Current Affairs: April 2011

NATIONAL AFFAIRS Possession of Naxal literature is not sedition, rules SC On April 15, 2011, the Supreme Court granted bail to civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen, holding that possessing Naxal literature or visiting jailed Maoists did not amount to sedition. “If Gandhi’s books were found in my house, would that make me a Gandhian,” said Justice C.K. Prasad. Justice H.S. Bedi, who headed the Bench, clarified that the State could not slap sedition charges on Sen unless there was material to show that he was actively preaching or propagating Maoist ideals. The Bench made the remarks in connection with the State government’s contention that Sen had visited his co-accused Piyush Guha 30 times in a jail and pamphlets and documents relating to Maoist activities were recovered from his possession. The apex court said none of this amounted to seditious activities or waging a war against the State. Being a sympathiser did not make him guilty of sedition, the Bench felt. In December 2010, the trial court had sentenced Sen to life imprisonment after convicting him for sedition and having links with Naxalites. He was convicted along with Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata businessman Piyush Guha. Sixty one-year-old Sen, a child specialist who had studied medicine at the prestigious Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, has worked for 25 years in the tribal and Naxal-infested belt of Chhattisgarh. He is also the vice-president of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Chinese troops in PoK worry India The presence of Chinese troops in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) has been causing anxiety to New Delhi, which has started strengthening infrastructure along the border. Responding to media reports about the involvement of China’s PLA (People’s Liberation Army) troops in various infrastructure projects in PoK, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said that the government was seized of media reports on the subject. The Minister said India continuously reviewed and took all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of its people, as well as the territorial integrity of the nation. Another cause of worry for India is that China has been developing infrastructure in the border region opposite India in the Tibet and Xinjiang Autonomous Regions. This includes the Qinghai-Tibet railway line, with proposed extension up to Xigaze and Nyingchi, and development of road and airport facilities. India has also started paying special attention to the development of infrastructure in the border areas opposite China in order to meet the country’s security requirements and also to facilitate the economic development in these areas. Visit of Prime Minister Singh to Kazakhstan On April 16, 2011, during the official visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Kazakhstan, India and Kazakhstan signed seven key accords, including one on cooperation in the civil nuclear energy field and another for joint exploration in the oil and gas sector, and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and those who supported the menace. The other five accords were: joint action plan for further strengthening strategic partnership (road map), MoU between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and the Kazakhstan Computer Response Team, treaty on mutual legal assistance in civil matters, agreement for cooperation between the agriculture ministries of the two countries and an agreement between their health ministries. Kazakhstan rolled out the red carpet for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who became the first top world leader to visit the Central Asian nation following the re-election of President Nursultan Nazarbayev for a fourth consecutive term. With his victory coming close on the heels of widespread pro-democracy protests in West Asia and North Africa, the Kazakh leader left no stone unturned to demonstrate his democratic credentials by inviting the envoys of nearly 50 countries to the Akorda Presidential Palace for the ceremony to accord welcome to Manmohan Singh, leader of the largest democracy in the world. From India’s point of view, it is obviously the nuclear accord that is being considered the singular achievement of Manmohan Singh’s two-day visit. Under the Indo-Kazakh nuke accord, Kazakhstan would supply 2100 tonne of uranium to India by 2014. The umbrella nuclear accord envisages a legal framework for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including fuel supply, nuclear medicine, use of radiation technologies for healthcare, reactor safety mechanisms, exchange of scientific and research information, exploration and joint mining of uranium, design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. The agreement on cooperation in the oil and gas sector signed between the ONGC Videsh Limited and Kazakh national company Kazmunaigas gives effect to the transfer of participating interest of 25 per cent in the Satpayev Block from the Kazakh firm to the Indian company. The Satpayev exploration block, located in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, covers an area of 1482 sq km and is at a water depth of 6-8 meters. It is situated in a highly prospective region of the North Caspian sea and is in close proximity to major discoveries. Visit of Prime Minister of Thailand On April 5, 2011, India and Thailand agreed to intensify their cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, education, tourism and culture and to aim towards doubling of their trade by 2014. The decisions were taken during the visit of Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand.. The visit helped to impart a new momentum to the relations between the two countries. The two sides also agreed to expedite the conclusion of negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement that would include goods, services and investment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Thailand as a close friend and a valued regional partner for India and noted that the two countries shared civilisation links and were maritime neighbours. A joint statement, which was released after the summit meeting announced the establishment of a regular High-Level Dialogue on Defence Cooperation that would consider widening the scope of cooperation in the sector. This dialogue is expected to lead to a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation and is part of India's burgeoning defence ties with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, South Korea and Japan. In addition to taking a closer look at the ongoing exchanges between the armed forces, the dialogue would attempt to broaden the scope of cooperation to include the Defence industry and technology. The summit meeting saw both sides agreeing to intensify “coordinated patrolling”, which would be aimed at sanitising the busy but narrow and vulnerable Malacca Straits. Ever since the September 11, 2001 attacks, naval ships from both countries jointly patrol their respective stretches to foil any piracy or disruption of shipping through the deliberate disabling of a ship. On the security side, the two Prime Ministers resolved to improve sharing of intelligence, develop more effective counter-terrorism policies and increase interaction between law enforcement agencies. In this respect, they decided to expedite discussions on some of the building blocks, such as the Extradition Treaty, the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Civil and Commercial Matters. CWG Scam On April 25, 2011, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Suresh Kalmadi, Member of Parliament and former chairman of the Organising Committee (OC) of the Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG). The CBI has charged him with criminal conspiracy to buy timing, scoring and result (TSR) system from a Swiss company at an inflated cost of R141 crore. The CBI has alleged that this cost the government Rs 95 crore extra. "Investigation has revealed that the OC committee for short-listing prospective bidders for TSR was constituted by selecting handpicked officials who favoured the Swiss company while members of the tenders evaluation committee were coerced and threatened to disqualify other bidders". The CBI had earlier arrested former OC secretary general Lalit Bhanot and director general V.K. Verma in the case. 2G Spectrum Scam Five corporate honchos, including Unitech’s Sanjay Chandra and Reliance ADAG’s Gautam Doshi, were arrested on April 20, 2011, and sent to jail after a Delhi court dismissed their bail plea saying they might tamper with evidence and even flee to avoid prosecution in the “highest magnitude” 2G Spectrum allocation scam. The court also rejected the bail plea of co-promoter of Swan Telecom Vinod Goenka and Reliance ADAG’s Surender Pipara and Hari Nair. “A bare perusal of the facts of the case and the allegations in the charge-sheet make it out a case of the highest magnitude and gravity and there is enough incriminating material on record against the accused.” The court also dealt with the arguments of defence lawyers that they be granted bail “ipso facto” (by default) as they were not arrested during the probe. The court, however, concurred with CBI’s apprehension that the accused might tamper with the evidence “by trying to win over witnesses. On April 25, 2011, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named DMK Member of Parliament Kanimozhi as a co-accused in the supplementary charge-sheet filed by it before the special CBI court in the 2G Spectrum case. Kanimozhi has been charged under Section 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), which relates to acceptance of alleged gratification. Besides Kanimozhi, Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar, and Karim Morani of Cineyug Films (Pvt) Ltd were also charge-sheeted. CBI disclosed in the charge-sheet that Rs 200 crore connected with the 2G Spectrum had travelled from DB Realty to Kalaignar TV which has Kanimozhi, Dayalu Ammal and Sharad Kumar (MD Kalaignar TV), with 20, 60 and 20 per cent shares in the channel, respectively. Answering the question as to why Dayalu Ammal, wife of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Karunanidhi has been left out in the charge-sheet, while the other two stakeholders of the channel (Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar) have been charged, CBI said that “Dayalu Ammal does not have a single signature on any paper that we have come across. All the papers, wherever required, have been signed by Sharad Kumar. She cannot understand any language besides Tamil and we had a hard time questioning her. Under such circumstances, it is highly unlikely that she could have been part of the conspiracy”. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS President Saleh of Yemen agrees to step down On April 24, 2011, Yemen's embattled President agreed to a proposal by Gulf Arab mediators to step down within 30 days and hand power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution. A coalition of seven opposition parties said they also accepted the deal but with reservations. Even if the differences are overcome, those parties do not speak for all of the protesters seeking President Ali Abdullah Saleh's removal, and signs were already emerging that a deal on those terms would not end protests. Under the latest draft, Yemen's Parliament would grant Saleh legal protection from prosecution. The President would submit his resignation to lawmakers and hand power to his Vice President, who would call for new Presidential elections. BRIC expands to BRICS BRIC, the grouping of the four countries thought to radiate the largest lessons in developing an economy–Brazil, Russia, India and China–has decided to transform itself to BRICS, with the much-awaited induction of South Africa into the cohort, making it more representative. Started in year 2009, the 2011 summit, held in Sanya on south China's tropical island of Hainan on April 13-15, was the first one for South Africa. Bringing South Africa makes the grouping more representative of the emerging powers from all the developing regions. All of them are members of the G-20, the high table of global economic policy coordination. This gives them a significant clout. If they can coordinate their positions in G-20 Summits, they will be more effective. Although the BRICS grouping is in a nascent stage it has been able to emerge as an important voice. BRICS represent the world’s fastest growing market, comprising 44 per cent of the world population. All of them are members of the UN, of which two are permanent. Experts say all the member-countries must take advantage of the moment and come out with a clear map for long-term sustenance. And, that the grouping should take a leadership role in closing the Doha round of multilateral trade deals under World Trade Organisation (WTO). Besides, focusing on financial cooperation and an effective mechanism for global development, the leaders also dwelled on some of the recent events around the world, such as the unrest in West Asia, turmoil in North Africa and the disaster in Japan. Leaders of BRICS countries adopted a far-reaching declaration that, among other things, called for restructuring of international financial institutions to reflect changes in the world economy, thus increasing the voice and representation of emerging economies. The cooperation among BRICS countries was neither directed against nor was at the expense of anyone, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said while addressing the plenary of the BRICS leaders. Recognising that the international financial crisis has exposed the inadequacies and deficiencies of the existing international monetary and financial system, the leaders supported the reform and improvement of the international monetary system, with a broad-based international reserve currency system providing stability and certainty. At a joint press conference by summit leaders, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced that the designated banks of BRICS nations have signed a framework agreement on financial cooperation which envisaged grant of credit in local currencies and cooperation in capital markets and other financial services. Under the agreement, banks in each country would work out modalities so that projects and loans could be encouraged in other BRICS nations, if national laws permit them to do so. The five nations also signed an MoU on BRICS long-term business contacts to facilitate trade amongst them. The FICCI will be the focal point for this on the Indian side. The Chinese leader also sought to dispel the impression that BRICS wanted to emerge as a grouping aimed at countering leading global economies The BRICS countries also resolved to carry out closer cooperation on food security, support development and use of renewable energy resources, and recognise its importance as a means to address climate change. Supporting the G-20 initiative, the BRICS leaders desired that the grouping should play a bigger role in global economic governance as the premier forum for international economic cooperation. In an action plan, the five nations decided to hold a meeting of high representatives for security issues in the latter half of 2011 in China, engage in joint research on economic and trade issues, encourage cooperation in sports and promote cooperation in scientific, technological and innovation cooperation in BRICS format. Business News Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has renamed its Logan car as Verito. Anup Bagchi  has taken over as the MD and CEO of ICICI Securities. Veteran banker K.V. Kamath has been appointed as the Chairman of Infosys, in place of founder N.R. Narayana Murthy. S.D. Shibulal has been elevated as the CEO and MD. Ashok Soota, the ousted chairman of the Bangalore-based software major MindTree, has launched a new company by the name of Happiest Minds Technologies Pvt Ltd with a mission to “creating the happiest customers and the happiest team”. Italian luxury sports car maker Maserati has announced its foray into the Indian market with its complete range of cars. The latest Nielson corporate image monitor has rated Tata Steel as the best in a list of Indian firms, followed by Tata Motors and Aditya Birla Nuvo. Wipro retained the fourth rank and Bharti Airtel was ranked fifth. The Union Ministry of Defence has signed a Rs 1,904-crore contract with Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Division (Tata Power SED) for modernising 30 Indian Air Force airbases across India. The project is officially called Modernization of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) Leading global consumer goods firm Reckitt Benckiser Group plc. has appointed India-born Rakesh Kapoor as its global CEO. DO YOU KNOW As many as 57 Indian companies, including Reliance Industries, State Bank of India and ONGC figure in The Forbes Global 2000 list of public companies based on their rankings for sales, profits, assets and market value. Other companies in India's top ten were ICICI Bank, NTPC, Coal India, Bharti Airtel, Larsen & Toubro and Tata Motors. JP Morgan Chase is in the top spot for the second consecutive year as the world's largest company, followed by HSBC. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) India’s economic growth rate will moderate to 8.2 per cent in 2011, mainly because of tight monetary policy measures. The Ashoka Pillar in Delhi was uprooted from Topra village near Yamunanagar, Haryana by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 14th century and taken to Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. According to Tuglaq’s court historian Shams-i-Siraj, author of Tarikh-i-Feroze Shahi, the pale pinkish sandstone pillar was ferried to Delhi by 8,000 people. The Delhi pillar is the only Ashoka pillar that has seven edicts issued by Ashoka. The rest of Ashoka pillars have only six edicts. The ancient Brahmi script used to write on the pillars was first deciphered on Ashoka pillar at Delhi by a British expert James Prinsep in 1837. The Union Finance Ministry has introduced simpler income tax return forms ‘Sahaj’ and ‘Sugam’. While ‘Sahaj’ is for salaried people, ‘Sugam’ return form is applicable for small businessmen and professionals covered under presumptive taxation. With only 17 per cent people describing themselves as “thriving”, India ranked 71 in a new Gallup study on overall well-being conducted in 124 countries. According to the study, which combined the results of Gallup's 2010 global well-being surveys, majority of Indians (64 per cent) believe they are “struggling” while 19 per cent think they are “suffering”. Pakistan, whose economy is in tatters, has been ranked as the 40th happiest nation in the world. With only 12 per cent happy respondents, China is ranked 92. Denmark topped as the most contented. Sweden and Canada ranked as the second happiest countries, followed by Australia, Finland and Venezuela. The African nation of Chad remained at the bottom of the list with less than one per cent reporting they were thriving. BRIC or the group of four most developing countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China—has transformed itself to BRICS with induction of South Africa. Indira Gandhi Scholarship Scheme offers scholarships to single girl child for post-graduate studies. Earlier the scholarship was offered to 1200 single girl children in a year. Now the UGC has decided to lift the cap and open the scholarship programme to all girls who meet the eligibility criteria. India’s exports for 2010-11 have clocked $245.9 billion registering a growth of 37.5 per cent. This is the first time exports have crossed $200 billion. World Heritage Day, also known as the international day for monuments, is observed on April 18. World Health Day is observed on April 7. World Haemophilia Day is observed on April 17. Haemophilia is a genetic blood disorder in which blood does not clot properly. Civil Services Day is observed on April 21.