term which can be managed. We should also not forget that the government has attempted to mollify consumers by increasing the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders per connection to 9 a year from 6 and by reducing petrol prices by a marginal 25 paise a litre.
Prudent economic decision Even so, the fact is that the decision couldnt have come at a better time for the economy. The Reserve Bank of India has been impatient with the government for not carrying out necessary fiscal corrections and the ratings agencies have put India on watch for a possible downgrade. The twin deficits have kept the markets nervous and the rupee under pressure. Small wonder then that on Friday the rupee shot up by 69 paise to close at a two-month high versus the dollar. The RBI will announce its quarterly monetary policy later this month but it will be interesting to note how it views the diesel price adjustment. Will it be seen as a step towards fiscal consolidation (and hence add to the argument for cutting rates) or will it be seen as an inflationary move (and hence work against a rate cut)? Though it might not help prune the fiscal deficit this year materially, the decision to free diesel prices will be seen by rating agencies as a signal of the governments determination to rein in the fisc. And hopefully, put off any chances of a downgrade too. Competition in oil industry In the oil industry, the move is likely to unleash competitive forces. This is of course assuming that the government does not chicken out from its policy of gradually increasing retail pump prices till the subsidy is wholly eliminated. There have been at least two occasions in the past when deregulation of petroleum products were announced but not carried through. For a start, we could begin to see competition in the bulk consumers segment where the oil companies now have the freedom to charge market prices. Reliance Industries and Essar, the two large private players, can charge a price lower than that of the oil companies and cut into the bulk supplies business. These two companies own large, state-of-the-art refineries that can process crude oil of inferior grades which are cheaper than that used by the national oil companies. There is also Shell which has the licence to retail petroleum products and has been keeping a symbolic presence the last few years. The real competition, of course, will begin when retail prices are fully linked to the market. That is when the national oil companies will feel
JTS Institute
20

the full impact and consumers begin to reap the benefit. Fuel-pricing flaw Finally, the decision will also correct a serious flaw in fuel pricing because of which the upper classes that drive high-end saloons and SUVs powered by diesel engines enjoyed subsidy while the middle-classes driving petrol cars and two-wheelers ended up paying free-market prices. The elimination of artificial price difference between petrol and diesel will probably be the biggest gain from the governments decision. And it will, hopefully, restore the balance between petrol and diesel passenger cars which was tilted towards the latter. early diagnosis because elderly persons show atypical and confusing symptoms, compared with the symptoms these diseases would produce in the young, and also because many symptoms of infection in the elderly get camouflaged by general agerelated symptoms and behaviour, remarks veteran geriatrician Dr. V. S. Natarajan. In young persons, the temperature rises following an infection; but, in the elderly, it may not shoot up as much. Again, in the elderly, there may not be much of a cough following a respiratory infection, compared to younger persons. Meanwhile, because lung function is not optimum in the elderly, there is insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, leading to symptoms like restlessness and confusion rather than cough or fever. Some physicians attribute the patients restlessness to elderly behaviour and prescribe sedatives rather than drugs to fight infection. This is dangerous and might result in the patient falling into a semiconscious state, coma or even dying, says Dr.Natarajan. Other atypical symptoms of infection in the elderly are falls, incontinence, loss of appetite and weight, vomiting, dullness and lethargy. Inconclusive diagnosis In the young, tuberculosis leads to cough, phlegm, blood in the sputum, fever, chills, and loss of appetite; however, in the elderly, it presents no gross symptom. The individual may feel run down, experience a low-grade fever, dull appetite, cough and loss of weight, and the Mantoux test (for diagnosing TB) might be inconclusive. White blood cells generally increase following an infection; but in the elderly, this may not happen; hence, the blood count may not be conclusive. An X-ray can reveal a chest infection. Sputum tests might not yield a definite diagnosis, as the elderly person many not be able produce enough saliva; and may pass urine only in dribbles, making it difficult to collect a sample. So, how does one proceed? If the diagnosis is inconclusive, physicians can suspect infection and start treatment; if there is improvement, the treatment can be continued, suggests Dr.Natarajan. Immunity compromised Infection occurs more often in the elderly because their immunity has been compromised, or because they get less-than-adequate nutrition due to loss of appetite. There may also be comorbid illnesses such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, which makes them vulnerable to infections, explains Dr. S. Ramani, general physician. Prostate enlargement is common in elderly men, which predisposes them to urinary infections. In elderly women, urinary infection is even more common. Elderly persons who had urinary catheterisation are at increased risk for infections too. They can also develop pneumonia and other respiratory infections, says Dr. R. Magesh, consultant geriatrician, Apollo Hospitals. In old age, dormant TB can become resurgent. Possible skin infections include cellulitis (with painful legs that feel warm), fungal infections, diabetic boils, painful skin lesions because of resurgent herpes zoster (chicken pox virus) that had been dormant for long. Possible gastro-intestinal infections in the elderly include food poisoning, amoebic infection, typhoid and gall bladder infection, especially following consumption of outdated/hotel food. Heart valve infection is also possible. A PREVENTIVE MEASURE Elderly persons can benefit from vaccination, especially those with co-morbid illness. In fact, a section of the medical community recommends a vaccination programme for the elderly, like the one that exists for infants. Influenza vaccine can be taken annually, as new strains emerge every year. Pneumonia vaccine may be taken after age 60, especially by those with asthma, diabetes, kidney disease, history of smoking/alcohol consumption. Pneumonia vaccine gives lifelong immunity. But, if necessary, repeat this vaccination once every 10 years. Tetanus vaccination may be taken once every 10 years (as the elderly are prone to falls and wounds) and following any injury. Oral typhoid vaccine may be taken once in three years.
U.R. Rao to join Satellite Hall of Fame

Prof U R Rao, former Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space is being honoured by the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) by inducting him as a Member of the highly prestigious Satellite Hall of Fame, Washington. Since 1987, the SSPI Hall of Fame has been recognising the invaluable contribution of the visionaries who have transformed life on planet earth for the better through satellite technology. Members of the Hall of Fame are recognised pioneers in communications, satellite related aerospace scientific research or development and delivery of applications for business, institutions and government via satellite. As a honoured member of Hall of Fame, Prof Rao joins over 40 past illustrious space scientists such as Sir Arthur C Clarke, Dr James Van Allen, Dr William Pritchard, Dr Harold Rosen, Dr Fredric dAllest, Dr Takayashi Yoshida, Dr Peter Jackson and Dr Olof Lundberg. The induction of Prof Rao into the Satellite Hall of Fame is scheduled to take place on March 19, 2013 at a gala function to be held in Washington, D.C. USA.
Could it be an infection?
Restless, confused, flagging appetite or even dullness all these may not be signs of aging; but might indicate an infectious disease. After the age of 70, infections become very common. In fact, they happen to be one of the most important causes of hospital admission and mortality among senior citizens. But often, physicians are not able to make an
Bridging the gap in HIVAIDS treatment in private hospitals

While government and nongovernment agencies are keen on pulling out all stops to ensure that children are no longer born with HIV-AIDS infection, lack of information pertaining to patients seeking treatment in private hospitals stands in the way, believe authorities concerned. Roping in more hospitals and doctors in
JTS Institute
21

private health sector can strengthen public-private partnership. While more than one lakh persons across the State are taking antiretroviral (ART) treatment in government hospitals, there are an undisclosed number seeking care in private hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. Various meetings held in the district have issued a call to private hospitals to share this information as not only does this help in arriving at absolute figures, but also ensures that treatment is standardised and uniform for all patients in the State. 300 private hospitals The Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme initiated by Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) is being strengthened by including more private hospitals and nursing homes under the programme, according to A.Sathishkumar, coordinator, SAATHI, an NGO that acts as a technical advisor for TANSACS. While the programme kicked off in 2009 with 76 hospitals in the State, the number has risen only to 100 in 2012. But things are set to change with 300 hospitals to be included by March this year, says Mr.Sathiskumar. The PPP encompasses Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) and Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV Centre (PPTCT) services in private hospitals. In simple terms, the programme hopes to plug gaps in HIV-AIDS treatment in the private sector by providing free HIV-AIDS testing, and care for pregnant HIV-positive women. Among the four common methods of transmission of HIV, mother to foetus transmission is one. The importance of screening all pregnant women for HIV-AIDS on their first visit to the gynaecologist is what the agency advocates to all doctors in the private sector. Women who test positive after voluntary testing in private hospitals will be linked to the Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission Programme to ensure HIV virus is not transmitted to infants. Ante-natal care The main focus of the programme is to track women receiving antenatal care, says Selvakumar, district supervisor, District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit. While we keep track of those in primary health care centres and government hospitals, there is no information on children born to HIVpositive mothers in private healthcare sector. Public-private partnership also enables providing free triple drug ARV ART to all HIVpositive pregnant women which in turn would ensure that infection is not transmitted to infants. The PPP programme also makes testing easily accessible for persons who are reluctant to visit an ICTC centre. Free testing kits are provided by TANSACS to hospitals enrolled in the programme. If a person tests positive in the preliminary test, he or she is referred to ICTC centres for confirmatory tests. The partnership will help us track persons reporting to private hospitals and ensure they continue treatment, says Mr.Sathishkumar. When a private hospital enters the PPP programme, they can coordinate with doctors at government hospitals to ensure that patients they refer have turned up for testing or treatment. SAATHI will be engaged in the sensitisation of private hospitals and practitioners, which it has been doing in 800 hospitals across four States. Recently, a similar programme was organised by TRIOGS and IMA for city doctors here. shows the vitality of international environmental politics and the will of states to together find solutions to world problems, head of the Swiss delegation to the talks, Franz Perrez, said in the statement. Mercury is found in products ranging from electrical switches to thermometers to light-bulbs, to amalgam dental fillings and even facial creams, and large amounts of the heavy metal are released from small-scale gold mining, coalburning power plants, metal smelters and cement production. Serious mercury poisoning affects the bodys immune system and can lead to problems including psychological disorders, loss of teeth and problems with the digestive, cardiovascular and respiratory tracts. It also affects development of the brain and nervous system and poses the greatest risk to foetuses and infants.
Indian government pushes banks to go rural

Working out of a tiny rented room furnished with a wooden table, small biometric authentication machine and shelf stacked with passbooks, Ganesh Dangi is a one-man bank for a village of 650 people in northwestern Indias desert state of Rajasthan. A business correspondent, or local representative, for State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) in Ranchhodpura village, 40 km (25 miles) east of Udaipur city, Dangi is racing to sign up villagers to new no frills plans to meet a government target that every family in the district should have a bank account. New Delhi plans to directly transfer cash payments for subsidies into these accounts, a move aimed at tackling graft in Indias creaky, corruption-ridden public distribution system. If successful, the initiative could also bring modern banking to the doorstep of rural India, a goal towards which progress has so far been fitful despite mandatory targets set by the government and Reserve Bank of India. Banks fear early pain - the move could burden them with 250 rupees to 500 rupees ($4.5-$9) of additional costs per account annually, while profits may remain elusive for at least 2 years. Still, they see a huge opportunity even if only a quarter of these new
Mercury treaty adopted in Geneva by 140 countries

Delegations from some 140 countries have agreed to adopt a ground-breaking treaty limiting the use of health-hazardous mercury, the Swiss foreign ministry said today. The worlds first legally binding treaty on mercury, reached after a week of thorny talks, will aim to reduce global emission levels of the toxic heavy metal also known as quicksilver, which poses risks to human health and the environment. The new treaty aims to reduce the production and the use of mercury, especially in the production of products and in industrial processes, the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement. Countries will be asked to sign the treaty next October in Minamata, Japan, in honour of the towns inhabitants who for decades have suffered the consequences of serious mercury contamination, the statement said. The adoption of the mercury treaty
JTS Institute
22

accounts were to turn into regular customers, demanding loans, mutual funds and other products. The programme could help banks and business correspondents earn about 40 billion rupees ($735 million) as fee income, Mumbaibased brokerage AnandRathi, said in a note this month. GAME OF PATIENCE Banks are currently losing money in most of their rural operations, hit by highs costs, poor connectivity and low savings in areas where average per capita income is around 16,000 rupees, compared with 44,000 rupees in urban areas. If the grid of domain walls is packed tightly enough, say, if the width of the domains is several hundred times the distance between Earth and the Sun - Earth should pass through a domain wall once every few years. As a human, you wouldnt feel a thing. You will go through the wall without noticing, he said. But magnetometers, devices that measure magnetic fields, could detect the walls, said Pospelov and colleagues in a new study. Although the field inside a domain would not affect a magnetometer, the device would sense the change when Earth passes through a domain wall. Dark matter walls have not been detected yet because anyone using a single magnetometer would find the readings swamped by noise, Pospelov said. Finding the walls will require a network of at least five detectors spread around the world, Pospelov said. His colleagues in Poland and California have already built one magnetometer each and have shown that they are sensitive enough for the scheme to work. Domain walls wouldnt account for all the dark matter in the universe, but they could explain why finding particles of the stuff has been such a challenge, Pospelov said. disputes was signed by the heads of the two governments and ratified by their respective parliaments, he pointed out. 4. In times of austerity, we need to address the question, whether the resources being spent on UNMOGIP would not be better utilised elsewhere, he added. 5. India has two main complaints against the U.N. peacekeeping architecture. One, manpower providers such as India must be kept in the loop while taking a decision on the mission and keeping everyone informed when it changes character. 6. The second grouse is about resource allocation failing to keep pace with the mandate expansion. As a result peacekeeping missions are called upon to do more and more with less and less. 7. This has added to operational challenges faced by peacekeepers and missions are overstretched due to shortage of personnel and equipment.
Earth constantly crashes through dark matter walls

Earth is constantly crashing through huge walls of dark matter, scientists claim adding that the universe may be filled with a patchwork quilt of force fields created shortly after the Big Bang. Observations of how mass clumps in space suggest that about 86 per cent of all matter is invisible dark matter, which interacts with ordinary matter mainly through gravity. The most popular theory is that dark matter is made of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPS). However, years of searches for WIMPs have been coming up empty, New Scientist reported. So far nothing is found, and I feel like its time to broaden the scope of our search. What we propose is to look for some other signatures, said Maxim Pospelov of the University of Victoria in Canada. Pospelov and colleagues have been examining a theory that at least some of the universes dark matter is tied up in structures called domain walls, akin to the boundaries between tightly packed bubbles. The idea is that the hot early universe was full of an exotic force field that varied randomly. As the universe expanded and cooled, the field froze, leaving a patchwork of domains, each with its own distinct value for the field. Having different fields sit next to each other requires energy to be stored within the domain walls. Mass and energy are interchangeable, so on a large scale a network of domain walls can look like concentrations of mass - that is, like dark matter, said Pospelov.
Chandrayaan-2: India to go it alone

1. India has decided to go it alone in its second lunar mission, the Chandrayaan-2, which was originally proposed as an IndoRussian venture. 2. This was disclosed here on Monday by S.V.S. Murty of the Planetary Exploration Group of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), an institution under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) here. 3. Dr.Murty was speaking on Indias lunar and Mars missions at the ongoing workshop on exoplanets at the laboratory. 4. According to an agreement signed on November 12, 2007 between ISRO and Roskosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, ISRO had the primary responsibility to provide both the orbiter and the rover, while Roskosmos was to design and build the lander for this combined orbiter-rover-lander mission. 5. However, following the failure in December 2011 of Roskosmos Phobos-Grunt mission, there was a delay in the construction of the Russian lander. 6. The mission had a lander to return soil sample from the Martian satellite Phobos. This resulted in a complete review of technical aspects connected with the
21 January 2013 India for winding up UN mission on Kashmir

1. India has suggested the winding up of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) because its role has been overtaken by IndoPak Shimla Agreement in 1972. 2. Participating in a debate on U.N. peacekeeping operations, Indias Permanent Representative HardeepPuri reiterated Indias call for more effective utilisation of resources. In this context, he felt the U.N. should consider whether money being allocated for UNMOGIP could be allocated to another mission which required beefing up. 3. Mr.Puri pressed home the point about the U.N. mission having outlived its utility. The Shimla Agreement which enjoins India and Pakistan to bilaterally sort out their
JTS Institute
23

Phobos-Grunt mission, which were also used in the lunar projects such as the lander for Chandrayaan-2. Due to this, as well as financial problems, the Russian agency apparently expressed its inability provide the lander to meet even the revised time frame of 2015 for the Chandrayaan-2 launch. 7. The design of the indigenous lander and the preliminary configuration study was completed by the Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, he said.Chandrayaan-2 will have five primary payloads on the orbiter, two of which will be improvements on instruments that were onboard Chandrayaan-1. 8. In addition, the rover too will carry two additional instruments. Chandrayaan-2 will be launched by a GSLV powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine. 9. However, PRL director Jitendra Goswami clarified that this did not mean that the Indo-Russian collaboration on planetary exploration had ended. Jarawas in any of the settlement villages. 5. The Bench directed that only government officials, persons residing in the reserve and vehicles carrying essential commodities for the Jarawas would be allowed on the Trunk Road. 6. Justice Singhvi told counsel, You provide helicopter service to tourists to reach the cave as there is a total ban in the buffer area. File affidavit 7. The Bench directed the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to file an affidavit, along with a detailed map indicating the areas of Jarawas and settlement of others. It posted the matter for further hearing on February 26. 8. The October 30, 2007 notification, imposing the ban, was quashed by the Calcutta High Court. 9. On an appeal, the Supreme Court, stayed the order and asked the administration to strictly enforce the notification till it was considered by the court. This was followed by the January 17 notification. companies to hike diesel prices in a graded manner, are meant to reinforce the perception of a government not loath to take tough, unpopular decisions. 4. Yet the important takeaway from the modified GAAR is that it is meant to please the FIIs and portfolio managers even if, in the process, sound principles of public finance are diluted. 5. A significant change is to have a multi-member panel comprising just one senior tax official to determine the applicability of GAAR to specific transactions. The expectation is that the inclusion of a judicial and an academic member will ease concerns over possible high-handed behaviour by the tax authorities in their desire to maximise tax revenue. 6. However, only the tax official in the GAAR panel will be accountable to the income tax department and the government. In another important clarification, it has been decided that GAAR will cover only those transactions whose main purposeas opposed to one of the main purposesis to get a tax benefit. As a result of this change, the onus of proof on the tax authorities rises exponentially. The status of double taxation avoidance agreements in a post-GAAR regime is still a matter of conjecture. Perhaps the most controversial decision is to exclude offshore derivative instruments, the so-called participatory notes or PN, from GAAR. This is a retreat from the governments stated position of wanting to know the identity of PN holders, and is a serious setback to anti-money laundering efforts. Once again, as so often in recent times, the government has opted for short-term expediency to support the external sector.
Supreme Court bans tourists from taking trunk road passing through Jarawa area in Andamans
1. The Supreme Court on Monday banned tourists from taking the Andaman Nicobar Trunk Road that passes through the area where the Jarawas live. The road is used to reach the Limestone Cave. 2. The court has already banned all commercial and tourism activities within a five-km radius of the Jarawa Tribal Reserve on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 3. A Bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and H. L. Gokhale passed the order, taking on record the Andaman and Nicobar Administrations January 17 notification to comply with the court directives issued last year. 4. Except 30 villages notified in the schedule, the notification declares a buffer zone of an area up to a fivekm radius, adjacent and contiguous to the Jarawa Tribal Reserve Area starting from the Constance Bay in South Andaman to Lewis Inlet Bay in Middle Andaman. No person shall operate any commercial or tourist establishment directly or indirectly in the buffer zone. Furthermore, no one shall carry out any activity, which may be prejudicial to the safety, security and interests of the
Diluting GAAR
1. In postponing the General AntiAvoidance Rules (GAAR) of taxation to April 2016 and reducing its rigour, the United Progressive Alliance government has accepted most of the ParthasarathiShome Committees recommendations. 2. Since GAAR has been incorporated in the Finance Act 2012, its deferment can be formalised only during the forthcoming budget. To justify the postponement, the Committee had cited, among other reasons, the need to train tax officials in the finer aspects of international taxation. Days after the governments announcement, the stock markets that have, of late, been driven by foreign institutional investors (FII) reached new highs. 3. The GAAR decision, coming just weeks before the Union budget, ought to be seen as one of the many signals the government has been sending to revive the animal spirits of foreign investors, domestic entrepreneurs and rentiers, in this case specifically to assure them of the continuance of a less onerous tax regime. Some of its other decisions, such as the hike in railway fares before the railway budget and the permission to public sector oil marketing
Import duty hiked on gold, platinum

The government on Monday hiked the import duty on gold and platinum from 4 to 6 per cent with immediate effect in an urgent bid to curb imports of the precious metals and contain the widening current account deficit (CAD). In a twin-policy remedial package aimed at checking the runaway rise in gold imports, which has been adversely impacting the CAD since last fiscal, the government also announced its decision to link the Gold ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) with Gold Deposit schemes as a measure to increase the supply of physical gold in the
JTS Institute
24

market without resorting to imports. The government has decided to increase import duty on gold and platinum from 4 percent to 6 percent with immediate effect, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary ArvindMayaram said here. The government, Dr.Mayaram said, would effect consequential changes in the additional customs duty and excise duty on gold dore bars, gold ores and refined gold. Concept: Anti-Dumping duty (ADD) Antidumping-duty is imposed to provide protection to Community industry against the dumping of goods from non-Community countries at prices that are substantially lower than the normal commercial value. Goods are considered to be dumped if it is established that their export price to the Community is less than the price of the same or similar goods on the domestic market of the exporting country. Countervailing duty (CD)Countervailing duty is levied on goods which have received Government subsidies in the originating or exporting country, thus enabling the goods to be imported into the Community at prices substantially lower than the normal commercial value. Import duty:A tax collected on imports and some exports by the customs authorities of a country. This tax is used to raise state revenue. It is based on the value of goods called ad valorem duty or the weight, dimensions, or other criteria of the item such as its size. Also referred to as customs duty, tariff, import tax and import tariff. began with the Vodafone case but the Supreme Courts cancellation of the 2G licenses led to more companies following suit with firm backing from governments where they are headquartered. The adverse experience with BIPA with an estimated $5 billions hanging in balance could dampen the Foreign Offices enthusiasm of inking the pact with a large number of countries. 4. Fearing the Government could be flooded with more notices in future, the Ministries of Finance and Commerce & Industry felt it was time India carried out a review of the model text of BIPA and therefore decided to put on hold all negotiations pertaining to BIPA till a thorough review is carried out. It has been decided to review the model text of BIPA in the light of arbitration notice[s] received under different BIPAs. Therefore, pending review of the model text, all BIPA negotiations have been kept on hold. The government will proceed to negotiate BIPA agreements expeditiously once the review is complete, said a communication by the Department of Economic Affairs. 5. Vodafone was first off the blocks with a notice to the government stating that it was covered under BIPA as an investor defined under Article 1(d) of the treaty. Its Dutch subsidiary Vodafone International Holdings BV served the notice. This was soon followed by another round of notices issued in the aftermath of Supreme Court cancelling 122 telecom licenses resulting in companies like Russian telecom giant Sistema, Norwegian telecom company Telenor and UAE-based Etislat. 6. Till date, India has signed BIPAs with 82 countries of which 72 treaties have been enforced. The first BIPA was signed in 1994 with UK. Besides, India has signed 17 Free Trade Agreements, Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs). 7. Among the companies that have served notices under BIPA are Devas Employees Mauritius [BIPA with Mauritius]; Sistema Joint Stock Financial Corporation [Russia]; Telenor Asia [Singapore]; Capital Global Limited and Kaif Investment Limited [both Mauritius basedinvestors in Loop Telecom Limited under BIPA with Mauritius]; Vodafone International [the Netherlands]; and, the Childrens Investment Fund Management [the UK and Cyprus]. 8. Following outcry by foreign investors and show cause notice issued by Vodafone on the issue, the government had last year constituted an inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) to look into the issue. The IMG had concluded that international taxation issues dont come under BIPA. The IMG had also concluded in the Vodafone case that the issue was not covered under the India and the Netherlands BIPA. In fact, the feedback to the IMG from all the Ministries had indicated that taxation issues were not covered under BIPA. The group headed by Revenue Secretary also included Secretaries of the Department of Economic Affairs, Law and Justice Ministry, Telecom Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs.
Mars may have been inhabited by microorganisms

All the ingredients that support life was present just below the surface of Mars for much of the red planets history, a new study has claimed. However, instead of hosting little green men, our celestial neighbour was likely inhabited by simple microorganisms. The study led by the Natural History Museum, with the University of Aberdeen, found that all the ingredients for life were present just below the planets surface for much of its history, the Daily Mail reported. When meteorites strike the surface of Mars, they act like natural probes, bringing up rocks from far beneath the crust. Looking at data from NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESAs Mars Express spacecrafts, they analysed rocks and found they contain clays and minerals whose chemical make-up has been altered by water. With up to half of life on Earth consisting of simple microorganisms that lives in below the surface, scientists have suggested that the same may have been true for Mars. All the ingredients were there for life, but only small single-cell organisms could have survived in those conditions, Dr. Joseph Michalski, lead author and planetary geologist at the Natural History Museum said.
BIPA talks put on hold

1. In a significant development, the Union Government has ordered a freeze of all Bilateral Investment Protection Agreements (BIPA) negotiations till a review of the model text of BIPA is carried out and completed. This follows a spate of show cause notices on the Government by foreign companies seeking to recover their investments under the agreement. 2. The freeze will continue till the Government reviews the model text of BIPA is completed. The issue has figured in summit meetings with Russian President Valdimir Putin having raised the issue in his annual meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month. 3. The spate of notices under BIPA
JTS Institute
25

But I would now be more surprised if there was never any life on Mars, than I would be if we did one day discover that simple life lived in that environment. And if life existed then, there is a chance it could still exist now, Michalski said. Some deep craters on Mars also acted as basins where groundwater likely emerged to produce lakes, which contain clay and carbonate minerals. The fluids that formed these minerals could one day tell us more as to whether there was life beneath the surface, and also carry clues to how life developed on Earth. to face challenges in maintaining or raising capital ratios to keep pace with growth in risk assets, S&P said in report. It estimated that capital shortfall of major Indian and Chinese banks could reach about USD 100 billion by 2019 though, as a whole, it said that Asia Pacific banks were better placed than their peers elsewhere. 3. Asia-Pacific banks are poised to take the global lead in implementing Basel III in 2013. Most countries in the region have published their final set of Basel III capital reform regulations effective from January 2013 and these banks will adopt the new capital regulations ahead of their global peers, Standard & Poors credit analyst Naoko Nemoto said. 4. However, the Reserve Bank of India had last month rescheduled the starting date for implementation of the Basel III norms to April 2013. As per the agency, while the US has delayed the implementation and timetable of the Basel-III capital reforms, a final draft is under discussion in the European Union. employment and in reducing inflation, it would negatively affect small retailers and SMEs. 7. Further, the survey said, factors affecting business were poor infrastructure, high cost of credit and increasing raw material prices. 8. It also noted the concerns of the respondents over the precarious fiscal deficit scenario of the government. 9. Rising fiscal deficit has been a major cause of concern not only for the policy makers but also for the industry, Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said. 10. The survey showed that majority of the respondents firmly believed that the fiscal deficit target set by the government is not achievable in the current scenario, he said. 11. The government hopes to restrict fiscal deficit at 5.3 percent of the GDP in the current fiscal year in view of savings on certain expenditure and the likelihood of garnering budgeted proceeds from disinvestment and spectrum sale. 12. The government had earlier enhanced the fiscal deficit target from 5.1 percent to 5.3 percent.
Eurogroup bids farewell to mercurial Jean-Claude Juncker, heralds new era

1. It started as an informal dinner among European finance ministers more than 14 years ago and has steadily gained prominence under its veteran president, Jean-Claude Juncker. 2. But on Monday the grey-haired Juncker, 58, handed the reins of the Eurogroup to a polished 46-yearold Dutchman, promising a new approach to how economic policy among the 17 euro zone countries is shaped and decided. 3. After a 16-1 vote, the finance ministers named JeroenDijsselbloem, an Irisheducated social democrat with flawless English, to succeed Juncker, a Luxembourger who had headed the group for eight years. Only Spain opposed the appointment. 4. Junckers departure signals the end of an era during which policy including some of the most critical decisions of the debt crisis - was frequently discussed until the early hours of the morning over dinner and wine in a smoke-filled room.
Economic scenario likely to improve: Survey

1. Indias economic situation is expected to change for better in the coming months, although the fiscal deficit target set by the government seems to be unachievable in the current scenario, a survey has said. 2. The mood, as captured by the Assocham Business Confidence Survey for December 2012, seems to be improving at both the economic and industry levels, the chamber said. 3.The latest round of the survey connotes that economic situation has somewhat turned better in the last six months. 4. Further, there is an expectation of situation to be much better in the short to medium term horizon at both industry as well as firm level, it said. 5. Majority of respondents said they expect their sales volumes to be higher in the following quarter and investments are also expected to be somewhat constant in the coming six months, the survey said. 6. In reference to the recent approval given to multi-brand retail, it stated that the industry believes that while the measure would have a positive impact on farmers, consumers, rural youth,
Indian banks may face hurdles to raise funds under Basel III
1. Banks from the Asia-Pacific region as a whole were better placed to meet the higher capital requirements under Basel III norms, but Indian and Chinese banks may find it difficult to raise funds to meet the new norms due to their rising bad assets, ratings agency Standard & Poors said today. 2. We expect banks in high-growth systems such as India and China
JTS Institute
26
January - 14 January 2013 Issue-2/2013 (7 January to 14th 7 January)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
8 Janaury 2013 Moderate earthquake hits North-east
An earthquake of moderate intensity on Wednesday rocked the entire north eastern region, but there was no report of any injury to people or damage to property. The quake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, hit the region at around 7.12 AM with its epicentre being 89 km underneath the earths crust along the Indo Myanmar border, officials at the Regional Seismological Centre here said. The quake lasted a few seconds and rocked all major towns in the region, they said. The epicentre was in Phek district of Nagaland. Dr.Lallenmawia said the technical information about the quake was received from the seismological centre of the North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat in Assam. each discovered planetary system using other techniques; and 6. Determine the properties of those stars that harbor planetary systems. The Kepler Mission also supports the objectives of future NASA Origins theme missions Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) and Terrestrial Planet Finder(TPF), moderate temperatures are habitable for life similar to that found on Earth. At least one in seven exoplanets are flying close-in orbits around their suns much like Earths orbit around its sun, the scientists say. And the groups leader says the number is probably more like half which means there may be a staggering number of them within their stars so-called habitable zones, where temperatures would be just right for water to exist. Their analysis included only planets roughly the size of Earth, and with orbits around their stars that are closer than the orbit of Mercury to our sun. But by factoring in the exoplanets discovered by Kepler to date, a team of scientist headed by Francois Fressin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics say there could be at least 17 billion exoplanets in the Milky Way. Unlike the comets of our own night sky like Haleys, that fly around the sun and past the planets of our solar system, objects are flying past stars where planets havent formed yet, although the ingredients for planets do exist in clouds of gas and dust. Like the comets in Earths night sky, those objects that astronomers now call exomets, are icy remnants of a timebillions of years agowhen all planets must have formed from clouds of frozen rocky rubble. Interstellar dust under the influence of gravity becomes blobs, and the blobs grow into rocks, the rocks coalesce and become bigger thingsplanetesimals and comets and finally, you get planets, said Mr. Welsh at a press conference during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The discovery of exomets suggests they are just as common as exoplanets in other distant solar systems, and that might mean a staggering number of planets.
By identifying the common stellar characteristics of host stars for future planet searches, By defining the volume of space needed for the search and By allowing SIM to target systems already known to have terrestrial planets.
The Transit Method of Detecting Extrasolar Planets:

When a planet crosses in front of its star as viewed by an observer, the event is called a transit. Transits by terrestrial planets produce a small change in a stars brightness of about 1/10,000 (100 parts per million, ppm), lasting for 1 to 16 hours. This change must be periodic if it is caused by a planet. In addition, all transits produced by the same planet must be of the same change in brightness and last the same amount of time, thus providing a highly repeatable signal and robust detection method. Once detected, the planets orbital size can be calculated from the period (how long it takes the planet to orbit once around the star) and the mass of the star using Keplers Third Law of planetary motion. The size of the planet is found from the depth of the transit (how much the brightness of the star drops) and the size of the star. From the orbital size and the temperature of the star, the planets characteristic temperature can be calculated. Knowing the temperature of a planet is key to whether or not the planet is habitable (not necessarily inhabited). Only planets with
Extra Terrestrial life Kepler Mission Scientific Objective:

The scientific objective of the Kepler Mission is to explore the structure and diversity of planetary systems. This is achieved by surveying a large sample of stars to: 1. Determine the abundance of terrestrial and larger planets in or near the habitable zone of a wide variety of stars; 2. Determine the distribution of sizes and shapes of the orbits of these planets; 3. Estimate how many planets there are in multiple-star systems; 4. Determine the variety of orbit sizes and planet reflectivities, sizes, masses and densities of short-period giant planets; 5. Identify additional members of
JTS Institute
7 January - 14 January 2013 Issue of hunting of rare India-bound birds in Pakistan

1. A leading environmental group working for conservation of flora and fauna has sought intervention of the External Affairs Ministry to put pressure on Pakistan to ban hunting of rare birds, Houbara bustards, which has drastically reduced Indias share of their annual winter migration and affected the desert eco-system. 2. The hunting of Houbara bustards, taxonomically classified as Clamydotisundulata, through falconry in Pakistan has led to an alarming decline in their numbers. The poaching mainly in Sindh province along the international border is not only a cause of serious concern for India but also in violation of wildlife protection laws and international conventions. The species has been declared vulnerable due to a more than 60 per cent decline in its global population even as Indias share in the Houbaras migration is bagged in the neighbouring country. 3. The Arab royals also used to visit Iran and Afghanistan for falconry till late 1970s. Since the fall of the Shah of Iran and the prolonged war in Afghanistan, Pakistan became a favourite destination for the bird hunters. Though Pakistan banned hunting of birds in 1972, it is not enforced against the royal guests from the West Asian countries who believe that the Houbara meat has mythical aphrodisiac qualities. 4. Even as Houbara bustard is regarded as the provincial bird of Balochistan, the Federal authorities in Pakistan reportedly issue permits during the hunting season in Sindh province every year, with each permit allowing 100 birds to be hunted by the holder. Most of the permits go to royalty, rulers and influential people from countries such as Qatar, Bahrain, the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia. 5. Named Taloor in Sindhi language, the Houbara bustards migrate from the cold northern regions of Siberia to the warmer regions of the world, including the Indian sub-continent. Bird-lovers describe it as a beautiful bird with a black stripe down the sides of its neck. It is usually 60 cm long with a 140 cm wingspan and is brown above and white below. 6. The Houbara bustard is listed in the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Bonn Convention. Because of its increased hunting especially in its winter habitats, the Convention of the International Trade in Endangered Species has classified it as an endangered migratory bird. Concepts: Bonn Convention 1. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or the Bonn Convention, not to be confused with the Bonn Agreement) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale. Since the Conventions entry into force, its membership has grown steadily to include over 100 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The Convention was signed in 1979 in Bonn (hence the name) and entered into force in 1983 Houbara Bustard: 1. The Houbara bustards migrate from the cold northern regions of Siberia to the warmer regions of the world, including the Indian subcontinent. Bird-lovers describe it as a beautiful bird with a black stripe down the sides of its neck. It is usually 60 cm long with a 140 cm wingspan and is brown above and white below. 2. Under IUCN it is classified as vulnerable. 5.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as against 5.1 percent estimated earlier. b) Fitch as well as Standard & Poors have assigned the lowest investment grade rating to India and any downgrade would push it to the junk grade making it difficult for corporates to raise finances from overseas markets at competitive rates. c) Indias economic growth during 2012-13, according to RBI, is estimated to slip to around 5.8 percent, which would be the lowest in the last decade. d) The government is also looking into the various recommendations of the Kelkar Committee which had suggested a road map for fiscal consolidation. e) The Committee had suggested that slew of measures like phased elimination of LPG, kerosene, diesel and food subsidies to deal with the deteriorating fiscal situation. f) The government has taken various tough measures such as raising diesel prices, capping subsidised LPG cylinders and pruning non-Plan expenditure with a view to curtailing government expenditure and containing fiscal deficit. Credit Rating: An assessment of the credit worthiness of individuals and corporations. It is based upon the history of borrowing and repayment, as well as the availa-bility of assets and extent of liabilities.
WEF rates India lowest on tackling risks

WEF: The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva. It describes itself as an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. The Forum is best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubnden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland. The meeting brings together some 2,500 top business leaders, international political leaders, selected intellectuals and journalists to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world, including health and the environment. India was ranked lowest among
Fitch Threatens to downgrade India

The Finance Ministry on Tuesday said it is not worried about the threat of ratings downgrade by global agencies like Fitch as it is moving on the right track and will restrict fiscal deficit to 5.3 percent of the GDP in 2012-13. Reasons for downgrade: 1. Low growth rate. 2. High Fiscal deficit 3. No policy initiatives 4. High subsidies 5. Political Logjam 6. Diminishing exports 7. Sluggish industrial sector a) In view of rising expenditure and subdued growth in revenue collection, the Finance Ministry has already raised the fiscal deficit target to a more acceptable level of
JTS Institute

the worlds major economies for its preparedness to tackle global environmental risks and secondlowest for economic risks, while Switzerland is on the top, a report said on Tuesday. a. As per the annual Global Risks Report published by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), the biggest global risk in terms of likelihood would be severe income disparity for the next 10 years and major systemic financial failure will be the top-most risk before the world in terms of impact. b. The report said that Switzerland is best placed among the worlds 10 major economies for adapting to or recovering from global economic and environmental risks. While India is ranked ninth in terms of its ability to tackle global economic risks and comes last at tenth position for environmental risks. Italy is ranked lowest at tenth position for economic risks. c. The rankings of the 10 major economic of the world-Brazil, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Russia, the UK and the US - are based on Global Risks Perception Survey of over 1,000 experts from across the world. d. India fared relatively better at sixth position in terms of the governments risk management effectiveness, although it ranks second-lowest in terms of its global competitiveness index score. e. The survey on risk management effectiveness found that Germany, Switzerland and the UK are perceived by business leaders to have highest risk-management effectiveness, while Russia was seen as having the least effective risk management. The US and China were ranked fourth and fifth respectively, while those positioned below India on this metric included Italy, Brazil, Japan and Russia. f. Surveys were conducted across a total of 139 countries. g. Taking into account the scores of all the countries, India was ranked 38th in terms of its risk management effectiveness and 32nd for its resilience to global risks. Singapore was ranked on top in both these surveys. Among the top-five global risks in terms of likelihood are: severe income disparity, chronic fiscal imbalances, rising greenhouse emissions, water supply crises and mismanagement of ageing population. Health-related risks: 1. Greatest risk of hubris to human health comes in the form of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Many people take for granted that antibiotics will always be available when we need them, but soon this may no longer be the case. Every dose of antibiotics gives an advantage for those small numbers in a bacterial population that are resistant to the drug 2. The more a particular antibiotic is used, the more quickly bacteria resistant to that antibiotic will be selected and increased in numbers. 3. For India, the report said that within four years (from 2002 to 2006) the antibiotic-resistance bacteria went from 7 drugs to 21 drugs. It further said the pharmacy sales of strong antibiotics which should be a last line of defence increased nearly six-fold from 2005 to 2010 in India. 4. A national task force in India had recommended ending overthe-counter sales of antibiotics, but the proposal was rejected as it would deny access to antibiotics to patients in rural areas where there are no physicians to prescribe the drug, the WEF report said. JMM, senior leader Shakeel Ahmed said. Ahmed, who is in-charge of Congress affairs in Jharkhand, said that the party would await the decision of Governor Syed Ahmed before deciding its future course of action. Earlier in the day, Munda submitted to the Jharkhand governor the Cabinet decision recommending dissolution of the Assembly and also his resignation. Concept regarding dissolution of legislative assembly by the governor: Please refer to S.R Bommais case The language of Bommai is plain. In all cases where the support of the Ministry is claimed to have been withdrawn by some legislators, Justices Sawant and Kuldip Singh held, the proper course for testing the strength of the Ministry is holding the test on the floor of the House. The assessment of the strength of the Ministry is not a matter of private opinion of any individual be he the Governor or the President (emphasis added). Justices Jeevan Reddy and Agarwal underlined the floor test procedure: Whenever a doubt arises whether the Council of Ministers has lost the confidence of the House, the only way of testing it is on the floor of the House (emphasis as in the original). The sole exception to this will be a situation of all-pervasive violence where the Governor comes to the conclusion - and records the same in his report - that for the reasons mentioned by him, a free vote is not possible.
ShibuSoren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha formally withdraws support from BJP-led Arjun Munda govt.
Deepening the political crisis in the state, Jharkhands ruling coalition partner JMM submitted its letter to Governor Syed Ahmed today formally withdrawing support to the 28-month-old ArjunMunda government pushing it to a minority. The JMM action came even as the Jharkhand Cabinet decided to recommend dissolution of the state assembly to prevent any horse trading-like situation. Jharkhand Cabinet decision not binding on Governor: Congress New Delhi: Jharkhand Cabinets decision recommending dissolution of the Assembly was not binding on the Governor as it was done by the ArjunMunda Government after being reduced to a minority, Congress said today. It is not binding on the Governor to accept the recommendation of a minority government. It was crystal clear that the BJP-led government had been reduced to a minority after withdrawal of support by the
FDI policy made more friendly, rational: Anand Sharma

Seeking to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country, the policy has been made friendlier, rational and simple, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma said today. Steps Taken: 1 Indias Growth: Greater Opportunities, he said investment limit has been raised from Rs 600 crore to Rs 1,200 crore for projects that need cabinet approval. 2 At present, the national investment rate is around 33-34 percent and by the end of 12th Plan, the aim was to increase this to 36 percent, he said. 3. Market diversification was
JTS Institute
Indias strategic decision, he said, adding the country had successfully found new markets in Africa and other neighbouring countries. 4. Encouraging long term FDI flows would be more fruitful as the Government had decided to borrow as little as possible, he said. 5. We have continued to receive considerable remittances from the Indian Diaspora which is our underlying strength. In 2012, we received USD 80 billion leaving China behind with USD 76 billion
7 January - 14 January 2013 Meerut scissors registered for GI tag

1. For the first time, a handmade tool from micro and small and medium enterprises in India has been registered for a geographical indicator (GI) tag, an official of a body promoting this sector said on Wednesday. The tool is a pair of scissors made of metal scrap by a community in Meerut, which is the only scissor cluster in India and which has been making the product for more than three centuries. 2. The tag would enable the crafters to make scissors of standard sizes and of high quality, he said. At present, the size varies, from six inches to 14 inches, and the scissors are sold at a price ranging from Rs.20 to Rs.500. 3. Known for their sharpness, the scissors are used at home and by industrial garment manufacturers.They can be repaired, unlike other scissors that are thrown out after use. 4. The Meerut scissors are made of carbon steel blades sourced from scrap metal found in cars, buses, trucks and railways. The handles are made of plastic, aluminium or alloys, which are sourced from old utensils. All the parts are pre-used. The first pair was made 360 years ago by Asli Akhun. 5. Meerut has 250 small-scale scissors-making units, employing 70,000 people directly and indirectly. Both the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments have helped the industry. 6. While men make scissors, women do the tasks that require handwork and pack the products. 7. They are sent only to the domestic markets, but the makers find it tough to meet the demand at home. 8. Mr.Saluja said the GI tag was given to products based on certain information submitted to the Geographical Indication Registry, Chennai: proof of origin, the GI map, the statement of case and the history of the product. Concept: GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATORS Geographical Indications of Goods are defined as that aspect of industrial property which refer to the geographical indication referring to a country or to a place situated therein as being the country or place of origin of that
Engineered bacteria make fuel from sunlight

1. In a bid to find a substitute to fossil fuels as raw material for the chemical industry, scientists have engineered bacteria which could help grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics. 2. Most chemical feedstocks come from petroleum and natural gas, and we need other sources 3. Biological reactions are good at forming carbon-carbon bonds, using carbon dioxide as a raw material for reactions powered by sunlight,called photosynthesis, and cyanobacteria, also known as blue -green algae, have been doing it for more than 3 billion years. 4. The challenge is to get the cyanobacteria to make significant amounts of chemicals that can be readily converted to chemical feedstocks. 5. The researchers, working a step at a time, built up a three-step pathway that allows the cyanobacteria to convert carbon dioxide into 2,3butanediol, a chemical that can be used to make paint, solvents, plastics and fuels.
product. Typically, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to the fact of its origin in that defined geographical locality, region or country. Under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, geographical indications are covered as an element of IPRs. They are also covered under Articles 22 to 24 of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, which was part of the Agreements concluding the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations. India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999 has come into force with effect from 15th September 2003.
Giant ring of gas and dust spotted around Milky Ways black hole
1. Researchers have captured new images of a ring of gas and dust seven light-years in diameter surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). 2. The telescope also captured images of a neighbouring cluster of extremely luminous young stars embedded in dust cocoons. 3. Ryan Lau of Cornell University and his collaborators studied the galaxys circumlunar ring (CNR), while Matt Hankins of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway is lead author of the other paper, regarding the quintuplet cluster (QC). 4. The images were obtained during SOFIA flights in 2011 with the FaintObject Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) instrument built by a team with principal investigator Terry Herter of Cornell. 5. FORCAST offered astronomers the ability to see the CNR and QC regions and other exotic cosmic features whose light is obscured by water vapor in Earths atmosphere and interstellar dust clouds in the mid-plane of the Milky Way.
9 Janaury 2013 Rajiv Takru is new Financial Services Secretary

Rajiv Takru, now Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has been appointed as Financial Services Secretary in the Finance Ministry. Structure of the Finance Ministry: The ministry of Finance consists of 5 departments, namely: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 Department Department Department Department and Department Services. of Economic Affairs of Expenditure of Revenue of Disinvestment; of Financial
Saturns moon Titans lakes covered with hydrocarbon ice blocks

1. Scientists on NASAs Cassini mission have claimed to have
JTS Institute

found blocks of hydrocarbon ice decorating the surface of existing lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbon on Saturns moon Titan. 2. The presence of ice floes might explain some of the mixed readings Cassini has seen in the reflectivity of the surfaces of lakes on Titan.Titan is the only other body besides Earth in our solar system with stable bodies of liquid on its surface.But while our planets cycle of precipitation and evaporation involves water, Titans cycle involves hydrocarbons like ethane and methane. 3. Ethane and methane are organic molecules, which scientists think can be building blocks for the more complex chemistry from which life arose. Cassini has seen a vast network of these hydrocarbon seas cover Titans northern hemisphere, while a more sporadic set of lakes bejewels the southern hemisphere. 4. Up to this point, Cassini scientists assumed that Titan lakes would not have floating ice, because solid methane is denser than liquid methane and would sink.But the new model considers the interaction between the lakes and the atmosphere, resulting in different mixtures of compositions, pockets of nitrogen gas, and changes in temperature. 5. The result, scientists found, is that winter ice will float in Titans methane-and-ethane-rich lakes and seas if the temperature is below the freezing point of methane minus 297 degrees Fahrenheit (90.4 Kelvins). 6. We now know its possible to get methane-and-ethane-rich ice freezing over on Titan in thin blocks that congeal together as it gets coldersimilar to what we see with Arctic sea ice at the onset of winter. Titan: Titan (or Saturn VI) is the largest moon of Saturn. It is the only natural satellite known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object other than Earth for which clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found. Titan is the sixth ellipsoidal moon from Saturn. Frequently described as a planet-like moon, Titan has a diameter roughly 50% larger than Earths moon and is 80% more massive. It is the second-largest moon in the Solar System, after Jupiters moon Ganymede, and it is larger by volume than the smallest planet, Mercury, although only half as massive. Titan was the first known moon of Saturn, discovered in 1655 by the Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, and was the fifth moon of a planet apart from the Earth to be discovered. Titan is primarily composed of water ice and rocky material. Much as with Venus prior to the Space Age, the dense, opaque atmosphere prevented under-standing of Titans surface until new information accumulated with the arrival of the CassiniHuygens mission in 2004, including the discovery of liquid hydrocarbon lakes in the satellites polar regions. The surface is geologically young; although mountains and several possible cryovolcanoes have been discovered, it is smooth and few impact craters have been found. The atmosphere of Titan is largely composed of nitrogen; minor components lead to the formation of methane and ethane clouds and nitrogen-rich organic smog. The climateincluding wind and rain creates surface features similar to those of Earth, such as dunes, rivers, lakes and seas (probably of liquid methane and ethane), and deltas, and is dominated by seasonal weather patterns as on Earth. With its liquids (both surface and subsurface) and robust nitrogen atmosphere, Titans methane cycle is viewed as an analogy to Earths water cycle, although at a much lower temperature. The satellite is thought to be a possible host for microbial extraterrestrial life or, at least, as a prebiotic environment rich in complex organic chemistry with a possible subsurface liquid ocean serving as a biotic environment. Cassini: CassiniHuygens is a Flagshipclass NASA-ESA-ASI robotic spacecraft sent to the Saturn system. It has studied the planet and its many natural satellites since arriving there in 2004, also observing Jupiter, the Heliosphere, and testing the theory of relativity. Launched in 1997 after nearly two decades of gestation, it includes a Saturn orbiter and an atmospheric probe/lander for the moon Titan called Huygens, which entered and landed on Titan in 2005. Cassini is the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter orbit, and its mission is ongoing as of 2012. It launched on October 15, 1997 on a Titan IVB/Centaur and entered into orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004, after an interplanetary voyage which included flybys of Earth, Venus, and Jupiter. On December 25, 2004, Huygens separated from the orbiter at approximately 02:00 UTC. It reached Saturns moon Titan on January 14, 2005, when it entered Titans atmosphere and descended to the surface. It successfully returned data to Earth, using the orbiter as a relay. This was the first landing ever accomplished in the outer Solar System.
900 foot-wide asteroid Apophis to pass by Earth, may hit in 2036

Apophis, a 900 foot-wide asteroid named after an Egyptian demon is set to pass by Earth has no chances of a cataclysmic collision, according to scientists. The asteroid will not get closer than around nine million miles to Earth tonight (January 10th, 2013). Scientists will use this encounter to improve their estimate of just how dangerous the space rock really is, the Daily Mail reported. In 2029, Apophis is expected to come uncomfortably close, brushing past the Earth at a distance of just 30,000 kilometres. That will put the asteroid inside the orbit of communication satellites. However, there remains a nonnegligible chance of the asteroid smashing into Earth in 2036. Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones. These terms have historically been applied to any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not show the disk of a planet and was not observed to have the characteristics of an active comet, but as small objects in the outer Solar System were discovered, their volatile-based surfaces were found to more closely resemble comets, and so were often distinguished from traditional asteroids. Thus the term asteroid has come increasingly to refer specifically to the small bodies of the inner Solar System out to the orbit of Jupiter, which are usually rocky or metallic. They are grouped with the outer bodies centaurs, Neptune Trojans, and trans-Neptunian objectsas minor planets, which is the term preferred in astronomical circles.
JTS Institute
7 January - 14 January 2013 Temi Tea The Flavor of Sikkim

Amidst the backdrop of picturesque and mighty Mt. Khanchan Dzonga refreshed by the gentle breeze of river Teesta brews the morning sip of Sikkim the Temi tea. Spread over 180 hectares of gentle slope with altitude ranging from 4500 to 6316 feet, the Temi tea garden produces one of the finest orthodox tea that promises the appreciation of tea connoisseur. The Temi Tea estate was established in 1969 during the erstwhile regime of Chogyal and the commercial production started in the year 1977. In the year 1974 Tea board was formed to govern the day to day functioning of the estate and later it went on to become the subsidiary of Industries Department under Sikkim government. Temi Tea which apart from providing direct employment to over four hundred labors and thirty personnel, also is a major employer in the Government sector. The gentle slopes that originate from the Tendong hill range has loamy soils condition with slope of 3050% that suits best for tea plantation and produces nearly 100 tons of tea annually. Although the quantity of produce may seem insignificant in terms of major tea producing estates, the quality and the flavor it produces has been able to win the heart of tea aficionados within India and the world. The tea produced by the Temi Tea estate is packaged under many brand names like Temi Tea which is of the best quality consisting of pure tea golden flowery orange pekoe. The next in quality is the popular brand of Sikkim Solja followed by Mystique and Kanchanjunga Tea. It is also sold in the form of Orthodox dust tea. While nearly 70 percent of the produce is sold in public auction at Kolkata through its authorized broker, the rest is converted into retail packets and sold in the local market. The geographical location and the young plantation supplemented by organic method of production have further added to the value and flavor of tea leaves produced from this estate. Temi Tea garden closely followed the guidelines issued by IMO, Switzerland and with the completion of observation period; Temi Tea Estate was certified 100 percent organic by IMO India, a member group of IMO Switzerland in 2008. In addition, it is also a HACCP certified estate as per ISO 22000 standard under Food Safety Management System ensuring finest of quality product reaching the market. It may be noted that Temi tea garden is also the recipient of All India Quality Award from Tea Board of India for the two consecutive years. learning comprehension and retention of children in schools. 5. The centre has also sanctioned special training for drop outs or never enrolled children. Over 33280 lakh rupees have been sanctioned for 6,59,668 out of school children for age appropriate admission in regular schools. 6. Transportation/ escort facility for total of 47,909 children has been provided in 2011-12 and 2012-13 in LWE districts. 7. LWE districts are treated as Special Focused districts for need based planning and sanctions.
Educating Children in Naxal Affected Areas

One piece of good news on the educational front from left wing extremist affected (LWE) districts in the country is that many areas have witnessed a declining trend in the dropout rates since the inception of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan as was stated by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, ShriShashiTharoor while replying to a question in Parliament during the just concluded winter session A number of steps have been taken over the years by the centre and the concerned state governments to enroll children in schools in LWE affected areas and most importantly to retain them in schools and thus arrest the high rate of drop outs that these schools have been witnessing for many years . Central Government Initiatives and Assistance 1. The opening of residential schools has been quite effective in retaining children in schools. According to official figures there are 77 residential schools/ hostels in LWE districts with intake capacity of 31650 children. 889 Kasturba Gandhi Vidalaya residential schools for girls have been opened in the affected districts for class VI to VIII. 2. Under the provisions of a scheme of the Ministry for Tribal Affairs 100 percent central assistance is provided for construction of all Scheduled tribe girls ashram schools and boys ashram schools in naxal-affected districts identified by Ministry of Home Affairs from time to time. 3. The Coordination with Ashram Shalas and other SC/ST department schools by giving free text books, the mid-day meal, teacher training school maintenance grant and teacher grant for teaching aids has also helped. 4. Multi Lingual Education in early grades in tribal districts of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is another step that can improve
KG to PG Educational Hubs in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government is planning an initiative towards starting KG to PG educational hubs for tribal students in areas affected by Naxalite violence. These residential schools are meant to impart education to students from kindergarten to postgraduate level and are aimed at letting tribal communities enter the mainstream.
Portable Cabin Schools in Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh the state government there has installed pre-fabricated structures, porta cabin schools in all the districts of Bastar region. While it takes a long time to build permanent infrastructure for schools, the Prefabricated structures can be moved to areas where Naxalites have destroyed schools or where ever they are required. The porta cabin school scheme in Chhattisgarh has been implemented with the help of UNICEF and the state of Jharkhand has also approved funds for such schools.
Balbandhu Programme of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights An innovative Balbandhu
scheme initiated by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in strife torn areas two years back too has started making an impact. The scheme has been introduced in nine districts affected by civil strife in Sukhma in Chhhatisgarh, Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, Khammam in Andhra Pradesh, East Champaran, Sheohar, Jammui and Rohtas in Bihar and Kokrajhar and Chirang in Assam. Balbandhus are young people recruited from within the
JTS Institute

community to oversee the children in such areas go to school, return to schools if they have dropped out and trace and restore the missing children to their families. While these balbandhus may not have the power to enforce implementation but they can put pressure on the authorities by involving the community and the Panchayats towards this end An evaluation report on the Balbandhu programme says that these young recruits have given a distinct confidence to the children in these areas specially the school going ones. vehicle technologies exists in the country. As per these projections, 6-7 million units of new vehicle sales of the full range of electric vehicles, along with resultant liquid fuel savings of 2.2 2.5 million tonnes can be achieved in 2020. This will also result in substantial lowering of vehicular emissions and decrease in carbon di-oxide emissions by 1.3% to 1.5% in 2020 as compared to a status quo scenario. The NEMMP 2020 projections also indicate that the savings from the decrease in liquid fossil fuel consumption as a result of shift to electric mobility alone will far exceed the support provided thereby making this a highly economically viable proposition. Therefore on all counts encouraging the faster adoption of hybrid & electric vehicles and their manufacture in India is a wise investment for our future generations. NMEM is amongst the most significant interventions of the Government that promises to transform the automotive paradigm of the future by lessening the dependence on fossil fuels, increasing energy efficiency of vehicles and by providing the means to achieve ultimate objective of cleaner transportation that is compatible with sustainable renewable energy generation. This Intervention will also help encourage the Indian Automotive Industry to shift to newer, cleaner technologies so that it builds its future competitive advantage around environmentally sustainable products, high end technologies, innovation and knowledge. The implementation and roll out of the NEMMP 2020 will be done through various specific schemes, interventions, policies that are currently under formulation and will be considered by the Government in the near future. Objectives of the Scheme: i. To support the sustainability and growth of MSEs by addressing common issues such as improvement of technology, skills and quality, market access, access to capital, etc. ii. To build capacity of MSEs for common supportive action through formation of self-help groups, consortia, upgradation of associations, etc. iii. To create/upgrade infrastructural facilities in the new/existing industrial areas/ clusters of MSEs. iv. To set up common facility centres (for testing, training centre, raw material depot, effluent treatment, complementing production processes, etc). Cluster Development Programme has facilitated growth and promotion of MSMEs in NER under various trades. A Regional Resource Centre (RRC) for cluster development has been set up at Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE),Guwahati, with 7 SubCentres in all the North Eastern States. 4,135 enterprises have been created through clusters, besides scaling up of 1,760 enterprises in developed clusters through efforts of IIE, Guwahati.
Among many other suggestion, recommendations, that the Balbandhu programme should be extended for at least two years in the same block and a new block should be opened up in the neigh bouring district where the existing resource person and balbandhu can give basic operational training
The self-help groups and Balbandhu committee should monitor Midday meal scheme and send regular reports.
Students should be encouraged to form self-help groups where the students good in studies could help weak children. National Electric Mobility Mission Plan Launched
The Honble Prime Minister unveiled the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020. The principal end objectives of the National Mission for Electric Mobility (NMEM): 1. National energy security 2. Mitigation of the adverse impact of vehicles on the environment and growth of domestic manufacturing capabilities. 3. The NEMMP 2020, the mission document for the NMEM that was approved by the National Council for Electric Mobility (NCEM) on 29th August, 2012, sets the vision, lays the targets and provides the joint Government industry vision for realizing the huge potential that exists for full range of efficient and environmentally friendly electric vehicle (including hybrids) technologies by 2020. The NEMMP 2020 is a wellresearched document and relies on in-depth primary data based study conducted jointly by the Government and the Industry which indicates that high latent demand for environmentally friendly electric
Recommendations of the Conference of Chief Secretaries and DGsP

The conference of the Chief Secretaries and Director Generals Police held in New Delhi on January 04, 2013 has suggested increase in punishment for gang rape, setting up of Fast Track Courts, National data base for sexual offenders and amendments to Cr PC, IPC and Juvenile Justice Act. The conference also came out with the suggestions for gender sensitization of police force, more recruitment of women in police, deployment of women police in every Police Station, single help line for women across the country, strengthening of forensic capabilities and community Policing. Some of the important suggestions made by the participants at the conference are as follows: CRIME PREVENTION Prevention is most important. There should be zero tolerance for petty offences as the offender can escalate in the crime ladder and especially for cases u/s 509. Community policing should be introduced. National data base of
Industrial Clusters in North Eastern Region

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has adopted the cluster development approach as a key strategy for enhancing the productivity and competitiveness as well as capacity building of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and their collectives in the country. Clustering of units also enables providers of various services to them, including banks and credit agencies, to provide their services more economically, thus reducing costs and improving the availability of services for these enterprises.
JTS Institute

sexual offenders should be initiated. Preventive sections of Cr PC should be used more and coordination between police and citizens needs to be ensured. CHANGES IN LAW Cr PC needs to be amended to aim at speedy trials. Section 509 of IPC needs to be amended. When there is presumption of offence having been committed, discretion in grant of bail should be done away with. Punishment for gang rape should be higher. Amendment to Juvenile Justice Act to lower the age to 16 years and grading based on the magnitude of offence is necessary. Placement agencies need to be brought under law. ORGANISATION Accountability of police is essential. Gender sensitization to be made a part of the curriculum, if not done in Police Training Schools and Colleges. Awareness programmes are necessary. Expansion of civil Police is necessary and reluctance of women to join should be reduced by reserving posts for them in Police. Dy. SP should be the nodal officer for crime against women in every district. One Addl. DG of Police should be designated as nodal officer in every state. WOMEN SAFETY There is a need to increase the number of response vehicles (PCR) and Women PCRs could be started. Mahila help desk need to be established if not done in all Police Stations. Women help line should be toll free. Security of women in the trains should be ensured. GPS system should be fixed in transport buses. There should be single helpline number across the country. More women Police Stations need to be opened. Care centers for women who have no place to go at night should be started with the help of NGOs. INVESTIGATION PROCESS Investigation process is delayed mainly because of delay in forensic science reports and hence forensic capabilities needs to be strengthened. There is need for more Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for investigation.Depending on the crime, investigation should be completed within 30 to 90 days and a time frame for filing charge sheet should be defined. Prosecution needs to be supported. Cases need to be registered as and when women reach a Police Station. Recording of information should be only by women and if necessary by audio/video recording. Medical practitioner who examines a rape victim must be a woman. Police protection for the victim till the trial ends should be given. TRIAL Fast Track courts are necessary and need to be supported. Court procedure should prevent humiliation of the victim and character assassination must be stopped. There should be no adjournments once trial starts with day to day hearing. Rights of the victims should be defined. Judges and prosecutors should be women. Discretion in grant of bail for heinous offences should be removed. Prosecutor should be of the choice of the victim. The one day conference was attended by Union Home Minister Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Union Women & Child Development Minister Smt. Krishna Tirath, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment KumariSelja, Union Ministers of State for Home Shri RPN Singh and Shri M Rama chandran and senior officers from the Center and State Governments. rural Internet users (24.3 million active users out of a total 38 million) use the Internet in the local language. But only 25 per cent of the total 84 million urban users browse the Net in regional languages (20.9 million). 3. By and large, the applications that are most used by regional language users include emails, search engines and news content, text chat, matrimonial services and online banking services. In rural areas, the report shows a bias in favour of sites offering government services, land records and private initiatives such as eChoupal, which provides aggregated information of interest to farmers and facilitates sale of farm produce. 4. According to the IAMAI report, Internet non-users have mentioned that lack of content in local language as one of the major reasons, along with lack of infrastructure. 5. With a low working knowledge of English in India (according to the National Readership Survey, 2006, only 18.2% of the population is English-literate; 34.2% in urban and 11.1% in rural areas), Internet penetration in India is only 12%, since content is primarily available in English. 6. The reading problem was resolved long ago, at least for Tamil, says N. Chokkan, one of the first-generation users of Tamil on the Internet. With the introduction of Unicode to regulate the way Tamil is being used on the Net, things have changed dramatically. Today, there are about 15 applications for the PC and five or six mobile apps purely for typing. 7. The study covered the top metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, the cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune, and 12 smaller cities. Five non-metro towns and 10 small towns were also included in the study. It was conducted by the e-Technology group of the Indian Market Research Bureau and the IAMAI, an industry body representing the online and mobile industry in India.
10 Janaury 2013 National waterway number 6, for northeast

The 121-km stretch of LakhipurBhanga of the Barak River will soon become a national waterway, the sixth in the country. Approving the proposal, the Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to enact a law for the purpose and cleared Rs. 123 crore for providing infrastructure on this stretch. The Inland Waterways Authority of India will execute the project in two phases. The first will be completed by 2016-17 and the second by 2018-19, integrating the waterways in the northeast and helping cargo transport through Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
Vernacular Report, 2012

According to the Vernacular Report, 2012, of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI): 1. A higher percentage of rural people are aware of regional language content than urban users. 2. In India, 45 million users access content in the local language. Around 64 percent of
The Afghanistans turmoil

The Issue = American troops to leave Afghanistan by 2014, and the Taliban issue has still not been resolved. The Obama angle: Obama needs to show some concrete results that have been achieved by the USAfghan war; hence America is
JTS Institute

speeding up the political dialogues. The realisation, two years ago, that defeating the Taliban was impossible triggered cautious efforts at exploring ways to deal with them politically. As 2014 approaches, those efforts have picked up speed, with the Obama administration keen to leave behind an arrangement that can help it claim a semblance of political achievement from the military intervention. Through the facilitation of a French think-tank, representatives of the Karzai governments High Peace Council met Taliban representatives in France last month. The position that the Taliban representatives took at the meeting contained: 1. They denounced the Constitution. 2. They do not want the 2014 elections to be held, and 3. Believe their Islamic Emirate, ousted by U.S. forces after 9/11, was the best thing that happened to Afghanistan. 4. There was no renouncing of ties with al-Qaeda. With the underlying tone one of contempt towards the Karzai government. Hence it is hard to escape the impression that the Taliban are not so much interested in negotiation with Kabul as a deal with the U.S. for a return to power. Given this, the High Councils Peace Process Roadmap to 2015 sounds unrealistic. It visualises a deal based on respect for the Constitutiona ceasefire with the Taliban and other armed groups by the end of 2013, their transformation into political parties and participation in the following years elections. In reality, it makes a huge pragmatic concession to the Taliban by envisaging non-elected positions in the power structure. This has already raised concern within and outside Afghanistan, not least because it is no secret that Pakistan has been working both sides of the table. Pakistans stakes are understandable: post2014, any instability in Afghanistan is most likely to first wash across the Durand Line, adding to its existing woes. But it is not clear if it realises that any attempt to use its influence with the Taliban to create instability in the neighbourhood after 2014 would rebound on it. Locked out of the process after all the talk of a regional solution, The Indian Angle: Indias primary worry is Pakistans intentions, as recently cross-border tensions have increased. Moreover India has invested its time, money and people in Afghanistan hence it would be injurious to Indian interests that Taliban regime comes back into power. supplement the falling incomes of their families during times of agrarian distress. This is what seemed to have happened in India between 1999-2000 and 2004-05. During this five-year period, the growth of agricultural incomes in the country was stagnant, yet the number of self-employed female workers engaged in agriculture and related activities increased by 17 million, possibly indicating distress employment. On the other hand, between 200405 and 2009-10, the number of self-employed female workers engaged in agriculture and related activities decreased by 19 million in India. This decline in employment could be attributed to a modest revival in the growth of agricultural incomes and to the positive impact on rural employment and wages created by the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). Thus, it appears that in India, during the 2000s, female employment in agriculture was not driven by any real opportunities for income generation, but was part of a last-ditch effort to escape impoverishment.
Woman in Indian workforce

The labour participation rate of women = it is the number of women in the labour force as a proportion of the total female population. 1. In 2008, the labour participation rate in India was only 33 percent for females as compared to 81 percent for males. 2. By way of comparison, it was 68 percent for females in China. 3. Among Indian States, the female labour participation rate is one of the lowest in Delhi, a region also known for its harsh treatment of women. The labour force includes not only the employed but also unemployed persons who are actively seeking jobs. In India, substantial numbers of women who are not counted in the labour force are, as described in the official statistics, attending to domestic duties in their own households. 1. National Sample Survey reports tell us that, in 2009-10, out of every 1,000 females (all ages) in Indias rural areas, 347 were attending to domestic duties. 2. In the case of urban females, this number was even bigger: 465 per 1000. Compare this to the number of rural and urban men who were attending to domestic duties: only 5 per 1,000 and 4 per 1,000 respectively. A womans work in her own household is not counted as an economic activity, and does not get reported in the national income statistics. This is unlike the case of services by a paid domestic help, which is considered an economic activity and is counted in the national income. As is well known, womens domestic duties include childbirth, caring for the young and old, cooking, and a range of other activities that are crucial for the upkeep of the family. In rural areas, women periodically enter and exit from agricultural work. Quite often, womens participation in agricultural activities as self-employed workers is to
Urban, Educated Women

1. In India, social factors play a significant role in reducing womens labour participation. 2. In 2009-10, the proportion of those attending to domestic duties (and therefore out of the labour force) was 57 per cent among urban females with graduate degrees or higher, compared to just 31 percent among rural females with primary or middle school education. 3. What are the reasons for such a massive withdrawal of educated women from the work force? Lower wages than men could be one reason. But then female-male wage disparities exist in Japan and South Korea as well, but female labour participation has been high in these countries. 4. Within Indian manufacturing, womens employment is increasingly in the low-paid, vulnerable sectors. Between 1999-2000 and 2004-05, women accounted for 3.7 million of the 9.7 million new manufacturing jobs created in the country. A large proportion of these women were employed in the export-oriented sectors such as garment-making. 5. However, by 2009-10, Indias manufacturing sector was suffering
JTS Institute
from a variety of problems,including power shortage and a slowdown in export demand from western countries. Between 2004-05 and 2009-10, 3.7 million manufacturing jobs were lost in the country, and more than 80 per cent of those who lost their jobs were women. 6. During the post-1990 years, the major source of employment for women has been in the services sector, mainly in low-paid services such as domestic help.
7 January - 14 January 2013 Soon MSMEs can buy, sell licences for patented products online
MSMEs will get concessional rates for trading on the portal An online portal where micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) can trade licences for patented products will be launched in April, said Karamjeet Singh Saluja, Deputy Director, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME), Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC). There are different IPR instruments, and entrepreneurs should know which instrument should be used when, some of them are; patents, copyrights, trademarks, geographical indication (GI) tags.
3. The 25-hydroxy Vitamin D blood test can tell you if you are deficient or not. Levels over 30 nanograms/ millilitre are termed sufficient. (One nanogram is one billionth of a gram).
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY RISK GROUP

1. Even though the body can make Vitamin D from sunlight, very few people actually expose themselves to direct sunlight, what with all the sunscreens, staying indoors or covering up to protect the skin against the sun or harsh cold. 2. Those who are especially prone to deficiency are the elderly. People over 65 years make only a quarter of the vitamin than those who are in their twenties. Obese people who have BMI (body mass index) of over 30 too dont make enough. 3. Those with dark skin tones and those who have fat malabsorption due to cystic fibrosis, celiac or Crohns disease, or bowel surgeries are prone to Vit D deficiency. Patients with liver or kidney disease, those taking glucocorticoids, who are home bound or live in a/c rooms (glass panes block UVB rays) and those who live in the northern latitude fall into the risk group. Vegetarians too run the risk of deficiency as animal foods are a major source of Vitamin D. 4. Just 10 to 15 minutes of exposure to the direct sun on our limbs will provide us most of the required Vitamin D. Unfortunately, pollution, cloudy sky and seasons with less sunshine could act against acquiring sufficient ultraviolet B (UVB) rays that create Vitamin D in our body. HOW VITAMIN D AFFECTS OUR HEALTH The Health Professional Follow up Study of 50,000 healthy men monitored the Vitamin D level over a span of 10 years. It was found that those who had low level had twofold the risk of heart disease than those with adequate levels. Separate studies on the same have shown sudden cardiac arrests, stroke and death in people with deficient levels of the vitamin. Children who play under the sun seem to have lesser incidence of respiratory infections. Adults who dont, seem to catch a cold more often. A study on Finnish children over a span of 30 years found that those with Vitamin D deficiency were 90
In Myanmars transition, shades of Indonesia

There are many parallels between Myanmar and Indonesia as: 1. The militaries of both nations are inheritors of the legacies of Japanese occupation, are obsessed with law, order, discipline, unity and territorial integrity 2. Gave high premium to intelligence agencies in maintaining regime survival; debilitated their civil societies; acquired stakes in the countrys economy, and legitimised the political role of the armed forces through constitutional provisions. 3. Both are multi-ethnic states are haunted by the twin spectres of racial tension and a separatist periphery. And, both have inflated views of their importance to national survival. 4. As in Indonesia, nationalism flowered in Burma during World War II and Burmas post-independence leadership had been closely associated with the anti-colonial Burma Independence Army (BIA) recruited and trained by the Japanese. 5. In both Burma and Indonesia, the military had played a prominent part in the achievement of independence. In both countries, having intervened decisively, the military consolidated its position by expanding into civilian administration and business and by establishing a military-dominated political party. Despite minor differences, the pathology, the ideological outlook and the experiences of the two countries are so similar that Myanmar is likely to follow the same trajectory in its movement towards democracya guided political system with a certain role for the armed forces till the economy grows to accommodate both the security and economic interests of the armed forces through an expanded defence budget, and creates a middle class demanding greater transparency and accountability from the government.
Maharashtras SEZ exit policy may not be successful: CREDAI

Raising doubts about the success of the new industrial policy for Maharashtra, developers apex body CREDAI on Wednesday said integrated industrial parks may not be successful as Special Economic Zones have failed to take off. The new policy allows an exit route for special economic zone (SEZ) developers, whose projects have got stuck due to issues like land acquisition or changes in tax laws by the Union government. It is heartening to note that state government is trying to give some incentives to generate higher employment. The new industrial policy is welcome in that sense. However, the policy on conversion of SEZ seems to be going nowhere. Government needs to understand as to why and how SEZs have failed.
Vitamin-D and its importance

1. Sunshine vitamin or Vitamin D, which is manufactured in our body when our skin is exposed to the sun, is popularly known for its muscle strengthening and bone building properties. 2. Getting appropriate Vit D (or sunlight) reduces risk of heart diseases and diabetes, protects against and betters prognosis for colorectal cancer and TB, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia and even wards off the flu!
JTS Institute
10

per cent more at risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to both insulin resistance and impaired pancreatic secretion of insulin. Concept: There are 3 types of UV rays: UVA: A stands for Aging. UVA radiation penetrates deep into the skin and is responsible for premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. Tanning beds can emit 2 to 5 times more UVA radiation than the sun. UVB: B stands for Burning. UVB radiation is stronger than UVA radiation. It mainly affects the outer layers of the skin, causing sunburns, premature aging of the skin, and skin cancer. These rays are strongest during the summer months especially between 11 am and 4 pm. UVC: UVC radiation is the strongest, most dangerous form of UV light. However, they are stopped by the earths atmosphere and do not reach earths surface. Criteria for SAT chief selection modified The Union Cabinet, on Thursday, approved the modified norms for expanding the eligibility criteria for presiding officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT), a post that has been lying vacant since November, 2011. Under the modified norms, the eligibility criteria stands slightly diluted in that a retired judge of a High Court with seven years of experience would now be eligible for appointment as SAT chief. As per the earlier norms, only a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a former Chief Justice of a High Court could be appointed as SAT presiding officer. The post has been lying vacant since November 2011 as the government could not find a willing judge meeting the eligibility criteria. science campaign with a heavily instrumented Global Hawk aircraft, will take off from and be operated by NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. 3. Water vapour and ozone in the stratosphere can have a large impact on Earths climate. The processes that drive the rise and fall of these compounds, especially water vapour, are not well understood.This limits scientists ability to predict how these changes will influence global climate in the future. 4. ATTREX will study moisture and chemical composition in the upper regions of the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earths atmosphere.The tropopause layer between the troposphere and stratosphere, 12 km to 17 km above Earths surface, is the point where water vapour, ozone and other gases enter the stratosphere. 5. Studies have shown even small changes in stratospheric humidity may have significant climate impacts. Predictions of stratospheric humidity changes are uncertain because of gaps in the understanding of the physical processes occurring in the tropical tropopause layer. 6. ATTREX will use the Global Hawk to carry instruments to sample this layer near the equator off the coast of Central America. 7. The ATTREX payload will provide unprecedented measurements of the tropical tropopause, said Eric Jensen, ATTREX principal investigator at NASAs Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. c. Gamma-ray bursts are shortlived bursts of gamma-ray photons, the most energetic form of light. They can originate far across the universe, and astronomers believe many are caused by giant stars collapsing, often billions of years before Earth was formed. d. Gamma-ray bursts can tell us some very interesting things about the universe, Nemiroff said. e. In this case, those three photons recorded by the Fermi telescope suggest that spacetime may not be as bubbly as some scientists think. f. Some theories of quantum gravity say that the universe is not smooth but foamy made of fundamental units called Planck lengths that are less than a trillionth of a trillionth the diameter of a hydrogen atom. g. Planck lengths are so small that theres no way to detect them, except via photons like those that make up gamma-ray bursts. h. The reason the wavelengths of these photons are some of the shortest distances known to science so short they should interact with the even smaller Planck length. And if they interact, the photons should be dispersedscattered-on their trek through Planck length-pixelated spacetime. i. In particular, they should disperse in different ways if their wavelengths differ, just as a ping pong ball and a softball might take alternate paths down a gravely hillside. j. Also, one wouldnt notice the scattering over short distances, but across billions of light years, the Planck lengths should disperse the light. And three photons from the same gamma-ray burst should not have crashed through the Fermi telescope at the same moment.
Spacetime more like clear whisky than frothy beer

Space-time continuum may be less like a frothy quantum beer and more like a sipping Einsteinian whiskey, a scientist has claimed. a. Astrophysicist Robert Nemiroff of Michigan Technological University and NASA Goddard, reached this conclusion after studying the tracings of three photons of varied wavelengths that were recorded by NASAs Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in May 2009, the Science Daily reported. b. The photons originated about 7 billion light years away from Earth in one of three pulses from a gamma-ray burst. They arrived at the orbiting telescope just one millisecond apart, in a virtual tie.
NASA to send aircraft in stratosphere to study climate change

1. NASA will send a remotely piloted research aircraft 65,000 feet over the tropical Pacific Ocean this month to probe unexplored regions of the upper atmosphere and detect how a warming climate is changing Earth. 2. The first flights of the Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX), a multi-year airborne
FII inflows through P-Notes rise to Rs 1.77 lakh cr

1. Investments into Indian shares through participatory notes (P Notes), a preferred route for HNIs and hedge funds from abroad, hit 9month high of Rs 1.77 lakh crore (about $32.4 billion) in November. 2. According to the latest data released by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the total value of PNote investments in Indian markets (equity, debt and derivatives) rose to 1,77,164 crore
JTS Institute
11

at the end of November after falling to a near three year low of Rs 1,28,895 crore in May. 3. The November figure has reached highest level since February, when the cumulative value of such investments stood at Rs.1,83,151 crore. 4. PNotes, mostly used by overseas HNIs (High Networth Individuals), hedge funds and other foreign institutions, allow them to invest in Indian markets through registered Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), while saving on time and costs associated with direct registrations. 5. Market analysts say investment through PNotes has been raising in the past three months on policy reform measures taken by the government and its initiatives to address tax related issues. 6. Besides, value of PNotes issued with derivatives as underlying, was at an Rs 94,658 crore at the end of November. 7. The quantum of FIIs investments through PNotes, however, declined to 13.7 percent in November, from 14.4 percent in the previous month. 8. PNotes have been accounting for mostly 1520 per cent of total FII holdings in India since 2009, while it used to be much higherin the range of 2540 per cent in 2008. It was as high as over 50 per cent at the peak of Indian stock market bull run during a few months in 2007. 9. Their share has fallen after SEBI tightened disclosure and other regulations for such investments. 10. FIIs, the key driver of Indian markets, poured in $24 billion (around Rs 1.28 lakh crore) into Indian equities in 2012second highest net inflows since 1993 when India opened up its door for foreign investors. seeks to upgrade infrastructure at ports and customs stations on its own terms, the official added. The developed countries including the EU and the US are trying to cherry-pick areas where they want to have plurilateral agreements totally by-passing the Doha round so that they can have some early gains. We are fighting against it, the official said. Developed nations are trying to use the next ministerial meeting of the WTO scheduled in December in Bali to sign a number of plurilateral agreements as the on-going Doha round of talks has not reaped results. India said that it had lost heavily after signing the first instalment of the IT agreement that involved eliminating duties 217 items like parts of microscope, semiconductor equipment, spraying appliances and still image video cameras. two surveys on the prevalence of mental retardation and cancer 3. The published report said no criterion, clinical or biochemical was applied for the selection of victims of endosulfan spraying. Persons with all types of common diseases and those living 10 to 15 km away from the cashew estates are included in the list of victims to avail of free medical aid and financial benefits. 4. The report called for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary study to bring out the true picture of the issue that shook the conscience of the whole world.
Sri Lankan parliament impeaches Chief Justice

The Sri Lankan parliament impeached Chief Justice Shirani Bandara nayake on Friday, effectively throwing the judiciary into disarray and signalling a breakdown of the Constitution. A host of procedural issues delayed the debate on Thursday, and the vote on Friday. But Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, a brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, allowed the vote to go ahead late on Friday. He later announced that the President will be informed that the impeachment motion was passed with 155 votes for the motion and 49 against. Despite the impeachment, Ms.Bandaranayake is still some distance away from being thrown out. The President has to make a formal proclamation to this effect; and he has said that he would first consult a panel of eminent persons ahead of taking such a decision. Also, since the PSC report itself is void, the judiciary cannot accept the impeachment. In effect, Ms.Bandaranayake can continue as CJ till the executive implements the orders of the legislature. Concept: the judicial impeachment in India: What is impeachment? A member of the higher judiciary, which means the Judges and Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of India and the state High Courts, can be removed from service only through the process of impeachment under Article 124 (4) of the Constitution on grounds of proven misbehaviour or incapacity. In India, there is no other process by which a Judge can be removed from office before his term comes to an end. However, the process is very cumbersome.
11 Janaury 2013 KAU scientists challenge studies on impact of endosulfan

Two scientists from Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) have come out with a report highlighting serious flaws and inconsistencies in two independent epidemiological studies carried out in the endosulfan-affected areas in Kasaragod. Authored by K.M. Sreekumar, entomologist at the College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, and K.D. Prathapan of the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, the report, published in the latest online edition of the Current Science journal of research, alleges major lapses in the analysis of endosulfan residues, lack of clarity in the incidence of physical disability, biased findings about change in sex ratio, and absence of data to substantiate higher incidence of cancer. SOCIAL REALITIES 1. The report said the inferences on reproductive health events in women had not taken social realities into account and there was no statistical comparison between the data generated during the period of pesticide application (1980 to 2000) and the period after. 2. It also highlighted the inconsistencies in the data generated by the
India not to be part of extended IT pact of select WTO members

India will not be party to the second instalment of the IT agreement that a number of World Trade Organisation members are negotiating as it would lead to zero import tariffs on a number of sensitive electronic and consumer products including mobile phones, i-pads, washing machines and refrigerators. New Delhi would be part of the trade facilitation agreement that
JTS Institute
12

Who decides if a Judge should be impeached? As per the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968, a complaint against a Judge has to be made through a resolution either by 100 members of the Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha members. After the MPs submit a duly signed motion to this effect to their respective presiding officers Chairman of the RajyaSabha or Speaker of the LokSabhathe presiding officer constitutes a three-member committee comprising two Judgesone from the Supreme Court and one Chief Justice of a High Court if the complaint is against a HC Judge; and two Supreme Court Judges if the complaint is against a sitting Judge of the apex courtand a jurist to probe the complaint and determine if it is a case fit for initiating the process of impeachment. This team can involve any independent agency, either from the government or the private sector, to investigate the charges, before making a recommendation to the House. Thereafter, if the committee has concluded that impeachment proceedings be launched, the matter is debated in both Houses of Parliament. The Judge who is facing impeachment is also given the opportunity to rebut the charges, either in person or through his representative. However, the entire process debate onwardshas to be completed within a single session of the House, failing which the motion is deemed dropped and can only be taken up if the entire process is repeated afresh in any subsequent session. What is the majority needed to pass the impeachment motion? After the debate ends and the Judge has been heard, if the House decides to put the motion to vote, the resolution has to be passed by two-thirds majority in both Houses in the same session. The resolution is then sent to the President, who orders removal of the Judge. Has any Judge ever been impeached since Independence? None till date. The only time, Parliament came close to impeaching a Judge was in the case of former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice V Ramaswami for corruption in 1991. However, the move failed as the then Congress government headed by Rajiv Gandhi asked all Congress MPs to abstain from voting, thus defeating the motion. Last year, 58 MPs of the Rajya Sabha moved a motion for impeachment of Calcutta High Court Judge SoumitraSen for his involvement in financial misappropriation before he was appointed as a Judge. The matter is pending before a three-member committee constituted by the RajyaSabha Chairman. On Monday, 75 MPs of the Rajya Sabha submitted a signed motion for impeachment of controversial Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran on 12 counts. Once the signatures are verified, the matter will be referred to a committee to be constituted by the Chairman of the RajyaSabha. Among other things, Dinakaran is accused of encroaching upon government and village common land, amassing assets much beyond his known sources of income and causing loss to the exchequer. Is there any other way to punish errant Judges? No. In most cases, transfer is the only course of action followed by the Supreme Court collegium if it feels that the offence of the Judge is not so grave so as to attract the penalty of impeachment. Ironically, in a large number of cases, the highest court of the land has ruled that transfer is no punishment. Is the government mulling a new law to rein in and punish errant Judges? Yes, Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily has already announced on the floor of the Parliament that a new law in this regard could be introduced in the ongoing Session of Parliament itself. Two judges are: (1) Justice V. Ramaswami: He was the Punjab and Haryana high court chief justice of in the year 1993 when he was impeached by the LokSabha by 196 votes because of his incapacity to do work; the supreme court had charged Justice V. Ramaswamias failed TO DO COMPLETE JUSTICE. (2) Justice SoumitraSen: He was the Calcutta high court chief justice, the chief justice of India K.G Balakrishnam had recommended him for impeachment to the parliament because he had misappropriating Rs. 22.83 lakh .than on 2009 a three members commitee was set up and investigation was started and he was found guilty and finally on 17 August 2011 he was impeached by Rajya Sabha. CONCLUSION: The impeachment process is levied on the official who is unable to do his or her work properly or who had done the unconstitutional work which harms the country. The impeachment is the process to stop the corruption in the higher level officials and to remove them from their offices because as we had studied we were came to know that by impeachment only the higher level officer is removed from the office.
Judicial over Activism

The judgment delivered on September 13, 2012 by Justice Swatanter Kumar, on behalf of himself and Justice A.K. Patnaik, belongs to an impressive lineage of Supreme Court rulings which create havoc and confusion in institutionsand even in the conduct of examinationsof which its judges were blissfully unaware. That this one called for a complete overhaul of the system of the Central Information Commission (CIC) and the many States Information Commissions is the least of its blemishes. What is of graver import and long-term consequence is that it is a wanton and reckless assault on parliamentary democracy. INTEMPERATE COMMENTS Proceedings for its review had to be halted because its author Justice Swatanter Kumar retired last month and was immediately appointed Chairman of the National Green Tribunal; but not before delivering intemperate comments during the review proceedings. Like almost all Supreme Court judgments, this one is rich in florid prose, disdainful of brevity and is animated by a desire to legislate. A good copy editor would have reduced its 107 pages to one-third. The issue before the court was simple. Section 12 (5) and (6) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 prescribe, respectively, qualifications and disqualifications of the CIC and Information Commissioners. S. 15 (5) and (6) replicate them for their counterparts in the States. Briefly, the petition contended that the criteria for eligibility did not specify the qualifications or consultation with the judiciary. They perform judicial or quasi-judicial functions and should, therefore, have judicial experience. The Act must also prescribe a mechanism for consultation with the judiciary for such appointments.
JTS Institute
13

S. 12 (6) of the Act which states the disqualifications is simplicity itself. The Chief Information Commissioner or an Information Commissioner shall not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory, as the case may be, or hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession. How anyone can possibly object to these bars passes comprehension. Judge Swatanter Kumars objection takes ones breath away as does his reading down of its terms. He holds it to have an element of uncertainty and indefiniteness. It is difficult to say what the person eligible under the provision should be doing and for what period. The section does not specify any such period. Normally, the persons would fall under one or the other unacceptable categories. To put it differently, by necessary implication, it excludes practically all classes while not specifying as to which class of persons is eligible to be appointed to that post. The exclusion is too vague, while inclusion is uncertain. One would have thought that the exclusion of legislators, holders of office of profit, politicians, businessmen and professionals leaves open an entire range of persons to select from. The statute book abounds with bars such as these. The judge says that it debars all persons and asks if anyone, who is an elected representative, in government service, or one who is holding an office of profit, carrying on any business or profession, is ineligible in terms of Section 12 (6), then the question arises as to what class of persons would be eligible. The Section is silent on that behalf. But the criteria for eligibility is set out in S. 12 (5) and disqualification is S. 12 (6). The judge finds a way out to save S. 12 (6) from being struck down as bad in law by wrecking it. We would prefer to interpret the provisions of Section 12 (6) as applicable post-appointment rather than pre-appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners. In other words, these disqualifications will only come into play once a person is appointed as Chief Information Commissioner/ Information Commissioner at any level and he will cease to hold any office or profit or carry any business or pursue any profession that he did prior to such appointment. This perverse misreading of the provision subverts the entire scheme of the Act and flouts the will of Parliament so clearly expressed. By Judge Swatanter Kumars logic, it would be open to the government of the day to pack the Information Commissions, Central and State, with legislators from the ruling party, party officials, civil servants and others, provided only that they resigned from their jobs to fill these plum postings. Such people do not turn Becketts. The object clearly was to exclude this category, not include it after its purification by resignation. The statute book abounds with such sensible bars. Parliament was justified in laying them down. Judges Kumar and Patnaik subvert its will and do so by a reasoning which is shockingly absurd. The strictures by Lord Chancellor Simonds on a similar excess by Lord Demmings are apta naked usurpation of the legislative function under the disguise of interpretation. The ruling is no better on the provision for eligibility. S. 12 (5) says: The Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance. UNCERTAIN TENOR The Bench holds, however, that the terminology used by the legislature, such as mass-media or administration and governance, are terms of uncertain tenor and amplitude. It is somewhat difficult to state with exactitude as to what class of persons would be eligible under these categories. The legislature in its wisdom has chosen not to provide any specific qualification, but has primarily prescribed wide knowledge and experience in the cited subjects as the criteria for selection. Indeed it holds that the qualifications prescribed [S. 12 (5)] conflict with the disqualifications in sub-section (6). To sustain their constitutionality, the bar is thus judicially modified to apply after appointment, and the qualifications themselves are modified to plant judges on the Commissions. The right to do so is boldly stated: The Courts can also bridge the gaps that have been left by the legislature inadvertently. Gaps are detected where none exist and are filled in by an improper exercise of judicial power, in breach of the fundamentals of parliamentary democracy. Piling error upon error, the judges themselves venture to lay down qualifications a basic degree in the respective field practice in law for 20 years and a procedure for consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justices of the High Courts. Twelve directions are given. The Almighty was content with 10. Parliament could have laid down that the CIC and the ICs be presided over by judges. It chose consciously and wisely not to do so. What have the judges to show for themselves as they ran Commissions of Inquiry and the Press Council? The Kudal Commission on the Gandhi Peace Foundation, the Thakkar Commission on Indira Gandhis assassination, the J.S. Verma and the M.C. Jain Commissions on different aspects of Rajiv Gandhis assassination, the RanganathMisra Commission on the Delhi rots, the Wadhwa Commission on the Staines murders and the Lieberhan Commission on the demolition of the Babri Masjid? Consultation with the CJI is no safeguard. Justice R.S. Pathak, CJI, was consulted on the appointment of judges to the Fairfax Commission. He opted for Judges M.P. Thakkar and S. Natarajan, a safe pair of hands. How have successive judges of the Supreme Court conducted themselves on the Press Council of India? At least six CJIs left office in the last quarter century under a cloud. On November 22, hearing the petition for review, the bench as correspondents timidly reported, probably for Justice Kumar said that the CIC and ICs are persons who have been in the governments good books. However, on September 19, a day after the Centre moved to appoint Judge Swatanter Kumar as head of the National Green Tribunal, another Bench comprising Justices G.S. Singhvi and S.J. Mukhopadhyay remarked that appointments to tribunals, including the NGT, had raised serious issues relating to integrity of judges and that there is a competition among the judges to get those appointments.
JTS Institute
14

This is one aspect of the unfortunate ruling; another is its obstruction of the democratic process. The crux of the matter is that Parliament is entitled to lay down the criteria and the government, accountable to it, is entitled to choose persons who meet the criteria. The courts have no business to impose their views. governments efforts will now show results in the coming months. This data does not contradict the proposition that the economy has bottomed out. It now needs to move upwards...you need to wait to see what December is likeIn this particular case, we have to keep in mind that the base effect has operated in two different ways, he said. Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council Chiarman C. Rangarajan viewed that the situation would improve in the coming quarters of the fiscal. I certainly think in the first quarter of next year or the last quarter of this fiscal, we can see a definite positive growth in manufacturing, he said. However, on the possibility of a rate cut by the RBI, Dr.Rangarajan said: The RBI will look at a number of factors. Wholesale Price Index will be an input into the decision makingThe RBI will have to see about an appropriate action being taken in order to contain the fiscal deficit ...Trends are in the right direction perhaps. But let us wait. Concept: IIP: Every month the stock markets wait with bated breath to hear the IIP numbers. These numbers decide the market movement. But what is IIP? What is its relationship to the stock markets? Let us understand more about IIP. IIP, the key tracker of industrial production IIP or the index of industrial production is the number denoting the condition of industrial production during a certain period. These figures are calculated in reference to the figures that existed in the past. Currently the base used for calculating IIP is 2004-05 Importance of IIP As IIP shows the status of industrial activity, you can find out if the industrial activity has increased, decreased or remained same. Today it is important because with the news of recession hovering over the horizon, better IIP figures indicate increase in industrial production. It makes investors and stock markets become more optimistic. Its relation with stock markets The optimism amongst the stock markets and investors translates into the markets going up. This is because the markets expect the companies performance to increase. This ultimately leads to the growth in the countrys GDP. It implies improvement in countrys economy, thus making it an attractive investment destination to foreign investors. Computation of IIP The first time IIP used the year 1937 as its reference point. It contained only 15 products. Since then, the criteria for the base year as well as the number of products have been revamped 7 times. Currently, IIP uses 2004-05 as the reference year and includes items whose gross value of output is at least Rs 80 crores and Rs 20 crores at gross value added level. The products included are the ones used on consistent basis and can comprise of small scale sector as well as unorganized production sector. They are segregated into 3 sections: manufacturing, mining and electricity. They are also classified on the basis of usage: capital goods, basic goods, nonbasic goods, consumer durables and consumer non-durables. The numbers for IIP are released within 6 weeks after the end of the month. This data is collated from 15 different agencies like Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Indian Bureau of Mines, Central Statistical Organisation and Central Electricity Authority. But at times, the entire data may not be easily available. Hence some estimates are done to generate provisional data, which is then used to calculate provisional index. Once the actual data is available, this index is updated subsequently. Though IIP does indicate the condition of the countrys economy, it should not be taken as the sole basis for investment. This is because some sectors may show higher performance as compared to others. This was evident in the recent past when realty sector showed higher performance, pharma sector lagged behind.
IIP growth at 4-month low (Nov 2012)

Shaking the growing optimism over an on-going recovery while giving clear signals of a bottoming out, the growth in industrial output contracted to a four-month low of 0.1 percent in November, 2012, mainly owing to poor shows by manufacturing, mining and capital goods sectors, which have been the laggards for most part of the year. With the slump in industrial growth, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), coming immediately after a robust 8.3 per cent expansion in October and way below the 6 per cent growth witnessed in November, 2011, the dismal performance prompted the industry chambers to clamour yet again for a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its quarterly review on January 29. The IIP data released here on Friday revealed that the major culprit responsible for the contraction in overall growth was the manufacturing sector, which makes up for over 75 per cent of the index. It grew by a mere 0.3 per cent in November last year as compared to a healthy 6.6 per cent increase in the same month a year ago. Accordingly, the cumulative growth in industrial production during the April-November period this fiscal stood pegged at a paltry one per cent, a marked pull-down from the healthier 3.8 per cent expansion notched up in the same period in 2011-12. Partly responsible for the poor show thus far this fiscal was the performance in July, 2012, which saw a contraction of 0.1 per cent. Meanwhile, the growth in the industrial production during October last year has been revised to 8.3 percent from the provisional estimates of 8.2 percent. Analysing the IIP numbers and attributing the slump in factory output in November to statistical reasons, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia argued that the economy has already bottomed out and the
NHRC unveils Code of Ethics for Indian industry

Refraining from projects that would be detrimental to locals, respecting whistleblowers rights and allowing equal opportunities to qualified employees regardless of their caste or religion are among the Code of Ethics propagated by NHRC for Indian Industry. The NHRC came up with the 12point Code after a panel appointed
JTS Institute
15

by it submitted a report and said Indian industrys criteria for social and ethical aspects are yet to reach the desired level of sophistication. The agitation and the mass uproar surrounding the Lokpal movement suggest that there is need for creating accountable entities. This aspect should be incorporated in business ethics. As per this tenet, companies must conform to trade procedures, including licensing, documentation and other necessary formalities, as applicable, the study Developing Code of Ethics for Indian Industry said. Noting that inclusion is one of the key deterrents to growth in the country, the study said, the first tenet to ethical behaviour has to be inclusiveness. All companies must refrain from undertaking projects or activities that would be detrimental to the wider interests of the communities in which they operate. This implies that companies should respect the local culture, customs and traditions in which they operate, it said. In a statement, NHRC said the Code of Ethics for Indian Industry strongly advocates for equal opportunities to all qualified employees, regardless of their race, caste, gender, religion etc for their inclusive growth and welfare. It is required that companies strive for providing a safe, healthy, clean and ergonomic working environment for their employees and indirect workers, the Commission said. The Code of Ethics was formulated after an exhaustive study based on data collected from 20 industries in diverse sectors, including Tata, Yes Bank and ITC Ltd. Code of Ethics emphasises upon the implementation of policies consistent with the laws, development of an atmosphere, wherein whistle-blowers rights are respected and employees are allowed to raise their concerns to the top management without fear and intimidation, the Commission said. Concept: NHRC The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India is an autonomous public body constituted on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (TPHRA). The NHRC is the national human rights institution, responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights, defined by the Act as rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the International Covenants. Since late 2011, the organization has been embroiled in a controversy where leading jurists have sought the resignation of its Chairman, exChief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, pending investigation into charges of assets disproportionate to his income. In response, NHRC has uploaded details of Justice Balakrishnans assets. Functions of NHRC TPHRA mandates the NHRC to perform the following functions: 1. proactively or reactively inquire into violations of human rights or negligence in the prevention of such violation by a public servant 2. by leave of the court, to intervene in court proceeding relating to human rights 3. visit any jail or other institution under the control of the State Government, where persons are detained or lodged for purposes of treatment, reformation or protection, for the study of the living conditions of the inmates and make recommendations Composition The NHRC consists of: 1. A Chairperson who has been a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India 2. One Member who is, or has been, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India 3. One Member who is, or has been, the Chief Justice of a High Court 4. Two Members to be appointed from among persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights 5. In addition, the Chairpersons of four National Commissions serve as ex officio members. The 4 national commissions chairperson who serve as exofficio members are: 1. National Commission Minorities 2. National Commission Scheduled Castes 3. National Commission Scheduled Tribes 4. National Commission Women. for for for for
MNC insurers pitch for hike in FDI cap to 49 p.c.
1. Leading a group of multinational insurers, former Ambassador of the US to India Frank Wisner on Friday pitched for 4. review the safeguards provided raising foreign direct investment by or under the Constitution or any law for the time being in force for the ceiling in the insurance sector to 49 per cent to help insurers raise protection of human rights and capital necessary to fuel business recommend measures for their growth. effective implementation 5. review the factors, including acts of terrorism that inhibit the enjoyment of human rights and recommend appropriate remedial measures 6. study treaties and other international instruments on human rights and make recommendations for their effective implementation 7. undertake and promote research in the field of human rights 8. engage in human rights education among various sections of society and promote awareness of the safeguards available for the protection of these rights through publications, the media, seminars and other available means 9. encourage the efforts of NGOs and institutions working in the field of human rights 10. Such other function as it may consider it necessary for the protection of human rights. 2. Currently, the FDI limit in the insurance sector at 26 per cent. 3. Emphasising that foreign companies are the long term players in the insurance business, he said raising foreign investment limit will give them confidence and help them bring in higher capital which is required for the growth of the business. 4. Entry of foreign companies in the insurance market has resulted in expanding the product basket, Mr. Wisner said, adding the sector has generated about 3 million direction and indirect employment and modern practices introduced in the sector post liberalisation. 5. Indias own national insurance company has grown by leaps and bounds as a result of introduction of competition, he said. 6. Its timely for a number of reasons...India has huge demand
JTS Institute
16

for capital both foreign and domestic. Since 2009, it has been receiving less capital, he said. 7. Capital today is looking for the market which offers best and good corporate governance, predictable returns and assured policy, he added. 8. The Insurance Amendment Bill, which seeks to raise the FDI cap in the private sector insurance companies to 49 per cent from 26 per cent, is now expected in the upcoming Budget. 9. The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill has been pending in the RajyaSabha since December 2008. 10. The Union Cabinet had cleared the draft Bill on October 4, 2012 as part of slew of measures to allow FDI in various sectors. 11. The Standing Committee headed by senior BJP leader YashwantSinha, which had scrutinised the Bill, was against raising the ceiling on FDI in the sector arguing that it would expose the sector to global vulnerability. 12. At present, there are 52 insurance companies operating in India; of which 24 are in the life insurance business and 27 are in general insurance business. rising global temperatures, degradation of natural protection from tidal waves and cyclones is inevitably leading to species loss in this richly biodiverse part of the world, according to a ZSL statement. decade, monitoring the on-going Schemes of the Government and most importantly, plan for the future. That is why the Slogan is Our Census - Our Future. National Population Register: Introduction The National Population Register (NPR) is a Register of usual residents of the country. It is being prepared at the local (Village/subTown), sub-District, District, State and National level under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR. A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next 6 months or more. Objectives The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. The database would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars. Demographic Particulars 3. The following demographic details of every individual are required for every usual resident: Name of person Relationship to head of household Fathers name Mothers name Spouses name (if married) Sex Date of Birth Marital status Place of birth Nationality (as declared) Present address of usual residence Duration of stay at present address Permanent residential address Occupation/Activity Educational qualification
President presents Census Medals

President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Census Medals for extraordinary performance at a function in VigyanBhavan here on Friday. The President congratulated all the Census Medal winners and said informed decision-making has to be based on empirical data and census is the only source of data that provides information on various individual characteristics right up to the village level for rural areas and the ward level for urban areas. The President said census in India was a very challenging task in view of its multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society. Ever since the first Census of India after Independence, it has been the tradition with the Census Organisation to award silver and bronze medals and certificates of honour from the President to various census functionaries, including enumerators, supervisors, charge officers in recognition of their work. Concept: 2011 Census The Indian Census is the most credible source of information on Demography (Population characteristics), Economic Activity, Literacy and Education, Housing & Household Amenities, Urbanisation, Fertility and Mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Language, Religion, Migration, Disability and many other sociocultural and demographic data since 1872. Census 2011 will be the 15th National Census of the Country. This is the only source of primary data in the village, town and ward level, It provides valuable information for planning and formulation policies for Central and the State Governments and is widely used by National and International Agencies, Scholars, business people, industrialists, and many more. The Delimitation/reservation of Constituencies- Parliamentary/ Assembly/Panchayat and other Local Bodies is also done on the basis of the demographic data thrown up by the Census. Census is the basis for reviewing the countrys progress in the past
Shrinking Sunderbans threat to Bengal Tiger

Fast-disappearing mangrove forests of the Sunderbans pose a question mark over the future of the Royal Bengal Tiger, an endangered species, and say scientists. Rapid deterioration in mangrove health is causing as much as 200 metres of the vegetation-rich coast to disappear annually in the Sunderbans, according to zoologists. Nathalie Pettorelli, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and senior study author, said: Our results indicate a rapidly retreating coastline that cannot be accounted for by the regular dynamics of the Sunderbans. Degradation is happening fast, weakening this natural shield for India and Bangladesh. Sunderbans is the largest block of continuous mangrove forest in the world, native to nearly 500 species of reptile, fish, bird and mammals, including the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger, the journalRemote Sensing reports. Thriving human development,
LPG portability launched

1. Online booking, tracking and delivery introduced across country 2. The UPA government on Friday launched portability of LPG connections in Chandigarh. Online booking, tracking and delivery of gas, and booking of new connections through mobile and web portal have been introduced across the country.
JTS Institute
17
3. Launching gas connection portability, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister VeerapaMoily said the service would be extended to 25 more districts in the next fiscal. However, unlike mobile services where you could change the service provider or the mobile company, an LPG consumer will have the option to change the dealer within the same distribution company but not the oil company. 4. For example, a consumer of Indane of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will have the option to choose from other Indane dealers but will not be able to switch to dealers of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) or Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). A pool of two to three dealers will be cleared for every locality in the district. Consumers will have the option of choosing from this cluster, Mr.Moily added. 5. Dealer portability has been launched to provide better services to 13.5 crore customers and end the monopolistic practices of the cooking gas distributors, he said. 6. No inter-company change 7. Officials said the inter-company change was not possible at this moment as the law did not permit it. The government was looking at changing the law or creating a situation where a cylinder belonging to one oil company could be returned to or re-filled by another oil company. 8. Mr.Moily also launched new IT/ web-enabled initiative, Lakshya to enable consumers book and track refills online as well on mobile phone. It would enhance transparency in distribution of cylinders. Under the new initiative, customers can rate their distributors on service and anybody found wanting could possibly face termination of dealership. Now each distributor is being automatically rated from 5 stars to no star on a graded scale using transaction data. The distributor who supplies 85 percent of cylinders booked in less than two days is rated 5 stars and the distributor who supplies 85 percent of cylinders beyond 10 days is rated with no star. 9. Others are rated in between according to their delivery pattern. The rating will help consumers select distributorships once portability is available.
7 January - 14 January 2013 Ballastless tracks to facilitate operation of high-speed trains

The Indian Railways will switch to ballastless tracks on seven routes, including the Chennai-Bangalore sector, identified for operating highspeed trains, said A.P. Mishra, Member, Engineering, Railway Board, on Friday. Ballastless tracks that allow operation of high-speed trains and have the benefits of lower maintenance requirements and increased service life are the choice by default for these high-speed rail corridors, tunnelling projects and tracks near platforms, Mr. Mishra said. Feasibility studies are at various stages of completion on the highspeed routes, including ChennaiBangalore, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Chandigarh sectors. According to Mr. Mishra, new tracks would have to be laid for the Chennai-Bangalore route where the plan is to operate trains at speeds in excess of 250 km per hour. The average speed on the Delhi-Mumbai route, where existing tracks are being used for trials of high-speed trains is about 200 kmph. Concept: Advantage of ballastless track over traditional tracks: A disadvantage of traditional track structures is the heavy demand for maintenance, particularly surfacing (tamping) and lining to restore the desired track geometry and smoothness of vehicle running. Weakness of the subgrade and drainage deficiencies also lead to heavy maintenance costs. This can be overcome by using ballastless track. In its simplest form this consists of a continuous slab of concrete (like a highway structure) with the rails supported directly on its upper surface (using a resilient pad). There are a number of proprietary systems, and variations include continuous in situ placing of a reinforced concrete slab, or alternatively the use of pre-cast pre-stressed concrete units laid on a base layer. Many permutations of design have been put forward. However ballastless track is very expensive in first cost, and in the case of existing railroads requires closure of the route for a somewhat long period. Its whole life cost can be lower because of the great reduction in maintenance requirement. Ballastless track is usually considered for new very high speed
or very high loading routes, in short extensions that require additional strength (e.g. rail station), or for localised replacement where there are exceptional maintenance difficulties, for example in tunnels.
Govt moves to make three key cancer drugs cheaper

In a move that will benefit thousands of cancer patients but is likely to upset pharma MNCs, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has started the process of issuing compulsory licences for three commonly used anti-cancer drugs, Trastuzumab (or Herceptin, used for breast cancer), Ixabepilone (used for chemotherapy) and Dasatinib (used to treat leukaemia). The first drug to be issued a compulsory licence in India was Bayers Nexavar (sorafenibtosylate), a drug for liver cancer, last August. After the CL, Nexavar is available for Rs 8,880 per pack of 120 tablets (a months dose), over 95% cheaper than its pre-CL price. Trastuzumab, Ixabepilone and Dasatinib are all more expensive that Nexavar, costing Rs 50,000, Rs 70,000-80,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively for a months dose. Officials at the Department of Pharmaceuticals said it was too early to predict the post-CL price of these drugs. Dr ShyamAggarwal, consultant oncologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, Even after the recent cut in the prices of Trastuzumab and Dasatinib, they are still way too expensive for the common man. It is a very good move and will not just benefit Indians but possibly also bring down cancer drug prices in countries where the pharma market is not controlled by the US and western European nations. Concept: compulsory licensing Compulsory licensing (CL) by the government allows a domestic company to manufacture and sell a generic version of a patented drug with or without the consent of the patent-holder. Sections 84 and 92 of the Indian Patents Act, 1970, provide for CL in cases where the patented drug is unavailable, unaffordable, or if there are problems with its supply in India. CL reduces the price of a drug manifold, and is a practice in many developing countries. Ion beam hope for cancer patients West Bengal may soon get cheaper and cost effective cancer treatment facilities with the help of
JTS Institute
18

proton ion beam as a team of Saha Instititute of Nuclear Physics is now working on a research project indigenously on how ion beams could be used in treating cancer patients. A team of 20 scientists of molecular mechanism of disease branch of SINP has initiated the research recently. The therapy is likely to be made available in Bengal next year. Milan Sanyal, director Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, said till now cancer treatment through proton ion beam for treating cancer is used in Germany and parts of UK and if proton ion beams could be indigenously created in Bengal, it can help in treating millions of cancer patients. Till now in Bengal radiotherapy is used for treating cancer cells and as a result, apart from cancer cells many other cells get damaged. With the help of ion beams we can give radiation to only cancer affected cells Sanyal added. Experts on radiation therapy are of the opinion that radiation through proton beam therapy will be more localised and the cost of treatment will be 1/4 th less than the original. Dr JaydipBiswas, director of Chiittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) said that if proton beam therapy is used in treatment of cancer patients, its main advantage would be that normal cells of the patient will not get affected. In most of the cancer cases, surgery cannot be conducted in critical areas, especially in the prostate gland or blood vessels connecting main organs like liver and lungs. Proton beam therapy will be helpful in such cases, Biswas said. tions, are being targeted. A mapping system has been develo-ped to ensure that all newborns in these areas are vaccinated, and that no one slips through the net. While the success of the polio campaign is a model of focussed attention, the attention is now being turned on increasing routine immunisation coverage, according to those involved in public health administration. A joint statement from the WHO, the CDC, the UNICEF, the End Polio Now campaign, and the Central government, indicates that the sensitivity of surveillance in India now surpasses the globally recommended standards. Credit is being accorded to the commitment of the Centre for pushing ahead with the programme in the face of major hurdles. However, equally important is the seamless partnership between the government, and the Rotary International, the WHO, the UNICEF and private paediatricians for it was the scale of this alliance that managed to mobilise vast quantities of field-level workers. In the final call, this probably swung the balance in favour of humans over the wild polio virus. Poliomyelitis Polio; Infantile paralysis; Postpolio syndrome: Poliomyelitis is a viral disease that can affect nerves and can lead to partial or full paralysis. Causes, incidence, and risk factors: 1. Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. The virus spreads by: 2. Direct person-to-person contact 3. Contact with infected mucus or phlegm from the nose or mouth 4. Contact with infected feces 5. The virus enters through the mouth and nose, multiplies in the throat and intestinal tract, and then is absorbed and spread through the blood and lymph system. The time from being infected with the virus to developing symptoms of disease (incubation) ranges from 5 - 35 days (average 7 - 14 days). Most people do not develop symptoms. Risks include: 1. Lack of immunization against polio 2. Travel to an area that has experienced a polio outbreak 3. Outbreaks can still occur in the developed world, usually in groups of people who have not been vaccinated. Polio often occurs after someone travels to a region where the disease is common. As a result of a massive, global vaccination campaign over the past 20 years, polio exists only in a few countries in Africa and Asia. Symptoms 1. There are three basic patterns of polio infection: subclinical infections, nonparalytic, and paralytic. Most people have subclinical infection, and may not have symptoms. 2. SUBCLINICAL INFECTION SYMPTOMS 3. General discomfort or uneasiness (malaise) 4. Headache 5. Red throat 6. Slight fever 7. Sore throat 8. Vomiting 9. People with subclinical polio infection might not have symptoms, or mild symptoms may last 72 hours or less. 10. Clinical poliomyelitis affects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and is divided into nonparalytic and paralytic forms. It may occur after recovery from a subclinical infection. Indian Action: Pulse Polio is an immunisation campaign established by the government of India in 1995-96 to eradicate poliomyelitis (polio) in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against polio virus. This project deals with the ways to fight poliomyelitis through a large scale immunisation programme, co-operating with various international institutions, state governments and Non Governmental Organisations. The Pulse Polio Initiative (PPI) aims at covering every individual in the country. It aspires to reach even children in remote communities through an improved social mobilisation plan. 1. Not a single child should miss the immunisation, leaving no chance of polio occurrence. 2. Cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) to be reported in time and stool specimens of them to be collected within 14 days. Outbreak Response Immunisation (ORI) to be conducted as early as possible. 3. Maintaining high level of surveillance.
12 Janaury 2013 Polio Free India:

It is two years since India has had a polio case. One more before the country can say Goodbye, Polio!.... The battle against the wild polio virus is poised interestingly in the nation that not long ago, in 2009, accounted for nearly half the worlds polio cases. To prevent polio from re-emerging, the government has planned to keep up intensive campaigns, especially in high-risk areas. Two nationwide campaigns and four sub-national polio campaigns will take place in 2013. High-risk areas, including blocks in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and migrant popula-
JTS Institute
19

4. Performance of good mop-up operations where polio has disappeared. 5. India to be polio-free by 2005. Steps involved 1. Setting up of booths in all parts of the country. 2. Initialising walk-in cold rooms, freezer rooms, deep freezers, icelined refrigerators and cold boxes for ensuring steady supply of vaccine to booths. 3. Arranging employees, volunteers and vaccines. 4. Ensuring vaccine vial monitor on each vaccine vial. 5. Immunising children with OPV on National Immunisation Days. 6. Identifying missing children from immunisation process. 7. Surveillance of efficacy. India free of polio 2012 The last reported case of polio in India was in West Bengal on January 13, 2011. On 25 February, 2012, India was officially struck off the list of polio-endemic countries by the World Health Organization (WHO). Judicial members must have been judges of the Supreme Court or High Courts. Expert members have to possess technical qualifications and expertise, and also practical experience. The Tribunal shall hear only substantial question relating to the environment. Substantial questions are those which (a) affect the community at large, and not just individuals or groups of individuals, or (b) cause significant damage to the environment and property, or (c) cause harm to public health which is broadly measurable.
Use of alternative materials mooted for road projects

Several road projects in the country are facing constraints such as inadequate funds and non-availability of materials, Director-General (Road Development) and Special Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways C. Kandasamy said here on Saturday. The annual session of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC), which concluded here on Friday, highlighted that roads should be designed not just for vehicles but for people, safety and services. We are trying to effect policy changes. The IRC would do pilot projects on road safety and the government would facilitate these projects through the required guidelines. The Chamber president R.R. Balasundaram said that the bypass road connecting Tiruchi Road and Mettupalayam Road in Coimbatore should be taken up immediately. The four-lane work on NH 47 from Chengapalli to Walayar should be expedited and completed within the stipulated time. The NH 67 stretch from Sulur to Coimbatore should be made into a fourlane one on a priority basis. Concept: what can be used to make roads? 1. Fly Ash: Fly ash a finally divided mineral residue of burning of coal exhibits excellent geotechnical as well as pozzolanicproperties that make it very suitable for all construction activities including roads, embankments andreclamation of low lying areas. Fly ash based construction materials including cement, concrete, bicks, blocks, tiles, pavers, kerb stones, prefabricated door frames, window frames, beams, slabs are becoming favourite of construction industry, being durable, economical, eco-friendly, easy to use & of consistent quality. Fly ash also holdspotential to improve the socio-economic status of rural areas by generation of employment & business through manufacture of fly ash based products, their usages in rural development schemes,development of fly ash supply chain, improvement of agriculture yield and land resource management, etc. with fly ash. 2. Other materials include:cement and lime kiln dust, steel slag, rice husk ash, baggase ash 3. Jute geotextiles are used in reinforcing roads in India.
Key Issues and Analysis

The criteria to determine what a substantial question related to the environment are open to interpretation. The Bill may reduce access to justice in environmental matters by taking away the jurisdiction of civil courts. All cases under laws mentioned in the Bill will now be handled by the Tribunal which will initially have benches at only five locations. The Bill does not give the Tribunal jurisdiction over some laws related to the environment. The qualifications of judicial members of the Tribunal are similar to that of the NEAA. The government has been unable to find qualified members for the NEAA for the past three years. The Green Tribunal Bill gives an explicit option to the government to appoint members with administrative experience as expert members. The Bill does not specify the minimum number of members the Tribunal and also does not mention of the composition of the Selection Committee for selecting members. Some other laws that establish tribunals specify the persons who shall decide, or be consulted.
Green Tribunal halts all construction activity in Noida and Greater Noida
In an order that is expected to bring to a halt all construction activity, the National Green Tribunal has restrained all builders in Noida and Greater Noida from extracting any quantity of underground water for purposes of construction or otherwise till the next date of hearing. Concept: National Green Tribunal Bill, 2009 In order to provide quick clearance for cases related to environmental damage, this Bill sets up the National Green Tribunal. The tribunal will hear cases related to major environmental damage as well as appeals under various environmental Acts.
Renowned poet gets Assam Literary Award

Renowned Assamese poet Sameer Tanti has been awarded the prestigious Assam Valley Literary Award for the year 2012. The award, instituted by Williamson Magor Education Trust, is given to preserve and promote the rich literary heritage of Assam, said a release issued by the trust here on Saturday. Fifty-eight-year-old Tanti has to his credit 12 collections of poems, four critical and literary essay collections, two translations of African poems and love songs and Japanese love poetry and two story collections.
Highlights of the Bill

The National Green Tribunal Bill, 2009 aims to set up specialised environmental courts in the country. The Bill replaces the existing National Environmental Appellate Authority and has wider jurisdiction than the NEAA. It will hear initial complaints as well as appeals from decisions of authorities under various environ-mental laws. The Tribunal shall consist of both judicial and expert members.
JTS Institute
20
7 January - 14 January 2013 Provisioning norms for NBFCs will hit profitability: Assocham
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) has suggested to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that the proposed norms on prudential regulatory framework of nonbanking finance companies (NBFCs) could have a negative impact on overall profitability of NBFCs due to higher provisioning requirements for standard assets and revision in non-performing assets (NPA) norms. As a liquidity coverage requirement, the industry organisation suggested the RBI to treat bank deposits with maturity period beyond 30 days, where pre-mature refunds are allowed without any penalty, as good as bank balances for all practical purposes. Provisioning on standard assets Further, the panel has proposed to raise the provisioning on standard assets from 0.25 percentage points to 0.40 percentage points of the outstanding amount with effect from March 31, 2014, for all NBFCs. The chamber has also suggested to the RBI that the time limit of three years may be considered instead of implementing it from March 31, 2014. This is important in the case of factoring companies which have just been governed by the Factoring Bill passed by Parliament. The operational cycle for most of the infrastructure projects is more than three months, and considering the difficulties related to implementation, operational and other issues raised by IFCs, three months period for the declaration of NPA may be inadequate. So far as infrastructure companies are concerned, the period should be kept as 180 days, Assocham added. Further, it said that NBFCs do not enjoy the same benefits as provided to banks under the Income-tax Act. Therefore, it was suggested by the industry that given the objective to bring parity with banks, NBFCs should be provided the same benefits under SARFAESI (Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest) Act and Incometax Act and benefits under Debt Recovery Tribunals. Income tax benefits should also be brought on a par with banks for NBFCs. Banks get benefits on their entire provisioning while NBFCs get that benefit on written-off books only. NBFCs are to be considered on a par with banks and financial institutions for availing of refinance and take-out finance from IIFCL to ensure level-playing field, the chamber added. Concept: NBFCs in India QUES -1. what is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC)? ANS -1. A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and is engaged in the business of loans and advances, acquisition of shares/stock/bonds/ debentures/securities issued by Government or local authority or other securities of like marketable nature, leasing, hire-purchase, insurance business, chit business but does not include any institution whose principal business is that of agriculture activity, industrial activity, sale/purchase/construction of immovable property. A non-banking institution which is a company and which has its principal business of receiving deposits under any scheme or arrangement or any other manner, or lending in any manner is also a non-banking financial company (Residuary nonbanking company). QUES 2. NBFCs are doing functions similar to banks. What is difference between banks & NBFCs? ANS 2. NBFCs are doing functions akin to that of banks; however there are a few differences: 1. an NBFC cannot accept demand deposits; 2. an NBFC is not a part of the payment and settlement system and as such an NBFC cannot issue cheques drawn on itself; and 3. deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not available for NBFC depositors unlike in case of banks. QUES-3. Is it necessary that every NBFC should be registered with RBI? ANS 3. In terms of Section 45-IA of the RBI Act, 1934, it is mandatory that every NBFC should be registered with RBI to commence or carry on any business of non-banking financial institution as defined in clause (a) of Section 45 I of the RBI Act, 1934. However, to obviate dual regulation, certain categories of NBFCs which are regulated by other regulators are exempted from the requirement of registration with RBI viz. Venture Capital Fund/Merchant Banking companies/Stock broking companies registered with SEBI, Insurance Company holding a valid Certificate of Registration issued by IRDA, Nidhi companies as notified under Section 620A of the Companies Act, 1956, Chit companies as defined in clause (b) of Section 2 of the Chit Funds Act, 1982 or Housing Finance Companies regulated by National Housing Bank. QUES 4. What are the different types of NBFCs registered with RBI? ANS 4. Originally, NBFCs registered with RBI were classified as: 1. equipment leasing company; 2. hire-purchase company; 3. loan company; 4. investment company. However, with effect from December 6, 2006 the above NBFCs registered with RBI have been reclassified as (i) Asset Finance Company (AFC) (ii) Investment Company (IC) (iii) Loan Company (LC) AFC would be defined as any company which is a financial institution carrying on as its principal business the financing of physical assets supporting productive/ economic activity, such as automobiles, tractors, lathe machines, generator sets, earth moving and material handling equipments, moving on own power and general purpose industrial machines. Principal business for this purpose is defined as aggregate of financing real/physical assets supporting economic activity and income arising therefrom is not less than 60% of its total assets and total income respectively. The above type of companies may be further classified into those accepting deposits or those not accepting deposits.
Uses of proteins in Humans

Protein is essential for your body to build hormones, enzymes, antibodies and every cell. After age 40 your body has to work harder to maintain muscle mass, so its important to make sure you get enough muscle-building protein in a steady supply throughout the day. Our recommendation: Aim for a minimum of 46-56 grams of protein per day.
JTS Institute
21

And most important, protein doesnt mean saturated fat! Stay clear of all red meats. Opt for fish and lean poultry if you arent vegetarian. But everyone should rely on lean, protein-packing beans, hummus, low-fat dairy, 100 percent whole grains, soy foods and egg whites. How our bodies use protein: The body doesnt have a large storage depot for protein, as it does for carbohydrate and fat. The protein we eat from food has to be handled as we eat it. Like rookies sitting on the bench waiting for their chance to play, the amino acids in the pool are ready and waiting to be utilized. Either the amino acids are used within a limited time to build a body protein, or they are transformed. If amino acids in the pool arent needed to become a protein, the body is equipped to reconfigure them either back to glucose to be used as energy or into fat. To transform an amino acid, the liver strips off the nitrogen, which may then be incorporated into DNA, RNA, or a nonessential amino acid. Excess nitrogen may also be incorporated into urea, or ammonia, both of which are excreted in the urine. In order to eliminate these, water is needed, so a high protein intake can result in excess fluid loss. The remaining part of the stripped-down amino acid may be reconfigured into glucose, and it is burned for energy. of TB patients, availability of anti-TB drugs at facilities by improving supplier performance, procurement systems and logistics and management of HIV-associated tuberculosis in the primary health care. They resolved to share experience and expertise in the areas of surveillance, existing and new strategies to prevent the spread of HIV, and in rapid scale up of affordable treatment. These nations will also focus on the research and development, manufacturing of affordable health products and capability to conduct clinical trials while emphasising on the importance of child survival through progressive reduction in the maternal mortality, infant mortality, neo-natal mortality and under-five mortality, to achieve Millennium Development Goals. BRICS is a platform of nations with developing economies representing 43 percent of the worlds population. BRICS, originally BRIC before the inclusion of South Africa in 2010, is the title of an association of emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. With the possible exception of Russia, the BRICS members are all developing or newly industrialised countries, but they are distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional and global affairs. As of 2013, the five BRICS countries represent almost 3 billion people, with a combined nominal GDP of US$14.9 trillion, and an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves. Presently, India holds the chair of the BRICS group. spurred economic activity. He said that, in the current scenario, the nation was caught in a situation where, due to fiscal constraints, ensuring sufficient public investment to facilitate the 12th Plan annual growth target of above eight per cent had become difficult. The challenge was to find resources for public investment and, at the same time, roll out policy initiatives that would change the private investor sentiment. He said it would be very difficult for a government to build credibility after it had lost it. The Centre had set in motion a slew of policy initiatives over the past six months to get the economy on the path of accelerated growth.
13 Janaury 2013 Kendu Leaves (Tendu)

Kendu leaf is also a nationalized product like Bamboo and Sal seed. It is called green gold of Odisha. Botanical name of Tendu (Kendu) leaf is DiospyrosMelanoxylon. Tendu leaf is one of the most important non-wood forest products of Odisha. The valuable leaves are used for wrapping Bidis, popular smoke especially among poor natives. The states producing BIDI leaf in India comprises mainly MP, Chhatisgarh, Odisha, AP, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharastra. Odisha is the third largest producer of kendu leaf next to M.P. and Chatisgarh.The annual production of Bidi Leaf in Odisha is around 4.5 to 5 lakhs quintal, which is about 20% of the countries annual production.
BRICS countries agree to collaborate on health issues

Recognising that multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) due to its high prevalence and incidence mostly among the marginalised and vulnerable sections of society, the health ministers of these countries on Friday agreed to collaborate and cooperate for development of capacity and infrastructure to deal with the disease. Adopting Delhi Communique at the end of the two meeting of BRICS nations, the health ministers resolved to reduce the prevalence of TB through innovation for new drugs/ vaccine, diagnostics and promotion of consortia of tuberculosis researchers to collaborate on clinical trials of drugs and strengthening access to affordable medicines and delivery of quality care. The Ministers also agreed to adopt and improve systems for notifiction
Wrong to consider India a single economic entity

Sanjaya Baru,columnist and senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, has said it will be wrong to consider India as a single economic entity, in the case of which a uniform strategy can be adopted for inclusive growth. Delivering a lecture on reviving the Indian economy: problems and prospects, organised by the State Planning Board here on Friday, he said due to historical reasons, the forces that drove the economy in different parts of the country were different. The foundation on which growth happened differed drastically from region to region. All industry leaders in the country wanted to have their presence in Gujarat, while they were all running away from West Bengal. It was not the policy at the Centre alone that
Retail inflation rises to 10.56 percent

1. Rising for the third consecutive month, retail inflation breached the double-digit mark at 10.56 percent in December, driven by higher prices of vegetables, edible oil, pulses and cereal. 2. The retail inflation was 9.90 percent in November and 9.75 percent in October. 3. The vegetables basket in December recorded the highest inflation of 25.71 per cent among all the constituents that make the Consumer Price Index (CPI). 4. Vegetables were followed by the oil and fats segment at 16.73 percent. Sugar turned more expensive by 13.55 percent. 5. Pulses and cereals became dearer by 13.46 percent and 13.70
JTS Institute
22

percent on an annual basis. Meat, fish and egg rose becoming 11.64 percent more expensive. 6. Clothing and footwear witnessed 10.74 percent increase in prices. 7. In urban areas, retail inflation rose to 10.42 per cent in December from 9.69 per cent in the previous month. The CPI for rural population increased to 10.74 percent during the month from 9.97 percent in November. 8. All India provisional General (all groups) CPI numbers of December 2012, for rural, urban and combined are 126.8, 124 and 125.6, respectively. 9. The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) is expected to take into account the double-digit retail inflation when it comes out with its third-quarter policy review later this month. 10. Wholesale price based inflation for November was at 7.24 percent, much higher than the RBI comfort level of 5-6 percent. 11. Concerned over the persistent inflation, the RBI has kept key interest rates unchanged since April, 2012. 12. Industrial output growth rate had contracted by 0.1 percent in November, from a robust 8.3 percent in October. New CPI (consumer price index): launched with base year 2010 The indexwhich uses 2010 as the base year with a starting value of 100read 106 for January, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said. The reading for urban areas was 104 and that for rural areas 107. The move is part of a wider effort by the government to address inefficient and archaic data-collection processes and outdated inputs that have hampered obtaining timely and accurate readings of price trends essential to central bankers, government officials and financial market participants. Economists expect the new index to help ease difficulties in assessing price situation in Indias diverse economy, where consumption preferences vary vastly across regions. The new index also analyses price trends in services, which account for about 60% of Indias gross domestic product but arent covered in the existing consumer price index, said Sujan Hajra, chief economist at Anand Rathi Securities. The index monitors a wider sample set than the prevailing archaic CPI issued by the Ministry of Labor, which the new gauge ultimately seeks to replace. The government hasnt said when it will stop issuing the old set of CPI data, but analysts said they will likely continue for about a year until the new data suffice to analyze yearearlier trends. Currently, the wholesale price index is the most widely watched inflation gauge in Asias third-largest economy as the government reports producer price data more comprehensively than consumer prices. The new consumer price index has five major groups. 1. Data showed the group of food, beverages and tobacco, which has almost a 50% weight in the index, was at 108. 2. The index for miscellaneous items like education, transport and medical care with a weight of 26.31%, was at 104. 3. The housing index was at 100, while the group for fuel and light read 106. Both carry a weight of about 9.5%. 4. Clothing and footwear, the smallest group with a 4.7% weight, was at 107. deposits sharply, which now hover over 10 percent, while banks were lowering rates for domestic deposits. 6. Following the steep fall in the rupee, which began with the downgrade of the US rating by S&P in August 2011, in November, the RBI had raised maximum interest rates on NRE accounts for one-year-plus to Libor plus 275 bps. 7. Non-resident external and nonresident (ordinary) accounts are two different types of rupee-denominated bank accounts allowed by the government for the diaspora. 8. While NRE funds are repatriable, NRO money cannot be remitted abroad. On the other hand, FCNR accounts are denominated in forex and the funds are fully repatriable. Different types of NRI accounts: a. The Non Resident External (NRE) Savings Account is meant for Indians residing abroad. It allows you to transfer foreign earnings easily to India.The following are the few important points regarding the NRE account. 1. NRE account can be opened as Savings and Fixed deposit accounts. 2. There is no tax on interest earned from these accounts. Also there is no wealth tax. 3. That the above tax exemptions are available only for an NRE Account held by an individual and not for those maintained by OCBs (Overseas Company Bodies) 4. The currency maintained in this account is Indian Rupee. 5. Can open Joint account with any Non-Resident Indian. Cannot open Joint account with Indian Resident . 6. You can easily transfer money to India. 7. Nomination is allowed in NRE Accounts. 8. Cannot deposit Indian Currency in to this account. b. NRO Savings Fixed Deposit Account 1. The following are the key points on NRO account. 2. NRO account can be opened as the Savings or Fixed Deposit account. 3. Currency maintained in this account is Indian Rupee. 4. Can open this account with any Indian Resident. 5. Interest earned in this account
Amid volatile rupee, NRI deposits nearly double, says RBI data
1. Continuing rupee fall and higher interest rate have seen NRI deposits nearly doubling in the first eight months of 2012-13 to $ 11.24 billion from $ 6.39 billion a year ago, according to the Reserve Bank data. 2. However, the non-resident (ordinary) rupee accounts and foreign currency non-resident accounts saw an outflow this year as against an inflow last year, according to the central bank data. 3. It can be noted that the rupee had hit an all-time low of 57.32 to the dollar on June 14. However, last Friday, the rupee ended at 54.76 to the dollar, which is 4.67 percent stronger from its all-time low. 4. Even though the currency has appreciated from its all-time low, inflows into NRI deposits continue on the back of higher interest rates. 5. It can be noted that, following the rupee fall in December 2011, the RBI had deregulated interest rates on NRI deposits, forcing banks to hike rates of such
JTS Institute
23

is 30% taxable and surcharge and education cess will be included. It is applicable for both savings and fixed deposit accounts. 6. You can use this account to pay any bill and expenses in India. 7. Enjoy the convenience of banking at any of our branches in India. 8. Nomination is allowed in NRO Accounts. 9. Can deposit Indian Currency in to this account. c. The following are the key points for Foreign Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) Fixed Depositbank account: 1. Earn Indian Interest Rates on your Foreign Currency deposits with our Foreign Currency Non-Resident Fixed Deposit. 2. The entire deposit (principal and interest) is exempt from tax 3. Open the deposit jointly with any other NRI 4. Get an overdraft on your Savings / Current account against your FCNR Fixed Deposit 5. Nomination Facility available 6. Joint accounts with Indian Residents not allowed. 7. Following currencies are allowed in this account: a. US Dollars b. Pounds Sterling c. Euro d. Japanese Yen e. Australian Dollars f. Canadian Dollars 8. Can not deposit Indian Currency in this account. 9. Minimum 1 year and maximum 5 years is allowed. declined to control levels as a result of EPIs efforts. But polio did not come under controlshowing that OPV was not as effective in India as in the West or in China. There, just three or four doses protected all children. In India, we had to give many more doses for equal effect. From 1994, India began nationwide OPV campaigns (called pulse immunisation)two per yearto give additional doses to all under-five children irrespective of the number of doses already given. That resulted in effectively controlling polio by 2000. One of the three types of polioviruses, wild type 2, was even eradicated by October 1999 when the average number of OPV doses had reached six per child. The type 2 component of OPV was not only more effective against that type, but it also inhibited the effect of types 1 and 3. That left India with the struggle to eradicate wild types 1 and 3 using a blunt weapon, the trivalent OPV (tOPV), containing types 1, 2 and 3, which is necessary to attack all three viruses simultaneously. In the Gangetic plain States, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, 9-10 pulse immunisation campaigns were conducted annually from 2004 to 2010. We then developed OPV containing just type 1 to make the tool sharper against the type 1 wild virus. That is called monovalent OPV (mOPV-1). Eventually, India made bivalent OPV (bOPV) with types 1 and 3. Remember, we did not have wild type 2 virus since 1999. With new tools and covering almost100 per cent children in their homes, while travelling, in brick-kiln and sugarcane fields where temporary migrant labour set up homes, wild polioviruses had no place to hide. We succeeded in stopping the transmission of type 3 in 2010 and type 1 in 2011. The last child with wild virus polio was detected in Howrah, West Bengal, with the onset of paralysis on January 13, 2011. Since then, only bOPV has been used for immunisation campaigns in U.P. and Bihar, while tOPV is used in routine EPI and national pulse immunisation campaigns twice each year. How sure are we that wild polioviruses have been totally banished? There is a solid body of evidence to show this. All hospitals and clinics that attend to sick children have been networked to report any illness that even remotely resembles polio. Such illness is called acute flaccid paralysis (AFP). Stool samples from every child with AFP are collected and tested for the presence of polioviruses. Every poliovirus so detected is further tested to distinguish wild poliovirus from vaccine poliovirus. When a lot of OPV is given to children, many with AFP would have vaccine polioviruses. That is to be expec-ted. Sewage samples are collected every week from several wards of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Patna. During 2011 and 2012, all sewage samples were consis-tently negative for wild polioviruses (but with plenty of vaccine viruses). In northern India, the last footholds of wild polio-viruses, the second half of each year was the season of high wild virus transmission. We passed two high seasons in 2011 and 2012 without a single case. India has truly succeeded, silencing the many prophets of failure. Highly contagious Wild polioviruses are highly contagiousillustrated by some 50 episodes of international importations to countries that had once eliminated them using OPV. We had exported wild viruses to Nepal and Bangladesh in our neighbourhood, and to Bulgaria, Angola, China and Tajikistan, to name some distant ones. Now India is polio-free and vulnerable to importation from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria the three countries that have not yet eliminated wild polioviruses. We cannot lower our guard and must continue pulse immunisations as though importation is imminent. India has five points of bordercrossing with Pakistan: two in Jammu-Kashmir, two in Punjab, and one in Rajasthan. At every point, individuals are given one dose of tOPV when they enter India. What was very remarkable was that Indias money went into the lions share of expenditure for polio eradication in the country, thus easing up global funds for use in other countries that needed them more than we do. India spent about Rs 1000 crore every year since 2000. The rationale Many have questioned the wisdom of spending such large amounts on one childhood disease. Was polio worth eradicating? From a humanitarian viewpoint as well as human rights angle no child deserved to be paralysed by a preventable disease. We know the struggle we had to go through merely to keep polio under control. Eradication is the best form of control. Once affected with polio, many children are neglected, do
Two years without polio

In 1988, India joined the global movement for polio eradicationat a time when we had not even succeeded in bringing polio under control. Control status required at least 95 per cent reduction. In 1978, India launched the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) with BCG and DPT vaccines. The oral polio vaccine (OPV) was introduced the next year. Natural polioviruses are called wild to distinguish them from vaccine polioviruses that constitute OPV. Vaccine viruses are attenuated from wild viruseswhich means they have lost most of their virulence, the ability to cause paralysis and the ability to spread fast among children. These two are the dreaded qualities of wild polioviruses. By 1988, diphtheria, whooping cough and neonatal tetanus had
JTS Institute
24

not complete high school, take up simple jobs like bicycle repair, managing telephone booths, etc. The disability-determined productivity loss may be taken as about half of the gross domestic product per capita. That amounts to approximately Rs 50,000 per year; cumulated over 30 years of productive life, India was losing Rs. 15 lakhs per personfor a staggering Rs 45,000 crore per annum loss to the domestic economy from just one disease, polio, that affected 300,000 children each year. Controlling diseases that affect productivity is indeed a development activity. Eradicating polio is an investment. The absence of polio is both a measure of, and a means to, development. about 3,600 of the 5,000 M dwarf stars present in Keplers field of view, researchers calculated that each of these stars had an 87 percent possibility of having Earthsized exoplanets, and nearly six percent of the M dwarfs studied could be in the habitable zone. M dwarfs account for about 75 percent of the stars in the Milky Way. The chance of discovering a habitable-zone super Earth transiting [passing] a low-mass star in the immediate future is tremendously high, notes a 2010 paper. Another preliminary study estimated that one in six stars in our galaxy has an Earth-sized exoplanet, increasing the abundance to an astronomical 17billion. But not all are in the habi-table zone. With the addition of 461 new candidate exoplanets identified by Kepler during the last 22 months, the total number of candi-dates has shot up to 2,740. Of these, 105 have been confirmed as planets. Advanced and sophisticated methods have helped in not only discovering exoplanets orbiting sun-like stars and M dwarfs but also in studying their atmospheric composition, accurately calculating their size and mass, and also the temperature at different altitudes (gradient). The launch in 2018 of the James Webb Space Telescope increases the possibility of studying the atmospheres of a few M dwarf stars. Having succeeded in studying the atmospheres of exoplanets, scientists have moved on to get a deeper understanding of their atmospheric biosignatures to ascertain the possibility of life. But the search for alien life has traditionally been based on our knowledge of living forms on Earth, which are carbon based. But can silicon-based life be completely ruled out? Similarly, should oxygen be present for life to exist? After all, the earliest life forms on Earth existed well before oxygen became dominant. Extremophiles on Earth have been found in hostile environmentsextremely hot, cold, acidic, alkaline, dry and desiccating conditions, deriving energy from hydrothermal vent chemicals and certain elements found in rocks. Hence there is a possibility of alien life on exoplanets. The only limitation in identifying them, if they exist, is our technological capability. And sense of imagination. Concept: Stellar classification: Most stars are currently classified using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, and M, where O stars are the hottest and the letter sequence indicates successively cooler stars up to the coolest M class. Useful mnemonics for remembering the spectral type letters are Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me or Oh Boy An F Grade Kills Me. According to informal tradition, O stars are called blue, B stars are called blue-white, A stars are called white, F stars are called yellowwhite, G stars are called yellow, K stars are called orange, and Mstars are called red, even though the actual star colors perceived by an observer may deviate from these colors depending on visual conditions and individual stars observed. The current non-alphabetical scheme developed from an earlier scheme using all letters from Ato O; the original letters were retained but the star classes were re-ordered in the current temperature order when the connection between the stars class and temperatures became clear. A few star classes were dropped as duplicates of others.
Oscar nomination, a high note for Carnatic music

Carnatic vocalist Bombay Jayashri who has been nominated for an Oscar along with Mychael Danna in the Original Song category for Pis Lullaby in the film Life of Pi tells K.T. Jagannathan that she hopes this will make more people listen to Carnatic music. Excerpts. Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. It is one of two main sub-genres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions; the other sub-genre being Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form because of Persian and Islamic influences in North India. In contrast to Hindustani music, the main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gyaki (singing) style.
First world atlas on renewable energy launched

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Sunday launched the worlds first atlas on clean energy which will offer openaccess information on countries renewable energy potential. The Global Atlas is the largest ever initiative to help countries assess their renewable energy potential, and companies bringing together data and maps from leading technical institutes and private companies worldwide, IRENA said. It currently charts solar and wind resources, and will expand to other forms of renewable energy over 2013 and 2014, the agency announced as it began its two-day annual general assembly in Abu Dhabi. Site The online atlas is available on www.irena.org/GlobalAtlas
Searching for Earths twin

The recent announcement at the American Astronomical Society meeting in California dramatically increases the possibility of finding Earth-sized extra-solar planets, or exoplanets, and in particular, those that are in a habitable Goldilocks zoneneither too close nor too far from a star, so liquid water might be present on the surface. One study looked at the number of habitable Earth-sized exoplanets (those one-half to twice the size of the Earth) orbiting the smaller and cooler M dwarf stars. By studying
MoEF sets deadline to declare eco sensitive zones around national parks, sanctuaries
1. A decade after the National Board for Wildlife envisaged declaring areas within 10 km of the boundary of national parks and sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zones, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given one last opportunity to all the States to submit site-specific proposals by February 15.
JTS Institute
25

2. As per the guidelines, commercial mining, setting up of industries causing pollution, commercial use of firewood, establishment of all hydroelectric projects, use or production of any hazardous substances, tourism activities like flying over the national park area by any aircraft or hot-air balloons and discharge of effluents and solid waste in natural water bodies or terrestrial area are prohibited. 3. The need for site-specific proposals has arisen as many of the existing protected areas have already undergone tremendous development in close vicinity to their boundaries with some like Guindy National Park lying in the urban set up, MoEF officials said. 4. Likewise, the eco-sensitive zones could extend beyond 10 km width in cases of sensitive corridors for connectivity of ecolo-gically important patches crucial for landscape linkage, officials emphasised. 5. As per procedure, the forest department would first consider the requirement for an eco-sensitive zone to act as a shock absorber, suggest best methods for management and broad based thematic activities to be included in the master plan of the region while demarcating the eco sensitive zones. Based on this, the Chief Wildlife Warden would have to group the activities under three headsprohibitive, restricted with safeguards and permissiblethat could be taken up. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and they continued to be excluded from formal development credit regimes despite specific guidelines and circulars from the Reserve Bank of India. Coordinating body Mr.Shariff recommended the establishment of a coordinating body under the Prime Ministers Office to monitor implementation of socially inclusive development programmes. He also controversially argued that socially inclusive development efforts needed to move away from special purpose vehiclessuch as the National Commission for Minorities and the National Minorities Financial Development Corporationso that they could be integrated into mainstream ministries. The suggestion was strongly opposed by participants who felt this would amount to snatching away whatever little Muslims got by way of welfare. The research for the paper was partially funded by the Institute of Objective Studies. Muslims have almost no presence in MGNREGS, says paper Communitys education growth rate remains lowest between 2004-05 and 2009-10, it says Sachar committee highlights: 1. Setting up an Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) to look into grievances of deprived groups like minorities. 2. Working out nomination procedure to increase participation of minorities in public bodies. 3. Providing legal mechanism to address complaints of discrimination against minorities in matters of employment, housing, schooling and obtaining bank loans. 4. Establishing a delimitation procedure that does not reserve constituencies with high minority population for SCs. 5. Initiating and institutionalising a process of evaluating contents of textbooks to purge them of explicit and implicit material that may impart inappropriate social values, especially religious intolerance. 6. Creating a national data bank where all relevant data for various socio-religious categories are maintained. 7. Setting up an autonomous assessment and monitoring authority to evaluate the extent of development benefits which accrue to different socio-religious categories through various programmes. 8. Encouraging the University Grants Commission to evolve a system where part of allocation to colleges and universities is linked to diversity in student population. 9. Facilitating admissions to the most backward amongst all socioreligious categories in regular universities and autonomous colleges and evolving alternate admission criteria 10. Designating Arzals Muslim group as most backward classes as they need multifarious measures, including reservation. 11. Increasing employment share of Muslims, particularly where there is great deal of public dealing. 12. Working out mechanisms to link madrassas with higher secondary school board. 13. Recognising degrees from madrassas for eligibility in defence, civil and banking examinations. 14. Opening high quality Urdu medium schools wherever they are in demand and ensuring high quality textbooks for students in the Urdu language. 15. Setting up a national Wakf Development Corporation with a revolving corpus fund of Rs 500 crore. 16. Creating new cadre to deal with specific Wakf affairs.
14 Janaury 2013 Indian scientists devise 16 disaster management drugs

1. Preparing to deal with any future chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents, Indian scientists have devised 16 drugs that can be used for disaster management. These include an anti-cyanide drug, an anti-nerve gas drug and an antitoxic gas drug. 2. Several radioactive decorporation agents and drugs for anticyanide, anti-nerve gas and toxic gas injuries have been approved by the Drug Controller General of India as trial drugs. 3 Developed by scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) here, the drugs have passed the efficacy test and will be cheaper than those currently available in the market. 4 Sixteen new drugs have been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) as trial drugs for disaster management. These include an anti-cyanide drug, an anti-nerve gas drug, an
Six years after Sachar report, Muslim lot no better

In 2006 RajinderSachar Committee placed the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims below that of the Scheduled Castes. Six Years After Sachar: A Review of Inclusive Policies in India, by economist and chief scholar at the U.S.-India Policy Institute Abusaleh Shariff. The paper said there was no perceptible improvement in the status of Muslims since the Sachar Committee made its recommen dations: Despite the governments publicised support for the Sachar Committee Reports recommen dations to increase diversity in public spaces and to ensure the minorities proportionate benefits from mainstream institutions, the governments record is notably lacklustre. The paper said Muslims had almost no presence in the
JTS Institute
26

anti-toxic gas drug and several radioactive decorporation agents, AseemBhatnagar, in charge of the project at INMAS, told IANS. 5 These will be used as samples for the users, including the armed forces, the paramilitary, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Ministry of Health. 6 Batch production of these drugs is being undertaken in collaboration with the pharmace-uticals industry through contract manufacturing. About 50,000-200,000 doses (licensed for human use) are expected to be manufactured by March 2013, Bhatnagar said. 7 Several of these drugs have been patented by the defence ministry. 8 INMAS previously made and supplied drugs against nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) incidents during the 2010 Common wealth Games and to meet an emergency requirement of the Indian Navy. 9 We also plan to keep some with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for usage during any disaster, Bhatnagar said. 10. Scientists say that research and development and coordination will enhance the shelf life of NBC drugs by 60-100 percent and this project is planned in coordination with other government agencies. 11. A mission mode project is planned to establish nuclear security in the national capital region by way of drugs, equipment and training to six echelons of medical services around Delhi under a project for seven years, Bhatnagar added. 12. INMAS had developed a skin radioactivity decontamination kit (shudhika) that was given for production to a company in Pune. That question changed Shantanoos life. He realised that all the technology used to help people during calamities was proprietary. And, as a result, very expensive. We provided people readymade solutions, but never transferred the knowledge, says this bio-engineering volunteer who was in town to take part in the Indian Roads Congress. He read up on the Internet for flood prevention solutions and chanced upon the name vetivera hardy, native Indian grass known for its extensive root system. In 2009, armed with enough material about vetiver, he tried using it to prevent erosion and flooding along the Kolong and Pagla (mad river called so because it is unpredictable and prone to flash floods) rivers in Assam. It was a colossal failure. Thats when the need for a customised solution, based on topography, struck him. Failure and poverty are great teachers, he says. So, Shantanoo went back to reading and research. He saw the limitations of the methods he used. No tool is magic. It works in certain cases, and does not in others. He applied the vetiver system on NH 39 (the Nagaland stretch) and NH 40 (GuwahatiShillong) in partnership with other organisations. The root worked its magic. Varied uses In just three years, he has used millions of vetiver plants to prevent soil erosion, strengthen river banks and stabilise hills slopes in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Orissa. In Orissa, he worked with the Tatas to tackle mine overburden (waste from mining that is piled up, sometimes as high as 100 metres.) They look like scars on the hills. We used cow dung and panchagavya, sourced from Coimbatore, to raise the vetiver. Now, the piles are stable and green. And, many companies nearby have stared using vetiver in their mines too, he says. Today, Shanthanoo is sought after by many countries, including Vietnam and Nepal, to help them combat Natures fury using natural methods. You could call it bioengineering. We use a green tool in combination with new-age technology. These systems have been around since ages. We just need to tap into that native knowledge and prove their use, scientifically, he says. He continues to work extensively in the North East. The region receives heavy rainfall and has a high precipitation rate. Cloud bursts are common. Then, there are the rain cuts, where the water cuts a swathe through the slopes. They drag everything down. Among his success stories using vetiver are strengthening the high embankment in Majuli (the largest river island in the world), and a 500-metre stretch of the Brahmaputra, said to be the most difficult river to tame.
Flash rules the memory world

Sandisk is working with new technologies to succeed NAND flash memory Sandisk Corporation, which produces flash memory, the device that goes into the USB memory that is ubiquitous among computer users, is the largest manufacturer of such devices. Judy Bruner, chief financial officer and an executive vice-president of administration, SanDisk Corporation, spoke to The Hindu about the new technologies the company is working on, the performance of the companys different lines of business and about the plans the company is making to move away from NAND memory, the staple technology since Toshiba introduced it in the late 1980s. Sandisk, the leader in the flash memory business, earned revenues of $5.7 billion in 2011. Excerpts: What is the kind of memory that Sandisk makes for the computing business? There are two major categories in the computing solid-state drives (SSD) marketclients and enterprises. A lot of the enterprise SSDs are going into data centres, which is the main driver of demand for flash memory in the computing segment. In the client side, growing demand for SSDs in notebooks, which enable instant-on capability, longer battery life, and are more rugged and lighter, is the main driver. What are the alternative technologies you are investing in to move to a post-NAND flash memory world? I will give you an example. In 2006, we acquired Matrix Semiconductor, a start-up that had developed three dimensional resistive RAM technology. The technology basically tries to build vertically on the wafer, potentially having eight
Stopping the Floods using vetiver

In July 2008, Shantanoo Bhattacharyya was erecting a Bailey bridge in flood-ravaged Lakhimpur, Assam. Walking back to his quarters that night, the executive engineer with the Public Works Department was stopped by a retired school teacher. Every year, you come to help during the floods. Why cant you create a system that can be replicated by the common people? he asked.
JTS Institute
27

different levels on the wafer. After developing the technology further we believe that it is a prime contender to succeed NAND flash memory when it can no longer scale up any further. We have developed the technology in association with Toshiba and we believe the technology can come into play before the end of the decade. We are the only flash memory company that does chip design in India, in Bangalore, where we employ 350 employees. Flash memory is an electronic (i.e. no moving parts) non-volatile computer storage device that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. Flash memory was developed from EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory). There are two main types of flash memory, which are named after the NAND and NOR logic gates. The internal characteristics of the individual flash memory cells exhibit characteristics similar to those of the corresponding gates. Whereas EEPROMs had to be completely erased before being rewritten, NAND type flash memory may be written and read in blocks (or pages) which are generally much smaller than the entire device. The NOR type allows a single machine word (byte) to be written or read independently. discrimination on the basis of gender, not providing adequate health benefits, and more recently bribery, particularly in the context of Mexico. In the case of India, it was unclear what it was hoping to get from this foreign investor. Indias situation was particularly interesting and different from other countries. Right now India is exporting capital. It needs to increase its savings rate more. India has a very large supply of entrepreneurs. It is exporting entrepreneurs to America and countries all over the world. Within the country too there is strong entrepreneurship. Moreover, retail technology was widely available. And one of the successes of Indias entrepreneurs is they know how to apply our technology. Companies in Bangalore know how to improvise systems, do operations research, Prof.Stiglitz pointed out. The evidence that despite this company [Walmart], there have been benefits to small producers is lacking and this is telling, he said. In the area of financial products too, the Nobel laureate had a word of caution for India. India has to ask before opening its markets to financial products, what they are going to do for promoting growth. The evidence is so overwhelming that these instruments will promote instability that a lot of caution is needed. Prof.Stiglitz called for a greater role for the state in promoting and regulating capitalism, and restructuring the economy. In the context of corporate governance, failure of the U.S. government to play that role led to the economic crisis Between 19291933, farm incomes fell drastically. The economy could not restructure itself until the U.S. government restructured it by moving people from agriculture to manufacturing. Markets dont develop on their own, they need governments to create them, he said. According to him, the problem before the U.S. today was moving towards a service sector economy. A balance between capitalism, State and civil society was vital for success and growth based not on the obsession with GDP or the metrics of success, but taking into account issues of sustainability, distribution and general well-being. Governments have to undertake policies which are people-friendly. Growth cannot be based on crony capitalism. The role of the state in providing social protection and social justice was all-important, he said.
Financial responsibility report by RBI

The latest Financial Stability Report (FSR) of the Reserve Bank of India, the sixth in the series, is a half yearly assessment by an expert committee of the outlook for the stability and resilience of the financial sector. The report also suggests policy actions that are needed to contain the risks to stability. Compared to the previous report, the threats to financial sector stability have increased. While the environment of global and domestic macroeconomic instability remains unchanged, there is a realisation that the highly unconventional tools relied upon by governments and central banks across the world at the beginning of the crisis are losing some of their edge and effectiveness. The space for fiscal and monetary action is getting squeezed. Besides, some of the unintended consequences of the policy tools employed, such as the ultra soft monetary policies of the U.S., have started manifesting themselves in countries like India. For instance, the accretion to global liquidity has pushed up commodity prices, and with it the threat of imported inflation in India. Global uncertainties, notably the delay in resolving the euro-debt crisis and domestic policy uncertainties, have caused a deceleration of economic growth in recent quarters. There has been a noticeable fall in the level of domestic savings, inflation has remained persistently high and these along with regulatory and environmental issues have caused a fall in investment demand and moderation in consumption spending. Despite all of this, financial markets in India have remained largely stable. But the corporate sectors ability to service its debt has been falling since 2009-10. Some infrastructure companies have substantially increased their leverage. These and a few other factors are responsible for the increased stress on the asset quality of the banking system. A large number of loans have been restructured recently. The banking sector on the whole has remained resilient to credit, market and liquidity risks and is capable of withstanding macroeconomic
Tread FDI path cautiously, Stiglitz tells India

Also think before opening markets to financial products, says the Nobel laureate India, with its abundance of entrepreneurs, must tread the path of foreign direct investment with caution, in the light of the over whelming evidence other countries have to offer on the issue, economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz said here on Monday. He was giving a lecture on Rede-fining Capitalism, organised here by the Asian Development Research Institute. Professor Stiglitz said he was not against FDI as it was an important instrument of economic growth. However, its purpose was to reap capital, technology, access to markets and training. Without naming the supermarket giant Walmart, Prof.Stiglitz said, One retailer, which has been widely discussed, has the reputation for bad labour relations,
JTS Institute
28

shocks given their comfortable capital adequacy. However, new provisioning norms require banks to tie up a larger amount of capital to take care of distressed assets. In the context of the imminent shift to Basel III norms, some banks may face challenges in mopping up additional capital. Financial inclusion, financial literacy and consumer protection are interconnected threads in the pursuit of financial stability. Given the strong linkage between stability and inclusion, it is only right that the FSR should highlight, for the first time, the several regulatory initiatives taken and the progress achieved so far. piracy has not been met with warmth by global agencies. After the piracy menace spread to near Lakshadweep, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard had embarked on a sustained antipiracy campaign in the East Arabian Sea. A top Coast Guard officer is categorical in pointing out that false piracy alarms received at the Mumbai-based Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at the rate of one every fortnight not counting, there has been no incident of piracy in the region over several months in the past. Buoyed by the let-up in piracy, India unsuccessfully demanded a revision of HRA delimitation (return to west of 65 degree east longitude) at the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO. But, BMP4 is an industry document, not a matter for IMO per se, said Natasha Brown, IMOs External Relations Officer, in an e-mail to The Hindu. A key official at Indias Directorate General of Shipping rues that notwithstanding an advisory it issued cautioning ships against mistaking frenetic fishing activity up to 50 nautical miles from the countrys coastline for acts of piracy, cargo ships continue to transgress fishing zones, raising concerns. At least two recent incidentsthe first, some 17 nautical miles off Vizhinjam in Kerala in November last when a cargo vessel resorted to firing to force a fishing boat alter course and the second, at the mouth of the Cochin Port in December when flares were shot in the air to distract a boatpoint to the fact that conflict between fishermen and merchant vessels has sadly become the order of the day. The reason: the region is still designated a High Risk Area as per BMP4. Jiyoung Kim, Foreign Affairs official of South Korea that chairs the CGPCS WG3, which worked closely with the industry in completing the BMP4 guideline, maintained that the appeal of India and Egypt for a revision of the scope of HRA would be discussed on an objective and transparent basis at Tuesdays meeting. It is industries, as editors of the BMPs, that define and revise the scope of the HRA At the latest WG3 meeting, industries expressed that they do not consider the revision of the BMP4 including the scope of the HRA, in spite of the proposal of India and Egypt. WG3 chair suggested holding a meeting on the HRA within parties interested in order to continue the discussions on the scope of HRA, he replied in an email communication. Separately, the Indian National Shipowners Associations plea to the Joint War Committee, a forum of insurance undertakers based in London, for a review of the Listed Areas for insurance set by Lloyds and the Joint War Risk Committee has not received a positive response. The situation is being monitored but the area is unchanged for now, Neil Roberts, senior executive-underwriting of Lloyds Market Association, confirmed in an email. The fallout of the classification was an exorbitant hike in insurance premiums of vessels bound for zones with enhanced risk. The premiums came down following deployment of armed guards on their ships, as most providers of security collaborated with insurance groups. It is paradoxical that the short-term expedient, which has helped thwart pirate attacks, is posing other challenges, including legal issues, said an industry observer.
India wants rollback of piracy zone

Following increasing cases of piracy near Somalia that occasionally extended as far as Lakshadweep, industry bodies working in tandem with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS)constituted in 2009 following a U.N. resolution with States and international bodies as members to work together to rid the seas of piracydecided to move the longitude marking off the highrisk area in the Arabian Sea from 65 degrees to 78 east. The new classification extended the highrisk area much closer to the Indian coast barring the nations territorial waters of 12 nautical miles. The guidelines for ships advise them on evasive action against piracy. Shipping experts say that the changed classification resulted in ships hugging the Indian coast and often cruising in Indian territorial watersfrom Mangalore to Kanyakumariwhile transiting the Arabian Sea. Many of these merchant vessels have armed guards as allowed by IMO. Initially, India wanted the longitude to be moved back to 65 degree but members of CGPCS balked. As a result, on Tuesday, at a meeting of a sub-group of Working Group-3 (WG3) of the CGPCS, India will make a fresh plea for exemption of its fishing zones from the danger zone listing in Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia-based Piracy, an industry document endorsed by IMO and CGPCS. Global agencies cool Indias proposal that seas close to its western coast be removed from the list of High Risk Areas (HRA) for
Jharkhand Governor recommends Presidents rule

Jharkhand is all set for a spell of Presidents rule with no party or combination of parties in a position to form a government in the wake of fall of the BJP-led coalition last week. Governor Syed Ahmed is learnt to have recommended Presidents rule in the State by keeping the Assembly under suspended animation. The recommendation was made in his second report to the Centre on the political situation in the wake of the resignation of Chief Minister ArjunMunda who also sought dissolution of the Assembly after JMM withdrew support to his government, official sources said. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who is away from the capital in the last two days, is expected to study the report after his arrival on Monday night. Concept: Presidents rule (or central rule) is a term used in India when a state is placed under direct federal rule. The former name comes from the fact that the President of India
JTS Institute
29

governs the state through the Governor with the help of the Union Government, instead of a Council of Ministers headed by an elected Chief Minister accountable to the state legislature. Presidents rule is enabled by Article 356 of the Constitution of India, which gives authority to impose it if there has been failure of the constitutional machinery in any state of India. During Presidents rule, the Governor appointed by the President assumes executive authority. Since such appointments are made on the advice of the central government, the states policies become de facto controlled by the federal ruling party. During Presidents rule, the Governor appoints advisors, usually retired civil servants, to assist him in the administration. The advisors take the functions of state ministers. When is Presidents Rule imposed? In practice presidents rule has been imposed under different circumstances such as these: State Legislature is unable to elect a leader as Chief Minister Breakdown of a coalition Irretrievable breakdown of law and order Rebellion or insurgency in a part of India Elections postponed for unavoidable reasons Most often, until the mid-1990s, it was imposed in states through abuse of the authority of Governors in collusion with the federal government. However, following a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court of India in March 1994, such abuse has been reduced drastically. That the market is elated by the much-awaited relief is clear from the fact that investors gave a thumbs-up to the Centres decision and the Bombay Stock Exchanges Sensex soared by 243 points to a two-year high of 19,906.41. Clearing the air on the applicability of the GAAR provisions at a press conference here, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said: The modifications that we have done are fair, non-discriminatory, just, and strike a balance between interest of revenue and interest of investors. So, all apprehensions should now be set at rest. Having considered all the circumstances and relevant factors, the government has decided that provisions of Chapter 10A of the I-T Act [dealing with GAAR] will come into force from April 1, 2016 as against April 1, 2014, he said. hypoiodous acid (HOI) - a gas not yet considered as being released from the ocean - along with a contribution from molecular iodine (I2). Since the 1970s when methyl iodide (CH3I) was discovered as ubiquitous in the ocean, the presence of iodine in the atmosphere has been understood to arise mainly from emissions of organic compounds from phytoplankton - microscopic marine plants. The new research, published in Nature Geoscience, builds on an earlier study which showed that reactive iodine, along with bromine, in the atmosphere is responsible for the destruction of vast amounts of ozone around 50 per cent more than predicted by the worlds most advanced climate models in the lower atmosphere over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The scientists quantified gaseous emissions of inorganic iodine following the reaction of iodide with ozone in a series of laboratory experiments. They showed that the reaction of iodide with ozone leads to the formation of both molecular iodine and hypoiodous acid. Using laboratory models, they show that the reaction of ozone with iodide on the sea surface could account for around 75 percent of observed iodine oxide levels over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Our laboratory and modelling studies show that these gases are produced from the reaction of atmospheric ozone with iodide on the sea surface interfacial layer, at a rate which is highly significant for the chemistry of the marine atmosphere, Professor Lucy Carpenter said. Our research reveals an important negative feedback for ozone a sort of self-destruct mechanism. The more ozone there is, the more gaseous halogens are created which destroy it. The research also has implications for the way that radionucleides of iodine in sea water, released into the ocean mainly from nuclear reprocessing facilities, can be re-emitted into the atmosphere, Lucy said in a statement. This mechanism of iodine release into the atmosphere appears to be particularly important over tropical oceans, where measurements show that there is more iodide in seawater available to react with ozone, Professor John Plane, from the University of Leeds School of Chemistry, said.
Students produce power with biogas from poultry waste

Five students from BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary in Shastri Nagar have successfully been able to produce electricity from biogas made from poultry waste. The project was recently showcased at the 20th National Childrens Science Congress held at Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi. Adjudged outstanding with grade A among 22 projects out of a total of 616 projects presented, the department of science and technology has also selected the project for the fellowship programme. One of the project guidance teachers, AnujaKaushal, talking to Ludhiana Newsline, said: It was a research-based project worked on by Lovedeep Singh, Aishwarya Verma, Sanpreet Singh, Sharabh and Tanya, all Class X students. The theme given to us was energy harnessing exploration and what was unique in our project was that students were successful in producing energy from the biogas produced using poultry waste. It is a landmark achievement for poultry farm owners and shows a way for energy production from poultry waste.
GAAR will come into force from April 2016

Seeking to set at rest the concerns expressed by worried investors at home and abroad, the government on Monday announced the postponement of the implemen-tation of the controversial GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) by two years to April 1, 2016. The postponement and other modifications in GAAR provisions marks the acceptance of the recommendations of the ParthasarathiShome Committee, which was set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh following concerns expressed by investors on the Budget provision in this regard and the subsequent withdrawal of portfolio investment by foreign investors.
New gas that triggers ozone destruction found

Scientists have found that a gas released from the oceans on Earth may play a significant role in the destruction of ozone layer. Researchers at the Universities of York and Leeds found that the principal source of iodine oxide can be explained by emissions of
JTS Institute
30
1 January - 7 January 2013 Issue-1/2013 (1 January to 7th January)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Dear Student, Starting this week we are offering you , notes on all important Current Issues which are relavent for the IAS exam. This is a compilation of notes based on news items appered in 11 national English Newspapers, 7 magazines and some important websites. Once you finish reading this notes, you may attempt an online test based on this notes. This helps you assess, how much you have grasped from this material. Online test is available free of cost at www.JTSinstitute.com. So, now onwards you can update and evaluate your knowledge on current affairs, every week, that too absolutely free of cost. All the best Academic Director JTS Institute
5.Now, from here space explorers would have a stationary base from which to launch trips deeper into space in future. 6.It would also be possible to mine other asteroids for their metals and minerals. increased risk of blood clots in other parts of the body. Disease prevention and treatment of these patients should be targeted at hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis, while doctors can save patients from unnecessary treatment with anticoagulants.
1 Janaury 2013 NASA to transform asteroid into space station

For the first time in history of space endeavours, a celestial object would be moved by humans. NASA scientists are planning to capture a 500,000 kg asteroid, relocate it and turn it into a space station for astronauts to refuel at on their way to Mars. An allocation $2.6 billion will be considered by the White Houses Office of Science and technology as it prepares to set its space exploration agenda for the next decade. How this would be achieved? 1.An old Atlas V rocket will be used to attach and asteroid capture capsule. 2.It will then be launched towards the asteroid b/w the Earth and the Moon. 3.On reaching closer, the asteroid capsule would release a 50 ft. diameter bag that would wrap around the spinning rock using drawstrings. 4.The craft would then turn on its thrusters to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a gravitationally neutral spot.
Scientists Identify Cause of Widespread Eye Disease

As per latest findings, the most probable cause of widespread eye disease Branch retinal vein occlusion (blockage of the blood vessels that channel blood from the retina) has been identified. Scientists have shown that it is highly probable that thickening of the arterial walls is behind the disease which is a type of blood clot in the eye that blocks the vessels that transport blood from the retina. The disease leads to reduced vision and affects more than 14 million people worldwide. The earlier known causes behind the disease were vague and unclear. What could be possible benefits of the findings? The findings makes it crucial for doctors to treat patients diagnosed with the disease with medicine to lower blood pressure in order to prevent blood clots from forming in the heart and brain. Branch retinal vein occlusion is often a sign of
Turkey lifts veto against NATOs non-military cooperation with Israel

NATO member Turkey is ready to lift veto on non-military cooperation b/ w the alliance members and Israel. It had imposed the veto following Israeli attack on Turkish humanitarian aid ship to Gaza in 2010. In a quid pro quo, several NATO allies of Israel agreed to withdraw a veto against cooperating with Turkey-friendly countries, mainly in the Arabian region. However, Turkey still maintains its ban on joint military activities and also reserves the right to bar activities with Israel on its own soil. The relations b/w the two nations strained after the Gaza ship raid. The latest agreement has come in the backdrop of NATOs consent to install Patriot anti-aircraft missiles along the Turkish border with Syria.
JTS Institute
1 January - 7 January 2013 Studying Bats to get clues to immunity, longevity in man
A team of researchers at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) conducted an extensive research into bats and bat borne viruses, and their potential effects on the human population. Their study provides an insight into the evolution of the bats flight, resistance to viruses, and relatively long life. The team in collaboration with the Beijing Genome Institute led a team that sequenced the genomes of two bat species. Why Bats are being studied? Bats are known to have survived for 65 million years against all adversities. They are widespread and one of the most abundant creatures. They have longer lives compared to animals of similar size and are known as natural reservoir for several lethal viruses , such asHendra, Ebola and SARS, but they often dont succumb to disease from these viruses. They adapt themselves to these odds. A deeper understanding of these evolutionary adaptations in bats may lead to better treatments for human diseases, and may eventually enable us to predict or perhaps even prevent outbreaks of emerging bat viruses. They may also hold clues about immunity and longevity. the indicator of climate change throughout the region. It is located some 700 miles from the South Pole and near the centre of the WAIS. Upgradation Fund Scheme (RTUFS) with subsidy cap for each value adding segment, such as spinning, weaving and processing. The total subsidy amount provided for 2011-2012 was Rs. 1,972 crore. It was anticipated to leverage total investment of Rs. 46,900 crore. The subsidy claimed was only Rs. 362 crore. Though 3,542 applications were received, proposing a total investment of Rs. 35,892 crore (April 2011 to November 2012), implementation of the projects are delayed. What is R-TUFS? It is a scheme introduced by Govt. of India, Ministry of Textiles, to channelize investments towards hitherto low investments segments to facilitate a balanced growth across the value chain. Objectives of the Scheme: > Addressing the issues of fragmentation and promoting forward integration by providing 5% interest reimbursement for spinning units with matching capacity in weaving/knitting/ processing/garmenting > Promoting investments in sector with low investment like processing > Technology up gradation in weaving by providing higher capital subsidy for establishment of new shuttle-less looms > Ensuring greater participation of SSI (Small Enterprises) units by increasing the limits under this category
Pakistan recognizes Kosovo as an Independent State

Pakistan became another country to officially recognized Kosovo as an independent state. Kosovo had declared independence from Serbia in 2008. With this Pakistan became the 98thsovereign state among 193 UN-member states to recognize Kosovo. In September 2012, Kosovo declared full independence after the western powers supervising Kosovo declared the end of their supervision.
EU encourages potato as a replacement of rice in Asia

The EU is increasingly promoting potato as crop which can replace rice as a staple in the Asian riceconsuming countries. As per researchers: >Potato, which is a tuber crop, requires less amount of water to grow as compared to other basic food products, without compromising the nutritional value. >It is the fourth largest consumed food in the world after maize, rice and wheat. >Contains fewer calories than pasta, rice and bread. >Consumes about 30 % less water to grow than rice >It is being projected as a crop that can contribute to weight loss if prepared and consumed healthily. > It can provide a solution for meeting the increased food demand for an estimated 6 billion world population by 2030.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet warming rapidly

As per a new study, the western part of Antarctica is experiencing nearly twice as much warming as previously thought. The temperature record from Byrd Station, a scientific outpost in the centre of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), recorded a marked increase of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius) in average annual temperature since 1958 that is, three times faster than the average temperature rise around the globe. This finding places West Antarctica among the fastestwarming regions on Earth. Its melting currently contributes 0.3 mm to sea level rise each year second to Greenland, whose contribution to sea level rise has been estimated as high as 0.7 mm per year. What is Byrd Station? It is an important scientific outpost in the centre of the WAIS which is
Benefits from poultry manure no chicken feed (Important)

Cheap, effective: At present India produces about 6.25 to 8 million tonnes of poultry manure annually. Except a few, there are many farmers in the country who do not show interest in testing their soil for micronutrient deficiencies. In general, farmers apply micronutrients only when crops show deficiency symptoms, while micronutrient deficiencies decrease yields before symptoms appear, Several research Based on several research works and surveys, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have stated that enriching the soils with micronutrients, by using organic fertilizers, not only impacts plant deficiencies, but also on humans
Investment slumps in textiles; R-TUFS scheme to promote investments in sector

In 2012, the textile and clothing industry in the country has made minimal investment in expansions and new projects. In 2011, the Union Ministry of Textiles had announced the Restructured Technology
JTS Institute
and animals, through the food chain, says Prof.Narahari. Even in the case of those who use chemical fertilizers and sprays, farmyard manure or vermicompost forms the basic input for their fields before sowing and is a long standing practice. Soil rejuvenation For centuries now,farmers accept that organic manures of cattle, poultry and green leaves wastes (mulching) rejuvenates their soil physically, chemically, and biologically. Farmers in developed countries are now more aware and are switching over to organic manures resulting in more than 10 per cent drop in chemical fertilizer production. On the contrary, we in India are ignoring the benefits of organic fertilizers and importing huge quantities of chemical fertilizers, says Prof.Narahari. Confined to pockets Though cattle compost manure is known to our farmers not many are familiar with poultry manure; because modern poultry farms have emerged in India just four decades back, though confined to a few pockets. Most crops, especially paddy, sugar cane, plantation crops, floriculture and horticultural crops respond well to poultry manure. However, it is not that advisable for leguminous crops. Crops absorb the nitrogen in poultry manure similar to urea. So they need lower doses and proper irrigation. Poultry manure is a more concentrated source of crop nutrients, especially NPK and calcium. Being naturally organic, it does not need composting and can be applied directly to the fields from the farm. The fertilizer value of one tonne of dried cage poultry manure is equivalent to 100 kg urea, 150kg super phosphate, 50kg potash, 125kg calcium carbonate, 30 kg sulphur, 12 kg sodium chloride, 10kg magnesium sulphate, 5kg ferrous sulphate, 1kg manganese sulphate, zinc sulphate and other trace minerals each and is available at a cheaper rate than other market available inputs, explains Prof.Narahari.
1 January - 7 January 2013 How plants survive droughts

When drought-tolerant plants detect dry conditions, they synthesize abscisic acid, which causes changes from root tips to leaves and flowers. Plants under the influence of this hormone begin to conserve water. Their seeds lie dormant in the ground. Their leaves close microscopic pores to stop water loss. They slow their own growth, and they signal numerous genetic changes, reprogramming themselves to accomplish their single most pressing goal survival. Abscisic acid triggers an array of plant drought-tolerance mechanisms, said co-investigator Julian Schroeder of UC San Diego. Such improvements would be a boon for agriculture, which is the single largest use for water in most of the world, consuming up to 90 percent of available water in some of the hottest and most arid parts of the world, which are often prone to drought. One possible way to translate this research to agricultural products would be to design chemicals to mimic the action of abscisic acid, according to Getzoff. Such chemicals would then be sprayed on crops to protect them in the face of looming drought.
NarendraModi loses Lokayukta battle, SC upholds appointment of Guvs choice Justice Mehta
In a setback to NarendraModi, the Supreme Court today upheld the appointment of Justice (retd) R A Mehta as state Lokayukta by Governor KamlaBeniwal, saying it was done in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court. A bench of justices B S Chauhan and F M Ibrahim Kalifulla dismissed the Gujarat governments plea that the appointment was illegal as it was done without consulting it. The bench said that the Governor is bound to act under the advice of the Council of Ministers, but the appointment of Justice Mehta is right as it was done in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court.
December. Has the most consequential agreement between the two countries in many decades been too good to be true? Has the Pakistan army decided to torpedo the only positive dynamic in relations with India? Few in official Delhi would want to proffer definitive answers at this stage. For the moment, India has no choice but to accept the word from Islamabad that the delay in granting the MFN status is merely procedural. Defying the widespread disbelief in India, Zardari delivered a roadmap for normalising trade relations. As the first step, Islamabad started trading with India on the basis of a negative list rather than a small positive list. India reciprocated by addressing Pakistani concerns about non-tariff barriers. Pakistan was to take the next step, by the end of October, by lifting the current restrictions on the number of items that India could export through the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab. Islamabads inability to deliver on that front has been followed by the delay in the complete phasing out of the negative list by December 31. Delhi was to respond to these moves by immediate unilateral reduction of its sensitive list of imports from Pakistan. While India must give the benefit of doubt to the Zardari government, it cannot ignore the mounting political mobilisation of the conservative forces in Pakistan against normal trade ties with India. If the internal balance in Pakistan shifts away from the elected civilian leaders, the hopes for normal trade will be dashed. That, in turn, could signal that a new negative phase in bilateral relations is at hand.
Cosmic radiation can cause Alzheimers in astronauts: study

Space travel may harm the brain in astronauts as exposure to galactic cosmic radiation could trigger Alzheimers, a new study has claimed. The Earths magnetic field generally protects the planet and people in low earth orbit from these cosmic radiation, but once astronauts leave orbit they are exposed to constant shower of various radioactive particles, the Daily Mail reported. Galactic cosmic radiation poses a significant threat to future astronauts. The possibility that radiation exposure in space may give rise to health problems such
Missing the deadline

Pakistan has missed the promised deadline for normalising trade relations with India by the end of
JTS Institute

as cancer has long been recognised, senior author of the study, Professor Kerry OBanion from the University of Rochester Medical Centre (URMC) Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy said. However, this study shows for the first time that exposure to radiation levels equivalent to a mission to Mars could produce cognitive problems and speed up changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimers disease, OBanion said. Tests on mice with models of Alzheimers showed that after they were exposed to various doses of radiation, including levels comparable to what astronauts would be experience during a mission to Mars, they were far more likely to fail these tasks suggesting neurological impairment earlier than these symptoms would typically appear. The brains of the mice also showed signs of vascular alterations and a greater than normal accumulation of the protein plaque that accumulates in the brain and is one of the hallmarks of the disease. per cent and on non-standard gold to 10 per cent. He also imposed one per cent excise duty on unbranded jewellery, which was subsequently rolled back after protest from jewellers across the country. Currently, the government is also making efforts to channelize investor money into equities and other financial instruments to reduce demand for the yellow metal. Concept: people invest in gold, but gold is a dead investment, so the money would better serve the purpose if deviated to industries through equities. in stocks with the government. But this did not affect open market availability adversely, because of a record production104.32 million tonnes of rice in 2011 due to a good monsoon. The fact that export surpluses are being mobilised from the open market by the private trade implies that export prices being received by India are higher than domestic procurement and open market prices. Exporters can access supplies in the open market only by offering prices higher than the procurement price. And they would not offer these prices and choose to export if the export price was not higher than the domestic open market price.
Indias triumph in rice

India has emerged the worlds largest rice exporter, displacing Thailand from its leadership position, with rice exports in marketing year 2011/12 (OctoberSeptember) placed at a record 10.4 million tonnes. This rise to the top follows the Indian governments decision in February 2011 to lift a four-year ban on exports of nonbasmati varieties of rice paving the way for a rise in exports. That rise, however, was favoured by a decision in the same year of the Thai government, under Prime Minister YingluckShinawatra, to improve the lot of its farmers by introducing a Rice Pledging Scheme under which it procured stocks at an enhanced price of 15,000 baht (US$420) per ton - a 60 percent increase over 2010. This obviously raised the domestic price of Thai rice. If India had not entered the market, the Thai governments decision to buy rice at prices exceeding the world price would have temporarily reduced its sales to the world market. By increasing stocks with the Thai government and reducing global tradable supplies quite significantly, this would have pushed up global rice prices and allowed Thailand to return to the export market. But Indias entry and increased exports from Vietnam at the prevailing price prevented that rise, resulting in a fall in Thai exports and the loss of its position as the worlds leading rice exporter. Thailands loss was Indias gain, as Indian non-basmati rice turned internationally competitive. Indias exports proved price competitive despite the fact that the government had raised the minimum support price quite significantly. Higher support prices had in fact resulted in an increase
SEWA model shows cash transfers work

While meaning well, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is putting at risk the great idea of cash transfers by designing them primarily as substitutions for subsidised consumer goods. That may be a laudable longer-term aim; the Public Distribution System (PDS) is in a mess. But strategically, cash transfers must boost economic growth and be a progressive measure to reduce income inequality and poverty, both at the outset and in the longer-term. They can be both. The reduction of cheating, repeatedly mentioned by government spokesmen, must be a secondary gain, not the main one. Pilot scheme This is why SEWA and Unicef have been implementing a cash transfer pilot scheme in which the cash provided has been a small top-up to existing subsidies. As a result, nobody in the villages is worse off than before. There have been teething problems associated with opening bank accounts and with learning how to use the cash. But these have taken place in an atmosphere of net gain for the recipients. As people have learned to adapt, support has grown not only for the idea of cash transfers but for substitution for rationed items. As a result, planners could now implement a substitution scheme in those villages that would be welcomed, would improve welfare and save government money. An example Let me give an example to illustrate the fiscal point. Suppose one were to provide everybody with Rs.200
Govt mulls steps to reduce gold import: Chidambaram

The government is considering steps to reduce gold import by making it more expensive, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Wednesday. Demand for gold must be moderated... We may be left with no choice but to make it more expensive to import gold. The matter is under government consideration, he told reporters in New Delhi. Gold import is a major constituent of Indias rising Current Account Deficit (CAD). The CAD widened to a record high of 5.4 per cent of GDP, or $ 22.3 billion, in the JulySeptember quarter. In value terms, gold imports stood at $ 20.2 billion in the AprilSeptember period of the current fiscal, a decline of 30.3 per cent over the corresponding period a year ago. For the entire 2011-12 fiscal, gold imports stood at $ 56.2 billion. In his Budget proposal, the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had doubled the basic customs duty on standard gold bars to four
JTS Institute

per month on top of the value of the PDS and other subsidies, with the proviso that within three months of starting to receive that cash they had to receive it in a bank account or obtain the Aadhaar. This would give people time to deal with the practicalities, while nobody would actually lose in the short-term. At the end of the first year, the cash transfer amount could be increased to, say, Rs.300 while some subsidy worth Rs.100 were removed, again leaving nobody worse off. In that second year, the fiscal saving would be well above the Rs.100 because we know the cost of transferring Rs.100 to any recipient is actually about Rs.350. The Ministry of Finance has told us that, and the Deputy Chair of the Planning Commission has said that only 16 per cent of spending on subsidised item reaches the poor. So any removal of a subsidy would save the government much more than the value of it to the consumer. And it must always be remembered that a government can afford shortterm costs that low-income citizens cannot tolerate without acute discomfort. This way of substituting cash for subsidies would be strategically wise and redistributive, since it would leave scope for increasing the value of transfers to low-income groups while saving money fiscally, since the saving on any reduction of a subsidy could be shared between the government coffers and the citizen recipient. After all, both the citizen recipient and the government would gain revenue. Concept: The major issue in all social schemes is the cost of transfer, i.e. how much money is to be spent to transfer 1 rupee to the beneficiary. Example: to transfer 1 rupee under MGNREGA government has to spend 3.60 rupees. This leads back to the most important point of all. Cash transfers must be understood primarily as a way of reducing inequality and poverty, while being fiscally sustainable. Other considerations must be secondary to that objective. This is why we should all plead with the politicians to go against their nature and depoliticise the transformation of social policy as much as they can. Well, we should try.
S. Ramakrishnan took over as Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

A senior Scientist from ISRO, S. Ramakrishnan took over as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram in the first week of January 2013. Ramakrishnan carries a four decades of experience in rocketry and headed the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at ISRO. He replaced P S Veeraraghavan. S. Ramakrishnan
He is an expert in aerospace propulsion, launch vehicle systems and project management Before Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre he served as director (project) at VSSC and Chairman of Flight readiness review panel He played a major role in accomplishing the PSLV C-11/ Chandrayaan Mission He was hounoured with a Padma Shri in 2003 He served as the Mission Director for PSLV C1, C2, C3 and C4 flights He played a major role in helping India accomplish its first satellite Launch Vehicle SLV-3
2 Janaury 2013 Organic fertigation

What fertigation is? Fertigation, a practice of conjunctive application of fertilizers and water to crop plants is an inevitable component of modern day scientific agriculture.Soluble fertilizers like urea, potash and a wide variety of fertilizer mixtures available in the market could be well mixed with irrigation water, filtered and then passed through the irrigation unit. In the normal sense it refers to the conjunctive application of chemical fertilizers and water Organic fertigation = application of organic manures with water The scope for Organic Fertigation is very large. However, there are many hurdles to overcome, in making organic fertigation a reality. The major hurdles in Organic Fertigation 1. Solubility of organic manure. 2. Solid residues are more in organic manures. The best filtering mechanism will be required to screen out the solid wastes. (so that sprinkler system doesnt gets clogged)
Research works are going on to standardize the filtration techniques for other organic manures. Work is presently being carried out to fabricate a portable organic fertigation with a multitier filtration mechanism unit suitable for homes.
Why health communication is important

Health communication: its the process of communication with the audience who have vested interest in health issues. It involves dissemination of relevant information. Poor strata of the society suffer from diseases mainly because of dearth of information and facilities. In India, two examples of successful health communication that had considerable impact are polio and HIV Polio messaging for example was built on simple idea two drops that could save your childs life. This message was everywhere from print, TV and radio from the more urban and semi-urban audiences and on roadsides, on the back of buses and Lorries and in small village fairs.
HIV was perhaps Indias most complex disease communication exercise. In a society with ingrained double standards, limited womens rights and a complete lack of conversation on sexuality and sexual diversity talking about HIV may have been impossible. The HIV campaign used every possible medium and celebrities to transmit messages on prevention, on treatment and on stigma. An important aspect of this campaign was it consciously focused on being entertaining and connecting with the audience. It also consciously avoided being judgmental of lifestyle choices. HIV programming in particular was relevant as it emphasized the notion of choice an idea that was empowering to an audience used to directive messaging.
Oils and Heart diseases

COOKING OILS Cooking oils containing saturated fats can elevate bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels which block arteries and increases risk of heart disease, insulin resistance, and obesity. Cooking oils are of various types: saturated like ghee and coconut oil, and unsaturated oils are further
JTS Institute

classified into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oil apart from transfats. The main culprit: TRANSFATS Trans fat is the common name for unsaturated fat with trans-isomer (E-isomer) fatty acid(s). Because the term refers to the configuration of a double carbon-carbon bond, trans fats are sometimes monounsaturated or polyunsaturated, but never saturated. Trans fats do exist in nature but also occur during the processing of polyunsaturated fatty acids in food production Transfats are found in hydrogenated oils or vanaspati or vegetable shortening which are present in pastry products, pizzas, and burgers. Transfats increase the LDL levels of the body and decrease the HDL levels of the body. Why we should not reheat cooking oil? Reusing of oil is a cause for worry as reheating oil has been linked with cancer. The practice is prevalent due to rise in prices of essential commodities like oil and cap on subsidised gas cylinders. Reheated oil gets denatured chemically and is not fit for consumption. classic example of an artiste who was always open to new ideas and influences. His style can be seen as a seamless blend of the classical and Hindustani idioms. His musical contributions spanned over 75 years.
is a customary action as a part of Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities which was signed in December 1988. The external affairs ministry of India announced that the two countries exchanged the list of nuclear installations through their diplomatic channels at Islamabad and New Delhi. Apart from this list, the two nations, as a part of another bilateral agreement signed back in 2008, share the list of each others prisoners in the jails of two countries. The bilateral agreement was signed between India and Pakistan in May 2008, according to which a complete list of the citizens of both the countries living in the jails of other country should be exchanged two times every year on 1 January and in July. Severe cold wave continues to grip north India People across India face the wrath of dipping mercury, as the cold wave further intensified in several parts of the country. The bone chilling wind is coming from western side, north western side. We are receiving cold wind from Pakistan and Afghanistan and that is why the temperature has dipped a lot to 9.8. An unabated cold wave swept through Kashmir valley with further decline in night temperature in Srinagar. Jammu region is facing bonechilling cold coupled with foggy conditions. Concept: the reason for cold waves is the inflow of cold winds from North West direction. As the north east side is protected by the Himalayas. Sometimes westerlies drag atmospheric disturbances occurring over the Mediterranean Sea and cause showers in the Himalayan region. They are called as western disturbances.
Fiscal deficit in indian economy

The reason for the rise of fiscal deficit is primarily: 1. Rising oil prices. 2.Global slowdown 3.Investments in gold and gold imports 4.Dipping manufacturing sector. 5.Rising external debt (majorly due to NRI deposits). 6.Faulty exim policies 7.Lack of capital Concepts: 1. Revenue deficit-: it is the difference between revenue expenditure and revenue receipts when revenue expenditure ids greater than revenue receipts. RD= RE- RR, where RD= revenue deficit, RE is revenue expenditure and RR is revenue receipts when RE>RR. 2. Fiscal deficit-: it is the difference between total expenditure (revenue and capital expenditure) and total receipts (revenue and capital receipts) other than borrowings when total expenditure (TE) is greater than total receipts (TR). FD(fiscal deficit) = TE-TR, other than borrowings when>TR. 3. Primary deficit-: it is the difference between fiscal deficit (FD) and interest payments (IP). PD (primary deficit)=FD-IP Indo-Pak
Bone banks in India soon

The setting up of bone banks in India will become a reality soon, said S.K.S. Marya, president-elect, Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) on Wednesday. Addressing the inaugural function of 57th Annual Conference of IOA (IOACON 2012), he said the association had submitted its recommendations to the Centre to have some kind of law for setting up bone banks on the lines of eye banks. Besides, the legislation would define how to use spare bones legally.
nuclear exchanges
India and Pakistan exchanged their nuclear units lists on 1 January 2013, as it is customary since 20 years. The list which contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are exchanged between India and Pakistan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents them from aiming the nuclear installations of each others nations. The exchange of the list of nuclear units has been going on, on 1 January every year since 1992. This
Violin maestro M.S. Gopalakrishnan dies at 82

Legendary violinist M.S. Gopalakrishnan, known for his sound knowledge of both, Carnatic and Hindustani music, passed away. A recipient of several honours including the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and the SangitaKalanidhi title awarded by The Music Academy, MSG was a
JTS Institute
3 Janaury 2013 Veerapandiya Kattabomman

The 254 birth anniversary of VeerapandiyaKattabomman, one of the first freedom fighters in India to oppose the British, was celebrated with fervour (January 2013) Kattabomman, a legendary chieftain from Panchalakurichi, fought against the British by refusing to pay tax. He was hanged to death by the British in 1799 at Kayathar in Tuticorin district and now a memorial stands at the place where Kattabomman died.
1 January - 7 January 2013 NASA eyes one of the flattest galaxies in universe
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope produced a beautiful image of the spiral galaxy IC 2233, one of the flattest galaxies known, the US space agency said. Lying in the constellation of Lynx, IC 2233 is located about 40 million light-years away from Earth. This galaxy was earlier discovered by British astronomer Isaac Roberts in 1894. The image was taken with the Hubbles Advanced Camera for Surveys, combining visible and infrared exposures. The field of view in this image is approximately 3.4 by 3.4 arcminutes. IC 2233 is far from being typical. This object is a prime example of a super-thin galaxy, where the galaxys diameter is at least ten times larger than the thickness. These galaxies consist of a simple disk of stars when seen edge on. The bluish colour along the disk gives evidence of the spiral nature of the galaxy, indicating the presence of hot, luminous, young stars, born out of clouds of interstellar gas. Typical spiral galaxies like the Milky Way are usually made up of three principal visible components: the disk where the spiral arms and most of the gas and dust is concentrated.
Galactic space geysers

Outflows of charged particles from the centre of our galaxy, stretching more than halfway across the sky, have been detected and mapped with CSIROs 64-m Parkes radio telescope in eastern Australia. These outflows contain an extraordinary amount of energy about a million times the energy of an exploding star. The energy streams are caused by star-power and not by a black hole accretion disc spinning in the centre of the Milky Way.
Alaska is getting colder

New study by Alaska Climate Research Center shows that temperatures in Alaska are actually getting colder since the beginning of the 21st century - contrary to global warming concerns. A study by the University of Alaska Fairbanks shows the state has cooled by 2.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 2000. Researchers credit an ocean phenomenon, called the Decadal Oscillation, with bringing colder surface water temperatures and thus beginning the overall cooling effect.This oscillation has brought a weakening of the Aleutian Low, the breeding ground for storms that end up regulating weather systems in the rest of the 48 states.With a less active Aleutian Low, cold winter storms have been sticking around Alaska longer and keeping the temperatures chilly. Before the 2000s, the warming trend in Alaska has actually been twice the overall warming rate.
Selection and appointment of judges in India:

What is the collegium system? It is a system under which appointments and transfers of judges are decided by a forum of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. It has no place in the Indian Constitution. What does the Constitution actually prescribe? Article 124 deals with the appointment of Supreme Court judges. It says the appointment should be made by the President after consultation with such judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court as the President may deem necessary. The CJI is to be consulted in all appointments, except his or her own. Article 217 deals with the appointment of High Court judges. It says a judge should be appointed by the President after
consultation with the CJI and the Governor of the state. The Chief Justice of the High Court concerned too should be consulted. How and when did the Collegium system evolve? The collegium system has its genesis in a series of three judgments that is now clubbed together as the Three Judges Cases. The S P Gupta case (December 30, 1981) is called the First Judges Case. It declared that the primacy of the CJIs recommendation to the President can be refused for cogent reasons. This brought a paradigm shift in favour of the executive having primacy over the judiciary in judicial appointments for the next 12 years. How did the judiciary come to get primacy? On October 6, 1993, came a ninejudge bench decision in the Supreme Court Advocates-on Record Association vs Union of India case the Second Judges Case. This was what ushered in the collegium system. The majority verdict written by Justice J S Verma said justiciability and primacy required that the CJI be given the primal role in such appointments. It overturned the S P Gupta judgment, saying the role of the CJI is primal in nature because this being a topic within the judicial family, the executive cannot have an equal say in the matter. Here the word consultation would shrink in a mini form. Should the executive have an equal role and be in divergence of many a proposal, germs of indiscipline would grow in the judiciary. How final was this? Justice Vermas majority judgment saw dissent within the bench itself on the individual role of the CJI. In a total of five judgments delivered in the Second Judges case, Justice Verma spoke for only himself and four other judges. Justice Pandian and Justice Kuldip Singh went on to write individual judgments supporting the majority view. But Justice Ahmadi had dissented and Justice Punchhi took the view that the CJI need not restrict himself to just two judges (as mentioned in the ruling) and can consult any number of judges if he wants to, or none at all. For the next five years, there was confusion on the roles of the CJI and the two judges in judicial appointments and transfers. In many cases, CJIs took unilateral
JTS Institute

decisions without consulting two colleagues. Besides, the President became only an approver. What was done to deal with the confusion? In 1998, President K R Narayanan issued a presidential reference to the Supreme Court as to what the term consultation really means in Articles 124, 217 and 222 (transfer of HC judges) of the Constitution. The question was if the term consultation requires consultation with a number of judges in forming the CJIs opinion, or whether the sole opinion of the CJI constituted the meaning of the articles. In reply, the Supreme Court laid down nine guidelines for the functioning of the Coram for appointments/transfers; this came to be the present form of the collegium (see box). Besides, a judgment dated October 28, 1998, written by Justice S P Bharucha at the head of the ninejudge bench, used the opportunity to strongly reinforce the concept of primacy of the highest judiciary over the executive. This was the Third Judges Case. What are the arguments against the collegium system? Experts point to systemic errors such as: * The administrative burden of appointing and transferring judges without a separate secretariat or intelligence-gathering mechanism dedicated to collection of and checking personal and professional backgrounds of prospective appointees; * A closed-door affair without a formal and transparent system; * The limitation of the collegiums field of choice to the senior-most judges from the High Court for appointments to the Supreme Court, overlooking several talented junior judges and advocates. What moves were taken to correct these? The Law Commission in its 214th Report on Proposal for Reconsideration of Judges cases I, II and III recommended two solutions: * To seek a reconsideration of the three judgments before the Supreme Court. * A law to restore the primacy of the Chief Justice of India and the power of the executive to make appointments. What is the suggested alternative to the collegium? A National Judicial Commission remains a proposal. The Constitution (98th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the LokSabha by the NDA government in 2003. It provided for the constitution of an NJC to be chaired by the CJI and with two of the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court as its members. The Union Law Minister would be a member along with an eminent citizen to be nominated by the President in consultation with the Prime Minister. The Commission would decide the appointment and transfer of judges and probe cases of misconduct by judges, including those from the highest judiciary. SC guidelines on appointments 1 The term consultation with the Chief Justice of India in Articles 124 (2), 217(1) and 222 (1) requires consultation with a plurality of judges in the formation of the opinion of the CJI. The sole, individual opinion of the CJI does not constitute consultation. 2 The CJI can only make a recommendation to appoint a judge of the Supreme Court and to transfer a Chief Justice or puisne judge of a High Court in consultation with the four seniormost judges of the Supreme Court. As far as the High Courts are concerned, the recommendation must be made in consultation with the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. 3 Strong cogent reasons do not have to be recorded as justification for a departure from the order of seniority in respect of each senior judge who has been passed over. What has to be recorded is the positive reason for the recommendation. 4 The views of the judges consulted should be in writing and should be conveyed to the Government of India by the CJI along with his views to the extent set out in the body of this opinion. 5 The CJI is obliged to comply with the norms and the requirement of the consultation process in making his recommendations. 6 Recommendations by the CJI without [such compliance] are not binding upon the government. 7 The transfer of High Court judges is judicially reviewable only if the CJI took the decision without consulting the other four judges in the Supreme Court collegium, or if the views of the Chief Justices of both High Courts [involved in the transfer] are not obtained. 8 The CJI is not entitled to act solely in his individual capacity, without consultation with other judges of the Supreme Court, in respect of materials and information conveyed by the Government for non-appointment of a judge recommended for appointment. 9 The CJI can consult any of his colleagues on the appointment of a HC judge to the Supreme Court or transfer of a puisne judge. The consultation need not be limited to colleagues who have occupied the office of a judge or Chief Justice of that particular High Court. (The above note is based on the article by Mr.Katju published in the Hindu.
DNA profiling bill

What is DNA profiling? It involves collection of a few skin cells, muscle tissues, a hair root or a tiny amount of blood or saliva etc. body fluids. Then, DNA strands are extracted from the sample. DNA profiling is useful for solving crimes, confirming if people are related to each other, paternity testing, identifying dead bodies, missing persons etc. Why DNA profiling? 1.DNA profiling is the best method to identify a person. 2.DNA can be collected from body fluids, hair or even from a glass or spoon you just used. 3.An individual gets 50% of ones DNA from each of ones parents hence it can be used to identify parents, siblings and relatives of an individual. 4.Can help to trace people who are suspected of committing a crime. 5.Can exonerate (free) the suspects who are innocent. DNA Profiling & India CBI has urged the Government to pass the DNA profiling bill quickly, citing following reasons: Countries like china and USA have a well-established network of laboratories and databases of DNA based profiles, which could be used in solving criminal cases. Salient Features of DNA profiling Bill 1.Provides for a national database of DNA profiles. 2.The DNA database will be used forcrime detectionas evidence in judicial proceedings for admissibility of evidence.
JTS Institute

3.Bill legalises collection and analysis of the DNA samples forRepeat offenders,suspects,missing persons,unknown deceased persons& volunteers for forensic purposes. 4.DNA profiling in cases related tomurder, miscarriage (abortion), dowry deaths, sexual assault, paternity suits etc. 5.Using these profiles, Bill creates indexes within every databank including: crime scene indexes, suspects index, offenders index, missing persons index, unknown deceased persons index, volunteers index etc. This will help searching particular entry very quickly. 6.The DNA profile of an individual will be deleted if that person were to be acquitted after the trial. 7.DNA profiles can be shared with other countries for cases related to terrorism, narcotics, illegal human organ sale etc. Structure The Bill establishes following organizations: 1.DNA Profiling Board at the National and State levels. To laydown laboratory standardsprocedures for collection analysis of DNA samples etc. It will be headed by molecular biologists & members from legal, police, biology etc. fields. 2.National DNA Data Bank, State DNA labs will collect samples and feed the data to National DNA Database which can be accessed anywhere. Arguments against the Bill: 1.It doesnt increase crimedetection necessarily. For, e.g. When UK police created DNA database, did not help to solve more crimes, despite millions of profiles being added to the database. 2.Misuse for Caste identification: Screening potential suspects on basis of caste. Can be used to brand certain individuals and communities as people with criminal traits. Furthermore, using caste for forensic purposes and to develop DNA databases could far too easily be abused and result in the profiling of individuals, and identification errors. 3.Bill ignores the possibility of false matches, cross-contamination, and laboratory error. Protection against misuse: DNA Profiling Bill provides penalties for misuse of data as jail up to three years and a fine of up to 10,000. Timeline 2007:draft Human DNA Profiling Bill was made public but it had many shortcomings, led to lot of opposition from NGOs, activists etc. hence this bill was never introduced in parliament. 2010: Tamil Nadu State Government sought to amend the Prisoners Identification Act 1920 to allow for the establishment of a prisoners DNA database 2012: DNA data bank for armed forces personnel is setup. Itll help identification of mutilated dead bodies during war etc. This is unique as so far only USA and Israel have such facilities. Uttar Pradesh government ordered mandatory sampling for DNA fingerprinting of dead bodies. Feb 2012: New version of bill is sent to various ministries for their comment and feedback. Dec 2012: CBI urges the Government, to quickly pass this bill. (Article Courtesey: The Indian Express) PUNCH LINE: in private placement only less than 50 people can invest, and in SAHARAs scheme much more people had invested. Hence SEBI orders SAHARA to return the money with 15% interest. After that SAHARA Pleads before SAT (securities appellate tribunals), but the SAT also rules the verdict in SEBIs favour. After the SAT verdict, SAHARA pleads before the Supreme Court, 2012: Supreme Court hearing. SAHARAs proposition was based on the fact that the two companies in questions were not listed hence the case was outside the purview of SEBI (SEBI only governs the listed companies), however the Supreme Court ruled that the instrument OFCDs were used and the investors were not fully aware about the scheme, hence SEBIs jurisdiction was unquestionable. Government has decided to fix this ambiguity in the new Companies Act. According to Companies Bill 2012 (passed in LokSabha): SEBI will haveundisputed jurisdiction over any investment scheme involving more than 50 investors-It doesnt matter whether youre a listed company or an unlisted company. Concepts from the whole issue: Debentures: Its a type of debt instrument that is not secured by physical assets or collateral. Debentures are backed only by the general creditworthiness and reputation of the issuer. Both corporations and governments frequently issue this type of bond in order to secure capital. Like other types of bonds, debentures are documented in an indenture. Types of debentures: Based on convertibility the Debentures are of two types namely convertible and nonconvertible. Convertible debenture: debentures which can be converted into shares/equity. Non-convertible: debentures which cannot be converted into shares/ equity. Optionally fully-convertible debentures (OFCD) These debentures can be converted into shares, when debt holder (investor) wishes (for example after expiry of pre-decided date).
The SEBI-SAHARA issue Explained:

Two firms of Sahara Conglomerate: 1.Sahara Housing Investment Corporation 2.Sahara India Real Estate Corporation. (aka Sahara Commodities) These two companies Issued OFCD to collect money from investors. Nearly 23 million people, mostly from villages and small towns subscribed to this scheme. They invested over 24,000 crores rupees in these OFCDs of SAHARA. 2011: SEBI questions According to the OFCDs rules SAHARA was supposed to collect the money within the time limit specified, however SAHARA continued to call in offers for more than 2 years. In reply, SAHARA made a statement that the offer was a type of private placement and not a public offer hence SEBI cannot question the validity of the process.
JTS Institute

But the rate, will be decided by the company e.g. 20 debentures =>1 share. women and lactating mothers, will have additional nutritional standards like calorie and protein value. 5.Ration cards would be issued on the name of the eldest woman in a family. (Women empowerment) 6.Panchayat and Municipalities will be responsible for implementation of the Act. 7.Entitlements will be given on the basis of per household and not on per person. 8.Going beyond the Centres definition of Antyodaya, the Chhattisgarh Government has declared as Antyodaya households as all families of vulnerable social groups including tribal groups, widows or single women, terminally ill persons, physically challenged persons, elderly-headed households with no assured means of subsistence and persons freed from bonded labour. To prevent such leakage and corruption, the Bill provides for 1.Computerisation of records and publication of all beneficiary and benefits given to them. 2.Gram Panchayat will be allowed to run ration outlets. 3.Officials will be punished for noncompliance, under Essential commodities act. 4.Vigilance committees 5.Social audits by Gram Sabha etc.
Internet completes 30 years of its evolution

On January 1, 2013 Internet turned 30. It was on this day in 1983 when Internet Protocol was launched which replaced vulnerable Network Control Program (NCP) used previously, thereby making sure the network was not susceptible to a single point of failure. This meant a single attack could not bring it down, making it safer and more reliable. On this day, it was the first time the US Department of Defence (DoD) commissioned Arpanet network fully switched to use of the Internet protocol suite (IPS) communications system. Later, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee used it to host the system of interlinked hypertext documents he invented in 1989, known as the World Wide Web.
Chhattisgarh food security Act:

Salient features of the act: People who are excluded: Following families have been excluded from the benefits of Chhattisgarh Food security Bill: 1.Those who pay income tax or property tax 2.Those who own over 4 hectares of irrigated or 8 hectares of nonirrigated land in non-scheduled areas Given these conditions, only 10% of Chhattisgarh residents will be excluded, and 90% of the public will get the benefits of Food security. The Beneficiaries: Everyone who doesnt fall in above category, is covered under Food security bill. The people are then classified into three categories and given benefits accordingly Cost estimates to the State treasury= Nearly Rs 2,500 crore. That is almost 6% of Chhattisgarh states GDP. Other Features: 1.covers the public distribution system, school meals, anganwadis (including take-home rations for pregnant/lactating women and children under three 2.Free meals for the destitute and homeless. 3.It provides for not just food grain (what, rice etc.) but also gram, iodized salt. 4.Plus the food given to children (under mid-day meal) pregnant
Bhakti Sharma: Worlds youngest to cross seven seas

22-year old Bhakti Sharma from India is the youngest in the world to have crossed seven seas, including four oceans. Besides, she is only the third person in the world to have swum across the Arctic Ocean, and is now targeting the Antarctic Ocean to become the youngest to swim in all five oceans. Bhakti, who belongs to Udaipur (Rajasthan), has also been conferred with the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2012 for water adventure, by the President.
Household Food grain
Antyodaya 35 kg for Rs.1/kg
iodized salt black gram Pulses
free 2 kg for Rs.5/kg 2kg for Rs.10
priority General 35kg for Rs.2/kg Rice @9.50, Wheat @Rs.7.50, Max 15 kg free NO 2kg for Rs.5kg NO 2kg for Rs.10/kg NO
JTS Institute
10
1 January - 7 January 2013 4 Janaury 2013 China unveils Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) in AsiaPacific
China launched Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), a kind of global positioning system, in the Asia-Pacific from its Beidou satellite network with an aim to gain up to 20 % of global market share by 2015. What would it do? The system would initially provide positioning, navigation, timing and shortmessage services in China and the Asia-Pacific region. It is compatible with other global positioning systems and could provide positioning accuracy of 10 metres, velocity accuracy of 0.2 metres per second and one-way timing accuracy of 50 nanoseconds. It would provide both open and authorized global navigation services worldwide by 2020 and will eventually use 35 satellites. innovation and to form international alliances to fulfill the national agenda. 3Increasing gross expenditure in R&D to 2% of GDP from the current 1% in this decade by supporting increased private sector participation. 4Expedite the pace of discovery and delivery of science-led solutions for faster, sustainable and inclusive growth. 5Engender an atmosphere for innovative abilities to flourish by leveraging partnerships among diverse stakeholders and by encouraging and facilitating enterprises to invest in innovations. 6Make careers in science, research and innovation lucrative, setting up world-class infrastructure for R&D for gaining global leadership in some select frontier areas of science. 7Linking contributions of science, research and innovation system with the inclusive economic growth agenda and combining priorities of excellence and relevance. 8India introduced its first Scientific Policy Resolution in 1958 which was directed to foster, promote and sustain the cultivation of science and scientific research in all its aspects. 9It focused on the need to attain technological competence and self-reliance. 2012. These figures by themselves do not mean anything but the finance ministrys explanation for the jump is telling. According to the report, the rise in external debt is largely due to higher non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits, short-term debt and commercial borrowings. 3.Long-term External debt, at $280.8 billion at end-March, was up by 5.1 per cent over end-March. 4.Short-term external debt, accounting for 23 per cent of the total external debt, increased by 8.1 per cent to $84.5 billion. 5.Exports have declined month after month this year, the reason being that the principal markets for Indias exports, the developed countries, have not yet recovered from the recession. There is not much that the Government of India can do to reverse the decline beyond export promotion measures targeted at specific sectors. Recent foreign trade policies have sought to diversify foreign trade away from traditional markets and products. This is a strategy worth pursuing even if it is going to pay dividends only in the long haul. 6.Imports have decreased but not at the level of decline in exports. The two significant contributories to imports are petroleum and gold. During 2011-12, gold imports were of the order of $56 billion. 7.PORTFOLIO FLOWS: For the overall balance of payments, the implications of the trade and current account deficits are clear. The dependence on portfolio and other capital flows through foreign institutional investors (FII) continues. Recent months have seen a bounty of such flows into the stock markets, boosting their valuation. Exactly a year ago, the situation was very different as the FII pulled out and the indices tumbled. 8.Adding to the problem, certain other categories that would help in reducing the trade deficit have been coming in at a slower pace. For instance, net receipts under private transfers and other earnings from invisibles such as software exports have grown at a more modest pace than a year ago. Diesel price de-regulation Diesel, kerosene and cooking gas LPG prices may be hiked soon as the government considers Vijay Kelkar Committee recommendations on cutting fiscal deficit. The Kelkar Committee, which was appointed by Finance Ministry to
STI policy
PM Manmohan Singh inaugurated a new science policy, the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STI) 2013 that lays greater emphasis on innovation, setting up research institutes and encouraging women scientists with an aspiration to place itself among the top five scientific powers in the world by 2020. The policy is a revision of the 2003 policy which sought to bring science and technology together and stressed on the need for greater investment into R&D to address national problems. Aim: To accelerate the pace of discovery, diffusion and delivery of science-led solutions for serving the aspirational goals of India for faster, sustainable and inclusive growth. Key objectives of STI Policy 2013: 1Modify the intellectual property regime to provide for marching rights for social good when supported by public funds and cosharing of patents generated in the public private partnership mode. 2Create a policy environment for enhanced private sector collaboration in research and
Economic statistics of India at year end:

At the beginning of the New Year, there has been a succession of bad news concerning the external sector. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its quarterly report on balance of payments (BoP) covering the period July-September 2012, 1.The second quarter of the current fiscal year. The report showed the current account deficit (CAD) spinning out of control to reach a record 5.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). This is sharply higher than the 4.2 per cent recorded during the same period last year. In absolute terms, the CAD worsened to $22.3 billion in the second quarter from $16.4 billion in the preceding quarter (April-June 2012) and $18.9 billion a year ago. 2.EXTERNAL DEBT: On the same day, the finance ministry released a report on Indias external debts on September-end. Indias external debt stood at $365.3 billion, up by $20 billion over the level of March
JTS Institute
11

suggest a roadmap for fiscal consolidation, has suggested immediate hike in fuel prices and complete deregulation of diesel prices by start of 2014-15 fiscal. It also suggested raising kerosene and LPG rates. State-owned oil companies currently sell diesel at a loss of Rs 10.16 per litre, kerosene at Rs 32.17 a litre and LPG at Rs 490.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder. ICDS of providing pre-school education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality, on the other. 1. Objectives: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme was launched in 1975 with the following objectives: i.to improve the nutritional and health status of children in the agegroup 0-6 years; ii.to lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child; iii.to reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout; iv.to achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and v.to enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education. 2. Services: The above objectives are sought to be achieved through a package of services comprising: i.supplementary nutrition, ii.immunization, iii. health check-up, iv. referral services, v.pre-school non-formal education and vi.nutrition& health education. The concept of providing a package of services is based primarily on the consideration that the overall impact will be much larger if the different services develop in an integrated manner as the efficacy of a particular service depends upon the support it receives from related services.
5 Janaury 2013
Black beauty meteorite: Mars

A 2-billion-year-old dark lump of rock that landed in Sahara desert is actually a new type of Martian meteorite, containing 10 times more water than usual. This new class of meteorite was found in 2011 in the Sahara Desert. Designated Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, and nicknamed Black Beauty, it weighs approximately 320 grams. After more than a year of intensive study, a team of US scientists determined the meteorite formed 2.1 billion years ago during the beginning of the most recent geologic period on Mars, known as the Amazonian. The age of NWA 7034 is important because it is significantly older than most other Martian meteorites, said Mitch Schulte, program scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NWA 7034s composition is different from any previously studied Martian meteorite. The research is published in journal of Science Express. These findings also present an important reference frame for the Curiosity rover as it searches for reduced organics in the minerals exposed in the bedrock of Gale Crater, he said NWA 7034 is made of cemented fragments of basalt, rock that forms from rapidly cooled lava. The fragments are primarily feldspar and pyroxene, most likely from volcanic activity.
scheme has not reached half the eligibla children in Bihars Dalit hamlets, reveals study
In Bihars Dalit hamlets, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) has not reached over half of the eligible children in the stipulated age group of zero to six years, a survey conducted by the NGOs Bihar LokAdhikarManch (BLAM) and Child Rights and You (CRY) has revealed. The survey was conducted in 20 of Bihars 38 districts. It covered 200 of the 45,381 ICDS centres in Dalit and Mahadalit hamlets of these districts. There are 91,677 ICDS centres in Bihar, as per the 2011 census. The survey found that only 45 per cent of the total child population in the zero to six years category were not covered by the ICDS, and the ICDS centres were not up to the mark. About Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme Launched on 2nd October 1975, today, ICDS Scheme represents one of the worlds largest and most unique programmes for early childhood development. ICDS is the foremost symbol of Indias commitment to her children Indias response to the challenge
Services Supplementary Nutrition
Target Group
Service Provided by
Children below 6 years:Pregnant Anganwadi Worker & Lactating Mother (P&LM) and Anganwadi Helper Immunization* Children below 6 years:Pregnant ANM/MO & Lactating Mother (P&LM) Health Check-up* Children below 6 years:Pregnant ANM/MO/AWW & Lactating Mother (P&LM) Referral Services Children below 6 years:Pregnant AWW/ANM/MO & Lactating Mother (P&LM) Pre-School Education Children 3-6 years AWW Nutrition & Health Education Women (15-45 years) AWW/ANM/MO *AWW assists ANM in identifying the target group. Three of the six services namely Immunisation, Health Check-up and Referral Services delivered through Public Health Infrastructure under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
JTS Institute
12

Concept: how Martian rock reaches earth? When comets or meteorites strike the Martian surface some of the rocks are dislodged and thrown away, some of those reach earth and they are called Martian meteorites (not to be confused with meteors found on the Martian surface) Mars and Plate tectonics: Mars is at a primitive stage of plate tectonics. It gives us a glimpse of how the early Earth may have looked and may help us understand how plate tectonics began on Earth, said An Yin, a UCLA professor of Earth and space sciences and the sole author of the new research. Yin made the discovery during his analysis of satellite images from THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System), an instrument on board the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, and from the HIRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera on NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Earth has a very broken egg shell, so its surface has many plates; Mars is slightly broken and may be on the way to becoming very broken, except its pace is very slow due to its small size and, thus, less thermal energy to drive it, Yin said. This may be the reason Mars has fewer plates than on Earth. Mars has landslides; a fault is shifting the landslides, moving them from their source. number of guarantees, which typically include fair and equitable treatment, protection from expropriation, free transfer of means and full protection and security. The distinctive feature of many BITs is that they allow for an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, whereby an investor whose rights under the BIT have been violated could have recourse to international arbitration, often under the auspices of the ICSID (International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes), rather than suing the host State in its own courts. The worlds first BIT was signed on November 25, 1959 between Pakistan and Germany. There are currently more than 2500 BITs in force, involving most countries in the world. Influential capital exporting states usually negotiate BITs on the basis of their own model texts (such as the US model BIT). BIT cases worth remembering: 1.The White Industries award against India which granted close to Australian $10 million as damages for delays by Indian courts in the enforcement of an earlier arbitration award has brought Indias Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) regime into focus. White Industries, an Australian company, which had undertaken to supply equipment and develop the Pipawar Mine for Coal India Ltd. (CIL) initiated arbitration against CIL over some disputed payments in 1999. Though White Industries won the case in 2002, the award was not enforced even by 2010. Hence, it initiated an investment claim against the Government of India under the Australia-India BIT. 2.Since the White Industries case, Vodafone has issued a notice under the India-Netherlands BIT against India for its proposed retrospective amendment to the tax code. 3.This is not an isolated instance as other companies such as the Russian conglomerate Sistema, Norwegian company Telenor, and the British hedge fund Childrens Investment Fund, have reportedly initiated arbitration proceedings against India for various regulatory actions. DUE TO POLICIES LIKE RETROSPECTIVE TAXATIONS AND LICENCE CANCELLATIONS THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT HAS COME IN THE LINE OF FIRE GLOBALLY. NEED FOR REFORM 1.So, a case can be made out to pursue an aggressive BIT policy for a country like India. The UNCTAD 2012 World Investment Report also confirms the need for reform in the existing BIT regime by expanding the role of the State. 2.India has done so by allowing for State-initiated arbitration in its Model BIT. Though India is in a position to push for major BIT reform, the lacunae in Indias legal regime may defeat such efforts. 3.The Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, cannot be applied to investment awards, which would mean that an investment award cannot be enforced in India. This inapplicability results from strictures in the Act that requires arbitration agreements to comply with the Indian Contract Act, 1872. 4.Since ITA finds its roots in international law, more often than not, investment awards will be incompatible with Contract law. Further, Indias abstinence from the ICSID Convention will result in difficulty for a hypothetical Indian investor to enforce an investment award in its favour. 5.The changing dynamic of the global economy has led to a transformation in the role of developing countries as both capital importing and exporting States. There is an urgent need to redefine the global BIT regime to reflect this changing paradigm rather than rejecting it altogether, an exercise that Indias BIT policy seems to be following to fruition.
Chinas anti-satellite weapon:

Amid reports that China is gearing up to conduct one more antisatellite weapons test (ASAT) putting US Global Positioning System (GPS) at risk, Chinese state media today asserted that Beijing had the right to carry out the test as it is a trump card against Washington. This ability to reach Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) could theoretically put the constellation of US Global Positioning System navigational satellites at risk, a report in Space.Com said. But there are good reasons for China not to destroy a satellite at this orbit, including that China plans to use this part of space, Kulacki wrote. Creating debris, as it now understands, would threaten its own satellites. Over the next several years, China plans to place more than 20 new navigational satellites in MEO, he wrote.
Bilateral investment treaty (BIT) and India

What is a BIT? BITs are international treaties between two countries which seek to create a stable investment environment by giving investors rights against States abuse of sovereign powers. A bilateral investment treaty (BIT) is an agreement establishing the terms and conditions for private investment by nationals and companies of one state in another state. This type of investment is called foreign direct investment (FDI). BITs are established through trade pacts. A nineteenth-century forerunner of the BIT is the friendship, commerce, and navigation treaty (FCN). Most BITs grant investments made by an investor of one Contracting State in the territory of the other a
JTS Institute
13
1 January - 7 January 2013 Plans to reintroduce NilgiriTahr in two ranges

NilgiriTahr, the State animal of Tamil Nadu, is likely to be spotted again on the Glenmorgan Mountains in The Nilgiris and Thirukurungudi ranges in the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), both original habitats of the Tahr until it went out of sight some years ago. Acting on the suggestion of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBW), the Ministry of Environment and Forests has written to the State Forest Department for the reintroduction of the NilgiriTahr in these two ranges, MoEF officials said. It was A.J.T. Johnsing, former Director of Wildlife Institute of India, who suggested that the Tahr be first introduced in Glenmorgan Mountain from Mukuruthy National Park, a known habitat of the Tahr in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and thereafter plan reintroduction in KMTR. Both Thirukurungudi and Glenmorgan were original habitats of NilgiriTahr. NilgiriTahr: The Nilgiritahr, known locally as the Nilgiri ibex or simply ibex, is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. Despite its local name, it is more closely related to the sheep of the Ovis genus than the ibex and wild goats of the Capra genus. increase of 4.94 per cent at Rs.2.83 lakh crore (Rs.2.70 lakh crore). Growth in net collections of wealth tax was 1.55 per cent at Rs.656 crore (Rs.646 crore). However, net Securities Transaction Tax (STT) collections declined by 12.46 per cent to Rs.3,294 crore (Rs.3,763 crore). Despite slowdown in economic activities, the government had said it was confident of meeting the Rs.5.70 lakh crore direct tax collections target for the current fiscal. NET DIRECT TAX Net direct tax collections (gross minus refunds) were up by 13.7 per cent to Rs.3.68 lakh crore (Rs.3.24 lakh crore). Faced with widening fiscal deficit, the government had earlier issued stern warning to tax evaders and had asked them to disclose their correct income and pay advance tax by due date or be prepared to face action. The government had also warned evaders of excise, Customs and service tax to pay their dues or face penal action which could include arrest, prosecution and property attachment.
Direct Tax Collection

Led by strong growth in personal income tax collections, gross direct tax collections increased by 8.01 per cent to Rs.4.28 lakh crore in the first nine months of the current fiscal from Rs.3.97 lakh crore in the same period in the previous year, according to a Finance Ministry statement. Personal income tax collections grew at a healthy rate of 14.57 per cent as gross collections from this segment increased to Rs.1.44 lakh crore during the review period from Rs.1.26 lakh crore in the same period last year. Gross collections of corporate taxes showed an Rajapaksa, announced the Supreme Courts determinations to Parliament on 18 September 2012: the bill was in respect of matters set out in the provincial council list and therefore cannot become law unless it has been referred to every provincial council.TheUnited Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), President Rajapaksas party, controlled eight of the nine provincial councils and between 25 September 2012 and 3 October 2012 all eight approved the DiviNeguma Bill. The ninth provincial council, Northern, had not been functioning as an elected body since it was established in 2007. The bill was approved by the Northern Provinces Governor G. A. Chandrasiri who had been appointed by President Rajapaksa. The bill then returned to Parliament and a further eleven petitions were placed before the Supreme Court challenging the bills constitutionality. Amongst these petitions was one filed on 4 October 2012 by opposition MP MavaiSenathirajah challenging the legality of Chandrasiri approving the bill. The Supreme Courts determinations were passed to the president on 31 October
6 Janaury 2013 The impeachment of Chief Justice ShiraniBandaranayake

The DiviNeguma Bill was published in The Sri Lanka Gazette on 27 July 2012.The bill established the Department of DiviNeguma Development by amalgamating the Samurdhi Authority of Sri Lanka, Southern Development Authority of Sri Lanka and the Udarata Development Authority, and created numerous community organisations, banks and banking societies. The Department of DiviNeguma Development would be controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development headed by the President. In August 2012 the Sri Lankan government laid the bill before parliament. The bills constitutionality was consequently challenged by four petitioners on three petitions in the Supreme Court. The court (Bandaranayake, PriyasathDep and Eva Wanasundera) met on 27 and 28 August 2012 to hear the petitions. Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, another brother of President
2012.Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced the Supreme Courts determinations to Parliament on 6 November 2012: clause 8(2) was unconstitutional and needed to be approved by a referendum; twelve other clauses were inconsistent with the constitution and needed to be passed by special majority (twothirds) of Parliament; the governor of the Northern Province does not have the power to endorse the bill and therefore Parliament needed to be pass the bill by special majority. An impeachment motion against Chief Justice Bandaranayake signed by 117 UPFA MPs was handed to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa on 1 November 2012, the day after the Supreme Courts determinations were passed to the president.
Vivekanandas 150th Birth Anniversary

Swami Vivekananda, (12 January 18634 July 1902), born NarendraNathDatta, was an Indian Hindu monk. He was a key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world and was credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion
JTS Institute
14

in the late 19th century. He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India and contributed to the notion of nationalism in colonial India. He was the chief disciple of the 19th century saint Ramakrishna and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is perhaps best known for his inspiring speech beginning with Sisters and Brothers of America, through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the Worlds Religions in Chicago in 1893. The draft guidelines said companies which are primarily engaged in the real estate business or stock broking will not be eligible for promoting bank. Entities or groups having significant (10 per cent or more) income or assets or both from real estate, construction and broking activities individually or taken together in the last three years will not be eligible to set up new banks, the draft said. On foreign holding, it said the aggregate non-resident shareholding in the new bank should not exceed 49 per cent for the first five years. At present, the foreign shareholding in private sector banks is allowed up to 74 per cent of the paid-up capital. numerous attacks that were devised for windows vulnerabilities. Cyber criminals have leveraged zero-day exploits even more effectively with new software patterns and business models. 7The web is still the most conventional way of targeting victims and our efforts should be driven to educate the end users and create awareness.
Bancassuranceguidelines: IRDA
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) is likely to come up with Bancassurance guidelines by the first week of February, Chairman J. Hari Narayan said on Friday. The Bancassurance model In the bancassurance model, banks sell products of insurance companies and the present law allows a bank to sell insurance product of one company as an agent. However, some banks want to convert into a broker, beyond the present role as agents, which will allow them to hawk the offerings of more than one insurer. So far, the IRDA has sounded positive on the demand, but the RBI wants banks to restrict to one single company and continue being an agent.
Worlds largest solar telescope to be set up in Ladakh

It will help in understanding the process of creation and decay of sunspots 1Work on the worlds largest solar telescope is likely to commence in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir by the end of this year. 2The telescope, with an aperture of two metres, is expected to be of great help in understanding the process of creation and decay of sunspots, apart from furthering cutting edge research on other fundamental processes taking place on Sun. The telescope could come up either at Hanle or Merak village near Pangong Lake in Ladakh. 3Once ready, it would be one of the few solar telescope facilities in the world with a capability to do both day and night astronomy. It would also fill the longitude gap between Japan and Europe. 4The innovative design and backend instruments would further enable observations with an unprecedented high spatial resolution that would provide crucial information on the nature of magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere. 5 . A better understanding of how and why of the formation and decay of sunspots assumes importance as they pose a threat to the communication system on earth as well as satellites orbiting in the outer space. 6. Increased sunspot activity frequently accompanies an increase in the outflow of matter from the Sun in the form of solar wind. Charged particles in this wind can interfere with the operation of satellites by introducing what is called background static and also interact with atoms in the upper part of earths atmosphere and thus wreaking havoc with the
India - cyber-attacks
1India is under the grip of cyberattacks and there is an obvious peak in the growth of malware and their modifications on mobile devices, especially on the Android platform, according to a report. 2Though PC is still the prevalent target for malware authors, there is an obvious peak in the growth of malware and their modifications on mobile devices, especially on the Android platform, The Quick Heal Annual Windows and Mobile Malware Report, 2012, released by Quick Heal Technologies. 3As per the findings, there has been a persistent increase in the number of malware attacks on the Google Android platform and mobile applications have become the easiest way to compromise devices, the report said. 4According to the Report, social engineering still remains one of the most coveted ways of spreading malware. Cyber criminals continue to use it as a convenient way of exploiting human behaviour and platform vulnerabilities. 5The report reveals that India is under the grip of cyber-attacks with increase of almost 90 percent in Windows malware and a mindboggling increase of 170 percent in its modifications and the bad guys are also winning the war in the mobile platform. 6Virus attacks in the mobile space have started soaring at a rapid pace with 30 percent growth registered in 2012 and 80 per cent increase in its modifications. Windows is still the most attacked Operating System. 2012 saw
New bank licences

RBI is preparing final guidelines for issuance of new bank licences after Parliament approved Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill last month Dec, 2102. Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill: Salient features: The Bill, now approved, aims at strengthening banking regulation. It allows RBI to supersede boards of private banks and increase the cap on voting rights of private investors in public sector banks to 10 per cent, from 1 per cent now. As per the draft guidelines on new bank licences, business houses with successful track record and a minimum capital of Rs 500 crore will be allowed to set up commercial banks. Currently, the minimum capital requirement for opening a bank is Rs 300 crore.
JTS Institute
15

communication systems on ground. 7Satellites in low earth orbit face greater risk as during periods of heightened solar activity, the earths upper atmosphere swells up slightly in response to the extra heating, which in turn increases the rate of decay of these satellites. have different, predetermined ages for eruptionWhen a range rather than a specific age is given, the lower age limit is considered as per the Juvenile Justice Act. When the age determination is inconclusive, or when there is doubt about the exact age and a range is given, the advantage of being a juvenile is granted to the accused, Bone test Most conclusive of all examinations. X-rays of limb bones (pelvic, shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle, thigh, wrist) are used to check how much of the cartilaginous ends of bone have converted into bone Dental test Whether various teeth have erupted, or much these have developed; there is a standard age for each type of tooth Ranges One as narrow as 1-2 years is possible after bone tests in young people; ranges are much wider for older people Science Congress here. Earlier missions to Mars had detected Methane in the thin Martian atmosphere, but the discovery is yet to be corroborated. Methane is known to be released by some microbes as part of their digestive process. The Mars mission will propel India to the elite club of five nations comprising the US, Russia, Europe, China and Japan which have launched similar missions. Another instrument Thermal Infrared Spectrometer weighing 4 kg will be used to map the surface composition of Mars. The Mars Colour Camera has a mass of 1.4 kg, while the Lyman-alpha photometer, weighing 1.5 kg, will measure atomic hydrogen in the Martian atmosphere. The Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA) which will study the Martian atmosphere weighs about 4 kg. The Mars orbiter will go around the planet once in three days. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced the Mars Orbiter Mission in his Independence Day address last year. The Mars Mission: The Mangalyaan (Hindi: Mars-craft) mission is a planned Mars orbiter to be launched in November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission is a technology demonstrator project aiming to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission. The Mangalyaan Mars probe will lift off from ISROs launch site at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket; this will be Indias first mission to Mars
Bone tests can only estimate, not determine, ones age.

Medical tests to determine ones age actually give only an estimate in terms of an age range. And the younger the person whose age is being estimated, the higher the likelihood of accuracy, says forensic experts. It involves X-rays of all major limb bones, including pelvic, shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle, thigh and wrist. At birth, most of the middle part of the bone, known as the shaft, is bony tissue, and the ends are cartilaginous, as a person grows and goes through puberty, the cartilaginous portions are converted to bone tissue. Every bone completes this process at a specific age, which is defined in forensic textbooks. This conversion is a process known as ossification. It can only give the age within a range of two to three years. After the age of 22, determination becomes less accurate, as most of the cartilage ends are converted to bone. An expert says, Sometimes, we may even give an age range of 25-40. About dental tests, experts say various teeth erupt at various ages, and a persons age can be estimated according to that. Important teeth like the first and second molars and wisdom teeth
Mars Orbiter Mission: ISRO

Indias bid to explore Mars will be a scaled-down affair with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launching experimental payload of less than 15 kg as against 25 kg planned originally. The Mars Orbiter Mission, expected to be launched in mid-October this year, will carry five experimental payloads with a total weight of 14.49 kg. The Methane Sensor for Mars, which will be capable of scanning the entire Martian disc within six minutes, will weigh 3.59 kg, it was revealed at a presentation made by planetary scientists at the 100th Indian
JTS Institute
16
1 January - 7 January 2013 7 Janaury 2013 11thPravasiBharatiya Divas begins in Kochi:

PravasiBharatiya Divas (English: Non-resident Indian Day), is celebrated in India on 9 January each year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India. The day commemorates the arrival of Mahatama Gandhi in India from South Africa. Established in 2003, it is sponsored by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the Government of India, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region of India. A celebratory event is held on 79 January each year in an Indian city: a forum for issues concerning the Indian Diaspora is organized and the PravasiBharatiyaSamman Awards are given. In 2013, 11th PravasiBharatiya Divas will be held at Kochi from January 7-9 where Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) is organizing partner of the summit.Mauritius President RajkeswurPurryag would be the chief guest at the official inaugural session. Whats new in the 11thPravasiBhartiya divas? 1.Giving a platform to Keralites in the Gulf to air their grievances, an exclusive session on NRIs in that region was held as the 11th Pravasi Divas began on Monday. 2.In his keynote address, Kerala Chief MinisterOommenChandy said providing the NRIs with voting rights were the biggest achievement for those living abroad. 3.Kerala minister for Non-Resident Kerala Affairs, K C Joseph said the government has plans to permit NRIs exercise their voting rights in panchayat and local body polls too. A bill in this regard would be tabled soon, he said. 4.The theme of the session is to boost economic and social engagement with the diaspora in the Gulf region. The full day session is also expected to discuss significant issues that impact NRIs such as repatriation, labour mobility, partnership agreements in the Gulf region and relief and rehabilitation of Indian nationals affected by recent uprisings. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would formally inaugurate the PravasiBharatiya Divas meet on the 9th January. 2. Since it helps enhance investment and borrowing opportunities and reduces transaction costs while allowing risk-transfers, such products are expected to increase investors interest in corporate bonds. 3. In order to develop the corporate bond market, RBI through a separate notification revised downward the haircut rate for bonds. The haircut rates are different for different rated bonds. 4. Haircut is the difference between prices at which a market maker can buy and sell a security. 5. For AAA rated bonds, the revised minimum haircut is at 7.5 per cent from 10 per cent; 8.5 per cent (12 per cent) for AA+ rating and 10 per cent (15 per cent) for AA rating.
RBI permits Credit Default Swaps in unlisted corporate bonds

What is a CDS? A swap designed to transfer the credit exposure of fixed income products between parties. A credit default swap is also referred to as a credit derivative contract, where the purchaser of the swap makes payments up until the maturity date of a contract. Payments are made to the seller of the swap. In return, the seller agrees to pay off a third party debt if this party defaults on the loan. A CDS is considered insurance against non-payment. A buyer of a CDS might be speculating on the possibility that the third party will indeed default. What RBI did? 1. In order to better the manage credit risk by the fund managers, the RBI allowed Credit Default Swaps (CDS) for unlisted rated corporate bonds in addition to listed ones. 2. Users shall be allowed to unwind their CDS bought position with original protection seller at mutually agreeable or FIMMDA price, it said. 3. If no agreement is reached, then unwinding has to be done with the original protection seller at FIMMDA (Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India) price. 4. CDS shall be permitted on securities with original maturity up to one year like Commercial Papers, Certificates of Deposit and Non-Convertible Debentures with original maturity less than one year, it said. Why CDS markets? 1. The CDS market was introduced for corporate bonds to provide market participants a tool to transfer and manage credit risk through redistribution. CDS as a risk management product offers the participants the opportunity to hive off credit risk and also to assume credit risk, which otherwise may not be possible.
India-Bhutan,
Energy ties:
India will push for increased access of energy companies in Bhutan during the forthcoming visit of the external affairs minister to Bhutan next week.The move is aimed at countering China that of late has increased its presence in the neighbouring country. Why India needs to be Pro-active towards Bhutan? a. Power: 1. At present, practically, India is the only country to have major footprint in Bhutans hydropower sector. But as a policy matter, Now we have decided to open up our hydropower sector at global level. Being situated at strategic location encircled with large economies and a liberalized FDI policy in hand, Bhutan is now keen and ready to expand its hydropower horizon to ensure best possible global level utilization of its potential, according to Consul General of Bhutan DashoTseringWangda. 2. However, under an Indo-Bhutan power sector agreement of 2006, India was to receive 5000MW Extra hydropower from Bhutan by the year 2020. It had been subsequently increased to 10,000 MW This commitment to India is still our first priority. Bhutan will explore fresh foreign investment possibilities in hydropower sector only after fulfillment of that, added Wangda.
JTS Institute
17

3. Bhutan is now exporting entire amount of its excess hydropower of over 1500 MW out of its total production of around 2000MW to India. The trade makes India as the largest importer of Bhutan produce while significantly contribution to Bhutans economic growth of over 20% per annum. b. Chinese angle: 1 India is also concerned that presence of Chinese companies especially in the power sector could increase the prospects of such entities making backdoor entry into Indias critical infra sector. 2 With an eye towards Chinese moves, India has already injected some Rs 10,000 crore into Bhutans 10th five-year plan and is building multiple economic leverages into existing close bilateral relationship. 3. Minister of state for external affairs E Ahamed responded to a related query raised in Parliament in late August 2012 on the SinoBhutan relationship by stating that the government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on Indias security. 4. Recent advances in the SinoBhutanese relationship have clearly been multi-faceted, touching on cooperation in political and economic matters, which link to Indias regional strategic interests and its relationship with Bhutan, where India has traditionally been the guiding partner of Bhutans foreign affairs. 5. Bhutan and China have some 470 kilometers of unresolved borders. Bhutan, India and China constitute a tripartite strategic triangle in the Eastern Himalayan region. The Chumbi Valley, located in the Yadong county of Tibet Autonomous Region, is close to the Siliguri corridor of Indias northeast. mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes or secondary. How they affect their planetary systems? 1. Two stars orbit one another and these stars planetary systems can be altered by the gravity of their companion stars. 2. The orbits of very distant or wide stellar companions often become very eccentric ie less circular over time, driving the once-distant star into a plunging orbit that passes very close to the planets once per orbital period. The gravity of this close-passing companion can then wreak havoc on planetary systems, triggering planetary scatterings and even ejections. 3. The stellar orbits of wide binaries are very sensitive to disturbances from other passing stars as well as the tidal field of the Milky Way. 4. When a wide binary orbit becomes very eccentric, the two stars will pass very close together once per orbit on one side of the orbital ellipse, while being very far apart on the other side of the ellipse.This can have dire consequences for planets in these systems since the gravity of a close-passing star can radically change planetary orbits around the other star, causing planets to scatter off of one another and sometimes get ejected to interstellar space. 5. This process takes hundreds of millions of years if not billions of years to occur in these binaries. Consequently, planets in these systems initially form and evolve as if they orbited an isolated star. 6. It is only much later that they begin to feel the effects of their companion star, which often times leads to disruption of the planetary system 7. This is a telltale signature of past planetary scattering events, and that those with eccentric orbits are often interpreted to be the survivors of system-wide instabilities. 8. This observational signature could only be reproduced well when they assumed that the typical planetary system extends from its host star as much as 10 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Otherwise, the planetary system is too compact to be affected by even a stellar companion on a very eccentric orbit.
Static electricity may be key to predicting earthquakes

A rise in static electricity below the ground could be a reliable indicator that an earthquake is imminent, say scientists who are now launching an experiment to predict quakes well in time to save thousands of lives. How it happens? 1. Theory is that, when an earthquake looms, activity below ground goes through a strange change, producing intense electrical currents. 2. Theyre on the order of 100,000 amperes for a magnitude 6 earthquake and a million amperes for a magnitude 7. Its almost like lightning, undergroundIn a typical day along the San Andreas fault, you might see ten pulses per day. The fault is always moving, grinding, snapping, and crackling. 3. Before a large earthquake, that background level of static-electricity discharges should rise. 4. The number of pulses, he added, seems to surge about two weeks before the earthquake then drop back to background level until shortly before the fault slips. 5. There are hitches to the project, though - magnetic pulses could be caused by a lot of other things, ranging from random events within the Earth to lightning, solar flares, and electrical interference from highway equipment. 6. Charged particles from deep below the earth migrate to the surface and impair the accuracy of the equipment, so special ion sensors have been added to the equipment. 7. The ion count can also be magnified by wet weather, so humidity sensors have also been added to rule out the possibility of false alarms.
Widely spaced binary stars can create problems in planetary systems

Planetary systems with very distant binary stars are particularly susceptible to violent disruptions, more so than if they had stellar companions with tighter orbits around them, astrophysicists have found. What are Binary Stars? A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of
Kilogram now weighs heavier

The humble kilogram the standard measure of weighing has become heavier, according to experts from a British university. The original kilogram is likely to be tens of micrograms heavier than it was when the first standard was set in 1875, experts using a stateof-the-art Theta-probe XPS machine the only one of its kind in the world have said. Known as the International Prototype Kilogram or the IPK, it is
JTS Institute
18
the standard against, which all other measurements of mass are set, the Journal of Metrologia reports. How it became heavier? But the kilogram has become heavier as contaminants have built up on its surface. The IPK and its 40 replicas were made in 1884 and distributed globally in a bid to standardise mass. Britain holds replica 18 at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The original is stored in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris. Cure: By exposing the surface to a mixture of UV and ozone, we can remove the carbonaceous contamination and potentially bring prototype kilograms back to their ideal weight
1 January - 7 January 2013 Cervical cancer drug trials risky

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre on a public interest writ petition against licensing of and trials with the unproven human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, ostensibly to treat cervical cancer. The petition, by Kalpana Mehta and other health activists, cited the Drugs Controller-General of India (DCGI), the Indian Council of Medical Research and others as respondents. It said Gardasil and Cervarix were hazardous HPV vaccines marketed in India by MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Merck) and GlaxoSmithKline Ltd. The petition, before a Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and DipakMisra, said the DCGI had granted licence for the vaccines without adequate research on their safety and efficacy, and the Health Ministry too did not inquire into their licensing as ordered by a Parliamentary Standing Committee in April 2010. The petitioners said: Though both vaccines are claimed to prevent cervical cancer, the truth is cervical cancer takes twenty or more years to develop. The vaccines have just not been around that long to prove their efficacy If these vaccines are given to women who already are infected with the virus, then they will raise the incidence of cervical cancer.
3. Causes, incidence, and risk factors 4. The virus that causes genital warts is called human papilloma virus (HPV). More than 70 different types of HPV exist. Certain types of HPV can lead to precancerous changes in the cervix, cervical cancer, or anal cancer. These are called high-risk types of HPV. 5. Not all types of HPV cause genital warts. Other types of HPV cause warts on other parts of the skin, such as the hands. This article focuses on warts on the genitals. 6. HPV infection around the genitals is common. Most people have no symptoms. In women, HPV can spread to areas inside, on the walls of the vagina and cervix. They are not easy to see without special procedures. Important facts about HPV: 1. HPV infection spreads from one person to another through sexual contact involving the anus, mouth, or vagina. You can spread the warts even if you do not see them. 2. You may not see warts for 6 weeks to 6 months after becoming infected. You may not notice them for years. 3. Not everyone who has come into contact with the HPV virus and genital warts will develop them.
Scientists link stomach bugs to storms

1. Rain and bigger storms could be the cause of more stomach bugs in certain countries, according to new research. 2. Torrential rain leads drains to overflow, releasing germ and virus riddled water into waterways and if this water is swallowed while engaging in watersports for example, it can make people sick. 3. According to research, it is more likely to be viruses that cause people to be ill rather than the germs. 4. The research was carried out as part of a project called Viroclime, which aims to improve tools for tracking harmful viruses from human sewage in European waters. 5. It looked at viruses from five European sites including Spain, Hungary, Sweden, and Greece and one site in Brazil. 6. There are two types of virus, which could act as a signal to more serious water-based diseases.
What are Genital warts?

Human papilloma virus (HPV) 1. Genital warts are soft growths on the skin and mucus membranes of the genitals. They may be found on the penis, vulva, urethra, vagina, cervix, and around and in the anus. 2. Genital warts are a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Note: 1. You may take print out of this material on A4 size sheets 2. Once you finish studying this material attempt an online test at www.JTSinstitute.com. There is an online test based exclusively on this material (Jan 1-7) 3. All the questions in the online test have been designed according to the UPSC Prelims Pattern.
JTS Institute
19

Current Affairs

Enviado por

Dados do documento

Direitos autorais

Formatos disponíveis

Compartilhar este documento

Compartilhar ou incorporar documento

Opções de compartilhamento

Você considera este documento útil?

Este conteúdo é inapropriado?

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

Current Affairs

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

19thFebruary - 25 February 2013 Issue-8/2013 (19th February to 25 February)

Issues for Pakistan from its Perspective:

The issues raised by Pakistan in the Court of Arbitration:

India given a green signal on Kishanganga Project

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013 Brief Provisions of Indus Waters Treaty 1960

Permanent Court of Arbitration

Viswanathan Anand won Grenke Chess Classic Trophy

Kai Po Che, Movie based on Chetan Bhagats Novel Premiered

Current Affairs Notes

Meaning of the phrase Kai Vulture population rises Po Che

Mritunjay Singh is the Joint COO of Persistent Systems

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013

FIFA confirmed use of Goal-Line Technology at the 2014 World Cup

Rafael Nadal wins Brasil Open 2013 defeating David Nalbandian

Judicial Probe in Allahabad Railway Station stampede

Goal-Line Technology (GLT)

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013

About Milos Raonic

About SAP Open

About National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)

Worlds first Mercury Treaty adopted by 140 countries at Geneva

Discussions held during 8th India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission meeting

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013

Making of the treaty

Factors affecting Japans export

Impact of Mercury on Human Being

Government of Bulgaria resigned because of protest against high electricity prices

NASA loses communication with ISS for 3 hours

Cause of resignation of Bulgarias government

Malaysia lifted the Ban on public screening of Vishwaroopam

Current Affairs Notes

About Hamadi Jebali

Blasts in recent past in Hyderabad

TRAI releases pre-consultation paper on nation-wide Mobile Number Portability

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, resigns

Two blasts in Hyderabad claims 14 lives leaving 119 injured

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013

Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV)

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) projects receive a nod

Major findings of the Usha Mehra Commission

Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessels Ltd. (BHPV) to be a subsidiary of BHEL

Uttar Pradesh Budget 2013-14: 221201.19 crore rupees Budget Planned

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013

Important points of the state budget 2013-14

Key Features of the issued Guidelines:

Budgetary Allocation of Money

RBI announced guidelines for licensing of new banks in private sector

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013 24 February 2013

Bumblebees can detect electric fields of flowers- A study

African Leaders signed UN-Brokered Accord in DR Congo

Discovery of the deepest Hydrothermal Vents in the world by UK Scientists

Current Affairs Notes

19 February - 25 February 2013

About Marina Erakovic:

Satellites launched by PSLV-C20 rocket

Current Affairs Notes