NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Passive euthanasia permissible: SC
The Supreme Court of India has
rejected the petition for mercy killing of Aruna Shanbaug, who has been in
a “persistent vegetative state” for the past 37 years. There is no law to
allow it. However, the surprise is that the apex court has permitted
passive euthanasia under certain, supervised by a High Court. The
conditions require the High Court to seek the opinion of three eminent
doctors as well as listen to the government and close relatives of the
terminally ill patient. Under passive euthanasia the life support system of
a terminally ill patient is withdrawn, while under active euthanasia the patient
is given a lethal injection by a doctor.
During the arguments Attorney General G.E Vahanvati had contended that the
withdrawal of food to the victim “will be a cruel, inhuman and intolerant
approach unknown and contrary to Indian laws”.
Euthanasia, also called assisted suicide, has been debated worldwide. Only
a small number of countries permit it: Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and
Switzerland in Europe, Thailand in Asia and the two US States of Washington
and Oregon. Australia and the UK have toyed with the idea but dropped it
due to opposition from the believers. Pope John Paul II dubbed it “a crime
that no human law can claim to legitimize”. However, support for mercy
killing is growing, especially in Europe. Polls in the UK and France have
shown up to 80 per cent support for a law to shorten life if illness is
terminal and causes intolerable suffering.
Cabinet nod for Banking Reform Bill
The Union Cabinet has given its nod to the Banking Regulation (Amendment)
Bill, which proposes to increase the voting rights of foreign investors in
private sector banks. The Bill—which seeks to align the voting rights of
foreign shareholders in banks in proportion to their equity holding—will
make it easier for banks to raise capital.
Going forward, as we need capital in banking, this will make it easy for
those who are standing on the sidelines to put more capital into banks as
and when there are initial and follow-on public offers. It will strengthen
the Indian banking system at a time the economy is going great guns.
The Bill, first introduced in the Lok Sabha in May 2005, had lapsed as the
Lok Sabha was dissolved for general elections in 2009. The government could
not move it ahead in its previous tenure due to stiff opposition from the
Left parties, which were its allies.
The Bill also proposes to make it mandatory for a person who wants to
acquire 5 per cent or more share capital of a bank to get approval from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It also proposes to give RBI more operational
flexibility in the conduct of monetary policy and power to specify the
statutory liquidity ratio without any floor or ceiling.
The restriction on bank lending to directors and companies in which the
directors have an interest is leading to problems in appointing competent
independent directors. The Bill says it is necessary to empower RBI to
grant exemption from this rule in appropriate cases.
Law to deal with sexual offences against
kids
A government study says that 53 per cent of children below 18 years of age
have undergone some or the other form of sexual victimisation. What is even
more worrisome is that more than half the abusers are known to the
children.
The gravity of the situation has set the wheels rolling for a crucial Bill
that will give the country, for the first time, a comprehensive law to deal
with sexual offences against children, by providing for stringent
punishment of up to 10 years in jail, which may even extend to life
imprisonment.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011, will deal
exclusively with sexual offences against children. It will protect children
from sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography and provide for
establishment of special courts for trial of such offences and for matters
connected therewith or incidental thereto.
The legal tool also provides for treating sexual assault as “aggravated
offence” where it is committed by a person in position of trust or
authority over a child, including a member of the security forces, police
officer, public servant, management or staff of a children’s home, hospital
or educational institution.
It will be treated as an aggravated offence where the child victim is below
the age of 12 or suffers from a mental or physical disability or the sexual
offence causes grievous hurt or injury to the child with a long-term
adverse effect on the child’s mind and body. The punishment for such an
offence would be imprisonment of up to seven years with fine. The
punishment for penetrative sexual assault has been proposed to be at least
five years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 50,000. Sexual assault also
includes fondling the child in an inappropriate way, which will invite a
penalty of minimum three years in jail.
Section 7 of the Bill provides for “no punishment” if the consent for sexual
act has been obtained with a person aged between 16 and 18 years.
Pension Bill introduced in Parliament
Paving the way for setting up of a regulator for the insurance sector, the
Union government, on March 24, 2011, introduced the long-awaited Pension
Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The move aims at providing social security to millions of employees through
efficient intermediation of long-term household savings.
The proposed legislation, however, steered clear of making any mention of a
ceiling on foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector. The government
will separately notify the ceiling.
The Bill also allows for part investment in stock markets although Left
leaders are against equity investment option given to pension scheme.
The Bill, which provides powers to sectoral regulator PFRDA to oversee
multiple pension funds in the country, will largely follow the suggestions
made by a Parliamentary standing committee in 2005.
The PFRDA is yet to get statutory powers as the Bill pertaining to that
effect lapsed in Parliament with the dissolution of the last Lok Sabha in
2009. The interim PFRDA is functioning since 2003 through an
executive order.
Unlike other regulators such as the Reserve Bank of India, the PFRDA does
not have statutory status or the quasi-judicial powers of other regulators.
Hence, if one of the entities regulated by the PFRDA violates norms, it
cannot impose penalties.
The New Pension System, introduced by the government in January 1, 2004,
was opened to all citizens of India from May 1, 2009 on a voluntary basis.
Census 2011: Population pegged at 1.21
billion
India's most backward and populous States slowed down their rate of
population growth, helping the country register its sharpest decline in
population growth since Independence. India's population grew to 1.21
billion, according to provisional results of the decadal headcount declared
by Census Commissioner C. Chandramouli on March 30, 2011.
The absolute addition of about 181 million people is slightly less than the
population of Brazil—the world fifth most populous country—but the slower
decadal growth rate of 17.64% has offered hope to policy makers. This is
the first time since 1921 that the country has actually added lesser people
in a decade compared to the previous decade.
Eight States, including India's most backward States—Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh—broke the jinx to reduce their percentage
decadal growth to 20.9%. This is a significant achievement since the growth
rates of these States had frozen at 24-25% since 1971.
The absolute number of children in the 0-6 age group also recorded decline,
from 163 million in the 2001 census to 158 million in 2011, signalling a
fall in fertility. But worryingly, this decline is sharper in case of
females than males.
The figures broadly indicate a drop in fertility across the country except
in Jammu & Kashmir, where the proportion of children has in fact
increase to 16.01%, compared to 14.65 in 2001.
There are 57 more Indians for every square kilometer in addition to those
already jostling for space in the country. Census 2011 shows that from 325
per square km in 2001, the average density of population has increased to
382 in 2011—up by 17.5%. While the cow-belt and West Bengal continues their
dominance, the density spread is more in the urban areas, pointing to the
pressure on the natural resources, infrastructure and government aid.
India accounts for a meager 2.4% of the world surface area of 135 million
sq km and supports 17.5% of the world’s population. In contrast, the US
accounts for 7.2% of the surface area with only 4.5% of the population.
At 11,297 people for every sq km, Delhi tops the list of States and Union
Territories in terms of density. Chandigarh comes next, with 9,252 people.
Among States, however, the top slot goes to Bihar with 1,102 people/ sq km.
West Bengal is the only other State to have a density in excess of 1,000.
Uttar Pradesh, otherwise the most populous State, has a density of only 828.
Andaman and Nicobar and Arunachal Pradesh are the least densely populated
territories, with 46 and 17 people, respectively, in every sq km.
Dibang valley of Arunachal has only one person in a sq km, while Samba in
J&K has two.
Nagaland is the only State that has statistically demonstrated a negative
growth rate and a marginal decline in density.
Women steal literacy lead over men: More Indian women gained
literacy over the past decade than men, according to the 2011 census. A
total of 110 million additional women have become literate since 2001, as
opposed to 107 million men over the same period. Never before have women
outdone men in numbers gaining literacy over any decade.
India’s overall literacy rate has risen from 64.8 % in 2001 to 74.04% — but
the surge in women literates means the gap between male and female literacy
has shrunk.
While male literacy has increased from 75.2% in 2001 to 82%, female
literacy has jumped from 53.6% to 65.4% over the same period.
The literacy increase—overall and for women—follows a decade in which
successive governments have focused on school education like never before
since Independence.
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan launched in 2001, along with the
universalisation across government schools of the mid-day meal scheme, are
credited by most experts as critical interventions that have helped India
achieve near universal enrollment in primary education.
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh—traditional laggards in education—have shown
maximum improvement both in improving overall literacy and in their female
literacy rate.
Bihar’s overall literacy has gone up from 47% in 2001 to 63.8% in 2011,
while UP’s overall literacy has risen from 42.2% to 59.3% over the same
period. The female literacy rate of Bihar has jumped a startling 20%—from
33.1% in 2001 to 53.3% now. UP has a seen a rise from 42.2% to 59.3% in
female literacy.
Kerala remains at the top of the pile in overall, male and female literacy.
Direct Subsidy Payout Plan
The Union government has approved a three-step strategy to create a
foolproof system for transferring fertilizer subsidy directly to farmers.
In the first step, the government plans to track the movement of
fertilizers from factories to farmers via retailers. This is expected to be
over by December. After this, based on the collected data, it would start
paying retailers.
According to DoF, there are around 230,000 retailers who will be paid based
on the quantity of fertilizer they receive from companies or through the
wholesale route. In the third stage, the government would gradually start
paying farmers directly.
Fertilizer companies said the strategy might cause delays and the deadline
of March 2012 for directly transferring kerosene, LPG and fertilizer
subsidies to consumers could be missed.
In order to account for all subsidy liabilities and lower the outgo, the
government has set up a task force under Nandan Nilekani, the chairman of
the Unique Identification Authority of India. It has been given a deadline
of March 2012.
The revised estimates put the subsidy bill—food, kerosene and
fertilizers—at Rs 1,64,153 crore for 2010-11. The subsidy bill for food,
petroleum and fertilizers is estimated at Rs 1,34,210 crore for 2011-12.
Direct subsidy transfer is positive for the industry, as it removes the
working capital issues which arise from delayed payments and
under-recoveries.
FDI policy liberalised
Relaxing the rules for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country, the
Union government, on March 31, 2011, decided to permit the issuance of
equity to overseas firms against imported capital goods and machinery.
Furthermore, the norms for overseas investment in production and
developments of seeds have been liberalised.
The measure which liberalises the conditions for conversion of non-cash
items into equity, is expected to significantly boost the prospects for
foreign companies doing business in India.
In the agriculture sector, FDI will now be permitted in the development and
production of seeds and planting material without the stipulation of having
to do so under 'controlled conditions'.
The government has further decided to abolish the condition of prior
approval in case of existing joint ventures and technical collaborations in
the 'same field'. It is expected that this measure will promote the competitiveness
of India as an investment destination and be instrumental in attracting
higher levels of FDI and technology inflows into the country.
Further, companies have now been classified into only two
categories—'companies owned or controlled by foreign investors' and
'companies owned and controlled by Indian residents'.
The earlier categorisation of 'investing companies', 'operating companies'
and 'investing-cum-operating companies' has been done away with.
Cricket diplomacy—Pakistan’s PM invited
to watch cricket World Cup semi-final at Mohali
Much against the opinion of his own Cabinet, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
invited Pakistani leaders—both Prime Minister and President—to witness the
cricket World Cup semi-final match at Mohali, played between the teams of
the two nations on April 29, 2011. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gilani accepted the invitation to take forward the peace initiative taken
by the Indian Prime Minister.
At the dinner table in the stadium itself, Mr Manmohan Singh was quick to
remind Mr Gilani that there was a need to create an atmosphere free of
violence and terrorism for truly realising the goal of normal ties. Prime
Minister Gilani full shared the views expressed by Mr Singh.
Before leaving for Islamabad, Mr Gilani said the two countries had the will
and ability to resolve their problems and stressed the need to give this
‘positive message’ to the world. Prime Minister Singh termed the meeting as
a ‘very good beginning’.
SC strikes down CVC appointment
On March 3, 2011, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the appointment of
P.J. Thomas “was in contravention of the provisions” of the CVC Act, 2003,
and hence “it is declared” that the September 3, 2010, recommendations of
the HPC “is non-est in law” and consequently his appointment “is quashed”.
The verdict was given by a three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice S.H.
Kapadia.
The Bench, which included Justices KSP Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar,
ruled that the HPC neither considered the “personal integrity” of Thomas
nor the need for maintaining the institutional integrity and competence of
the Central Vigilance Commission, a statutory body set up to fight
corruption by guiding the CBI.
The HPC, which included Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Leader of
Opposition Sushma Swaraj, failed to consider the 2003 corruption case
relating to the import of palm oil in 1992 by Kerala, where Thomas was Food
Secretary, and the four departmental recommendations between June 2000 and
November 2004 for initiating “penalty proceedings” against Thomas in the
light of the allegations against him in the case.
The SC and the Kerala High Court had also rejected the pleas for quashing
the FIR filed in the corruption case and that fact was also not brought
before the HPC. The explanation that the HPC could not consider these
details as these were not included in the file put up before the committee
by the Department of Personnel was immaterial, the Bench ruled.
“The fact remains that the HPC, for whatsoever reason, has failed to
consider the relevant material keeping in mind the purpose and policy of
the 2003 CVC Act,” the apex court pointed out in its judgment while
disposing of two PILs challenging the appointment of Thomas.
The HPC should take into consideration whether the candidate would or would
not be able to function as a CVC. “Whether the institutional competency
would be adversely affected by pending proceedings and if by that
touchstone the candidate stands disqualified, it shall be the duty of the
HPC not to recommend such a candidate,” the apex court ruled.
The verdict was “strictly confined” to the legality of the September 3,
2010, recommendation of the HPC, the Apex Court clarified.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), set up in 1964, is India’s top
corruption watchdog, which is empowered to conduct inquiries in
departmental actions against public servants. It is the designated agency
to receive written complaints and recommend action in cases of graft or
misuse of office by officials. The jurisdiction of the CVC extends to all
central government departments, central government companies, including
nationalised banks, and central government organisations. It is not an
investigating agency. CVC gets the investigations done either by the CBI or
through chief vigilance officers in government offices.
|
|
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Canadian Parliament Dissolved
On March 26, 2011, Canada's
Governor-General dissolved the Parliament after a vote of no-confidence in
Tory Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, setting up a May 2
election, the fourth in seven years.
From the steps of the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II's
representative in Canada, Harper announced the official launch of the
campaign, contrasting his Conservatives' economic recovery plan with the
prospects of opposition parties forming a leftist coalition.
The snap poll was forced following the passage of the no-confidence vote
against the minority government engineered by the opposition Liberal Party
and backed by two other opposition parties, on the heels of a historic
contempt of Parliament charge.
Junta rule ends in Myanmar
On March 30, 2011, Myanmar’s military handed power to a nominally civilian
government after almost half a century of army rule, as the junta was
disbanded and a new President appointed.
But the army hierarchy retains a firm grip on power in the resource-rich
Southeast Asian country, and many analysts believe Senior General Than Shwe
will attempt to retain some sort of control behind the scenes.
The handover came after controversial elections in November 2010, the
country’s first in 20 years, which were marred by the absence of democracy
icon Aung San Suu Kyi and claims of cheating and intimidation.
Former PM Thein Sein, a key Than Shwe ally, was sworn in as President. He
is among a slew of generals who shed their army uniforms to contest the
elections and are now civilian members of Parliament, which also has a
quarter of its seats kept aside for the military.
Dalai Lama announces his
retirement as political head
On March 10, 2011, the Dalai Lama announced his retirement plan on the 52nd
anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day. Announcing that he would step down
as political head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, the Dalai Lama in his
speech said he would hand over his “formal authority” to a “freely-elected”
leader.
“As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a
leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power.
Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect,” the
75-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate, who has been at the forefront of a
six-decade-long struggle for freedom of Tibetans, said.
The Dalai Lama further said he was committed to playing his part for the
"just cause" of Tibet. “The decision to devolve authority has not
been taken because I feel disheartened. It is to benefit the Tibetans in
the longer run. I feel gradually people will come to understand my
intention and will support my decision and let it take effect,” said the
spiritual leader.
He has formally proposed to the Tibetan Parliament in-exile to make
necessary amendments to the Charter for Tibetans-in-Exile reflecting his
decision to devolve his authority. As per the Tibetan Charter, according to
which the Tibetan government-in-exile runs, the Dalai Lama is the head of
state and also the political and administrative head of Tibetans.
By devolving his powers, the Dalai Lama hopes to give the Prime Minister
greater clout as the region seeks autonomy from China.
The aging Dalai is concerned about the future of Tibetan struggle after
him. He wants that a Tibetan leadership should evolve during his lifetime
that has the acceptance of all members of the community and can take the
freedom struggle further after him. However, most Tibetans, especially
those living in Tibet, are still spiritual and believe in the institutions
of lamas. There is also an apprehension that the political leadership
elected by around 80,000 Tibetans living in exile might not have legitimacy
of the people in Tibet in the absence of the Dalai Lama. They believe only
a spiritual leader could take place of Dalai Lama rather than the political
leadership.
Japan faces its worst disaster
since World War II
After a cataclysm so powerful that it moved the Earth 10 inches off its
axis, Japan woke to find itself a country that had, literally, been shunted
two meters from where it was on March 11, 2011 morning.
Neighbourhood after neighbourhood was submerged under a grotesque soup of
water and debris. Homes were flattened. Tens of thousands of once orderly
acres became a jumble of broken homes, cars, boats, and concrete, with
shipping containers cluttering the landscape.
Only 300 km from Tokyo, radiation leak from a nuclear plant crippled by an
explosion threatens to convert into a major nuclear disaster. Officials
were swift to assert that any meltdown, if it came, would not be on
anything like the scale or severity of Chernobyl.
The 8.9 Richter scale earthquake was the most monstrous that Japan, the
world's most tremor-prone country, has ever recorded. This was strong
enough to leave a 300 km rupture on the ocean floor. The subsequent
tsunami—sending 30ft-high waves lashing into Japan's north-east
coast—turned a disaster into a cataclysm. The wall of water, moving at an
estimated 50 kmph, swallowed boats, homes, cars, trees and even small
planes, and used these as battering rams as it charged up to 15 kms inland,
demolishing all that stood in its way.
The first estimates of the total insured loss caused by the quake and
tsunami were put at USD 12 billion—an unwelcome burden on an economy that
had just starting to show signs of revival.
US and European planes hit Libya
Starting March 19, 2011, Western forces launched a series of air and
missile strikes against forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to force
him to stop war on opposition forces in Libya.
Earlier, on March 18, a UNSC resolution had imposed a no-fly zone over
Libya. India stayed away from voting. India, along with four other
countries, wanted the UNSC to wait for the report of the special envoy of
the Secretary-General. India also made it clear that it was very important
to fully respect sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Libya.
Away from principles of democracy, the need to secure oil supplies and
tackle a history of appeasement toward Muammar Gaddafi are some of the
less-publicised reasons for Europe taking on a leadership role in prodding
the world to act over Libya, analysts say. Days into the enforcement of a
no-fly zone and with the US continuing to take a backseat, there is much
speculation over the surprising swiftness with which France and Britain
have galvanised European military action on Libya.
While the UN resolution authorizing the enforcement of a no fly zone is
aimed at protecting civilians and backed by the Arabs, it is also pushed by
a mix of unstated personal and political factors rooted in Europe. In
Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron defended committing British forces by
declaring the action "necessary, legal and right".
Even more than Cameron, it is French President Nicolas Sarkozy who has led
calls for military intervention. His reasons could be far more personal
than Cameron's: in 2007, Sarkozy became the first western leader in decades
to welcome Gaddafi on an official State visit. With his approval ratings
sinking to record lows and a presidential election due in summer 2012,
Sarkozy has strong domestic political reasons to be seen to be acting
swiftly and decisively.
Italy has more reasons to be wary of events in Libya than Britain or
France. Libya's most important European economic partner, Italy sources
some 25 percent of its oil imports and 10 percent of its gas from Libya and
billions of Euros are tied up in infrastructure and security projects in
the country.
Some strategic analysts, however, disagree that domestic political reasons
characterize European action. "This is a European, American and
Canadian action supported by a UN resolution aimed at protecting
civilians—they will deny that it is about Gaddafi," said Christian Le
Miere of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Business News
AT&T Inc has decided to but
T-Mobile USA for $ 39 billion. The deal will give AT&T additional
capacity to expand and meet ever-increasing demands for videos and data
from devices such as Apple Inc’s iPhone.
Berkshire Hathaway, owned by Warren Buffet, one of the world’s
most successful investors, will distribute general insurance products in
India through its online portal and tele-marketing arm. It has become a
“corporate agent” of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.
HDFC Ltd is the only Indian company on a list of 110 world’s most
ethical companies, according to an annual survey by US think-tank
Ethisphere Institute. The list does not give ranks and has 42 companies
from outside USA—six from Japan. No Chinese firm could make the cut.
Japanese insurance firm Nippon Life Insurance Company has decided
to acquire 26% share in Reliance Life Insurance for Rs 3,062 crore.
Manchester United Cafe, the franchise model bar and restaurant of
the English Premier League football team, has planned to invest Rs 100
crore in India as part of its expansion. The cafe had entered the Indian
market in 2010 and currently has presence in three metros.
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd rolled out its 10 millionth car from its
facility in Gurgaon on March 15, 2011, to become the first Indian
automobile manufacturer to attain this milestone.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has entered into a code share agreement
with Kingfisher Airlines.
Pratip Chaudhuri has been appointed as the new Chairman of State
Bank of India.
Software giant Microsoft has appointed Bhaskar Pramanik as
chairman for its India operations.
Subway has surpassed McDonalds to become the largest restaurant
chain in the world.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched iON—a fully
integrated information technology solution for small and medium
businesses (SMBs).
Tata Motors have become the first Indian company to produce one
lakh commercial vehicles in a financial year.
The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) has decided to
launch its operations in India through the Indian Council for Small
Business and Entrepreneurship. ICSB is a global membership organisation
for those interested in theory and practice of entrepreneurship and the
development of small and medium enterprises.
US firm Sara Lee Corp has terminated the licence of Godrej
Household Products Ltd to sell Kiwi shoe care and Kiwi Kleen brands in
India and Sri Lanka.
US-based paper and packaging firm International Paper Co. Has
picked-up 53.3% share in Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills for around $257
million.
|
DO YOU KNOW
Child sex ratio of India, as per Census 2011, is 914 females
against 1000 males. This is lowest since independence. The overall sex
ratio has risen by 7 points to 940 females per 1000 males.
Chinese President Hu Jintao has been named the most powerful person
in the world by Forbes, ahead of US President Barack Obama, who is ranked
second among 68 people "who matter", a list that also includes
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. Sonia ranks 9th on the Forbes 2010 list of the "world's
most powerful people". Singh comes in at number 18. India's business
tycoons Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Tata Sons chairman
Ratan Tata and head of ArcelorMittal Lakshmi Mittal also make the list.
Cricket is known as “ban qiu” in Chinese.
Denmark is ranked first in the list of world’s happiest countries,
followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden. India is ranked 115 and shares
the spot with Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Pakistan is ranked 58, while
China is ranked 125.
Facebook Credits is a virtual currency which enables the users of
Facebook to watch films on the site or buy various applications. Beam, a
mobile-commerce company has applied to the RBI for permission to make
Facebook Credits available in India.
Five most populated States of India are (as per 2011 Census):
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. Five
least populated States/UTs are: Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, Dadar &
Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar and Sikkim.
In its credit policy review, on March 17, 2011, Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) raised key policy rates by 25 basis points (100 basis points
equals 1 per cent) for the eighth time since March 2010 to cool down
inflation. It raised short-term lending (repo) and borrowing (reverse
repo) rates to 6.75 per cent and 5.75 per cent, respectively. The move will
make loans costlier.
India now accounts for 17.5% of the world’s population. China
accounts for 19.4%.
India Post has launched online portal ‘e-post office’ to provide
postal transactions and tracking service online. This portal will provide
electronic money order (eMO), instant money order (iMO), sale of
philatelic stamps, postal information, tracking of express and
international shipments, PIN code search and registration of feedback and
complaints online. Through this portal, DoP will also sell products,
handicrafts and other products made by small-scale industries. The
content of the portal is in English. The next version of the portal is
expected to be launched in Bangla and Kannada language.
India’s per capita income, often used to measure a country's standard
of living, increased by 14.5 per cent during 2009-10 to Rs 46,492. The
per capita income at factor cost is estimated as Rs 46,492 at current
prices. As per the base year 2004-05, the per capita income in rural
areas was Rs 16,327, while in the urban areas it stood at Rs 44,223.
India’s total population, as per the 2011 Census is 12102.2 million.
Out of this 586.5 are females and 623.7 are males.
Literacy rate of India, as per Census 2011 has gone up to 74.04%
from 64.83% a decade ago. 82.4% is male literacy and 65.46 is female
literacy.
NLU-Delhi, NALSAR-Hyderabad, NLSIU-Bangalore, NUJS-Kolkata and
RGSOIPL-IIT Kharagpur have come together to set up the Legal Information
Institute of India. The online portal provides for 300,000 decisions from
37 courts and tribunals, 800 bilateral treaties, 500 law journal articles
and much more.
Over 4,000 cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, from 131
countries turned off their lights during the global Earth Hour observed
on March 26, 2011
Seismic zones are divided into zones from 1 to 5 with 1 being
least active to 5 being highest. Indian N-plants at Kakrapar, Gujarat,
Tarapur, Maharashtra and Kaiga, Karnataka are in zone 3. Narora in Uttar
Pradesh lies in zone 4. Kalpakkam, TN, Kudankulam, TN and Rawatbhata,
Rajasthan lie in zone 2.
Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal has overtaken Mukesh Ambani to become
the wealthiest Indian, according to the annual Forbes list of World
Billionaires for 2011. With a net worth of $31.1 billion (Rs 1.4 lakh
crore), Mittal is ranked sixth richest in the world. Globally, Carlos
Slim Helu, the Mexican telecom baron stayed the richest, increasing his
worth by $ 20.5 billion. India, with its 55 billionaires, has the third
largest pool of billionaires, after the US and China.
The 11th Info-Poverty World Conference was held in March 2011 at
the United Nations.
The 2011 BRICS summit was hosted by China at Sanya.
The biennial Wind Power India conference was held in Chennai.
The Constitution (115 Amendment) Bill, 2011, proposes to give
powers to both the Centre and the States to make laws with respect of
Goods and Services Tax (GST). The amendment is required as currently the
Centre cannot impose excise duty beyond the manufacturing stage and the
States cannot levy a tax on services.
The decadal growth rate of population in 2001-11 was 17.64%. It
was 21.54% in the previous decade.
The density of population of India (as per Census 2011) is 382
persons per sq km. Delhi (11,297) is the densest State, followed by
Chandigarh (9,252). Arunachal Pradesh is the least dense State with a
density of 17.
The Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSRLC) has
been set up by the Union government to re-write and clean-up financial
laws of India. It is headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna
The three-day world Sufi music festival was held on March 11-13,
2011 in New Delhi.
World House Sparrow day is observed on March 20.
World Water Day is observed on March 22.
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment