Table of Contents

Polity and Governance ................................................................................................................................ 1

Lodha Panel suggested reforms opposed by BCCI .................................................................................... 1

Possible right violations in Jails ................................................................................................................ 2

No e ide e of o slaughte y Akhla s fa ily: Poli e ......................................................................... 3

Possession, sale of foreign fireworks is punishable .................................................................................. 3

Theft of Indian ancient sculptures ........................................................................................................... 3

Dance bars without liquor is absurd: SC ................................................................................................... 4

SC ad its da e a o e s plea ............................................................................................................ 5

SC order on sterilising women in large camps ......................................................................................... 5

Centre addresses fears on Citizenship Bill ................................................................................................. 6

SC confirms conviction of former Haryana DGPS.P.S. Rathore ................................................................ 7

PMO puts the brakes on rail tariff regulator plan ..................................................................................... 8

Warrant against Ananda Krishnan in Aircel case ..................................................................................... 9

The curious death of Ramkumar ............................................................................................................... 9

Delhi High Court Verdict on Photocopying ............................................................................................. 11

PMO nod for closure of sick govt. companies ......................................................................................... 13

Clarity on judges appoi t e t soo ..................................................................................................... 14

Andhra Pradesh given special package in place of demand for Special Category .................................. 15

Why was Centre unable to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh? ..................................... 16

Uncertainty floats for Foreign embryos after the Surrogacy Bill got passed in India ............................. 18

CBI kick-starts probe in Embraer aircraft scam ...................................................................................... 19

Cong. loses Arunachal as 43 MLAs join BJP ally ...................................................................................... 19

The message from Shahabuddin ............................................................................................................ 21

Cauvery Water Dispute ........................................................................................................................... 22

We need more working judges, not more judges: Law panel head ....................................................... 23

Biryani patrol ........................................................................................................................................... 24

Evaluation of Appointment of Parliamentary Secretary in Delhi ........................................................... 25

SC ag ees to lay do la o LG s po e to u Delhi ........................................................................... 26

Publish FIRs online within 24 hours: Supreme Court .............................................................................. 27

Centre work over the mega fund flow to push irrigation ........................................................................ 28

Mobile access scheme for remote areas soon ....................................................................................... 29

St o g iti is of go t is t defa ato y o seditious, says SC, u de li es 9 e di t ....................... 30

Review of Higher Judiciary Appointments .............................................................................................. 30

Discussion on Triple Talaq ....................................................................................................................... 32

Full circle in Singur .................................................................................................................................. 34

The ill health of the nation ...................................................................................................................... 35

Int. Relation and Organisations ................................................................................................................ 37

Surgical Attacks by Indian Army in Pakistan .......................................................................................... 37

Uri terror attack ...................................................................................................................................... 38

The SAARC Summit to be cancelled ........................................................................................................ 38

Russia-Pakistan joint war games ............................................................................................................ 39

India suspends talks on Indus water pact .............................................................................................. 40

Chinese troops violate border in Arunachal ............................................................................................ 42

Analysis of Rafale deal ........................................................................................................................... 43

Pakista s MFN tag ay stay fo o .................................................................................................... 45

I dia eighs Balo h leade s asylu e uest ........................................................................................ 46

India claims diplomatic win over Pakistan at U.N. .................................................................................. 48

NAM backs Venezuela President, slams U.S. policies ............................................................................. 49

Prachanda to meets Modi ....................................................................................................................... 50

Border blockade a dark episode: Nepal ................................................................................................. 51

The ceasefire in Syria (Relevant for GS Mains paper II) .......................................................................... 53

The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrants: Unicef report ................................................................ 54

United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights criticizes action by Indian forces in Jammu and

Kashmir ................................................................................................................................................... 54

India –US Co-ope atio , afte LEMOA, it s a ga es o .................................................................. 56

OIC to hold Kashmir meet in New York, invites Mirwaiz ......................................................................... 57

India makes list, plans outreach to 68 countries .................................................................................... 57

One nation exporting terror: PM ............................................................................................................. 58

India-Japan ties get a leg-up as Modi meets Abe .................................................................................. 58

Return of the Cauvery crisis..................................................................................................................... 59

Evaluation of G20: The G20 Summit at Hangzhou, China ...................................................................... 60

I dia s i te est dis ussed y PM at G-20 Summit at Hangzhou, China................................................... 61

Modi- Xi Meet ......................................................................................................................................... 62

India grants $500 mn to Vietnam for defence ties ................................................................................. 63

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visit to India ............................................................................. 64

The rise and fall of DilmaRousseff ........................................................................................................... 64

Economy ..................................................................................................................................................... 66

Positive signals from the GST Council ..................................................................................................... 66

WEF ranks India as 39th most competitive economy ............................................................................ 67

Joblessness rises to 5-year high............................................................................................................... 68

Foodgrains Production data ................................................................................................................... 69

Ca i et s fo al od to e sought fo Budget o Fe . ........................................................................ 70

Decision for elimination of Plan and Non Plan distinction in the Budget .............................................. 71

Decision to merge Railway Budget into General Budget ........................................................................ 72

WTO appellate body rules against India in solar case with US (Relevant for GS Prelims, Mains Paper II

and III) ..................................................................................................................................................... 74

India down to 112th spot on World Economic Freedom Index ............................................................... 75

The One-Rupee Trick: How banks cut their zero-balance Jan Dhan accounts ....................................... 76

Pulse buffer stock to be increased to 20 lakh tonnes .............................................................................. 76

Finmin revises criteria for recapitalisation of PSU banks ....................................................................... 77

Debate on Surge Pricing in Railways ....................................................................................................... 78

A disruptive debut by Reliance Jio .......................................................................................................... 79

Unions demand wage hike, oppose anti-labour reforms (Relevant for GS Mains Paper II) .................... 79

Environment ............................................................................................................................................... 81

Wildlife panel clears first phase of Ken-Betwa project ........................................................................... 81

Will National Waterways Project impact Gangetic dolphins? ................................................................ 81

Fine particle matter causing chronic illness and even premature mortality ........................................... 82

India to ratify Paris climate pact on Gandhi Jayanti .............................................................................. 83

Centre notified (BS) VI norms for vehicles ............................................................................................... 84

Cabinet gives Clean Ganga Mission power to fine polluters .................................................................. 85

IMD gets its August forecast wrong ........................................................................................................ 86

Science and Technology ............................................................................................................................. 88

Google launches services for India ......................................................................................................... 88

PSLV puts eight satellites in two orbits ................................................................................................... 88

Chiku gu ya s isi g toll is tu i g a atte of g a e o e ............................................................. 89

Mosquito breeding case against ShahidKapoor...................................................................................... 90

Rise in cases of epidemics indicating at inadequacy of National health programmes .......................... 91

Cassini to make final observation of Saturn ............................................................................................ 93

Babies fall victim to Superbugs .............................................................................................................. 93

GSAT-11 to be launched in early 2017 .................................................................................................... 94

ISRO makes India proud again ............................................................................................................... 94

Excessive use of Triclosan: Anti-bacterial agent ..................................................................................... 96

Slowest Spinning Magnetar (1E1613) found in the Universe ................................................................. 97

Generics are a lifeline: An interview with Secretary General of MSF ...................................................... 98

ISRO prepared to launch Chandrayaan-2 ................................................................................................ 99

GSLVF05 puts INSAT-3DR satellite in space .......................................................................................... 100

Mother Teresa is now a saint ............................................................................................................... 101

Internal Security ...................................................................................................................................... 103

Post- aliphate IS ould ause dest u tio i Eu ope ........................................................................... 103

Chilli-filled grenades to replace pellet guns in J&K: Expert Committee recommendation ................... 103

Naik sI‘F a o g ed-flagged NGOs ............................................................................................... 104

Sports ........................................................................................................................................................ 105

DevendraJhajharia, Javelin thrower wins gold at Paralympics, 2016 ................................................... 105

Prelims Only .............................................................................................................................................. 106

Indian-American scientist bags innovation award worth $500,000 ..................................................... 106

Wo ld s la gest adio teles ope egi s ope atio s .............................................................................. 106

Bayer to buy Monsanto for $66 billion (Relevant for GS Prelims) ......................................................... 107

RCom-Aircel merger to create 4th largest Telco .................................................................................. 108

Sri Lanka conquers malaria ................................................................................................................... 108

1 | P a g e

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Lodha Panel suggested reforms opposed by BCCI

The BCCI is against the following recommendations of the Lodha Panel :

1. Voting in BCCI Elections: One State, One member and One Vote (giving full member status with a

vote to NE States) and allotting 1 vote to Maharashtra and Gujarat, which have 3 Ranji Trophy

teams each.

2. Player (men and women) representatives in the Apex Council (that will replace the Working

Committee)

3. Age Limit of 70 years for any position in BCCI.

4. Nomination of Comptroller and Auditor General representative in the Council.

5. Restriction on ministers, government servants and a member of another national sports body

from occupying any post in BCCI

6. Keeping the BCCI President out of the IPL Governing Council.

Question: Do you think that reforms suggested by Lodha Panel in BCCI are necessary for

effective democratization of BCCI? Explain. The mandatory nature of these reforms is symbolic

of prevalent judicial activism followed by Higher Judiciary . Comment.

2 | P a g e

2. Possible right violations in Jails

Seven weeks after a 25-year-old inmate allegedly hanged himself in the Puzhal Central Prison in

Chennai, P. Ramkumar, the sole accused in the murder of Infosys techie Swathi, also allegedly committed suicide in the same prison by pulling and biting into a live electric wire .

From 1995 to 2014, 999 suicides were reported inside Indian prisons.

Violation of rights in Jails

The numbers show that the prison department is ill-equipped to protect the health and safety of

inmates. Little public scrutiny in jails provides the possibility of violation of basic rights. It is only

when violations result in deaths that questions are raised, and even then only cursorily.

Way forward

The only way to thwart what goes on in these institutions is to make them accountable. Prison monitors are mandated to regularly visit jails, listen to prisoners grievances, identify areas of concern, and seek resolution. These visitors include magistrates and judges, State human rights

institutions, and non-official visitors drawn from society.

Surveillance

The Supreme Court last year ordered the Centre and the States to install CCTV cameras in all the

prisons in the country. CCTV cameras serve two purposes: they bring on record incidents that could

otherwise be suppressed, and play a preventive role in violation of rights, as the fear of facing

consequences for the same would increase under vigilance.

(owever, Ramkumar s death remains a mystery despite the Puzhal prison installing CCTV cameras. This is because the alleged suicide occurred near a water pot in the dispensary block where no cameras were placed. So, while the court s order was a step in the right direction, it fell short by not formulating guidelines for implementation.

Question: The recurrent suicides in prisons may be an indication of all is not well with the

reformatory system in India. What can be reasons for possible suicides inside prisons? How these suicides can be tackled?

3 | P a g e

3. No evidence of cow slaughter by Akhlaq s family: Police

Almost three months after the Uttar Pradesh police booked the family of Mohammad Akhlaq from

Bishahra village for cow slaughter, officials investigating the case have concluded that there was no

evidence to prove that a cow was ever slaughtered by Akhlaq and his family.

Background

In July, the court had ordered an FIR against Akhlaq, his family and his younger brother Jan

Mohammad and his daughter-in-law under the U.P. Cow Slaughter Act, 1955.

Akhlaq Ahmed Saifi or Mohammad Akhlaq was brutally beaten and lynched by his neighbours in

Bishahra village in Dadri on September 28, 2015 over rumours that he and his family had stored

and eaten beef.

The family had also alleged that a fabricated case of cow slaughter was registered only to pressurise the victims and neutralise Akhlaq s murder case in which 18 accused, including Vishal Rana, son of

local BJP leader Sanjay Rana, were arrested.

4. Possession, sale of foreign fireworks is punishable

Ban on possession and sale of foreign based crackers

Ahead of the festival season, the Centre has said possession and sale of fireworks of foreign origin is

illegal and punishable.

Reasons to bring about a Ban . Department of )ndustrial Policy & Promotion reported about clandestine import of fireworks of foreign origin under false declarations.

2. Fireworks associations have said these smuggled items included potassium chlorate, which can

ignite or explode spontaneously.

3. The ban has also been imposed with an objective to stop the cash outflow.

5. Theft of Indian ancient sculptures

The return to India of three ancient sculptures from the National Gallery of Australia is another

milestone in the long and difficult campaign waged by several countries to repossess their cultural

treasures, which have often been bought by museums from idol smugglers.

4 | P a g e

As the provenance of the artefacts — the 900-year old statues of Goddess Pratyangira and Seated

Buddha, and the third century Worshippers of Buddha — became clear, the only ethical course

open to the Australian gallery was to restore the sculptures to India.

Evidently, the two icons other than the sandstone Seated Buddha were acquired from a New York-

based art dealer, Subhash Kapoor, for about $840,000 on the strength of fake documentation: he is

now facing prosecution in Tamil Nadu.

These are by no means isolated instances. In June, the United States formally returned to India

about 200 stolen cultural objects, which include 2,000-year-old artefacts, part of a $100 million trove unearthed by an investigation of Kapoor s art business. Way Forward

1. What emerges from these long battles to reclaim articles that constitute cultural heritage is the

insight that a dedicated national agency with State government support would be better equipped

to fight the scourge of theft and illicit transfer.

2. With trained personnel, it could devote itself to the task of documenting antiquities and ensuring that the country s ports are sealed against smuggling.

3. A lot of the illicit trade has been carried out by smugglers who have laundered the provenance of

idols using fake documentation designed to overcome the prohibition imposed by the Antiquities

and Art Treasures Act, 1972 on non-governmental exports.

Documentation of antiquities using public and private records should become a national mission.

These treasures could then be put on display in national museums.

Question: Theft of Ancient Indian Sculptures has been in news since Independence. Why it is

specifically difficult to curb theft of sculptures? What suggestions do you pose to curb their

theft in India?

6. Dance bars without liquor is absurd: SC

The Supreme Court said a new Maharashtra law prohibiting liquor in dance bars is absurd , absolutely arbitrary and indicative of the State s mentality, which is absolutely regressive by centuries .

5 | P a g e

A SC Bench then asked what was the point of giving bar licences and allowing dance performances

if there was no service of liquor ? The court, however, did not stay the Maharashtra law, but decided

to hear the case in detail on November 24.

View of Maharashtra Government (owever, the Maharashtra government refused to back down, arguing that a State has an absolute right to ban liquor at any spot of its choice within the State. Background The new law, titled Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (working therein) Act, 2016, was passed by the State Assembly to circumvent a Supreme Court judgment of 2014 that ordered dance bars to be throw open again and classified dance as a profession.

. SC admits dance bar owners plea

Reply sought from Maharashtra government

The Supreme Court sought a reply from the Maharashtra government to a challenge raised by

dance bar owners against a new State prohibition law classifying any dance which aroused purient desire in the audience as obscene.

Background

The Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and

Protection of Dignity of Women (working therein) Act, 2016, was passed by the Assembly to

circumvent a 2014 Supreme Court judgment which ordered dance bars to be thrown open again

and classified dance as a profession.

Rationale given by SC Our judgment was founded on Article [freedom of profession]. (ow can the foundation of our judgment be taken away by a statutory law? a Bench of Justices observed, issuing notice to the State government.

8. SC order on sterlising women in large camps

SC order The Supreme Court s order directing the Centre to ask States to end the oppressive practice of sterilising women in large camps.

6 | P a g e

Many course correction measures have been ordered by the court in the Devika Biswas public interest case, and if they are implemented vigorously, they can greatly improve women s welfare. Civil society can effectively monitor sterilisation activity, if, as the court has directed, the list of

approved doctors at the State and regional levels, members of quality assurance committees and

details of compensation claims are publicised on the Internet.

High resort on tubectomies

1. Unthinking resort to tubectomies for population control also ignores the evidence from some developed States in )ndia that women s empowerment through education and employment brings down fertility, without sacrificing choice.

2. Ensuring the safety of women who undergo a tubectomy is of immediate concern, and the Centre

should give rule-based authority to the Supreme Court s directions. A significant number of women have died due to the procedure during the past three years.

3. In the case of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Kerala, which did not take the

question of mismanagement in sterilisation camps raised in the petition seriously, the court has

acted decisively and called for monitoring and issue of appropriate orders by the respective High

Courts.

Way Forward

Empowerment of women through full opportunity in education and employment, and access to all

contraception options, should be central to national policies. Offering financial incentives and

subjecting women to permanent contraceptives is unacceptable.

Question: The bias of medical practitioners for tubectomy rather than equal emphasis on all available contractive options is symbolic of patriarchal and dictatorial mindset

in our country. Explain the statement. Also, enumerate the consequences on account of

over-emphasis on tubectomy?

9. Centre addresses fears on Citizenship Bill Parliamentarians see bid to appease Hindus from neighbouring countries Under pressure from parliamentarians who objected to the NDA government s move to grant citizenship to migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh on religious grounds, the Home Ministry has decided to add the nomenclature discriminated to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 that was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

7 | P a g e

A senior Home Ministry official said it planned to replace the term religious minorities with discriminated religious minorities after parliamentarians criticised the plan to allow all religious communities into India, except Muslims. Easy Citizenship for minorities of neighbouring countries With this proposed amendment, the government plans to change the definition of illegal migrants that will enable it to grant citizenship to minorities, mostly Hindus from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who fled their country fearing religious persecution.

The Bill creates an exception for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, by reducing the requirement of 11 years of continuous stay to six years to obtain citizenship by naturalisation. Certain Muslim sects outside the bill Muslim sects like Shias and Ahmediyas also face persecution in Sunni-dominated Pakistan but the Act doesn t have provision for them. Existing Provisions of citizenship Act As per Section b Citizenship Act, , illegal migrant means a foreigner who has entered )ndia without a valid passport or other travel documents or with a valid passport or travel document but remains therein beyond the permitted period of time. The government has already issued executive orders to grant citizenship to minority communities from other countries and the amendment to the Act will give a legal backing to the entire procedure. The registration fees for the citizenship of India has also been reduced to Rs.100 from Rs.3,000-15,000.

10. SC confirms conviction of former Haryana DGP S.P.S. Rathore

SC views in Ruchika case Family honour and fear of social stigma make )ndian women extremely reluctant to raise their voice against their molesters, the Supreme Court observed while finally rendering justice to

Ruchika Girhotra.

The apex court confirmed the guilt of her molester S.P.S. Rathore, a former Haryana State police

chief (DGP), 27 years after the incident.

Confirming Rathore's guilt, the Supreme Court however reduced his jail sentence to the period

already undergone owing to his advanced age and physical condition.

Background

8 | P a g e

A teenaged Ms. Girhotra committed suicide in 1993, nearly three years after she was assaulted by

Rathore in a tennis club office.

11. PMO puts the brakes on rail tariff regulator plan

PMO s direction in context of Independent rail tariff Regulator The Prime Minister s Office has asked the Railways to apply the brakes on its ambitious fast-track

plan to set up an independent regulator for freight and passenger tariffs.

The PMO has asked the Ministry to follow the legislative route to create the regulator rather than

push it through an executive order.

Railway Minister s proposal to set up an independent Regulator

After the historic decision to merge the rail Budget with the general Budget, Railway Minister

Suresh Prabhu had cited setting up of an independent regulator to determine tariff as per the

market demand as the topmost priority for the Railways.

Legislative Route may linger the setup of independent Regulator

The legislative route may be a major setback for the Railways on this front, as it was banking on

creating the independent regulator this year in order to perk up its worse-than-expected financial

performance in the first half of this fiscal year.

The Railways concept note on the rail regulator, dated January , had argued that even the Pension Funds Regulatory and Development Authority or PFRDA became functional through an executive

order in 2003 but the PFRDA Act was passed a decade later in 2013.

The regulators in other sectors have to deal with various industry players. But the )ndian Railways is a public monopoly and a regulator for this sector requires a different approach, the official argued.

Railways Concern The Railways estimated losses in passenger segment mounted from Rs. , crore in -05 to

over Rs.30,000 crore in 2015-16, primarily due to sharp increase in input costs and no

commensurate increase in fares over the same period.

What would be Railway Tariff Regulator?

Railway Tariff Regulator would be an independent body which will decide passenger and freight

9 | P a g e

fares. It is expected to decide tariffs based on cost inputs and not take populist decisions on railway

tariffs.

Policy-making, operations and maintenance, financial management and compliance of safety

standards would not fall under the purview of the regulator, as per the proposal.

Question: The setting up of a Rail Tarrif Authority will be beneficial not only to cash strapped railways but also the common public. Justify. Do you think that the authority, if established, will reduce the populist pressure from the railway ministry?

12. Warrant against Ananda Krishnan in Aircel case

A 2G court ordered that the trial of former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother

Kalanithi Maran be held separately from that of two Malaysians also accused in a corruption case

arising out of the Aircel-Maxis deal.

Special judge issued open warrants against T. Ananda Krishnan, owner of Maxis Communications

Berhad, Malaysia, and Ralph Marshall, director of Maxis Communications.

Background

The CBI had chargesheeted the eight accused in August 2014. The court took cognisance of it the

same year in October. The charge sheet accused Dayanidhi Maran of criminal conspiracy and

making illegal pecuniary gain for himself in the deal.

It alleged that the former Minister had entered into a criminal conspiracy with T. Ananda Krishnan

and coerced C. Sivasankaran, owner of Aircel, to sell his shares to Mr. Krishnan allegedly in lieu of

investments in Sun Direct TV Pvt. Ltd., promoted by Kalanidhi Maran.

The CBI argued before the court that there was no option left for the prosecution but to approach

the INTERPOL for issuance of a Red Corner Notice against the accused, and for this an open warrant

of arrest against the two accused from this court was required.

13. The curious death of Ramkumar

Suicide committed in prison by Rajkumar

The alleged suicide of murder suspect P. Ramkumar in the high-security Puzhal Central Prison in

Chennai has given rise to many questions and doubts.

10 | P a g e

Background

The claim is that Ramkumar, the alleged lone assailant who stalked and killed young Swathi, took

his own life by biting a live wire pulled out from a switchboard inside the prison .His lawyer alleges

he was murdered.

When Ramkumar was arrested there was a sense of reassurance among the public, even though a

few demanded a CBI investigation based on a few purported lacunae in the police version.

What should have been done? The police were expected to put an end to all speculation about whether he was the real culprit by bringing him to trial. It is a pity this did not happen.

The Tamil Nadu government should order a judicial probe in order to credibly allay any impression,

false

though it may well be, that the case was sought to be closed extra-judicially.

Prison Administration s claim

Ramkumar had suicidal tendencies, going by the police claim that he tried to slash his own throat

when he was about to be arrested.

Prison authorities say he was indeed under continuous watch by warders, and that he had been

given psychological counselling. More ought to have been done to prevent the incident, as the case

had become unusually sensitive, with the public debate assuming strong caste and communal

overtones.

Grey Shades of Prison Administration reflective of this case

1. It is surprising that the closely watched suspect had easy access, at a moment when he was

conveniently alone, to a switchboard near the prison dispensary.

2. It also so happened that the CCTV cameras installed in the modern prison did not cover that

particular area where he chose to end his life. If he did commit suicide, there has been undoubted

lapse in monitoring his movements.

Question over condition in jails

Prison suicides set off questions about the conditions of incarceration in our jails, often seen as

overcrowded and understaffed. Suicide by electrocution is rare, as it is not difficult to deny

prisoners any form of access to live electrical cables.

11 | P a g e

There is truth in the theory that it is difficult to prevent a person determined to commit suicide,

even if some correctional psychologists disagree.

Way forward for effective prison administration

There ought to be an initial evaluation of incoming prisoners to identify those with a high risk of

suicide. Thereafter, periodic assessments of their state of mind should be made.

While continuous watch is inescapable, designing suicide-resistant cells and auditing jails to identify and remove possible anchoring points for attempts to die by hanging are other necessary

measures.

14. Delhi High Court Verdict on Photocopying

Delhi High Court Verdict

The Delhi High Court verdict that photocopying portions of academic publications to make course

packs for students does not amount to copyright infringement has been interpreted by many as a

victory for the wider public interest of ensuring affordable access to quality educational material.

The only question of law that arose in the suit filed by Oxford University Press, Cambridge

University Press and Taylor & Francis was whether the making of course packs by the Delhi

University by authorizing a photocopying store to make numerous copies of course material drawn

from different books amounts to copyright infringement.

12 | P a g e

What is copyright?

Copyright is the exclusive and assignable legal right, given to the originator for a fixed number of

years, to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material.

What does the law of copyright states with respect to the above stated clause?

The court says copyright is not a natural or common law right in India, but is subject to statute. It

proceeds to hold that photocopying for academic purposes is not an infringement as Section i of the Copyright Act permits the making of copies of literary works by a teacher or pupil in the course of instruction , a phrase interpreted to cover whole academic sessions, from the preparation of syllabus onwards.

Interpretation of law by Delhi HC The Delhi (C sees the no infringement clauses as being consistent with articles in the Berne Convention and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, which

provide for domestic legislation to permit reproductions for specific purposes, as long as they do

not conflict with normal exploitation of the works or unreasonably prejudice the rights-holder.

View of Judge Copyright, especially in literary works, is thus not an inevitable, divine, or natural right that confers on authors the absolute ownership of their creations. It is designed rather to stimulate activity and progress in the arts for the intellectual enrichment of the public, said Justice Endlaw. Copyright is intended to increase and not to impede the harvest of knowledge. It is intended to motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the public, he added.

Urge of Publishers

The publishers have argued, in vain, that universities should not allow unrestricted photocopying,

but instead apply for licences through the Indian Reprographic Rights Organisation, a registered

copyright society.

Need to strike a balance

It is true that academic publications, especially international ones, are expensive, putting them

beyond the reach of many students. But the question is whether the balance between the competing

interests has been fully preserved in the law. If reputed publishers feel that there is insufficient

copyright protection and back out of educational publishing in the country, it will be equally

injurious to the public interest.

Background of the case

13 | P a g e

In 2012, five publishing houses Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd., Taylor & Francis Group, U.K. Taylor & Francis Books India Pvt. Ltd., initiated a suit for permanent injunction restraining Rameshwari Photocopy Service and the Delhi University from preparing and photocopying course packs from its books claiming it to be copyright infringement. The photocopy kiosk had defended itself saying it has licence to run the business and not every student can afford to buy expensive books for only a part of syllabus prescribed by the varsity. DU in its response said it has the books in its library but the same cannot cater to large number of students.

15. PMO nod for closure of sick govt. companies

NITI Aayog s proposal of disposing off sick units has been cleared

The BJP-led NDA government is all set to embark on its strategic disinvestment programme. NITI Aayog s proposal for shutting down sick or loss-making government companies has received the

go-ahead from Prime Minister s Office PMO .

A second set of proposals from the Niti Aayog for strategic sales aimed at reducing government

ownership to below 51 per cent in about 22 public sector companies has also got the green signal

from the PMO.

What is a sick unit?

A sick unit is defined as "an industrial company (being a company registered for not less than five

years) which has, at the end of any financial year, accumulated losses equal to, or exceeding, its

entire net worth and has also suffered cash losses in such financial year and the financial year

immediately preceding such financial year.

Action undertaken by the Govt

The approval from the PMO is not for outright per cent sales…the government won t exit these companies, but will go on to be a minority shareholder post disinvestment. Before these PSUs are shut down, the Centre will offer voluntary retirement to their employees. Land assets owned by the sick companies Many of the companies being shut down hold vast tracts of land. For instance, CREDA HPCL Biofuel had leased 15000 hectares of vacant waste/barren land from the government of Chhattisgarh for a period of 30 years for planting jatropha. Such land that had been leased from State governments could be returned with or without a price. Free-hold land parcels could either be passed on to the Centre or be auctioned to pubic or private sector bidders.

14 | P a g e

16. Clarity on judges appointment soon

Memorandum of Procedure to be finalized soon

In an indication that the deadlock between the collegium and the Centre over the procedure to

appoint judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts may be coming to an end, differences of

opinion with government are being sorted out and the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) may be

finalised in the next two weeks.

The government had referred its latest draft of the MoP to the Collegium for approval on August 3.

Once the MoP is finalised, the collegium would send the document back to the government for

notification.

Background

On October 16, 2015, a Constitution Bench led by Justice J.S. Khehar had revived the collegium after declaring the government s NJAC law unconstitutional. The Bench then went on to invite public

opinion on ways to improve the opaque collegium system of judicial appointments. After receiving

over 11,500 views from the public, the Bench had summarised them and tasked the government to

draft a new MoP on December 16, 2015.

Details of latest MoP

1. Recommendation of names: To implement the judicial direction to widen the zone of consideration , the latest MoP draft wants all Supreme Court and (igh Court judges to be able to recommend names to their respective collegiums. Chief Ministers should also have the right to

recommend names to the respective High Court collegiums. Similarly, the Attorney General should

be allowed to recommend the names of judges to the Supreme Court at the Centre and Advocate-

General of States to their respective State High Courts.

2. Vetting of names: The draft also details a mechanism for an elaborate vetting process of names

recommended for High Court judgeship through appraisal committees to be set up in High Courts.

The government wants these appraisal committees to be made up of sitting or retired judges, jurists

and academicians. The appointments to these appraisal committees would be made by the Chief

Justice of the High Court.

2 fold: Screening of candiates

1. These High Court committees would screen the names of the candidates, their backgrounds, the

number of cases they have argued as lawyers, etc, before forwarding them to the High Court

collegium.

15 | P a g e

2. Once the High Court collegium clears certain names, they would be sent to a similar appraisal

committee at the Supreme Court. This apex-level committee would again sift through the names

before they are finally referred to the SC collegium.

The government reasons that the two-fold vetting process – one by the respective High Court

appraisal committee and then by the Supreme Court committee – would ensure transparency in

judicial appointments.

The government has further asked the judiciary to fix an age for High Court judgeship and make it non-flexible. )t also wants the mechanism for redressing complaints against judges to remain within the judiciary.

17. Andhra Pradesh given special package in place of demand for Special Category

Question on status of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh, post-bifurcation, needed a helping hand from the Centre. But the modalities of the

special status the State wanted, needed to be worked out. Could it be declared a Special Category

State or was the right way to grant it a special financial package was that it did not require meeting

the mandated requirements for Special Category status?

Centre s rationale for not assigning Andhra a special category state

A.P. does not qualify as a Special Category State; it has neither geographical disadvantages such as

hilly terrain nor historical disadvantages such as socio-economic and infrastructural backwardness

and unviable finances.

Implications

The categorisation as special category state enables larger financial contributions from the centre

and continuous financial support. For instance, on implementation of Central Programmes, Special

Category states are required to contribute only 10% of total expenditure while other states are

required to contribute 50% of the total expenditure.

On the other hand, the Central Assistance may or may not be lead to continuous financial support

for the state.

Centre s assistance to Andhra Pradesh

1. Eventually, the Centre announced a special package, the emphasis was on assisting the State on

the basis of the road map laid down in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, an oral commitment

made in 2014 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the report of the 14th Finance Commission and

16 | P a g e

the recommendations of the Niti Aayog.

The package, valid for five years till 2020, meets most of the reasonable expectations of a State

struggling to recover from bifurcation and dealing with the imminent loss of the capital city,

Hyderabad.

2. The Polavaram irrigation project was declared a national project; a railway zone was to be

formed in the State and the Central Board of Direct Taxes was to issue two notifications on tax

concessions.

Political battle in Andhra Pradesh over the Special Category status

The political battle over the Special Category status is not going to get over soon.

Opposition parties, led by the Congress and the YSR Congress, have targeted Mr. Naidu for failing to

convince the Centre. That his Telugu Desam Party is in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party will

invite charges of a sell-out of A.P. s interests.

Way Ahead

The TDP government must look ahead, and use the special package to boost growth and create

conditions for employment generation. While concentrating resources on building the capital at

Amaravati, Mr. Naidu must not lose sight of the immediate development goal: the livelihood

concerns of ordinary people.

18. Why was Centre unable to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh?

Factors behind not granting Andhra special category status

The Centre was almost prepared to grant the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh but

two factors dissuaded it from going ahead —outcry from nine more States for the same tag and

NITIAayog too ruled it out citing the 14th Finance Commission report that had made it clear that it

would not make any distinction between special and general category States.

Venkaiah Naidu (Union Information and Broadcasting Minister) explaining the above

context Till the end, my argument was the same before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Finance Minister, ArunJaitley. When we are prepared to give thousands of crores more through other means

why not SCS.

Finance Commission Report

17 | P a g e

The class of SCS would cease to exist going by the Commission report. Quoting from its report, he

said it took into account disabilities arising out of constraints unique to each state to arrive at

expenditure needs and recommended filling of resource gaps mainly through increased tax

devolution. Where devolution was not able to cover the assessed gap, it had recommended post-

devolution grants for revenue deficit and the Centre has agreed to take that responsibility in the

case of AP spread over five years.

What is Special Category Status?

Initially, three states namely Assam, Nagaland and Jammu & Kashmir were accorded special

category status and later on eight other states were also given special category status namely:

Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, and

Sikkim and thus the list is now increased to eleven.

The basis whether a State should be accorded special status or not includes: hilly and difficult

terrain; low population density and or sizeable share of tribal population; strategic location along

borders with neighboring countries; economic and infrastructure backwardness and non-viable

nature of state finances.

At the time of resource allocation by the centre to States, these special category States are at a

beneficial position. The Finance Ministry allocates funds to states through central assistance for

state plans. Central assistance can be broadly split into three components: Normal Central

Assistance (NCA), Additional Central Assistance (ACA) and Special Central Assistance.

Normal Central Assistance favours special category states and they get 30% of the total assistance

while the other states share the remaining 70%. NCA is in the form of 90% as grants and 10% loans

for special category states, while the ratio between grants and loans is 30:70 for other states. There is no fixed formula for Special Central Assistance and it depends on the basis of the state s plan size and previous plan expenditures. Besides this, special category states enjoy concessions in excise

and customs duties, income tax rates and corporate tax rates as determined by the government.

Question: How are the benefits given under Special Status different from those conferred as

part of Special Central Assistance? On what criteria is Special Status accorded to a particular

state? Do you think such criteria should be made more objective?

18 | P a g e

19. Uncertainty floats for Foreign embryos after the Surrogacy Bill got passed in India

No clear provision for foreign embryos already banked in India

Human embryos of couples from across the world, frozen in liquid nitrogen at countless infertility

clinics across India, now float in a sea of uncertainty with surrogacy laws in India set to become tougher, but no explanation on offer as to why these embryos can t be returned to their genetic

owners.

India banned commercial surrogacy in November, 2015, but panic among couples has set in only

now after the Cabinet cleared the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 last month.

The bill, which has made the government s intent to ban commercial surrogacy clear, is silent on the

fate of embryos already banked in India.

The Indian government has put a cap of five years on keeping embryos, following which they

should either be discarded or given out for research.

Reactions from foreigners to this enactment

Couples from the world over who came to India for surrogacy service are now demanding that their

embryos be shipped back to them, but it is an almost impossible proposition as export of human

embryos is barred.

"The embryos are a property of these couples and not of the government. And these are live embryos that can be sold or misused.

"The Indian government has given no real thought, no concession to people who have their

embryos locked in India."

Implications of enactment

Clients would like to go for surrogacy in countries where commercial surrogacy is still allowed, or

try it in their home country itself.

No clear authority to grant approval for the export of Embryos

Representations seeking embryo export approval are pouring into various government offices,

nobody really sure who the approving authority is.

19 | P a g e

20. CBI kick-starts probe in Embraer aircraft scam

CBI investigation initiated with regard to purchase of Embraer Aircraft

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) instituted a preliminary inquiry against unknown officials

of the Defence Ministry and others, in connection with the allegations of corruption in the purchase

of three Embraer aircraft in 2008.

Allegations

It has been alleged that the Brazilian supplier had taken the services of middlemen, said to be based

in the U.K. to strike deals for sale of aircraft in India and Saudi Arabia. A joint committee, set up the

Air Force and the DRDO, had short-listed Embraer.

About Embraer

Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, executive

and agricultural aircraft and provides aeronautical services.

21. Cong. loses Arunachal as 43 MLAs join BJP ally

Congress MLA s defected to People s Party of Arunachal (PPA)

43 of the Congress MLAs, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, joined the People s Party of Arunachal (PPA), a part of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a BJP-led front.

Background

Just two months ago, Mr. Khandu and his group of Congress rebels had abandoned the PPA and

returned to the Congress to form the government.

20 | P a g e

Mr. Khandu became the Chief Minister on July 16, replacing Nabam Tuki, who in turn had replaced

Kalikho Pul after the Supreme Court reinstated the Tuki government.

During Mr. Pul s four-and-a-half month tenure, he and other MLAs had formed the PPA and joined

the NEDA.

Illegitimate, says Congress The Congress termed the new arrangement an illegitimate child of the BJP and blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

The mandate of the people of Arunachal Pradesh, who voted the Congress to power, has been robbed in broad daylight.

CM Khandu s justification for joining BJP led alliance

Mr. Khandu justified the decision, saying the State lacked resources hence they had moved to join

the PPA,hinting that his government had not received support from the Centre. He even said that move was initiated to build better relations with the Centre.

Mr Khandu said while his party will be with the BJP in NEDA, he ruled out the possibility of the

saffron party coming to power in the state.

Present Status of Arunachal s State Assembly

The 60-member State Assembly has an effective strength of 57. The status of two MLAs is currently

pending with the Speaker following contentions that they were wrongly disqualified.

Another seat fell vacant when Mr Pul allegedly committed suicide. After recent development, there

are currently 43 PPA MLAs, 11 BJP MLAs, two independents and one Congress, with Mr Tuki being

the lone Congress member. Question: What are the provisions of Anti-defection law? Why was it not applicable on recent

defection by 43 MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh?

21 | P a g e

22. The message from Shahabuddin

Contradictions in Bihar Political Alliance on account of release of Shahabuddin

If there is one person who can bring the contradictions in the alliance between the Janata Dal

(United) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, it is the criminal-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin,

as he symbolized everything that was wrong with the Lalu Prasad raj in Bihar.

Indeed, when Nitish Kumar first took over as Chief Minister in 2005, he seemed intent on making an

example of the gangster who defied law-enforcing authorities and ensured his writ ran in his

constituency Siwan.

With Shahabuddin roaming free in Bihar on being granted bail by the Patna High Court, Mr. Kumar

will necessarily have to ignore his veiled threats and snide remarks. When Mr. Kumar got the

government to pursue the cases against the gangster, he was fighting the RJD; now, however, he is

in alliance with that party.

Although the government is likely to oppose the bail order in the Supreme Court, there is little

doubt that the political situation in Bihar has changed since the time Shahabuddin went to jail.

Improving the law and order situation — freeing Bihar from jungle raj — was one of Mr. Kumar s campaign planks in 2005, when in the company of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he ousted the RJD

from power.

Now, as the head of a JD(U)-RJD government, he must speak a different language. So far, in Bihar,

with his clean, no-nonsense image he has bested Mr. Prasad in two elections and a Narendra Modi-

led BJP in a third. To not take on Shahabuddin for fear of offending his alliance partner is therefore

not an option for Mr. Kumar.

If the Nitish Kumar government were to continue to put pressure on Shahabuddin by pursuing the

cases against him to their logical end, it would be to shake the JD(U)-RJD alliance from its comfort

zone.

Shahabuddin seems acutely conscious that he needs to drive a wedge between the RJD and the

JD(U) for the sake of his own political survival. His remark that Mr. Kumar was a Chief Minister of

circumstances and that the RJD would come to power on its own in the next election is a reflection

of this.

Who is Shahabuddin?

Mohammad Shahabuddin is a criminal turned politician. He was elected four times as a Member of

Parliament from Siwan, Bihar, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party of Lalu Prasad Yadav, and

2-times as MLA, to the Bihar Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly).

22 | P a g e

Background

Mr. Shahabuddin, infamously known as the terror of Siwan, was released from the Bhagalpur jail on

Saturday after 11 years in imprisonment in over three dozen cases pending against him. He came

out of jail after he got bail in the case of the murder of Rajiv Roushan, an eye-witness of the murder

of his two brothers allegedly killed by a faithful follower of Mr. Shahabuddin.

23. Cauvery Water Dispute

Cauvery Water Dispute more on account of linguistic chauvinism and regional identity

The Cauvery water dispute is turning out to be less about water and irrigation and more about

linguistic chauvinism and regional identity.

Nothing else can explain the mindless violence in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Supreme

Court order asking the former to release water to the latter, keeping in view the distress situation in

both States in a season of deficit rainfall.

Evidence behind evaluation

Many of the acts of violence have been perpetuated in the two States by chauvinistic, fringe

organizations that have little to do with the farming community or its interests.

)t is clear that there is insufficient water in Karnataka s reservoirs to meet the full irrigation needs of both States. The point of the Supreme Court order was to make the States share their distress and

not to magically fulfil the needs of farmers on both sides.

But political parties and some media houses, especially regional language television channels, have

sought to portray the issue as one that pits the people of one State against that of the other.

Indeed, the two major national parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, have taken

different stands in the two States on this issue. No party or State government appears to believe it

can afford to be seen as taking even so much as a conciliatory step toward defusing the crisis. On

some previous occasions when Karnataka released water in a distress year the State government

did so quietly so as to not give chauvinistic elements any opportunity to inflame passions.

What should be done?

Cauvery is an inter-State dispute, but this is no reason to turn the issue into a raging controversy

that draws the peoples of the two States into confrontation. That Tamil-speaking people settled in

Karnataka for generations are made to feel insecure, and business establishments run by

23 | P a g e

entrepreneurs tracing their familial ties to Karnataka are targeted in Tamil Nadu are indications of

how the water dispute goes beyond the interests of the people and becomes mixed up with the

emotive issue of linguistic identity.

Ideally, as stipulated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), the technicalities of water-

sharing should be left to the Cauvery Management Board, which is to monitor the water flows with

the help of the Cauvery Regulation Committee and the respective State authorities. If Cauvery is not

to be made a plaything in the hands of chauvinists, the governments of the two States as well as at

the Centre need to send out a strong signal to the marauding mobsters that violence, in whatever

name, will be put down strongly by the security forces.

As laid down by the CWDT, the issue of water-sharing should be left in the hands of technical

experts, and not politicians who are hostage to the emotions of a parochial fringe.

24. We need more working judges, not more judges: Law panel head

Balbir Singh Chauhan, Chairman of Law Commission viewpoint Working judges , and not increasing sanctioned strength of judges, may be a solution to modern-

day demands of judicial workload caused by the heightened legal awareness among the public

about their liberties. Steps should be taken to fill the sanctioned strength rather than increase the

number of judges over and above the current sanctioned strength to solve pendency.

Rationale behind the viewpoint

Liberty has become more important. Workload has increased because of an increase in awareness

among the public and education. There has been an expansion of liberty and courts are bound by the public s faith in the judiciary.

His view comes at a time when the Supreme Court has directed the Law Commission to file a report

within a year on whether it is permissible to rid the apex court of routine appeals crowding the

court, to help it focus on cases of national and public interest.

View Point of CJI Justice Chauhan s views come at a time when Chief Justice of )ndia T.S. Thakur has called for over 70,000 more judges to be appointed to courts all over the country to clear the backlog.

Current count of vacancies in Juduciary

Present vacancies in the High Courts number over 480 when the sanctioned strength is 1079. The

Supreme Court has itself three vacancies in a total sanctioned strength of 31 judges.

24 | P a g e

Law Commission view on National Judicial Appointment Commission

Asked whether an amended Bill of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) may be a

way out of the current impasse perceived between the highest judiciary and the government over

the drafting of the Memorandum of Procedure of appointment of judges, he said there is every possibility it may be challenged and lead to another year s delay in judicial appointments. The October , judgment, which revived the Collegium, was based on primacy of judiciary in judicial appointments. Though, Democracy is a collective Opinion. Nobody has Primacy. There should be collective Effort.. You cannot say we are the most important.

25. Biryani patrol

Governments of two states that have legislated against the consumption of beef are once again

calling attention to the issue on the eve of Eid-ul-Zuha or Bakrid.

Events in Haryana

The Haryana Gau Sewa Aayog has asked the state police to collect samples of biryani from Mewat

and send them for testing.Haryana has specifically targeted biryani, a dish traditionally connected

with the Muslim festival;

Events in Maharashtra

And following the rather belated but strong warning of the prime minister against vigilantism on

behalf of cattle, Maharashtra has made it clear that private raiding parties will not be tolerated.

Only the police are empowered to investigate charges of cows being butchered or transported.

Highlights biasness of State

These moves may well be valid in law, but they unfortunately suggest that the state is bent on

taking the joy out of the festival of one community. The threat of cow patrols invading private

spaces to poke about in pots and pans does not set the mood for festivities.

Questions on unnecessary vigilantism?

When the police are already charged with the duty to move against those who break the beef laws,

why was a cadre of snitches raised from the public deemed necessary?

While Maharashtra appears to be proscribing public action now by warning against vigilantism, its

25 | P a g e

record on illiberalism invites the suspicion that it is actually no different in attitude and intent from

Haryana, which is pro-actively sending out biryani patrols to probe and pry.

Way Forward

If laws relating to beef must exist at all — and it is not blindingly obvious to the entire population

that they must — then the police alone must have the mandate to enforce them, and certainly not as

a blunt instrument against a particular community. This time, the festival of Eid has drawn the

unhealthy attentions of two state governments to this trumped-up issue. Of course, other

communities, including the historically disadvantaged and those located outside the geography of

the mainstream, have traditionally used beef as a major source of protein. They have reason to

wonder what the future holds for them.

26. Evaluation of Appointment of Parliamentary Secretary in Delhi

Appointments of Parliamentary Secretary are illegal in Delhi on the following grounds? The

appointments, made in March 2015, suffered from multiple legal infirmities.

1. After the categorical verdict of the Delhi High Court last month that the Capital is a Union

Territory, it was quite clear that any decision made by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal without the Lieutenant Governor s approval will be rendered illegal. 2. Apart from the lack of the LG s concurrence, it raised the question of whether it was an office of profit under the government, something legislators are barred from holding. The penalty stipulated in the Constitution for a legislator holding an office of profit is disqualification.

Decision in hands of Election Commission on Disqualification

The Election Commission has reserved its verdict on the question whether these 21 MLAs have

incurred such disqualification, and it is possible for the Aam Aadmi Party now to ask the matter to be closed, citing the court s setting aside of the appointments. At the same time, it cannot be denied that the EC could still choose to decide whether these MLAs had indeed held an office of profit for

nearly a year-and-a-half. They had been rendered further vulnerable after the President withheld

assent to a Delhi Bill to protect them from incurring disqualification — once again because it was introduced without the LG s approval.

Flaw of Kejriwal Government

Mr. Kejriwal could have avoided this setback had he not given executive oversight responsibilities to so many of his party s legislators.

26 | P a g e

Who are Parliamentary Secretaries?

In practice, parliamentary secretaries are junior ministers. In this case, their appointment could

also have been challenged on the ground that after their inclusion, the strength of the Council of

Ministers had exceeded the constitutional limit of 10 per cent on the strength of the Delhi Assembly.

In the case of other States, the limit is 15 per cent. In some States, parliamentary secretaries have

been able to stave off disqualification by getting the post saved from disqualification by legislation.

However, no one has been able to get around the numerical cap on the size of the Ministry under

Article 164(1A) of the Constitution.

Question: Which provisions in constitution challenge the post of parliamentary secretaries? Do

you think that by holding post of parliamentary secretary members of legislature even become

liable for disqualification from holding posts of legislator? Examine in light of relevant

provisions of constitution.

27. SC agrees to lay down law on LG s power to run Delhi

SC to lay law on ambit of Lieutenant Governor

The Supreme Court agreed to lay down the law on whether the Lieutenant Governor (LG) can

unilaterally administer the National Capital without being bound by the aid and advice of the elected government.

Background: Delhi HC Judgement The (C had upheld the LG s power not only over the police, land and public order but also in services . The judgment had effectively shrunk the Kejriwal Cabinet s girth.

Refusal for the stay of HC s Judgement

The Bench however, refused to stay the HC judgment, despite submissions by senior advocate and Delhi government's counsel that the verdict affects all future governments and all future

relationships between the Centre and the State.

View of Kejriwal Government The Kejriwal government dismissed Delhi's LG as unqualified to administer the National Capital, a mere employee of the Centre and the latter half of a master-servant relationship . Rather, the government elected by People in Delhi should be given chance to govern Delhi.

Accusation of Arbitrary Use of power by LG

After the HC verdict, the LG had directed the withdrawal of all Delhi government-appointed panel of

27 | P a g e

advocates and senior advocates, thus handicapping its legal representation in courts. Even to employ a lawyer to fight our case, even filing of a complaint, the Secretary has been asked to get the LG's permission. Payments to our lawyers have been held up because he said the amounts are exorbitant... said Delhi Government Lawyer.

The Centre, represented by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, promptly held that the AAP-led government's petitions against the (igh Court judgment were incompetent as they were filed

without the prior permission of the LG.

28. Publish FIRs online within 24 hours: Supreme Court

Order by SC

Upholding the right of an accused to information and putting a check on the authority of the police

to deprive a person of his liberty, the Supreme Court ordered States and Union Territories to

upload, on police or government websites, First Information Reports (FIRs) within 24 hours of their

registration in police stations.

Objective

The implementation of this step will lead to transparency in police work. An accused has every right

to know what he was accused of, especially if his personal liberty was at stake.

The court order came on a writ petition by the Youth Bar Association of India earlier this year

seeking such a direction to the Union government, States and UTs.

Exemption in cases of National interest

The FIRs registered in these categories would continue to be away from the public eye owing to

issues of privacy and national interest.

The decision to not post the FIRs in such cases would be taken by a police officer not below the rank

of a Deputy Superintendent of Police or the District Magistrate, either of whom would have to

communicate the decision to the jurisdictional magistrate.

In case of complaint against such non-publication of FIRs, the Superintendent of Police in rural

areas and Police Commissioner in metros, will form a committee of three officers, which will decide

on the complaint in three weeks.

In areas where Internet access is limited, the Bench extended the deadline for publishing the FIR on

websites to 48 hours, which can still further be stretched to a maximum of 72 hours. Accused

28 | P a g e

persons cannot take advantage of delay in uploading of FIRs and seek anticipatory bail on that

ground, the court specified.

Also, exemption from online publication of FIRs will be given in cases of Insurgency, Child abuse, Sexual offences and Terrorism.

29. Centre work over the mega fund flow to push irrigation

)ndia s apex rural-development bank (NABARD) will manage a Rs. 77,000-crore corpus as part of a

Central government push to complete 99 unfinished irrigation projects across the country by 2019,

and bring water to 76.03 lakh hectares. The contours of the scheme were first made public by

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech this February and involve finishing 149 projects

overdue since 1997.

Union Minister of Water Resources (MoWR) stated . All drought and suicide-prone districts will be first covered,

. This time there will be short-cut (sic) appraisals…and incentives will be given to States who complete their projects before time.

The projects, details of which weren t immediately made public, are part of irrigation projects across the country where at least Rs. 67, 539 crore has been spent until March 2015 to build dams and irrigation projects but with little water actually making it to farmers fields. Traditionally the Central government apportioned money to States to complete projects.

Financial arrangements involving innovation

The key hindrance used to be that States lacked funds to complete projects.

1. Rules have been amended to allow them to get loans from the National Bank for Agriculture and

Rural Development (NABARD) for their projects.

2. Through NABARD, the government will provide 15-year loans at 6% interest and ensure that a

project is sanctioned only if panchayats and local water-use associations are closely involved.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)

1. The 99-project scheme, projected to be completed by December 2019 is part of a Pradhan Mantri

Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), launched to help farmers have efficient access to water and

introduce sustainable water-conservation projects.

29 | P a g e

2. The PMKSY subsumes schemes such as the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP)

and several other projects to repair and restore bodies that have been launched by previous

governments.

Independent Monitor of the Project

Arvind Panagariya, Vice-President N)T) Aayog stated that N)T) Aayog would be an independent monitor of the 99-project scheme.

30. Mobile access scheme for remote areas soon

The government will soon unveil a new scheme to provide mobile phone access to over 55,000

villages, particularly those in border states and in the Himalayan region, to push forward its

flagship Digital India programme.

Scheme funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)

The USOF, which is maintained by the government, was formed to help fund projects to boost

connectivity in rural areas. The money for this fund comes through a Universal Access Levy, charged from the telecom operators as a percentage of various licenses fees being paid by them.

The total available fund in USOF is more than Rs.47,411.56 crore. The total collection since the

scheme was started in 2002-03 stands at about Rs.78,587.31 crore, while total amount disbursed

for various initiatives to boost rural connectivity is about Rs.31,175.75 crore.

No coverage

As per official data about 4,700 villages in Himalayan States (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh

and Uttarakhand), and 2,138 villages in Border States (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana) are

not yet connected.

States in decreasing order of villages with no coverage

Odisha (10,398)

Jharkhand (5,949)

Madhya Pradesh (5,926)

Maharashtra (4,792)

Chhattisgarh

In states such as Kerala and Karnataka all villages have coverage.

30 | P a g e

Bharat Net Project The Centre is also in middle of executing the Bharat Net project which aims to connect all of )ndia s households, particularly in rural areas, through broadband by 2017.

31. Strong criticism of govt isn t defamatory or seditious, says SC, underlines 1962 verdict

View of Supreme Court The Supreme Court asserted that making a strong criticism of the government is not even defamatory, let alone seditious. The court also directed all authorities, including police and trial

judges, to follow its Constitution Bench ruling which stated that only incitement to violence and

public disorder could form the basis of a sedition charge.

Details of the Judgement Suppose somebody makes a strong criticism of the government… even a case of criminal defamation cannot be filed, let alone a case of sedition. Every magistrate is bound by what we said in the Kedar Nath case , said the bench.

In Kedar Nath Singh vs State of Bihar, 1962, a Constitution Bench had ruled in favour of the

constitutional validity of Section 124A (sedition) in the IPC, but had added a vital caveat: that a person could be prosecuted for sedition only if his acts caused incitement to violence or intention or tendency to create public disorder or cause disturbance of public peace . Background

Arguing for the PIL, advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted before the bench that policemen are

usually unaware of the safeguards provided in the Kedar Nath case, which has resulted in arbitrary

arrests of people and registration of numerous cases of sedition.

Question: Why the provisions of Section 124A of Indian Penal Code are regarded as

excessive in nature? Do you think that Supreme Court judgement on Section 124A

strikes a right balance between Sedition and freedom of Speech and expression?

32. Review of Higher Judiciary Appointments

Stand by Justice J. Chelameswar

Justice J. Chelameswar has acted on his famous dissent. After disagreeing with the majority on a

Constitution Bench that struck down the law enacted to establish a National Judicial Appointments

31 | P a g e

Commission, the judge, who is part of the five-member Supreme Court collegium, has opted to keep

out of its proceedings.

In a letter to the Chief Justice, he is understood to have raised the issue of lack of transparency in the collegium s functioning. (is position is consistent with his dissenting judgment, in which he had

spoken elaborately on the ills of the system.

He had articulated his view that the executive cannot be shut out of judicial appointments, and that

according primacy to the judiciary in the matter of appointments is not the only way to preserve its

independence.

Consequences of Justice J. Chelameswar actions

It has brought the focus again on the manner in which the judiciary functions on its administrative side. )t may further delay the finalisation of the collegium s view on the Memorandum of Procedure

(MoP) for appointment and transfer of judges.

With over 480 vacancies in the high courts and three in the Supreme Court, differences within the

collegium may delay appointments, leading to significant alterations in the tenure and promotion

prospects of judges and Chief Justices. Mr. Chelameswar s boycott is undoubtedly based on principle; however, it raises the question whether he is not bound to be part of the collegium

system as long as it is in force.

Tussle between Executive and Judiciary

Irrespective of the serious reservations about the verdict in the NJAC case, the collegium system is

here to stay. A fresh and transparent procedure for appointments was to be worked out by the

executive. The Centre has sent its draft MoP, but it appears the collegium is reluctant to approve

some of the clauses.

The way Forward

The revision process should not be kept under wraps. Public interest, especially the principle of

judicial independence, will be better served if the procedure under preparation is thrown open to a

debate. The judiciary showed the way forward by asking the Centre to prepare a revised

memorandum. It should also end the impasse by taking an early call on firming up the procedure. In

the light of a clear admission by the majority of judges in the NJAC case of the need for infusion of transparency, it will be welcome if Mr. Chelameswar s position strengthens the support for reforming it.

32 | P a g e

33. Discussion on Triple Talaq

Past Judgments by High Courts

The egregious practice that many Muslim men employ to divorce their wives instantaneously and

without their consent, merely by uttering the word talaq thrice, was rendered legally invalid by the

Shamim Ara vs State of UP judgment of 2002 and subsequent orders from various High Courts.

Persisting practice of Triple talaq

This has not stopped the practice; many Muslim women are unaware of the judgments or have had

to accept such pronouncements owing to pressure from conservative sections.

Violation of Women Rights

Many women have undergone severe trauma after being thrown out of their homes. Shayara Bano,

one such victim of this arbitrary custom — not to speak of years of domestic violence — has filed a

public interest litigation in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the practice.

Defense presented by All Indian Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)

In a counter-affidavit, the Board has defended the practice in terms that are shocking even by its

own standards.

1. It claims that the custom is a way out to avoid long-running court proceedings and that, in the

absence of triple talaq, a husband may resort to murdering or burning alive his wife because of the

time-consuming legal proceedings that might otherwise be involved.

2. )t further claims that )ndian society is patriarchal , and that personal laws of all communities are aligned with the patriarchal notion . )t defends the right to grant divorce to the husband alone, because men have greater power of decision making and uses a dubious line of argument on

gender ratio to justify the practice of polygamy.

3. It argued that divorce under Islamic law is undesirable and that triple talaq is a sin; however, it

maintains it is a valid and effective form of laying a marriage apart.

No basis in Koran

In truth, there is no sanction for the triple talaq in the Koran, which has laid down elaborate

injunctions on divorce, in stark contrast to the immediate and irrevocable nature of the triple talaq.

This practice has been either explicitly de-recognised in Muslim-majority countries such as

Indonesia, Iran and Tunisia or implicitly in countries such as Pakistan, which provides for a

mandatory arbitration procedure after the pronouncement of talaq.

33 | P a g e

Way forward

The Supreme Court must not be carried away by the arguments put forth by the AIMPLB, which has held that personal laws cannot be challenged .

Considering the clear and elaborately laid-down norms on marriage in the Koran that grant equal

rights to the husband and wife to pursue divorce proceedings and the right to equality guaranteed

in the Indian Constitution. It is high time that the Supreme Court ruled this practice as illegal.

Centre s view on Triple Talaq

Taking a firm stand against triple talaq, the Centre will submit before the Supreme Court that the

practice is unfair, unreasonable and discriminatory, that the issue has to be seen from the point of

view of gender justice, and that it is not at all linked to the idea of Uniform Civil Code.

Arguments presented by Centre in support of its viewpoint

1. The issue should not be seen from the point of view of the Uniform Civil Code and that it only

deals with the issue of gender justice, non-discrimination with respect to women and the dignity of

individuals — principles that spread throughout the entire scheme of fundamental rights as

provided under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.

2. Nearly 20 Islamic countries — including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan — have regulated their

matrimonial laws. If regulating matrimonial laws are acknowledged in Islamic country, why can t it be regulated in a secular country like India, where the Constitution is supreme.

3. Though the right to practice faith is a fundamental right, the practice itself has to be

differentiated from faith.

Background

The effect of Islamic personal law on women recaptured the Supreme Court's attention on PIL plea titled Muslim women s quest for equality. The Bench had ordered the P)L petition to be placed before an appropriate three-judge Bench for adjudication.

Subsequently, a slew of petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by Muslim women against their personal law. One of them by Shayara Bano had said that she only wished to secure a life of dignity, unmarred by discrimination on the basis of gender or religion.

34 | P a g e

34. Full circle in Singur

Evaluation of SC verdict on Singur land acquisition

By quashing the entire land acquisition process done by the erstwhile Left Front government in West Bengal, the court has reiterated that the term public purpose cannot be arbitrarily invoked to

acquire land and hand it over to a private party.

Bench observed the land acquisition as void . One of the two judges has categorically held that there was no public purpose in the land acquisition as it was solely for the benefit of Tata Motors.

2. The other judge has conceded that given the government s policy of industrialization and the potential for employment generation, the acquisition was indeed for a public purpose. But he also

ruled that the failure to hold a proper inquiry into objections from the public, and the fact that the

State Cabinet had decided to acquire land for the project even before the acquisition was notified as

per law, rendered the entire process void.

Main argument by Bench

What makes the acquisition proceedings perverse is not the fact that the lands were needed for

setting up an automobile industry, which would help to generate employment as well as promote

socio-economic development in the State, but that the proper procedure as laid down in the Land

Acquisition Act was not followed by the State government.

Political victory for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

The ruling is undoubtedly a political victory for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who

took up the cause of those whose lands were taken away in Singur, making it a key election issue of

the pivotal Assembly election of 2011, when she wrested power from the long-serving Left Front.

With the farmers set to get back their land, and the court allowing them to keep the compensation

they had earlier received or claim it now if they are yet to get it, this allows her to score points

afresh over the CPI(M).

Background

The acquisition had seen widespread protests in the State, compelling the Tatas to shift base to

Gujarat in 2008. The issue led to an electoral victory for the Mamata Banerjee government, which

went on to enact the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act in 2011 to re-claim the land

from the Tatas.

Intentions of Law brought to spotlight

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and

35 | P a g e

Resettlement Act sets out the categories of projects that would fall under public purpose, and

allows acquisition for private companies subject to provisions related to consent, compensation

and rehabilitation.

Outcomes of the SC judgement

The judgment will deter fresh investment by the private sector, inasmuch as it may preclude land acquisition for major projects. (owever, courts have by and large interpreted public purpose liberally, often allowing the government s view to prevail.

The lesson from Singur is that thoughtless and fast-tracked acquisition, often to the detriment of

due process and the interests of those deprived of land and livelihood, is the real issue — and not

promotion of industrialisation.

35. The ill health of the nation

State of Health Sector in India

The National Health Accounts data for 2013-14 present fresh evidence that India continues to have

a non-serious approach to the provision of universal health coverage to all its citizens. )ndia s health system is one of the most privatised in the world, poorly regulated and accessible only to

those with income levels well above the average.

All these attributes are, once again, strongly borne out by the NHA data, which lay bare the

extremely low government spending on health which, at 1.15 per cent of GDP, compares poorly

with even Sub-Saharan Africa. There, World Development Indicators say, the corresponding figure

was 2.9 per cent six years ago.

Reasons

1. The share of State governments, which are largely responsible for provision of health care, in

government health expenditure is estimated at 0.75 per cent of GDP.

2. A staggering 64.2 per cent of health expenditure, is met by households out-of-pocket.

What needs to be done?

1. If the NDA government intends to pursue its promise of universal health assurance in earnest,

and wants to make up for two lost decades of reform, it has to act decisively. Raising government

expenditure on health, in conjunction with the States, should form the basis of policy change; the road map for this was proposed by the Planning Commission s (igh Level Expert Group in .

2. Remedial policies in two key areas can quickly scale up to reduce the OOP (Out of Pocket) burden

36 | P a g e

on households. One is to put in place a centralised system for procurement of essential drugs,

relying mainly on quality generics and distributing them through the State government system. The

other is to arrive at the cost of all medical procedures for different classes of hospitals, laying down

standards and forming regulatory authorities at the State and district levels under law to enforce

the rules.

3. It was estimated by the Planning Commission group, for instance, that spending 0.5 per cent of

GDP (compared to 0.1 per cent spent by the public health system) could ensure the availability of

essential medicines free of cost to all Indians. Regulatory controls would automatically lead to a

reduction in costs, and curbing of unethical and corrupt practices by hospitals and diagnostics

centres. It should then be easier to quickly extend free health insurance to more classes of people,

such as senior citizens, children and the disabled, and achieve universal coverage early.

37 | P a g e

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS

36. Surgical Attacks by Indian Army in Pakistan

Indian Army conducted surgical strike across LOC

After running through a variety of non-military responses to the September 18 terrorist strike at an

Army camp in Uri, the Centre announced that Indian forces had carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control.

What is surgical strike?

A surgical strike is a military attack which results in only damage to the intended legitimate military

target, no or minimal collateral damage to the surrounding structures, vehicles, buildings, or the

general public infrastructure and utilities.

Intensions of Centre behind the surgical strike

New Delhi declared the strikes complete shortly after the operation, with the DGMO calling his

Pakistani counterpart to convey that India would not escalate the conflict beyond this.

38 | P a g e

Earlier actions by Indian Government in response to Uri Terror attack The government reviewed the working of the )ndus Waters Treaty, Pakistan s Most Favoured Nation status and pulled out of the SAARC heads meet to be held in )slamabad.

37. Uri terror attack

Uri Attack on Military Base suspected to be undertaken by Pakistani militants

Gathering evidence regarding the four terrorists who stormed the army base in Uri, killing 18

soldiers, suggests they are from Pakistan and had been sent across the border explicitly for this

attack. )n fact, the entire operation has the fingerprints of Pakistan s military establishment, showing yet again the country s persistent use of terrorism as state policy.

Details of the episode

The four terrorists reportedly got to the camp early in the morning, in all probability across the

Line of Control just 6 km away. The terrorists carried automatic rifles, under-barrel grenade

launchers and other equipment, most of it with Pakistani markings.

Over the last three decades or so, India has been at the receiving end of Pakistani statecraft of

terrorists unleashed to attain state objectives; Uri is the latest provocation.

India s inconsistent policy to deal with militancy

In responses in New Delhi, and on the ground in Kashmir, one thing has emerged: that India still

does not have a comprehensive national policy to deal with domestic militancy as well as cross-

border terrorism.

For instance, India does not have defined protocol in response to terrorist attacks emanating from

Pakistan. At Present, Our PM is gather international support to isolate Pakistan. Earlier, the strategy

of such proactive international criticism of Pakistan was not followed.

38. The SAARC Summit to be cancelled

SAARC Summit to be called off

India decided to pull out of the SAARC summit in Islamabad this November, with Afghanistan,

Bhutan and Bangladesh deciding to follow suit.

Since the last summit, Pakistan has blocked all protocols to better link the region. For example

39 | P a g e

Pakistan did not agree to sign Motor Vehicle agreement. Consequently, motor vehicle agreement

was signed among Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indian and Myanmar (BBIM).

)ndia has pursued a SAARC minus Pakistan plan to push through with agreements it is keen on.

Meetings in the run-up to Islamabad have been overshadowed by ongoing India-Pakistan tensions

for months now.

Indian Participation in last SAARC Meets

Home Minister Rajnath Singh was given a mixed welcome by his Pakistani hosts during the Home Ministers meeting in )slamabad in August, prompting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to cancel his visit for the subsequent SAARC Finance Ministers meeting.

Opinion of other members

Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan too had downgraded their participation in these meetings

because of their anger with Pakistan on its continued support to terror groups in the respective

countries. However Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Nepal have not opted for boycott.

A Big Blow to SAARC

The founding principle was that together South Asia had a better chance of fighting its shared ills,

an idea that held the group together for decades in the face of intermittent regional tensions.

Of course, this is not the first time that a SAARC summit has been postponed. But given the

prevailing environment of deep mistrust and tension, it is unlikely that the summit will be

rescheduled to take place in the near future.

This is something that will cause serious damage to the multilateral process and raise even more

questions about the future and relevance of SAARC.

Question: Even after three decades of suffering from terrorism, India has not been able to

draft a consistent policy to deal with terrorism. What is the need of such a policy? What are the

options considered by India post Uri attack to deal with terrorism? Evaluate the possible

implications of these options on interests of India?

39. Russia-Pakistan joint war games

A infantry unit of the Russian military participated in the first-ever joint military drills dubbed Friendship— , reflecting growing military ties between the two former Cold War rivals. Significance of military drill

40 | P a g e

The joint drill is seen as another step in growing military-to-military cooperation, indicating a steady growth in bilateral relationship between the two countries, whose ties had been marred by Cold War rivalry for decades. Deterioration of Pakistan-US Relations Pakistan decided to broaden its foreign policy options after its relations with the U.S. deteriorated following secret CIA raid in Abbottabad that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Even, Pakistan s relations with the U.S. soured recently when U.S. lawmakers blocked funds for the sale of eight Lockheed Martin Corporation s F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. Recent surge in Pakistan-Russia Relations Pakistan decided to look at alternative sources to purchase the aircraft including from Jordan. Over the last months, the chiefs of Pakistan s Army, Navy and Air Force travelled to Russia. The flurry of high- level bilateral exchanges resulted in the signing of a deal for the sale of four MI-35 attack helicopters to Islamabad. The agreement, signed in Moscow in August 2015, was considered a major policy shift on part of Russia in the wake of growing strategic partnership between the U.S. and India. After securing the helicopters deal, Pakistan is also exploring options to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia.

40. India suspends talks on Indus water pact

Suspension of talks under Indus Water treaty

The government decided to suspend talks on the Permanent Indus Commission, the dispute

redressal mechanism that has met 112 times, in the wake of the Uri attack.

Reason behind the assertive move of suspending talks on Indus Treaty

In the wake of the Uri attack in which 18 soldiers were killed at an army base close to the LoC by

suspected Pakistani militants, several experts have demanded that India withdraw from the Indus

Waters Treaty whose terms are considered generous to Pakistan.

Procedure of regulating the provisions of Indus Treaty

According to Article VIII of the Indus Waters Treaty, the Commission must meet once a year,

alternately in India and Pakistan. The last meeting was held in July 2016.

Can the treaty be revised or modified?

There is a provision for mediation and arbitration by a neutral umpire in case of any disagreement.

The IWT has, so far, been implemented by both the countries faithfully. It has not gone for any

modification till date, even though Article-XII of the IWT allows for any kind of modification when

41 | P a g e

both parties agree. The current tensions between the two sides might, however, lead to a flashpoint.

Setting up of Inter-Ministerial Committee to study options with India

The Union government has decided to set up an inter-ministerial committee to study )ndia s further options on the Indus Waters Treaty. . Among the committee s tasks would be to look at storage possibilities that would help irrigate fields in Jammu and Kashmir, where the State Assembly has often complained about the treaty being unfair . 2. The government also decided to build more run-of-the-river hydropower projects on western

rivers, to exploit the full potential of 18,600 MW (current projects come to 11,406 MW) and to

expedite construction of the Pakal Dul, Sawalkot and Bursar dams in J&K.

3. A decision was taken to review restarting the Tulbul navigation project that India had suspended after Pakistan s objections in . What is Tulbul Project?

Location: On Jhelum River in Jammu and Kashmir

Terminology: India calls it the Tulbul Navigation Project. For Pakistan it is Wullar Barrage.

The Dispute: India proposed to build the barrage in 1984 on the River Jhelum, at the mouth of

Wullar Lake, India's largest fresh water lake, near Sopore town in Kashmir Valley.

Pakistan protested claiming it was a violation of 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. India claims the

barrage would make the river navigable in summer, but Pakistan believes it could be used by India

to control the flow of the river and can be used as a geo-strategic weapon.

The barrage also has the potential to disrupt the triple canal project of Pakistan-Upper Jhelum

Canal, Upper Chenab Canal and the Lower Bari Doab Canal.

Events: Pakistan took the case to Indus Waters Commission in 1986, a year later it admitted its

failure to resolve the issue. Before Pakistan moved International Arbitration Court, India stopped

construction.

Eight rounds of talks have been held till now. The ninth round is being held from July 29, 2004.

About Indus Water Treaty

The IWT between India and Pakistan was sealed in 1960. The IWT, brokered by the World Bank,

was signed between the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Pakistani counterpart

General Ayub Khan.

42 | P a g e

Provisions Of Treaty 1. Indus system comprises of 3 western rivers namely Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and 3 eastern rivers Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. The treaty under Article 5.1 envisages sharing of river waters. 2. According to this treaty Ravi, Beas and Sutlej which constitute the eastern rivers are allocated for exclusive use for India before they enter Pakistan. However a transition period of 10 years was permitted in which India was bound to supply water to Pakistan from even these 3 rivers until Pakistan was able to build the canal system for utilization of waters of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. 3. Similarly, Pakistan has been given exclusive use of west-rivers namely Jhelum, Chenab and Indus but India has been allowed to undertake development projects with certain stipulations such as India cannot obstruct flow of rivers. Pakistan also received one-time financial compensation for loss of eastern rivers. 4. India and Pakistan also decided to exchange data and co-operate in matters related to the treaty. For this purpose permanent Indus commission was created with a commissioner appointed from each country. Question: What are the provisions of Indus Water treaty? Why the provisions have been called

into question recently? Do you think it is appropriate on behalf of India to suspend the treaty?

41. Chinese troops violate border in Arunachal

Incursion in Arunachal Pradesh by Chinese Troops

After the Ladakh sector, Chinese troops came 45 km inside Indian territory in a remote area of

Arunachal Pradesh in Twang region earlier this month and built shelters to claim that the territory

belonged to them, according to reports from the area.

History of incursions

The post has witnessed frequent incursion bids by the Chinese troops every year at least two to

three times but it was for the first time that they entered the area. Dispute over Arunachal Pradesh The majority of the territory is claimed by the People's Republic of China as part of South Tibet. The northern border of Arunachal Pradesh reflects the McMahon Line, a controversial 1914 treaty between the United Kingdom and the Tibetan government which was never accepted by the Chinese government and not broadly enforced by the Indian government until 1950. This territory is administered by India.

43 | P a g e

42. Analysis of Rafale deal

The signing of the Inter-Governmental Agreement between India and France for 36 Rafale multirole

fighter jets brings to an end 17 months of hard bargaining, following Prime Minister Narendra

Modi s decision to dump the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender and the

announcement during his visit to Paris last year of direct purchases.

Relevance of the deal for India

The first such major acquisition in almost two decades, it comes as a breather for the Indian Air

Force, which has been facing depleting fighter strength.

The weapons package, which includes the Meteor radar-guided Beyond Visual Range air-to-air

missile, considered best-in-class with a range of over 150 km, and the Scalp long-range air-to-ground missiles with a range of km, will help maintain the )AF s air superiority as they have no equivalents in the region.

Given the technological sophistication and the long range, the Rafales are expected to play a lead

role as nuclear delivery platforms in )ndia s second-strike capability, replacing the Mirage 2000

fighters.

High Price of the deal The acquisition will cost the exchequer € . billion, or about Rs. , crore, which is a high price compared to $10.5 billion approved for 126 fighter jets under the original MMRCA deal in 2007. The basic aircraft costs about € million, which is high in comparison to other contemporary four-

plus generation aircraft.

The Centre has claimed savings of several million in the hard bargain, but the Defence Ministry

would do well to share more information in Parliament. It is unclear why the government decided

to buy just 36 fighters, which creates logistical and operational complications and pushes up the

overall cost for reasons of economies of scale.

Procurement from diverse sources may be a challenge )n fact, )ndia s is now one of the most diverse air forces, with Western and Russian- origin aircraft

with Indian and other systems incorporated in them. The IAF has been attempting to narrow the

diversity to optimise utilisation and bring down the cost of operations. The current trajectory of

procurement indicates that those plans may be on hold. The government is scouting for another fighter to be inducted in large numbers and produced in India under the Make in )ndia initiative. )n the years to come, the indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft from Russia will join the force, adding to the

44 | P a g e

diversity. While the Rafale deal is a welcome step, it is high time India made procurements based on a long-term integrated plan. Details of the deal India and France concluded an Inter-Governmental Agreement for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of € . billion, the first fighter aircraft deal since the purchase of Sukhois from Russia in the late s. Aircraft delivery Dassault will begin aircraft deliveries after 36 months and complete in 67 months. France will also provide logistics and ground support and ensure that there is 75 percent i.e. 27 aircraft are operationally available at any time. Customisation The aircraft will be customised as per the requirements of the IAF which include Helmet Mounted Displays, radar warning receiver, infrared search and track among others. No Optional Clause Unlike the practice in defence deals, this deal does not have an optional clause. Under optional clause another 50 percent of the contract additional units can be procured at the same price after conclusion of the main contract. 50% Offset clause There is a 50 per cent offset clause under which French industry will invest half the contract value back in the country which is expected to develop some expertise domestically in the aerospace sector. Officials said 74 percent of the 50 percent offset value should be exported from India. This is expected to result in Euro 3 billion over the next 7 years. All you need to know about Rafale Deal What is Rafale aircraft? Rafales are twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by Dassault Aviation, a French firm. Rafale fighter jets are positioned as omnirole aircrafts that capable to perform a wide-range of combat roles such as air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence. When did the actual procurement process begin? Indian Air Force sought additional fighter jets in 2001. The current IAF fleet largely consists of heavy and light-weight combat aircraft. So the Defence Ministry considered bringing in intermediate medium-weight fighter jets. Though the idea has been around since 2001, the actual process began in 2007. The Defence Acquisition Council, approved the Request For Proposal to buy 126 aircraft in August 2007. This kick-started the bidding process. Delay in the execution of deal Talks then dragged on due to the difference in pricing, offsets, customisations sought by the IAF and sovereign guarantees the Defence Ministry was pushing for.

45 | P a g e

Revised Policy Though the initial plan was to buy 126 jets, India scaled it down to 36, that too in ready condition. How important is this deal to both India and France? France: Rafale jets are currently being used mostly by France and also by Egypt and Qatar. Dassault is hoping that export of Rafale jets will help the company meet its revenue targets. India was the first country that agreed to buy Rafale, after it was used in Libyan airstrikes. If India inducts these jets in its military fold, other nations could express its willingness to buy Rafales.

India: )ndia chose Dassault over its traditional partner Russia s MiG. )t also ignored U.S. Lockheed, at a time when India and U.S. were aiming for closer ties. Procurement of combat aircraft is long overdue for the Indian Air Force. Further delay can only make things worse. This deal is )ndia s biggest-ever procurement.

43. Pakistan s MFN tag may stay for now

No Proposal to withdraw MSF tag despite curbing the trade ties with Pakistan The Centre is not considering proposal to withdraw the Most Favoured Nation MFN status accorded to Pakistan as even with MFN status the level of bilateral trade is very low.

Background The MFN status was accorded in as per )ndia s commitments as a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Pakistan, a founding member of the WTO like India, is yet to grant the MFN tag

to India.

Demand for withdrawal of MFN Status

In the wake of the deadly attack on Indian soldiers in Uri, an incident for which India is holding

Pakistan responsible, there have been calls in India for tough action against its neighbour, including

the revocation of the MFN status.

What is MFN status? According to the MFN principle of the WTO s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade GATT — to

which India is a signatory— each of the WTO member, should treat all the other members equally as most-favoured trading partners. Though the term MFN suggests special treatment, it actually means non-discrimination.

The MFN concept is an integral part of the WTO agreements and is among the principles forming

the foundation of the multilateral trading system.

However, exceptions allowed to this rule include free trade pacts and special benefits to poor

nations.

46 | P a g e

Account of trade between India and Pakistan

Bilateral trade between the two South Asian neighbours was just $2.6 billion in 2015-16 (of which $ . billion constituted )ndia s exports to Pakistan — which represented a minuscule 0.4 per cent of )ndia s overall goods trade worth $ . billion in the same year.

Possible consequences on withdrawal of MFN Status . Even if )ndia revokes the MFN status it would only have a symbolic impact. . On the other hand it would hit )ndia s exports to Pakistan if there are revengeful actions and it could also result in India losing goodwill in the South Asian region (where it enjoys a trade surplus

and is a party to a free trade pact called SAFTA, which also includes Pakistan). The move may also

not go down well at the WTO-level.

Possible Action to be undertaken by India in the wake of Uri Attack

After the attack in Uri, in which 18 Indian soldiers were killed, India could consider making use of a security exception clause in the GATT to deny the MFN status to Pakistan or bring in certain trade restrictions. This is because Article 21(b)(iii) of GATT states that Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent any contracting party (including India in this case) from taking any action which it considers necessary for the protection of its essential security interests taken in time of war or other emergency in international relations. GATT and WTO practice shows that the countries have by and large observed self-restraint in using the national security exception.

44. India weighs Baloch leader s asylum request

Potential Nod by India to assign Political asylum to Bugti The (ome Ministry stated that it had received Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti s request for an Indian ID card and travel papers and was examining it. The request was forwarded by the Ministry

of External Affairs.

The official said that though a time frame could not be given for the request to be processed, it

would be done at the earliest.

Similar reference to this case

The situation is so complex that the officials in the Home Ministry are digging through 1959 records

to check the process. The last time India allowed an asylum request was in 1959 to Tibetan spiritual

leader the Dalai Lama by the Jawaharlal Nehru government.

47 | P a g e

Current Position

Mr. Bugti is now in Switzerland and runs his political activities from there without official

authorisation from the Swiss government. He filed the request with the Permanent Mission of India

in Geneva.

Even the term refugee is not mentioned in any domestic law. )ndia has not signed the United Nations Refugee Convention on the Status of Refugees, or its 1967 Protocol that stipulates the

rights host states must provide refugees.

Who is Brahamdagh Bugti?

Brahamdagh Khan Bugti, is the founder and leader of the Baloch Republican Party, a Baloch

nationalist group. He is the grandson of Nawab Akbar Bugti, the patriarch and head of the Bugtis,

the largest tribe of Balochistan.

Akbar Bugti was killed in a police action by Pakistani in 2006 during the tenure of President Pervez

Musharraf. The Pakistani government accuses Brahamdagh Bugti of leading the Baloch Republican

Army, a separatist group designated as a terrorist organisation in Pakistan.

Background

Brahamdagh Bugti escaped police action and travelled to Switzerland via Afghanistan on an Afghan

passport. Swiss authorities had pressured him not to indulge in political activities.

Outcome of assigning Asylum to Bugti

If granted asylum, Mr. Bugti could be given a long-term visa to be renewed every year. The other

scenario is that he will get a registration certificate with which he can travel anywhere. An Indian official document, would enable him to travel to New York and other major western cities to campaign for the liberation of Balochistan.

48 | P a g e

45. India claims diplomatic win over Pakistan at U.N.

)ndia said Pakistan s campaign to highlight Kashmir at the United Nations had failed.

)ndia s stand on solidarity among terror victims came after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described slain (izbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani as a young leader in his UNGA speech. )ndia had rebutted it by saying that the Pakistani leader had used the highest podium of the U.N. to glorify terrorism.

)ndia s comments at the U.N. General Assembly were also backed by Afghan Vice-President Sarwar Danesh who took on Pakistan and said: The world knows where the Taliban lives.

The India-Afghan common approach to regional terrorism was also boosted by the India-U.S.-

Afghanistan trilateral that was held on the sidelines of the UNGA on September 21 in New York. The trilateral covered peace and reconciliation and the security situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan hosts Ivy League of terrorism, U.N. told Consequences of Pakistan s policy of sponsoring terrorism have spread beyond the region, )ndia told the U.N. General Assembly, responding to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif s broadside against New Delhi on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

India mounted a counter-attack hours after Mr. Sharif s speech at the General Assembly, connecting Pakistan s record of nuclear proliferation to its support of terrorism and the dangers it posed to

global security.

The land of Taxila, one of the greatest learning centres of ancient times, is now host to the )vy League of terrorism. )t attracts aspirants and apprentices from all over the world.

Pak. gets little support

Pakistan has sought to hard-sell its old position on Kashmir by using the current chaos and violence

49 | P a g e

in the Valley, but it has got little international support.

Pakistan has raised the issue of Kashmir at every UNGA meeting for almost seven decades.

However, the last time the U.N. discussed the Kashmir issue was in 1957. Despite its raising the

issue constantly, none of the other 192 countries in the U.N. has raised the Kashmir issue.

All countries that responded to the recent attacks in Uri — from the U.S., the U.K., even Saudi Arabia

and UAE [old allies of Pakistan] — spoke about the need to end terrorism — which is )ndia s position — and did not talk about human rights and self determination, which is Pakistan s stand. 46. NAM backs Venezuela President, slams U.S. policies

NAM Summit held in Venezuela

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) wrapped up a summit in Venezuela with an expression of support for its embattled host, President Nicolas Maduro, and condemning U.S. interventionism around the world.

The 120-member group issued a statement at the end of the two-day meeting calling for peace, urging world powers not to meddle in other countries affairs and voicing concern over violence in Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian Territories.

Struggle against terrorism

The 190-page document also urges support for the struggle against terrorism, for solidarity with refugees in northern Africa, and the Venezuelan people s right to peace.

About NAM

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a group of states which are not formally aligned with or

against any major power bloc. As of 2012, the movement has 120 members.

Founded 55 years ago to give a greater voice to countries squeezed in the power struggle between

the United States and Soviet Union, the Non-Aligned Movement has struggled to stay relevant since

the end of the Cold War.

In the rotational presidency, Venezuela accuses US

It was a key diplomatic encounter for Mr. Maduro, who has been left increasingly isolated as Venezuela s oil-dependent economy has slided into crisis amid a collapse in global crude prices,

fuelling calls for his ouster.

Mr. Maduro, who accuses the United States of backing opposition attempts to remove him in a

50 | P a g e

coup , emphasised that the summit had backed his government s condemnation of U.S. sanctions that declare Venezuela a threat to U.S. national security.

Venezuela took over the rotating presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement from Iran at the

meeting. It will hold it for the next three years. Mr. Maduro looks keen to recast the group as a bulwark against interventionism and neo-colonialism.

Syria s condemnations

Syria had harsh condemnation for the United States after a U.S.-led coalition strike killed dozens of Syrian soldiers. Syria s UN ambassador, accused Washington of seeking the failure of the U.S.-Russian ceasefire deal, and also lashed out at U.S. sanctions on Syria as economic terrorism.

47. Prachanda to meets Modi

Nepal PM to meet Modi and other officials Nepal s Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal Prachanda will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a visit expected to see a big push for Indian infrastructure projects in Nepal including the 5,600-

MW Pancheshwar multi-purpose dam project, and others such as the Upper Karnali and Arun III.

51 | P a g e

Kick-starting a 600-km stretch of the Postal Highway, or Hulaki Rajmarg, is a priority and the post-

earthquake reconstruction.

India has announced $1 billion in aid for the reconstruction, strained ties and the lack of work on

the ground have held up its disbursement.

Nepal PM's limited tenure

Prachanda has a limited tenure in office, as he is due to hand over charge to Nepali Congress leader

Sher Bahadur Deuba next April as part of a power-sharing arrangement, paving the way for

elections under the new Constitution in 2018.

Chances of a constitutional amendment to accommodate Madhesi Demands

The changes to that Constitution, which would incorporate Madhesi demands for inclusion,

reconfiguring state boundaries, proportional representation for elected representatives as well as

changing citizenship laws, are all extremely complex and will take time.

They will also take a two-thirds mandate, or 397 votes, in the Assembly that Prachanda does not

have at present.

Despite promises to register the amendments that India has strongly advocated before arriving

here, Prachanda has not yet moved on them.

Another challenges before Prachanda s Govt

1. Challenge for Prachanda s govt remains reconstruction work after the April earthquake in Nepal, even when the GDP grew at a miniscule 1 per cent last year. Prachanda s government has made some headway in distributing the first tranche of Rs. , per home destroyed, but that is a small start given that much more is required to reconstruct close to

8,00,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

2. Prachanda s biggest challenge, however, is the tightrope walk between good ties with )ndia and not being seen as too close, given the anti-India rhetoric of Maoists against India.

48. Border blockade a dark episode: Nepal

Highlights of Nepalese Foreign Minister Meet . Kathmandu s Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat demanded introspection on the months-long blockade that hurt Nepal s economy.

52 | P a g e

It is alleged by Nepal that blockade is undertaken by Madhesis in Nepal with the help of Madheshis

in India. Madhesis are undertaking blockade to seek demarcation of provinces on the basis of their

population.

2. During the visit, he firmed up the agenda of the upcoming India visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, and met with his counterpart Sushma Swaraj.

3. Mr. Mahat said that Nepal wanted to prioritise infrastructure projects and better trade ties with )ndia. Nepal needs market access from )ndia. Without more access to the )ndian market sympathetic investors are unable come in to Nepal. Lack of investment to Kathmandu is hurting.

Change of Nepal s Stand after Change of government in Nepal

The present round of visits from Nepal began when Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi

visited India in August, after the new coalition government in Kathmandu took charge replacing the

government of K.P. Sharma Oli.

Mr. Mahat s visit also coincided with the return of Deep Kumar Upadhyay to Delhi, the Nepali ambassador whom Mr. Oli had recalled.

Mr. Oli s government had blamed India repeatedly for supporting the pro-blockade Madhesi parties

of Nepal. Madhesi parties, partners in the present government, had demanded a strict timeline from

Mr. Prachanda for fulfilling the promise of constitutional amendments and territorial demarcation

of Nepal.

Nepal claiming that it want ties with both India and China

Mr. Mahat said that Kathmandu would engage with bigger neighbours like India and China without

neglecting Nepali national interest.

We are looking forward to a visit from )ndian President Pranab Mukherjee and are hopeful that Chinese President Xi Jinping too will visit Kathmandu in near future, Mr. Mahat said indicating that Nepal will remain equally engaged with both the northern neighbour China, and southern neighbour India. Question: The change of Guard in Nepal has improved the chances of Madhesis in getting a fair representation at provincinal governments. Analyse. Also, evaluate the impact of the change on the bilateral relations with India?

53 | P a g e

49. The ceasefire in Syria

Ceasefire agreement between US and Russia

The agreement reached between Russia and the United States in Geneva on a ceasefire in Syria is

perhaps the best opportunity for a solution to the five-and-a-half-year old civil war.

Terms of the agreement

Under it, Russia will prevent the regime of President Bashar al-Assad from bombing rebel-held

areas, while the U.S. will join hands with Russia in the fight against jihadist groups, including the

Islamic State.

The broad framework of the deal is the Putin Plan, made public a year ago while announcing Russia s intervention in Syria. Vladimir Putin wanted Syrian statehood to be restored and the major powers to come together in the fight against the jihadists.

Evaluation of agreement

When Russia made the proposal at the UN General Assembly, not many had expected that Moscow and Washington would come together on Syria. The U.S. s initial response to the Russian intervention was skeptical, with reservations about Russia attacking non-IS rebel groups. There

were fears about the conflict escalating into a full-blown war. Instead, the Putin Plan seems to have

worked, albeit with a heavy human cost.

Strengthening of the Syrian Regime

The intervention has bolstered the Syrian regime, changing the balance of the conflict. Mr. Assad s regime was on the verge of collapse a year ago; it is now stable at least in its strongholds. The rebels influence has shrunk, though they appear to be unbeatable in many of the small towns they control. This stalemate and the fear of more bloodshed may have prompted both the U.S. and Russia

to play down their differences.

Possibility of peace in Syria

This time, the prospects for peace are brighter given the investment the two military powers have

made. Both the rebels and the regime have welcomed the deal. There are positive changes at the

regional level as well.

Turkey, a staunch supporter of the rebels, had recently said Mr. Assad could play a transitional role

in Syria.

Two big challenges remain

First, can Russia halt Mr. Assad s fighter jets? Though Moscow wields strong influence over Syria, it has in the past expressed uneasiness over the stubbornness of the regime. The regime is now

54 | P a g e

making gains in the battlefield. Even if Mr. Assad agrees to suspend the bombing, it is not clear if he

will be prepared to make any meaningful compromises in the peace talks.

Second, the rebels fighting the regime are not a unified force. Russia wants Fateh al-Sham, a former

affiliate of al-Qaeda, to be singled out and attacked. The U.S. has agreed to this suggestion in

principle, but its practicality is uncertain.

However, the odds should not overshadow the significance of the agreement. If the ceasefire is

clearly established, that itself would be quite an achievement given the horrors of the war.

50. The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrants: Unicef report

Higher ratio of refugee among Children

Over 50 per cent of the 50 million children who have migrated or been forcibly displaced across

borders are said to have fled violence. About one in three children who live outside their country of

birth is a refugee.

The much smaller ratio of displacement for adults — less than one in 20 according to the UN High

Commissioner for Refugees — reveals the starkness of the situation.

The UNHCR says that in the decade ending 2015, the number of child refugees almost doubled. Last year, Syria and Afghanistan alone accounted for nearly half the world s child refugees, highlighting the brutal impact of the war on a segment of society that had little to do with the conflict directly or

otherwise and is the most vulnerable.

51. United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights criticizes action by Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir

Zeid Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for human rights stated

At the Human Rights Council in Geneva s annual session, preceding UN General Assembly, Mr. Zeid Al (ussein, called for an independent, impartial and international mission claiming that the )ndian authorities had used force excessively against the civilian population under its administration.

Human rights violations will not disappear if a government blocks access to international observers

and then invests in a public relations campaign to offset any unwanted publicity.

55 | P a g e

On the contrary, efforts to duck or refuse legitimate scrutiny raise an obvious question: what, precisely, are you hiding from us?

(e also said that while Pakistan had responded to the (RC s request to send the team, agreeing to its visit to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in tandem with a mission to Jammu and Kashmir, India had

yet to respond formally.

India s Response Responding to the reference to )ndia s commitment as a member of the (uman Rights Council, the Ministry of External Affairs responded that Terrorism is the grossest violation of human rights , and that there was no comparison between PoK and Jammu and Kashmir.

The )ndian state of Jammu and Kashmir is part of a pluralistic and secular democracy, where freedoms are guaranteed by an independent judiciary, an active media and a vibrant civil society. In

contrast, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is administered by a deep state and has become a hub for the global export of terror.

Significance of being slammed by UNHRC Mr. (ussein s reference is significant as it sought to put )ndia in the same bracket as Syria, Ethiopia and Venezuela, calling them part of an emerging pattern of UN member states who deny the UN body access.

Background for Turbulence in the Kashmir valley

Killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani sparked a series of protests and violence in

the valley, that has left more than 76 dead and hundreds injured.

Pakistan PM Sharif s envoy Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari had met with the Mr. Zeid Ra ad Al (ussein calling for an enquiry into Burhan Wani s killing and the allegations of human rights

violations under the UN charter, as well as an end to the use of pellet guns in Kashmir.

(owever, )ndia said the demand for an external mission had been dismissed by the all-party

conference that sent a delegation to Jammu and Kashmir.

The high number of casualties sustained by )ndian security forces is a reflection of the tremendous restraint they have displayed in difficult circumstances, the MEA spokesperson said in the statement rejecting both Pakistan s contentions and the UN (uman Rights Chief s demands to investigate in India.

56 | P a g e

52. India –US Co-operation, after LEMOA, it s war games now

Indian and U.S. troops began to assemble for counter-terrorism exercises in the hills of

Uttarakhand, they would soon discuss ways to enhance the scope and scale of exercises in tune with

the deepening military cooperation.

Other Important Exercises

The bilateral exercise, also comes against the backdrop of Pakistani media reports that Pakistan

and Russia will hold their first ever joint military exercise later this year. Possible sale of Russian

military hardware to Islamabad is on the cards.

Separately, China and Russia began naval war games in the contested waters of the South China Sea, where )ndia had joined the chorus for enforcing freedom of navigation and open sea lanes of communication.

Yudh Abhyas The th edition of the annual bilateral exercise Yudh Abhyas , one of the longest running joint military training exercises, will take place at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand, close to the border with

China, from September 14 to 27. The exercise is hosted alternately by both countries.

Yudh Abhyas will be an excellent opportunity for U.S. and Indian forces to share tactics, techniques,

procedures and operational experiences. It is also an opportunity to broaden India-U.S. military

cooperation and enhance interoperability.

The combined exercise Yudh Abhyas 2016 will simulate a scenario where both nations are working

together in a Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism (CICT) environment in mountainous

terrain under a United Nations (UN) charter.

Effect of LEMOA

While this is not the first time it is happening at this location, this is the first military exercise after

the two countries had formally signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding

(LEMOA).

This means that accounting and book-keeping for this exercise will be done under the arrangement

which does away with the need for settling bills and payments every time. They will be recorded

and cleared every three months.

57 | P a g e

53. OIC to hold Kashmir meet in New York, invites Mirwaiz

Invitation extended to J&K Separatist by OIC

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) invited separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for a meet

on Jammu and Kashmir in New York on the sidelines of the 71st session of the United Nations

General Assembly later this month.

)t issued a statement earlier in July conveying its concerns to the international community regarding the flagrant human rights violations and abuse of the basic rights of the Kashmiris.

View of Indian Government

The invite to Kashmiri separatists comes at a time when a major civilian uprising has kept the

Kashmir Valley simmering for the past 63 days. Most separatists, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,

remains in a Srinagar sub-jail.

Sources in the State Government said no senior separatist leader will be allowed to go outside the

country as their travel documents remain suspended.

What is OIC?

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is an international organization grouping fifty

seven states which have decided to pool their resources together, combine their efforts, and speak

with one voice to safeguard the interests and secure the progress and well-being of their peoples

and of all Muslims in the world.

What is Hurriyat Faction?

All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is an alliance of 26 political, social and religious

organizations formed on March 9, 1993 as a political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri

independence. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is a leader of an association which is part of Hurriyat

Conference.

Question: The activities of OIC are contrary to interests of India. What are the reasons that

stand of OIC is against the interests of India? Do activities of OIC create a bridge between India

and Israel?

54. India makes list, plans outreach to 68 countries

Initiative by External Affairs Ministry Taking the Modi government s commitment to reach out to all countries worldwide, the Ministry of

58 | P a g e

External Affairs has issued letters to various Ministers assigning them dozens of specific countries

to engage with.

Statement issued by Sushma Swaraj By -end, we will not leave any country where )ndian Ministers have not gone. She said that the Ministry had identified 68 countries which had not witnessed Ministerial-level visits from India. Policy of GOI with regard to Foreign Relations This is part of the Government s aim of ensuring sampark and samvad , contact and dialogue with all countries of the world. The idea is to reach those countries where not even a Ministerial visit has taken place for the last two years. Last year, the government had engaged with 101 countries, and by June, this year, this number had increased to as much as 140.

55. One nation exporting terror: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi s address in East Asia Summit and India-ASEAN Summit Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi stated that there was one country in our neighbourhood which 'produces and exports' terror, and urged the international community to isolate and sanction 'this' instigator.

56. India-Japan ties get a leg-up as Modi meets Abe

Mr. Modi held talks with Mr. Abe after arriving in the capital of Laos (Vientiane) to attend the

ASEAN-India and the East Asia summits.

Highlights of meeting

1. The leaders discussed strengthening and diversification of trade and investment relations.

2. India and Japan pledged to strengthen ties in the key areas of counter-terrorism, civil nuclear

cooperation, trade and investment.

3. The two leaders discussed the upcoming Japanese industrial parks in India and the cooperation

in the area of ship breaking.

4. They also reviewed the progress in the India-Japan Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

negotiations and the high-speed rail project.

5. Hailing Japanese aid, PM Modi appreciated the consistent support rendered by Japan in )ndia s infrastructure development, technology up-gradation and skill-building.

59 | P a g e

6. Premier Abe recalled that 2017 will mark the 60th anniversary of the Japan-India cultural

agreement. He hoped to see more Indian tourists visiting Japan. The leaders also discussed regional issues and international developments. This is Mr. Modi s second meeting with Mr. Abe in less than six months. They had met on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in April.

57. Return of the Cauvery crisis

Cauvery issue in monsoon-deficient year

Tamil Nadu rushing to the Supreme Court citing the crisis faced by its farmers, the court ordered

Karnataka to release of 13 thousand million cubic feet of water to Tamil Nadu over 10 days, in

response to which protests are erupting.

Reason for this endless Cauvery water dispute

1.The two States continue to avoid any mutual engagement to share the shortfall during distress

years.

2.There is no permanent, independent mechanism to ensure this.

Absence of body to implement the award

The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal gave its award in 2007, that the parties must share the

deficiency on a pro rata basis. However, a major problem in implementing this aspect is the absence of a Cauvery Management Board and a Regulatory Authority, to oversee implementation of the award.

Instead, after notifying the final award in 2013, the Union government set up a Supervisory

Committee comprising officials from the Union government and the Central Water Commission and

representatives of both States.

Ensuing water Problems

Once decision of the SC is implemented, it will ensure about 13 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet of

water to Tamil Nadu over 10 days. This will not be adequate to save the entire samba crop, Tamil

Nadu leaders argue, while their Karnataka counterparts contend that this itself is a huge burden, given the State s own storage deficit. Rational Viewpoint on Cauvery Water Dispute

It is understandable that the political leadership of any State would not want to be seen as betraying the interests of its farmers. Yet, the desire to protect one s own interests should not shut

60 | P a g e

out empathy for one s neighbour. )deally, any distress-sharing formula should come from a

technical body.

Way Forward

1. It would have helped if the Centre, which before notifying the final award under a judicial

direction, had set up the Cauvery Management Board and Regulatory Authority. In the longer term,

experts will have to devise a sustainable agricultural solution for the Cauvery basin, as the river

does not seem to have the potential to meet the farming requirements of both sides.

2. In a world of depleting water resources, fewer crop seasons and lower acreages, a resort to less

water-intensive crops and better water management hold the key.

3. Non-political initiatives, such as the Cauvery Family , a body formed a few years ago covering farmers of both States, could help disperse the clouds of hostility that gather over the border

whenever the Cauvery crisis erupts. Politics and passion should not be allowed to hold sway.

Question: The return of Cauvery crisis has again the raised a question on mechanism of adhoc

tribunals constituted to resolve inter-state water disputes in India. What are the reasons for

recurrent failure of this mechanism to resolve inter-state water disputes? Do you suggest a

permanent commission in place of the adhoc body to resolve inter-state water disputes?

58. Evaluation of G20: The G20 Summit at Hangzhou, China

G20 Summit

Mission of global cooperation to avoid a looming economic crisis brought together a bold group of nations, representing per cent of the world s GDP and two-thirds of its population, under the

banner of the G20.

National Concerns given prominence

National Concerns were given prominence in the meet over the international issues.

1. The question of excess steel capacity in China resulting in a flood of cheap imports into India, the

U.K. and other economies.

Despite reports of resistance from China to any mention of steel policy coordination in the 7,000-word communiqué, the document had a call for increased information sharing and cooperation through the formation of a Global Forum on steel excess capacity .

61 | P a g e

2. Climate change was the other major agenda point.

Important International Issues discussed

Strengthening enforcement against international tax avoidance and advancing cooperation on Base

Erosion and Profit Shifting, certainly got a shot in the arm from this G20 gathering.

59. India s interest discussed by PM at G-20 Summit at Hangzhou, China

1. In a clear reference to Pakistan but without naming it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday told G leaders that one single nation in South Asia was spreading terror in the region, and said

that the international community should isolate those who sponsor and support terrorism instead

of rewarding them.

2. Modi also raised the issue of the China-Pakistan economic corridor with Chinese President Xi

Jinping, expressing concern that it passed through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which is a major

source of terrorism for India.

Panagariya s response on various issues in G20 summit

1. Paris Agreement on Climate change )ndia s chief negotiator stated that India was not ready in terms of domestic actions to ratify the

agreement before 2016-end, but that it plans to do so at the earliest.

2. Fossil fuels )ndia did not agree on a date certain for ending the subsidies. There was a discussion on energy, including ending fossil fuel subsidies, and this has been a commitment from the past by the G20. But

there was no agreement on that.

3. Base Erosion Profit Sharing

India further made a strong pitch for the adoption of measures to tackle BEPS (Base Erosion Profit

Shifting) to countries that are not part of G20.

4. Denouncing protectionism in trade

Denouncing protectionism significantly, brought the issue of excess steel capacity in China under

the international radar.

Asked if the issue of China s steel capacity impacted India, given that steel companies in the country

were in a bad shape and contributing to the non-performing assets of banks.

62 | P a g e

5.Other topics of discussion

1.Sustainable growth with innovation

2.Development,

3.Brexit

4.Terrorism,

5.Influx of refugees

6.AMR (Anti Microbial Resistance)

60. Modi- Xi Meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G-20

summit.

Mr. Modi raised several concerns

1. Terrorism emerging from the area covered by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

2. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a $46 billion connectivity project between China and

Pakistan. It passes through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir region in Pakistan.

President Xi s response China is willing to work with India to maintain their hard-won sound relations and further advance cooperation , a tacit acceptance that the relationship needs improvement. Background China s reservations in sanctioning Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and )ndia s problems with the CPEC, will now be discussed openly and frankly at the newly formed dialogue mechanism between the Foreign Secretary and the Vice-Foreign Minister from China. The forum was established during last month s visit of Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to India.

On India s Membership of NSG No Speific assurance was given by China to support )ndia s membership of NSG.

63 | P a g e

Next Meeting: BRICS Summit in Goa

Mr. Modi will host President Xi at the BRICS summit in Goa on October 15-16, where the leaders are

expected to take forward their talks.

61. India grants $500 mn to Vietnam for defence ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held wide-ranging talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen

Xuan.

Comprehensive Strategic partnership

Upgradation of Strategic Partnership between India and Vietnam to a Comprehensive Strategic

Partnership, Vietnam earlier had Comprehensive Strategic Partnership only with Russia and China.

Comprehensive Strategic partnership signifies wider areas of cooperation between the two

countries.

Agreements signed

1. India extended a $500-million line of credit to Vietnam to deepen their defence cooperation.

Under this agreement, India would provide offshore patrol vessels to Vietnam. These vessels can be

used by Vietnam for patrolling South China Sea Region.

2. The other agreements were signed in a wide range of areas covering Defence, IT, Space, cyber

security and sharing shipping information.

3. The bilateral trade between our two countries is around $ 8 billion; it has grown 400 per cent in

the last six to seven years. The two leaderships have set a target of $ 15 billion by the year 2020.

What is South China Sea conflict?

It is a dispute over territory and sovereignty over ocean areas, and the Paracels and the Spratlys -

two island chains claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia

and Brunei.

Why are they worth arguing over?

Although largely uninhabited, the Paracels and the Spratlys may have reserves of natural resources

around them. There has been little detailed exploration of the area, so estimates are largely

extrapolated from the mineral wealth of neighbouring areas.

The sea is also a major shipping route and home to fishing grounds that supply the livelihoods of

people across the region.

64 | P a g e

Vietnam s Viewpoint

Vietnam hotly disputes China's historical account saying China had never claimed sovereignty over

the islands before the 1940s. Vietnam says it has actively ruled over both the Paracels and the

Spratlys since the 17th Century - and has the documents to prove it.

62. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visit to India

. Calling for joint efforts to counter sizable challenge of extremism and terrorism, Egypt and )ndia will build a robust defence and security cooperation.

2. Mr. el-Sisi who is visiting Delhi with a large business and government delegation said that India

and Egypt will upgrade economic and trade ties.

Mr. el-Sisi s latest visit to Delhi was part of his second personal engagement with )ndia. (is first visit to India was to participate in the India-Africa Forum Summit of October 2015 when the

government had invited him for a bilateral visit. Mr. el-Sisi s two visits, have been interpreted by experts as a sign of Egypt s interest to re-invent its friendly ties with India which stretch back to the

days of non-alignment and bonhomie between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President

Gamal Abdel Nasser.

63. The rise and fall of Dilma Rousseff Impeachment/Exit of Brazil President

The fall of Dilma Rousseff from being one of the most popular politicians to an impeached leader is much more than a story of a corrupt President being stripped of her powers by a righteous legislature. The exit of Brazil s first woman President brings the -year rule of the left-leaning Workers Party PT to an end.

Reason for impeachment:

Rousseff has been accused of improperly using money from state banks to cover budget shortfalls.

By means of Petrobras scheme, construction firms diverted billions from the state oil company

(Petrobras to politicians in Rousseff s coalition and allegedly to her presidential campaigns as well.

Background

She completed her first term and was re-elected in 2014 with a clear majority. Through all this, she

purposefully continued the welfare programmes initiated by her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da

Silva, particularly in the education, health and housing sectors.

65 | P a g e

Downfall )t is a comparatively young democracy in which the Worker s Party rose to power defying

established structures. The power struggle within Brazil s political class has never been a settled affair. When Mr. da Silva was President, he was able to keep in check the class interests stacked

against him with his immense popularity. Ms. Rousseff not only lacked his charisma and mass

appeal, but also failed to right the economy when a steep fall in global commodity prices hit Brazil

hard.

Consequences

The Brazilian economy grew 7.6 per cent in 2010, the year she won her first term; it is estimated to

contract 3.2 per cent this year. It is amid this economic gloom and nationwide anger against corrupt

politicians in the wake of the Petrobras scandal that her opponents used the charges of fudging books to build a case for impeachment. But the impeachment doesn t solve the problems Brazil faces. The economy is still in the doldrums, and is unlikely to bounce back in the near future given

the global headwinds. President Temer is as unpopular as Ms. Rousseff had become, as was evident

from the loud boos he received from spectators at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics.

Anticipation Brazil s opposition may have gained power after a long wait through a parliamentary coup, but the political and economic turmoil is likely to remain for long.

66 | P a g e

ECONOMY

64. Positive signals from the GST Council

First GST Council Meet

The GST Council, led by the Union Finance Minister and with representatives from all States, had its

first meeting on September 22-23, flagging off the process of determining the nitty-gritty of the new

indirect tax system and resolving differences on crucial first-principle issues.

Outcomes of meet

1. Exemption limit of GST

The Goods & Services Tax (GST) Council has decided that businesses in the north-eastern and hill

states with annual turnover below Rs.10 lakh would be out of the GST net, while the threshold for

the exemption in the rest of India would be an annual turnover of Rs.20 lakh.

The Constitutional Amendment paving the way for the GST has a provision to accord special status

to the north-eastern and hill states.

Relief for small scale traders

A higher threshold of Rs.20 lakh (as against earlier proposed limit of Rs.10 lakh) is a good news for

many small scale traders and service providers as they would be saved from undertaking GST

compliances and it also reduces a substantial burden for tax authorities to assess small time

dealers.

2. Compensation formula

The compensation that the Centre would pay to the States for losses of revenue because of the

transition to the new regime would be routinely, quarterly or bi-monthly. The Council agreed to

settle for 2015-16 as the base year for calculating the compensation.

Tamil Nadu had called for ascertaining quantum of compensation based on the average growth rate

in the best three of the preceding six years. A formula would be set based on suggestions.

3. Service Tax payers to remain under the Centre s jurisdiction

The Council also decided that the existing 11 lakh service tax assessees will continue to be under

the jurisdiction of the Centre.

Since the GST will allow the States to also tax services, over time the revenue officials in the States

will be trained after which they will begin assessing assessees in the services sector.

4. Administrative control over Indirect taxes assesses

67 | P a g e

States would have sole jurisdiction over assesses (currently in the VAT net at present) having a

turnover of Rs.1.5 crore or less, while the administrative control of businesses with a turnover

exceeding that limit would be jointly with the central and state governments.

Experts reckon that a large number of assessees fall below this threshold. By conceding ground on

this contentious issue, the Finance Minister has sent a welcome message of give-and-take with

states.

Composition of GST Council

Each State is to nominate as a voting member a minister, who may or may not be holding the

finance or the taxation portfolios. The Centre will have two representatives on the Council: the

Union Finance Minister will chair it and Union Minister of State in-charge of Revenue, will be a

member.

About GST Council Secretariat

1. The office of GST Council Secretariat will be located at New Delhi.

2. The Secretariat will have the officials — Additional Secretary to the Council and four posts of

Commissioner at the level of Joint Secretary to the Centre —the Centre was open to State officials

being deputed for these posts.

3. The appointments approved include that of the Union Revenue Secretary as the ex-officio

secretary to the Council and the inclusion of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)

Chairperson as a permanent and non-voting invitee to all of its proceedings.

4. The Cabinet also decided to provide adequate funds for meeting the recurring and non-recurring

expenses of the Secretariat. The entire cost is being borne by the Centre.

Every decision has to be taken by the Council based on a majority view: the States have two-thirds voting power and the Centre has one-third. Question: What are the functions of GST Council? What should be the guiding principles of this

council for successful implementation of GST in India within a limited time frame?

65. WEF ranks India as 39th most competitive economy

India s improved ranking in competitiveness index

India has risen rapidly among all countries in the global competitive stakes by climbing 16 notches to the th position during the past year in the WEF s Global Competitiveness )ndex. )t is the second

68 | P a g e

year in a row India has gone up 16 ranks in the WEF index.

What does India s improved rank indicates?

It suggests that improvements in institutions and infrastructure have increased overall

competitiveness along with recent reforms such as opening the economy to foreign investors and

increasing transparency in the financial system.

What is Global Competitiveness Report?

The Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) is a yearly report published by the World Economic

Forum. Global Competitiveness Report ranks countries based on the Global Competitiveness Index.

The report "assesses the ability of countries to provide high levels of prosperity to their citizens.

This in turn depends on how productively a country uses available resources.

There are twelve pillars of competitiveness. These are:

1. institutions

2. appropriate infrastructure

3. a stable macroeconomic framework

4. good health and primary education

5. higher education and training

6. efficient goods markets

7. efficient labor markets

8. developed financial markets

9. the ability to harness the benefits of existing technologies

10. its market size, both domestic and international

11. by producing new and different goods using the most sophisticated production processes

12. innovation

66. Joblessness rises to 5-year high

Rising Unemployment

India's unemployment rate rises to a five-year high of five per cent in 2015-16, according to the

latest annual household survey on employment conducted by Labour Bureau.

Statistics The country s unemployment rate, as measured by the Bureau, stood at . per cent in 2013-14, 4.7

per cent in 2012-13 and 3.8 per cent in 2011-12.

While unemployment rate in rural areas rose to 5.1 per cent in 2015-16 from 4.7 per cent in 2013-

69 | P a g e

14, it declined to 4.9 per cent from 5.5 per cent in urban areas during the same period.

Females are affected adversely

Female job seekers were the worst hit as the pace of unemployment rose sharply to 8.7 per cent in

2015-16 compared to 7.7 per cent in 2013-14, data from the Fifth Annual Employment-

Unemployment Survey showed.

Reasons behind the increasing Unemployment:

1. Changing Pattern: The pattern of employment in the corporate sector is changing. Companies are

looking to hire productive workers so there is a reduction in absorption of labour.

The construction sector which is the most labour-intensive sector following agriculture is not

growing, leading to slow growth in job creation.

In the manufacturing sector, growth has come predominantly from improvement in efficiency and

not too much due to a rise in output, so the growth in employment is much slower.

2. The survey showed a decline in the proportion of self-employed and salaried workers and a rise

in contractual employment. The fact that both self-employment and government programme jobs

are dipping shows that unemployment rate is high.

3. Fewer households benefited from various employment schemes of the government in 2015-16,

the survey showed.

For instance, the benefits of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme

were availed by 21.9 per cent households compared to 24.1 per cent households in 2013-14.

4. Graduates and post-graduates have cited non-availability of jobs that matched their education or

skill and experience, as the main reason for unemployment.

Question: The unemployment has been the continuous concern of India since independence.

Post liberalisation the causes of unemployment are on account of multiple factors. Can you cite

these factors? What role can government play to reduce unemployment in India considering

these factors and government s pro-industrialist policy?

67. Foodgrains Production data

Kharif Crop Production )ndia s grain production in the ongoing kharif -17) season is likely to be a record high 135.03

million tonnes, with an improved output of rice and pulses, thanks to a good monsoon.

70 | P a g e

Indian achieved a record kharif production of 131.27 million tonnes during 2011-12. The

production for 2015-16 stood at 124.01 million tonnes.

Pulses Production )ndia s pulses production is likely to be million tonnes this year -17).Given the increase in

area and good monsoon rain, pulses production is likely to be 21 million tonnes, against 17 million

tonnes last year.

Production in 2015-2016

In the last two years, a drought-like situation prevailed in the country, yet grain production stood at

over 250 million tonnes during 2015-16. Even milk production hit a record high of 160 million

tonnes.

Fruit and vegetable production increased over the years, crossing the 280-million tonne mark in

2015-16.

What are Kharif crops?

Kharif crops or monsoon crops are domesticated plants cultivated and harvested during the rainy

(monsoon) season in the South Asia, which lasts between April and October depending on the area.

Main kharif crops are rice and pulses.

. Cabinet s formal nod to be sought for Budget on Feb.

Presentation of Budget on Feb 1

The Finance Ministry has settled on February 1 as the new date for the presentation of the Union

Budget, with the decision expected to be placed before the Cabinet for formal approval soon.

Reason for the advancement

The decision to advance the budget is being taken to allow for the annual budget exercise to be

completed every year before April 1, the start of the new financial year.

Implications of the advancement 1. This is expected to lead to streamlined spending of allocations by States and ministries and ensure rollout of the legislative changes in the tax regime from the beginning of the financial year.

2. Earlier, the budget used to be passed till end of May and funds used to be assigned to States by August- September. Thus, use of funds was rushed in later half of the year. This practice used to affect economic growth.

71 | P a g e

. )t will also preclude the need for seeking appropriation from Parliament through Vote on Account. Challenge to adopt new proposal There is, of course, the challenge that the government may lack enough data about the state of the economy by January, be it tax collections or GDP numbers. So the Chief Economic Adviser s team will have to grapple with tighter deadlines to put together the Economic Survey with less data at its disposal. Then again, the February 28 Budget also relies on revised estimates. And while Finance Ministry mandarins may find themselves pressed for time if Finance Minister Arun Jaitley manages to move to an earlier Budget in 2017, the Goods and Services Tax rollout deadline of April 2017 would mean much less work for them at least on the indirect taxes side of the Budget document.

69. Decision for elimination of Plan and Non Plan distinction in the Budget

Plan expenditure refers to the expenditure which is incurred as part of 5 year plan for development

purposes.

Non-plan expenditure refers to expenditure which is not part of 5 year plans and is incurred to

meet revenue expenses of consumptive nature. For instance: salaries, subsidies, interest payments,

etc.

Distinction between plan and non-plan has been removed by Government because

1) Plan expenditure tends to get priority especially when expenditure reduction has to be done to

meet fiscal deficit target. Non plan expenditure is reduced even if it is vital for economic

development. For instance, Allocation of funds for maintenance of assets such as hospitals, schools,

and irrigation dams which have already created is also equally important to allocation of funds for

development of assets.

The funds used for creation of assets (such as hospitals) is treated as plan expenditure and the

funds used for maintenance of assets (such as running hospitals) is treated as non-plan

expenditure.

2) Outcome budgeting and performance budgeting is applicable only on plan expenditure. This means that estimation of outcome of expenditure incurred on running schools and hospitals etc. is not within the purview of budgeting as it a non-plan expenditure. Outcome based budgeting is a practice of suggesting and listing of estimated outcomes of each programmes or schemes designed. Outcomes are the end products and results of various Government initiatives and interventions.

72 | P a g e

Outcomes of programmes are measured not just in terms of Rupees but also in terms of physical units like Kilowatt of energy produced or tonnes of steel produced. Also outcomes are expressed in terms of qualitative targets and achievements to make the technique more comprehensive. Performance based Budgeting is a budgeting that shows the link between the funds provided for particular purpose and the output from utilization of these funds.

70. Decision to merge Railway Budget into General Budget

Delay in reforms

It took 69 years after Independence for India to merge the Railway Budget with the Union Budget is

an indication of how difficult it can be to junk colonial-era traditions that may have outlived their

utility.

Separate Railway Budget outlived its utility

In 1924, when the first Railway Budget was presented, the Railways entailed more funds than )ndia s expenditure on all other aspects of administration combined. So it made sense to present a separate Budget.

That equation changed long ago, and now the Railways outlay is just per cent of the total expenditure proposed in the Union Budget for this year. In fact, revenues from the domestic aviation business are more than the Railways traffic earnings.

Nearly Rs.2.5 lakh crore has been planned this year as defence expenditure, but it found little mention in the Finance Minister s Budget speech. Yet, the ritual of the Rail Budget has continued even as the economy opened up over the past 25 years.

Reason for Prolonged practice of this tradition

A key reason that it lingered so long is )ndia s fractured polity and the tendency of coalition partners to demand Railways as a juicy portfolio with its possibilities for populist posturing and

patronage.

With the luxury of a majority in the Lok Sabha and a Railway Minister like Suresh Prabhu who has

refused to use the Rail Budget as a launch pad for new trains and railway lines, the NDA has thrown

its weight behind a plan that takes away the annual temptation to make the Railways a vote-

magnet.

73 | P a g e

Railway Ministers will no longer need to conjure up fancy and often regurgitated promises about

new, improved services for passengers without charging them the operational costs of reaching

their destination.

Need for the Reform

The pressure to hold commuter fares has skewed Railways freight rates, year after year. Indeed, the change is already being felt; tweaking of tariffs outside the Budget has begun.

Considering the changes in coal freight and the introduction of flexible pricing on premium

passenger trains, the need for a reform has been felt.

Way Forward

1. The Centre now needs to seriously consider setting up an independent tariff regulator to

depoliticize fares.

2. New lines and trains should be determined by economic viability rather than the constituencies

covered.

Railway Convention Committee (RCC) scrapped

As the government decides to merge the Railway Budget and the General Budget, Union Cabinet

scrapped Railway Convention Committee (RCC) which determines the rate of dividend to be paid to

the Finance Ministry.

About Railway Convention Committee

The Committee consisted of 18 members — 12 members from Lok Sabha and six members from

Rajya Sabha. Both the Ministers of Railways and Finance are nominated members of the Committee.

It was constituted in 1949 with the primary role of determining the rate of dividend, modalities of

74 | P a g e

its payment and exemptions. It took on a wider role of examining various subjects related to

working of the Railways and its finances since 1971.

Question: The budget reforms undertaken in recent year namely advancement of

budget, merger of railway budget with general budget and elimination of distinction

between plan and non-plan expenditure will improve the financial administration in

India? Explain.

71. WTO appellate body rules against India in solar case with US

Highlights • India lost its appeal at the World Trade Organization in a dispute over solar power. • The appeal ruling is final and India will be expected to bring its laws into compliance with the

WTO rules.

India lost its appeal at the World Trade Organization in a dispute over solar power, failing to

overturn a US complaint that New Delhi had discriminated against importers in the Indian solar

power sector.

What was the appeal?

In April, India had appealed against WTO s panel ruling that the country s power purchase agreements with domestic solar firms are inconsistent with international norms.

Judgment by Appellate body

The WTO's appeals judges upheld an earlier ruling that found India had broken WTO rules by

requiring solar power developers to use Indian-made cells and modules. The appeal ruling is final

and India will be expected to bring its laws into compliance with the WTO rules.

Reasons stated

Under WTO rules, countries are not allowed to discriminate against imports and favour local

producers, but in the past five years countries keen to support their own manufacturers have

frequently resorted to local content requirements, while keeping a sharp eye out for their use by

others.

Local content requirements are not only contrary to WTO rules, but actually undermine the efforts

to promote clean energy by requiring the use of more expensive and less efficient equipment,

75 | P a g e

making it more difficult for clean energy sources to be cost-competitive.

In the earlier ruling, which was issued in February this year, the judges said India could not claim

exemptions on the basis that its national solar power sector was included in government

procurement, nor on the basis that solar goods were in short supply. About Appellate Body The appellate body is a standing body of seven persons. It listens to the appeals from reports issued by panels in disputes involving WTO members. The body can uphold, modify or reverse legal findings and conclusions of a panel and its reports, once adopted by the Dispute Settlement Body, must be accepted by the parties.

72. India down to 112th spot on World Economic Freedom Index

Status of India

India has slipped by 10 positions to 112th, out of 159 countries and territories, as it 'fared badly'

across categories including legal system and regulation, according to the Economic Freedom of the

World: 2016

Annual Report. )ndia has fared badly in all categories i.e. legal system and property rights (86), sound money

(130), freedom to trade internationally (144) and regulation (132) except the size of the government , the report said.

Comparison with neighbours

Although China, Bangladesh and Pakistan lagged behind India at 113th, 121st and 133th ranks

respectively; Bhutan (78), Nepal (108) and Sri Lanka (111) were better placed on the World

Economic Freedom Index.

According to the report, Hong Kong has the highest level of economic freedom worldwide, followed

by Singapore.

About the report )ndia s leading public policy think tank, Centre for Civil Society, has published the report in collaboration with Canada s Fraser )nstitute. The report is based on data from 2014 and measures the economic freedom by analysing the policies and institutions of all 159 countries and territories.

76 | P a g e

73. The One-Rupee Trick: How banks cut their zero-balance Jan Dhan accounts

Case Study )n August , a few weeks after the launch of Jan Dhan, the government s flagship scheme under which the unbanked get bank accounts, Kamlesh, a housewife at Purnapur village in Uttar Pradesh s Bareilly, opened an account at the Punjab and Sind Bank s local branch. Wife of a farmer, the opening balance in her account was zero. This wasn t unusual — in fact, accounts like Kamlesh s, called zero-balance accounts, made up almost half of all the 17.90 crore Jan Dhan accounts a year

later given that most of the holders were poor and had little by way of savings.

But on August 5 this year, when Kamlesh got her passbook updated, she was in for a surprise. Re had been deposited in my account.

Widespread Practice of Depositing Rs. 1 in Zero Balance Account

Investigating information obtained from more than 30 nationalised and regional rural banks under

the Right to Information (RTI) Act, The Indian Express went to more than 25 villages and cities

spread across six states, checked individual passbooks and interviewed account holders. To find

that bank officials are quietly making one-rupee deposits, many from their own allowances, some from money kept aside for office maintenance. Their ostensible goal: to reduce the branch s tally of zero-balance accounts.

Reason why Bank is depositing money in account

As many as 20 branch managers and officials told The Indian Express, on the condition that they not be identified, that there is pressure on them to show that zero-balance accounts are falling in number. There was a perception that so many zero-balance accounts means no one is using them,

so there was pressure on us to change that, said one official. The short-cut was the one-rupee

deposit.

74. Pulse buffer stock to be increased to 20 lakh tonnes

Centre s approval to enhance buffer stock

The Centre approved the enhancing of buffer stock of pulses to 20 lakh tonnes so as to stabilize the

prices and encourage farmers to scale up production.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of

Consumer Affairs for increasing the buffer stock from 8 lakh tonnes to 20 lakh tonnes.

77 | P a g e

Steps to be taken for Implementation

1. It will be built through domestic procurement and imports of 10 lakh tonnes each.

2. The government said the specific variety of pulses and their quantities for the buffer stock would

be decided on the price and the availability.

75. Finmin revises criteria for recapitalisation of PSU banks

Conditions put on State-owned banks for Capital infusion

State-owned banks looking forward to the next round of capital infusion will need to fulfil a new set

of criteria, including credit recovery, as the Finance Ministry has revised the recapitalisation norms.

The second tranche of capital allocation for the current fiscal would be based on cost of operations

as well as recovery and quality of credit on the basis of risk weighted assets, sources said.

Only those lenders that fulfil the criteria post third quarter (October-December) results of the

current fiscal will be eligible for the second round of funding, sources added.

Background

The government in July had announced the first round of capital infusion of Rs.22,915 crore for 13

banks. Seventy five per cent of the amount Rs. , crore ...is being released now to provide liquidity support for lending operations as also to enable banks to raise funds from the market, the Finance Ministry had said in a statement.

The first tranche was announced with the objective to enhance their lending operations and enable

them to raise more money from the market.

Basis of Capital infusion for the current Year

The capital infusion exercise for the current fiscal is based on an assessment of need as per the compounded annual growth rate CAGR of credit growth for the last five years, banks own projections of credit growth and estimates of the potential for growth of each PSB.

Question: What is the need for recapitalization of Public Sector banks? Do you think that

financing Public Sector Banks by means of Budget leads to an ethical issue? What can be

possible performance linked criteria for banks as a precondition to seek support from

government?

78 | P a g e

76. Debate on Surge Pricing in Railways

View of the Government

The dynamic fare pricing announced for the Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains on an experimental basis has been justified by the Ministry of Railways as a means to shore up lagging

passenger revenues.

The Ministry says the cost per passenger kilometre today is around 73 paise, while the Railways

recovers only 37 paise. The flexible fare system means only the first 10 per cent of seats and berths

will come at the base fare, with 10 per cent increases for every batch of 10 per cent sold.

The increase will be capped at 1.5 times the base fare. The three classes of trains (Rajdhani,

Shatabdi and Duronto trains) account for 13 to 14 per cent of the Railways passenger revenues. Need for increase in Fares

Without a robust component of fare-based revenue from passenger trains it will be difficult for the

Railways to spend on infrastructure and amenities and focus on features such as safety — all of

which are imperatives. The question is whether the flexible fare system is the ideal way to do so.

Evaluation of Flexible Fare System

First, these fare increases in the premium trains for some classes could result in airfares being

lower at certain times and routes. This could wean away some train travellers.

Second, the increase in the prices under the scheme begins much too early, when a bare 10 per cent

of the seats are sold. As a result, it puts far too much pressure on passengers to book early. It would

have made more sense for the Railways to expand the scope of Tatkal booking, which is currently

limited to one day before travel. A Tatkal scheme with flexible and cascading pricing coupled with

an increase in the number of tickets and an extension of the time frame would penalise those who

buy their tickets late rather than most passengers on a train.

Third, unlike taxi, bus or air services, train services in this country are a monopoly. The Rajdhanis

and the Shatabdis are premium trains, which are favoured by the relatively better off. The real

worry is that the experiment may be extended to include other long-distance trains in the future. A

relatively poorer person who makes a late decision to travel should not be priced out by such a

system by a monopolistic provider that aims to provide a public service.

79 | P a g e

77. A disruptive debut by Reliance Jio

Reliance Jio Roll Out That Mukesh Ambani s roll-out of fourth-generation telecommunication services through Reliance

Jio would shake up the telecom market was anticipated. Still, the specifics of the ambitious pricing and customer acquisition plans unveiled at the Reliance )ndustries annual shareholders meeting were audacious.

From making voice calls and domestic roaming completely free to offering 4G data connectivity at a

fraction of the average market tariff, the latest entrant has, in one fell swoop, altered pricing

dynamics in the sector for the foreseeable future.

Importance to Data Services

In the process, the company has also ended up putting the spotlight on data being at the core of

mobile telephony services. With more than 90 per cent of almost 350 million Indians currently

accessing the Internet on mobile devices, the availability, affordability and quality, in terms of

browsing speeds, of the data service becomes critical. This is particularly pertinent as India makes

more and more public goods and services accessible online.

For a nation seeking to leverage the explosive growth in mobile telephony that has resulted in more

than one billion subscriptions, the future lies in moving an increasingly larger share of economic

activity across industries on to digital platforms.

78. Unions demand wage hike, oppose anti-labour reforms

The one-day all-India strike by trade unions is expected to be the biggest so far. A look at the key questions related to the agitation. Which are the trade unions participating? All the central trade unions, except BMS, and the majority of independent trade unions are participating. Which sectors? All private, public sector, and unorganised sector workers, except Railways and non-industrial workers in government NGOs, are expected to join. What is the composition of India s workforce? Total strength of workforce: 472.9 million as per NSSO 2011-12. As per 2011- NSSO data, % of )ndia s workforce was in the unorganised sector and only % were in the organised sector; 89.4% in organised sector were informal workers, only 10.6% were formal; 94.8% in the unorganised sector were informal workers, only 5.2% were formal.

80 | P a g e

How many workers are participating? According to media estimates, 15 crore workers took part in the strike last year, and all the unions expect the numbers to be more this year. What are the striking workers demands? There were five demands in the first all-India strike in 2010, and seven more were added in the subsequent strikes. Among the 12 major demands are the following: minimum wage of not less than Rs. 18,000 per month; stop contractualisation of labour for perennial work, and ensure the payment of same wage and benefits for contract workers as regular workers; scrapping of proposed labour law amendments and universal social security for all workers. How many years has the all-India strike on Sept. 2 been going on? This is the fourth all-India strike since the coming together of the central unions in 2009. The earlier ones were in 2010, 2011 and 2015. How has the nature of the strikers changed over the years? There is a greater proportion of unorganised/informal workers participating in recent years, for two reasons: there has not been much growth in organised sector employment; contract employment in the unorganised and organised sectors has been growing.

81 | P a g e

ENVIRONMENT

79. Wildlife panel clears first phase of Ken-Betwa project

First inter-State river linking project via Tiger Reserve )ndia s first inter-State river interlinking project was given a go-ahead by the National Board for

Wildlife (NBWL).

This would be the first time that a river project will be located within a tiger reserve.

The Rs.10,000-crore Ken-Betwa project will irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region but, in

the process, also submerge about 10 per cent of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, feted

as a model tiger-conservation reserve.

About the project

The main feature of the project is a 230-km long canal and a series of barrages and dams connecting

the Ken and Betwa rivers that will irrigate 3.5 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 14,000

hectares of Uttar Pradesh, in Bundelkhand.

Dislocation of villages due to this project

On the other hand, about 20,000 people in 30 villages will be affected due to the submergence and

will have to be resettled.

Seventeen lakh residents of nearby towns and villages in both States will benefit from improved

drinking water and irrigation facilities.

According to the NBWL, 6,221 hectares — 4,141 of which is core forest and located inside the

reserve — will be inundated when, and if, the proposed reservoir is filled to the brim.

80. Will National Waterways Project impact Gangetic dolphins?

Conservationists View on National Waterways Project The report headlined National waterways project threatens Gangetic dolphins: Conservationists stated that the development of the Ganga for shipping is seen by wildlife conservationists as the

single-largest threat to the survival of the species whose numbers are declining in most part of the

natural habitat.

This suggests that the development works on National Waterway-1 under the Jal Marg Vikas

82 | P a g e

Project, being implemented with technical and financial assistance from the World Bank, is

primarily responsible for the diminishing numbers of dolphins.

Response of IWAI

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) refutes this assumption. The report quotes that

the river dolphins get highly stressed because of the dredging activity on NW-1 but no dredging

activity is proposed within or in the vicinity of the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS).

Measures taken by IWAI

The IWAI is undertaking various mitigation measures to ensure that when NW-1 is developed, no

dolphin is harmed.

For instance, vessel speeds shall be restricted to 2.7 knots in the VGDS to cut propeller noise.

Restricting speed in the area can maintain noise levels lower than 140 dB, which are lower than the

tolerance levels of dolphins. Vessels will have propeller guards and dolphin deflectors to minimize

accidents.

81. Fine particle matter causing chronic illness and even premature mortality

WHO study findings

Air pollution could have killed at least 600,000 Indians in 2012, a study conducted by the World

Health Organization. For about a fifth of the 3 million had died worldwide because they were

exposed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that may have aggravated or been directly responsible

for cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer.

What is Particle pollution?

Particle pollution (also called particulate matter or PM) is the term for a mixture of solid particles

and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are small

enough to be seen with the naked eye. These penetrate into our body and cause various illness.

India s worldwide ranking/Position

India comes just behind China — which witnessed an estimated 800,000 deaths — says the study.

It is second among all countries in the absolute number of deaths caused due to exposure to air

pollution.

Sources of emissions of fine particulate matter

Industries, households, cars and trucks emit complex air pollutants, including invisible PM 2.5

83 | P a g e

particulates. A lot of the fine particulate matter comes from fuel combustion, both from mobile

sources such as vehicles and from stationary sources such as power plants, industry, households or

biomass burning.

Types of ailments caused by particulate matter

The impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO)

study is felt through a broad spectrum of acute and chronic illnesses that cause premature death.

These include lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular

diseases.

Question: What is fine Particulate Matter? Why the rising levels of fine Particulate

Matter has been the cause of concern for people living in urban areas? What can be

done to reduce Particulate Matter in air?

82. India to ratify Paris climate pact on Gandhi Jayanti

)ndia will ratify its U.N. climate change commitments next month to mark Mahatma Gandhi s birthday and as a tribute to Deendayal Upadhyaya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced.

May be a Bargaining chip for NSG membership The Climate Change ratification was also seen as a possible bargaining chip in exchange for )ndia s membership to the Nuclear Supplier Group.

Ahead of Marrakesh meet The U.N. Climate Change treaty agreed to at the Paris summit in November 2015, enters into force only after 55 countries, accounting in total for 55 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions, ratify it. India accounts for about 6 per cent of global emissions, and is expected to join a group of countries that will ratify the agreement by the next U.N. Climate Conference in Marrakesh on November 7. Ratification of Paris Agreement on Climate Change The ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change by the United States and China, which together account for 38 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, provides much-needed momentum for the global compact to be in force beyond 2020. Paris Agreement different from Kyoto Protocol For the U.S., this is a landmark departure from its long-held position of not accepting a binding treaty like the Kyoto Protocol, where emerging economies heavily reliant on fossil fuels have no firm commitments. The Paris Agreement addressed this issue by stipulating voluntary but verifiable emissions reduction goals for all parties, within the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities

84 | P a g e

that underpin the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Question: Explain the details of the Paris Agreement. With ratification by India on 2nd October,

do you think the chances of Paris agreement coming into force are almost certain?

83. Centre notified (BS) VI norms for vehicles

The Centre has notified the Bharat Stage (BS)-VI emission standards for two-wheelers and four-

wheelers from April 2020 across the country.

With this, the government has decided to skip the BS-V emission standards and move directly to BS-

VI from the BS-IV norms currently being followed in various cities.

85 | P a g e

What are Bharat stage emission standards?

Bharat stage emission standards are emission standards instituted by the Government of India to

regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor

vehicles. The Bharat Stage norms are based on EU norms to regulate pollution.

Present Status of BS norms

BS-IV emission standards were introduced for 13 major cities in April, 2010. At Present, BS-IV

norms are applicable in 30 major cities. BS-IV norms are expected to come into force nation-wide

by March 31, 2017.

Resistance by Industry on account of introduction of BS-VI norms:

Two major industries are resisting direct introduction of BS-VI norms:

1. Oil refineries will need to invest substantially to upgrade the refining process. The shift from

BS-IV to BS-VI demands approximately Rs. 50,000 crore – Rs. 80,000 crore from oil refineries.

2. Automobile industries will also be required to make high investments to produce vehicles with

lower emission levels. Vehicles will also be costlier. For instance, Diesel particulate filter will be

added to engine. This will further enhance the length of bonnet of cars. Longer cars will attract

higher excise duty.

84. Cabinet gives Clean Ganga Mission power to fine polluters

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is now competent to impose fine

The Union Cabinet has approved changes allowing the National Mission for Clean Ganga to fine

those responsible for polluting the river. Earlier this power was vested solely with the Central

Pollution Control Board.

About NMCG

The NMCG has been a registered society since 2012 and its role is largely to fund projects to implementing organizations. )t didn t have legal powers to tackle various threats or issue directions to polluters.

The NMCG, which now has the status of an Authority, will have a two-tier management structure

with a governing council to be chaired by a Director General. There will also be State-level

committees.

Functions

The Rs. 20,000-crore National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is among the flagship initiatives of

86 | P a g e

the government and though at least 230 projects have been sanctioned this year there is very little

progress on the ground in various States along the river such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar

and Uttarakhand among others.

The bulk of the river cleaning projects involve setting up of sewage treatment plants, installing

trash skimmers and beautifying the ghats.

85. IMD gets its August forecast wrong

IMD s inaccurate Monsoon forecast

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has erred on its forecast for monsoon rain in August. In

June, it said that India would get more rain than it usually did but as of August 31, the country got

8.5 % less rain than what s normal for the month. )n June, the agency s updated forecast said )ndia would receive % more than the cm it normally gets between June and September and that August rains would be 4% more than the 26 cm that the

country usually gets. An error margin of % is built into )MD s forecasts of monthly rainfall but even so, an 8% deficit lies well outside the margin of error.

Conclusion )t suggests that the agency s weather models are still not robust enough to capture changes in global climate that could affect the Indian monsoon.

Anticipated shift of plan

The IMD is planning to shift next year to a forecast system that relies on a supercomputer-led

dynamical weather-modelling. Moreover, unless September gets 150% more rain than normal, it is

unlikely that India will meet its forecast target of 6% surplus rains for the monsoon season. So far

the all-India monsoon deficit as of August 31 was 3%.

Reason behind wong prediction

Forecast models — even global ones — expected a stronger La Nina, the converse of an El Nino

and usually associated with good rains over India, to set in around August. So far the La Nina has

been extremely weak.

On the back of successive droughts in 2014 and 2015 — because of one of the strongest El Ninos on

record — weather agencies had said 2016 would be a good year because El Nino had receded and

was likely to give way to La Nina.

Different Models to predict monsoons:

87 | P a g e

Statistical model:

It tries to match prevailing conditions with historical records to see how the monsoon had behaved

in years when similar conditions had prevailed.

Dynamical model:

This model makes continuous observation of some selected physical phenomena, and notes how

the conditions for monsoon behave over a period of time. It then follows those changes to predict

for the future, and comes up with a forecast.

88 | P a g e

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

86. Google launches services for India

Technology giant Google announced a slew of products, such as YouTube Go and Google Station

specially designed for India —the world s second-largest Internet market.

Google Station

The firm announced extending its initiative to provide Wi-Fi at 400 railway stations in India in

partnership with RailTel to include public places such as bus stops and malls.

Google Station , would give partners an easy set of tools to roll-out Wi-Fi hotspots in public places.

It will provide software and guidance on hardware to turn fibre connections into fast, reliable and

safe Wi-Fi zones.

YouTube Go

The Google also introduced a more efficient version of YouTube called YouTube Go that will enable

both viewing and sharing videos offline.

87. PSLV puts eight satellites in two orbits

Achievement by ISRO

Earlier, ISRO was using separate rockets to launch satellites in different orbits and for the first time

ISRO launched satellites in two different orbits in a single mission. It took two hours and 15

minutes for PSLV C-35 rocket to place all the eight satellites in two different orbits.

Besides the weather satellite SCATSAT-1, two satellites PRATAM and PISAT from Indian academic

institutions, three from Algeria and one each from Canada and the United States were launched in

the longest PSLV mission.

Details of launch

The 371 kg SCATSAT-1, a satellite for weather-related studies, was placed in the polar sun

synchronous orbit at an altitude of 730 km after the rocket took off from Satish Dhawan Space

Centre at Sriharikota .

About two hours later, the rocket placed two satellites from two educational institutions (PISAT

and PRATHAM), three commercial payloads from Algeria and one each for Canada and the United

States.

89 | P a g e

The rocket was re-ignited twice during its flight to place the set of satellites in different orbits. Due

to the re-ignition, the launch is by far the longest PSLV launch by ISRO.

About Satellites

1. SCATSAT-1, with a life of five years, would provide weather forecasting services.

2. The 10 kg PRATHAM by IIT Bombay intends to estimate the total electron count with a resolution of 1km x 1km location grid. 3. PISAT (5.25 kg) from PES University in Bengaluru intends to explore remote sensing applications.

. Chikungunya s rising toll is turning a matter of grave

concern

What is Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a fever spread by a chikungunya virus via two species of mosquito of the genus

Aedes: A. albopictus and A. aegypti. It is transmitted by the female mosquito.

Modes of Transmission

Chikungunya is generally transmitted from mosquitoes to humans. Less common modes of

transmission include vertical transmission, which is transmission from mother to child during

pregnancy or at birth. Transmission via infected blood products and through organ donation is also

theoretically possible during times of outbreak, though no cases have yet been documented.

Mechanism of Transmission

The virus cannot spread from one human to another but can spread only by mosquitoes which get

infected while biting an infected individual, thereafter transmitting the virus by biting an uninfected

individual.

Once a mosquito bites, the virus spreads through the epidermal cells of the skin and reaches the

inside of the body through the blood stream.

Consequences

1. The virus primarily targets muscle, joint and skin fibroblasts where the maximum damage

occurs. This is the reason why patients experience intense joint pain and swelling along with rashes

and acute fever.

90 | P a g e

. Apart from the tissues, a person s immunity-mediated response is another important factor that

dictates the severity of the disease. This explains why immune-compromised individuals such as

very young children and elderly persons are more severely affected.

3. While Chikungunya results in extreme morbidity and a prolonged phase of physical disability, it

is not a fatal disease.

Patient management

A primary concern with respect to Chikungunya treatment is effective diagnosis.

At present there are no virus-specific detection methods and we have to resort to employing

antibody-specific testing which delays diagnosis by a great extent. A study showed that almost 10

per cent of dengue patients were co-infected with the Chikungunya virus but they were not even

treated for the disease.

One may argue that dengue is more dangerous than chikungunya due to the complications of

dengue as opposed to the non-fatal condition of chikungunya. But one must remember that patient

management is quite different for both these infections and has several implications on disease

prevention.

Reason why Chikungunya is widespread

The vector plays an extremely important role in the spread of the chikungunya virus. When

chikungunya struck in 2005, the reason it was such a huge pandemic was because the virus had

mutated its outside coat protein by a single amino acid that allowed it to replicate faster in another

species of Aedes.This allowed the vector to transmit the virus more effectively.

Control the key

Whatever be the nature of the virus, the only effective method to control this hugely debilitating

infection is intense vector control and public health awareness programmes.

We face multiple issues with respect to chikungunya disease control in our country. A lack of

sensitive virus-specific diagnostic tools, an absence of drugs/vaccine, poor vector control measures

and public awareness contribute tremendously in escalating the problem. It is no surprise then that

India is considered as the hub for chikungunya spread across the globe.

89. Mosquito breeding case against Shahid Kapoor

Notice served to Shahid Kapoor over breeding spots of Aedes aegypti mosquito

91 | P a g e

After notice being served to Shahid Kapoor over breeding spots of Aedes aegypti mosquito (which can spread dengue, chikungunya among other illnesses in the actor s private swimming pool at his residence, seeking his explanation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will file a case

against him for not abiding by its rules.

Statistics of cases filed

The civic body, since January 1 this year, has filed 927 cases in different courts against offenders

and realised fine amounting to Rs. 26.92 lakh.

90. Rise in cases of epidemics indicating at inadequacy of National health programmes

Rise in number of cases of Dengue, Chikungunya and Malaria

The death of several people in Delhi linked to an outbreak of dengue, chikungunya and malaria has

once again exposed the inadequacy of national public health programmes that aim to eliminate

vector-borne diseases.

There was a sharp increase in the incidence of chikungunya in the country in 2015 over the

previous year, although official data do not attribute any deaths to the infection.

92 | P a g e

Dengue cases have also steadily risen, from 75,808 in 2013 to 99,913 last year, with the death toll

rising from 193 to 220 during this period.

The footprint for malaria has grown, with over 1.1 million cases last year, although the number of

people dying from the infection has shown a recent decline, going by official statistics.

It must, of course, be borne in mind that there is some evidence of under-reporting of malaria,

leading to the criticism that the full impact of the disease is not captured by government data.

Delhi s residents are, of course, not alone in suffering from the failures of long-running vector

control programmes, although they are justified in feeling disgusted at the politicization of the

problem.

The irony is that India, with its focus on rapid economic growth and prosperity, is nowhere near

victory in the battle against productivity-sapping infections spread by mosquitoes and other

insects, while a nimble neighbour like Sri Lanka could declare itself malaria-free.

Lessons to be learnt from Sri Lanka

There are several aspects to the Sri Lankan experience that could help evaluate the efforts of )ndia s States in their battle to control disease-spreading vectors.

Better results were achieved by the island nation through integration of different approaches.

1. This includes focussing on mosquito control in irrigation and agriculture.

2. Introducing new classes of insecticides for residual spraying within houses.

3. Scaling up distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets even in areas caught up in conflict.

4. Mobile centres for access to diagnostics and treatment also helped halt disease transmission.

India s Map of Epidemics

The dengue map for 2015 shows that Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal and Gujarat were the

worst-affected. On chikungunya, Karnataka needs special help, as it has a disproportionately higher

incidence compared to other States. Evidently, it will take active surveillance and close

collaboration with local governments to eliminate the hotspots.

Action needed to be undertaken by India

For India to achieve its goal of eliminating malaria by 2030, and curb other vector-borne diseases,

there has to be sustained effort and political will. Mobilising the community to participate in

sanitation campaigns holds the key, although families that live in deprived neighbourhoods will

need generous municipal assistance, improved civic facilities and access to free health care.

93 | P a g e

91. Cassini to make final observation of Saturn

About Cassini After studying Saturn, its rings and moons for more than years, NASA s Cassini spacecraft has

entered the final year of its epic voyage during which it will make the closest-ever observations of

the planet.

Cassini s final phase, called the Grand Finale, begins in earnest in April next year. A close flyby of Saturn s giant moon Titan will reshape the spacecraft s orbit so that it passes through the gap between Saturn and the rings, an unexplored space only about 2,400 kilometres wide.

The conclusion of the historic scientific odyssey is planned for September next year.

92. Babies fall victim to Superbugs

Babies dying on account of Superbugs )nfected with superbugs in birth facilities within hours of being born, thousands of )ndian babies are dying due to an alarming degree of drug resistance, a major study has found.

The researchers found that nearly 26 per cent of babies with sepsis died as multi-drug resistance

made the ailment untreatable.

Epidemic-like situation

Witnessing overwhelming evidence of rampant antibiotic resistance, across all ages, all over the

country, this worrying epidemic-like situation is a result of overuse of antibiotics in humans,

agriculture and livestock.

94 | P a g e

Superbugs associated Three superbugs — Klebsiella, Acinetobacter , and E. coli — were associated with over half (53 per

cent) of the infections.

What are Superbugs?

Superbugs are strain of bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotic drugs. How do they develop anti-biotic Resistance? Superbugs develop resistance from anti-biotics on account of following factors: 1. Overuse of Anti-biotics 2. Non-completion of Anti-Biotic Course

93. GSAT-11 to be launched in early 2017

About GSAT-11 GSAT- , )ndia s advanced and heaviest communication spacecraft to date at , kg, is to be launched early next year on the European Ariane launch vehicle. The high-throughput satellite with its multi-spot beam coverage of the country will be far superior to the older generation three-tonne INSAT/GSAT spacecraft. GSAT-11 is designed to generate a bandwidth of more than 12 gbps primarily for users of Internet driven services, VSAT operations and rural connectivity. Future Heavy satellites launches Globally many operators are putting up such high throughput satellites for commercial use while ISRO is working on putting up five such in the near future. Paris-based launch company Arianespace announced this latest order from old customer Indian Space Research Organisation; GSAT-11 would be its 21st Indian spacecraft. Heavy Satellite Launches in the past The INSAT/GSATs have not exceeded 3,400 kg; the last heaviest was GSAT-10 launched in 2012. Also, )SRO s newly readied medium-lift launcher can only lift satellites up to 2,000 kg.

94. ISRO makes India proud again

Signifance of successful launch of INSAT-3DR

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) crossed an important milestone with the successful

launch of weather satellite INSAT-3DR using a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle equipped

with the indigenous cryogenic upper stage.

95 | P a g e

1. That September 8 launch marks the third consecutive success; the fact that it is the first

operational flight by the GSLV carrying the indigenous cryogenic upper stage is confirmation that

India now belongs to the elite club of countries that have mastered the cryogenic technology.

2. Maintaining structural and thermal integrity of the engine at very high temperatures during

combustion just a few centimetres away from – 250° C, a temperature at which materials behave

very differently, is a huge challenge.

3. Likewise, igniting a cryogenic fuel and sustaining the combustion for a prolonged period is a

daunting task.

4. The launch had fully utilised the maximum payload carrying capacity of the GSLV-Mk II by

carrying the heaviest satellite (2,211 kg) ever from Indian soil.

This became possible only because the cryogenic upper stage was used. Unlike solid and liquid

propellants, the specific impulse or thrust provided by a cryogenic rocket stage is much higher and

is therefore more efficient to carry heavier payloads.

Lack of industry participation in GSLV launches

Unlike in the case of the PSLV where industry participation is around 80 per cent, it is only about

half in the case of the GSLV. ISRO is a research and development organisation and not a production

organisation, but the lack of greater industry participation has resulted in it being unable to launch

more satellites in a year using the GSLV.

However, efforts are under way to change this and ISRO has set a target of two GSLV launches in a

year by 2018-2019. Even as the GSLV-Mk II has completed its first operational flight, ISRO is busy

preparing for a ground qualification test of a more powerful GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle in about

two months.

Way Forward with GSLV-Mk III

The first experimental flight using the GSLV-Mk III is scheduled to take place by the end of this year

and will use a new cryogenic engine. With an ability to provide double the thrust compared with the

current cryogenic technology, the vehicle would be able to carry payloads up to four tonnes. This

would mean that the GSLV-Mk III, when fully operational after three-four launches, will make ISRO

truly independent by not having to rely on facilities abroad for launching heavier payloads. Besides

independence, the country would stand to gain tremendously through cheaper launches.

96 | P a g e

95. Excessive use of Triclosan: Anti-bacterial agent

What is Triclosan?

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent found in consumer products. )t s in the soap, handwash, talcum powder and even in the wall paint. )n a world obsessed with cleanliness, antimicrobial agents like triclosan have been touted as the remedy for a disease-free

world.

Controversial use of Triclosan

Triclosan- based antibacterial products such as handwash and hand sanitisers are no more effective

than soaps.

Experts say indiscriminate usage of antimicrobial agents like triclosan over the years has led to

bacteria developing resistance to them, leading to the need for stronger chemicals.

Opinion is divided among experts: while some feel the move was long called for, physicians weigh

in that such antibacterial products continue to be useful in certain situations.

Potential ban on sale of Triclosan by US

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced that effective September 2017, it would

prohibit the sale of non-medical soap containing triclosan or 18 other ingredients marketed as

antimicrobials, as it did not find these products to be any more effective than ordinary soaps.

Background

Triclosan was initially used for hospital environments, but its use spread as a miracle guard against infection. Triclosan is being used in toothpaste, handwash, talcum powder, etc. because companies thought it was a remedy for all, without understanding that with indiscriminate usage, bacteria can

develop a resistance to the chemical.

Why Soaps are effective in place of Triclosan?

1. The body has its own self-cleaning bacteria, commensals, which keep the skin clean.

Antimicrobial agents in soaps and hand-washes are not required. By using antimicrobial agents

indiscriminately we are removing useful commensal bacteria which help to ward off infection.

2. Scrubbing with soap and water is better than using hand sanitizers. As in the latter case, the dead bacteria remain on the skin: Certain molecules, known as lipopolysaccharides, which are

specific to gram-negative bacteria, and lipoteichoic acid, specific to gram-positive bacteria, get

dislodged when the bacteria are killed by antibacterial agents. They remain on the surface of your

hands and can get into your gut, causing other inflammatory complications. Scrubbing with soap

and water is a hundred times better.

97 | P a g e

Conclusion

However, it would be unwise to disown antibacterial agents completely, antimicrobial agents are

required in infection-prone situations. Antimicrobials are recommended for sanitation workers,

farmers working in the fields, or in the presence of someone with an infection. Such products

should be used in the right quantity, as overuse does not increase effectiveness but only leads to

development of bacterial resistance.

96. Slowest Spinning Magnetar (1E1613) found in the Universe

What are Magnetars?

An extremely dense type of neutron star that can produce magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than our sun s.

These exotic objects possess the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe — trillions of times

that observed on the Sun and can erupt with enormous amounts of energy.

When are Magnetars formed?

Neutron stars are formed when stars more massive than our sun explode as supernovae. Just a

regular neutron star has a magnetic field of a trillion gauss. Gauss is a unit of magnetic field

strength.

Magnetars are 1,000 times more powerful than that, with a magnetic field of a quadrillion gauss. The earth s core has a magnetic field of gauss.

Significance of Magnetars?

Magnetars can cause starquakes, or earthquakes on stars. Because of its properties, the magnetar

releases a blast of radiation that can be seen clear across the Milky Way.

The most powerful starquake ever recorded came from a magnetar called SGR 1806-20, located

about 50,000 light years away. In a tenth of a second, one of these starquakes released more energy

than the sun gives off in 1,00,000 years.

Why Magnetars are in news?

Astronomers have found evidence of a magnetar — magnetised neutron star — that spins much

slower than the slowest of its kind known until now, which spin around once every 10 seconds.

The magnetar 1E 1613 — at the centre of RCW 103, the remains of a supernova explosion located

about 9,000 light years from Earth — rotates once every 24,000 seconds (6.67 hours), the

98 | P a g e

researchers found.

The source exhibits properties of a highly magnetised neutron star, or magnetar, yet its deduced spin period is thousands of times longer than any pulsar ever observed,

NASA s Swift telescope captured the release of a short burst of X-rays from 1E 1613. The Swift detection caught astronomers attention because the source exhibited intense, extremely rapid fluctuations on a time scale of milliseconds, similar to other known magnetars.

Astronomers expect that a single neutron star will spin quickly after its birth in the supernova

explosion and will then slow down over time as it loses energy.

97. Generics are a lifeline: An interview with Secretary General of MSF

About MSF

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors without Borders, is the international humanitarian

medical aid organization that is active in 69 countries, serves populations affected by epidemics,

armed conflicts, natural calamities and manmade disasters.

MSF has relied heavily on generic drugs, much of which has been sourced from India, to deliver

health care to some of the most deprived people.

Addressing healthcare exclusion has been a major part of its work, and this has often meant locking

horns with big pharmaceutical companies.

Why MSF is in the news recently?

MSF was in the news recently for its decision not to take any more funds from the European Union

and member countries in protest against their tough refugee policies.

Jerome Oberreit, Secretary General of MSF being interviewed:

1. MSF has been a part of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). How does it

counter the ills of the current paradigm?

The DNDi was actually started in 2003 with the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize money providing the seed funding. )n years we have developed six new therapies. Based on DNDi s estimates we reckon that the cost to develop a new chemical entity to be € -150 million. Current studies place the

cost for a similar exercise by the industry at anywhere between $802 million and $2.6 billion!

99 | P a g e

2. Tell us about the role that generic drugs play in your work globally.

We have limited resources and generic drugs play a vital part in our programmes. These generics

that we source from India constitute nearly two-thirds of the drugs we use for HIV, TB and malaria. Take the case of A)DS; it is on account of generic drugs that the annual cost of the A)DS Cocktail combination treatment has been brought down from about $10,000 in 2000 to about $100 today.

This has made it possible for another 16 million people to have access to treatment. The role

generics play in affordable healthcare hardly needs emphasis. In many cases they are a lifeline.

3. MSF has expressed concern over the ongoing RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic

Partnership) talks. Are you apprehensive that agreements such as these could impact

generic drugs production in India?

India has always maintained the right balance between awarding patents to drugs and its

commitment to public health. We are particularly concerned about two provisions that are being

discussed in the RCEP talks, data exclusivity and patent term extensions.

Data exclusivity is a backdoor route to awarding monopoly status to drugs. And patent term

extension will extend the monopoly hold of a pharmaceutical company on a drug beyond the

current 20 years. Both these provisions go beyond the mandates of international law.

4. You have been campaigning against the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as well.

What are your concerns there?

TPP introduces far-reaching monopoly protection for pharmaceutical companies that would

unnecessarily strengthen, lengthen and broaden patents. This will push drug prices up. We have

also pointed out the flaws in the current biomedical innovation paradigm that seeks to reward R&D

through monopolies and high drug prices. Cash-rich pharmaceutical companies have not taken up

R&D in antibiotic development because they must be affordable and should be used sparingly.

98. ISRO prepared to launch Chandrayaan-2

The space road to Chandrayaan-2 is now clear. The significance of the Geosynchronous Satellite

Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F mission s success is that the rocket is now more than qualified to put Chandrayaan-2 into orbit.

About Chandrayaan-2

A GSLV-Mk II vehicle will put Chandrayaan-2 with a lander and a rover into orbit in the first quarter

of 2018. It will be a totally indigenous mission — the vehicle, the spacecraft, the lander and the

rover are all made in India. The orbiter (that is, the spacecraft), the lander and rover together will

100 | P a g e

weigh 3,280 kg. After the spacecraft is inserted into the lunar orbit, the lander with the rover inside it will separate and land softly on the moon s surface.

The lander will have a throttleable engine for performing a soft landing and four sites have been

short-listed for this. After it touches down on a flat surface on the moon, the 25-kg rover — which is

a kind of a toy car — will emerge from it. It will have six wheels, made of aluminium, to move about

on the lunar soil. The wheels will interact in such a way that the rover does not sink. The rover will

move at a speed of two cm a second. Its lifetime on the moon is 14 earth days; it will have two payloads for analysing the soil s chemical properties.

About Chandrayaan -1 Chandrayaan was )ndia s first unmanned lunar probe. )t is )ndia s own developed technology in order to explore the moon. )t was launched by )ndia s national space agency; the )ndian space research organization. The ISRO successfully launched chandrayaan 1 in 2008. Though Chandrayaan –I consisted of only Spacecraft which would observe moon from a distance, Chandrayaan-2 will consist of Lander and Rover as well.

99. GSLV F05 puts INSAT-3DR satellite in space ISRO launched INSAT-3DR, an advanced weather satellite with four payloads, into a precise Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with the help of indigenous developed launch venicle GSLV-F05. About GSLV- FO5 This is the third consecutive flight of the GSLV Mark II with the indigenous cryogenic engine. GSLV Mark )) can lift payloads upto kgs. )SRO s next mission is to launch GSLV MK )) which can lift payloads around 4000 Kgs. About INSAT- 3DR The INSAT-3DR carried four payloads – 1. A multi-spectral Imager: It will generate images of the Earth from a geostationary altitude of 36,000 km every 26 minutes and provide information on parameters such as sea surface temperature, snow cover, cloud motion winds, among others.

2. A Sounder: an instrument which makes a sound

3. Payload to take note of temperature, humidity and integrated ozone across various heights.

4. The fourth was Search and Rescue payload can pick up and relay alert signals originating from

the distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land-based users to the Indian Mission Control

Centre (INMCC).

101 | P a g e

Major users of services

The Indian service region will cover a large part of the Indian Ocean and will also include

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania for providing distress alert

services.

100. Mother Teresa is now a saint

Pope Francis proclaimed Mother Teresa of Kolkata a saint, hailing her as the personification of

maternal love and a powerful advocate for the poor.

About sainthood

To attain the title of sainthood, two miracles are required to be identified/recognized.

Following are the the two miracles:-

1. Monica Besra s fight against stomach tumour

In 1997, Monica Besra a tribal woman in West Bengal was under acute pain due to a tumour that

had been diagnosed in her abdomen. After having visited a number of hospitals and doctors, she

had not been cured. In May 1998 she was admitted to the home run by the Missionaries of Charity

order in the town of Patiram.

On September 5, 1998, as the Missionaries of Charity order was witnessing the first death

anniversary of Mother Teresa with prayers in the chapel, Monica Besra felt a beam of light

emanating from the photograph of Mother Teresa. That night she slept peacefully after months of

painful sleeplessness. When she woke up in the morning, her tumour was gone.

The overnight recovery of Monica Besra was confirmed to be the first miracle performed by Mother

Teresa. This case helped expedite the beatification of Mother Teresa, making it one of the fastest in

the history of the Catholic Church. Beatification of a candidate is the first step that eventually leads

to his or canonisation on the performance of a second miracle. As per canon law, a minimum of five years is supposed to pass between a candidate s death and the beginning of beatification. (owever,

in case of Mother Teresa the process began just two years post her death.

2. The recovery of Marcilio Haddad Andrino

In December 2008, a Brazilian man, Marcilio Haddad Andrino recovered from multiple abscesses in

his brain. When he was diagnosed with the abscesses, he and his wife placed a relic of Mother

Teresa near his head and prayed to her regularly.

102 | P a g e

When in December 2008 he was rushed to the hospital on account of a severe headache he had,

Andrino claimed to have experienced a miracle which led to his eventual cure. He reported to have

felt a sense

of peace and the headache suddenly disappeared. When the doctors examined him the following

day his abscesses were seen as receding and he was declared to be cured.

The recovery of Andrino was recognised by Pope Francis as the second miracle attributed to

Mother Teresa which finally made way for her canonisation.

About Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa MC, known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, born on 26 August

1910 was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. After having lived in Macedonia

for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.

In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation,

which in 2012 consisted of over 4,500 sisters and was active in 133 countries. They run homes for

people dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; dispensaries and mobile clinics;

children's and family counselling programmes; orphanages; and schools.

Mother Teresa was the recipient of numerous honours, including the 1962 Ramon Magsaysay Peace

Prize and 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.

103 | P a g e

INTERNAL SECURITY

101. Post- caliphate IS could cause destruction in Europe

Officials warned about the possible terrorist activity by Islamic State in various countries

As the Islamic State (IS) loses territory in Iraq and Syria, they are bracing for large numbers of

battle-tested terrorist fighters to escape the conflict and prepare attacks after returning home.

Some of the fighters will head north to Western Europe, posing a threat that many countries there

still seem ill prepared to combat.

Top IS leaders acknowledge the inevitable collapse of their declared caliphate, and they appear to

be shifting to a new strategy that threatens Europe on multiple fronts: with cells developed in Europe over the past two years, with returning fighters, and with followers who heed the )S s call to carry out attacks.

Apprehensions

Many of the attacks conducted in Western Europe and the U.S. over the past six months underline the reality that returning fighters would be just one element in the )S s larger strategy to remain relevant after losing territorial control.

102. Chilli-filled grenades to replace pellet guns in J&K: Expert Committee recommendation

Expert committee's recommendation

An expert committee had recommended the use of Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA) shells

also called Nonivamide as an alternative to the pellet guns.

The first batch of around 1,000 chilli-filled grenades have been despatched to the Kashmir valley to

be used as an alternative to pellet guns as a crowd control measure.

Rajnath Singh s Statement

An alternative to pellet guns would be given to security forces in the coming days. An expert

committee constituted by the government, which submitted its report to the Home Ministry

recommended withdrawal of metal pellets and replacing them with polymer, rubber and paper

bullets.

104 | P a g e

Committee s viewpoint

The committee was not in favour of completely phasing out the use of pellet guns in the Kashmir

valley, their use will be regulated instead.

3. Naik s IRF among red-flagged NGOs

Suspicion about Zakir Naik s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) Zakir Naik s )slamic Research Foundation )RF), with its licence up for renewal this year, was

among the nearly 150 NGOs against whom adverse reports had been issued by the security

agencies in July.

Naik came under the scanner that month for allegedly inspiring two of the Dhaka cafe attackers.

Twenty-two people were killed in the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1.

Negligence by Govt

A top government official told The Hindu that despite the IRF featuring on the list, its Foreign

Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) licence was renewed on August 19 automatically through the

online system.

What is the requirement behind FCRA License?

An FCRA licence is a mandatory requirement for an NGO to receive foreign funds; the licence is

renewed every five years.

Background

An official explained that though the renewal system had been automated, the administrators were

clearly told that in case of a pending inquiry and an adverse intelligence input, the licence should

not be renewed.

In July, the Home Ministry ordered an internal inquiry against officials of the FCRA wing, who had inspected Naik s account in April and given him a clean chit. A senior functionary had recommended an inquiry by the CBI against the IRF after security agencies informed them that the

NGO had not disclosed an amount of Rs. 2 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 1.8 crore in 2013-14.

An official said the first complaint against the IRF came in 2012. The Home Ministry did not take

action on it for a year till the complainant sent a letter to the office of the then Prime Minister,

Manmohan Singh.

105 | P a g e

SPORTS

104. Devendra Jhajharia, Javelin thrower wins gold at Paralympics, 2016

Devendra Jhajharia, became the first Indian to clinch two gold medals at the Paralympics.

He won his previous gold in the 2004 Athens Games, bettered his own world record to finish on top in the men s event. Devendra, whose previous best was 62.15 metres (achieved in the 2004 Games), improved the

mark with an attempt of 63.97 metres.

India has won two gold, one silver and one bronze in the ongoing edition of the Games.

Gold :- Thangavelu Mariyappan had earlier struck gold in the men s high jump and Devendra Jhajharia won gold in Javelin throw. Silver:- Deepa Malik won a silver in the women s shot put event. Bronze :- Varun Bhati had secured a bronze in men s high jump.

About Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games is a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities. Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympic Games are organized in parallel with the Olympic Games.

106 | P a g e

PRELIMS ONLY

105. Indian-American scientist bags innovation award worth $500,000

An Indian-origin scientist Ramesh Raskar has bagged the prestigious Lemelson–MIT Prize worth

$500,000 for his groundbreaking work to improve lives globally.

With more than 75 patents to his name, Mr. Raskar is the co-inventor of radical imaging solutions

including

1. Femto-photography, an ultra-fast imaging system that can see around corners;

2. low-cost eye-care solutions for the developing world; and

3. a camera that allows users to read pages of a book without opening the cover.

About Lemelson–MIT Prize

The annual Lemelson–MIT Prize honours outstanding mid-career inventors improving the world

through technological invention and demonstrating a commitment to mentorship in science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

. World s largest radio telescope begins operations

About World s Largest Radio Telescope (FAST)

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) nicknamed Tianyan or The Eye of (eaven started operations recently. )t is the world s largest radio telescope searching for signals from stars and galaxies and, perhaps, extraterrestrial.

Measuring 500-meters in diameter, the radio telescope is nestled in a natural basin within a

stunning landscape of lush green karst formations in southern Guizhou Province.

It took five years and $180 million to complete and surpasses that of the 300-meter Arecibo

Observatory in Puerto Rico, a dish used in research on stars that led to a Nobel Prize

Installation of the 4,450-panel structure, nicknamed Tianyan, or the Eye of Heaven, started in 2011

and was completed in July.

The telescope requires a radio silence within a five-km radius, resulting in the relocation of more

than 8,000 people from their homes in eight villages to make way for the facility, state media said.

107 | P a g e

107. Bayer to buy Monsanto for $66 billion

Bayer (German drugs and crop chemicals company) has won over Monsanto (U.S. seeds firm) with

an improved takeover offer of $66 billion including debt.

Outcome

The transaction will create a company commanding more than a quarter of the combined world

market for seeds and pesticides in a fast-consolidating farm supplies industry.

US may oppose the deal

Some analysts said the deal could face a rough ride from U.S. politicians opposed to a key supplier

of U.S. agriculture falling into foreign hands and from farmers concerned a reduction in competition

could lead to higher prices.

About Bayer

Bayer Group in India comprises the Crop Science and Pharmaceuticals divisions.

1. Crop Science is the largest division for Bayer in India. It has two units: Crop Protection / Seeds

and Environmental Science. Crop Protection / Seeds markets high-value seeds along with

innovative chemical and biological pest management solutions. It provides customer service for

modern and sustainable agriculture.

Environmental Science focuses on non-agricultural applications, with a range of pest control

products and services for areas ranging from the home and garden sector to forestry.

2. In India, the Pharmaceuticals Division operates as Bayer Zydus Pharma, an equal joint venture

between Bayer and Zydus Cadila, which focuses on prescription products, especially for cardiology

and women s healthcare, and on specialty therapeutics in the areas of oncology, hematology and ophthalmology. The division has Diagnostic Imaging business which markets contrast agents.

About Monsanto

Monsanto India Ltd. (MIL) is a subsidiary of Monsanto Company, USA. It is the only publicly listed

Monsanto entity outside the USA. It has been operating in India for six decades. This company

focuses on maize, agriculture productivity and herbicide.

Monsanto Holdings Pvt. Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monsanto Company USA and it holds

26 per cent stake in Mahyco which focuses on marketing Paras cotton hybrid seeds, BT cotton

technologies and Vegetable Hybrid seeds.

Mahyco Monsanto Biotech India Pvt. Ltd. which is a 50:50 joint venture between Mahyco and

Monsanto Holdings. This comoany sub-licenses BT technologies to 28 Indian seeds companies

108 | P a g e

108. RCom-Aircel merger to create 4th largest telco

Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications (RCom) is set to merge its wireless business with Aircel

Ltd, marking the largest-ever consolidation in the Indian telecom sector.

Outcome of the Merger

RCom and Maxis Communications Berhad (MCB), the largest shareholder in Aircel, will each hold

50 per cent in the joint venture into which the two businesses would be merged, forming the 4th

largest telecom operator, by revenue, in the country.

The new entity will be one of )ndia s largest private sector companies, with an asset base of over Rs. 65,000 crore and net worth of Rs. 35,000 crore.

On the basis of subscribers, the merged entity would have about 200 million users, ahead of Idea Cellular s million. 109. Sri Lanka conquers malaria

Sri Lanka Malaria free

The World Health Organization officially recognized this huge public health achievement.

Parameters of designating a nation free of a particular disease

The WHO certifies a country so when the chain of local transmission is interrupted for at least three

consecutive years; the last reported case was in October 2012. With no local transmission reported,

Sri Lanka s priority since October has been to prevent its return from outside, particularly from malaria-endemic countries such as India.

There were 95, 49 and 36 cases reported in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively, all contracted

outside Sri Lanka.

Means of achieving win over Malaria

In a commendable initiative, Sri Lanka adopted a two-pronged strategy of targeting both vector and

parasite, undertaking active detection of cases and residual parasite carriers by screening

populations irrespective of whether malaria symptoms were present.

Early detection and treatment of asymptomatic parasite carriers, who serve as reservoirs of

infection, played a crucial role in interrupting the chain by:

109 | P a g e

1. Means of house visits and by starting mobile clinics in high-transmission areas

2. Real-time monitoring through effective surveillance systems

3. Community awareness and mobilization

4. The public sector and the private sector were oriented to the common goal of eliminating malaria

by enhancing case notification and achieving 100 per cent detection and confirmation through

tests.

5. Sri Lanka expanded the coverage of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to protect high-risk

populations, and used multiple methods to reduce mosquito numbers.