The Earth—Its Motions and their Effects
The earth has two motions, viz., (1) Rotation around its axis or the daily motion. The axis of the earth is an imaginary line inclined at 66.5° to the plane of the orbit of the earth. The earth rotates round its axis from west to east once in 24 hours. Effects: Days and nights are caused. The sun, moon and other heavenly bodies appear to revolve round the earth from east to west. Direction of winds and currents is changed.
(2) Revolution round the sun on its orbit, or the annual motion: The earth revolves round the sun once in about 365.25 days. Effects: It causes seasons; days and nights are of unequal length at the same place.
Important elements in the earth’s crust
The five most abundant elements in the earth’s crust are: Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminium, Iron and Calcium. (The other three are Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium.)
Oceans—Their Importance
Oceans are the source of all water on earth as the evaporated water from over their surface is brought to earth by the winds passing over them. They are the highways of the world and most of the world trade is carried through the sea. Innumerable fish and other animals living in the oceans are a great source of food to mankind. Minerals like salt, iodine etc. are derived from the ocean waters and sea-weeds.
Ocean Currents: are rivers of warm or cold water flowing in an ocean. Their banks and beds also consist of water.
Natural Regions
A natural region is a large area in which the topography, climate and vegetation are largely similar, and therefore there is a certain uniformity in human activities.
Natural Regions of the World
(1) Equatorial Region (2) Hot-Grassland Region (3) Monsoon Region (4) Hot Deserts Region (5) Mediterranean Region (6) Steppe Region (7) Tundra Region (8) Warm Temperate Region (9) Cool Temperate Region.
Natural Regions of India
(1) The Himalayas and the adjacent mountains; (2) The Sutlej-Ganga plains; (3) The coastal plains of Western and Eastern ghats; (4) The Deccan plateau.
Factors Determining Climate of a Place
(1) Distance from the Equator (2) Height above sea-level (3) Distance from the sea (4) Winds (5) Direction of Mountains (6) Ocean currents (7) Slope of land (8) Nature of the soil (9) Forests.
Factors Determining Temperature
(i) sun rays, (ii) height above sea-level (iii) movements of atmospheric winds, (iv) ocean currents.
Rainfall
Two important conditions must be satisfied in order to have rain: (1) There should be moisture-laden air, (2) There should be some means whereby air is cooled and condensation takes place. The air obtains water vapours by evaporation from the surface of large bodies of water, usually from the sea.
Monsoons in India
Monsoons are periodic winds which blow from sea to land for six months in summer and from land to sea for six months in winter. Monsoon winds prevail over India at different seasons.
South-West Monsoons: These are rain-bearing winds which prevail from about the end of May to the end of September. During summer, the sun’s rays fall vertically on the Tropic of Cancer making the Indian plains intensely hot. But the rays of the sun fall obliquely over the Indian Ocean during this period. The land is hotter than the sea, there is, therefore, low pressure over the land and high pressure over the sea. The winds blow from high to low pressure i.e., from the sea to the land, and are therefore wet winds. Because of the rotation of the earth, the monsoon winds blowing over India deflect to the right after crossing the Equator and become south-west winds. These are, therefore, called south-west monsoons.
India depends largely on these rain-bearing south-west winds. These winds give to India about 90% of the total rainfall. During their prevalence, the chief crops cultivated are rice, cotton, tobacco, tea, jawar and bajra.
North-East Monsoons (or Winter Monsoons): During the months of November to January i.e., in winter, the sun’s rays fall vertically on the Tropic of Capricorn. The air over the Indian Ocean during this period thus becomes hot and light and there is low pressure. The sun’s rays fall obliquely on the plains of India during these months with the result that the air over these plains is cold and heavy and there is high pressure. The winds, therefore, blow from plains to the Indian Ocean. While crossing the Equator, they deflect to the left and are known as north-east monsoons.
The North-East Monsoons bring only about 10% of the total rain to India as they are chilly and dry land winds. But the moisture that they pick from the Bay of Bengal, little as it is, is very useful. Wheat, barley, oats, oilseeds and sugarcane are cultivated during this season.
Thus these monsoon winds have much importance for India.
Weather and Climate
Weather means the atmospheric conditions e.g., temperature, rainfall, humidity, winds, sunshine and cloudiness of a particular place on a particular day. Climate, on the other hand, is the average condition of weather obtaining in a country or a place for a considerable period.
India has a great diversity of climatic conditions. Lying largely within the tropics and in the great Asiatic Continent and the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean to the South, the climate of India is essentially the tropical monsoon type. The average annual rainfall in India is 42 inches.
Types of Soil in India
The main categories of soils in India are: (i) Alluvial soils (ii) Black soils (iii) Red soils (iv) Laterite soils (v) Mountain and hill soils (vi) Terai soils (vii) Desert (or Arid) soil and (viii) Peat soils.
Alluvial soil and Black soil
Alluvial soil is that soil which is formed by deposition of silts brought down by the rivers. It is rich in hydrated oxides of iron and is very fertile. Black soil or the black cotton soil has a good water-holding capacity and is best suited for deep-rooted crops like cotton. The black soil in wet condition is compact and sticky.
The most extensive soil cover of India comprises alluvial soils.
Soil Erosion: The soils are usually six to twelve inches in depth. In course of time, the fertility level of the soil is depleted with the result that the soil no longer remains suitable for agriculture. Soil conservation is, therefore, necessary for continued agricultural prosperity.
The agencies of erosion are winds, water and waves of which the water erosion is most common. Rain water removes soil from the surface of sloping lands. Winds remove top soil of lands.
Laterite soils are formed by the weathering of laterite rocks. These can be distinguished from other soils by their acidity. Laterite soils are generally poor on the higher levels and cannot retain moisture. In the plains, however, they consist of heavy loams and clay and can retain moisture.
Laterite soils occur in Madhya Pradesh, Assam and along the Eastern and Western Ghats. Tea plantation requires acidity which is there in the laterite soil. It is, therefore, common in these areas.
Star and Planet
Star is the name given to a fixed celestial body which has its own light whereas Planet is the name given to a celestial body which revolves round the sun in elliptical (regular oval shape) orbit. A planet has no light of its own but reflects the light of the sun.
Rocks
Three main groups of rocks: Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.
Classification of rocks
Igneous rocks: granite.
Sedimentary rocks: sandstone; limestone; shale; coal.
Metamorphic rocks: marble.
Phyllite: This rock is formed by deposits of animal shells and skeletons.
Land Breeze and Sea Breeze
Land Breeze: At night, land masses cool quicker than the sea. Therefore, in calm, cloudless weather, an air-stream passes from the land to the sea. This breeze carries no moisture, and is a little warm.
Sea Breeze: In day-time, the land is hotter than the sea. The air over it rises, and is replaced by a cool breeze from the sea carrying some moisture.
Tides
Alternate rise and fall of waters of the ocean twice in the course of nearly twenty four hours is termed as “tides”. The tides are caused by the gravitational force exerted by the moon and to a lesser degree by the sun, on the earth. The tides do not always rise to the same height. At the time of the new and full moon, when the sun and moon are in a straight line with the earth, the tides rise higher and are known as Spring Tides. Midway between new and full moon when the sun and the moon are at right angles as to their direction from the earth, tides are at the lowest height and are called Neap Tides.
Spring Tides and Neap Tides
When a high tide is caused twice a month at new moon and again when the moon is full, spring tide is caused as a result of combined attraction of the sun and the moon.
When the high tide is not so high, nor the low tide so low, neap tides are caused as a result of the difference of attraction of the sun and the moon.
Seasons
The change of seasons is due to (i) revolution of the earth round the sun (ii) inclination of earth’s axis at 66.5° to the plane of its orbit and always pointing to the same direction. On the 21st June, the North Pole is inclined towards the sun and the South Pole is inclined away from it. The rays of the sun fall perpendicularly at the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° North) and fall comparatively slanting in the southern hemisphere. Hence the days are longer than nights in the northern hemisphere and it is summer there. Just opposite is the case in the southern hemisphere where the nights are longer at that time and it is winter there.
Latitudes and Longitudes
India lies entirely to the north of the Equator, between latitudes 8°-4´ and 37°-6´ north and longitude 68°-7´ and 97°-25´ east.
The latitude of the South Pole is 90°. South Pole has no longitude.
Longitude of a place is its distance east or west of a fixed meridian. The distance of any place north or south of the Equator is called the Latitude of that place.
Parallels of latitude: are lines drawn on a map (or globe) showing the latitude of a place.
Meridians (or lines) of longitude: These are lines drawn on a map (or globe) showing the longitude of a place. These lines join the north and south pole cutting the Equator at right angles.
(Latitudes and Longitudes should be clearly distinguished from Parallels of Latitude and Meridians of Longitude respectively.)
By knowing these lines, we can find out exact location of a place. By knowing the latitude of a place we can find out its average temperature, as also its distance from the Equator. By knowing the longitude of a place, we can calculate its local time.
Longitude is the angular distance of a place east or west of the prime meridian. The earth rotates upon its axis once in 24 hours and covers 360° in 24 hours. Thus it takes 60 x 24/360 or 4 minutes to cover a degree of longitude or we may say that in four minutes, the earth moves through 1°. There is thus a difference of 4 minutes for each degree of longitude. This fact is used for determining the longitude of a place. All longitudes are measured from the meridian of Greenwich.
We can determine the latitude of a place in the northern hemisphere by measuring the altitude of the Pole Star. The altitude of the Pole Star is the latitude of that place. For example, if the altitude of Pole Star at Delhi is 28.5° North, its latitude will also be 28.5°N. The altitude of Pole Star is measured by an instrument called Sextant.
Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse
Solar Eclipse: is the partial or complete obscuration of the sun because of the passage of the moon in front of it i.e., when the moon comes in between the sun and the earth.
The moon then appears as a dark object obscuring the sun. Over a small portion of the earth’s surface, the moon is seen to blot out the sun completely and a total eclipse is seen by the people in that particular area. But over most of the earth’s surface, the eclipse seen is partial because only a portion of the sun’s face remains covered by the moon.
Lunar Eclipse: is the partial or complete obscuration of the moon’s surface when the earth comes in between the sun and the moon. The moon, when it moves through the shadow of the earth, loses its bright direct illumination by the sun, although its disc still remains faintly visible.
An eclipse of the moon is visible and presents the same features at all places on the earth where the moon is above the horizon. The lunar eclipse can be seen with the naked eye, field glass or a small telescope.
The lunar eclipse occurs at full moon only when the earth comes in between the sun and the moon which phenomenon does not occur at every full moon.
Indian Standard Time
The Indian Standard Time is a uniform time adopted by all palces in India without regard to their local time. It is usual for each country to have its standard time for use over the whole country as it would be very difficult if every town or village had its own local time and whenever we moved from one place to another, we should have to alter our watches.
Indian Standard Time is the local time of a place near Allahabad situated at 82.5° East longitude.
Winds
Air moving from one direction to another horizontally is called wind. It is the air in motion.
Cause of Wind: The chief cause of winds is difference in pressure. Air always moves from region of high pressure to a region of low pressure to equalize the pressure. For example, the low pressure belt round the Equator is a region of calm known as the doldrums. Although there are no regular winds there, violent squalls and thunderstorms are frequent which come from high pressure areas north and south of the Equator.
Direction of Winds: As the earth is rotating daily on its axis from west to east, all winds are deflected. According to Ferrel’s Law, winds are deflected to the right in Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Characteristics of the important Wind Systems of the World:
1. Trade Winds: The rays of the sun fall almost vertically at the Equator and the air there becomes hot and the pressure is low. The air rises towards the Poles and descends near 30°N and 30°S. The pressure is high near 30°N and 30°S. Because winds blow from high-pressure to low-pressure areas, winds from over these altitudes blow towards the Equator and Trade Winds are caused.
2. Westerlies (or Anti-Trade Winds): are winds which blow from about 40 degrees N to the Arctic Circle and from about 35 degrees S to the Antarctic Circle throughout the year. They derive their name from the direction in which they blow. In the northern hemisphere they blow in the south-westerly direction and bring winter rain to the Mediterranean regions etc. In the southern hemisphere, they blow in a north-westerly direction.
3. Polar Winds: The winds which blow from the high pressure area around the poles towards the temperate regions are known as polar winds. They are extremely cold. They rise from the North West in the Northern Hemisphere and from the South East in the Southern Hemisphere.
4. Periodical Winds: These are (i) Land and Sea Breezes and (ii) Monsoons which blow in one direction at a particular time or during a particular season. In the hot season in India, the sun shines vertically over the Tropic of Cancer, i.e., roughly over the great plains of the Ganges and Brahmaputra so that the air over the plains becomes very hot by about the month of May. At this time, South West Monsoon commences to blow. They bring heavy rains. Monsoon winds prevail over India at different seasons. India depends on the rain-bearing south-west winds which prevail from about the end of May to the end of September. These winds bring to India about 90% of all the rain that falls there.
5. Variable Winds: are the irregular winds as Cyclones and Anti-Cyclones.
Rainfall
There is heavy rainfall on the West coast because the Western Ghat ranges receive the full force of the monsoons from the Arabian sea and there is heavy rainfall (about 100 inches). On the other hand, the Deccan Plateau gets very scanty rainfall because it falls within the rain-shadow area.
Chennai gets winter rainfall as the north-east monsoons which blow in winter pick up moisture from the Bay of Bengal and bring rain to that city.
The Bay of Bengal monsoons first bring rain to the eastern parts and then turn westwards. As Kolkata is in the east, it receives more rainfall. As the monsoons blow westwards they become drier and cause less rainfall. So Delhi does not get as much rainfall as Kolkata.
In the northern region, the Bay of Bengal monsoons first bring rain to eastern parts and then turn westwards. As the monsoons blow westwards, they go on losing moisture and cause decreasing rainfall.
In the southern region, the Arabian Sea monsoons first strike the western ghats and the moisture is drained on the western side whereas rainfall goes on decreasing towards eastern region.
Two important conditions must be satisfied in order to have rain: (1) There should be moisture-laden air, (2) There should be some means whereby air is cooled and condensation takes place. The air obtains water vapours by evaporation from the surface of large bodies of water, usually from the sea.
The moisture-laden air is cooled in two ways: (i) by rising upward into colder upper regions of the atmosphere, (ii) by blowing as wind to colder regions.
Thus we see: (a) Moist air is lighter than dry air and so it readily rises, expands in a short time, cools and falls. (b) When warm winds blow towards cooler regions, it is condensed by cooling effect and rain falls. (c) The land masses or mountains also tend to condense water vapours. When moisture-laden wind is obstructed by mountains, it is forced to rise. As it rises, it becomes cool and rainfall results.
Rivers
The work of a river is three-fold:
(i) The Mountain Stage: The mountain or upper course of a river is swift as the slope at this stage of a river is steep. The main work of a river at this stage is denudation (wearing away). In this swift upper course, the rivers carry big stones, pebbles etc. which go on eroding the sides and beds of the valleys. As time goes on, the river cuts away the spurs on both sides and the valleys become wider and deeper. The mountain stage of the Ganges in India extends from its source up to Hardwar.
(ii) The Plain Stage: In this stage the river moves slowly as the slope is gradual and its main work is transportation (navigation) and irrigation. The plain stage of the Ganges extends from Hardwar to Bhagalpur.
(iii) The Delta Stage: This is the last stage and the rivers are very slow at this stage. In this slow lower or deltaic course, the main work of the river is deposition. The level of the bed at this stage rises due to mud and silt brought by it and deposited into several channels before falling into the sea. The Ganges forms her delta from Bhagalpur up to the sea.
The deltas are not formed at the mouths of rivers where tides carry away all the mud and silt deposited (at the mouth) e.g., the Narbada and the Tapti do not form any delta. Also rivers which deposit all their mud into the lakes through which they pass do not form delta e.g., the St Lawrence in Canada.
Estuary is formed at the mouth of a river where tidal effects are evident and where fresh water and sea water mix. In most cases it is due to subsidence of coastal low-land.
Delta is the triangular piece of land formed by the deposition of mud and silt near the mouth of a river. In the case of delta formation, more solid material is deposited which cannot be removed by tidal or other currents.
The rivers of Northern India are more important than those of Southern India because they have a flow of water throughout the year. Even in summer these rivers receive water from the melting of Himalayan snow. Flowing through broad basins, they form large tracts or rich alluvial soil on either side. It is no wonder, therefore, that their fertile basin are the natural grannaries of the country. Further, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra are navigable and provide excellent waterways for commerce. The Peninsular rivers, on the other hand, have water during the monsoons but shrivel into muddy pools in the dry season. These rivers are of little use for navigation on account of their torrential nature in the upper course, and the rapids that occur where they descend into deep gorges from the table land to the coastal plains.
Climate and Vegetation
The Equatorial type climate, in which the temperature remains high all the year round but does not vary much, produces hot, wet forests.
The Tropical type climate produces grasslands which are found on either side of the equatorial belt where the rainfall usually occurs soon after the sun has been shining vertically while the dry season occurs in the colder part of the year.
The lowlands along the Tropic of Cancer lie mainly in the high-pressure belt just outside the Tropics. The Trade Winds blow away from these lowlands towards the Equator and the Westerly winds blow away from them towards the Poles. There are, therefore, no winds to bring rain to this region. Some of these lowlands are dry because these are very very far from the sea, like centre of Asia. There are few clouds and very little rain with the result that the sun’s rays strike straight on the ground and make the days very hot.
The temperature of the ocean varies much less than that of land because (i) water has a higher specific heat than land with the result that it both absorbs and loses heat slowly as compared to land; and (ii) due to large surface of water at sea more evaporation occurs than on land. Evaporation causes cooling and this results in the sea having a lower temperature than that on land.
We may divide India into two parts for the purpose of climatological studies: (1) peninsular India and (2) Northern India. Peninsular India has the characteristic of tropical climate where “the temperature is uniformly high and seasonal variation relatively low”.
The climatic conditions in Northern India have no general similarity. This region lies beyond the Tropic of Cancer. The Western part of it includes East Punjab and Rajasthan where air is devoid of moisture and it is hot in summer and very cold in winter. The eastern part of this region includes U.P., Bihar, Assam and West Bengal. Here winter is mild and summer is very hot with plenty of moisture in the air.
These climatic conditions are however, disturbed by two Monsoon Currents—the South West Monsoon and the North-East Monsoon. The South-West Monsoon causes heavy rainfall in Assam, West Bengal and U.P. It begins to retreat from Northern India in early October and this retreat is completed by mid-December. During this retreat period the weather in Northern India becomes dry.
The North-East monsoons begin in January and last till March. These winds cause light rain in Northern India, particularly in the Punjab plains. This scanty rainfall is very important for Rabi crops.
Vegetation: Agriculture is the most important occupation of the people of India. In Northern India, typical monsoon land crops are grown such as rice in Bengal with its warm and humid climate; wheat and maize in Northern plains, Punjab and U.P.; jute in Bengal and Assam and tea in Assam.
In Peninsular India where regur or black cotton soil is found and sufficient moisture available, cotton is grown. It is the chief crop of the Deccan Peninsula—Mumbai and Berar being the chief producers. Coffee is grown on the Nilgiris in the South.
Climatic Effect: India has on the whole monsoon-tropical climate: ‘Monsoon—lands are dominated by the winds from sea to land in summer—the wet season and by winds from land to sea in winter—the dry season.’ This type of climate is not very conducive to health and vigour. Man’s well-being in such a climate depends largely on rainfall. The agricultural products do not grow if the monsoon fails and famine conditions break out. This dependence on rain, however, is not absolute owing to development of irrigation by means of projects, canals, wells etc.
The desert type climate is hot and dry. The rainfall is scanty, not more than 10 inches a year. The day and night temperatures vary to much extent. The evenings and afternoons are marked by hot dust storms.
The regions lie mainly in the high-pressure belts just outside the Tropics. The Trade Winds blow away from them towards the Equator and the Westerly Winds blow away from them towards the Poles. There are no winds which bring rain to this region and the climate remains hot and dry.
Mediterranean Climate
It is the type of climate experienced by the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, and also by other regions, in both hemispheres, situated in a similar geographical position. The characteristic features are warmth of the summer, mildness of the winter, and ample sunshine.
The entire west coast of the United States has Mediterranean type of climate because this region gets winter rainfall from “Westerlies” winds.
Irrigation
Methods of Irrigation: The various systems of irrigation used in India are: (1) Canals; (2) Wells; (3) Tube-wells; and (4) Tanks.
Canals: Canals are the most important of the systems of irrigation in India because:
(i) the rivers are snow-fed and never run dry; (ii) the plain has a soft and alluvial soil, so canals can be easily dug; (iii) the rainfall is insufficient for irrigation and wells alone cannot satisfy the needs of agriculturists.
Of the total irrigated land in India, 40 per cent is irrigated by canals.
Wells: Wells are found all over India but these are largely used in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar. They are also used in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The reason for irrigation by wells is that the soil is porous and after a rainfall, water is stored up below the soil, and wells can be easily sunk.
Tube-wells: Irrigation by tube-wells has become very popular these days. Tube-wells are worked by electric power. These are much deeper than the ordinary wells. Due to shortage of power, the agriculturists do face the difficulty in running the tube-wells as and when they require but the prosperous ones are making use of the diesel engines for the purpose.
Tanks: Tanks are used in the Deccan plateau—especially in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and in some parts of Madhya Pradesh. They are made by filling natural hollows with water or by building dams across the river valleys. As the soil is rocky in these areas, it is not easy to sink wells. The soil is not porous and the rain water flows off; Canals cannot be constructed as the rivers are not snow-fed. So the tanks are the chief means of irrigation in the Deccan plateau.
Volcanoes and Earthquakes
Volcanoes: By the pressure of the earth’s crust the hot matter or lava in the interior of the earth is pressed down. It gushes out through a crack or a hole when it finds a weak spot in the crust and begins to accumulate round it. By and by it cools down and solidifies and in the course of several years these accumulated layers of lava build up a conical mountain. Such lava mountains are called volcanoes.
Volcanoes are also formed when rain or sea water percolates in the soil and sinks deep down into the earth where it is converted into steam by the internal heat and forces its way out of the crust bringing with it large quantity of lava etc.
Earthquakes: (i) When an active volcano bursts with great force or when a dormant volcano erupts into activity, the surrounding areas feel tremors and earthquake is caused. (ii) When the interior part of the earth cools down and contracts, the outer crust cracks or a part of it actually drops down causing earthquake. (iii) Sometimes water percolates deep down into the earth and is converted into steam on account of internal heat. This steam forces its way out by expanding and thus causes earthquake shocks.
Fold and Block Mountains
Fold Mountains: These are formed as a result of series of earthquakes by which in course of a long time, rocks are folded up above the general level and the agents of denudation start to wear them away. The Himalayas, the Andes, the Alps are example of Fold Mountains.
Block Mountains: the formation of mountains when a mass of land is pushed up between several cracks, is known as Block Mountains as shown in the figure below. The narrow piece of the crust led down between two parallel cracks forms what is called “Rift Valley”.
Mountain Ranges
Himalayas: The Himalayan ranges stretch for about 2400 km from the eastern extremity of Assam to the western limit of Kashmir. Their width varies from 150 km to 450 km. These are fold mountains and consist of long lines of folded ranges.
Arvalies: It stretches from Gujarat in the west to Delhi in the north.
Indian Plateau: It is the table-land region of the Deccan lying south of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is bounded on the north by the ranges of Vindhyas and the Satpuras running east to west.
Vindhyas and Satpura: The Vindhyas lie north of the Narbada Valley, whereas the Satpuras Range lies south. Satpura ranges are an example of Volcanic mountains.
Western Ghats: In the west, the plateau is margined by the Western Ghats which rise abruptly from the Malabar and the Konkan coasts and run parallel to the sea coast with an average height of 1200 metres.
Eastern Ghats: Towards the east are broken Eastern Ghats which descend to the low-lands of the Coromandal coast and are broken by a number of rivers, the most important of which are the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Penner and Cauvery. These rivers flow south-east across the plateau to the Bay of Bengal.
Current Affairs: March 2011
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Passive euthanasia permissible: SCThe 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.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Canadian Parliament DissolvedOn 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.
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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.
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Events; Appointments; Etc.: March 2011
APPOINTED; ELECTED; Etc.
Thein Sein: He has been appointed as the President of Myanmar.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
Yousaf Raza Gilani: Prime Minister of Pakistan.
DIED
Arjun Singh: Veteran Congress leader, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, former governor of Punjab and former Union Minister. He was 81.
Bob Christo: Hindi film actor known for his roles as a villain. He was 72.
Elizabeth Taylor: Hollywood actress who won the Oscar thrice. She was 74.
Navin Nischol: Veteran Hindi film actor who starred in films like “Victoria No. 203”, “Dhund” and “Budha Mil Gaya”. He was 65.
EVENTS
MARCH
2—Shahbaz Bhatti, minorities minister of Pakistan, is gunned down by radicals. He is the second official to be killed after Punjab governor Taseer Rana over blasphemy row in less than two months.
11—A devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan kills more than 10,000 people. The 8.9 trembler triggers a 10-metre tsunami.
18—UNSC resolution imposes no-fly zone over Libya. India stays away from voting. India 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.
19—US, European and Arab leaders begin the largest international military intervention in the Arab world since the invasion of Iraq, in an effort to stop Muammar Gaddafi’s war on Libyan opposition.
30—Myanmar’s military hands power to a nominally civilian government after almost half a century of army rule.
MILESTONES
Adi Godrej: Godrej group chief, he has been appointed as the head of the executive board of Indian School of Business (ISB), following the resignation of Rajat Gupta who is embroiled in an insider trading case in USA. ISB was founded by Gupta.
Brig Gen Ravinder Singh: He is the first Sikh in more than 30 years to be appointed as the army chief of Singapore,
Chhavi Rajawat: She is India’s youngest and only MBA to be village sarpanch. She is sarpanch of Soda village, 60 km from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Gen. V.K. Singh: Chief of Indian army, he is the first Indian army officer to be inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ of the US Army War College at Carlisle.
Mukesh Ambani: Chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd, he has been appointed as the first non-US director of Bank of America.
P.M. Murthy: CEO of Asian Paints, he has been selected as the Business Standard CEO of the Year.
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Current General Knowledge: March 2011
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EDUCATION
Harvard is world’s top university
Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the US, has been ranked as the world's top varsity. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology made it to number two, with the University of California Berkeley coming in at number four in the list of top 10 most highly regarded universities in the world.
Britain's prestigious Cambridge University and Oxford University ranked three and six, respectively, with University of Tokyo in Japan securing eighth place in 'The Times Higher Education' world reputation rankings.
In total, the US had a massive 45 universities in the top 100, while the UK had 12 and Japan had five. Australia, Germany, Canada and the Netherlands each had four universities in the top 100 rankings based on a survey of 13,388 academics from 131 countries.
NPTEL Project: Now source your courses from Google and YouTube
National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), a venture of the IITs and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, will shortly design study materials in science and humanities for engineering institutes in the country. The same would be provided via Google and YouTube.
These courses will be offered free of cost. NPTEL already offers engineering courses on Google and You Tube free of cost.
NPTEL was started along the lines of Open Courseware by MIT in the US. Over 600 engineering institutes across the country have been using course materials designed under NPTEL.
NPTEL, in the first phase of the project, had developed around 250 courses. All of these are available online, free of charge. The course materials (both web and video) are freely accessible by everyone, independent of geographic location. After engineering colleges, the project is aiming to cover all the technical universities in the country under the second phase. The IITs are expediting the second phase by adding over 900 more courses by 2012.
A total of 15 institutes—seven IITs, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and other engineering institutes — have collaborated to carry out the venture. IIT Madras which officially handles the venture, distributes web contents free of charge to the government-funded institutes.
NPTEL project receives its funding support through the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) since the year 2009.
ENVIRONMENT
Tiger population in India increases by 295
India’s tiger population is up from the last tracked figure of 1,411, when the last Census was conducted. The big cat count in the country is now up to a soothing 1,706 with the addition of 70 tigers from the Sunderbans, where the counting did not take place last time.
This is also the first time in the past decade that India’s tiger conservation programme has shown positive signs of recovery in the face of threats from poachers and pressures on natural habitat from a rapidly growing human population and environmental damage due to developmental projects.
However, accompanying the good news is the not so good news. There is concern over the sharp decline in tiger habitat, which could shrink further. The total area where tigers were found has fallen to 72,852 sq km from 93,697 sq km since 2008 when the last Census was conducted.
Experts say shrinking habitats have brought tigers into conflict with poachers. Even villagers living near tiger reserves kill tigers, fearing for their safety.
Tiger corridors or the routes used by tigers to move from one reserve to another are also declining sharply as power projects, mining and roads cut into their habitats.
As per the latest figures, Shivalik-Gangetic plains have 353 tigers, central India and eastern Ghats 601 tigers, western Ghats 534, the north-east hills and Brahmaputra flood plain 148, and the Sunderbans 70. When 70 from the Sunderbans are added to 1,636 counted from the rest of India, the number of tigers living in the wild rises up to 1,706. Hi-tech methods, including hidden cameras and DNA tests were used to count the big cats in 17 States where tigers live in the wild.
India is home to the world’s largest population of big cats. There are about 3,000 wild tigers in the world, of which more than half now live in India.
Well known tiger conservationist Valmik Thapar says that through this Census the government has made a “huge, genuine and scientific” effort but the States seem not to be doing enough at their end. “The Central government can give orders to sanction money but it is the job of the State governments to implement new measures and protect the tiger population, which they have not done,” Thapar said.
Calling the new Census figures as “neither great nor terrible,” he said “we have to look at the small-printed lines to find better ways to conserve the tiger. They have counted about 70 tigers in the Sunderbans. My question to West Bengal is that we were told there are about 270 tigers in Sunderbans. What happened to the rest?”
PERSONS
Taylor, Elizabeth
Famous Hollywood actress, her great beauty and grand lifestyle peppered with scandals created more twists and turns in her life than any Hollywood blockbuster could ever portray.
A three-time Oscar winner, she lived passionately and remained true to her larger-than-life persona to the very end, mirroring the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, whom she brought to life on-screen with Richard Burton in 1963.
Her life had enough dramas to occupy several lives—including her eight marriages (two to Burton) and seven divorces, four children, many grandchildren and more than 60 hospitalisations/operations and various trips to rehab centres.
A true representative of the swinging sixties, she was both a product and victim of a life of excess.
The grand dame of Hollywood appeared in more than 50 films, won Oscars for her performances in 1960's 'Butterfield 8' and 1966's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' and a third in 1993 for her humanitarian work.
SPACE RESEARCH
Messenger spacecraft starts orbiting Mercury
On March 17, 2011, NASA's Messenger (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) spacecraft successfully entered into orbit around the planet Mercury—the first probe to do so.
Messenger had been launched on August 3, 2004, from Pad B of Space Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, using a three-stage Boeing Delta II expendable launch vehicle.
Messenger is designed to answer six broad scientific questions: Why is Mercury so dense? What is the geologic history of Mercury? What is the nature of Mercury’s magnetic field? What is the structure of Mercury’s core? What are the unusual materials at Mercury’s poles? What volatiles are important at Mercury?
Being so close to the Sun, Mercury is a hostile place to do science. Surface temperatures would melt lead. In this blistering environment, the probe has to carry a shield to protect it from the full glare of our star. And even its instruments looking down at the planet have to be guarded against the intense heat coming back up off the surface.
The spacecraft is now some 46 million km from the Sun, and about 155 million km from Earth.
Just getting to Mercury has proved a challenge. Messenger has had to use six planetary flybys—one of Earth, two of Venus and three of Mercury itself—to manage its speed as it ran in closer to the Sun and its deep gravity well.
The strategy devised by scientists and engineers is to have Messenger gather data with its seven instruments during the close approaches (some 200km from the surface) and then return that information to Earth when the probe is cooling off at maximum separation from the planet (up to 15,000km from the surface).
Mercury is often dismissed as a boring, featureless world that offers little to excite those who observe it, but planetary scientists who know it well beg to differ. It is a place of extraordinary extremes.
Mercury's proximity to the Sun means exposed equator surfaces can reach more than 600 degree Celsius; and yet there may be water-ice at the poles in craters that are in permanent shadow. It is so dense for its size that more than two-thirds of the body has to be made of an iron-metal composition.
Mercury also retains a magnetic field, something which is absent on Venus and Mars.
In addition, the planet is deeply scarred, not just by impact craters and volcanic activity but through shrinkage; the whole body has reduced in size through solar system history. And Mercury fascinates because it may be our best guide to what some of the new planets might be like that are now being discovered around distant suns. Many of these worlds also orbit very close in to their host stars.
The spacecraft is scheduled to remain in orbit for a year, allowing the probe to fly around Mercury 730 times. If Messenger stays in good health and the funding permits, a one-year mission extension is likely to be granted.
Mercury is one of five planets known to ancient astronomers; in Roman mythology Mercury was the fleet-footed messenger of the gods, a fitting name for a planet that moves quickly across the sky.
The closest planet to the Sun, Mercury is also the smallest planet in the Solar System.
Prior to January 2008, Mercury had been visited by only one spacecraft; NASA’s Mariner 10 viewed less than half the surface (~45%) in detail during its three flybys in 1974 and 1975.
Messenger completed three flybys of Mercury, utilizing the planet’s gravity to alter its trajectory and bring its orbit about the Sun closer to that of the innermost planet. All three flybys were executed flawlessly.
Messenger’s first flyby of Mercury on January 14, 2008, was a resounding success. Measurements were made that had never been possible with Mariner 10 or from ground-based telescopes. These include plasma ion measurements, laser altimetry, high-resolution surface spectroscopy, spacecraft elemental chemical remote sensing, high-spatial-resolution observations of both known and new species in Mercury’s exosphere, and eleven-colour imaging. In addition to these observations, complementary measurements were made to those from Mariner 10 by the Messenger Magnetometer, and 21% of the previously unseen hemisphere was imaged for the first time, bringing to 66% the total surface area of the planet imaged by spacecraft.
During Messenger’s second flyby on October 6, 2008, MDIS images filled in a further 24% of the previously unseen hemisphere, so that 90% of the planet had at that point been observed by spacecraft. Much of the hemisphere imaged by Mariner 10 was viewed by Messenger under different lighting conditions or in colour, allowing new discoveries.
Messenger became the first spacecraft to fly over the planet’s western hemisphere, making the first measurements of Mercury’s internal magnetic field above that portion of the planet. All instruments took data during the flyby, and an emerging picture of Mercury’s global environment and history continued to take shape.
On September 29, 2009, Messenger flew by Mercury for the third and final time prior to orbit insertion in March 2011. An additional 6% of the surface was imaged, completing the equatorial coverage by spacecraft and leaving only the Polar Regions yet to be seen by spacecraft. Shortly before closest approach to the planet, as the spacecraft passed into eclipse, an unexpected configuration of the power system caused the fault protection system to halt the science command sequence. Although the spacecraft was never at risk and continued through the needed gravity assist, a number of planned science observations were not made. Despite the truncated set of measurements, new discoveries were made about the innermost planet, including the first observations of emission from an ionized species in Mercury’s exosphere, indications of a surprisingly complex distribution of exospheric species over the north and south poles, new information about magnetic sub-storms, and evidence for younger volcanism than had been previously anticipated
MISCELLANEOUS
How do nuclear reactors react to earthquakes and tsunamis
Nuclear reactors have sensors that measure the earth movement triggered by earthquakes. The moment the movement exceeds what the reactor is designed to operate at—known as the Operating Basis Earthquake limit—the reactor starts shutting down and emergency cooling is activated. Since a quake or tsunami water can damage power supply needed for the cooling, plants have backups. Diesel generators kick in if power fails and battery powered generators start working if the diesel ones fail. If all power supply and backup fail—like in Fukushima, Japan—the reactor is said to be in a state known as Station Blackout that can lead the reactor towards a meltdown.
Indian N-plants, however, are designed for convection-based cooling even in a Station Blackout state.
Primer on Goods and Services Tax (GST)
The nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST) roll-out has entered the final stage with the Union government introducing the Constitution Amendment Bill. It is a uniform national tax to be levied across the country on all goods and services.
The current indirect tax system in India is mired in a maze of multi-layered taxes levied by the Centre and States at different stages of the supply chain such as excise duty, octroi, central sales tax, value-added tax and service tax. Under GST, all these will be subsumed under a single tax.
The plan is to roll out the regime on April 1, 2012.
The Finance Commission estimates prices of agricultural goods will increase between 0.61% and 1.18%, while prices of manufactured items would fall by 1.22-2.53%.
A corpus of about Rs 50,000 crore is likely to be set up to compensate States for any loss of revenue due to GST implementation.
A GST council will be created, which will act as a joint forum for the Centre and States. It will be headed by the Finance Minister and will have Finance Ministers of each State as members. The council will decide on tax rates, exemptions and threshold limits.
There will be a dual GST structure—one for Centre and the other for States. The proceeds of the central GST would be shared between Centre and States on basis of the devolution formula recommended by the Finance Commission.
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Sports News in Brief: March 2011
BADMINTON
All-England Championship, 2011
World number one Wang Shixian of China won the women’s singles title by defeating Eriko Hirose of Japan who became the first Japanese to reach the final since 1979.
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia successfully defended his All-England Open men's singles title when he beat his greatest rival, Lin Dan, the Olympic champion from China, in the final.
Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen of Denmark recovered from a game and 11-14 down to beat Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong, the former world number one pair from Malaysia, to win the men’s doubles title.
China's Yu Yang, with a new partner, Wang Xiaoli overwhelmed Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa of Japan to retain the women’s doubles title.
No Thai player had reached an All-England final for almost 50 years; Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam found this piece of history hard to live up to in the mixed doubles as well when they were beaten by Xu Chen and Ma Jin, which gave China its third title.
Saina wins Swiss Open
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal notched up her first title of the year, clinching the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold trophy
CRICKET
ICC World Cup 2011
India scored 277 for four off 48.2 overs to win the ICC World Cup 2011 by six wickets, beating a valiant Sri Lanka, whose 274 for six was scripted by one of the finest centuries of ODI cricket by Mahela Jayawardene.
India won the World Cup after a gap of 28 years. India also became the first host-country to win the tournament. Sri Lanka had won the World Cup as co-hosts in 1996 but the final was held in Lahore, Pakistan.
India found its own heroes, a surprising one in Gautam Gambhir, a much-awaited one in captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and in Virat Kohli.
Yuvraj Singh, who strode in to strike some imperious blows, was declared Man of the Series, while Dhoni was declared Man of the Match.
Zaheer Khan became the joint highest wicket taker of the World Cup along with Shahid Afridi of Pakistan. Both ended with a tally of 21 wickets each.
Tilakratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka became the highest run getter of the tournament, scoring 500 runs.
Earlier, India had defeated Pakistan in the semi-final match played at Mohali. Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand in the semi-final played in Colombo.
In quarter-finals, India defeated Australia for the first time in World Cup since 1987. It was also the first time since 1992 that Australia did not figure in the World Cup final. It was the sixth consecutive time that an Asian team featured in the final.
HOCKEY
All-India Sahibzada Ajit Singh Championship
Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB), Jalandhar, survived many anxious moments against Punjab National Bank (PNB), Delhi, before winning 2-1 and emerging champions in the men's section.
In the women's section, Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, proved too good for Sonepat XI whom they blanked 3-0 to lift the Nirpjit Kaur Gill Memorial Trophy.
SQUASH
WSF World Team Championship
Egypt justified their billing as top seeds in beating second seeds England in final of the World Squash Federation mixed team championship to win the $50,000 top prize at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai, India. The win is the latest success in Egypt's rapidly-growing status in world squash. Following recent success in the Men's World Team Championship, the Men's World Junior Individual Championship, and Men's & Women's World Junior Team Championships, the World Cup is the fifth major world title currently held by the nation.
TENNIS
Paes-Bhupathi clinch World No. 1 Title
Third-seeded Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won their second title of the season by clinching the Sony Ericsson Open to become number one in the ATP World Tour Doubles Team rankings. They had earlier won the Chennai Open at the start of the season.
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Current Affairs: January 2011
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Rural job Plan turns five but a lot needs to be done
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, UPA’s flagship aam admi scheme, turned five on February 2, 2011. However, more than 30% of the rural India working under the right-to-work act continue to receive wages below the guaranteed minimum as per the minimum wages act.
On January 14, the Ministry of Rural Development issued a notification revising the wage rates under the MNREGA from Rs 100 per day to between Rs 117 and Rs 181 (17-30 % hike) in different States. The revision under Section 6(1) of the 2005 Act, coming in wake of inflationary pressures on the poor, adjusts the wages by indexing it to the Consumer Price Index of Agricultural Laborers (CPIAL).
Though the Ministry claims the revision takes NREGA wages above the minimum wages in 26 States and Union Territories, analysis shows the other eight States that continue getting less than minimum wages constitute 1.3 crore households or 31% of the total 4.1 crore households provided work till January 31, 2011.
The eight include smaller States such as Goa and Mizoram, which have less number of workers under the scheme.
But, the States also include the two showpieces under MNREGA—Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan—that brought in reforms like social audit, post office-bank payments into the mother of all schemes with a budget allocation of Rs 40,100 in 2010-11.
Though numerous villages, like Saru in Udaipur district of Rajasthan, have benefited from MNREGA, the average they receive is under Rs 100 a day, forcing many to go in search of work as far as Ahmedabad, Surat where they Rs 200 to Rs 250 per day.
Srikrishna panel report
The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee report was made public on January 6, 2011. It has strongly advocated maintaining united Andhra Pradesh along with creation of statutory Telangana Regional Council to address the core socio-economic concerns of the backward region.
“This is the most workable option in the given circumstances and in the best interest of the social and economic welfare of people of all the three regions in the state,” the committee said in its 500-page report.
The five-member panel was set up in February 2010 to examine the competing demands for carving out a separate Telangana State and maintaining the status quo.
After an elaborate exercise involving interactions with various groups, field visits and examining over 2.50 lakh petitions, the committee presented a set of six options and discussed their pros and cons in great detail.
The stress on maintaining unity formed a common thread that ran through the report.
On bifurcation, which has been the single point agenda of Telangana protagonists, the Committee said it was the “second best option” but could be recommended “only in case it is unavoidable and if this decision can be reached amicably among all three regions.”
However, the committee warned that division of the State would have repercussions in other regions. “If earlier agitations are anything to go by, this decision will give rise to serious and violent agitations in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions where backlash will be immediate, the key issues being Hyderabad and sharing of water and irrigation resources,” the report said.
Elaborating further on consequences of splitting the State, the Committee said: “The division will also have serious implications outside AP. It will give fillip to other similar demands. The matter should also be seen in the larger context of whether a region can be allowed to decide for itself what its political status should be, as that would only create a demand for a great number of smaller States resulting in problems of coordination and management.”
The panel said: “We are convinced that the development aspect is of utmost importance for the welfare of all the three regions and could best be addressed through a model that includes deeper and more extensive economic and political de-centralisation.”
The OPTIONS
—Maintaining status quo but allow economic and political de-centralisation.
—Bifurcation of the State into Seemandhra and Telangana; with Hyderabad as a Union Territory. The two States will develop their own capitals in due course of time.
—Bifurcation into Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad being an integral part of Rayala-Telangana.
—Bifurcation into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad Metropolis as a separate Union Territory. This Union Territory will have geographical linkage and contiguity via Nalgonda district in the south-east to district Guntur in coastal Andhra and via Mahboobnagar district in the south to Kurnool district in Rayalaseema.
—Bifurcation into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital.
Historical Timeline
—Andhra, Rayalaseema were part of Madras province.
—Telangana was part of the Hyderabad State for 400 years.
—In 1953, Andhra and Rayalaseema separated from Madras.
—In 1956, Andhra merged with Telangana.
—1969: Telangana Praja Samiti was formed.
—1972: Jai Andhra movement in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra.
—2000: TDP opposes creation of Telangana.
—2001: K. Chandrashekhara Rao forms Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).
Visit of President of Indonesia
History met geography when Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took the salute as the Chief Guest at India’s 62nd Republic Day parade on January 26, 2011. President Soekarno, whose close friends Jawaharlal Nehru and Biju Patnaik helped defy the Dutch colonial embargoes of the late 1940s that enabled Indonesia gain independence, was the Chief Guest at the founding of the Indian republic, in 1950.
President Yudhoyono came to Delhi with a large business delegation and witnessed the signature of a clutch of agreements, including between private enterprises. New investment commitments worth $12 billion were signed, with the Indians looking to put their money in infrastructure projects such as airports, railways and ports.
Indian business interest in Indonesia is kindled not only by the fact of its large, 238 million population, and therefore, a large market, but also because it is the gateway to the ASEAN, a region of over 300 million people that spans 10 States from Myanmar to the Philippines.
India and Indonesia signed nearly 30 agreements, including an extradition treaty and a mutual legal assistance treaty, and pledged to achieve a bilateral trade target of $ 25 billion by 2015, from about $ 11 billion in 2009-10.
The main accords signed by the two sides were: MOU for cooperation in the field of education; MOU on the establishment of biennial trade ministers’ forum; protocol for extension of the MOU on cooperation in marine and fisheries; MOU for the development of urea manufacturing plant in Indonesia; air services agreement; MOU on cooperation in oil and gas; MOU on cooperation in the field of micro, small and medium enterprises; MOU on cooperation in science and technology; and MOU between the Press Council of India and the Press Council of Indonesia.
In a joint statement issued after the talks between the Prime Minister and the Indonesian President, the two countries unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed that there could be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism.
In the field of tourism, the two leaders recognized that a quantum leap in tourism between India and Indonesia was desirable to strengthen vibrant and long-standing people-to-people ties. As a step towards this objective, the Prime Minister announced a scheme of granting visa on arrival to the citizens of Indonesia.
India, Italy to set-up joint trade panel
On January 31, 2011, India and Italy decided to set up a Joint Business Council (JBC), a bilateral trade cooperation body, to work together in areas like ICT, infrastructure and manufacturing.
The decision was taken during the meeting of India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Italian Minister for Economic Development Paolo Romani, in Rome.
The JBC will be managed by FICCI from the Indian side and by CONFINDUSTRIA from the Italian side. It will meet once a year, coinciding with the bilateral ministerial meeting.
The two ministers also discussed the importance of SMEs and it was agreed that soon industry chambers of both the countries would organise workshops and seminars. Seeking closer cooperation in infrastructure sector, Sharma informed Romani that India would soon come out with a manufacturing policy aimed at increasing the contribution of manufacturing to 24 per cent of the GDP, from 16 per cent now.
Romani assured India that Italian entrepreneurs would take huge advantage of the investment opportunities in India.
USA lifts export curbs on DRDO, ISRO
The US has removed nine Indian space and defence related companies, including those from ISRO and DRDO, from its export control ‘Entity List’ in an attempt to expand high technology trade and strategic cooperation with India.
The US decision meets a long pending Indian demand and is the first step to implement the export control policy initiative announced by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 8, 2010, after their summit talks in New Delhi.
The nine entities are Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), four remaining subsidiaries of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the US sanction list and another four of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The DRDO subsidiaries are Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), Defence Research and Development Lab (DRDL), Missile Research and Development Complex and Solid State Physics Laboratory Liquid Propulsion Systems Center, Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant (SPROB), Sriharikota Space Center (SHAR), and Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) are the four ISRO subsidiaries.
Removal from the ‘Entity List’ eliminates a licence requirement specific to the companies, and results in the companies off the list being treated the same way as any other destination in India for export licensing purposes.
“These changes reaffirm the US commitment to work with India on our mutual goal of strengthening the global non-proliferation framework,” said US Under-Secretary of Commerce Eric L. Hirschhorn.
Justice Patil report on 2G Scam
The one-man committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Shivraj V. Patil, who was appointed by the Telecom Ministry to look into the lapses in the allocation of the 2G Spectrum, has identified the guilty in the report which was submitted on January 31, 2011.
After former Telecom Minister A. Raja resigned, the panel was set up on December 13 2010 to look into the Spectrum allocation procedures and policies from 2001 to 2009. The period also included the issuing of telecom licences during the NDA regime.
During 2001-04, the BJP-led NDA Government was at the Centre and Raja had been saying that he only followed the policies of his predecessors.
The panel has nailed A. Raja for procedural lapses. The report also named seven other officials in the Department of Telecom (DoT), including former DoT Secretary Siddharth Behura and R.K. Chandolia, a former lieutenant of Raja.
Justice Patil clarified that procedural lapses of different types were found in different periods and that referred to not just the particular year in question but also before that. He said that procedural shortcomings were found in applications of telecom operators and that there were many shortcomings on the part of DoT officials in implementing procedures.
The panel was also asked to examine if procedures were followed consistently and if these were followed in fair and transparent manner and report any deviation, shortcomings and lapses.
Country’s top audit body Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had earlier alleged that several operators had suppressed information while applying in 2007 to bag licences and the 2G Spectrum from A Raja.
Justice Patil said that in the report he had suggested remedial measure with regard to the licensing policies and procedures. Concerning the guilty identified in the report, Patil said he could not produce supporting documents as they were with the CBI.
Prime Minister draws up 20-point agenda on Corruption
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has outlined a comprehensive agenda to make transparency and ethics the core focus of governance at all levels.
A 20-point agenda to bring about procedural improvements to achieve this goal is on the anvil. Adoption of Finland’s procedural model is also under consideration.
Critical steps under active consideration by the government include instructions to clearly mention on files involving clearances by them whether the decision was a government one (taken by the Cabinet) or one by the official himself.
Other steps being planned are: Proper scrutiny of officials before appointments, especially to critical posts, posting on websites the names of officials involved in corruption cases and permission to prosecute identified cases.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Dilma Rousseff is Brazil’s first woman PresidentOn January 1, 2010, Dilma Rousseff became the Brazil's first female President. She has promised to build on an unprecedented run of economic success achieved by her popular predecessor and mentor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Thousands of admirers braved a driving rain and cheered as Rousseff rode to her inauguration in a 1953 Rolls Royce flanked by an all-female security detail.
The former Marxist guerrilla, who evolved over the years into a pragmatic civil servant with a professed obsession for reducing poverty, smiled broadly and clapped along with spectators as she was sworn in before the Congress.
More than 20 million Brazilians were lifted out of poverty during Lula's eight years in office, thanks largely to his social welfare policies and stable economic management that made Brazil a darling among Wall Street investors. The coming decade also looks bright, with massive, newly discovered offshore oil reserves due to be exploited and the World Cup and Olympics to be hosted here.
Yet, Rousseff also faces a long list of daunting challenges that Lula failed to tackle, including an overvalued currency that is hurting industry, rampant public spending that is fueling inflation, and notorious bureaucracy that stifles investment and discourages innovation. Perhaps the biggest task will be living up to the example set by Lula, a former metalworkers' union leader who leaves office with an approval rating of 87 per cent and near folk-hero status, especially among the poor.
New PM appointed in Jordan following protests
On January 31, 2011, Marouf Bakhit was appointed as the Prime Minister of Jordan by King Abdullah. The move came following protests inspired by mass demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt, but the opposition dismissed the move as insufficient. The earlier Prime Minister Samir Rifal was criticized for following a pro-Western reforms agenda. His opponents sought to reverse free market reforms they say have cut State support for East Bank Jordinians, the original inhabitants of the country who depend on government support more than Jordinains of Palestinian origins.
UN ends Peace Mission in Nepal
On January 15, 2011, the UN ended its peace mission as the government and the main Opposition Maoists inked a crucial eleventh-hour deal to monitor fragile peace process. The UN mission was tasked to supervise the arms and the army of the former rebels and the military.
The UNMIN closure, however, makes the fate of the 19,000 Maoist combatants confined in the cantonments uncertain, as there is no clear road-map regarding the future monitoring, integration and rehabilitation of the former combatants.
The government said a special committee comprising representatives from the main political parties would monitor the ex-guerrillas, which the Maoists do not agree to.
Governor of Punjab province of Pakistan assassinated for supporting a woman convicted under blasphemy law
The assassination of former Governor of Punjab province of Pakistan, Salmaan Taseer, on January 4, 2011, once again drew attention to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws, which have been at the center of debate of late. Religious parties have been able to force Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to step back from the government's earlier stance of changing these laws
Taseer's killing due to his support for a woman convicted under the blasphemy law is yet another addition to the list of those killed as a direct or indirect consequence of this legislation.
Threats were made, and protests held against Taseer after he visited Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman awarded the death sentence for committing blasphemy, and expressed his support for her.
According to data compiled by the National Commission for Justice and Peace, a local NGO, extra-judicial killings of those accused under the country's blasphemy laws started in 1990, but the laws were in place since 1980, instituted by military strongman General Zia Ul Haq.
South Sudan says “Yes” to secession
South Sudan has overwhelmingly voted to split from the north in a referendum intended to end decades of civil war, as per the result declared on January 30, 2011.
Thousands cheered, danced and ululated after officials said 99.57 per cent of voters from the south’s 10 States chose to secede.
The vote was promised in a 2005 peace-deal which ended decades of north-south conflict, Africa’s longest civil war which cost an estimated 2 million lives.
Kiir, the head of the former southern rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), praised his former civil war foe, Sudan’s overall president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for agreeing to the 2005 accord.
According to the terms of the accord, south Sudan will be able to declare independence on July 9, 2011, pending any legal challenges to the results.
Leaders from the SPLM and Bashir’s northern National Congress Party (NCP) still have to agree on a list of politically sensitive issues, including the position of their shared border, how they would split oil revenues after secession and the ownership of the disputed Abyei region.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised north and south Sudan for the peaceful vote but said he was concerned about the unresolved issues.
Visit of Chinese President to USA
President Hu Jintao of China visited USA in second week of January 2011 to narrow rifts between the world’s top two economies. This was the first visit of a Chinese President to USA in 13 years.
The State-run Chinese media recorded the visit as a successful summit of equals. However, the pomp and rhetoric did little to resolve acrimony between the two countries over ‘US interference’ in South China Sea, US policies on Taiwan, the Dalai Lama, currency and trade differences.
During the joint press conference President Jintao admitted that his country needed to do a lot more on human rights. The human rights were clearly the top concern of USA despite the economic ties between the two countries.
President Jintao warned USA to keep away from Tibet or else bilateral ties will be greatly effected, a day after President Obama asked him to talk to representatives of the Dalai Lama to resolve the issue.
Global Innovation Report, 2010
Innovation levels, as measured by patent volume, shifted across 12 major technology areas from 2009 to 2010, according to the second annual analysis of world patent activity published by the IP Solutions business of Thomson Reuters.
The 2010 Innovation Report: Twelve Key Technology Areas and Their States of Innovation tracks patent activity in key technology areas using the Thomson Reuters Derwent World Patents Index® (DWPISM) database, the world's most trusted source of patent information.
Key findings between 2009 and 2010 innovation data include:
Aerospace technology area blasts into a new orbit: In addition to increasing overall activity by 25% year over year, the largest aerospace sub-sector increase from 2009 to 2010 occurred in the field of Space Vehicles and Satellite Technology, which jumped up 108%. The three companies in this area were Japanese manufacturer Sharp, followed by Korean manufacturers LG and Samsung.
Semiconductor innovation short circuits: The Semiconductor technology area saw the largest drop in innovation activity across the 12 areas tracked, falling 9% last year. The drop was driven by sub-sector declines in Integrated Circuits; Discrete Devices; and Memories, Film & Hybrid Circuits. The one Semiconductor sub-sector showing growth in 2010 was Materials and Processes. The innovators with the most patent activity in this sub-sector were Korean manufacturers Samsung and Hynix Semiconductor, followed by Japan's Toshiba.
Computers & Peripherals tops the list of the most innovative technology areas with the highest volume of patent activity for second consecutive year, despite an overall decline from 2009: The Computers & Peripherals technology area published 212,622 unique inventions in 2010, earning it the top slot among the 12 areas in the analysis. However, this is a 6% decline from the level seen in 2009.
Muslim demographic peak over next 20 years
The world's Muslim population will grow at double the rate of non-Muslims over the next 20 years, according to a broad new demographic analysis that is likely to spark controversy in the West.
The Future of the Global Muslim Population may be the first to attempt to map the Muslim population of most of the world's countries. The analysis was conducted by two giant non-profit groups interested in religion: the Pew Research Center and the John Templeton Foundation. This is part of a larger project to map the population of all the world's religions.
Among its other projections are:
—Muslim populations in some parts of Europe will reach the double digits, with France and Belgium at 10.3 percent by 2030.
—Pakistan will overtake Indonesia as the world's most populous Muslim nation.
—Muslim population growth and fertility rates will continue to decline.
—India will remain home to the world's third largest Muslim population.
—The number of US Muslims will more than double, from 2.6 million in 2010 to 6.2 million in 2030.
The analysis could fuel critics of Islam in Europe and the United States, who argue that the religion is at odds with Western values and worry that the number of Muslim extremists is on the rise. Or it could calm those fears by providing evidence that Muslim populations in the West will remain relatively tiny. The study—which uses a dizzying mix of public and private data sources—makes it clear that even rapid growth among Muslims will not produce dramatic demographic shifts in most parts of the world.
Eighty-two percent of the world's Muslims live in Asia, West Asia and North Africa, and that number is projected to be around 79 percent in 2030.
According to the study's projections, Muslims make up 23.4 percent of the world's population of 6.9 billion; in 2030, that percentage will be 26.4. Europe is home to 2.7 percent of the world's Muslims, a percentage that is predicted to remain stable.
Business News
The NASDAQ-listed iGate has sealed the deal to buy Patni Computers, India’s seventh largest IT services firm, to create a $1-billion entity
Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee retailer, has entered into an agreement with Tata Coffee for a strategic alliance in India. Under the non-binding MoU between the two, Starbucks will set up stores in the Tata group’s retail outlets and hotels and source roast coffee beans from Tata Coffee’s Kodagu facility.
Infrastructure, Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS) will be the new promoter of Maytas Properties, the cash-strapped company owned by family members of disgraced Satyam founder Ramalinga Raju.
Wipro Chairman Azim Premji has done away with the dual helmsman-ship model and appointed T.K. Kurien as Wipro’s new CEO.
Google Inc co-founder Larry Page has taken over as CEO from Eric Schmidt. Page’s assumption of day-to-day operations marks a return to Google’s technological roots, 13 years after he and fellow Stanford University student Sergy Brin founded what has become the world’s number one internet search engine.
Mahindra & Mahindra, the market leader in utility vehicles, has launched a pick-up vehicle based on the Xylo model. The vehicle has been named Genio.
The Aditya Birla group has bought the $1-billion revenue earning US firm Colombian Chemicals for $875 million, catapulting the group to become the world leader in carbon black, from its number four position that it held before the acquisition.
Opening another chapter in aviation history, G.R. Gopinath, known as the pioneer of low-cost carriers in India, has had his Deccan Charters Ltd join hands with Taj Air, the executive charter service of Indian Hotels Company Ltd and with Business Jets India Pvt Ltd, to launch Powerfly, an alliance in the air charter industry.
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has entered into luxury sedan segment with launch of its car Kizashi.
ICICI Bank has entered into an agreement with Indian Army for extending modern banking products to the personnel in uniform
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DO YOU KNOW
Per capita income of Indians grew by 14.5 per cent to Rs 46,492 in 2009-10, from Rs 40,605 in 2008-09. The new per capita income figure estimates on current market prices is over Rs 2,000 more than the previous estimate of Rs 44,345 calculated by the Central Statistical Organisation. Per capita income means earnings of each Indian if the national income is evenly divided among the country's population at 117 crore (1.17 billion). Per capita income (at 2004-05 prices) stood at Rs 33,731 in FY10 against Rs 31,801 in the previous year.
The size of the economy at current prices rose to Rs 61,33,230 crore (Rs 61,332.30 billion) in 2009-10, up 16.1 per cent over Rs 52,82,086 crore (Rs 52,820.86 billion) in FY'09. Based on 2004-05 prices, the Indian economy expanded by 8 per cent during the fiscal ended March 2010. This is higher than 6.8 per cent growth in fiscal 2008-09.
The gross domestic product (GDP), or gross domestic income (GDI), is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time. The idea of gross domestic product came into existence after the Great Depression and World War II. GDP was first developed by Simon Kuznets for a United States Congress report in 1934. His idea was to calculate all economic production by individuals, companies and the government in a single measure. According to him, GDP would rise in good times and fall during any crisis. In 1944, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund accepted GDP as a method to assess a nation's economy.
The 98th Indian Science Congress was held at SRM University near Chennai.
While 2010 was observed as the International Year of Biodiversity, from 2011 starts the Decade of Biodiversity. During the decade, a UN body, much like the IPCC for Climate Change, is expected to push for action on biodiversity front.
The Qingdao Haiwan Bridge in China is the world’s longest sea bridge. It is 42.48 km long, 8.04 km further than the distance between Dover and Calais, as also longer than a marathon. The bridge links the main urban area of Qingdao city in east China’s Shandong province with Huangdao district.
January 14, 2011 marked the 250th anniversary of the third battle of Panipat. The defeat of the Marathas by the army of Ahmad Shah Abdali prepared the ground for the gradual take-over of India by the East India company.
Army Day is observed in India on January 15.
The World Bank has offered to India a loan of $1.5 billion (about Rs 6,800 crore) for building 24,000km of all-weather roads in the rural seven economically poor and hilly areas States—Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Punjab and any other State which may join at alter date over the next five-year period.
On January 17, 2011, Indian Navy commissioned a squadron of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), named INAS 343, at Porbander, Gujarat, to enhance coastal surveillance capabilities. The UAVs have been nick-named “Frontier Formidables”.
The world’s highest restaurant is located on the 122nd floor of the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. It is called At.mosphere. The restaurant is 92 meter taller than the world’s second highest eatery, the revolving 360 Restaurant in Toronto’s CN Tower.
Rural roads account for about 61% of India’s road length. National Highways comprise less than 2 per cent of the road network, but carry 40 per cent of road-based traffic.
RBI has decided to circulate Rs 5 coins to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President. Objective
Anti-Leprosy Day is observed in India on January 30.
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Current Affairs: February 2011
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Current Affairs: February 2011 NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Union Budget 2011 HighlightsStandard rate of excise duty held at 10 percent; no change in CENVAT rates. Personal income tax exemption limit raised to Rs 180,000 from Rs 160,000 for individual tax payers. For senior citizens, the qualifying age reduced to 60 years and exemption limit raised to Rs 2.50 lakh.
Citizens over 80 years to have exemption limit of Rs 5lakh. To reduce surcharge on domestic companies to 5 percent from 7.5 percent. A new revised income tax return form 'Sugam' to be introduced for small tax papers. raise minimum alternate tax to 18.5 percent from 18 percent.Iron ore export duty raised to 20 percent
Nominal one per cent central excise duty on 130 items entering the tax net. Peak rate of customs duty maintained at 10 per cent in view of the global economic situation.
Service tax widened to cover hotel accommodation above Rs 1,000 per day, A/C restaurants serving liquor, some category of hospitals, diagnostic tests.Service tax on air travel increased by Rs 50 for domestic travel and Rs 250 for international travel in economy class. On higher classes, it will be ten per cent flat. Works of art exempt from customs when imported for exhibition in state-run institutions; this now extended to private institutions. Subsidy bill in 2011-12 seen at 1.44 trillion rupees.Food subsidy bill in 2011-12 seen at 605.7 billion rupees. Revised food subsidy bill for 2010-11 at 606 billion rupees.
Revised fertilizer subsidy bill for 2010-11 at 550 billion rupees.
Revised petroleum subsidy bill in 2010-11 at 384 billion rupees.
State-run oil retailers to be provided with 200 billion rupee cash subsidy in 2011-12.
Fiscal deficit seen at 5.1 percent of GDP in 2010-11.
Fiscal deficit seen at 4.6 percent of GDP in 2011-12.
Total expenditure in 2011-12 seen at 12.58 trillion rupees.
Plan expenditure seen at 4.41 trillion rupees in 2011-12, up 18.3 percent.
Gross tax receipts seen at 9.32 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
Non-tax revenue seen at 1.25 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
Corporate tax receipts seen at 3.6 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
Tax-to-GDP ratio seen at 10.4 percent in 2011-12; seen at 10.8 percent in 2012-13.
Customs revenue seen at 1.52 trillion rupees in 2011-12.
Service tax receipts seen at 820 billion rupees in 2011-12.
Economy expected to grow at 9 percent in 2012, plus or minus 0.25 percent.
Inflation seen lower in the financial year 2011-12.
Disinvestment in 2011-12 seen at 400 billion rupees.
Government committed to retaining 51 percent stake in public sector enterprises.
Net market borrowing for 2011-12 seen at 3.43 trillion rupees, down from 3.45 trillion rupees in 2010-11.
Gross market borrowing for 2011-12 seen at 4.17 trillion rupees.
Revised gross market borrowing for 2010-11 at 4.47 trillion rupees.
To create infrastructure debt funds.
FDI policy being liberalized.
To boost infrastructure development with tax-free bonds of 300 billion rupees.
Food security bill to be introduced.
To permit SEBI registered mutual funds to access subscriptions from foreign investments.
Raised foreign institutional investor limit in 5-year corporate bonds for investment in infrastructure by $20 billion.
Setting up independent debt management office; Public debt bill to be introduced in parliament soon.
Bills on insurance, pension funds, banking to be introduced.
To allocate more than 1.64 trillion rupees to defence sector in 2011-12.
Corpus of rural infrastructure development fund raised to 180 billion rupees in 2011-12.
To provide 201.5 billion rupees capital infusion in state-run banks in 2011-12.
To allocate 520.5 billion rupees for the education sector. Rs.21,000 crore for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
To raise health sector allocation to 267.6 billion rupees.
Rs.500 crore more for national skill development fund.
Rs.54 crore each for AMU (Aligarh Muslim University) centres at Murshidabad and Mallapuram.
Rs.58,000 crore for Bharat Nirman; increase of Rs.10,000 crore.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme wage rates linked to consumer price index; will rise from existing Rs.100 per day.
Infrastructure critical for development; 23 percent higher allocation in 2011-12.
Removal of supply bottlenecks in the food sector will be in focus in 2011-12.
To raise target of credit flow to agriculture sector to 4.75 trillion rupees.
3 percent interest subsidy to farmers in 2011-12.
Cold storage chains to be given infrastructure status.
Capitalisation of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) of 30 billion rupees in a phased manner.
To provide 3 billion rupees for 60,000 hectares under palm oil plantation.
Food storage capacity to be augmented; 15 more mega food parks to be set up in 2011-12; of 30 sanctioned in previous fiscal, 15 set up.
Comprehensive policy on further developing PPP (public-private-partnership) model. To move towards direct transfer of cash subsidy for kerosene, LPG and fertilizers.
Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge B. Srikrishna, to complete its work in 24 months; to overhaul financial regulations.
Five-fold strategy against black money; 13 new double taxation avoidance agreements; foreign tax division of CTBT strengthened; strength of Enforcement Directorate increased three-fold.
Bill to be introduced to review Indian Stamp Act.
New coins carrying new rupee symbol to be issued.
Anganwadi workers salary raised from Rs.1,500 to Rs.3,000.
Housing loan limit for priority sector lending raised to Rs.25 lakh.
Railway Budget, 2011
For the third year in a row, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee made an attempt to come out with the “aam aadmi” budget sparing the passengers and industry from fare and freight hikes and announcing the highest ever investment of Rs 57,630 crore, with 68 new trains.
On February 25, 2011, presenting her third Railway Budget in UPA-II in the Lok Sabha, Mamata vowed to build a stronger railroad infrastructure based on the Vision 2020 document while announcing a slew of concessions, including reducing the eligibility age of senior women citizens from 60 to 58 years and raising the fare concession for senior citizens (above 60) from 30 to 40 per cent.
The budget estimates for 2011-12 project a freight loading of 993 million tonne and a passenger growth of 6.4 per cent. Ordinary working expenses have been estimated at Rs 73,650 crore and appropriation to depreciation reserve fund pegged at Rs 7,000 crore.
A provision of Rs 6,735 crore has been made for dividend payment and the excess for railways for the new fiscal has been projected at Rs 5,258 crore, with an operating ratio of 98.1 per cent.
Gross traffic receipts have been fixed at Rs 94,840 crore, which is higher by Rs 75 crore over budget estimates. The ordinary working expenses have been fixed at Rs 67,000 crore. A target of 1,300 km of new lines, 867 km of doubling of lines and 1,017 km of gauge conversion has been set.
Indian Railways, the world’s second largest under a single management, has a network of 64,099 km to ferry as many as 18.9 million passengers on 7,000 trains daily, from 6,906 stations. It also runs 4,000 freight trains to carry 850 million tonne of cargo.
Highlights
No hike in passenger fare and freight rates.
Highest ever plan outlay of Rs 57,630 crore proposed.Rs 9,583 crore provided for new lines.
1,300 km new lines, 867 km doubling of lines and 1,017 km gauge conversion targeted in 2011-12.
56 new Express Trains, 3 new Shatabdis and 9 Durontos to be introduced.
16,000 ex-servicemen to be given jobs in railways.
Ten-year backlog of 1.75 lakh jobs to be addressed.
Durontos on the Allahabad-Mumbai, Pune-Ahmedabad, Sealdah-Puri, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Madurai-Chennai routes.
Integrated suburban network to be set up in Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad.
A bridge factory in Jammu & Kashmir and a state-of-art institute for tunnel and bridge engineering proposed at Jammu.
New Shatabadi to link Ludhiana with New Delhi.
New weekly train, "Vivek Express", on Bandra (T)-Jammu Tawi Express route via Marwar-Degana- Ratangarh -Jakhal-Ludhiana.
Industrial park in Nandigram, Metro coach factory for Singur.
Centre for excellence in software at Darjeeling.
Concession for senior citizens increased from 30% to 40%.
Age for senior women citizens’ concession reduced to 58 from 60.
Pradhan Mantri Rail Vikas Yojana to be launched.
Student special .trains to be started; start of Rajrani Express.
Multi-purpose smart card to be introduced for all-India travel.
Review of economic growth story of India
As per the Economic Survey 2011, non-Congress States are scripting India’s economic growth story. The Survey places Bihar on top in terms of performance on growth, with the State posting a whopping 16.59 per cent growth in 2008-2009, the latest year for which the data
is available.
But Gujarat pips Bihar (which is followed by Orissa, Haryana and Uttrakhand) to the lead spot when the growth performance is measured from 2002-2003 onwards to 2009. Interesting to see is the fact that out of top five growing States in the country, four are ruled by non-Congress governments, with the exception of Haryana which stands fourth in this list.
The Economic Survey reveals that though Rajasthan, followed by Andhra Pradesh, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, provided maximum employment under MNREGA in 2009-2010, it was Punjab (ruled by the Shorimani Akali Dal-BJP combine) which employed the maximum Scheduled Castes under the programme (Punjab also reports the lowest number of people below poverty line in India) while the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh employed the maximum STs, followed by Jharkhand, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.
After Punjab, the maximum SC employment under MNREGA was reported from Tamil Nadu, UP, Haryana and Bihar.
On gross enrollment ratios in elementary education also, the Opposition-ruled States of Jharkhand (where the JMM and BJP are in coalition), Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat rank the highest. So far as the progress under the National Rural Health Mission goes, the maximum health centers have come up in Tamil Nadu, followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Ironically, though they are doing well in terms of economic growth, non-Congress ruled states like Orissa and Bihar continue to perform poorly on poverty indicators. “The percentage of people below the poverty line is very high in Orissa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttrakhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Rural income inequality is the highest in Haryana and urban income inequality is the highest in Madhya Pradesh.
Plan to deal with black money menace
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that the government had adopted a five-fold strategy to deal with the problem of generation and circulation of black money. Presenting the Budget, he said: “The five-fold strategy consists of joining the global crusade against black money, creating an appropriate legislative framework, setting up institutions for dealing with illicit funds, developing systems for implementation and imparting skills to the manpower for effective action.”
He added that while the membership of the Financial Action Task Force was secured in June 2010, the government has also joined the Task Force on Financial Integrity and Economic Development, Eurasian Group and Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes.
“Discussions have also been concluded for 11 Tax Information Exchange Agreements and 13 new Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs), along with revision of provisions of 10 existing DTAAs,” he said.
India, Malaysia ink free trade pact
On February 18, 2011, India and Malaysia signed a comprehensive market opening pact that throws up myriad trade opportunities for both sides and give a boost to India's Look-East Policy and the prospects for its economic integration with South-East Asia.
India’s Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and his Malaysian counterpart Mustapa Mohamed, in the presence of Prime Minister Najib Razak and several leading captains of industry from both sides, signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
The agreement, which was reached after seven rounds of negotiation, will see Indian mangoes, cotton, motorcycles, trucks and basmati rice attract less duty in Malaysia, among other things.
As a quid pro quo, the South-East nation will face less barriers on the sale of its fruit, engineering goods and chemicals in India.
Shivraj V. Patil panel report on 2G scam
Unveiling the report of the Shivraj V Patil panel that went into the lapses made during the allocation of the 2G Spectrum, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said on February 4, 2011, the committee had concluded that all decisions on Spectrum allocation since 2003 by successive governments, including the UPA regime, were procedurally wrong.
In what could be a damning admission of Raja not following procedures despite advice from other ministries, the report says that the DoT did not follow the advice of the Law Ministry or the views of the Finance Ministry over Spectrum pricing.
The findings on procedural lapses are being sent to the CBI, which is looking into the criminal culpability in the scam.
ULFA agrees to unconditional talks
After three decades of armed conflict that cost thousands of lives in Assam, the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam( ULFA) has finally decided to sit for “unconditional” talks with the Government of India.
On February 5, 2011, leaders of the outfit informed that ULFA had been invited by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for a preliminary round of talks in New Delhi, as a prelude to formal negotiations that would materialize once ULFA submitted its charter of demands.
With this ULFA has finally given up its earlier preconditions of, one, holding talks in a third country; two, including “sovereignty” as the core issue; three, of having a UN observer for the talks.
The ULFA foreign secretary, Sasadhar Choudhury, pointed out that preconditions set by both ULFA and the government had stood in the way of holding peace talks since 1992, the year ULFA leaders had met then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao only to renege on their promise to come forward for a dialogue on a later date.
On ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua airing his opposition to dialogue, the outfit leaders said he had done it before the general council of ULFA decided on unconditional talks. “The decision of the general council is binding on everyone. Anyone defying it will face disciplinary action as per the provision of the ULFA’s constitution. Paresh Barua was invited to both the central executive committee and general council meeting, but he didn’t come. We have conveyed our decision for talks to him and are waiting for his response,” the ULFA leaders said.
ULFA claims to have been founded on April 7, 1979. It initiated major violent activities in 1990, which led the Union government banning the organisation. Military operations against it by the Army also began in 1990.
In the past two decades, some 10,000 people have died in clashes between the rebels and the government.
In December 2009, the chairman and the deputy commander-in-chief of ULFA were arrested. There has also been a large ULFA crackdown in Bangladesh in last one year, which significantly assisted India and led to ULFA softening its stand and dropping the demand for independence as a condition for talks
India, Japan sign free trade agreement
On February 16, 2011, India and Japan signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) to open markets and reduce barriers on goods, services and movement of people between the two countries.The pact was signed between Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Seiji Maehara in Tokyo.
Indian government has set a target of doubling bilateral trade to
$25 billion by 2014, which is currently at $10.3 billion. CEPA will lead to a quantum increase in bilateral trade and investment flows, by relaxing barriers to trade in goods, services and movement of natural persons, besides enhanced cooperation on protection of intellectual property.
This agreement is the most ambitious agreement signed by India so far and covers trade in goods, services and investment under its ambit. This agreement follows from the commitment of the two Prime Ministers in October 2010. The agreement has ensured that the sensitive sectors for India are fully protected, including agriculture, fruits, spices, wheat, basmati rice, edible oils, wines and spirits and also certain categories of industrial products such as auto and auto parts.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
People power forces Hosni Mubarak to quit as President of Egypt
On February 11, 2011, Hosni Mubarak stepped down as Egypt's President, handing over to the army and ending three decades of autocratic rule, bowing to escalating pressure from the military and protesters demanding that he go.
A military council would run the affairs of the Arab world's most populous nation, till a free and fair presidential election is held in September.
After a speaker made the announcement in Cairo's Tahrir Square, hundreds of thousands of protesters broke down in tears, celebrated and hugged each other chanting: “The people have brought down the regime.”
The 82-year-old Mubarak's downfall after 18 days of unprecedented mass protests was a momentous victory for people power and is sure to rock autocrats throughout the Arab world and beyond.
The sharpening confrontation had raised fear of uncontrolled violence in the most populous Arab nation, a key US ally in an oil-rich region where the chance of chaos spreading to other long stable but repressive States troubles the West. Washington has called for a prompt democratic transition to restore stability in Egypt.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied across Egypt, including in the industrial city of Suez, earlier the scene of some of the fiercest violence in the crisis, and the second city of Alexandria, as well as in Tanta and other Nile Delta centers.
Since the fall of Tunisia's long-time leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, which triggered protests around the region, Egyptians had been demonstrating in huge numbers against rising prices, poverty, unemployment and their authoritarian regime.
Nepal finally gets a Prime minister after seven months and sixteen attempts
Ending a seven-month-long standoff over the Prime Ministerial election, Nepal's Parliament, on February 3, 2011, elected veteran communist leader and chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Jhalanath Khanal as the new Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Nepal.
UML chairman Khanal, 61, was elected by securing 368 votes in the 601-member Parliament.
Khanal proved lucky and became the third communist Prime Minister after the April 2006 uprising by replacing his fellow comrade Madhav Kumar Nepal after the Unified CPN-Maoists, the single largest party in the Parliament, decided to withdraw its candidate and forge a Left alliance by extending support to Khanal.
Jhalanath Khanal, who was elected chairman of the UML in February 2009, was born in Ilam in May 1950. A graduate in political science and history from Tribhuvan University, Khanal entered politics in 1965. He was one of the founding members of the National Co-ordination Committee for all Communist Revolutionaries of Nepal in 1975 and CPN (ML) in 1978. He was jailed for a total of 26 months in his early political career and went underground in 1979.
After restoration of democracy, he was a minister in the interim government formed in 1990. He was elected as a lawmaker in the 1991 and 1994 general elections.
G-20 ministers reach deal to correct economic flaws
G-20 Finance Ministers have reached a compromise deal to correct global economic imbalances and expressed concern over excessive commodity price volatility impacting the world food security, an issue pressed by India.
After two days of hard bargain by their Finance Ministers, major economies, faced with uneven recovery and downside risks, reached a text in the face of tough resistance from China to agree on guidelines for removal of structural flaws in the global economy.
However, the document did not talk about an issue of much interest to India. New Delhi wanted that G-20 should urge all jurisdictions to conclude Tax Information Exchange Agreements so that menace of black money in tax havens can be tackled.
This issue seems to have been put on back seat as a lot of time was spent on reaching an agreement with China, which was opposed to inclusion of foreign exchange reserves and its exchange rate among the guidelines. China is sitting on a $2.8 trillion forex reserves and is accused by the US of manipulating its currency yuan.
Faced with a double-digit food inflation, India also pressed for a coordinated approach to tackle food, commodity and oil price volatility, which make emerging economies "vulnerable".
The ministers agreed on a plan to strengthen the international monetary system (IMS) with regard to disruptive capital flows and disorderly movement in exchange rates, a matter of great concern to India.
The document also expressed its worries on the impact of rising oil prices, which have exceeded $100 per barrel.
On the most contentious guidelines to remove structural imbalances, the communique appeared to have accommodated China's objections to including forex reserves and current account deficit. The communiqué, instead, said that indicative guidelines, without targets will be used to assess: i) public debt and fiscal deficit; private savings and private debt; ii) external imbalances composed of trade balance and net investment income flows and transfers, taking into due consideration of exchange rate, fiscal, monetary and other policies.
US, Russia launch nuclear arms reduction pact
On February 5, 2011, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched a landmark nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia, a showpiece of Washington’s “reset” of ties with its former Cold War enemy.
The new START officially came into force when Clinton and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov exchanged ratification documents at a security conference in the German city of Munich.
“Today we exchange the instruments of ratification for a treaty that lessens the nuclear danger facing the Russian and American people and the world,” Clinton said.
The chief US diplomat hailed the pact as another example of “clear-eyed” cooperation between the two military powers, “part of a journey we have been taking for more than 60 years.” Lavrov told the Munich conference that the agreement would “enhance international stability.”
The pact slashes existing warhead ceilings by 30 per cent over the next 10 years and limits each side to 700 deployed long-range missiles and heavy bombers. The original 1991 pact expired at the end of 2009 amid stark differences over how the two sides planned to proceed.
Business News
Reliance Industries Ltd and UK’s oil and gas exploration company BP have announced a historic deal under which BP will pay $7.2 billion to acquire 30 per cent equity stake in 23 oil and gas production sharing contracts that RIL operates in India, including the KG D6 block. Future performance payments of up to $1.8 billion could be paid based on exploration success.
Fortis Global Healthcare Holdings will acquire a majority stake in Australia’s Dental Corporation Holdings (DCH). Fortis Global is the wholly-owned overseas investment vehicle of Fortis Healthcare Ltd.
Educomp Solutions has picked up a majority stake in test preparation company Gateforum Educational Services which provides preparatory tools for Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), an entrance test for admission to postgraduate courses in technical institutes in India.
Nokia Oyj, the world’s biggest maker of mobile phones, has formed a software partnership with Microsoft Corp., betting that together the two companies can challenge Google Inc and Apple Inc.
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DO YOU KNOW
India’s first inland fish processing unit has been set up in the village of Bhutana in Karnal district of Haryana. The unit has been set up in technical collaboration with ZTM BPD Unit, South Zone, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, which comes under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
As per the Economic Survey, 2011, India has the fourth largest foreign exchange reserves in the world. India’s foreign exchange reserves touched $ 297.3 billion in December 2010, from 279.1 billion in March
The National Science Day is observed on February 28 to mark the discovery of Raman Effect by Sir C.V. Raman in 1928, for which he was awarded the Nobel prize.
To reduce the burden of small tax-payers, a new, simplified income tax return form, Sugam, has been introduced.
The Union Budget 2011 has increased the Defence budget by 11 per cent. Additional Rs 17,071 crore have been allotted over 2010 Budget figure of Rs 1,47,344 crore. About Rs 69,199 crore has been earmarked for capital expenses like weapons, planes, ships, special classified projects etc.
The Budget 2011 has earmarked Rs 52,000 crore for education, out of which Rs 21,000 crore will be spent on Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, Rs 6,213 crore on secondary education and Rs 2,200 crore on higher education.
The Hyderabad international airport has bagged the first rank in its category in the latest Airport Service Quality (ASQ) rankings of the Airports Council International (ACI).
The theme song of Cricket World Cup, 2011 was “De Ghuma Ke”. It was composed by the trio of Shankar, Ehasan and Loy
India received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $21 billion 9Rs 96,104 crore) in the calendar year 2010, a decline of 22 per cent over 2009.
The SAARC Foreign Ministers’ meet was held in Thimpu, Bhutan on February 8, 2011.
The NASSCOM India Leadership Forum (NILF) was held in Mumbai in February 2011.
Mahatma Gandhi and the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama have been listed by the Time magazine as the world’s top 25 political icons. Time’s top 25 political icons are: Mahatma Gandhi, Alexander the Great, Mao Zedong, Winston Churchill, Genghis Khan, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Adolf Hitler, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Ronald Reagan, Cleopatra, Franklin Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama, Queen Victoria, Benito Mussolini, Akbar the Great, Lenin, Margaret Thatcher, Simón BolÃvar, Qin Shi Huang, Kim Il-Sung, Charles de Gaulle, Louis XIV, Haile Selassie, King Richard the Lionheart and Saladin.
India has agreed to temporarily lend fragments of Buddha’s bones, famously known as Kapilavastu relics, to Sri Lanka for an exposition to celebrate his 2600th year of enlightenment in 2011.
China has emerged as the world’s largest economy, surpassing Japan, which had held on to the position for over four decades. At the end of 2010, Japanese economy was estimated to be worth about $5.5 trillion and that of China $5.8 trillion. USA continues to be the largest economy of the world with the economy worth $14.6 trillion.
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Godhra Train Burning Case
On February 22, 2011, thirty one persons were convicted and 63 others, including the main accused Maulvi Umarji, were acquitted by a special court in the 2002 Godhra train burning incident that left 59 persons dead and triggered violence in Gujarat that claimed the lives of over 1200 people.
The trial, conducted inside the Sabarmati Central Jail, Ahmedabad, began in June 2009 with the framing of charges against 94 accused. The accused were charged with criminal conspiracy and murder in burning of the S-6 coach of the train on February 27, 2002, near Godhra, about 125 km from Ahmedabad, in which 59 people were killed.
As many as 253 witnesses were examined during the trial and over 1,500 documentary evidences were presented before the court by the Gujarat police.
There were a total of 134 accused in the case, out of which 14 were released due to lack of evidence, five were juvenile, five died during proceedings of over nine years, and 16 are absconding. Of the 94, against whom the trial was conducted, 80 are in jail and 14 are out on bail.
Two different panels appointed to inquire into the 2002 case had given different views on the Godhra train burning incident. The Nanavati Commission, appointed by the Gujarat government to probe the carnage, had in the first part of the report concluded that the fire in the S-6 coach was not an accident, but was caused by throwing petrol inside it. The one-man U.C. Banerjee Commission appointed by the Railway Ministry under Lalu Prasad Yadav had said that the fire was "accidental". The Court accepted the conspiracy theory.
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Current Affairs: December 2010NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Mid-quarter policy review by RBI
In its mid-quarter policy review on December 16, 2010, the RBI announced a one per cent reduction in the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of commercial banks from 25 per cent to 24 per cent. The new SLR rates came into effect from December 18.
The apex bank also announced that repo rates and reverse repo rates would be held at 6.25 per cent and 5.25 per cent, respectively. The cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled commercial banks will also remain unchanged at 6 per cent.
The announcement came amidst signs that inflation was showing signs of slowing even as a liquidity concern in the economy was on the rise. The RBI also announced a second auction for purchase of government securities in January 2011, under its open market operation (OMO), to improve banks’ liquidity.
The RBI increased repo and reverse repo rates six times in 2010, in a bid to rein in inflation.
India’s U-turn at Cancun Summit
In an effort to break a deadlock in negotiations to save the planet from overheating, India’s Union Minister of State Jairam Ramesh discarded overnight India's policy of two years on global climate change. It's a move that will likely win India international acclaim, but Ramesh must now prepare for fierce domestic criticism of his new stand that the country is willing to accept legally binding commitments in place of its oft-repeated policy of only voluntary action to cut greenhouse-gas emissions
"All countries must agree to a legally binding commitment under an appropriate legal form," Ramesh said as he surprised his own negotiators at the 16th Global Climate Summit, held in December in Cancun, Mexico..
The statement was not part of the minister's prepared speech, which he read at the plenary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, as the summit is officially called. The UPA government had assured the Parliament India's position of refusing any legally binding agreements was non-negotiable. Like most developing countries, India had consistently said that since global warming was caused by developed nations, it would only offer voluntary cuts of up to 25%—not of overall emissions but in the intensity of emissions, or reducing the carbon in every unit of industrial production.
Rs 40,000 cr raised via disinvestment in 2010
Having begun 2010 with a wide gap between its income and expenditure, the union government diluted its stake in nine State-owned companies, including Coal India, to raise Rs 40,000 crore that helped cut borrowings.
The amount is the most raised in a year since the government began the programme of diluting minority stake or privatising vast swathes of public sector companies in 1991-92.
The year started with the follow-on public offer (FPO) of NTPC, in which the government diluted its 5 per cent stake and mopped up Rs 8,480 crore. This was followed by the FPO of Rural Electrification Corporation in the month of March. The government offloaded 5 per cent of its stake in the company and raised Rs 882 crore, while REC issued fresh equity of 15 per cent.
In the same month, the government diluted 8.38 per cent of its stake in NMDC through FPO and mopped up Rs 9,930 crore.
The fiscal year 2010-11 started with the initial public offer of Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) in the month of May.
While the revenue mop up figure of Rs 40,000 crore is for the 12 months ending December 31, the government had targeted raising Rs 40,000 crore through disinvestment in the financial year 2010-11.
Worst Session of Parliament in 25 years
The 2010 winter session of the Parliament can be termed as the worst in the past 25 years of parliamentary history. Disrupted for its entire duration of 24 sittings each in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, it ranks at the bottom of the heap among 82 sessions held since 1985.
Both the Houses this time saw protests on the Opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G Scam. The Resume of Work of the two Houses reveals that the Lok Sabha worked for 7.37 hours, 5.5 per cent of the total available time, while the Rajya Sabha worked for 2.44 hours, just 2.4 per cent of the available time. These percentages are the lowest in 25 years.
The 8th Lok Sabha, despite the Bofors issue (into which a JPC was formed) worked for more than 100 per cent of the available time in 13 of the 14 sessions it saw. In the 13th Lok Sabha also, when issues such as the Ketan Parikh stock scam and the Tehelka expose rocked the Parliament, the lowest percentage of working hours in any session was 59.
If all sessions that sat for more than five working days are compared, the current session recorded the worst performance. Two other sessions that saw low performances were the 10th Lok Sabha in November, 1995, (House sat for 36 per cent of the available time) when the telecom controversy involving Sukhram as the minister came up and the 14th Lok Sabha in June, 2004, when the Opposition accused the UPA of appointing tainted MPs as ministers (namely Shibhu Soren and Lalu Yadav accused in a murder case and the fodder scam, respectively). In that session, the House sat for 33 per cent of the available time.
Visit of Chinese Prime Minister
Prime Minister of China, Wen Jiabao visited India on December 15, 2010. The much-anticipated summit between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was rich in symbolism but poor in substance. Belying New Delhi’s expectations, the Chinese leader remained non-committal on reversing Beijing’s policy of giving stapled visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir or endorsing India’s candidature for a permanent UN Security Council seat.
A joint communiqué issued after the talks suggested few positive outcomes, including a commitment by the two countries to resolve outstanding differences, particularly on the vexed boundary dispute, at an early date through peaceful negotiations.
On the issue of terrorism, the two countries pledged to counter the menace through joint efforts that include disrupting the financing of the menace. They also recognised the need to implement all relevant UN resolutions on the subject, including the one that calls for the proscription of the Pakistan-based Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Although there was no mention of the 26/11 terror attacks, the Chinese leader expressed sympathies with the families of the victims of the Mumbai carnage.
It was quite clear from the communiqué that the Chinese side was keen to deepen the economic content of the relationship rather than dealing with contentious issues of core concern to India. The two countries set a new bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2015 and take measures to promote greater exports to China with a view to reduce India’s increasing trade deficit.
The positives that emerged from the India-China summit were: the two countries have decided to hold annual meetings at the foreign ministers level, established a hot line between the two Premiers, start a strategic economic dialogue, set up a CEO forum and include the Chinese language in the CBSE curriculum, apart from signing six MOUs in different areas, including one on China providing hydrological data to India on the Sutlej River in the flood season.
"The dragon and the elephant should tango," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao suggested. He came up with this quip to emphasise the need for the two Asian giants, whose rivalry has been compared to that between the dragon (China) and elephant (India), to come closer.
India and China were partners in cooperation and not rivals, he said. Wen had words of appreciation for his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, describing him as a person “with an open and inclusive mind”.
The Chinese leader also mentioned that Cambridge University had brought out a publication containing speeches by him and Manmohan Singh whose common theme was the importance of open and inclusive societies.
India-EU Summit, 2010
On December 10, 2010, India and the European Union vowed to resist all forms of protectionist measures in the global trade as they reached the last stages of concluding a market opening bilateral trade and investment agreement.
After the EU-India Summit, attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and top European Commission leaders, a joint declaration said that the two sides “agreed on the contours of a final package, and reaffirmed the importance of an ambitious and balanced” conclusion of Broad Based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA).
Billed as the biggest trade opening agreement by the EU, and one of the biggest bilateral pacts ever, the BTIA will reduce duties on mutual trade, which aggregated about euro 56 billion (about $75 billion) in fiscal 2009-10.
While the EU is keen on gaining bigger market for its products in India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh allayed apprehensions about its impact on the small farmers in India. He further said the two sides should take lead in avoiding protectionist trends, keeping markets open and encouraging the free flow and movement of people.
India has concerns over restrictions of movement of people in several European countries like the UK and Germany. The apprehensions were partly addressed in the joint statement.
Visit of French President
President of France Nicloas Sarkozy visited India on a four-day trip from December 5, 2010. He reached Bangalore on December 5 morning with his glamorous wife Carla Bruni and French officials and business representatives to kick off his second visit to India.
Lauding India’s role in social and economic development programmes in war-ravaged Afghanistan, he said the opening of Afghanistan’s economy, the fight against drug trafficking and the establishment of a secure regional environment demanded the cooperation of all Afghanistan’s neighbours. “India must assume its full role (in Afghanistan) in the process,” he said.
The French President also extended full support to India’s civil-nuclear programme. He said nuclear energy would now form the focus of Indo-French cooperation. Noting that 80 per cent of France’s electricity requirement was met though nuclear power plants, Sarkozy said France’s decision to rely on nuclear energy had proved visionary and ensured its energy independence.
The biggest deal that Sarkozy oversaw during the visit was the signing of the agreement between French nuclear equipment major Areva and the Nuclear Power Corporation (NCP) of India. As per the agreement, Areva is to build two European pressurised reactors (EPR) for NPC’s nuclear power complex scheduled to be built at Jaitapur in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district.
From two plants initially, the complex will have six nuclear reactors by 2030. The other big deal to be signed was a $1.2 billion contract to refurbish 56 Mirage 2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
India and France have decided to achieve the trade target of euro 12 billion by 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at a joint press interaction with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
Prime Minister Singh said India would cooperate closely with France, which has assumed the chairmanship of G-20, to push forward the process of global economic recovery, better regulation and financial sector reform.
The joint statement issued by the two sides said the two countries welcomed the significant development of cross-border investments between them and large-scale investment by India-based French companies in the car industry, building materials, electrical equipment, public water utilities and rail transport. They also welcomed prospects of Indian investments in France.
Meanwhile, France said it proposed to invest over euro 10 billion in India in next two years if multi-brand retail and insurance sectors were liberalised even as New Delhi said they were ‘very much’ on government’s agenda.
Visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Germany
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Germany on December 11, 2010. During the visit, in a stern message to Pakistan, Germany made it clear that terrorism is not a means to solve political problems and this is “unacceptable”.
Both the sides also discussed the possibility of entering into bilateral cooperation in civil-nuclear energy. If it crystallises, Germany will follow the US, France and some other countries for civil-nuclear cooperation with India.
Both leaders said India and Germany would work hard together to advance UN Security Council reforms for expansion of both permanent and non-permanent seats.
The two sides also agreed to enhance bilateral trade from the present level of 13 billion euro to 20 billion euros by 2012.
Germany is India's largest trading partner in the 27-nation European Union, with bilateral trade growing in the recent years to reach 13.4 billion euros in 2008.
Bilateral trade decreased marginally to 13.09 billion euro, but has revived and is growing by over 15 per cent and reached 9.8 billion euro during January-August, 2010.
Visit of Russian President
India and Russia inked more than 30 accords, including one on joint designing of the fifth generation fighter aircraft and another on expanding nuclear cooperation, during President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to India on December 20, 2010.
From Afghanistan to co-producing a fifth-generation fighter jet at a cost of $30 billion and sharing military signals from a satellite navigation system, India and Russia returned to the familiar comfort of their extraordinary past, with the promise to add new areas of cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector, as well as take forward discussions in the area of civil nuclear energy.
Topping the chart of 30 agreements was one on enhancing cooperation in the oil & gas sector, memoranda to fight illegal immigration and simplify visa procedures, as well as a design contract for a fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
Working towards the civil nuclear cooperation, the two countries inked an accord under which Russia would set up two more 1,000 MW units at Kudankulam.
Medvedev’s visit to India brought the curtains down on a particularly busy diplomatic season in which Delhi, over a period of six weeks, played host to four of the world’s most powerful leaders.
As the US broke new ground with India in recent years, especially on the back of the nuclear deal with New Delhi, the partnership with Russia seemed to slag. But the strategic orientation of India’s foreign policy, with energy security and concerns around terrorism at the core, have had the effect of turning its head towards Moscow once again and finding that Moscow would also like to reciprocate.
For several years, for example, Russia has not wanted to discuss Afghanistan with India, but with NATO-ISAF forces now publicly announcing their decision to withdraw by 2014, Moscow realises that it must forge a new conversation around this subject, especially since both Russia and India are victims of both terrorism and drug-dealing.
It’s clear too that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is driving this return to a revivified relationship at Moscow’s end, while in New Delhi a variety of factors are combining to persuade the Indian establishment to look anew at this old friendship.
One reason is that Russia remains India’s oldest partner in the civil nuclear and defence sectors. Despite New Delhi’s intention to diversify and buy armaments from the West, especially the US, Russian offers to share information and technology in its satellite navigation system GLONASS are both “unique and unprecedented”.
The agreement on the exploitation of the hydrocarbon sector, as well as a separate one between ONGC Videsh and Russia’s Sistema, is an example of how both countries are now hoping to jointly exploit their natural resources.
As for discussions on civil nuclear energy, which have hit a road-bump with the passing of the nuclear liability law, both sides are keen that such legislation does not come in the way of Russia expanding its presence in India’s civil nuclear sector.
The Indian side reassured the Russians that the “international convention” on nuclear matters, such as the 1963 Vienna Protocol, would take precedence in any dispute following a nuclear accident on the question of supplier or operator liability.
One major drawback of the Manmohan Singh-Medvedev summit was its inability to forge a concrete roadmap to revive the economic relationship, although a couple of MOUs were signed on promoting pharma and IT-related services.
Investment in each other’s countries is an abysmal $1 billion each, while trade remains at a lowly $7.5 billion. Even the target of increasing trade to $15 billion by 2015 is modest at best.
TRAI cracks whip on telemarketers
Hardening its stand against telemarketers who violate guidelines, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has decided to impose a hefty penalty of up to Rs 2.5 lakh if they call a mobile subscriber registered for not receiving commercial calls.
The penalty is a staggering 250 times the earlier maximum stipulated penalty of Rs 1,000. The minimum penalty was only Rs 500.
Under the revised guidelines, a telemarketer will be fined Rs 25,000 for a first offence, rising progressively to Rs 2.5 lakh for a sixth offence, following which its number will be blocked by all service providers, TRAI said. The new regulations became from January 1, 2011.
Telemarketers will also be issued a series of 70 numbers to help subscribers recognise commercial calls. Similarly, a unique SMS header has also been mandated for easy identification of commercial SMSs. No commercial communication, even for unregistered customers, will be permitted between 9 pm and 9 am.
Subscribers already registered with the National Do Not Call Registry will not be required to register again. Streamlining the registration system, customer registration will now be effective within seven days, compared with the earlier 45 days.
A new option is the ability of a subscriber to choose the degree of call filtering, based on categories of interest. The categories are: banking & financial products, real estate, education, health, consumer goods, automobiles, communication & entertainment, tourism and leisure.
To register complaints, a customer can call 1909. A complaint can also be registered via SMS.
Transactional messages such as those from banks, insurance companies, telecom service providers, airlines and railways are excluded from the new restrictions. Transactional messages will, however, only be in the form of SMS and restricted to relevant information. Promotional content in transactional messages will not be permitted.
The Hero group and Honda of Japan, who had combined their names to build the world’s largest-selling two-wheeler company, have ended their 26-year-old association. The Hero group is buying out the entire 26 per cent equity stake of Honda Motor Company in the joint venture, Hero Honda Motors.
Coca-Cola India is planning to expand Vitingo, an orange-flavoured beverage, across India.
India’s largest low-cost carrier, IndiGo, has replaced Air India (domestic) to become India’s third largest carrier in terms of passengers carried. Jet Airways leads with 26.2 percent share of total passengers, followed by Kingfisher at 19.1 percent. IndiGo’s share is 17.3 percent.
Reckitt Benckiser of UK has agreed to acquire Ahmedabad-based Paras Pharmaceuticals for a consideration of Rs 3,260 crore.
IndiaPay is India’s first indigenous payment gateway and is scheduled to be launched in mid-2011. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is the owner of IndiaPay and will make its first move by cutting charges levied to merchant establishments by half, compared with what MasterCard and Visa charge. IndiaPay’s shareholders consist of 10 banks, six of which are PSU banks, and is promoted by the Reserve Bank of India.
Lanco Infratech has announced acquisition of Griffin Coal Mining Company in Australia for Rs 3,800 crore. This is the second buyout of an Australian coal mining firm by an Indian company after Adani Group bought Line Energy’s Galilee coal tenement in August 2010.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
US Senate ratifies new arms control treaty with Russia
On December 23, 2010, the US Senate ratified the arms control Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia to cut down the countries’ nuclear stockpile, after several Republicans broke ranks with their party to vote in its favour. The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty cleared the required threshold of two-thirds of the Senators present, and the Senate ratified it by an overwhelming vote of 71 to 26.
The New START would reduce the nuclear stockpiles of the two countries to 1,500, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, besides establishing a system for monitoring and verification. It will also replace a 1991 treaty and would pave the way for resuming weapons inspections that ended in 2009 with the expiry of the earlier treaty.
The treaty allows the two countries to conduct 18 short-notice, on-site inspections each year, with as many as 10 “Type 1” inspections, which focus on strategic systems, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines and bombers, and up to eight “Type 2” inspections, which cover storage sites, test ranges and other operations.
On-site inspections, data exchanges on the technical characteristics, locations and distribution of weapons are key components of the treaty.
“We will continue to advance our relationship with Russia, which is essential to making progress on a host of challenges—from enforcing strong sanctions on Iran to preventing nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists. And this treaty will enhance our leadership to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the peace of a world without them,” President Obama said.
The development was also welcomed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who said the ratification was signal of “efforts to ensure the dynamic development of bilateral relations” between Russia and the US.
Lack of risk management exposes BRIC economies
Rapidly growing BRIC emerging economies are vulnerable to external shocks as they lack adequate risk management and must synchronise fiscal and monetary policies, according to a survey of finance ministry officials by consultancy Booz & Company.
It said that the role of finance ministries has expanded far beyond their traditional fiscal mandate and they must reform so that they are not overly driven by interventions, near-term fiscal targets and benchmarking against local peers.
Booz polled more than 60 policy-makers in finance ministries in the Group of 20 and other key economies, along with officials from the IMF, World Bank, European Union and OECD, academic institutions and think tanks.
Brazil, China, India and Russia—the powerful BRIC group of emerging nations— rebounded fast from the financial crisis, but the survey warned of shortcomings which could pose risks in the future.
Russia is vulnerable to swings in the price of oil, Brazil to commodity prices, and India and China to global demand. China faces the additional risk of potential changes in currency policy, which could have ramifications for its trade position, says the survey.
It said these economies will face volatile swings within the economic cycle, often requiring corrective measures with high costs, unless the economic management functions within these countries are coordinated via a larger framework.
The survey also recommends that BRIC and other growth economies should quantify on- and off- balance sheet risks, including commodity prices, currency fluctuations, private demand, or financial exposure—and build them into policy decisions.
IMF Report on World Economy
A package of U.S. tax cuts should give a lift to a global economic recovery that had already begun to gain speed late in 2010, according to the IMF.
In an updated World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund said the global economy would likely expand 4.4 percent in 2011, a touch higher than the 4.2 percent it forecast in October 2010. It said it expected growth of 4.5 percent in 2012.
Advanced economies have been a drag on global growth since the financial crisis erupted in 2007. While they are beginning to offer a bigger contribution, the IMF said those economies still pose the biggest risk to the world recovery. In particular, it warned of downside risks from the debt crisis in Europe and the high debt levels in many other advanced economies.
It said "comprehensive, rapid, and decisive policy actions" were needed to tackle troubles in the euro zone. In a separate report on Tuesday, the IMF called for an increase in the effective size of Europe's financial rescue fund and rigorous stress-testing of the region's banks.
The IMF said rich nations needed to keep in place loose monetary policies to support growth. "As long as inflation expectations remain anchored and unemployment stays higher, this is the right policy from a domestic perspective," it said.
The Fund said the U.S. economy would likely grow 3.0 percent in 2011, a sharp upward revision from its 2.3 percent October 2010 forecast. The IMF expects growth in the world's largest economy to ease slightly to 2.7 percent in 2012.
For Japan, the IMF said growth was now expected to reach 1.6 percent in 2011, an upward revision from October, and 1.8 percent in 2012.
It maintained its October forecast for the euro zone at 1.5 percent and estimated growth would accelerate to 1.7 percent in 2012. It upgraded its 2011 growth forecast for Germany to 2.2 percent from 2.0 percent due to stronger domestic demand.
The IMF said it expects emerging and developing economies, which include China, India, Brazil and Russia, to keep up their brisk pace of growth, although it noted that inflation pressures were rising in these countries.
It revised up its 2011 growth figure for emerging economies to 6.5 percent from an October 2010 projection of 6.4 percent, and said it sees similar growth in 2012.
For China, the IMF maintained its 2011 growth forecast at 9.6 percent and said growth in 2012 would slow slightly to 9.5 percent.
The Fund revised up its 2011 forecast for Brazilian growth to 4.5 percent versus a previous projection of 4.1 percent. It said Brazil would likely grow 4.1 percent in 2012.
The IMF said the surge in private investment flows into emerging market economies would likely remain strong, buoyed by low interest rates in mature markets and a strong investor appetite.
It cited inflation as the key risk for emerging economies, and said tighter monetary policies were needed.
With emerging economies accounting for almost 40 percent of global consumption, a slowdown in these economies “would deal a serious blow to the global recovery,” the IMF warned.
Global economy in better shape
The health of the global financial system appears to have improved, with the economic clout of emerging nations on the rise even as developed countries continue to grapple with debt woes.
In signs of improvement, the world economy is estimated to have expanded by around 5 per cent in 2010, in sharp contrast to the lower output witnessed in 2009.
On either side of the Atlantic, the efforts to contain fiscal deficit and bolster economic growth have been in different trajectories. While crisis-hit Europe is clamouring for severe tightening measures, the United States continues to print more dollars.
In the wake of the ravaging crisis, power has shifted from the once-unshakable developed world to rapidly growing nations such as India and China.In a testimony to their rising economic clout, India and China are all set to get more voting power at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The G-20 grouping has emerged as the most influential voice, with increased focus on nations such as India and China, whose consuming power is leading the global recovery.
Meanwhile, the word 'stimulus' continues to remain the buzzword for the world's largest economy, the US. Apart from continuing with a near-zero interest rate regime for three years, the US is now exploring newer ways to boost the still-sluggish recovery.
Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke has hinted at further quantitative easing measures, after unveiling a plan to buy $600 billion-worth of government securities. What is more, President Barack Obama has announced fresh tax cuts and initiated steps to discourage outsourcing.
With Uncle Sam pumping in more dollars to rejuvenate the over $14 trillion economy and create more jobs, the spill-overs are nightmarish.
The cheap dollar has fuelled excessive fund flows into emerging nations, including India and China, which in turn has stoked concerns of overheating and asset bubbles.
More efforts required to slow deforestation
World efforts to slow deforestation should do more to address underlying causes such as rising demand for crops or bio-fuels, according to a report by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
It said a series of projects to protect forests had had limited success in recent decades—U.N. figures show that 13 million hectares (32 million acres) of forest were lost every year from 2000-09, an area equivalent to the size of Greece.
The report also suggested that the current U.N.-led efforts to protect forests had too narrow a focus on promoting trees as stores of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.
Deforestation accounts for perhaps 10 percent of all emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities. Trees soak up carbon as they grow but release it when they burn or decay.
The IUFRO study said a key problem was that deforestation, from the Amazon to the Congo, was often caused by economic pressures far away. A popular global brand of cookies, for instance, uses palm oil grown on deforested land in Indonesia.
IUFRO has urged policies of "embracing complexity" to help protect forests, including educating consumers, rather than rely on a one-size-fits-all mechanism such as carbon storage.
Authors of the IUFRO study said that the U.N. plan, known as REDD+, was promising. But their worry is that this won’t be enough.
Greenland ice melts set record in 2010
Greenland’s ice sheet melted at a record rate in 2010, and this could be a major contributor to sea level rise in coming decades. The ice in Greenland melted so much in 2010 that it formed rivers and lakes on top of the vast series of glaciers that cover much of the big Arctic island.
Summer 2010 temperatures in Greenland were up to 3 degrees C above average, and there was reduced snowfall. Greenland’s capital had the warmest spring and summer since records began there in 1873. Average summer temperatures vary widely, but in coastal areas hover around freezing.
This is in tune with studies released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the World Meteorological Organization finding that 2010 was tied with 2005 and 1998 for the warmest year since modern global temperature record-keeping began in 1880.
With less snow cover, more bare ice was exposed to the sun, and because bare ice is darker than snow, it absorbs more solar radiation. So the more ice is uncovered, the more warming sunlight it absorbs and the more vulnerable it is to melting.
The study was sponsored by World Wildlife Fund, NASA and the National Science Foundation.
“Sea level rise is expected to top 3 feet by 2100, largely due to melting from ice sheets,” according to World Wildlife Fund climate specialist Martin Sommerkorn.
Cancun Climate Summit
The UN climate conference, held at Cancun, Mexico in December 2010, reached a “compromise” to set up a $100 billion “Green Fund” to fight global warming, a decision India described as an “important step forward”, but there was no agreement on extending the landmark Kyoto Protocol on emissions cuts beyond 2012.
“Confidence is back, hope has returned,” host Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, minutes after a set of decisions was adopted at the end of the two-week conference of ministers from nearly 200 countries.
Progress at the conference included a broad agreement on technology-sharing mechanism that will ensure that poor and vulnerable countries are able to access green technologies easily and in a cost-effective manner.
A “Green Fund” has been set up that is expected to mobilise $100 billion per year by 2020, which will be given to developing countries for adaptation and mitigation purposes.
The decisions reached in this conference will be followed up in negotiations in 2011, and it is hoped that a legally binding treaty emerges at the next climate meet in Durban, South Africa.
Bolivia was the sole country to oppose the decision in Cancun, but was eventually overruled.
Many of the contentious issues were by-passed to reach compromises in Cancun. For instance, no number has been given for further emission reductions under the Kyoto Protocol and there is no commitment to continue the Kyoto Protocol after it expires in 2012. According to some groups, it is a “weak” text that will eventually lead to the death of Kyoto Protocol, the only treaty that imposes legally binding cuts on developed countries. Others said that it is a workable “compromise” for the moment.
India's contributions have been incorporated in the text, including the International Consultation and Analysis, which is a transparency mechanism to review whether developing countries are carrying out their domestic mitigation actions.
The talks were hailed by observers as a boost for “multilateralism” in climate talks, which had waned following the negotiations in Denmark in 2009, after being marred by a great deal of mistrust between developed and developing countries.
The Cancun deal appears to have pacified the US and China, which had been at loggerheads throughout the meet on methods for monitoring and verifying actions to curtail greenhouse gases.
Other main components included promotion of efforts in poorer nations to protect their climate-friendly tropical forests, with the prospect of financial compensation from richer nations. The final text contained vague compromise language on financing, monitoring and oversight.
The meet also decided to establish a Technology Executive Committee under the treaty to analyse needs and policies for transfer to developing nations of technology for clean energy.
China, Pak ink trade deals
Pakistan and China signed economic deals worth billions during the visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to this impoverished, conflict-ridden nation in December 2010. The two nations also stressed the importance of cultural exchange by inaugurating a new centre dedicated to what Islamabad calls their “all-weather” friendship.
China is Pakistan’s closest friend in Asia, giving Islamabad military aid and technical assistance, including nuclear technology. Crucially, most Pakistanis view China as an ally that, unlike Washington, doesn’t make demands for its assistance. But Beijing is hardly left empty-handed from its ties with Pakistan, which serves as a close, cheap source of natural resources to fuel its growing economy.
During Wen’s trip, the first by a Chinese premier in five years, the two governments signed deals worth $14 billion for 36 projects in Pakistan, while businesses in the two countries agreed to deals worth another $10 billion.
The 13 agreements included a $229 million donation from China to help with reconstruction from the devastating floods Pakistan suffered earlier in 2010, as well as a $400 million soft loan for Pakistan.
Terror to be India’s focus at UNSC
Even as India re-enters the United Nations Security Council or UNSC in January 2011, it will use its seat on the apex body to focus attention and apply pressure on terrorist groups that have targeted the country in the past. Indian officials have described this as a “high priority” area for the country as it commences its two-year term as an elected non-permanent member of the Council from the Asia region.
India will “vigorously pursue” addition to the sanctions list of entities, individuals and outfits involved in acts of terrorism affecting the country. Obviously, this includes frontal organisations of Pakistan-based groups like the Laskar-e-Tayyeba and Jaish-e-Mohammed that have carried out attacks against India and Indian interests.
This would involve focusing on listing of such entities through the Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, which falls under the auspices of the UNSC. At present, some individuals and groups blacklisted by the United States Treasury and State Departments have not faced similar action from the UN. The UN effort is focused on cutting off funding for the entities and placing travel restrictions upon them.
At the same time, this will also involve future decisions regarding possible delisting of those associated with the Taliban as part of the political process in Afghanistan that some, like the Pakistan establishment, have preferred. However, India has objected to the Taliban in the past and this could play a role in how India addresses the Afghanistan issue on the Council.
In fact, India’s presence on the Council will also mean that India will have formal leverage to play a role in Afghanistan—a change from the last one year when, due to pressure from Pakistan, there had been efforts to reduce India’s role in that critical region. Afghanistan, of course, remains a major matter before the UNSC, although significant decision-making is undertaken by the US-led coalition forces in that country.
India will also be engaged in dealing with other global matters while on the Council, including flashpoints like Iran, North Korea and the Middle East.
India also hopes to play a constructive role in “shaping the Council’s response to the African agenda.” In fact, almost immediately after India assumes its seat, the major issue before the UNSC could be the scheduled referendum in the Sudan and the possible reconstitution of that nation.
Business News
Two young Asian entrepreneurs in England—Indian-origin Laurence Nair Price and Pakistan-origin Hayley Hadfield—have created history of sorts by bagging a deal to sell lip-smacking lassi in luxury store of Harrods in central London. The lassi is called “Schmoo”.
Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) has launched a compact SUV, called Thar, targeted at off-road enthusiasts, style-seekers and even war-veterans. Thar is an evolved version of the earlier brands like Commander Jeep.
The world’s second-largest retailer, Carrefour, has opened its first ‘cash-and-carry’ outlet in India in New Delhi.
Fortis Global Healthcare Holdings has decided to acquire a 30 per cent stake in Australia’s leading dental clinic chain Dental Corporation, for about Rs 450 crore.
Anil Ambani group company, Reliance Media-Works has inked pact with Russian World Studios (RWS) to outsource work related to film restoration, image processing and enhancement and HD conversion from Russia to the Indian company’s facilities in Mumbai and Burbank, USA.
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DO YOU KNOW
The United Nations, in a resolution adopted during its 63rd General Assembly meeting in December 2008, had decided to observe 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry. 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies (IACS), which was succeeded by IUPAC a few years later.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
The Union cabinet has approved the declaration of January 25 every year as “National Voters' Day” beginning from 2011 and to provide voters a badge with its logo and the slogan “Proud to be a voter—Ready to vote”.
The Article 326 of Indian Constitution was amended in 1988 to lower the voting age from 21 years to 18 years.
The International System of Units is the world’s most widely used system of measurements for commerce and science. It is made up of seven base units--metre, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, candela and mole—each of which represents a different physical quantity. Its origins can be traced back to 18th century France and it has been recognised internationally as the standard metric system since the 1960s.
The metre was once defined as the distance between two lines on a platinum-iridium prototype, but is now defined by the speed of light.
The Election Commission of India has decided to celebrate January 25 as “National Voters’ Day”, as part of its ongoing efforts to create awareness among the people about their greater participation in the electoral process.
Central Bank of India observed its 100th foundation day on December 23, 2010.
Objective
20,483 chess players took part in a tournament held in Ahmedabad to earn a plance in Guinness Book of World record.
Jal Hans is the first seaplane of India. It will be operated by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd and cater to island-hopping tourists in India. First service will be operationalised in Andamans.
Hazratganj in Lucknow marked its 200th anniversary on December 25, 2010.
Haryana has bagged the first prize in the Best States category for its performance in Energy Conservation Programmes in 2009-10. The State government had announced a five-year State Energy Conservation Action Plan in December 2007 with a target of achieving energy savings of 500 MW by 2012.
World Aids Day is observed on December 1.
The Bimal Jalan committee report is on working of capital market infrastructure in institutions. The committee has recommended stringent ownership norms for stock exchanges.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed on December 3.
India-EU Summit was held in December 2010 in Brussels, Belgium.
Martina Navrotilova lead a team of 27 climbers to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (at 5,895 meters), the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, to raise money and awareness for the Laureus Sport Good Foundation. She hit tennis balls off the top of Africa’s highest peak.
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current Affairs: November 2010
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Nitish wave sweeps Bihar
Voters in Bihar delivered a memorable and truly massive mandate to the NDA, led by Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United). The NDA together cornered as many as 206 (JDU 115 and BJP 91) of the 243 seats in the Assembly, a landslide that had eluded even Lalu Yadav at his peak.
Even more spectacular was the strike rate of the BJP, which contested 102 seats and won 91 of them, winning virtually 9 of the 10 seats the party contested. The BJP appears to have done equally well in urban as well as rural constituencies, riding piggyback on the public image of Nitish Kumar.
The share of votes polled by different parties, however, tell a slightly different story. While the NDA got 40 per cent of the votes polled, up 2 per cent from the 38 per cent of the votes polled in the general election in 2009 and from 36 per cent polled by them in the last Assembly election in 2005.
Drastic improvement in Law and Order situation, speedy trials to convict 50,000 criminals, some from his own party, empowered women, reservation of half of the seats in local bodies and primary school teachers category for women were some of the major reasons for Nitish Kumar retaining power in Bihar.
Absence of local leaders and lack of ground work, and sudden decision to contest all 243 seats dissipated the focus and let to the dismal performance of Congress party.
On November 26, 2010, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Bihar Chief Minister for the second consecutive term and the third time at a simple ceremony at the sprawling Gandhi Maidan, Patna. Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister and designated as Deputy Chief Minister.
NRIs to get voting rights
It’s celebration time for nearly 11 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) across the globe. They will now be able to exercise their franchise in the elections in the country of their origin. Both Houses of Parliament had passed the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill in the Winter Session of Parliament to grant voting rights to NRIs.
Citizens of India who have not acquired the citizenship of any other country and were living abroad owing to employment, education, or otherwise, are now eligible to register their names in the electoral rolls in the constituency of the address shown in their passport and to vote when and if they are physically present when polls are held.
Until now, an NRI’s name got deleted from the voters’ list if he or she stayed outside the country for more than six months at a stretch.
India’s first eco-sensitive zone on a major river
The Union government has decided to declare the natural course of the Ganga in 135 km stretch from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand as India’s first “eco-sensitive” zone on a major river. This means that part of the river cannot be disturbed for any projects. Following this decision, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved a proposal of scrapping three big hydel projects— Loharinag Pala, Bhairon Ghati and Pala- Maneri—and providing 2,000 MW of free power to Uttarakhand as compensation for the same.
The decision is direct fallout of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s assurance to religious gurus, including senior BJP leaders, and environment experts that river Ganga will be allowed to run its natural flow in the 135-km stretch. The minister had support of non-official members of the authority, who had been advocating that no dams—small or big—be allowed on the river.
Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal
The Union government has constituted the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal with a sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice J.M. Panchal as its Chairman. Justice Viney Mittal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and a former judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice P.S. Narayana, have been appointed as members.
The Tribunal has been constituted on a request sent by Goa in July 2002, for adjudication of the water disputes with Karnataka relating to Mahadayi River. Maharashtra also stands to benefit from its adjudication. The need for setting up the three-member tribunal was being felt since the Union Ministry of Water Resources had tried to resolve the dispute, but was not successful.
Visit of President Patil to Abu Dhabi
Indian President Pratibha Patil made a goodwill visit to Abu Bhabi and Dubai in November 2010.
India’s economic aspirations and strong growth make it an ideal destination for foreign investment, President Pratibha Patil told members of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce.
All religions of the world unite was the President’s second message in Abu Dhabi.
At an interaction with students of Indian schools from the UAE at the Abu Dhabi Indian School, the President advised them to build friendships and develop the ability to work constructively as a team. She opined that education was not merely necessary to secure a job but an investment into the future and a way to imbibe the concepts of peace, harmony and tolerance.
Inaugurating the Indian Islamic Centre, the President said that it was a tribute to the collective efforts of the Indian Diaspora and would serve as a cultural bridge between India and the UAE.
The President arrived in Dubai to a grand reception given by the Indian community. She also launched a long-awaited 24-hour helpline for distressed Indian workers facing problems with their employers or contracts.
President Patil’s visit to Syria
Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil arrived on November 26, 2001, on a four-day state visit to the Syrian Arab Republic. Her visit assumed special significance since this was the first ever visit of by an Indian President to Syria.
Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), including those on cultural exchange, were signed during the visit. Her talks with President al-Assad gave a new momentum to the bilateral relations in all fields, particularly on expanding economic and commercial cooperation. The President’s visit was aimed to bolster a political dialogue between the two countries and discussions were held on bilateral, regional and international issues, including West Asia peace process.
President Patil will also meet Syrian businessmen and industrialists to find new prospects for bolstering and developing economic and commercial relations between the two countries. Syria is an important country for India’s energy security needs.
Syria has already backed India’s demand for a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council and has always tried to act as a moderator for toning down Pakistani rhetoric in the meetings of Organisation of Islamic Countries.
Visit of President Obama of USA
US President Barack Obama reached India for a three-day official visit on November 6, 2010. He arrived in Mumbai where he paid homage to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack victims. Later, addressing the Indian and American entrepreneurs he said several landmark deals worth US $ 10 billion have been signed between Indian and American companies shortly before his arrival. These deals, he said, will help in creating more than 50,000 jobs back home in USA.
Among the biggest deals announced included Reliance Power’s purchase of 2,400 MW plants from GE and Spicejet’s deal to buy thirty three Boeing 737 aircraft.
President Obama landed in Delhi on November 7, 2010.
On November 8, President Obama addressed the Indian Parliament. The US President’s speech, which was interspersed with several India-specific references and continuously underlined the fast-improving partnership between New Delhi and Washington, was attended by a packed House, which included Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Cabinet ministers and members of the two Houses of Parliament.
If Obama’s support to India for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council was aimed to please the hosts, the visiting President was equally forthright when he reminded India that this membership also comes with greater responsibilities which require it to spell out its position on issues like human rights violations.
Obama, who was given a standing ovation at the end of his mesmerising speech, also pleased his hosts with a specific mention to the terrorist organisations being harboured by Pakistan.
While speaking on Iran’s nuclear programme, he said the US and India “can pursue” the goal of securing the world’s vulnerable nuclear material. “We can make it clear that even as every nation has the right to peaceful nuclear energy, every nation must also meet its international obligation, and that includes the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
India and the United States pledged to defeat all terrorist networks, including the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and strengthen international cooperative activities that will reduce the risk of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons or material.
Condemning terrorism in all its forms, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama, in a joint statement, issued at the end of the American leader’s official engagements in India, called on Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
They reiterated that success in Afghanistan and regional and global security required elimination of safe havens and infrastructure for terrorism and violent extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The two leaders also emphasised the importance of close cooperation in combating terrorist financing and in protecting the international financial system.
Deciding to strengthen and expand the Indo-US global strategic partnership, the Indian PM and Obama called for an efficient, credible and legitimate United Nations to ensure a just and sustainable international order. Singh welcomed President Obama’s affirmation that in the years ahead, Washington looked forward to a reformed UN Security Council that included India as a permanent member.
Singh and Obama also expressed a commitment to strengthen international cooperative activities that would reduce the risk of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons or material without reducing the rights of nations that played by the rules to harness the power of nuclear energy to advance their energy security. This sentence in the joint statement is obviously aimed at justifying the Indo-US civil nuclear deal under which India will develop nuclear energy with the assistance of major world powers to meet its growing electricity needs. Both sides expressed deep concern about the threat of biological terrorism and pledged to promote international efforts to ensure the safety and security of biological agents and toxins.
On the civil nuclear deal, they reiterated their commitment to build strong bilateral cooperation through the participation of American energy companies in India on the basis of mutually acceptable technical and commercial terms and conditions that enabled a viable tariff regime for the electricity generated.
The two leaders also decided to take mutual steps to expand US-India cooperation in civil space, defence and other high-technology sectors commensurate with India’s non-proliferation record and commitment to abide by multilateral export control standards.
Key health and Education pacts singed: A promise to help India battle old and emerging infections and another of forging collaborations in higher education were the high points of US President Barack Obama’s India visit, which saw two key pacts being inked in the sectors.
On the health front, President Obama and Prime Minsiter Manmohan Singh announced the setting up of the Global Disease Detection India Centre to come up under the MoU between the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta.
On the education front, the two sides committed themselves to a higher education summit in New Delhi in 2011 to develop “collaborations” in the area.
Building lab capacity at home for diagnoses of emerging infectious diseases using well characterised reference materials and advanced technology transfer that meets CDC and global standards will be the other major takeaways from health MoU.
India and the US also launched a joint initiative for an ‘Evergreen Revolution’ in agriculture to promote food security across the world. As part of the food security initiative, India’s expertise in agriculture sector will be shared with farmers in Africa. An agreement was also reached between the two nations for cooperation on forecast of monsoon, the most crucial weather feature for a good crop.
Obama said, “like the earlier collaboration between two countries in agriculture that ushered in ‘Green Revolution’ in India, he expected the ‘Evergreen Revolution’ to enhance food security for the world”.
Loan scam
On November 24, 2010, the CBI arrested R.R. Nair, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LIC Housing Finance, and four other senior officers of public sector banks and financial institutions, including the LIC, the Bank of India, the Central Bank of India and Punjab National Bank, on bribery charges to facilitate corporate loans.
The arrests and the subsequent talk of a housing scam spooked stock markets that fell in the last hour of trading by 232 points with financials and real estate stocks, which were directly related to CBI’s action, bearing the maximum brunt.
The CBI said it had busted a racket wherein the private financial services company, its CMD and other associates were allegedly bribing senior officials of public sector banks and financial institutions for facilitating large-scale corporate loans. They were also gathering confidential business information from financial institutions.
Officials of various public sector banks and financial institutions, namely the Bank of India, the Central Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, LIC and LIC Housing Finance Limited were receiving illegal gratification from the private financial services company that acted as mediator for corporate loans and other facilities from financial institutions.
Post independence, India lost $462 bn in illicit financial flows
Post independence, India lost a staggering $462 billion in illicit financial flows due to tax evasion, crime and corruption, a research and advocacy group has said in a report. The report, released by Washington-based Global Financial Integrity (GFI), found that the faster rates of economic growth since economic reform started in 1991 led to a deterioration of income distribution which led to more illicit flows from India.
According to the primary findings of the report titled “The Drivers and Dynamics of Illicit Financial Flows from India: 1948-2008”, India lost a total of $213 billion in illicit financial flows (or illegal capital flight).
These illicit financial flows were generally the product of: tax evasion, corruption, bribery and kickbacks, and criminal activities.
From 1948 through 2008 the Indian private sector shifted away from deposits into developed country banks and moved more of its money into offshore financial centres (OFCs). The share of OFC deposits increased from 36.4 per cent in 1995 to 54.2 per cent in 2009, the report said.
The total present value of India’s illicit assets held abroad accounts for approximately 72 per cent of India’s underground economy. This means that almost three-quarters of the illicit assets comprising India’s underground economy—which has been estimated to account for 50 per cent of India’s GDP (approximately $640 billion at the end of 2008)—ends up outside of the country.
Telecom spectrum scam
On November 16, 2010, the CAG indicted former telecom minister A. Raja for ignoring the advice of Prime Minister, Finance and Law ministries to allocate 2G spectrum to new players in 2008 causing a whopping revenue loss of over Rs 1.76 lakh crore.
In the report, tabled in both houses of Parliament, the CAG noted that the ministry of communication and IT “decided to go ahead with arbitrarily deciding that the cut-off date for issuance of Letters of Intent would be advanced to September 25, 2007, and applications received would be decided on FCFS (first-come-first-served) basis.”
In November 2007, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had written to the telecom ministry suggesting introduction of “transparent methodology” of auction, “revision of entry fee” in the “backdrop of inadequate spectrum and large number of applications received for fresh licences.”
The CAG highlighted that the Law Ministry had suggested setting up of an Empowered Group of Ministers to discuss the large number of applications and spectrum pricing, but the telecom ministry rejected it saying “the need for forming and EGoM arises when a new policy is being framed and on this particular issue no new policy for grant of UASL (unified access service licences) was being framed.”
The auditor, however, said the “contention of the DoT is untenable as the rejection of the advice” of the Law Minister to have detailed deliberations on the issues in the EGoM on the ground that changes in policy might lead to litigation “goes against the well-established and time-tested procedures of functioning of the government and the collective responsibility of the Union Cabinet.”
The report said the presumptive loss caused to the exchequer through spectrum allocation to 122 licencees and 35 dual technology licences in 2007-08 was Rs 1,76,645 crore. It pegged the figures on the basis of 3G auction held earlier this year in which the government mopped up over Rs 67,000 crore.
In the 77-page report, the CAG said the figure of the presumptive loss has been determined on the basis of various indicators like 3G auction and a price offered by an operator in 2007, besides scarcity value, nature of competition, business plans envisaged, number of operators and growth of sector.
The auditor pointed out that spectrum was allotted by DoT to the existing operators beyond the contracted limits (6.2 Mhz) without imposing any upfront charge for such allotment.
On the values determined through various indicators, the presumptive value of 2G spectrum on account of grant of 157 licences in different circles during 2007-08 would be in the range of approximately Rs 58,000 crore to Rs 1,52,038 crore.
The value of spectrum held by 13 operators for 51 circles based on the 2001 rates works out to be Rs 2,561 crore, while its value based on above indicators like 3G auction would be Rs 12,000 to Rs 37,000 crore.
The CAG said that 85 out of 122 new licences issued to 13 companies in 2008 were granted to ineligible companies as all of them (85) did not have stipulated paid-up capital at the time of application. Further 45 out of 85 licencees were issued to companies which failed to satisfy conditions of main object clause in the memorandum of Association (MoA), the government auditor said.
The CAG said the process of giving dual technology licences to leading telecom firms including Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices “lacked transparency and fairness”, and equal opportunity was denied to other similarly placed operators who could apply for use of dual technology only after formal announcement of the policy.
Noting that this approval (dual technology use) had violated Cabinet decision of 2003 to allow additional spectrum at 2001 prices, the auditor said, “Deviation from a Cabinet decision should normally be with the approval of Cabinet.Tatas have launched first indigenously manufactured helicopter cabin from the aero-space special economic zone near Hyderabad. The TAS project for the cabin was conceived in collaboration with US-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., USA.
On November 1, 2010, the Reserve Bank of India raised the repo and reverse repo rates by 25 basis points (100 basis points equals one per cent), reflecting the continued government and RBI concerns over inflationary pressures. Repo rate is the rate at which RBI lends to banks and that now stands at 6.25%. Reverse repo is the rate at which RBI borrows from banks and that now stands at 5.25%.
Paris-based BNP Paribas has become the world’s biggest bank, with assets rising 34 per cent in last three years, reaching $3.23 trillion.
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has surpassed Reliance Industries to regain its position as India’s biggest refiner. This was achieved after completion of expansion of its Panipat refinery.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Tentative deal in Iraq keeps Maliki in power
Iraq’s political leaders reached a tentative deal on November 10, 2010, to form a new government by giving a second term to Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, thus breaking the eight-month political stalemate that had plagued the country. The unexpected compromise, after a more than seven-hour meeting, came after the largely Sunni-backed bloc of Iraqiya, which won the most votes in March polls, begrudgingly agreed to back Maliki.
But even as the deal was announced, some Sunni leaders expressed dissatisfaction, a potentially troubling sign for the US as it moves toward the planned withdrawal of all of its forces by the end of 2011. A feeling of exclusion among Sunnis could prompt them to abandon the political process and renew an insurgency that has quieted significantly in recent years, although steady levels of violence continue.
US officials had been pushing a power-sharing agreement between Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite, and Maliki, whom they tacitly backed for PM, as a way to break the Shiite leader’s monopoly on government authority and give the Sunni Arab minority a powerful role in Iraq’s next government.
Under the new agreement, it was agreed to appoint a speaker from Iraqiya, then name the current Kurdish President, Jalal Talabani, as President of Iraq. He, in turn, named Maliki as Prime Minister.
Junta’s proxy seeps Myanmar poll
Myanmar’s military-backed party captured 77 per cent of the Parliamentary seats contested in the November 7, 2010 elections, following polling widely decried as manipulated and unfair.
The results point to an overwhelming victory, but there has never been much doubt about the outcome because the junta-proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), fielded candidates in nearly every district, whereas the largest opposition party was able to contest only 164 of the 1,159 parliamentary seats.
The government said the elections, the country’s first in two decades, were a major step towards democracy, but critics, including US President Barack Obama, said they were neither free nor fair.
The polling also sparked violence and some fears of an outright civil war among Myanmar’s ethnic minorities, who make up about 40 per cent of the population. Some have been fighting the central government since Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948.
The West denounced army-ruled Myanmar’s first election in 20 years while State media in China, a key ally of the regime, struck a discordant note by hailing the polls as a sign of progress.
Led by US President Barack Obama, numerous countries decried the vote as neither free nor fair and called for the release of political prisoners, including democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who was sidelined in the polls.
China has long helped economically dysfunctional Myanmar to keep afloat through trade ties, arms sales, and by shielding it from UN sanctions over rights abuses as a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council.
Backgrounder: Elections are very rare events in Myanmar. In the last half a century there was only one—in 1990, followed by the latest held on November 7). A devout Buddhist politician, U Nu, set up an unstable administration on the withdrawal of the British, survived the first two elections, but voluntarily retired after the second. His successor asked the army, soon after, to stand in for some time in the capacity of a caretaker. Nu returned for a second try at governing the multiple insurgency-ridden country, by decisively winning the 1960 election. Yet, in less than two years, the army dethroned the elected government in a coup.
The first military dictator, General Ne Win, was toppled by a students-led agitation in 1988, but another General took power and the military has since then showed no intention of loosening its grip on the country. Currently, Senior General Than Shwe is the top boss and nearing 80 in age.
The Generals did try to create a democratic façade for their rule at one stage by organizing a general election in 1990, but did not know how to tailor it to their desired narrow self-interest and watched their own make-believe civilian political party crushed by the voters. That largely fair election, witnessed by foreign journalists, gave only 10 of 492 seats to the army’s party and 392 to Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD).
The junta responded with iron fist. The result of the election was annulled. Suu Kyi and her NLD were turned into targets for unceasing persecution. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 15 of the 20 years since then. She could not collect the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded. Nor could she participate in the November 7 election because the military junta’s electoral laws were largely directed against her and her party.
Twenty years after that failed election, the army has staged another. This is an attempt no doubt at easing the growing pressure of adverse world opinion. As could be expected, the Generals were careful this time not to make the mistakes of 1990. A new constitution was framed and adopted by a referendum in which 99 per cent of the voters participated and over 92 per cent of them cast “yes” votes. The constitution reserves for the army one-fourth of the seats in each of the two Houses of Parliament and the more important ministries. Also, no constitutional change will be possible without a majority of more than three-fourths. A political party has been created with leading roles in it for about a score of men who were military officers till sometime back.
Prime Minister General Thein Sein resigned from the army to lead the civilian-looking outfit named the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
The electoral laws ruled out Aung San Suu Kyi’s participation. Neither convicted persons nor individuals opposing the State organizations could stand for any seat. Roughly 300,000 Buddhist monks representing the religious order were disenfranchised. So were the people in some rebellious ethnic minority areas. No one whose spouse or children are foreign citizens can become the head of the Myanmarese State. Suu Kyi’s British husband is now dead and her two sons are also British living in the UK.
Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy found the dice so heavily loaded against them that they only had one choice—boycotting the sham election. Yet the junta wanted to be doubly sure; it ordered the dissolution of NLD and a few other parties on the ground that they failed to apply for permission to continue political activities.
There were no election observers from abroad and unlike in 1990, when 60 foreign journalists were granted visas a few days before the polling, no news-person from outside was let in.
Democrats lose control of US House of Representatives
A disenchanted American electorate, in a snub to President Barack Obama, handed a bruising defeat to his Democratic Party and put the Republican Party back in control of the US House of Representatives in mid-term elections on November 4, 2010.
The loss of Democratic control of the House will be an obstacle to Obama’s ability to push through his agenda over the next two years. However, it is by no means an indicator of the President’s own fate. In 1994, the Republicans took control of Congress under Bill Clinton’s Presidency. Clinton, a Democrat, went on to serve for a second term. Besides Clinton, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower both lost control of at least one house of Congress in the mid-terms. No President in the past century has lost his bid for a second term in office after losing the majority in the mid-term elections.
However, Republicans are in no mood to work with the Democrats and the party’s leaders have vowed to do everything possible to ensure that Obama is only a one-term President.
Ireland becomes second Euro nation to seek aid
On November 22, 2010, Ireland became the second euro country to seek a rescue as the cost of saving its banks threatened by a re-run of the Greek debt crisis that destabilized the currency.
The aid, which Irish officials said as recently as November 15 they didn’t need, marked the latest blow to an economy that more than doubled in the decade ending in 2006. The bursting of the real-estate bubble in 2008 plunged the country into a recession and brought its banks close to collapse. With Irish bond yields near a record high, policy makers are trying to keep the crisis from spreading.
The package for Ireland will total as much as 60 percent of gross domestic product, compared with 47 percent for Greece.
The bailout follows two years of budget cuts that failed to restore market confidence as the cost of shoring up the financial industry soared.
UNDP Human Development Report
India is ranked 119 out of 169 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI) of the UNDP’s 2010 Human Development Report.
This marks an improvement of just one rank between 2005 and 2010 though the report, a special 20th anniversary edition, places India among top 10 performers globally in terms of HDI measured on income growth. The category is led by China. India comes 10th after Botswana, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Mauritius.
China has improved eight notches (from 2005 to 2010) to secure the 89th position. In South Asia, Nepal has gained five places to reach the 138th rank. Maldives has risen four places to 107; Sri Lanka at 91 too has beaten India in the rankings, though Pakistan has lost two ranks to fall to 125, while Bangladesh is up one at 129.
Though high on GDP growth, India reports severe inequalities (the report for the first time measures inequalities, gender gaps and multidimensional poverty as markers of human development) while several low-income nations have posted huge profits by investing in education and health. Nepal is the only South Asian country, which despite low income, stands as the third best performer in the top 10 movers the report highlights.
These movers are the 10 nations (out of 135 studied for development indicators) that made the largest HDI improvements over the past 40 years. Oman leads the pack having invested its energy earnings in health and education. Except China, which is second on this list thanks to income gains (recording 21 fold jump in per capita income since 1980), all other nine countries are top movers due to health and education benefits. These are Nepal, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Lao PDR, Tunisia, South Korea, Algeria and Morocco. India is 16th in the category.
While India’s HDI value has increased from 0.320 in 1980 to 0.519 in 2010, higher than South Asia’s average of 0.516, India still lags behind among medium HD nations. South Asia, particularly India, post shocking percentage losses in HDI values if inequalities are counted.
The best HDI ranker in the world, Norway, loses just 6.6 per cent to inequality while China loses 23 per cent and Bangladesh 29.4 per cent.
Global giants join hands to save climate
On November 29, 2010, the first day of the Cancun Climate Summit, the global consumer goods industry announced two major initiatives on climate protection: to halt deforestation practices and phase out climate damaging refrigerants that have high global warming potential.
In a statement issued from Paris, this was announced by the Consumer Goods Forum, a CEO-level organisation of 400 global consumer goods manufacturers and retailers with combined revenue in excess of $ 2.8 trillion. The initiatives were announced by the board of directors, comprising 50 CEOs and co-chaired by Muhtar Kent, CEO, The Coca-Cola Company and Lars Olofsson, CEO of Carrefour.
On deforestation, the Consumer Goods Forum decided to mobilise their collective resources to help achieve zero net deforestation by 2020.
On refrigeration, the Forum agreed to begin phasing out hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants as of 2015 and replace them with non-HFC refrigerants.
Deforestation is one of the principal drivers of climate change, accounting for 17 per cent of greenhouse gases today. The consumer goods industry, through its growing use of soya, palm oil, paper and board, creates many of the economic incentives which drive deforestation.
Refrigeration plays a vital role in the retail and consumer goods industry but is also a significant and growing source of greenhouse gases. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases that are thousands of times as potent as carbon dioxide. While they currently have a relatively small aggregate impact on global warming, HFC emissions are projected to represent 9-19 per cent of projected greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. The US government has targeted HFC reduction as a priority climate action under the Montreal Protocol, and garnered support from 91 nations at 2010 Montreal Protocol conference in Bangkok.
World mayors sign climate change pact
Mayors from around the world have signed a voluntary pact in Mexico City to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The pact was signed at a meeting meant as a precursor to the UN-sponsored talks in Cancun.
Participants from some 135 cities and urban areas signed the pact committing them to adopt a number of measures to stem climate change.
Meanwhile, a new study has found that fossil-fuel gases edged back less than hoped in 2009, as falls in advanced economies were largely outweighed by rises in China and India.
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of oil, gas and coal were 30.8 billion tonne, a retreat of only 1.3 per cent in 2009, compared with 2008, a record year.
USA, Australia ink space surveillance pact
On November 8, 2010, Australia and the US signed a pact to increase space surveillance over the Asia-Pacific region by expanding the reach of US military satellites.
The two countries signed a ‘space situational awareness’ partnership at the conclusion of the annual US-Australia security and military dialogue, under which Washington would place more satellite tracking sensors in Western Australia.
The network would give Americans a strategic surveillance capacity over the southern hemisphere to track space and missile launches from China as well as Korea.
The signing of a space pact comes as US and its allies in the Pacific region have accused China of trying to militarise space by investing heavily in space technology.
A space situational awareness partnership statement issued at the conclusion of the security meet said that the US and Australia shared a deep concern about the “congested and contested nature of outer space”.
G-20 Summit
The Seoul Action Plan, agreed at the end of the two-day Summit of the G-20 leaders, called for moving towards more market-determined exchange rates. An undervalued Yuan or a weak Dollar also has ramifications for India and several other countries in terms of their exports becoming uncompetitive. The G-20 group includes India, the US, China, Germany, France, Brazil, Russia and Japan.
In the face of a currency war between the US and China, global leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, agreed to refrain from ‘competitive devaluation’ and bring in exchange rate flexibility to ensure that no country gets undue advantage.
These measures, the leaders said, would help mitigate the risk of excessive volatility in capital flows facing some emerging market economies.
Cablegate Crisis in USA
The United States was catapulted into a worldwide diplomatic crisis on November 29, 2010, with the leaking to various international media of more than 250,000 classified cables from its embassies, many sent as recently as February 2010. At the start of a series of daily extracts from the US embassy cables Arab leaders are privately urging an air strike on Iran and that US officials have been instructed to spy on the UN leadership.
The cables include comments on a shift in relations between China and North Korea, high-level concerns over Pakistan’s growing instability, and details of clandestine US efforts to combat al Qaeda in Yemen. The cables also contain specific allegations of corruption, as well as harsh criticism by US embassy staff of their host governments, from Caribbean islands to China and Russia.
The State department’s legal adviser wrote to the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, warning that the cables were obtained illegally and that the publication would place at risk “the lives of countless innocent individuals … ongoing military operations … and co-operation between countries”.
The electronic archive of embassy dispatches from around the world was allegedly downloaded by a US soldier and passed to WikiLeaks.
The US embassy cables are marked “Sipdis”—secret internet protocol distribution. They were compiled as part of a programme under which selected dispatches, considered moderately secret but suitable for sharing with other agencies, were automatically loaded on to secure embassy websites, and linked with the military’s Siprnet internet system.
More than 11,000 are marked secret, while around 9,000 of the cables are marked noforn (no foreigners).
North Korea shells South Korean island
On November 23, 2010, North Korea fired scores of artillery shells at a South Korean island, killing two soldiers, in one of the heaviest attacks on its neighbour since the Korean War ended in 1953. South Korea was conducting military drills in the area at the time but said it had not been firing at the North.
The attack came as the reclusive North, and its ally China, were pressing regional powers to return to negotiations on its nuclear weapons programme and revelations that Pyongyang is fast developing another source of material to make atomic bombs.
It also followed moves by leader Kim Jong-il to make his youngest, but unproven, son his heir apparent, leading some analysts to question whether the bombardment might in part have been an attempt to burnish the ruling family’s image with the military.
At least 200 North Korean shells hit Yeonpyeong, which lies off the west coast of the divided peninsula near a disputed maritime border. Most landed on a military base there. Photographs from Yeongyeong island, just 120 west of Seoul, showed columns of smoke rising from buildings.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who has pursued a hard line with the North since taking office nearly three years ago, said a response had to be firm following the attack. But he made no suggestion the South would retaliate further, suggesting Seoul was taking a measured response to prevent things getting out of hand.
The two Koreas are still technically at war—the Korean War ended only with a truce—and tension rose sharply early 2010 after Seoul accused the North of torpedoing one of its navy vessels, killing 46 sailors.
The US strongly condemned the attack and called on North Korea to “halt its belligerent action,” and urged nuclear-armed North Korea to “fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement” that ended the Korean War.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the shelling, warning of ‘colossal danger’ from Korean tensions and calling for an end to any hostilities.
Business News
Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), a Chandigarh based biotechnology laboratory, has signed a $150-million licensing agreement with Nostrum Pharmaceuticals, a US company, for new-generation clot busters developed by it.
According to a scheme approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), the union government will provide financial incentive for each electric vehicle sold in India during the remaining part of the 11th Plan—2010-11 and 2011-12. The scheme envisages incentives of up to 20 per cent on ex-factory prices of the vehicles, subject to a cap of Rs 4000 for low-speed electric two-wheelers, Rs 5000 for high-speed electric two-wheelers, Rs 60,000 for seven-seater three-wheeler and Rs one lakh for an electric car.
Axis Bank has acquired investment banking arm of Enam securities for Rs 2,067 crore. Asset Management Company and insurance broking arm of Enam are not part of the deal.
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DO YOU KNOW
April 11, 1954 has been declared as the most boring day of the 20th century. Every day something significant happens, but nothing remarkable is known to have happened on this day, according to experts who inserted over 300 million important events of the century in a computer search programme to calculate.
From January 2011, all telemarketers’ mobile numbers will start with the same three digits: 700. This move is part of the ‘Customer Call Preference Regulation’ on curbing unsolicited marketing calls and SMS messages.
The third summit on Global Agenda was held in Dubai in November 2010. The summit gave an opportunity to social, political and business leaders across the world to benchmark key developmental issues against global realities.
The 16th United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in Cancun, Mexico, from November 29, 2010. India was among the 190 UN members who took part in the 12-day event.
The Bimal Jalan committee was set-up to review the ownership and working of capital markets infrastructure institutions (MIIs). One major recommendation of the report is that only banks, insurance companies and domestic financial institutes with a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore be roped in as anchor investors.
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, called SABLA, aims to empower adolescent girls between ages 11 to 18 years by providing them nutrition, Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, health check-up, nutrition and health education, counselling/guidance on family welfare, vocational training etc.
The UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has included French food in its list of world’s “intangible cultural heritage”. Peking opera and Spanish flamenco dancing have also been included in the list.
Poultry giant Venky’s has become the first Indian company to own an English Premier League (EPL) club. It has taken over Blackburn Rovers for $36.8 million.
Crompton Greaves Ltd, part of the $4 billion Avantha Group, has become the world’s first company to develop high range power product—1200 KV capacitive voltage transformer (CVT). Earlier, China had established the commercial 1,100 KV system successfully.
UN World Day of Remembrance for Road Accident Victims is observed on November 21.
Former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (ranked 9th) and Mother Teresa (ranked 22nd) are among Time magazine’s “25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century”. The list is topped by Jane Addams, an outspoken advocate for women suffrage, who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), SAIL and NTPC have been given the Maharatna status by the government. This status empowers these companies to form financial joint ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries and undertake mergers and acquisitions without government approval for up to Rs 5,000 crore in one project or 15 per cent of their net worth.
National Legal Services Day is observed on November 9.
The G-20 Summit meeting was held in Seoul, South Korea.
Sachin Tendulkar has been named as the official ambassador of Cricket World Cup, 2011.
Ace shooter Gagan Narang was India’s flag-bearer during the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games held at Guanghzhou, China.
The Central government has renamed the Amritsar airport as Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.
Chinese President Hu Jintao has been named the most powerful person in the world by Forbes magazine, ahead of US President Barack Obama who takes number two spot. Mrs Sonia Gandhi has been ranked 9th, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 18th. Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Tata Chairman Ratan Tata and head of ArcelorMittal Lakshmi Mittal are also part of the list of 68 people.
India was ranked 119 in terms of human development, according to UNDP’s Human Development Report 2010.
National Cancer Awareness day is observed on November 7.
Barack Obama was the fourth US President to address Indian MPs in the historic central hall of Parliament. Three of his predecessors—Dwight Eisenhower in 1959, Jimmy Carter in 1978 and Bill Clinton in 2000—were given the rare honour of addressing the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs. Before Obama, former Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed Indian MPs in 2007.
Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad is India’s most expensive hotel. The palace was once the exclusive preserve of the rulers of Hyderabad. The grand presidential suite at the hotel costs Rs 5 lakh per night.
Uttarkhand based NGO Himalayan Chipko Foundation has been awarded the Green Apple award at the House of Commons, London, for exposing the Hak Hakook scam in which timber meant for villagers in the State was sold to the timber mafia.
World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14.
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Current Affairs: October 2010NATIONAL AFFAIRS
India trails in Global Hunger Index
The IFPRI’s Global Hunger index ranks India in the “alarming” group (the categories: moderate, serious, alarming and extremely alarming), below many failed States ruled by tyrants and despots. The ranking considers the number of children under five who are underweight, malnourished or wind up dead, particularly girls.
In Asia, everyone, except Bangladesh, which is just one rank below India, is doing better. China is at number nine, Pakistan at 59, Nepal at 56. India is bested by a host of tottering States, including Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
India’s approach to hunger has been to throw a programme at every failing. There is the world’s largest programme for nutritional, health and school needs of children under six, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), which runs 1.4 million centres nationwide with a budget of Rs 7,806 crore for 2020-11. Then, there is the world’s biggest cooked-meal programme, covering 119 million children in government schools up to class VIII with a budget of Rs 9,440 crore. India also has the world’s largest public distribution system (PDS) for subsidised food, with a budget of Rs 55,578 crore, and the world’s biggest cash-for-work programme, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), with a budget of Rs 40,100 crore.
Hunger in India is definitely not a problem of resources. However, hunger persists despite spectacular economic expansion, and it is disproportionate to rising incomes.
Behind every story of hunger and malnutrition is a collective national apathy towards the poor, an unreformed, struggling agriculture sector, the low status of women and collapsing administration. In addressing hunger, the biggest question remains: who’s in charge? Evidence abounds in leaky multi-billion dollar, anti-hunger programmes: a quarter of the money spent on mid-day meals never reaches the poor, a third in the NREGA and more than half on the PDS. The failures of the PDS are especially acute. Only 36 per cent of its poor have below-poverty-line (BPL) cards to access cheap food. Nearly 60 per cent of these cards are with people who are not officially poor.
National Green Tribunal Notified
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was officially notified on October 19, 2010 with its Chairperson, Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta taking charge of his office. The tribunal is exclusively dedicated to environmental issues.
Established by an Act of Parliament (the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010), it will have circuit benches across the country to try all matters related to and arising out of environmental issues. The tribunal, which shall also consist of other members, who are experts in the field of environmental and related sciences, has been empowered to issue directions for the compensation and restitution of damage caused from actions of environmental negligence.
This is the first body of its kind that is required by its parent statute to apply the “polluter pays” principle and the principle of sustainable development.
The erstwhile National Environment Appellate Authority had ceased to exist with the launch of the NGT.
Tobacco India Report
Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) for India, 2009-10, conducted on 99.9 per cent of India’s population in 29 States, UTs of Chandigarh and Puducherry has submitted its report. According to it, India’s obsession with tobacco continues despite laws to tell the users of its lethal consequences. Though 64 per cent of all adults believe tobacco leads to heart attacks, 35 per cent (one-third) continue to consume tobacco in some form or the other.
Highlights of the report are:
—52 percent adults exposed to second hand smoke at home, highest in J&K (68%), lowest in Chandigarh (15%); 29 percent exposed in public places.
—Cigarette smokers’ monthly expense is Rs 400, as against Rs 94 for bidi smokers.
—Monthly cigarette expenditure is highest in Arunachal (Rs 1,265), lowest in Jharkhand (Rs 181.70).
—Mizoram has highest tobacco use (67%), while Goa (9%), Punjab (12%), and Chandigarh (14%) have lowest.
—Mizo women are most addicted (62% use tobacco) as against least addicted in Punjab (under 1%), Chandigarh, Himachal and Goa (under 5%).
—Most tobacco use is in East (45%), Northeast (44%), and lowest use is in North (19%).
India signs Convention on Supplementary Compensation at IAEA
On October 27, 2010, India signed the Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) at the IAEA in Vienna that will enable the country to undertake nuclear commerce.
The convention sets parameters on a nuclear operator’s financial liability in the event of a nuclear accident.
The convention was adopted in September 1997 and opened for signature at Vienna a few days later at the 41st General Conference of the IAEA. The convention provides for compensation in case of transnational implications of a nuclear accident and has been signed by 14 countries. However, only four countries—USA, Argentina, Morocco and Romania—have ratified it so far.
Upon entry into force, the convention would establish a uniform global regime for compensation to victims in the event of a nuclear accident. The CSC provides for the establishment of an international fund to increase the amount available to compensate victims and allows for compensating civil damage occurring within a State’s exclusive economic zone, including the loss of tourism and fisheries-related income.
It also sets parameters on a nuclear operator’s financial liability, time limits governing possible legal action, requires that nuclear operators maintain insurance or other financial security measures and provides for a single competent court to hear claims.
All States are free to participate in the convention regardless of their involvement in existing nuclear liability conventions or the presence of nuclear installations on their territories. Notably, India is the only country to have such a provision, which was added after wide political pressure.
Visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Malaysia
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Kaula Lumpur on October 27, 2010. The highlight of the visit was agreement between India and Malaysia to forge new ties on two of the most important issues for their economies—sealing the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) and contain the threat of terrorism through establishment of a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, besides collaboration in defence.
The two leaders said that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be signed by January 31, 2011 and this will be implemented by July 1, 2011.
Taking into account the India-ASEAN trade in goods agreement, that came into effect from January 1, 2010, both sides have offered ASEAN plus market access in goods. India and Malaysia have also agreed to provide access of each others’ services market across all modes and various sectors. The two countries will now finalize areas of economic cooperation in infrastructure development, creative industries, tourism, SMEs, business facilitation, science and technology and human resource development.
Malaysia is the second largest trading partner for India within ASEAN, and India is the largest trading partner for Malaysia in South Asia, excluding China. Bilateral trade between the two countries is now estimated at $ 10.5 billion, and this has doubled in the past five years.
The two leaders, while condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, agreed to enhance cooperation in counter terrorism, through information sharing and setting up a Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism. This is of great importance for India as Malaysia is understood to be emerging as a logistics, regrouping and fund raising hub for three militant groups—militants from Punjab, Tamil Tigers and Al-Qaeda. Jamia Islamia, based in Indonesia, is an Al Qaeda affiliate, and is helping the latter in logistics and fund raising there. India and Malaysia have also agreed to enhance defence exchanges and cooperation through regular exchanges between the defence ministers and senior defence officials, chiefs of armed forces and regular service to service staff talks and regular ship visits.
The two sides also signed as many as five agreements. These include MoU on cooperation in field of traditional systems of medicine; MoU on Cooperation in Terrorism; MoU for Cooperation in IT sector; Agreement between CSIR and UNIK of Malaysia on Research and Development Collaboration; and, Cultural Exchange Programme.
India-Russia to jointly develop advance stealth jet
India and its old military partner Russia will soon ink a deal to jointly develop an advance stealth fighter. Defence Minister A.K. Antony said during the visit of his Russian counter-part A.E. Serdyukov on October 7, 2010, that he has sorted out all issues regarding the joint development of the fifth generation of fighter aircraft (FGFA).
Apart from this, the joint development of the multi-role transport aircraft (MTA) will be the other major military programme between the two nations over the next ten years.
Notably, the announcement balances out the “perceived” tilt in India’s decision to buy a series of aircrafts from the US. This includes medium haul transporters, the C-130-J, long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the P8-I, and some VVIP jets from Boeing.
The FGFA will be the IAF’s frontline fighter from 2016-2017 onwards and will cost the nation $25 billion, dwarfing the much-hyped $11-billion deal for the purchase of another 126 fighters. With stealth technology, super manoeuvrability and supersonic speed, it will match the F-22 raptor produced by the US.
In case of the MTA, the two nations formed a $600 million joint enterprise in September 2010, for designing and producing it. The planes will be designed at carrying load of around 20 tonne, with speeds in the region of 900 km, and will be an asset on shorter runways in Ladakh and the North East. Design specialists from Ilyushin, maker of best-selling transport plane, IL-76, will be on board.
N-deal with South Korea
India and South Korea have struck a deal to finalise an agreement on civil uses of nuclear energy. This was a major success for India during the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Asia tour.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
EU bows to German call for debt mechanism
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has won European Union backing for a rewrite of EU treaties to create a permanent debt-crisis mechanism by 2013, to prevent a repeat of the Greece-led shock that jolted the Euro. As the biggest contributor to Euro 860 billion ($1.2 trillion) in loans and pledges to stem 2010-s debt crisis, Germany wants to spare taxpayers the costs of any future operations to rescue financially distressed States.
Bonds in Greece, saved from the brink of default by EU and International Monetary Fund loans in May, led a decline by so- called peripheral European securities as Germany’s triumph spurred concern that the EU mechanism will force bond holders to bear the costs of future bailouts. The extra yield investors demand to hold Greek 10-year debt over German equivalents rose to 813 basis points. German bonds advanced as investors sought safer assets, paring their weekly drop.
G-20 raises developing nations’ quota in IMF
The Group of 20 Finance leaders struck a landmark deal on October 22, 2010, to boost developing countries’ power in the International Monetary Fund, even as they failed to set targets for a wide-ranging global economic rebalancing. The IMF deal was hailed by fund MD Dominique Strauss-Kahn as a ‘historical’ moment that will see Europeans give up two seats on its 24-strong board to powerful developing countries and transfer 6 percent of votes to them.
India is world’s third largest carbon emitter
India is now world’s third biggest carbon dioxide emitting nation after China and the US. The new emission data from the United Nations was a cause of worry for India’s climate negotiators at the next round of talks in Tianjin in China, held in October 2010.
China, in 2009, moved to the top position while contributing 23 per cent of the total global emissions and India, in 2010, surpassed Russia to take the third position with five percent.
The saving grace is that the difference in total carbon emissions between the US (22 per cent) and India is still huge. Russia's emissions have been falling because of economic slowdown.
India's per-capita carbon emission is still lowest in the world (about 4.5 tonnes) but the demand for energy is rising, especially among the middle-class.
The pressure on India and China to reduce emissions is rising. US chief climate negotiator Todd Stern told a meeting of major economies forum that a legally binding climate treaty was not possible until India and China take “obligation” to reduce emissions.
ASEAN Summit
The 17th ASEAN Summit was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 28-30, 2010. The meeting was considered a success, with all members agreeing to cooperate with one another in solving the region’s economic downturn.
The 17th ASEAN Summit focused on the contents of building the community and implementing the ASEAN Charter, external relations and key role of the body, sustainable development and coping with global challenges.
Business News
After three decades and more than 220 million units, Sony has stopped selling its Walkman cassette player in Japan, admitting the gadget could not keep up in the digital age. Cherished by a generation of joggers, school children and music fans since its launch in 1979, the Walkman evolutionised the way people listened to music but has since been overtaken by another icon of the modern era—the iPod. The July 1, 1979, roll-out of the portable cassette player helped transform Sony into a global electronics powerhouse. The Japanese giant sold 30,000 Walkmans in the first two months after its launch, and 50 million within a decade.
Eurocopter, a company owned by European consortium, European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV (EADS), has become the first global chopper company to open an office in India.
Pfizer Inc has decided to acquire King Pharmaceuticals, a move that will bolster the pharma major’s presence in the pain treatment segment.
Hewlett-Packard has appointed former SAP AG CEO Leo Apotheker as its CEO and President.
Bharti Airtel will partner telecom equipment suppliers Ericsson and Huawei to expand and manage its mobile network in Bangladesh.
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India strengthens ties with Vietnam
India has enlarged its scope of cooperation and relations with Vietnam—another “not-so-happy” neighbour of China. Defence Minister A.K. Antony, during his visit to Vietnam, announced a slew of measures to expand cooperation as part of the nation’s “look east policy” aimed at engaging key countries situated east of India.
Under an arrangement, New Delhi will provide support to Vietnam to enhance and upgrade the capabilities of its services in general and Navy in particular. Apart from capacity building for repair and maintenance of its equipment, most of which are of Russian origin, the armies of the two countries will also cooperate in areas like IT and English training of Vietnamese Army personnel.
In return, Hanoi has offered maintenance and repair facilities at Vietnamese ports and called for more ships of the Indian Navy to visit them. The navies of the two nations often exercise together.
To take their ties to the next level, both the armies will also have joint training in mountain and jungle warfare in India in 2011 and will also work towards developing cooperation among defence institutes.
CWG Corruption probe
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appointed a high-level committee headed by a former Comptroller and Auditor General, V.K. Shunglu, to go into allegations of corruption related to the Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi in October 2010.
The developments came as opposition parties, which had held their fire during the 12-day event, stepped up their demand for thorough probe into corruption charges so that those guilty can be brought to book
ASEAN-India Summit
The 8th ASEAN-India Summit was held at Hanoi, Vietnam on October 30, 2010. Addressing the heads of the state of ASEAN countries, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the conclusion of a “services and investment agreement” between India and ASEAN would be an important step in “our goal of comprehensive economic cooperation”.
With an aim to play a more significant role in the growing economies of the region, India has been pushing its case for having a bilateral pact in services and investment at the earliest. Through this pact, India wants to get a foothold in all ASEAN countries for its growing pharmaceutical industry, besides allowing ease in visa regimes for its IT professionals, healthcare workers and teachers in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand (ASEAN nations).
With an agreement in place for free trade in services and investment, India can offer a bigger share of the pie to these countries in its infrastructure sector that is poised for a major growth.
Addressing the other leaders at the summit, which came out with a five-year ‘Plan of Action’ outlining a roadmap for enhanced multi-faceted cooperation, Manmohan Singh said: “India’s economy is expected to witness a sustained growth rate of 9-10 per cent in the coming years, which would offer many opportunities for trade and investment. Our experience of implementation shows that we need to work very hard at all levels if we have to accelerate the pace of engagement as outlined in the plan of action”.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Japan visit
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Japan on October 25, 2010. The visit ended with the successful conclusion of negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). As a first step in realising CEPA, both countries agreed to a “sweeping” liberalisation of their bilateral visa regime.
The successful conclusion of CEPA is expected to elevate trade and economic relations between the two countries to the next level. Though the trade between the two nations remained almost stagnant for decades, it has been growing rapidly since past three years. The agreement will foster new business opportunities, enhance competitiveness of private sectors, and encourage closer partnership between the private sectors in India’s teeming SMEs and Japan’s infrastructure and hi-technology enterprises.
India is hoping that the CEPA coming into place will also balance out the trade imbalance between the two countries. As of now, trade between the two countries is strongly in favour of Japan.
India is also hoping that its generic pharmaceutical and IT sectors will benefit largely as this agreement opens up the Japanese market for India. While Japan exports marine products, iron ore and petroleum products to India, electrical and electronic goods, iron and steel products, chemicals and auto components are exported by India.
Since India-Japan CEPA is truly comprehensive for trade in goods, investment and services, besides allowing movement of natural persons, it will improve the India-Japan partnership and enhance their global partnership. This will also mean that goods being traded will become cheaper, with the lifting of trade barriers.
The issue came up for discussion during the bilateral meeting of the Prime Minister with the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak, at Hanoi, on the sidelines of the 17th ASEAN Summit. The Korean President has
invited the Prime Minister to Korea in 2011 and the deal is likely to be signed then
With this, Korea becomes the ninth country with which India will be signing the nuclear agreement. Ever since the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) ended India’s isolation from global nuclear commerce mainstream in 2008, India has signed civil nuclear pacts with U.S.A, France, Russia, Canada, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina and Namibia.
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DO YOU KNOW
India's per capita income grew by 10.5 per cent to Rs 44,345 in 2009-10 against Rs 40,141 in the year-ago period, according to government data. The World Bank, however, pegs India's per capita income at a much higher $1,180 per year. India ranks a poor 161st in the world in terms of per capita incomes. The per capita income was slightly higher than Rs 43,749 as calculated by the Central Statistical Organisation in its advance estimates for FY10. However, per capita income grew by 5.6 per cent last fiscal if it is calculated on the basis of 2004-05 prices, which is a better way of comparison and broadly factors inflation. Per capita income (at 2004-05 prices) stood at Rs 33,588 in FY10 against Rs 31,821 in the previous year, according to estimates of national income. Per capital income means income of each Indian if national income is evenly divided among the country's population of 117 crore (Rs 1.17 billion).
The size of the Indian economy rose to Rs 62,31,171 crore (Rs 62.3 trillion) in the 2009-10, up 11.8 per cent over Rs 55,74,449 crore (Rs 55.7 trillion) in FY09.
According to the World Bank categories, nations with per capita income (PCI) less than $935 are 'low income;' nations with PCI from $936 to $3,705 are 'lower middle income;' those with PCI from $3,706 to $11,455 are 'upper middle income;' and those with PCI from $11,456 or more are 'high income.'
From January 1, 2011, India will extend “visa on arrival” facility to nationals of Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and Laos.
Volkswagen’s Bugatti, costing upwards of Rs 16 crore, is India’s most expensive car.
The Union government has okayed two new naval bases on the eastern coast of India, at Paradip (Oddisa) and Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu).
India has slipped to 87th spot in Transparency International’s latest ranking of nations, based on level of corruption. The “Corruption Perception Index” ranks Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore as the top three in the list with lowest level of corruption.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Castrol, the world’s leading lubricant company, have announced an agreement that makes Castrol the official performance partner of ICC with a unique presence at all ICC cricket events for the next five years.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has raised the application limit for retail investors to Rs 2 lakh, from Rs one lakh.
The International Renewable Energy Conference was held in New Delhi in October 2010.
India became a sectoral dialogue partner with ASEAN in 1992. It became a full dialogue partner in 1995. India and ASEAN have been holding annual summits since 2002. The 8th India-ASEAN Summit was held in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 29, 2010.
India will celebrate 2013 as the centenary milestone year to showcase the heritage of the Indian film industry.
Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai is said to be the world’s largest bourse, with all the essential facilities—cutting, polishing, trading, banking and customs—under single roof.
World Standards Day and World Sight Day are observed on October 14.
The Rail Coach factory, Kapurthala, has rolled out India’s first AC double-decker rake from its premises. The first AC double-decker train has been introduced between Howrah (West Bengal) and Dhanbad (Jharkhand).
The UN General Assembly has elected India, Germany, South Africa and Columbia to two-year seats on UN Security Council. The term will begin in January 2011. The four countries will be the non-veto-holding members of the 15-nation body.
“Conversations with Myself” has been written by former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Krishna Poonia won India’s first Commonwealth Games athletics gold, in 2010 Games, after Milkha Singh in 1958.
Finance Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee has won 2010 Finance Minister of the Year for Asia award, conferred by Emerging Markets, part of Euromoney Institutional Investor Plc.
World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10.
Three Indian women—all from the corporate sector—find a spot on the Forbes list of 100 most powerful women in the world, topped by US First Lady Michelle Obama. Chennai-born PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi came in at No 6, while Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma and ICICI Bank Managing Director & CEO Chanda Kochhar were ranked 89th and 92nd, respectively. Surprisingly missing from 2010 list is Congress President Sonia Gandhi. She came in at No 13 in 2009.
Beijing Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra led the 619-strong Indian contingent in the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, 2010.
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Current Affairs: September 2010NATIONAL AFFAIRS
RBI’s mid-term review
The RBI, in its first mid-quarter review of its monetary policy, increased repo and reverse repo rates leaving the cash reserve ratio (CRR) unchanged as it battles to contain inflation.
The central bank noted that food inflation has risen to 15.10 per cent for the week ending September 4, thus making it necessary to rein in liquidity. As a result, RBI raised short-term borrowing rate (reverse repo) by 0.50 percentage points to 5 per cent and lending rate (repo) by 0.25 percentage points to 6 per cent. The increased rates aim to make financing costly thus curbing consumption.
However, the RBI said that inflation rates have reached a plateau. The apex bank also signalled banks to raise fixed deposit rates and also noted that the government was on target to contain the fiscal deficit.
Unique Identification Authority of India
The Union Cabinet has cleared a new law providing for strict penal action and hefty fines going up to Rs 1 crore to guard against misuse of data collected for allotment of a Unique Identity Card or a Aadhar number to Indian citizens.
The proposed legislation, titled the National Identification Authority of India Act, seeks to give statutory powers to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UDAI), created as an attached office under the Planning Commission.
The decision to enact a legislation was taken after fears were expressed over the privacy and security of data collected by the UDAI. In addition, several civil rights groups had also pointed out that actions of the UDAI could well be questioned in the absence of a legal framework.
This scheme of providing unique identity number to the citizens of the country took off on September 29 when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the first such number at a function in the tribal district of Nandurbar in Maharashtra.
Job scenario in India improves
According to the Ma Foi Randstad Employment Trends Survey, there is optimism in the economic scenario across all sectors of India and most of the new jobs have been created are in services. Conducted among 650 companies across 13 industry segments that included eight Indian cities, the survey revealed 418,000 jobs were created between January and June, 2010, with the healthcare sector creating 121,000 jobs, and another 63,000 in the hospitality sector. The top five sectors leading the boom are healthcare, hospitality, real estate and construction, information technology and IT-enabled services, and education, training and consulting.
Real estate and construction leads with the highest growth in number of people employed. It also expects growth in average salary by about four per cent, followed by pharma (3.5 per cent) and healthcare (3.4 per cent) during the third quarter.
The estimated proportion of experienced workforce is the highest in the pharma sector, 87 per cent. Healthcare is estimated to have the highest percentage of freshers,at 38 per cent. Kolkata has the highest estimated percentage of experienced workforce, at 82 per cent, and New Delhi the highest estimated percentage of freshers (35 per cent).
Fund to boost innovation
The National Innovation Council (NIC), a body to promote new ideas for inclusive development, has announced the setting up of a Rs 1,000 crore fund to encourage innovation.
“A major portion of the fund will come from the private sector and not the government,” the chairman of the council, Sam Pitroda, said.
One of the council members and renowned film-maker, Shekhar Kapur, also mooted the idea of starting a television reality show that would provide a platform for the young minds to showcase their innovative ideas for solving the problems of the economy.
Set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the council is aimed at energising innovation initiatives so as to make them part of the national effort aimed at reducing poverty, improving governance and making development more inclusive.
The aim of NIC is to herald a mindset change and create a push at the grassroots level so that more and more people are involved in shaping a national-level innovation strategy.
The council’s mandate also includes formulating a roadmap on innovation for the 2010 to 2020 period, focusing on inclusive growth.
Munda sworn in as Jharkhand Chief Minister
On September 11, 2010, BJP leader Arjun Munda became the eighth Chief Minister of the 10-year-old Jharkhand State, as leader of a coalition with, among others, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Munda, who is having a go at the top job for the third time, will have two deputies — Sudesh Mahato of the All Jharkhand Union and JMM patriarch Shibu Soren's son, Hemant Soren.
Although the function at the Governor's house showed the deep rift in the BJP over the tie-up with the JMM—the BJP's partner last time in a government that lasted only for five months—Munda said he would focus on strengthening the party's grass-root level.
Visit of President of Mozambique
On September 30, 2010, during a meeting between President of Mozambique Armando Guebuza and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India and Mozambique inked three pacts and a credit line of $500 million was extended to that country for infrastructure projects, agriculture and energy.
The two countries have also decided to create a partnership based on greater political engagement, deepening of economic cooperation, strengthening of defence and security cooperation, specially to secure sea lanes against piracy, and cooperation in capacity building and human resource development.
India would also support establishment of training and planning institutions in Mozambique to support capacity building in the coal industry, besides supporting capacity building for the defence and police forces of that country, the Prime Minister said.
Expressing concern over the safety and security of sea lanes in the Indian Ocean, Guebuza assured to provide all possible assistance to protect them.
Dhaka okays crucial highway link to Kolkata
In major development, Bangladesh has finally agreed to start the construction of a highway that will not only provide transit facilities, ensuring easy movement of goods, but also drastically shorten the circuitous route—crucial from the military point of view—between north-eastern States and the port city of Kolkata.
The project—to be primarily financed by India—is part of the larger Asian Highway network project connecting the Asian nations. The highway project between India and Bangladesh had been hanging fire for more than five years, with Dhaka stalling it for one reason or the other—primarily due to pressure from Pakistan and China.
The change came after the Sheikh Hasina Government came to power and in July 2009 Indian negotiators managed to push Bangladesh to ink the inter-governmental agreement.
The first route will enter from Bengal into Bangladesh at the existing Benapole land port on the border and run across eastwards via Jessore and Dhaka; passing through Sylhet, located on the north-eastern edge of Bangladesh, it will enter Assam/Meghalaya.
The second axis will start from North Bengal and enter Bangladesh at Panchgarh and run southwards via Srirajganj to Dhaka and further southeast to Cox Bazar and Chittagong before entering into Myanmar. India will be able to use both routes.
Once ready, the highway will solve India’s major problem of moving goods into north-eastern States of Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. At present, it can take up to five days for a truck from Kolkata to reach these areas, adding up to the costs, besides the time delay.
Crucial military pact with South Korea
Signalling a dramatic change in its strategic positioning, especially vis-Ã -vis China, India, on September 3, 2010, entered into a crucial joint research and manufacturing agreement with South Korea to co-develop and co-produce military equipment.
Both countries are neighbours of China and have a rather testy and tense relationship with it.
On the military front the importance of the agreement can be gauged from the fact that India has such agreements for co-developing and co-producing military equipment with its traditional “friend” Russia and other ally, Israel. It also has product-based cooperation for joint production of key military equipment with the French and Italians. Following the agreement, experts have placed India-South Korea military relations at par with Indian relations with Russia and Israel.
Memorandums of Understanding were signed following a 90-minute discussion between high-level delegations led by Defence Ministers, AK Antony and Kim Tae-young, respectively. This was the first-ever visit of an Indian Defence Minister to South Korea.
Historical Background
The ‘first title suit’ was filed on January 19, 1885. It was submitted by Mahant Raghubirdas in the court of Faizabad sub-judge, seeking permission for “puja” (worship) rights over a “chabootra” (platform) in front of the mosque which he claimed was Ram’s birthplace.
In his February 24, 1885, order, the judge said: “It (chabootra) was so close to the existing masjid that it would be contrary to public policy to grant a decree authorising plaintiff to build a temple as desired by him.”
Sub-Judge Hari Kishan said: “It is most unfortunate that a masjid should have been built on land specially held sacred by the Hindus, but as the event occurred 356 years ago, it is too late now to remedy the grievance. All that can be done is to maintain the status quo. In such a case as the present one any innovation could cause more harm and derangement of order than benefit.”
Then Raghubirdas moved to the Faizabad district judge, Colonel J.E.A. Chambier, who, after a spot inspection, dismissed the appeal on March 17, 1886, on the same grounds.
Raghubirdas then filed an appeal before the Oudh Judicial Commissioner, W. Young, who also declined his plea in his judgment of November 1, 1886.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Gillard manages to retain power in Australia elections
On September 7, 2010, ending weeks of political uncertainty, Australia’s first woman Prime Minister Julia Gillard staked claim to form a new government after two king-maker independent MPs extended support to her Labour party, giving it a wafer-thin one-seat majority in the first hung Parliament in nearly 70 years.
Labour now controls 76 seats in Parliament’s 150-member House of Representatives, with the opposition Coalition of Liberal party leader Tony Abbott having 74 seats.
Gillard said her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability as a result of the deal struck with the independents. She added that her government will spend $9.9 billion on development projects as part of the deal with the rural independents.
Political crisis in Nepal continues
On September 26, 2010, Nepal's Constituent Assembly failed for the eighth time, during the past four months, to elect a new Prime Minister. The deadlock continues, partly because other mainstream parties do not trust the single, largest party, Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), because it continues to put its faith in one-party rule and continues to threaten it would resume armed struggle.
The last 20 years have seen Nepal move from a Hindu kingdom to a democratic and secular republic. The 239 year old monarchy was cast aside in 2006 and people voted for a Constituent Assembly and an interim government in 2008. Maoists emerged as the largest single party but fell short of a majority.
In the 601-member House, two seats are vacant and if the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are excluded, it has an effective strength of 597 members. The break-up is as follows : Unified CPN (Maoists): 237, Nepali Congress: 114, UML: 108, four Madhes based parties: 82, smaller parties & others: 56.
Unified CPN (Maoist) continues to say it has no faith in parliamentary democracy, believes in one-party rule and insists on absorbing its underground militia into the Nepalese Army. It also tried to take arbitrary decisions and sought the removal of the President and the Army Chief. Other parties are not sure it would change its spots.
The Constituent Assembly has failed to finalise the Constitution as mandated. The Assembly extended its own life by one year to complete the task. But differences persist. In the absence of a consensus between parties, there is a caretaker government with few powers.
Having failed to sack the then Army Chief over the integration of the armed Maoist guerrillas, Prachanda resigned as Prime Minoster and Maoists pulled out of the government in 2009; then they forced the next government headed by Madhav Kumar Nepal of UML to also quit.
China-Japan spat
China suspended high-level exchanges with Japan on September 19, 2010, and promised tough counter-measures after a Japanese court extended the detention of a Chinese captain whose trawler collided with two Japanese coastguard ships.
The spat between Asia’s two largest economies has flared since Japan arrested the captain, accusing him of deliberately striking a patrol ship and obstructing public officers near uninhabited islets in the East China Sea.
Beijing viewed the detention as illegal and invalid.
UN convention on terrorism moves a step forward
Rocked by a wave of audacious terrorist attacks in the last two years, Pakistan has finally realised the futility of opposing the proposed Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) just because India was in the forefront of initiating it at the United Nations in 1996.
Pakistan, along with some other Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) countries, had led the campaign against the proposed convention on various grounds. It had argued that self-determination should be outside the purview of the convention. It had also insisted that international humanitarian laws should be taken into account while finalising the text of the convention. Both these objections were seen as aimed at embarrassing India on Jammu and Kashmir since Islamabad has been demanding the right to self-determination for Kashmiris and seeking international intervention on the issue.
The opposition to the convention had also come from the US and Israel with the latter insisting that acting against terrorists indulging in killing innocent people be brought under its purview.
The global treaty seeks to criminalise all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financers and supporters access of funds, arms and safe havens.
The situation has considerably changed with just a handful of countries still not convinced why they should back it. “Most countries are now in favour of the early adoption of the convention but there is a small number of holdouts, may be 10 to 15…efforts are on to convince them also to support it so that a strong message goes out to all terrorist organisations that the international community is united and determined to jointly fight the menace of terrorism.
Visit of Polish Prime Minister
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited India on September 7, 2010. The Indo-Polish defence cooperation figured prominently during talks between the visiting dignitary and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Since most of the Indian military hardware was acquired in the 1970s from the then Soviet Union, Poland, which was a key ally of former USSR, has the spares and the technology for upgrading the equipment with the Indian forces.
Poland is keen to sell tank recovery vehicles to India. The proposal was made during Antony’s visit to Warsaw in April for a meeting of the joint working group (JWG) on defence cooperation between the two countries.
A tank recovery vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to repair battle or mine damaged as well as broken down vehicles during combat operations, or to tow them out of the danger zone for more extensive repairs.
Apart from making these vehicles available to India, Poland has shown interest in providing to New Delhi its sophisticated military hardware up-gradation and maintenance technology. It is also interested in joint ventures with Indian companies.
Poland can also help India upgrade Indian T-72 tanks, BMP II infantry combat vehicles and a variety of air defence systems purchased from the former Soviet Union.
But more than defence ties, it is the prospect of a quantum jump in economic ties with Poland that excites New Delhi. Poland, a key member of the European Union (EU), is considered by India as a gateway to Europe and Central Asia.
Allahabad High Court Verdict on Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi dispute
On September 30, 2010, the much-awaited judgement of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court unanimously ruled that the idols of ‘Ram Lalla’ in the makeshift temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya cannot be removed.
The three-judge Bench of Justices S.U. Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and Dharamveer Sharma separately delivered the historic verdict. In a 2-1 majority verdict, Justices Khan and Agarwal decreed that the 2.7-acre land comprising the disputed site should be divided into three equal parts and be given to Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the party representing ‘Ram Lala Virajman’ (Ram deity).
However, the third judge Justice D.V. Sharma ruled that that the disputed site is the birth place of Lord Ram and that the disputed building constructed by Mughal emperor Babur was built against the tenets of Islam and did not have the character of the mosque. The Bench directed maintenance of status quo at the site for three months and invited suggestions from all the parties for demarcation of the land.
The judges also dismissed the claims of the Sunni Central Waqf Board over the Babri Mosque due to limitation or becoming time barred as well as the claim of the Nirmohi Akhara.
With a 2-1 majority, the Bench held that all the three parties, namely Muslims, Hindus and Nirmohi Akhara were joint titleholders of the property in dispute. Both Justices Sudhir Aggarwal and SU Khan made it clear that the share of the Muslim parties shall not be less than one third of the total area of the premises. “...If while allotting exact portions some minor adjustment in the share is to be made then the same will be made and the adversely affected party may be compensated by allotting some portion of the adjoining land,” observed Justice Khan.
The area under the erstwhile central dome where the idols are placed in the makeshift temple has been allotted to the Hindus. The inner courtyard has been given to both the communities “since it was being used by both since decades and centuries”, noted Justice Aggarwal.
The ‘Ram Chabootra’, ‘Sita Rasoi’ and ‘Bhandar’ area in the outer courtyard will go to the Nirmohi Akhara. The outer courtyard is once again to be shared by the Nirmohi Akhara and the Muslim parties.
Highlights
—2.7 acre disputed site to be divided in three equal parts.
—Two portions to be handed over to Hindus, Muslims will get one.
—All three parties—Muslims (Sunni Waqf Board), Nirmohi Akhara and the parties representing ‘Ram Lalla Virajman’—declared joint title-holders.
—The portion below the central dome, where the idol of Lord Rama is presently kept in makeshift temple, belongs to Hindus.
—All three parties may utilise the area to which they are entitled to by having separate entry for egress and ingress of the people without disturbing each other’s rights. The parties may approach Centre which shall act in accordance with the directions and also as contained in the SC verdict.
Young observed: “This spot is situated within the precincts of the grounds surrounding a mosque erected some 350 years ago, owing to the bigotry and tyranny of the emperor who purposely chose this holy spot, according to Hindu legend, as the site of his mosque.”
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DO YOU KNOW
A high-speed train in China has set a new world speed record during a trial run. The train hit a maximum of 416.6 km per hour on its journey between Shanghai and Hangzhou. The train is designed to run at a speed of 350 km per hour.
Amir Khan’s “Peepli Live”, a satire on media’s trivialisation of farmers’ suicide, has been selected as India’s official entry at the 2011 Oscars, in the Best Film category.
The Union Cabinet has approved the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010, which envisages making UIDAI a statutory body.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee launched the Swavalamban Scheme of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on September 25, 2010. The scheme seeks to provide pension scheme to the un-organised sector. Under the scheme, the Central government will contribute Rs 1,000 per year to each National Pension Scheme (NPS) account opened in year 2010-11 and for the next three years, till 2013-14.
The World Tourism Day is observed on September 27.
The UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, was held in September 2010 at UN Headquarters in New York, USA.
Chowmhalla Palace in Hyderabad, spectacular 18th century monument, has been selected for the Heritage “Award of Merit” by the UNESCO, for cultural heritage conservation for 2010.
The Business Standard Best Business Schools Survey 2010 shows that India’s top business schools are: Indian Institutes of Management in Ahmedabad and Kolkata, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi, Institute of Management Technology at Ghaziabad, Management Development Institute at Gurgaon, National Institute of Industrial Engineering in Mumbai and XLRI Jamshedpur.
A new wholesale price index series with an updated product portfolio was launched on September 14, 2001. The series will have 2004-05 as the base year, as against 1993-94 in the previous model. Some important items included in the new series basket are: flowers, lemon, crude petroleum, scooter and motorcycle tyre, polymers, marble, silver and gold.
The Employee Provident Fund trustees have decided to raise the interest for 2010-11 to 9.5 percent.
The World Tiger Summit was held in September 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The six living species of Tigers are: Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China and Sumatran. The Bali, Caspian and Javan tigers have become extinct.
Navodaya Vidyalayas celebrated 25 years of existence in 2010. A befitting match to costly private schools, the Navodayas have shown in last 25 years how gifted children with humble means can rise to life.
India has replaced the US as the second most important Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination for trans-national corporations, according to a survey conducted by UNCTAD. Global FDI flows are expected to jump from $1.2 trillion in 2010 to $1.5 trillion in 2011 and $1.6-2.0 trillion in 2012.
As per the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings, Cambridge University, UK, is the top university of the world, followed by Harvard University, USA, Yale University, US, University College London (UCL), UK, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, in that order.
Rajkot People’s Cooperative Bank does not offer any job to people who smoke cigarette or eat gutkha. Even the customers with the habits have to pay higher interest on loans.
Reliance Industries has been ranked second in the list of world’s 10 biggest ‘sustainable value creators’—companies that have been successful in creating the most shareholder value over the last decade—prepared by Boston Consulting Group. Brazil-based mining and materials giant Vale has been ranked the top value creator.
India’s first agri-biotechnology institute, the National Agri Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) is being set up in Mohali, near Chandigarh.
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Current Affairs: August 2010
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Foreign Contribution Regulation Bill
Organisations of political nature and those involved in religious conversions will henceforth be barred from accepting foreign funds. Also, persons holding political positions like MPs and MLAs can no longer enjoy foreign hospitality and must intimate the government of their visits abroad, personal or official.
After letting private organisations bring in unaccounted foreign remittances for 34 years, the government has brought to the Lok Sabha the Foreign Contribution Regulation Bill, 2010, to regulate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution of hospitality by certain individuals or associations and to prohibit such acceptances for activities detrimental to national interest. The Lower House passed the Bill, which the Rajya Sabha had already cleared.
At the root of the law is the concern that out of 40,173 NGOs (in 1993 there were just 1,500) accepting foreign funding, only 18,796 have submitted their audited accounts. For the rest, the government doesn’t know the source of funding.
So far, Rs 12,000 crore has “officially” come through the foreign route, of which 60 per cent has come from religious organisations, some from countries as small in population as Canada, Mauritius and Luxembourg.
The government’s data shows that in 2005 and 2006, there were over 32,144 organisations taking foreign funds in India. Only 18,000 declared their funding. In 2005-2006, of the Rs 7,000 crore that came from foreign sources, Rs 3,075 crore came for religious organisations. This explains why the new law (which replaces the 1976 legislation) bans foreign funds for conversion purposes.
Significant amounts (to the tune of Rs 7,229 crore) have also come in for education, with no monitoring. In the run-up to the new FCR Bill 2010, the government banned 41 outfits from taking foreign remittances; sealed accounts of 11 and asked 45 to take permission first.
With the new law, the government has also capped administrative expenses at 50 per cent of all inflows to NGOs (India has about 20 lakh).
Nuclear Liability Bill
On August 25, 2001, the UPA government successfully shepherded the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, through the Lok Sabha, with active support from the BJP and strategic absence of some fence-sitters such as the Samajwadi Party.
Quashing opposition from the Left Bloc and other critics, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh denied that the Bill was railroaded through the House to serve US interests. “This Bill is a completion of a journey to end the nuclear apartheid, which the world had imposed on India in the year 1974,” he said.”
The government managed to bring the BJP on board in return for accepting amendments to the controversial Clause 17(b) and dropping the word “intent”. The new formulation of 17(b), now states that suppliers would be liable where “the accident has resulted as a consequence of an act of a supplier or his employees, done to cause nuclear damage, and such act includes supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard services”.
While his government achieved what appeared even a few months ago to be an impossible task—getting the Lok Sabha to pass the Bill— Manmohan Singh announced that the government would give safety issues top priority. “Concern about nuclear safety is one, which I fully share. I assure (you) we will do everything to strengthen the Nuclear Regulatory Board to ensure that safety concerns receive the attention that they must, if we are to use nuclear power as a major source for generating and meeting India’s need for energy,” he said.
The key points of the Bill are:
—Controversial Clause 17(b) amended by dropping the word ‘intent’.
—Compensation cap to be paid by the operator at Rs 1500 crore provided in the Bill is not the ‘limit’.
—Compensation will be decided by the Claims Commissioner and the operator will have to pay.
—Government assumes full liability for even a plant not operated by it.
—The Bill is necessary for full implementation of civil nuclear deal signed with the USA in 2006.
Bill to provide women equal guardianship rights
A Bill paving way for the women to get equal rights in guardianship and adoption of children has been passed by the Rajya Sabha.
The Personal Laws Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956. It also seeks to allow the mother, along with the father, to be appointed as a guardian, making the process gender-neutral.
Besides, it aims at removing hurdles in the way of a married woman to adopt. She can give a son or daughter for adoption.
For adoption and guardianship, under the existing Act, only the father is considered to be the natural guardian of the child in a Hindu family and only unmarried, divorced women and widows are allowed to adopt a child. Women separated from their husbands and engaged in lengthy divorce battles cannot adopt a child.
Annual Supplement to Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14
The government has extended sops worth Rs 1,052 crore to exporters, particularly for the labour-intensive textile, handicrafts and leather sectors, to help them see through the fragile economic recovery globally. The revenue implication of these measures would be Rs 1,052 crore. The government also made it clear that the popular Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB) scheme, which has been in vogue for over a decade, is being extended for the last time.
Experts said drawing the curtains on the DEPB scheme was inevitable as it was considered incompatible with the global trade rules under WTO.
A number of additional products from sectors like engineering, leather, textiles and jute have also been added to the existing two per cent interest subvention scheme. Handloom, handicrafts, carpet and the SMEs have been getting this facility, which will now be available till March 31, 2011.
The government also extended the zero-duty Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme by one year to March 31, 2012. The scheme, which was announced in August 2009, was to expire on March 31, 2011. Steps to reduce transaction cost of exports too were announced in the policy.
India-Japan Strategic Dialogue
On August 21, 2010, visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada held the fourth round of strategic dialogue with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna. The two sides discussed the nuclear pact, comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), other bilateral and international issues, including UN reforms and the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
However, the focus was clearly on the nuke deal, the discussions on which the two countries propose to conclude as quickly as possible without setting any time-line.
Addressing a joint press conference with Krishna after the three-hour talks between the two sides, Okada candidly admitted that initiating negotiations with India on the nuclear pact was the toughest decision he had taken during his stewardship of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, given the fact that India was not a signatory to the NPT. He also acknowledged that the proposal for a nuclear agreement with India was facing sharp criticism back home, since Japan is the only country to have experienced a nuclear attack.
He also told the Indian side that the philosophy of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation must be incorporated in the proposed accord on nuclear cooperation.
Asked if Japan had advised India against detonating another nuclear device, Okada said: “I don’t think we can suggest to India to refrain from conducting a test…but if such a thing were to happen, we shall have no option but to suspend our cooperation with India (in the field).”
The two countries will continue and enhance consultations within the G-4 process for reforms of the UN, including the Security Council. They also welcomed the inclusion of the US and Russia in the East Asia Summit (EAS).
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
China overtakes Japan as second-largest economy
After three decades of spectacular growth, China has passed Japan in the second quarter of 2010 to become the world’s second-largest economy behind the United States. The milestone, though anticipated for some time, is the most striking evidence yet that China’s ascendancy is for real and that the rest of the world will have to reckon with a new economic superpower.
The recognition came on August 16, 2010, when Tokyo said that Japan’s economy was valued at about $1.28 trillion in the second quarter, slightly below China’s $1.33 trillion. Japan’s economy grew 0.4 percent in the quarter, substantially less than forecast. That weakness suggests that China’s economy will race past Japan’s for the full year.
Experts say unseating Japan—and in recent years passing Germany, France and Great Britain—underscores China’s growing clout and bolsters forecasts that China will pass the United States as the world’s biggest economy as early as 2030.
For Japan, whose economy has been stagnating for more than a decade, the figures reflect a decline in economic and political power. Japan has had the world’s second-largest economy for much of the last four decades, according to the World Bank. And during the 1980s, there was even talk about Japan’s economy someday overtaking that of the United States. But, while Japan’s economy is mature and its population quickly aging, China is in the throes of urbanization and is far from developed, meaning it has a much lower standard of living, as well as a lot more room to grow.
China is already a major driver of global growth. The country’s leaders have grown more confident on the international stage and have begun to assert greater influence in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with things like special trade agreements and multi-billion dollar resource deals. Beijing is also beginning to shape global dialogues on a range of issues; for instance, in 2009 it asserted that the dollar must be phased out as the world’s primary reserve currency.
While the United States and the European Union are struggling to grow in the wake of the worst economic crisis in decades, China has continued to climb up the economic league tables by investing heavily in infrastructure and backing a $586 billion stimulus plan.
There are huge challenges ahead, though. Economists say that China’s economy is too heavily dependent on exports and investment and that it needs to encourage greater domestic consumption—something China has struggled to do. The country’s largely state-run banks have recently been criticized for lending far too aggressively in 2009, while shifting some loans off their balance sheet to disguise lending and evade rules meant to curtail lending growth.
China is also locked in a fierce debate over its currency policy, with the United States, European Union and others accusing Beijing of keeping the Chinese currency, the renminbi, artificially low to bolster exports—leading to huge trade surpluses for China but major bilateral trade deficits for the United States and the European Union. China says that its currency is not substantially undervalued and that it is moving ahead with currency reform.
Regardless, China’s rapid growth suggests that it will continue to compete fiercely with the United States and Europe for natural resources but also offer big opportunities for companies eager to tap its market.
US ends combat mission in Iraq
On August 31, 2010, US President Barack Obama announced an end to the US combat mission in Iraq, not with a declaration of victory but rather a sombre admission that the US had paid a “huge price.”
Announcing an end to Operation Iraqi Freedom in a nationally televised speech from the White House, the President said the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.
But as US troops roll out of Iraq, the country continues to be locked in a political stalemate with disagreement over who will lead it, after elections failed to throw up a clear winner.
Obama urged Iraq’s leaders to “move forward with a sense of urgency to form an inclusive government that is just, representative, and accountable to the Iraqi people.” “And when that government is in place, there should be no doubt: The Iraqi people will have a strong partner in the United States. Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq’s future is not,” he added.
Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said while US troops may have withdrawn, the Iraq war is not over, it is not “won,” and any form of stable end state in Iraq is probably impossible before 2020.
A transitional US force will remain in Iraq with a mission of advising and assisting Iraq’s security forces, supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counter-terrorism missions, and protecting US civilians.
Mid-East Summit
US President Barack Obama waded into a new round of Middle East diplomacy September 1, 2010, seeking momentum for revived peace talks clouded by a flare-up of West Bank violence and a deadlock over Jewish settlements.
Obama met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he launched a series of one-on-one meetings with Middle East leaders attending a US-led peace summit that culminated with the first direct Israeli-Palestinian talks in 20 months.
With Obama's peace bid facing broad skepticism and the clock ticking toward the September 26, 2010 expiration of an Israeli settlement construction freeze, Israel's defence minister sounded a conciliatory note about the prospects for sharing Jerusalem, an issue at the heart of the decades-old conflict. But big obstacles remain to Obama's quest for a peace deal that eluded so many of his predecessors.
Hamas militants declared war on the talks even before they began, killing four Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, vowing more attacks and underscoring the threat hard-liners pose to the fragile peace process.
The summit marked Obama's riskiest plunge into Middle East diplomacy, not least because he wants the two sides to forge a deal within 12 months, a target many analysts call a long shot.
Cricket shamed again
Yet another match-fixing scandal rocked Pakistan cricket on August 29, 2010, engulfing its captain Salman Butt, brilliant pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and four other players, leading to the arrest of a bookie in London and questioning of the players by the Scotland Yard after a tabloid sting.
The ‘News of the World’ tabloid alleged that a Pakistani man Mazhar Majeed had paid bribes to the players to bowl no-balls in the series and the Lord’s Test. The video evidence that the tabloid has presented also shows Majeed talking about his links with Indian bookies.
The two Pakistanis who bowled no-balls allegedly on directions from Majeed were Asif and Aamir. Both bowlers delivered three no-balls during the Lord’s Test.
National Innovation Council
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved the setting up of a National Innovation Council to prepare a road map for the 'Decade of Innovation 2011-2020'. Sam Pitroda, adviser to the Prime Minister on public information infrastructure and innovations, will head the National Innovation Council.
The Council has been given the mandate to evolve an Indian model of innovation focussing on inclusive growth and creating an appropriate eco-system conducive to fostering inclusive innovation.
It will delineate appropriate policy initiatives within the government required to spur innovation. It will also promote the setting up of sectoral innovation councils and state innovation councils.
While encouraging all important sectors of the economy to innovate, the NIC will take special efforts to facilitate innovation by micro, small and medium enterprises.
Innovation in public services delivery and encouraging multi-disciplinary and globally competitive approaches for innovations would be focused on by the council
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DO YOU KNOW
“A Journey” is a memoir written by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The N.C. Saxena Committee was set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It details the manner in which laws were flagrantly flouted to facilitate the Vedanta Alumina Ltd project in Orissa. The project is aggressively opposed by the local tribal groups.
India remained the largest recipient of World Bank loans in 2009-10. The World Bank, through its lending arms IBRD and IDA, committed $9.3 billion in financial assistance to India in 2009-10, more than the aid committed by the US and European Union. Next in line were South Africa ($3.8 billion), Brazil ($3.7 billion) and Turkey ($3.0 billion).
The Indian Parliament has hiked the salary of Members of Parliament to Rs 50,000 per month. Two key allowances (constituency and office expenses) have also been increased to Rs 45,000 each.
Airtel has bagged the title sponsorship rights for the India cricket team’s home games for two-and-half years, at a cost of Rs 3.33 crore per match.
Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas is observed on August 24.
The 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked Harvard University as the top University of the world for the eighth year in the annual ranking. Harvard is followed by University of Cambridge, Yale University, University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, University of Oxford, University of Chicago, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and California Institute of Technology (CALTECH).
“Oh yaaron, India ne bula liya”, composed by A.R. Rahman, is the theme song of Commonwealth Games, 2010. It has been directed by Shyam Benegal and produced by Bharat Bala.
With his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2010—the seventh—Manmohan Singh edged past Atal Behari Vajpayee to become the Prime Minister of India who has addressed the nation on Independence Day the third-highest number of times. Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation 17 times and Mrs Indira Gandhi 16 times.
On September 1, 2010, South-East Asia’s first Sports Injury Centre was opened on the campus of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, in partnership between the government and six private players.
An elephant, named Stumpy, is the official mascot of the 2010 Cricket World Cup.
UNESCO has granted the World Heritage status to Jantar Mantar in Jaipur which is a celebrated astronomical observatory built in 18th century. This is India’s 28th and Rajasthan’s second site (after Keoladev National Park) to be given the World Heritage status.
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Current Affairs: July 2010
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Business takeover code re-written
The Takeover Regulations Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of C. Achuthan, in its 139-page report to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has proposed sweeping changes on critical issues, including the open offer trigger, offer size, indirect acquisitions, exemptions from open offer obligations, calculating the offer price and competing offers. This comes nearly 16 years after the guidelines were formally notified for the first time and after 23 amendments to the last major review in 1997.
The takeover panel, formed by SEBI in September 2009, has recommended an increase in the open offer trigger from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Further, the open offer has to be made for all the shares of the target company, instead of the current practice of an offer for acquiring an additional 20 per cent. Analysts said the proposed rules would raise the financing required for taking over a firm, but would encourage investors taking strategic stakes in companies.
The panel, which also had Tata Steel Ltd Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Koushik Chatterjee and Larsen & Toubro Ltd CFO Y M. Deosthalee as members, concluded that since a holding level of 25 per cent permits the exercise of de facto control over a company, this could be fixed as the appropriate open offer trigger threshold in the Indian context.
The committee has also noted that the 100 per cent open offer requirement could result in an acquirer ending in holding beyond the maximum permissible non-public shareholding, which may require the acquirer to either de-list or bring down his holding to meet the continuous listing requirements. The panel has recommended that the acquirer may state upfront his intention to de-list if his holding in the target company were to cross the de-listing threshold, pursuant to the open offer.
In the absence of any such disclosure or when the response to the open offer is below the de-listing threshold, the acquirer would be required to either proportionately reduce both his acquisitions under the agreement that triggered the open offer and the acquisitions under the open offer or to bring down his holding to comply with continuous listing requirements.
The committee has also recommended that a short public announcement should be made by the acquirer on the date of entering in to an agreement followed by a detailed public statement within five business days thereafter. The overall time-line for an open offer has been brought down from 97 days to 57 business days.
The committee, in its attempt to enable transparent consolidation by persons already holding in excess of 25 per cent, has recommended voluntary offers of a minimum size of at least 10 per cent and a maximum size of such number of shares that would not result in any kind of breach of the maximum non-public shareholding permitted under the listing agreement. Under the existing regulations, an offer for a percentage lesser than minimum prescribed percentage can only be by shareholders holding more than 55 per cent.
The panel has also recommended that creeping acquisition be permitted only for acquirers who hold more than 25 per cent of the voting capital, subject to aggregate post-acquisition shareholding not exceeding the maximum permissible non-public shareholding. It has, however, left the annual creeping acquisition limit unchanged at five per cent.
In another recommendation that is expected to enhance the corporate governance norms, the committee has made it mandatory for the independent directors of the target company to give their recommendation on the open offer. Also, no appointment of representatives of the acquirer to the board of directors of the target company would be permitted unless the acquirer places 100 per cent of the consideration under the open offer in cash in an escrow account.
Major changes have also been proposed in the manner minimum price payable is calculated. According to the committee, the offer price would be the highest of (i) market price to be based on 12 weeks volume weighted average of market prices as against higher of weekly averages of market prices for 26 weeks or 2 weeks; (ii) a qualitative improvement and expansion in the look back provision; (iii) in the case of indirect acquisitions, ascription of value to the target company under certain circumstances.
Also, any kind of non-compete fee or control premium paid to promoters will have to be factored in while calculating the open offer price for the minority shareholders.
PM’s panel pegs exports at $216 billion
India's exports are projected to grow by about 22 per cent to $216 billion in 2010-11, on the back of recovery in global trade, according the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council.
With contraction in global merchandise demand, India's exports declined by 4.7 per cent to $176.6 billion in 2009-10. However, in the first two months of 2010-11 exports grew by 35.7 per cent.
The International Monetary Fund has projected that exports, at constant price, from emerging and developing economies would increase by 10.5 per cent in 2010. Exports from the advanced economies are also expected to rise by 8.2 per cent.
India-Iran sign six pacts
In their first interaction after the UN imposed the fourth round of sanctions on Tehran in June 2010 over its controversial nuclear programme, India and Iran, on July 8, 2010, signed six pacts, including one on cooperation in new and renewable energy and another on increasing the number of flights between the two countries. The MOUs were signed at the end of the two-day meeting of the India-Iran joint commission.
The other four accords were: agreement on transfer of sentenced prisoners; MOU on cooperation in small-scale industry between the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and the Iranian Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organisation (ISIPO); programme of cooperation on science and technology; and MOU on cooperation between the Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI) of India and the Gorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources (GUASNR).
The signing of the agreements clearly reflected New Delhi’s intention that it would pursue an independent policy on Iran, notwithstanding the American pressure on it not to enlarge the area of its engagement with Tehran.
Although it is committed to abide by the UN sanctions on Tehran, New Delhi maintains that the Iranian nuclear issue must be resolved through negotiations since the sanctions would only hurt the common Iranian people. While recognising Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, it has also advised Iran to strictly abide by the IAEA guidelines while pursuing its nuclear programme.
The two sides also discussed the situation in Afghanistan at length with both of them expressing their common stakes in the stability of the violence-torn country. New Delhi is believed to have pressed for structured and regular consultations with Tehran on defeating terrorists in Afghanistan and in the
Visit of Myanmar’s military ruler
Ignoring worldwide concerns over human rights violations in Myanmar, New Delhi rolled out a red carpet welcome for Myanmar military ruler General Than Shwe on July 27, 2010. Top Indian leaders held wide-ranging talks with him on a plethora of issues, including bilateral ties as well as international developments.
The increasing Chinese influence in the South East Asian nation is apparently weighing heavily in the mind of the Indian leadership as it seeks to increase its engagement with Myanmar, particularly in the vital energy sector and in fighting Indian insurgents operating along the India-Myanmar border.
The two countries signed five accords after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the 77-year-old leader of the military ‘junta’. Simultaneously, the EXIM Bank of India extended a line of credit of $60 million to the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank.
The treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters is expected to help the two countries combat transnational organised crimes, terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and smuggling of arms and explosives. The MoU on Indian grant assistance for implementation of small development projects is aimed at boosting Indian investments in energy, transport and infrastructure sectors.
Strategic observers say the change in India’s policy towards Myanmar was prompted by China wooing the military ‘junta’ to make deep inroads into virtually every sphere of Myanmar’s economic activity. Though China has its own strategic interests in engaging the ‘junta’ in Myanmar, the military rulers are worried that their image outside the country is sullied because of its poor record in protecting human rights.
The military ruler wants to correct this image by introducing some kind of democracy. His visit to India was also aimed at gaining global respectability.
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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Cluster ammunition treaty comes into force
A landmark UN-sponsored treaty banning cluster munitions came into force from August 1, 2010, but all major powers, the US, China, Russia, Israel and India have shunned it. The new instrument is expected to be a major advance for global disarmament and humanitarian agenda.
The convention has been signed by 107 States and entered into force six months after 37 countries ratified the treaty, which was concluded in 2008.
Cluster bombs are both air dropped and used by artillery guns, and the shells open before impact and scatter hundreds of shrapnel, causing widespread casualties over a wide area. Many of such ammunition fail to explode and lie dormant for years killing or maiming hundreds of civilians, long after the conflicts have ended.
From Asia only five countries—Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Laos and Philippines—are the signatories.
Global community commits to peace initiative in Afghanistan
An international conference on Afghanistan was held on July 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The international community reiterated its commitment to continue to support peace and reintegration and said it looked forward to the local peace jirgas that included men and women at district and provincial level to discuss elements of an enduring peace.
The government of Afghanistan is to engage with the UN Security Council and the international community for de-listing Taliban elements from the sanctions list in accordance with agreed procedures and common Afghan and international responsibility.
The international community expressed its support for Karzai’s objective that the Afghan national security forces should lead and conduct military operations in all the provinces by the end of 2014.
On the issue of security, the meeting recognised that civilian casualty and protection of civilians are of great concern and noted that most civilian casualties are caused by insurgent attacks. They also reiterated that the international military forces remain committed to the objective of a steady reduction in the rate of civilian casualties.
Kyrgyzstan vote for parliamentary democracy
In a development that could have far reaching political impact in the region, Kyrgyzstan is all set to become Central Asia’s first parliamentary democracy, with an overwhelming 90.55 per cent voters backing a new constitution which strips the President’s wide ranging powers.
After publishing the official results of the June 27 referendum, the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission (CEC), on July 1, 2010, declared Roza Otunbayeva as the transitional President till December 31, 2011.
It also formally dissolved the Presidential parliament, which was in jeopardy in the wake of violent ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s regime in April 2010.
In line with the new constitution, the 120-strong Kyrgyz Parliament, after October 2010 elections, will appoint the Prime Minister and the government.
The referendum, the first step towards legitimacy of the present regime, took place in the midst of inter-ethnic violence in the southern regions of Osh and Jalalabad and exodus of hundreds of thousand refugees to neighbouring Uzbekistan.
Fresh US sanctions on North Korea
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on july 21, 2010 that Washington would impose new sanctions on communist North Korea in a bid to stem the regime's illicit atomic ambitions.
The UN Security Council has imposed stiff sanctions on North Korea in recent years to punish the regime for defying the world body by testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and illegally selling arms and weapons.
With few allies and diminishing sources of aid, the impoverished North Korea is believed to be turning to illicit ventures to raise the much-needed cash. Pyongyang also walked away in 2009 from a disarmament-for-aid pact with five other nations that had provided the country with fuel oil and other concessions.
Pakistan, China ink six pacts
Pakistan and China reiterated their resolve to further strengthen strategic relationship between the two countries, increase the level of economic cooperation and take concrete measures to further bring their people closer, during the visit of Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari to China in July 2010. The two countries pledged to make joint efforts to fight terrorism, and signed six deals of cooperation in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, justice, media, economy and technology.
US slaps toughest sanctions on Iran
On July 1, 2010, even as he signed into law the toughest sanctions against ever passed by the US Congress at the White House, US President Barack Obama said the doors of diplomacy are still open for the regime in Tehran.
The Iran Sanctions Act affects the gasoline, financial, insurance and shipping sectors, among others, as it seeks to impose a heavy economic cost on Iran for continuing with its nuclear programme.
The sanctions bar foreign countries from exporting refined petroleum to Iran, as well as restrict access to US financial institutions for any entities that help Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Also, it prevents investment, transfer of technology and development of Iran’s energy sector, and makes it easier for States and localities to divest from companies that do business with Iran.
Unified Command to battle Naxals
In what is a first step at forming a common strategy for States hit by Naxal violence, the Centre announced, on July 13, 2010, setting up of a Unified Command in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. Realising that development and action in Maoist areas should be together, the Centre also announced that over Rs 1,750 crore would be spent on developmental projects in the four States.
The Chief Secretary of each State will head the Unified Command, which will have a retired Major-General as its member. The CRPF will depute an IG-level officer for ‘operations’ while an equal rank officer from the State police force will coordinate the entire effort.
The Home Minister said that there was need for a Unified Command only in these four states and Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar had been omitted for the time being.
The Centre has also told the States that the Member-Secretary of the Planning Commission will work to modify existing norms and guidelines to ensure rapid development in the targeted 34 districts: Rs 800 crore will be spent on strengthening police stations and another Rs 950 crore on road connectivity in these districts. The government will fund the establishment and strengthening of 400 police stations in affected districts at the rate of Rs 2 crore a police station on 80:20 basis over a period of two years.
The Planning Commission is also considering a special development plan for the affected districts and States with emphasis on road connectivity, primary education, primary healthcare and drinking water.
Already in force in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, the Unified Command structure includes Army, paramilitary and State police, who work in coordination. The Army would not be involved in anti-naxal operations for now. However, IAF helicopters would be used for supplies and evacuation.
Visit of British Prime Minister
British Prime Minister David Cameron came visiting India in July 2010. Talking on terrorism affecting the region, he said that Pakistan could not be allowed to harbour militants and promote terror against India, Afghanistan and the rest of the world. On his first visit to India after becoming Prime Minister in May 2010, he laid out the basis for a new “enhanced relationship” with India. Apart from Cameron’s own tough talk on terrorism, his business minister Vince Cable announced the UK was prepared to export civil nuclear technology to India, bringing Britain in line with the stance taken by the United States, Russia and France.
Travelling to Bangalore and then to Delhi, Cameron signed a Rs 5,082 crore agreement for the Indian Air Force and Navy to buy an additional 57 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft from British Aerospace Systems. India and the UK also made announcements in the field of immigration, education and signed an agreement on cultural cooperation.
Cameron welcomed India’s support to Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan, its “intellectual leadership” at the G20, and said the time was ripe for India to find a place in the UN Security Council.
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DO YOU KNOW
Apple Computers has emerged as the world’s most valuable brand in the 50 top valuable brand list of the Forbes magazine. Apple was followed by software major Microsoft, Beverages firm, Coca Cola and technology giant IBM. Search engine Google was fifth in the ranking. McDonald's, General Electric, Marlboro, Intel and Finnish handset maker Nokia featured in the top 10 list.
On July 27, 2010, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a 0.25 percentage point hike in the repo rate (the rate at which it lends to commercial banks), raising it to 5.75 percent, and a 0.50 percentage point hike in reverse repo rate (the rate at which RBI borrows from the commercial banks), raising it to 4.5 per cent. The trigger for hike was a fresh effort to tame high inflation.
Currency option is a derivative instrument that gives the owner the right, but not the obligation, to exchange money denominated in one currency into another currency at a pre-agreed exchange rate on a specified date.
The United Nations decided to observe the first “Nelson Mandela Day” on July 18, 2010, in honour of the Nobel laureate who is regarded as the father of the new South Africa.
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