WEEKLY CURRENT AFFAIRS BULLETIN

30TH JULY TO 5TH AUGUST 2012

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NATIONAL
Skill-based programme to be replicated in Naxal-Hit Districts
A skill-based placement programme launched in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir will be replicated in worst affected Naxal districts of the country.

New media policy coming soon

In a diversified and complex media economy where convergence is setting the tone for future, the Indian government is working towards an integrated policy that would take care of all the existing media segments. As part of the Sam Pitroda-led National Innovation Council initiative, sectoral council panel has recommended to the government to formulate an integrated national media policy that liberalises and reforms the broadcasting sector. It further proposed a common audience measurement system for all media; create a public service broadcasting fund and a media education council, and reboot media licensing reforms. It recommends that "reliable single source data on all mediums of advertising should be made available by the government so that advertisers are able to take decisions on key data." Currently, advertisers look to varied sources for reliable data on different media: the National Readership Survey for newspapers, the TAM Media Research people meters for satellite channels and FM radio, and still evolving audience measurement and behaviour systems for the fast-growing online media. The council now seems to be suggesting that the government create a system to collate such data and make it available to advertisers. It also emphasises the importance of developing an alternative to the TAM system. The council spells out the need for national policies on film, animation, gaming and VFX as well. The council makes a serious bid to create a sustainable source of funding for public sector broadcasting, suggesting that once Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) complete the digitisation process, the airwaves thus released could earn money for an exclusive fund. This would be on the same lines as the universal service obligation fund of the telecom sector, it says. The council also suggests that community radio stations could provide local, grassroots content for AIR. In return, AIR could provide the much-needed capacity building and training in both content creation and station management to community radio workers.
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Rural Development Ministry, which has launched Himayat Programme--a Rs 237 crore placement linked skill development initiative for training and placement of one lakh Jammu and Kashmir youth in the next 5 years, will launch similar programme in Maoist affected districts.

It will be expanded to 34 other districts worst hit by Maoist activities in Orissa, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand, he said. Training will be provided to tribal youth in sewing machine operations, electrical works and data entry operations. A Rural Self-employment training Institute (R-SETI) can also be sanctioned for Sukma (Chattisgarh) to identify, orient, motivate, train and assist young people to take up self-employment through promotion of Micro and Small Enterprises. What is Himayat Programme? Jammu & Kashmir has shown high economic growth but has not been able to meet the aspirations of the youth who are looking for opportunities for education and employment. Frequent disturbances have created an atmosphere of uncertainty, impacting employment creation which has alienated the youth. A special scheme known as Himayat has been introduced. This scheme caters to youth from lowincome families and gives priority to those with low educational qualifications.

Himayat is a training-cum-placement programme for unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir. Youth will be provided short-term training for at least 3 months, in a range of skills for which there is good demand. At the end of the training, the youth are assured of a job and there is one year post-placement tracking to see how they are faring.

The scheme aims to target 1, 00,000 youth in 5 years. Placements will be largely in the service sector both in J&K and outside the state.
Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y

The council also seeks the regulation of the rapidly expanding realm of media education. "Like medical education and technical education, media education should be regulated by a new organisation known as Media Education Council.

Ministry of Tourism Facilitates Adoption of Ten ASI Monuments under Campaign Clean India.
The Ministry of Tourism has facilitated the adoption of ten important Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monuments by Institutes of Hotel Management (IHM) and Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management under Campaign Clean India.

government. Ad-valorem royalty at the prevailing rate for crude oil and natural gas would be applicable to shale oil and gas respectively, and accrue to the state governments, whereas the production liked payment on ad-valorem basis, will be made of the central government. Under New Exploration Licensing Policy, companies share profit with the government only after recovering all their investment, a regime that CAG found was designed to encourage hike capital expenditure by private contractors thereby reducing the government's share. Thus the draft policy does not permit cost recovery and hence profit sharing. Bidders would be asked to quote a percentage of output they are willing to share with the government at different production slabs. Apart from allowing public and private sector companies to participate, the new policy allows 100 per cent participation by foreign companies. The operator's technical capability will be evaluated and will be considered as one of the basis for award of contract. The operator, in case of a consortium, should have a minimum of 25 per cent participating interest. Under the proposed new shale gas policy, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry will hold consultations with the Law and Justice, Finance, Environment and some other ministries before finalising a model contract. The Directorate-General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) has identified six basins under Phase-1 - Cambay, Gondwana, Assam, KG onshore, Cauvery onshore and Indo-Gangetic basins. ONGC and the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) are under the process of identifying 11 more basins. This will minimise government intervention and remove complications in accounting.

The monument are :- i) Golconda Fort, Hyderabad; ii) St' Cathedral & St. Francis Assisi Church Complex , old Goa; iii) Gwalior Fort; iv) Buddhist Caves, Kanheri (Maharashtra); v) Megalithic Bridge on the Um-Nyakaneth between Jaracm and Syndai (Meghalaya); vi) Red Fort, Delhi; vii) Temples at Bhubaneswar; viii) Bhatinda Fort (Punjab); ix) Mamallapuram Group of Monuments (Tamil Nadu); and x) Imambara of Asaf-ud-Daula, Lucknow.

The Ministry of Tourism will engage the Quality Council of India (QCI) for an independent and objective evaluation of the state of cleanliness specific to each monument chosen for adoption. The QCI will classify the improvement over the adoption period as Average, Good, Very Good and Excellent. Based on the QCI classification, the Ministry will extend awards with citation to the adopters.

The approach of the Ministry of Tourism under Clean India Campaign is to work towards the cleanliness of certain identified tourist destinations. The objective eventually will be to ensure that the cleanliness and environmental hygiene, specific to the identified destinations, are truly world class and that they serve as models to be replicated elsewhere. In furtherance of Campaign, the Ministry of Tourism has launched a scheme of awareness for Cleanliness through Facilitators i.e. NGOs/Schools/ Colleges and Adopters (PSUs), Corporates, Industry etc.), specific to certain selected tourist destinations under Campaign Clean India.

India plans to launch its first auction of shale gas block by 2013-end. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), the oil ministry's technical arm, has proposed to offer areas for exploration of gas trapped in sedimentary rocks -- shale gas -- on royalty and production-linked payments to the
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CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y
India Plans Shale Gas Blocks Auction by 2013 End

Rs. 14,000 crore fixed as base price for 2G spectrum auction

The Union Cabinet on Friday fixed a reserve (minimum) price of Rs. 14,000 crore for 5 MHz of pan-India 2G spectrum in the 1800-MHz GSM band for auctioning spectrum to be vacated by companies whose 122 licences were cancelled by the Supreme Court on February 2, 2012. The reserve price for 5 MHz of CDMA spectrum has been put at Rs. 18,200 crore, 1.3 times the price of GSM spectrum. Only two slots of 5 MHz each will be put on the block, though spectrum will be available for bidding in multiple blocks of 1.25 MHz.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

Taking a bold political decision, the government shaved $750 million, or roughly Rs. 4,100 crore, off the roughly Rs 18,000-crore reserve price recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Winners in the auction are required to make an upfront payment of just one-third of the total bid amount for GSM spectrum and one-fourth for CDMA spectrum, with the rest to be paid after a two-year moratorium in 10 equal, annual installments.

The mission is estimated to cost about Rs.450 crore. An initial provision of Rs.125 crore was made in this year's budget to kick-start the work.

1900 Crore Grant to Drought Hit States

Parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana are facing water stress. The overall kharif sowing is lower than the normal area by 56.03 lakh hectares, with a shortfall in the cultivation of rice, coarse cereals and pulses largely in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Maharashtra is facing drinking water problem too. Thus the Union government has announced a financial assistance of more than Rs. 1,900 crore under various schemes for the affected States. It also extended a diesel subsidy of 50 per cent to farmers to save the standing crops through groundwater irrigation. Subsidy on seeds will be raised and farmers who are forced to sow again will be given compensation. To enhance the supply of animal feed, the import duty on oil meal cakes will be waived. EGoM approved release of Rs. 1,440 crore to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat under the integrated watershed programme Another Rs. 453 crore would be given to Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Haryana under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme. A sum of Rs. 50 crore was set aside for a buy-back arrangement with the States that upscale fodder production.

The government has retained the present slabs for spectrum usage charge, which ranges from 2 to 8 per cent, depending on the quantum of spectrum held by the operator.

Cabinet clears Mars mission

The Union Cabinet has cleared the Indian Space Research Organisation's mission to Mars next year. The project, which comes on the heels of the Chandrayaan mission to the moon, envisages putting a spacecraft in the red planet's orbit to study its atmosphere, with the help of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). India joins the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and China in undertaking such an effort.

The launch is slated for November next year from Sriharikota. The spacecraft will have a scientific payload of 25 kg and is proposed to be placed in an orbit of 500 x 80, 000 km around the planet.

November was chosen, as the planet would be closest to the earth that time. The next such opportunity will come only in the summer of 2018.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y

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INTERNATIONAL
World Bank resumes aid to Myanmar
The World Bank is set to resume lending to Myanmar for the first time in almost 25 years and has opened an office in Yangon in the latest sign of the international community's embrace of the regime's economic and political reforms. The ADB also became the first international financial institution to open an office in Naypyidaw, the capital. The Washington-based development bank will support people affected by boundary conflicts, which would include areas across the borders with India, Thailand and China.

The move is expected to benefit India as Myanmar's underdeveloped areas are a source of insurgency for northeastern states. "Development of the border areas will ease tension and reduce militancy on the Indo-Myanmar border.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the transit of cargo to and from Afghanistan through Pakistan was signed between Islamabad and Washington bringing in a degree of transparency to the arrangement that has been in place for over a decade now.

After signing the MoU for the U.S., $1.8 billion had been released by Washington as payment of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) to Pakistan. The CSF was created to reimburse Pakistan for the cost of counter-insurgency operations. The supply lines had been shut for NATO-bound cargo from the port city of Karachi to Afghanistan via Torkham in Khyber and Chaman in Balochistan towards the end of November 2011 after helicopters of the coalition forces west of the Durand Line fired upon Pakistani soldiers manning the border in Mohmand tribal agency.

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CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y
Key Constitutional points:

While the agreement has been signed between the U.S. and Pakistan, there is a provision for other member countries of NATO to avail of this facility that will be a vital route for removal of equipment from Afghanistan once the Afghan draw down begins. Pakistan has levied no additional charges for GLOC; maintaining that it had shut down the routes to protest the death of 26 soldiers at NATO's hands and not to get more money as was speculated during the tough days of negotiation before the supply lines were reopened.

Somalia draft constitution endorsed

Somalia's Constituent Assembly endorsed a draft constitution billed as a key step to ending decades of civil war during. A bill of rights, with everyone declared to be equal, regardless of clan or religion. Islam is the only religion of the state, and no other religion can be propagated in the country - however, this was also the case previously. Female genital mutilation - a widespread practice - is outlawed. Citizens have the right to be educated up to secondary level. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission is to be established. Territorial disputes should be settled peacefully - Somalia has gone to war with both Kenya and Ethiopia over its claims to their Somali-inhabited regions. Somalia will have a federal system - however the status of Mogadishu, the borders and distribution of power and resources between the regions are yet to be decided.

Pakistan-NATO Supply Deal

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

ECONOMY
PM sets up Panel to Review Taxation of Development Centres and the IT Sector
In India many MNCs carry out activities such as product development, analytical work, software development, etc. through captive entities in India. They exist in a wide range of fields including IT software, IT hardware, Pharmaceutical R&D, other automobile R&D and scientific R&D. These are popularly called Development Centres. Over 750 MNCs have such centres at over 1100 locations in India. approach to Taxation of Development Centres and suggest any circulars that need to be issued. b) Engage in sector-wide consultations and finalise the Safe Harbour provisions announced in Budget 2010 sector-by-sector. The Committee will also suggest any necessary circulars that may need to be issued. c) Examine issues relating to taxation of the IT sector and suggest any clarifications that may be required.

The reason for this large concentration of Development Centres in India is the worldwide recognition of India as a place for cost competitive, high quality knowledge related work. Such Development Centres provide high quality jobs to our scientists, and indeed make India a global hub for such Knowledge Centres. However, India does not have a monopoly on Development Centres. This is a highly competitive field with other countries wanting to grab a share of the pie. There is need for clarity on their taxation. Thus the Prime Minister has constituted a Committee to Review Taxation of Development Centres and the IT Sector headed by former CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) Chairman N. Rangachary to engage in consultations with stakeholders and related government departments to finalise the Safe Harbour provisions announced in Budget 2010 sector-by-sector and approach to taxation of Development Centres.

A safe harbor is a provision of a statute or a regulation that reduces or eliminates a party's liability under the law, on the condition that the party performed its actions in good faith or in compliance with defined standards. Apart from Mr. Rangachary, the other two members are: Director General (Income-tax) Anita Kapur, and the Director of Income-tax (Transfer Pricing), Rashmi Sahani Saxena, while the third would be any other officer from the I-T Department to be co-opted by the Chairman. The Terms of Reference of the Committee will be to: a) Engage in consultations with stakeholders and related government departments to finalise the

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y

Prime Minister resolves major Land Transfer bottleneck

In a bid to speed up Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in infrastructure sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has relaxed the government's policy for transfer of land owned by it. The Prime Minister approved relaxations in the land transfer policy of the government for government owned lands so that infrastructure projects are not held up because of procedural delays. Early last year, a ban had been imposed on all transfer of government owned lands to any entity except in cases where land was to be transferred from one government department to another. In the meanwhile, the Department of Economic Affairs was to prepare a comprehensive land transfer policy for government owned land. In case any department had to implement a project which required alienation of land either through lease, license or rent, it had to seek specific approval of the Cabinet. This was leading to long delays in awarding concessions for infrastructure projects, particularly PPP projects. All PPP infrastructure projects - roads, railways, ports, civil aviation and metros - have some element of land alienation as the project is often built on government owned land. The government continues to own the land which is leased or licensed out. Requiring Cabinet approval for each PPP project meant adding a few months to complete the processes for securing Cabinet approval. The Prime Minister has now relaxed the ban for certain categories of projects by allowing land alienation for: a) All cases of land transfer from Ministries to statutory authorities or PSUs will be allowed,
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subject to the requirements Government of India Rules;

of

normal

c) Development and use of railway land by Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) as per provisions of Railways Amendment Act, 2005 and the Rules framed thereunder and in accordance with the prevalent policies and guidelines of the Railway Ministry and the Government.

This would speed up the award of PPP projects.

The Reserve Bank of India constituted a committee to suggest ways to strengthen the rural co-operative credit structure.

The panel, headed by Nabard Chairman Prakash Bakshi, will review the existing shortterm co-operative credit structure (STCCS), focusing on structural constraints in the rural credit delivery system. It will also explore ways to strengthen the rural co-operative credit architecture. The seven-member panel will make an in-depth analysis of the STCCS, and examine various alternatives with a view to reducing the cost of credit, the RBI said in a release.

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CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y
Panel set up to Beef Up Rural Credit Co-ops

b) All cases of land transfer on lease or rent or license to a concessionaire which have been appraised through the PPPAC (Public Private Partnership Approval Committee) route and approved by the Finance Minister or by the Ministers concerned or by the Cabinet, as the case may be, depending upon the value of the project; and

It will also look at the feasibility of setting up of a two-tier STCCS as against the existing threetier structure. The STCCS targets the credit requirement of the small and marginal farmers in the country. It will mainly assess the role played by State and district cooperative banks in fulfilling the requirement of agriculture credit.

RBI signs MoU with Financial Regulators

The Reserve Bank of India has signed three Memoranda of Understanding - with Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC), Financial Services Authority, UK and Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway. Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) is an independent statutory body whose main function is the regulation, licensing and supervision of financial services providers for compliance with prudential norms and conduct of business requirements in Jersey. The FSA is the United Kingdom's principal national financial services and markets regulator and administers the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000("FSMA") which provides among other things for the supervision of firms, financial services, financial products and financial markets. The Reserve Bank has been signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with regulators of other countries to promote greater cooperation and sharing of supervisory information between the two regulators. So far, it has signed nine such MoUs.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

INDIA AND THE WORLD

Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO meet
Indian National Commission for cooperation with UNESCO meet was held in New Delhi.

The Commission deliberated on India's future strategy for strengthening the networking and leadership role in UNESCO priority areas. The members also expressed their great appreciation for the establishment of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in India that will promote independent and collaborative research within and between the areas of peace, human rights, moral sciences, ethics, ecology, environment and other professional fields with the objective of facilitating global efforts towards building a new world order based on the principles of social justice, equity, good governance and sustainability. The meet also focused on India's achievements and future strategy for education for all, technical and vocational education and training, India's alliance in Literacy with UNESCO, use of ICT in education, open education resources, linguistic diversity, preservation of tangible, intangible heritage, India's leadership role in Oceanographic and Earth Sciences, freedom of press, empowering community through communication, development of tribal, classical and contemporary art as well as preservation and sharing of historical archival documents. The Indian National Commission for UNESCO comprises of five different Sub-Commissions, namely, Education, Culture, Communications, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences in tune with the UNESCO priority areas. India has been a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations since its inception in 1946. Article VII of the constitution of UNESCO requires that "each Member State shall make such arrangements as suit its particular conditions for purposes of associating its principal bodies interested in educational, scientific and cultural matters with the work of the Organization, preferably by the formation of a National Commission.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y
Salient features of this agreement are:

Accordingly, an interim Indian National Commission for Co-operation with UNESCO was set up in 1949 by the Government of India, Ministry of Education. A permanent Commission was established in 1951 through the Government of India, Ministry of Education.

The functions of the Commission are: To promote understanding of the objects and purposes of UNESCO among the people of the Republic of India; To serve as a liaison agency between the Government of India and the institutions concerned with the working for the advancement of education, science and culture; To collaborate with the National Commissions of Asia and the Pacific and with UNESCO's Regional Offices and centers in fostering regional, sub-regional and bilateral co-operation in education, the sciences, culture and information, particularly through the joint formulation and execution of programmes.

India Signs Tax Information Exchange Agreement with Monaco

Government of India and Government of Principality of Monaco have signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) to check tax evasion and money laundering. The agreement was signed by the Minister of State for Finance, Shri S S Palanimanickam from Indian side and Counsellor of Government for Finances and Economy, Mr. Marco Piccinini from Monaco side. a) It is based on international standard of transparency and exchange of information. b) Under the agreement with Monaco, there is a specific provision for providing banking and ownership information and the requesting state has to provide some minimum details about the information requested. c) Information must be foreseeably relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the contracting Parties concerning taxes and tax matters covered by the agreement. d) However, information is to be treated as secret and can be disclosed to only specified person or
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authorities, who are tax authorities or the authorities concerned with the determination of tax appeal. e) It also provides for disclosure of information to any other person or entity or authority or any other jurisdiction (including foreign Governments) with the written consent of the competent authority of the requested Party. f) There is a specific provision that the requested Party shall provide upon request the information even though that Party may not need such information for its own tax purposes.

g) There is a specific provision for Tax Examination Abroad where authorities of one State can present in the tax examination of taxpayer in the other State. This is the ninth TIEA being signed by India.

The concept of TIEA is a result of the work undertaken by Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to address harmful tax practices. Its objective is to promote international co-operation in tax matters through exchange of information. The nature of information shared under a TIEA varies with each agreement.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between Belgium and India on bilateral co-operation for the effective development and modernization of railway sector of both the countries. In pursuance of the Vision 2020 document promulgated by the Indian Railways, for modernization and development of major Railway Stations as vibrant centres of the life of cities for commerce, entertainment and social space, Indian Railways has identified stations for development to the international standards and signing of this MOU will especially focus in this direction. Railways have identified about 50 stations including New Delhi, Howrah, Mumbai, Patna, Bhubaneswar and Chennai for developing world class stations. Railways have about 30,000 hectares of vacant land and the national transporter is keen to utilise Belgium expertise in modernisation of railway stations involving commercialisation of real estate around stations.

The MoU is expected to boost knowledge sharing on design and current practices in the field of
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CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y
India and Belgium Sign MOU for Development & Modernization of Railway Sector

Railway Infrastructure and the deputation of specialists and experts in areas of mutual interests will bond the ties between the two countries further. The Belgium Government owned companies, namely Euro Station and Immostar, have vast experience in field of development of stations in and outside Belgium with extensive expertise in transforming historical railway stations into modern international terminals and the experience gained by them can be gainfully emulated in India after adaption to Indian conditions. Both the countries have agreed to form Steering and Working Groups consisting of experts to determine and define detailed scope and modalities of the activities and projects to be undertaken by both the countries for mutual benefit.

India formally allows foreign direct investment from Pakistan

The Indian government has formally allowed foreign direct investment (FDI) from Pakistan, the latest in a series of confidence building measures to build trust between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The government of India has reviewed the policy and decided to permit a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan to make investments in India, under the government route, in sectors/ activities other than defence, space and atomic energy. The government had earlier allowed investments from Bangladesh under the FIPB route.

India, Israel Ink Academic Research Agreement

India and Israel has signed an academic research agreement to jointly collaborate in the areas of medicine, technologies, humanities, arts and social sciences. An MoU was signed in this regard between the University Grants Commission and Israel Science Foundation for launching a three-year 'India-Israel Joint Research Program' which would bring together scientists and researchers from two countries to carry forward academic research in these areas. As part of the programme, Israeli and Indian academic teams that aspire to conduct joint research should submit a joint application to their respective funding agencies. Support would be up to USD 100,000 per research for a period of three years.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

India South Korea signed MoU for Electoral Reforms

Chief Election Commissioner of India V.S. Sampath and the chairperson of the National Electoral Commission of Republic of Korea Justice Nung Hwan Kim signed the agreement to collaborate in strengthening institutions and processes for democracy, good governance and rule of law in the two countries. The MoU has been signed with the common mission of strengthening institutions and processes for democracy, good governance and rule of law in the two countries through combined efforts. This is the 13th MoU signed by EC with other countries and international election panels. India has signed such MoUs with the United Nations, Cote D'Ivore, Mexico, Bhutan, South Africa, Afghanistan, Brazil, Russia, Nepal, Chile, Indonesia and International Foundation of Electoral Systems, Washington.

In the apparel sector, with China becoming more expensive apparel sourcing destination, it was felt that there is immense opportunity for India and Sri Lanka to increase their market share in the world. Further there is high demand for rubber based components in India and at present companies in India face high prices and shortages. Hence an area for both countries to explore the possibility of forging joint ventures in rubber product sector to supply rubber components to India. The CEOs also discussed the potential of cross promotion of tourism between the two countries. It was also highlighted that air connectivity is crucial to promote tourism. Providing higher frequency of operation to Indian airlines to Sri Lanka will help improve air connectivity between the two countries. In addition, Indian CEOs to invest in mid-segment of hotels in Sri Lanka as opposed to luxury hotels. With the rapidly growing demand for electricity in India, there is potential for Sri Lanka to export power to India during the off peak hours and vice versa and for Indians to invest in power generation in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has a potential in excess of 40,000 MW of wind energy. To encourage investments in to wind power generation, it was pointed out that the wind resources availability in Sri Lanka should be identified and land earmarked for wind power projects. It would also make sense to expedite the implementation of undersea transmission linkages so that surplus power can be exported to India and this will help in bridging the trade deficit between the two countries. The necessity to have a policy and regulatory framework that enables big power projects to be done by private sector was also highlighted. Further it was stated that Sri Lankans can invest in power generation in India and 100 percent foreign equity participation is allowed. Sri Lanka currently faces shortage of skills in a number of sectors. Therefore it was agreed that internationally recognised Indian education institutes should be encouraged to set up branches in Sri Lanka. The CEOs of both the countries also emphasized the importance of having a flexible visa regime between the two countries. It was specially pointed out that Sri Lanka should facilitate multiple entry visa for businesses from India without hassle and from Indian side the minimum salary requirement of India of US$ 25,000 needs to be relaxed for Sri Lanka.

It aims at establishing a "mutually cooperative relationship" in the field of election administration. It will also contribute towards developing and strengthening democratic institutions and processes in the two democratic countries of Asia.

India Sri Lanka CEO's Forum meet

The Sri Lanka- India CEO's Forum organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) was held in Colombo. The main issues discussed during the meet were: The trade balance between India and Sri Lanka at present is heavily in favour of India. Thus ways and means have to be identified to reduce this imbalance. Further the two Governments envisage doubling of trade between the two countries within the next three years. Sri Lanka proposed removal of obstacles to trade and investment, to enable Sri Lankan businesses to penetrate into the Indian market. There are opportunities and partnerships to be forged for the mutual benefit of both the countries.

Some of the potential sectors identified for increasing trade and investment between the two countries are apparel, rubber products, power and energy, tourism, education, skill development, ports and shipping and infrastructure in general.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Quick Test to Detect Septicemia Bug
Scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad have discovered a DNA-based diagnostic tool that can identify all 27 organisms that causes septicemia - an infection that leads to a dangerous build-up of bacteria in bloodstream. The new test will take only seven hours instead of four days that the existing test requires.

The same test will also be able to tell doctors which antibiotics the organism is resistant to, saving precious time and increasing the patient's chances of survival. It will take less than seven hours to diagnose the cause and since the tool also tells which medicines won't work, it will help administer the right drug to save the patient. Septicemia that progresses to septic shock has a death rate as high as 50%, depending on the type of organism involved.

The new diagnostic tool has two different chips - one can detect the causative organism of septicemia in just seven hours instead of days and the other can gauge which drugs the organism is resistant to. The most common areas of infection that lead to septicemia include the abdomen, lungs, urinary tract, bone (osteomyelitis), central nervous system (meningitis) and heart (endocarditis).

Australian researchers have claimed that a breath test using an electronic nose can help detect a cancerous tumour in its early stages,.

A study done at the University of New South Wales conducting a non-invasive test, to design a device which would help distinguish between benign and malignant disease and detect. \ Asbestos-related disease affects thousands of people in Australia, which has one of the highest age-specific rates of mesothelioma in the world. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare tumour that has been difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Globally, up to 20,000 people die each year as a result of the disease, the study says.
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CH IA R S O AC NI C AD L E EM Y
An Electronic Nose that can Smell Cancer Tumour

The researchers analysed breath samples from 20 patients with malignant mesothelioma, along with 18 people with asbestos-related diseases and 42 control subjects in the study. In the findings, patients with malignant disease, asbestos-related diseases and control patients were correctly identified in 88% of cases. Conventional techniques for distinguishing between benign and malignant asbestos-related disease are inaccurate and invasive.

ITU finalized standards for UHDTV

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has finalized standards that promise to revolutionize television viewing with 'ultra high-definition' pictures of stupendous clarity and size in the coming years. ITU's Radio-communication Sector (ITU-R) has developed the standard - or Recommendation - in collaboration with experts from the television industry, broadcasting organizations and regulatory institutions. The resolution of a picture depends on the number of dot-like pixels squeezed into a given area and 'standard definition' TV, which has been in use for long, usually delivers pictures of a resolution of 704 or 720 of these pixels across 480 scanning lines. Highdefinition TV, or HDTV, which has been replacing standard definition TV comes in two formats - 1280 x 720 pixels and 1920 x 1080 pixels, the latter being often called 'full HD.' As compared with HTDV pictures that are about 1-2 mega pixels in size, the first level of UHDTV picture sizes will be of the order of 8 mega pixels (3840 x 2160 pixels). And at the second level, the pictures will be 32 mega pixels in size (7680 x 4320 pixels). These are called '4K' and '8K' UHDTV systems. TV sets capable of displaying 3840x2160 pixels and 7680x4320 pixels will carry the UHDTV monitor. Ultra high definition picture quality is accompanied by improved colour fidelity, and options for higher numbers of pictures per second than for today's television systems. The 'founding father' of UHDTV was the Japanese broadcaster NHK. A number of companies are developing '4k' level equipment, which include Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Dolby and others.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

CURIOSITY Rover
The Curiosity rover is a robotic, car-sized rover exploring Gale Crater on Mars. The Curiosity Mars rover carries a radioisotope-powered mobile scientific laboratory and is part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission by the United States. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex on November 26, 2011

life. It will also determine the mineralogical composition of the Martian surface and near-surface geological materials. Further it will also characterize the broad spectrum of surface radiation, including galactic radiation, cosmic radiation, solar proton events and secondary neutrons. The rover, which is about the size of a MINI Cooper, is equipped with 17 cameras and a robotic arm containing a suite of specialized laboratory-like tools and instruments. It is the fourth NASA unmanned surface rover sent to Mars since 1996.

Curiosity's mission is to determine whether the Red Planet ever was, or is, habitable to microbial

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

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2 - MARKERS
DRDO Award
The DRDO Awards are to honour individual Scientists/Teams of DRDO, partners of DRDO from other sectors for their outstanding contributions in furthering DRDO's efforts in self reliance.

The Life Time Achievement Award has been conferred on Prof P Rama Rao in recognition of his exceptional contributions of the highest order in the multi-fold array of technology and management initiatives. Prof Rama Rao's immense contributions to Metallurgy and Material Science, in particular, have significantly enriched DRDO. Many novel materials and products developed under his stewardship are extensively being used today in all strategic programmes and weapons. Silicon Trophy for the Best Systems Laboratory of DRDO is awarded to Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE), Dehradun for design and development of Electro-optical Fire Control System for Navy and other significant contributions in the field of Night Vision Devices.

Titanium Trophy for the Best Science Laboratory of DRDO has been awarded to Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore for developing innovative technologies for convenience foods, food preservation and processing, food packaging and safety of processed foods.

India has opened a new naval base at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands southernmost fringe of Campbell Bay, giving it the ability to keep an eye on the maritime traffic and security scenario in the Strait of Malacca and the Six Degree Channel.

The naval base has been named as INS Baaz (Hawk). One of the primary functions of INS Baaz will be to provide information, based on airborne maritime surveillance. INS Baaz is situated at a distance of about 300 nautical miles from Port Blair and is the southernmost military station of the Indian armed forces.
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Oil Industry Safety Awards Tulsi Gabbard INS Baaz established Gagan narang Ashoke Sen

INS Baaz is currently equipped to operate light to heavy aircraft capable of short field operations from the runway of about 3,500 feet. The runway will be progressively lengthened to enable unrestricted operation of all categories of aircraft including heavy aircraft. The base will also be bolstered with modern airfield instruments and navigation aids.

GAIL has been declared winner of Oil Industry Safety Awards for the year 2009-10. GAIL's Cross Country Pipeline Hazira, Bijaipur- Jagdisghpur (HBJ) bags "First" rank in Cross Country Gas / LPG Pipeline category, while GAIL's Gas Processing Plant at Lakwa, Assam adjudged "First" and GAIL's Vijaipur Gas Processing Plant has been adjudged as "Second" in the Gas Processing Plants category.

Tulsi Gabbard, first Hindu in the race of the US House of Representatives. She became the Democratic nominee for the 2012 United States House of Representatives election in Hawaii's 2nd congressional district. She was a member of the Honolulu City Council. She served as Hawaii's youngest state representative in 2002 and was the youngest woman in the United States to be elected to a state legislature. She is currently a Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard, and has volunteered to serve on two deployments to the Middle East. She is also vice-president and co-founder of the environmental non-profit organization Healthy Hawaii Coalition.

Gagan Narang is an ace Indian shooter, especially in Air rifle shooting, supported by the Olympic Gold Quest. He was the first Indian to qualify for the London Olympics. He won the Bronze Medal in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle Event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Indian physicist Ashoke Sen has received the first Fundamental Physics award for his contribution to the ''String Theory''. He will receive three million dollars as prize money.
Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

Fundamental Physics Prize was established by Yuri Milner, a Russian physics student who dropped out of graduate school in 1989 and later earned billions investing in Internet companies like Facebook and Groupon.

at the Olympics. She won the Bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. She has been awarded with Khel Ratna in 2009-10.

Vijay Kumar
Vijay Kumar, a sport shooter , who has won the silver medal in the individual 25 metre rapid fire pistol event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is presently serving as the Subedar Major in the Dogra Regiment (16th Battalion) Indian Army.

Saina Nehwal
Saina Neh w a l i s a b a d m i n t o n p l a y e r currently "ranked 4" in the world by Badminton World Federation. She is the first Indian to win a medal in Badminton

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

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EDITORIALS
Food Security Is A Basic Right
The present food Bill legalises the injustices of a targeted distribution system Anational campaign throughout the month of July on issues related to food security and against rising prices will culminate in a fiveday sit-in protest in Delhi beginning today. These are issues fundamental to the well-being of the majority of our people and therefore deserve national support. With the spectre of drought haunting the countryside, speculators, hoarders and blackmarketeers are back in business. Prices of essential commodities like pulses, edible oil, sugar and salt are going through the roof. Vegetables are out of reach of the average family with the price of a kilo of potatoes increasing by over 100% in the last month. The majority of Indians earn their living in the unorganised sector marked by low and fluctuating incomes with no dearness allowance. Any rise in prices causes havoc in the lives of millions of families.

According to earlier data, an Indian, on average, spent as much as 53% of total expenditure on food requirements. With relentless food inflation this percentage would be far higher now. In comparison, Americans, on average, spend 9.3% of their income on food, in Italy a family on average spends 25.7%, in Japan 19.1%, in France 16.3%, in the United Kingdom 11.5%. While there is a difference in the method of calculation between India and the others, it does emphasise the Indian reality of higher food prices and lower levels of disposable income than other countries. But the UPA government, preoccupied with its internal squabbles, cares little for the insecurity rising prices and consequent food deprivation causes Indian families. For the government this is collateral damage in its mission to implement pro-corporate reform (PCR) and cut food subsidy. This started in the initial period of PCR in the 1990s by the introduction of the targeted system through the categorisation of people as poor and non-poor, with only the former being eligible for subsidised grain. This is the bizarre logic of targeting.
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The sham estimates of poverty by the Planning Commission became the basis on which to exclude people. In spite of national outrage against the present poverty line figures of Rs 26 a day for an adult in rural India and Rs 32 for an adult in urban India (at 2010-11 prices) these still continue as the basis for access to the public distribution system. The critical issue here is to reverse targeting and ensure a universal public distribution system. This is estimated to cost the exchequer an additional Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 crore, a small price to pay for a country, which has the largest malnourished population in the world. But this is too much for the UPA government, which prefers to give tax concessions worth Rs 5 lakh crore in a single year to the rich. This approach is now reflected in its policy regarding the surplus foodgrain stocks it holds. The buffer stock in the month of July, according to the quarterly buffer stock norms India has, should be 3.3 crore tonnes. Current stocks are as high as 8.2 crore tonnes. Instead of distributing these surplus stocks to the millions of families wrongly defined as non-poor, the government has chosen to permit exports "to liquidate the stocks". Most of the exported foodgrain will be ultimately used as feed for livestock converted to animal products in developed countries. The government sees nothing unethical about subsidising grains for foreign cattle but not for its own people. The decision to export is influenced by agribusiness lobbies, which want to take advantage of rising wheat prices in the international market driven upwards by reported crop damage in major wheat growing areas across the globe. This is very similar to what happened during the NDA regime. At that time the food stocks were around six crore tonnes and the government sold them off to foreign traders at BPL prices. It had also made open market sales to grain traders at subsidised prices giving them a subsidy of between Rs 7,000 and Rs 8,000 crore. At that time the Congress in opposition had protested. Today, the BJP in opposition is also protesting. But as the facts show, the policies regarding food are no different between the Congress and the BJP.

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

There are utter absurdities in definitions in the Bill. For example, in the section on special groups, a differentiation is made between those in starvation and those in destitution with the former being eligible to two free meals while the latter can get only one. Can any sane person find any difference between a person in starvation defined as "prolonged deprivation of food threatening survival", and destitution defined as those who "have no support for food and nutrition enabling their survival?" But World Bank indoctrinated economists can find the subtle difference between equally hungry people to decide who will get two free meals and who only one. Source: Times of India

Learning from a controversy

While the NCERT textbooks report has generated much heat, it has also shed positive light on the issue. It is time to reflect on this side of the debate and deal with the questions it raises.

The committee's mandate was to identify educationally inappropriate materials in textbooks and suggest alternatives, if necessary. The committee used the 2005 National Curriculum Framework (NCF) guidelines to review the text. In the case of the cartoons, due to the absence of clear guidelines, the committee used the existing literature on cartoons besides the 2005 NCF. This literature recognised the value of cartoons in teaching, but also advised caution: cartoons should be made and used for welldefined educational purposes, they must be tested for their consequences, sensitivities of various groups should be addressed, and the use of animal images to represent human beings, and the overuse of cartoons be avoided. Recommendations

The six textbooks reviewed contained 968 pages of written text, and 490 cartoons - 184 main and 306 mini cartoons. The committee proposed the
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Unanimous

The right to food must be recognised as a basic right of people and must be backed by legislation. However, the Food Security Bill presently before the parliamentary standing committee makes a mockery of food security by legalising the present injustices of the targeted system. The Left parties have opposed the Bill in its present form. Not only does the Bill retain the APL and BPL categories, it centralises all powers in the hands of the central government and thus undermines any positive measures for food security taken by some of the state governments.

deletion of only 17 of the main cartoons, and improvement in the note given below 18 of the mini cartoons. Improvements were considered with care, based on four years teaching experience of these books by a teacher member of the committee. In the written text, only a marginal change at three places was suggested. Thus 91 per cent of the main cartoons, 94 per cent of the mini cartoons and the entire text in the six books are free from any change. Therefore, claims of drastic change attributed to the committee are baseless. Let me now turn to the perception and motive.

The recommendations are hardly unanimous and M.S. Pandian's letter is cited as evidence. Mr. Pandian's story is an unfortunate one. Out of eight meetings, he remained absent for five that discussed the textbooks in detail and firmed up the recommendations. In three meetings to discuss procedure, he openly declared in advance the appropriateness of the material. At the end, he asked for the report of which he was not a part, to sit in judgment over the other five members and also threatened to give a note of dissent irrespective of the recommendations. Responsibility and morality demand that members participate in the proceedings and then arrive at their independent views. His role and behaviour have to be judged not by the old storytelling method of historical research, but by empirical facts. Some may still argue that after all Mr. Pandian has made valid points in his so-called note of dissent. However, his letter does not give any indication that his views are based on a careful reading of the text and the cartoons. It does not spell out the reasons for appropriateness because that would involve the hard work of reading each cartoon and the text, which the other committee members did. At one place, Mr. Pandian quotes the Advisors: "Our attempt here is not to hand over a definite opinion for the students, but to enable them to be on their own." He failed to notice that in some mini cartoons, students receive neither support from the text nor benefits of alternative views. It is necessary that the text itself be self-contained with alternative views in order to allow students the freedom to form their views. Hence the committee suggested modifications. Mr. Pandian also uses a phrase that has been cited by many: "what is politically incorrect may not be academically inappropriate." One could turn that around and say what is academically correct may not be necessarily politically correct. Governments,
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Sensitivities

The committee was required to deal with the views of various groups, such as Dalits and the political class, who found that some cartoons in the textbook hurt their sensibilities. The Dalits also argued that Dr. Ambedkar's significant role in the making of the Constitution and on issues such as separate electorates and State reorganisation had been sidelined. Two opposing views emerged on the issue. Some see nothing wrong with the cartoons/ text and support them as part of a larger endeavour to induce critical thinking. Hurt sentiments among Dalits were seen as narrowly defined imaginary community sensitivities. One writer saw this as the rift between "emotion and reason". Dalits, on the other hand, had reasoned out their discomfort and hurt and argued that given the continuing caste prejudice and discrimination in schools, the cartoons have the potential to hurt. It is argued that "reason's" primary job is to "listen" to hurt and improve itself by arguing for people with less or no power to resist the "reason" of the powerful. The need was to receive Dalit views with growing empathy and feel humbled towards "the other reason", commented one participant in the debate.

In the same mode is the point about motive. The committee's position on political cartoons has been described as being "excessively establishmentarian and marked by an embarrassing eagerness to please." It is an ill-conceived argument. The discussion needs to focus on guidelines. Someone like me who has spent more than 35 years in academia dominated by high castes has a different experience to share. The academic world is not immune to caste, religion, regional and ideological networks, the barriers of which are difficult to break. I am aware of the pain of the academic exclusion of the Dalit academia which has become visible since the 1990s. Historically and in present times, it is well known who the controllers and beneficiaries are of
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Learning

most of the time, settle for the second or third-best solution, while academicians continue to retain their freedom to hold on to the ideal solution. Could it be said that academicians are always right because they are in the business of writing? Do we not know that the scholars in the past have committed massive wrong in books like Manu Smruti and similar texts? In fact, political and academic affiliation should not influence the judging of something as correct or not. As he was a non-participant member, Mr. Pandian's letter to the NCERT director is hardly a member's note of dissent; it is his individual view.

scholarships distributed through political patronage over the last 60 years. Those who live in glass houses normally avoid throwing stones at others. It will be appropriate to end this issue with a word of wisdom from Dr. Ambedkar. In 1946, when the Constituent Assembly had been boycotted by the Muslim League, and the Congress was not prepared to wait for it to return, Dr. Ambedkar made an appeal to all members which is relevant even today: "Our difficulty is how to make the heterogeneous mass that we have today take a decision in common and march on the way which leads us to unity. Our difficulty is not with regard to the ultimate, our difficulty is with regard to the beginning. Mr. Chairman, therefore, I should have thought that in order to make us willing friends, in order to induce every party, every section in this country to take on to the road it would be an act of greatest statesmanship for the majority party even to make a concession to the prejudices of people who are not prepared to march together and it is for that, that I propose to make this appeal. Let us leave aside slogans, let us leave aside words which frighten people. Let us even make a concession to the prejudices of our opponents, bring them in, so that they may willingly join with us on marching up on that road, which as I said, if we walk long enough, must necessarily lead us to unity."

A number of insights have emerged from the debate. A close look is required at NCF 2005, which in many ways is a step ahead of NCF 2000. It is inclusive in representation and provides space to people and movements that contributed to nationbuilding. However, there are some new issues that need consideration. In a country characterised by immense diversities, disparities and exclusion, these features have now begun to reflect in separation and segregation in schools. There is a need to understand the ways in which diversity, disparities and discrimination are experienced by students on the campus and how social cohesion and integration might be achieved. A curriculum that enhances the understanding of students about these issues is necessary to take them to common goals of togetherness. More important is a shift in pedagogy to enhance the capacity and skill of students to deal with diversity and exclusion in the class. Countries that faced ethnic, religious, race and colour divides have developed curriculum and methods to enhance students' understanding of the

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

need for social cohesion by mainstreaming education for unity and also by introducing separate courses. Changes are necessary in NCF 2005 to deal with diversity, disparities and exclusion in class and on school campus. Source: The Hindu

definitely needs to be regulated. The scenario inside the reserves, though, is not as terrible as is made out to be. In the past five to seven years, reserves have begun to regulate the numbers of vehicles and tourists entering the parks; for example, Corbett, Ranthambore and all reserves in Madhya Pradesh have strict limits on the number of vehicles and also have measures such as 'routes', and zones to reduce the pressure of vehicles on animal sightings. I would like to discuss in some detail the Kabini area of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve as a case study on the positive aspects of tiger tourism. Less than 10 per cent of the reserve is used for tourism, and in these 40 sq km the Karnataka government has handed over the responsibility of conducting safari operations to Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), a State-owned corporation. This model has been working successfully for almost a year. The number of safari vehicles is limited according to a carrying capacity fixed by the Forest Department at a maximum of 12 every trip. Safaris are conducted twice a day for three hours each. Tourists are accompanied by trained naturalists who not only give an interpretative experience of the jungle but also enforce the rules and regulations of the park. There is a 'route system' in place, by which every vehicle has to follow a previously allotted route, which further reduces the impact of vehicles on animals. There is a very strong emphasis on converting visitors into ambassadors of conservation, which is the ultimate aim of ecotourism. It is these 'enlightened' citizens who form a strong lobby for conservation and specifically for saving tigers in our country. JLR is the oldest ecotourism company in India and has been in operation in Kabini for almost 30 years. The density of tigers in Nagarahole has only improved in these three decades, and it is now among the highest in the country - about one tiger for every 10 sq km! Another aspect of the Kabini story that needs to be appreciated is the employment of locals in the six resorts in the area and the resultant economic benefits. More than 350 locals are employed in these resorts and they take home a total salary of Rs.40 lakh every month. Further, local purchases amount to about Rs.10 lakh every month. So about Rs.50 lakh is pumped into the local economy every month. What would happen to these locals if tourism is to be completely banned in Kabini?
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Ban on tourists no boon for tigers

The recent ban by the Supreme Court on tourism in core areas of tiger reserves in India raises some fundamental questions: 1. Is tourism, however intense, the real culprit behind the killings of tigers and their seemingly low breeding capacity?

2. If after four decades of implementing the Wildlife (Protection) Act, and efforts by Project Tiger and the National Tiger Conservation Authority, tigers are near extinction today, can banning reserve tourism reverse the situation?

3. Can people be denied the right to visit national parks to watch the most admired animal in the world? Let's look at the facts on the ground:

1. In most 'tourism areas' of reserves, tigers are breeding so well that their numbers are causing problems to reserve managers! The recent example is Tadoba Tiger Reserve and the more celebrated ones are Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh. In these reserves, dispersing tigers are not able to find space or 'territories' and are therefore running into conflict with villagers living on the edges of these parks. Nobody is claiming that tourism is increasing the fecundity of tigers, but there is some evidence to show that it is not destroying it. 2. Tourism has given communities living on the fringes of tiger reserves thousands of jobs, which no other industry or the government has.

3. Tiger tourism, as it is described, takes place in not more than 10 of the 41 reserves in the country, so to blame it for the dwindling tiger population is a bit extreme.

It is a fact that resorts outside some of the tiger reserves are causing major problems such as blocking wildlife corridors and causing pollution of all kinds. A case in point is the situation outside the Corbett Tiger Reserve, where about 150 resorts have mushroomed in the past 10 years. This is the ugly side of the so-called tiger tourism, and it

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There is no other employment in these areas. Unemployment may create indirect or even direct pressure on the tigers through habitat disturbing activities, including aiding poachers. It should be mentioned here that proposed tourism in the 'buffer zones' is not a feasible idea, as visitors cannot hope to see much wildlife in these areas. It will take a very long time for such areas to be inhabited by wildlife. The other issue the Supreme Court ban throws up is that 'critical tiger habitats' or core areas need to be 'inviolate' of all human presence. Tourism that involves a temporary presence of visitors cannot be treated as 'violating' the core area. If it is, how are we to stop the thousands of pilgrims visitingtemples in reserves such as Ranthambore, Sariska, and B.R. Hills? And what about the highways that cut through reserves such as Bandipur and Nagarahole?

The Supreme Court will give a final ruling on August 22. Meanwhile its order for a temporary ban is an opportunity for all stakeholders to clean up their act. There are ways by which the court can help. For instance, it should pass strong strictures against illegal construction of resorts. It should see that existing guidelines like compulsory employment of locals are implemented. Instead of an extreme judgement that will ban tourism in tiger reserves completely, let us hope for a more balanced approach from the court in its final order. There are plenty of international examples to show that regulated tourism can serve as a valuable conservation tool. Why not in India? Source: The Hindu

Exclusive jurisdiction of states over water hinders its proper management

Many significant developments have taken place in the past few months regarding water resources management (WRM) in the country. The Supreme Court, in February, gave its go-ahead to the interlinking of rivers and asked the government to ensure that the project is implemented expeditiously. The judgment seems to have more opponents than supporters. Then, inaugurating the India Water Week in April, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh observed that a problem that hindered better WRM was the fragmented and inadequate institutional and legal structure for water, and that there was an urgent need for reforms.
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Status of Water

A solution to the water problem requires a revisiting of the entire gamut of WRM. The subject "water" is placed in the Constitution in Entry 17 of List II (State List) of Schedule VII. However, the caveat is Entry 56 of List I (Union List), which says, "Regulations and development of inter-state rivers and river valleys to the extent to which such regulation and development under the control of the Union is declared by Parliament by law to be expedient in the public interest." Unfortunately, the Centre has made little use of the powers vested in it vide Entry 56 of List I. The result is that by virtue of Article 246 read with Entry 17, List II, states have exclusive jurisdiction over waters that are located within their territories, including inter-state rivers and river valleys. It is arguably this status of water in the Constitution that constrains the highest in the executive and the judiciary, despite their pronouncements on and commitment to resolving the problem. It also makes a mockery of the National Water Policy that declares water a "prime natural resource, a basic human need and a precious national asset". It has also stopped the Centre from establishing allocation rules and clearly defined water rights among states that have unending disputes over the sharing of inter-state water resources. The latest example is the second Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal, which has turned into a warzone, with a battery of lawyers, technical staff and irrigation department officials from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh fighting to win the maximum allocation of the Krishna river for their respective state. The Centre has also been reluctant to take a proactive position on the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (CLNNUIW), a document adopted by the UN on May 21, 1997, pertaining to the use and conservation of all waters that cross international boundaries, including surface and ground water. Unfortunately, the convention is not yet ratified. Alongside the US, China, Canada and Australia, India is among the major opponents of the CLNNUIW. Ratification by India would have at least given it the support of other ratifying nations to pressure China against the diversion of the Brahmaputra. Several Chinese projects in westcentral Tibet may have a bearing on river water flow into India as well as Bangladesh. There are also reports that China is planning to divert 200 billion cubic metres (BCM) of the Brahmaputra from south to north to feed the Yellow River. If this is true, India will face a severe crisis once the Chinese

Weekly Current Affairs 30th July to 5th August 2012

projects are completed. Many of the hydel projects in the Northeast may have to be shelved. Of the 1,900 BCM of river runoff available in the country, about 600 BCM is generated in the Brahmaputra, one can imagine what would happen if the bulk of this is diverted by China. According to a recent World Bank report, entitled "India's Water Economy: Bracing for a Turbulent Future", "faced with poor water supply services, farmers and urban dwellers alike have resorted to helping themselves by pumping out ground water through tube-wells... it has led to rapidly declining water tables and critically depleted aquifers, and is no longer sustainable (at many places)." The report adds that "government actions - including the provision of

highly subsidised or even free power - have exacerbated rather than addressed the problem." India is getting seriously water-stressed; and we need to act fast. Water has to be treated not as a local resource, but a global resource. We need to see if a change in its constitutional status is required. Similarly, we need to proactively decide on our stand on the proposed UN convention. Our opposition is not helping us nor the cause of humanity. We also need to enhance our water-storage capacity, as we suffer the most from the vagaries of the monsoon. The river-linking project, alongside a chain of water-conservation projects, would offer a solution. Source: Indian Express

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