weekly 10 to 16 december 2012 ias

8/22/2019 Weekly 10 to 16 December 2012 IAS

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10TH DECEMBER 16TH DECEMBER, 2012

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WEEKLY CURRENT

AFFAIRS BULLETIN

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Week l y Cur r en t Af fa i r s 10 th December 16th December , 2012 [3]

ADM ISS ION OPEN fo r Ch r on i c l e IAS Academy Cu r en t A f f a i r s Spec i a l Ba t ch . Ca l l : 9953120676

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Programme Assistance:

Email id:[email protected]

Technical Assistance : Sushil Singh

Email id: [email protected]

Call: 9582948810, 9953007628

Mail: [email protected]

Production and productivity, Microirrigation,Urbanization, Government Initiatives......

6th January: Indian Economy Basics, Planning & Trade1. Industry Services, Agriculture, Energy.....2. Balance of Payments. Foreign Direct Investment.......3. Growth, Development and Other Issues.........4. Poverty Estimates, Impact of Poverty........5. Exchange rate. Role of RBI.....6. Nature of Planning - Five Year Plan, Planning after

1991 (LPG), Inflation.....

13th January: Governance and Contemporary PoliticalDevelopments : Development Politics, Political andAdministrative Institutions, Good Governance, InternalSecurity....

SCHEDULE FOR SECTIONAL TESTS(PAPER I & II)

20th January ... Ecology and environment27th January ... Comprehension3rd February .. Polity and Governance10th February. English Language Comprehension

+ Logical Reasoning17th February . Geography24th February. Decision Making and Problem

Solving3rd March ....... Mental Ability, Basic Numeracy,

Data Interpretation and DataSufficiency

10th March ..... General Science and Science andTechnology

17th March ..... History24th March ..... Indian Economy

FULL MOCK SCHEDULE

31st March ...... Mock 1 Paper 1, Mock 1 Paper 2

7th April ......... Mock 2 Paper 1, Mock 2 Paper 2

14th April ....... Mock 3 Paper 1, Mock 3 Paper 221st April ........ Mock 4 Paper 1, Mock 4 Paper 2

SCHEDULE FOR GS TOPICAL TESTS

2nd December: Infrastructure & Resources

1. Transportation infrastructure: Road and HighwayNetworks, Mass Transit Systems, Railways,Waterways, Ports....

2. Energy infrastructure:- Thermal Power Generation,Natural Gas Pipelines & Petroleum Pipelines, NuclearEnergy, Renewable Energy......

3. Water management infrastructure:- Drinking water

supply, Sewage Collection and Disposal of Wastewater, Flood Control, Water Harwesting.....

4. Communications infrastructure:- Television andRadio Transmission, Internet, Social Network, SearchEngines, Communications Satellites......

5. Solid Waste Management

6. Economic Infrastructure: Manufacturing Infrastructure,including Industrial Parks and Special Economic zones,Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Infrastructure....

7. Resources: Water Resources, Forest Resources, LandResources, Energy Resources, Minerals, ResourceManagement.....

9th December: Demography : Population Composition,Density, Literacy, Sex Ratio...

16th December: Environmental Problems & GlobalEnvironmental Governance : Deforestation, Pollution:Air, Water, Land, Noise, Desertification, BiodiversityDepletion, Global Warming, SD.......

23rd December: Human Development, Social SectorInitiatives and Programmes & Policies

1. Concept of Human Development, Developmentvs. Growth, Human Development Index, MPI,Innovation.....

2. Social Inclusion, Child Welfare, Women Welfare....

30th December: Agriculture, Urbanisation, Health :Agriculture and GDP, Agricultural Regionalization,

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[ 4 ] Week l y Cur r en t Af fa i r s 10 th December 16th December , 2012


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Government to Provide Insurance to Men,Machines In Naxal Areas

In a move to motivate contractors to take up roadconstruction in left wing extremism (LWE) affecteddistricts, the Centre has decided to provide insurancecover to the men and machines deployed at sites.

The highways ministry issued this notificationafter it found that contractors were not showingany interest in the troubled zones since there wasa fear of equipment being damaged and employees

getting attacked. There have been instances like theburning of equipment and even the contractorgetting killed by Naxals in Malkangiri district inOdisha in October, vehicles being burnt in Kankerin Chhattisgarh in March and also in Dumka andSimdega areas in Jharkhand in the past few yearsto drive away contractors so that there is no freshroad work.

The premium of insurance is to be charged withproject cost estimate and to be met out of the

contigencies/work charged establishment.The relaxation of bidding norms for projects in

Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra andMP allows smaller and local players in these areasto qualify for projects. The decision was taken afterthe delay in award and implementation of LWEprojects due to poor response of bidders. Anothermajor intention of the government behind thisrelaxation is to allow the successful contractor tosub-contract non-mechanized/non-bituminous work

including earthwork.There are projects like the one in Odisha costing

Rs 45 crore which did not get a single bidder evenafter tenders were floated for the fifth time in 2011-12. The situation was worse in Chhattisgarh whereeight projects covering 252 km are not getting

bidders.

Taluka courts for speedy justice in villages

Aiming to bring justice to the doorstep of peoplein villages, the government plans to set up at least

2,500 courts at the taluka level, saving rural folk thetrouble of having to travel to the districtheadquarters.

NATIONAL

The plan is an extension of the gram nyayalayascheme in which mobile courts visit villages todispense speedy justice by adopting summaryproceedings.

With the gram nyayalaya scheme beset withfunding problems, the government plans to set upcourt buildings and provide for their runningexpenses.

In the proposed funding pattern, the Centre willmeet 75% of the cost of infrastructure and running

expenses while states will pitch in with the remaining25%, the same as in the case of subordinate courtsand high courts.

These civil courts will be headed by a judicialmagistrate but will not be bound by the rules ofCode of Criminal Procedure or those followed incivil suits. These courts have also been exemptedfrom strictly adhering to the rules of evidence, unlikeother courts.

The Centre had initially agreed to provide Rs 18

lakh in fixed expenditure to set up courtinfrastructure and Rs 3.20 lakh for running expensesfor three years. However, the law ministry hasproposed that the Centre meet 75% of the totalexpenditure as applicable in the case of setting upsubordinate courts.

The law ministry feels these courts will have animmense impact. Besides bringing down litigation inthe higher judiciary, the taluka level courts will helppeople settle disputes in the villages itself without

the need to travel to district centres or state capitals.These courts will be empowered to pronounce

judgment, with a time limit of six months set toadjudicate cases. In case the litigants are not satisfied,they can approach higher courts, but a time limit ofsix months has also been fixed for adjudication ofthese cases in higher courts.

CSIR, HP develop new system for better

healthcare

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) and IT major Hewlett Packard announcedthe development of a system that would provide


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affordable healthcare to the rural poor andsimultaneously facilitate better medicines for variousailments.

The system is based on a combination of the latestin IT, cloud computing, and standard shippingcontainers, which have become unusable for normalfreight movement.

While the containers would be used for settingup basic health centres in remote areas at a muchfaster pace and at much lesser cost than aconventional brick and mortar centre, cloudcomputing would help scientists working in distantlaboratories access physiological data required tomake new medicines for different ailments. Thesystem would also feature a telemedicine studio, alaboratory and a pharmacy.

A pilot project of the system has been tried at a

village in Kaithal district of Haryana in partnershipwith O.P. Jindal Gramin Jan Kalyan Sansthan, anNGO for rural welfare run by the Jindal group. Thevillage comes under the Parliamentary constituencyof Mr. Jindal.

3M India, and Orion eService are also involved inthe project.

Direct benefit transfer system launched inDelhi

United Progressive Alliance chairperson SoniaGandhi has launched the Delhi government'sambitious food security programme, 'Dilli Annshree

Yojana', a direct benefit transfer system and describedit as a first-of-its-kind food security scheme integratedwith the UID Aadhar in the country.

Under the scheme a monthly cash subsidy of Rs.600 will be directly transferred to the bank accountof the senior most female member of 2 lakh poorfamilies, will help eradicate hunger from the country.

The scheme was a testimony to the Stategovernment's efforts in providing a helping hand to

vulnerable families, and an effort to empowerwomen. The scheme was not an alternative to thepublic distribution system, but was an extension ofexisting food security efforts being undertaken underthe PDS. It would provide an option to beneficiariesto purchase food items and essentials wheneverrequired.

Skill-based programme for Naxal-hitdistricts in Chhattisgarh

A skill-based training programme will belaunched in 10 worst-affected Naxal districts inChhattisgarh to help the youth sharpen their skills

in different professions. The government wouldlaunch 'Skill Gurukul' scheme in Rajnandgaon onDecember 25 which will be later extended to otherdistricts. The state government is already running

centres in Naxal-hit districts to provide training totribal youth in sewing machine, electrical work anddata entry operations.


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INTERNATIONAL

China gets law to curb Tibet immolations

As the self-immolations in Tibet continuedunabated, China has brought a new law under whichanyone caught helping someone self immolate would

be held liable for "intentional homicide". Accordingto a regulation recently drafted by the ministry ofpublic security and the judicial bodies, people whoplan, organize, incite or help others perform self-immolations will be tried for intentional homicide.Further those who parade a corpse through the

streets or gather to watch the immolation withoutactively stopping the suicide will also be subject tocriminal prosecution.

North Korea launches rocket in defiance ofcritics

Isolated and impoverished North Korea launchedits second long- range rocket of 2012 and hassucceeded in putting a satellite into space. The rocket,which North Korea labeled as a weather satelliteinto orbit, has been labeled by the United States,

South Korea and Japan as a test of technology thatcould one day deliver a nuclear warhead capable ofhitting targets as far away as the continental UnitedStates.

North Korea in 2009 successfully conducted thenuclear test that prompted the U.N. Security Councilto stiffen sanctions that it originally imposed in 2006after the North's first nuclear test. North Korea is

banned from developing nuclear and missile-relatedtechnology under U.N. resolutions

The United Nations Security Council unanimouslycondemned the North Korean rocket launch, callingit a "clear violation" of UN prohibitions.

Pakistan pledges cash for girls education

President Asif Ali Zardari has announced a $10million donation for a global war chest to educateall girls by 2015 set up in the name of MalalaYousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban forcampaigning for girls' education.

The "Malala Fund for Girls' Right to Education"aims at raising billions of dollars to ensure that allgirls go to school by 2015 in line with United Nations

Newly revised treaty has been launched by ITU

Delegates from over 160 countries meeting in

Dubai have finished drafting the text of a revised

global treaty that sets out general principles for

assuring the free flow of information worldwide.

Envoys from nearly 90 nations signed the first new

U.N. telecommunications treaty since the Internetage, but the U.S. and other Western nations refused

to join after claiming it endorses greater government

control over cyberspace.

The treaty contains many gains and achievements,

including increased transparency in international

mobile roaming charges and competition, an

extremely important win for consumers.

The current ITRs functions as the binding global

treaty designed to facilitate international

interconnection of information and communication

services, as well as ensuring their efficiency and

widespread public usefulness and availability.

Whereas the revised treaty contains a newly updated

article that will promote greater connectivity for

people with disabilities as well as a new resolution

covering land-locked developing nations and SmallIsland developing States.

This resolution will set the framework for

increased investment and roll out of broadband and

mobile broadband, bringing vital services to

populations that are currently disconnected.

ITU is the United Nations specialized agency

for information and communicationtechnologies. The ITU coordinates the shared

global use of the radio spectrum, promotes

international cooperation in assigning satellite

orbits, works to improve telecommunication

infrastructure in the developing world, and

assists in the development and coordination of

worldwide technical standards. The ITU is active

in areas including broadband Internet, latest-

generation wireless technologies, aeronautical

and maritime navigation, radio astronomy,

satellite-based meteorology, convergence infixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice,

TV broadcasting, and next-generation networks.


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Millennium goals. Education Minister Waqas Akramsigned the agreement with the United NationsEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organizationhead Irina Bokova.

Ziauddin Yousafzai, Ms. Yousafzai's father, aformer teacher and headmaster has been appointedspecial adviser for education, UNESCO, to

implement a new 'Malala Plan' to get all girls intoschool around the world by the end of 2015. TheU.N. estimates 61 million children do not go to schooland girls account for two-thirds of this number.

U.S. recognition of Syrian rebels drawsprotests

President Obama has announced that the UnitedStates would formally recognize a coalition of Syrianopposition groups as that country's legitimaterepresentative, in an attempt to intensify the pressureon President Bashar al-Assad to give up his nearlytwo-year bloody struggle to stay in power. Russiaand China have rejected the U.S. move to recognisethe Syrian opposition, mostly based abroad, andreiterated that the prolonged crisis can be resolvedonly by Syrians themselves, based on an inclusiveinternal dialogue.

Russians stressed that it was not by following a

partisan approach but only by pursuing the Geneva

accord, which had recommended an internationally

backed intra-Syrian dialogue, that an amicable Syrianpolitical transition can be achieved. U.N. Secretary-

General Ban Ki-moon, the former U.N. negotiator

on Syria, Kofi Annan, Arab League Secretary-General

Nabil al-Arabi, the U.S. Secretary of State as well asthe Foreign Ministers of Russia, China, Britain,

France, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq had

endorsed Geneva Accord. The Geneva accord had

formally endorsed a plan that would allow the

participation of members of the government ofPresident Bashar al-Assad in a broad national

coalition that would steer the transition.

But the announcement marks a new phase of

American engagement in a bitter conflict that has

claimed at least 40,000 lives, threatened to destabilizethe broader Middle East and defied all outside

attempts to end it.

The United States is not the first to make this

step. Britain, France, Turkey and the Gulf

Cooperation Council have also recognized the Syrian

opposition group.


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Cabinet finalizes Reserve Price for theAuction of Spectrum in 1800 MHz band

The Union Cabinet has approved the ReservePrice for spectrum in 1800 MHz band for 4 serviceareas (Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan)where no bids were received during auctions heldin November, 2012 and for spectrum in 900 MHz

band in Metro service areas of Delhi, Mumbai andKolkata as recommended by an Empowered Groupof Ministers (EGoM).

The decision includes:

a) The reserve price for 1800 MHz band in theservice areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka andRajasthan be reduced by 30 percent from theprevious reserve price;

b) The reserve price for 900 MHz spectrum in Delhiand Mumbai be twice such revised reserve pricefor the 1800 MHz band; and

c) The reserve price for 900 MHz spectrum inKolkata be twice the price obtained for the 1800MHz band for this service area in the auctionheld in November, 2012.

As regards payment for spectrum currently heldin 1800 and 900 MHz bands by existing operators in4 service areas (namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Karnatakaand Rajasthan) where auction determined price isnot available, it has been decided that such operators

be charged at the revised reserve price, on theapplicable quantum of spectrum, till such time asauction determined price becomes available, and that

after the auction price becomes available, the earlierpayment made on the basis of reserve price would

be adjusted against the amount actually due.

The reserve price in last month's auction was Rs693.06 crore for Delhi circle, Rs 678.45 crore forMumbai, Rs 330.12 crore for Karnataka and Rs 67.08crore for Rajasthan. The new base price after 30 percent cut would be Rs 485.142 crore for Delhi, Rs474.915 crore for Mumbai, Rs 231.084 crore forKarnataka and Rs 46.956 crore for Rajasthan.

The above decisions are expected to result infurther efficient utilisation of the scarce naturalresource of spectrum facilitating proliferation oftelecom services in the country.

ECONOMY

CCEA clears new urea investment policy

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) has approved a urea investment policy,which is likely to incentivize fertilizer companies toset up new plants and expand existing capacity. Thenew policy aims at attracting fresh investment ofabout Rs.35, 000 crore to increase domesticproduction by eight million tonnes

Under the new policy, the government will give12-20 per cent post-tax return on fresh capital infused

by the manufacturers for setting up of new plants aswell as for expansion and revamp of the existingones.

To ensure this return, the government wouldcover the entire cost of natural gas, which is themain feedstock of urea, and accounts for 80 per centof the cost. The government controls the urea sectorand has fixed the maximum retail price (MRP) atRs.5, 360 a tonne.

The difference between the MRP and the cost of

production is given as subsidy to manufacturers.

For determining the cost of production of newplants to be set up after the policy comes into effect,the government has set a floor and ceiling price ofurea, based on the price of natural gas plus 12-20per cent equity returns.

Meanwhile, the CCEA also cleared a proposal toextend additional subsidy to Fertilisers andChemicals Travancore (FACT) till June, 2013, to coverthe cost of naptha-based complex fertilizer.

In the last two years, the government has beengiving additional subsidy to naptha-based complexfertilizer makers such as FACT and MFL to coverhigher cost of production with a condition that theywill convert their units into gas-based. FACT isexpected to complete conversion of its units into gas-

based by May next. Hence, the CCEA cleared theadditional subsidy till June.

Reserve Bank tightens norms for issue of

debit cardsThe Reserve Bank of India has tightened the rules

for issuing debit cards. It stipulated that debit cards


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would be issued to customers having Savings Bankand Current Accounts but not to cash credit or loanaccount holders. Secondly, banks may issue onlyonline debit cards, including co-branded debit cardsand rupee denominated co-branded pre-paid cards,without seeking the prior approval of the central bank.

Banks are, henceforth, not permitted to issue

offline-debit cards. Banks which are now issuingoffline debit cards may conduct a review of theiroffline debit card operations and discontinueoperations of such cards within a period of sixmonths from the date of this circular.

Banks were also asked to ensure that customerswere duly informed regarding switching over toonline debit cards. However, till such time as offlinecards were phased out, the outstanding balances /unspent balances stored on the cards would be

subject to computation of reserve requirements.Whereas no bank shall despatch a card to a customer

unsolicited, except in the case where the card is areplacement for a card already held by the customer.

Each bank shall make available to the cardholdersin writing, a set of contractual terms and conditionsgoverning the issue and use of such a card. Theseterms shall maintain a fair balance between theinterests of the parties concerned and shall beexpressed clearly.

However, the RBI has further stated that bankswould not be held liable for any loss caused by atechnical breakdown of the payment system if the

breakdown of the system was recognisable for thecardholder by a message on the display of the deviceor otherwise known. The responsibility of the bankfor the non-execution or defective execution of thetransaction is limited to the principal sum and theloss of interest subject to the provisions of the lawgoverning the terms.

With a view to reducing the instances of misuseof lost/stolen cards, the apex bank asked banks toissue cards with photographs of the cardholder orany other advanced methods that may evolve fromtime to time.

Banks should undertake review of theiroperations/issue of debit cards on half-yearly basis.The review would include, inter-alia, card usageanalysis, including cards not used for long durationsdue to their inherent risks.

Banks were asked to ensure to put in place aneffective mechanism for redressal of customercomplaints. "The name, designation, address and

contact number of important executives as well asthe grievance redressal officer of the bank may bedisplayed on the website."

Further, the RBI said that there should be a system

of acknowledging customers' complaints for follow-up, such as complaint number / docket number.

SEBI has set up new panel to StandardizeNorms for Foreign Investment

Presently there are various routes/rules for

foreign investors such as sub-accounts, ODIs(offshore derivative instruments), FIIs and QFIs andNRIs etc. thus in consultation with government, SEBIhave decided to combine these various routes whichare present today into one single route. Thus Marketregulator SEBI has set up a committee under formercabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar to standardize

and unify the rules regarding foreign investmentsmade under various routes into the capital markets.

The Chandrashekhar committee will simplify normsregarding overseas entities such as foreigninstitutional investors (FIIs), foreign venture capitalinvestors (FVCIs), qualified financial/institutionalinvestors (QFIs) and NRIs, and also to strengthensurveillance over them.

With a view to rationalize/harmonize differentroutes for foreign portfolio investments, SEBI will

prepare draft guidelines based on the guidance ofthe working group on foreign investments, forconsideration of the government so that uniformguidelines are made for various categories ofinvestors such as FIIs, FVCIs, NRIs, QFIs, etc.

Overall, FIIs are the largest players in the domesticmarket. So far this year, they have pumped in $21

billion into the domestic equities, the second best

inflow after 2010, when they had pumped in over $29billion. On the back of robust fund flows, the BSE's30-stock benchmark sensex has rallied over 25%.

PM to head Cabinet Committee on

Investment

The government has set up a Cabinet Committeeon Investment (CCI) to accord approval to megaprojects worth over Rs 1,000 crore, removeinvestment bottlenecks and drive growth. The panelwill be headed by the Prime Minister and seek to"fast-track mega projects of over Rs 1,000 crore.

The committee will identify projects in notifiedsectors and prescribe time limits for approvals.However, the constitution to be decided by the PMwill also project monitoring in notified sectors and


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review implementation of delayed projects. If aministry has to give approval there will be a 30 daywindow and if the ministry does not give some sortof a response by that point in time, it will then betaken over by the Cabinet Committee on Investmentto take forward. This is likely to bring in some degreeof predictability when it comes to the large degree

of infrastructure proposals and large big ticketinfrastructure investments.

Regulatory delays have been holding up projectsworth nearly Rs. 2 lakh crore in the road, power,coal and mining sectors alone. Poor infrastructureis often cited by economists as one of the biggestobstacles to a more robust economic growth forIndia.

A typical infrastructure project requires clearancesfrom 19 ministries and on an average 56 permissions

on issues ranging from the environment to defence.The whole process takes up to 24 months.

Originally conceived of as the NationalInvestment Board, the proposal of FinanceMinister P Chidambram had been stridentlyopposed by the Environment Ministry and otherswho felt the new committee would have over-reaching powers.

The Cabinet, however, renamed the proposedbody as Cabinet Committee on Investment. The panel

will have ministers in charge of infrastructure sectorsas its members.

Mobile number portability to apply

countrywide by Feb

The Government announced that nationwidemobile number portability (MNP) is expected to berolled out by February. This means that users canretain their numbers even if they move from oneState (and telecom circle) to another.

Right now, consumers are allowed to switch to adifferent operator within their circle with the samenumber.

Under NTP 2012, the Government had envisagedimplementing MNP on a nationwide level allowingusers to retain their mobile numbers even when theyshift to a different telecom circle. India has 22 telecomcircles. According to the Telecom RegulatoryAuthority of India (TRAI), by October-end, about 75.14million subscribers had submitted their requests to

the various service providers for moving to otherservices.

SEBI' new guidelines to prevent flashcrashes at bourses

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)announced a series of measures to prevent flashcrash. It has asked exchanges to put an upper limiton a single order at Rs 10 crore and also decided totighten the dynamic price band around a stock that

will stretch only 10 per cent either way.

The measures are a response to the possibility offlash crashes like the one which happened in October5 this year at the NSE.

This means no order of above Rs 10 crore will beaccepted by the stock exchange for execution in themarket. The dynamic price band is tighter than thecircuit filters that exchanges apply on stock pricesdaily. The new band will also be applicable on indexfutures and stock futures.

However in case of a market trend in eitherdirection, the dynamic price bands shall be relaxed

by the stock exchanges in increments of 5 per cent.

As a result of the upper limit on single order, theregulator has made it impossible for anyone to avoidthe block deal window and route trades through thenormal window.

The regulator has introduced minimum pre-traderisk controls for all categories of orders placed onstocks, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Index Futures

and Stock futures. While the limit on value of anorder has been fixed at Rs 10 crore, the stockexchange will be required to ensure that appropriatechecks for value and quantity are implemented bythe stock brokers with respect to the risk profile oftheir clients.

SEBI has also directed the stock exchanges toensure that stock brokers put-in place a mechanismto limit the cumulative value of all unexecuted ordersplaced from their terminals to below a threshold limitset by the stock brokers.

Stock exchanges have also been directed to ensurethat the stock brokers are mandatorily put in risk-reduction mode when 90 per cent of the his collateralavailable for adjustment against margins gets utilisedon account of trades that fall under a margin system.SEBI's measures and directions are result of a flashcrash at Nifty where it fell by 900 points to hit anintra-day low of 4,888 on October 5, 2012. Nifty hitthe lower circuit and thereby closing the cash marketautomatically for almost 15 minutes. The crash was

linked to erroneous trades worth $126 million, placedby Emkay Global Financial Services.


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INDIA AND THE WORLD

India to sign legal aid treaty with 4 nations

India will sign Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in

criminal matters with four countries including Israel,

Azerbaijan, Nepal and Oman by next year. The treaty

facilitates mutual assistance between two countries

in prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime.The agreement assumes importance in combating

trans-national organized crimes, drug trafficking,

money laundering, terrorism, counterfeit currency

and smuggling of arms and explosives.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal

Ministry for concluding Mutual Legal Assistance

Treaties in Criminal Matters which are designated

to facilitate widest measures of mutual assistance ininvestigation, prosecution and prevention of crime,

service of summons and other judicial documents,

execution of warrants and other judicial commissions

and tracing, restraint, forfeiture or confiscation of

proceeds and instruments of crime.

These agreements assume importance incombating transnational organized crimes, trans-

border terrorism, crimes and other serious offences,

such as, drug trafficking, money laundering,

counterfeit currency, smuggling of arms of

explosives, etc. India has so far operationalised these

Treaties with 32 countries namely. Further India

along with other SAARC countries has signed a

Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal

Matters in 2008. India has since ratified theConvention. The Convention will come into force

after ratification of the Convention by all the MemberStates. The Convention aims to strengthen regional

cooperation in investigation and prosecution of

crime.

UAE cabinet approves extradition

agreement with India

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have

moved a step forward in enforcing an extraditionagreement that would allow around 1,200 convicted

Indians jailed in the country to return home to complete

their prison terms. The UAE Cabinet formally approved

the mutual agreement signed last year.

As per the agreement, Indian prisoners in the UAEjails, those who have been sentenced, will have achoice to spend the remaining prison term in India.

BEL, IAI ink pact on future long rangemissile-ship defence

Bharat Electronics Limited has signed MoU withIsrael Aerospace Industries for cooperation on futureLong Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM) Ship-Defence Systems.

The MoU lays out framework for BEL-IAIcooperation, under which BEL will function as thelead integrator and produce major sub-systems.IAI will continue to act as design authority and toproduce sub-systems as main sub-contractor ofBEL.

LR-SAMs, along with MR-SAMs (Medium RangeSAMs) for the IAF, is among the major pursuits ofthe Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO), which is said to be developing some ofthem, also in a tie-up with IAI, at a cost of overaround Rs. 2,500 crore.

It is based on Israel's Barak missile systemand will give the country an advanced, seeker-

based miss il e capabilit y. Indi an mi ss il es ar e'guided' and the country does not have the'seeker' technology that enables a missile to homein on the target.

The LR-SAM would track and engage multiple targetssimultaneously over a 70-km range, defence sources said.

The project could span five to eight years.

Partnership with BEL will further enhance IAI'sability to provide high quality solutions and serviceto Indian defence services, best supporting the needsof India. For several years IAI has been engaged in

joint development programmes with DRDO andIndian defence industries for the Indian Navy andIndian Air Force, including joint manufacturing ofsub-systems, according to BEL.

Bilateral Visit of the External AffairsMinister to Myanmar

External Affairs Minister, Shri Salman Khurshid,paid a bilateral visit to Myanmar from December 14to 16, 2012.


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During the visit India has announced assistanceof $1 million towards relief in Myanmar's Rakhinestate which was rocked by widespread ethnic clashesleaving thousands displaced. Rakhine witnessedclashes between the Rakhine and Rohingyacommunities, leaving around 35,000 people displacedlast month. The total number of displaced since June

stands at 110,000India is also to set up a consulate at Sittwe, capital

of Rakhine state, situated on the western coast. Indiais also involved in developing the $120-million Sittwedeep water port, which is set to become functional by

June 2013. The port will allow cargo vessels fromIndia's landlocked Mizoram state to navigate theKaladan river and connect them to Myanmar andsoutheast Asia.

India and Myanmar enjoy the closest ties of

friendship and cooperation based upon thecommonalities of history, culture, religion,ethnicity and spirituality. The exchange of highlevel visits over the past year, including the Statevisits of the Prime Minister to Myanmar in May2012 and that of the President of Myanmar to Indiain October 2011, has further strengthened thesemultifaceted ties. A number of new initiativesrelated to enhancing connectivity through land,

sea and air; promoting bilateral cooperation andexchanges in the areas of security, bordercooperation, trade and commerce, banking,agriculture, health, science & technology,information technology, culture; infrastructuredevelopment; capacity building and humanresource development; organization of training forMyanmar Parliamentarians and Parliamentary staffin India; and promotion of people to people

contacts, among others; are under implementationby the two sides.

The visit of the External Affairs Minister provided

an opportunity to review the entire gamut of thebilateral relationship and build further upon themomentum in bilateral relations.

India and Ukraine Meet

Mr. Viktor Yanukovych, the President of Ukrainepaid a State Visit to India, accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officialsand leading representatives of the Ukrainian businesscommunity.

The two sides signed agreements in the fields oflegal assistance, defence cooperation, science and

technology, nuclear safety and standardization.

Further the two nations agreed on the

imperative to develop a meaningful relationship

of bilateral engagement by better leveraging

significant complementarities existing between

the two countries in key areas of mutual

interest, such as civil nuclear cooperation,

defence and space technology, fertil izers ,

healthcare and pharmaceuticals, agriculture andfood security, industrial engineering and mining.

They agreed to enhance interaction at the political,

official and business levels to achieve this

objective.

Salient outcomes of the meet:

In the field of Trade and economy, the two

sides reviewed the current level of bilateral trade

of around USD three billion and noted the

significant growth of nearly 50% in 2012 as

compared to 2010. They agreed to make all-round

joint efforts to enhance the bilateral trade further.

Both sides also took note of the decisions taken

during the fourth session of the India-Ukraine

Intergovernmental Commission held in June this

year in Kyiv. They agreed to streamline the existing

mechanism for trade and economic dialogue on a

regular basis and reaffirmed their intention to

boost bilateral investment. They emphasised the

need for the Intergovernmental Commission to

meet regularly on an annual basis and directedthat its fifth session be held in 2013 in New Delhi.

The two sides agreed that there was a need to

facilitate broader engagement and more active

contacts between business persons. In this context,

the Indian side stressed the need to facilitate

business visas.

Recognizing the technological and engineering

prowess of Ukraine and flagging India's liberalized

policy of attracting foreign investment, the Indian

side invited the Ukrainian side to consider investingin India's infrastructure development and the

modernization of its industries, especially in the steel

and power sectors.

Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of

Standardisation, Conformity Assessment and Quality

between the Bureau of Indian Standards and the

Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of

Ukraine has been signed. The MoU is in continuation

of a similar MoU signed for a period of five years in

2005. It envisages enhanced economic engagementthrough elimination of technical barriers to trade and

economic relations.


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The two sides welcomed the signing of the

agreement between the Atomic Energy Regulatory

Board of India and the State Nuclear Regulatory

Committee of Ukraine. The Agreement envisages

cooperation in some very important regulatory

activities, including legislative regulations, safety

guides and technical criteria on nuclear safety; siting,

design, construction, operation, decommissioning ofnuclear facilities; waste management and

environment impact etc.

Both the nations have signed an agreement for

the defence cooperation. The Agreement will provide

the framework for expanding military technical

cooperation on an institutionalized basis. It envisages

mechanisms to be set up for promoting defence

cooperation. It will pave the way for moving our

relationship to a new plane, that of joint research

and development in the future. The agreement wouldalso facilitate regular dialogue between the two sides

in new areas of cooperation and smooth

implementation of ongoing projects.

Both sides welcomed the conclusion of the

bilateral agreement for cooperation in science and

technology. The agreement envisages regular

meetings of a joint committee, exchange of scientists

and holding of seminars, joint research programmes

and contacts between scientific organizations. There

are over ten ongoing joint research programmes andthis agreement will allow for further expansion of

collaboration in this area.

The Ukrainian side welcomed the establishment

of the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies at the Institute

of International Relations of the Taras Shevchenko

National University in Kyiv. The two sides agreed

that it was essential to promote regular exchange of

academics and encourage study of topics of mutual

interest which would serve to deepen mutual

cooperation and understanding. They agreed tofurther enhance the cultural links between the

friendly peoples of the two countries. Recognizing

that the number of Indians studying in Ukraine has

grown considerably over the past five years, with

more than 3500 Indian scholars pursuing higher

studies, the two sides agreed to negotiate and

conclude agreements for mutual recognition of

medical and non-medical degrees and to promote

mutual educational exchanges. The Indian side

requested the Ukrainian side to facilitate the issue ofvisas to Indian students and also their registration

by local authorities.

Diplomatic relations between India and

Ukraine were established in January 1992. Thus,

the visit of the President is taking place during

the 20th anniversary celebrations of the

establishment of diplomatic relations. The

previous visit at the Presidential level was that of

former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who had

visited Ukraine in 2005.

Cooperation between India and Ukraine is multi-faceted and covers a wide range of areas includingpolitical, defence, S&T, nuclear, space, economic andtrade & others. The bilateral trade turnover hasincreased from US$138.62 million in 1992 to US$2,865.45 million in 2011-12. Indian pharmaceuticalexports to Ukraine are the largest by volume andsecond in terms of value (USD 325 million in 2011)for the past several years. India imports 25% ofsunflower oil production of Ukraine, which isamongst the world's largest producers of sunflower

oil.

New Visa Agreement between India andPakistan

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde andPakistan's Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik jointlyoperationalised the new visa agreement betweenIndia and Pakistan in New Delhi.

Government of the Republic of India and the

Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistanhad signed on 8th September, 2012, a new VisaAgreement to facilitate travel for the nationalsof both countries desirous of travelling to theother country and to promote people to peoplecontact.

Key features of the new Visa Agreement are as below:

Visitor Visa

a) Places of visit allowable increased from three tofive places.

b) In exceptional cases visitor visa for one year couldbe issued in the past. Now provision made forissue of visa upto two years in following cases:

i. Persons above 65 years of age

ii. National of one country married to nationalof the other country.

iii. Children below 12 years accompanyingparents in (ii) above

Visa on Arrival

Visa on arrival will also be granted at Attari/Wagah border to persons more than 65, for 45 days,


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with single entry - this concession will be effectivefrom January 15.

Business Visa

Exemption from Police Reporting for Businessvisa granted to businessmen with an annualincome above Pak Rs. 5 million or equivalent or

annual turnover above Pak Rs. 30 million orequivalent.

Group Tourist Visa

Group tourist visa will also be issued for 30 daysfor travel in groups, with not less than 10 membersand not more than 50 members. This will beoperative from March 15, 2013.

Entry and exit

Entry and exit points from different designatedimmigration check-posts would be allowed, ifindicated in the application, as per the new visaagreement. However, exit from Wagah/Attari onfoot cannot be accepted unless the entry was alsoon foot from the same point.

The New Visa Agreement will facilitate easymovement of people across the two countries.

During the visit of Pak Interior Minister, the Indianand Pakistan delegations are also holding a bilateralmeeting on issues that include counter terrorism bordermanagement, fake Indian Currency Notes andcooperation among security and investigation agencies.


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Titan's Nile: 400km river spotted on Saturnmoon

The international Cassini mission has spotted thelongest extraterrestrial river system ever - on Saturn's

moon Titan - and it appears to be a miniature version

of Earth's Nile River. The river valley on Titan

stretches more than 400 kilometres from its

"headwaters" to a large sea. In comparison, the Nile

River on Earth stretches about 6,700 kilometres.

Titan is known to have vast seas - the only other

body in the solar system, apart from Earth, to possessa cycle of liquids on its surface. However, the thick

Titan atmosphere is a frigid one, meaning liquid

water couldn't possibly flow. The liquids on Titan

are therefore composed of hydrocarbons such as

methane and ethane.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative

project of NASA, ESA and ASI, the Italian space

agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a

division of the California Institute of Technology

in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's

Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The

Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and

assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built

by JPL and ASI, working with team members

from the US and several European countries.

Arctic summers may become ice-free: UN

Of all the warnings about dramatic effects of

climate change, a leaked draft UN report states that

Arctic Ocean in summer months can become ice-free if global temperature rises by more than 2

degrees Celsius over current levels.

The potential reduction in Arctic ice, resultant

rise in water levels and the possibility of new sea

lanes accessing the frozen north of Russia, Japanand Scandinavian countries has engaged scientists

for some time and the report provides more evidence

that this could happen. But any economic benefits

apart, changes in the polar ice cap can alter life on

Earth for the worse, with more frequent hot spells,unless the annual rate of greenhouse gas emissions

is halted and even reversed.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The scientific body predicts a global mean surfaceair temperature change for the period 2016-2035compared to 1986-2005 could be in the range 0.4C-1.0C. The change, however, is likely to be near thelower range. Scientific evidence, the report claims,shows global combined land and ocean temperature

data indicates an increase of about 0.8C over 1901-2010 and about 0.5C over the period 1979-2010.

The inability of climate negotiations to bridge gapsbetween the US, Europe and much of the developing

world, including expanding economies like Chinaand India, makes the report's forecasts even moreworrisome.

The draft report reaffirms that human-inducedclimate change is heating up the atmosphere leadingto dramatic changes in global ecosystems.

The report, leaked by a known climate sceptic, isstill in draft form and is to be finalized officially byOctober 2013. The draft can undergo moderation,

but the science and evidence has been spelt out in

some detail. The results of the report imply that theworld cannot afford more infertile meetings like therecent one in Doha, as there is an increasingly urgentneed to set limits on cumulative GHG emissions andfind a way to equitably share the finite carbon space.

The report says it is likely that hot spells willincrease globally and the number of hot days willalso go up over the next few decades.

As these predictions are probabilistic in nature,scientists use the term "virtually certain" to imply a

99-100% probability of an event happening. Verylikely refers to a 90-100% probability and likely 66-100% probability.

The average decadal extent of Arctic sea ice hasdecreased in every season since satellite observationscommenced in 1979 and its thickness and volume isin decline as well.

The report notes that if global temperatures areto be maintained at not more than 2C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, the annual greenhouse gas

emissions should not exceed 8.5-12.6 pentagrams ofcarbon per year (PgC per year) by 2020, and 4.6-6.3PgC per year by 2050.


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India against allocation of certain domainnames

India has made it clear that it does not favour theallocation of certain terms like 'Indians,' 'Islam' and'Ram' as new generic Top Level Domain names(gTLDs), the concluding part of the web address thatfollows the dot, as the global web address systemprepares itself for a phase of massive expansion inthe coming months.

Applicants from different parts of the world havesought the addition of hundreds of such new terms,

but the allotment of some of these gTLDs has beenopposed by some countries, including India. Theorganisation that oversees the administration of theglobal web address system, Internet Corporation forAssigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), set the ballrolling in January for the global expansion drive,

inviting applications from interested parties. TheIndian government has also shown the red signal toapplications for the allocation of a few other gTLDsas well - 'Bible,' 'army,' 'navy' and 'air force.' It hasalso expressed its reservations about two others -'shiksha' and 'halal.'

Reliance India had applied for the gTLD.indians,which has not been favoured by the Indiangovernment. India is also against the allotment ofthree other gTLDs - '.ram,' '.islam' and '.bible' under

a Section of the Indian Trade Mark Act that states amark "shall not be registered if it contains orcomprises any matter likely to hurt the religioussusceptibilities of any class or section of the citizensof India."

Domain names are used to identify one or moreIP addresses. For example, the domain namemicrosoft.com represents about a dozen IP addresses.Domain names are used in URLs to identify particularWeb pages. Every domain name has a suffix thatindicates which top level domain (TLD) it belongs

to. There are only a limited number of such domains.For example: gov - Government agencies; edu -Educational institutions; org - Organizations(nonprofit); mil - Military etc.

Because the Internet is based on IP addresses,not domain name, every Web server requires aDomain Name System (DNS) server to translate

domain names into IP addresses.

On June 20, 2011 ICANN's board voted to endmost restrictions on the generic top-level domainnames (gTLD). Companies and organizations will

be able to choose essentially arbitrary top-levelInternet domains. The use of non-Latin characters(such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.) will also beallowed in gTLDs.

New smart laser device can detectexplosives in a jiffy

Scientists have developed a new 100 times morefaster and sensitive laser device capable of detectingtiny traces of explosive vapour in a jiffy. Theprototype - a pulsed, quantum laser-based, cavityring-down spectrometer - is being tested at the USgovernment's Los Alamos National Laboratory inNew Mexico.

The laser machine developed by the Universityof New South Wales (UNSW) is "about 100 times

more sensitive and 100 times faster than any otherdetection device.

The laser device could sniff bags travelling alonga conveyor belt and instantly alert security personnelif it detects explosive vapours from a passing object,such as a suitcase.

It could replace intrusive airport security checkssuch as pat downs and full body scans and bombsniffer dogs. The device uses mirrors to repeatedlypass through the vapour in a "figure-of-eight" path,

which provides a more accurate measurement.


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2 - MARKERS

Web Ratna Awards 2012Web Ratna Awards acknowledge the exemplary

initiatives in e-Governance using the medium ofWorld Wide Web in different categories highlightingapplication of ICT, right from web presence todelivery of citizen services to public participationand innovation in use of technology. The Awards

bring together many e-Governance Awardees andsome of the finest thinkers from the field of IT, e-Governance and academic institutions.

The Awards are conferred to teams from all theconstituents of the Indian Government at the Centreand State level in the following categories:

a) Citizen Centric Service

b) Public Participation Initiative

c) Outstanding Web Content

d) Innovative Use of Technology

e) Comprehensive Web Presence - Ministry/Department

f) Comprehensive Web Presence - StateThe first ever "Web Ratna Awards" were

presented in 2010.

These Awards were finalized through a three tierevaluation process. The entries were independentlyscrutinized using the scientific evaluation matrixdevised by IIT Delhi, which was later meticulouslyevaluated by the Screening Committee. Theshortlisted nominations were thoroughly evaluated

by the Jury comprising of senior members from the

Government, Academia and institutes/organizations. India Bags three World Travel Awards

India has bagged three prestigious awards fromWorld Travel Awards (WTA). These are: World'sLeading Destination- India, World's Leading TouristBoard- Incredible India and World's Leading TouristAttraction- Taj Mahal. GOI has recently launchedPhase-II of Incredible India campaign which indicatesa paradigm shift with the focus now being on theconsumers. Tourism also has the potential to

stimulate other economic factors through its linkageswith a host of sectors like agriculture, manufacturing,transport, hospitality and many others.

Established 19 years ago, WTA is committed toraising the standards of customer service and overallbusiness performance throughout the internationaltourism industry. This was for the first time thatWTA ceremony was held in Asia.

Grammy Lifetime Achievement award forRavi Shankar

Legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankarwould receive the lifetime achievement Grammyaward, organisers of the top music award. Shankar

would receive the award posthumous on February10 at the 55th Grammy Awards ceremony in LosAngeles.

He has been the three-time Grammy winner. Asa performer, composer, teacher and writer, he isconsidered a pioneer in bringing Indian music tothe West. With a performance career spanning morethan 80 years, he has influenced a variety ofmusicians, including the Beatles, John Coltrane,Philip Glass and his daughters, Norah Jones andAnoushka Shankar.

Other recipients of this year's lifetime achievementGrammy awards are Glenn Gould, Charlie Haden,Lightnin' Hopkins, Carole King, Patti Page and theTemptations.

UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize on social scienceresearch

Karen Nathalia Cern Steevens was selected forthe UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize for the Promotion ofSocial Science Research in Latin America and the

Caribbean by an international jury, in recognition ofher research into youth violence in Central Americaand its application to social policies and preventionplans in Guatemala.

Established in 2009 by UNESCO's ExecutiveBoard, the UNESCO/Juan Bosch Prize - consistingof $10,000 and a diploma - is awarded every twoyears. It is named after the Juan Bosch, an eminentauthor, politician, social analyst and advocate ofdemocratic values, who passed away in 2001.According to UNESCO, his work made a

"remarkable" contribution to the study of social andpolitical processes in the Dominican Republic andthe Caribbean.


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In keeping with this legacy, the prize rewardsyoung researchers, who contribute to reinforcing thelinks between social science research and publicpolicies. It also seeks to motivate young researchersand encourage intellectual exchange and dialoguein Latin America and the Caribbean.

Candidates are proposed by the countries in

which Mr. Bosch lived in exile and which have beenhistorically linked to the experience of democracy inthe Dominican Republic - Cuba, Venezuela and CostaRica.

The award will be presented to Ms. Cern Steevensduring an official ceremony to be held at UNESCO'sheadquarters in Paris, in the first half of 2013.

CensusInfo India Software to be LaunchedTomorrow

The CensusInfo India Software launched jointlyby Dr. C. Chandramouli, Registrar General & CensusCommissioner, India, the country chief(s) of UNFPA,UN Women and the representative of UNICEF.

The specially developed CensusInfo IndiaSoftware is an innovative and flexible databasetechnology used for the dissemination of Populationand Housing Census results. The software has beendeveloped by the United Nations Statistics Division,in partnership with UNICEF and UNFPA, to help

countries disseminate their census results at anyrelevant geographical level, on CD-ROM and alsoon the web.

CensusInfo India on Houses, HouseholdAmenities and Assets based on Census 2011 dataprovides access to the dataset on a number ofindicators at State and District level. The user is ableto extract information quite easily and generate chartsand maps depicting the data. This powerful datadissemination tool would not only reduce the burdenof statistical drudgery, but at the same time would

make using census data an enjoyable experience.

Agni-I successfully test fired

In continuing user trials, Agni-I ballistic missilewas successfully launched from Wheeler Island, offOdisha coast, by the Strategic Forces Command. Themedium range ballistic missile developed by theDefence Research and Development Organisationfulfilled its launch objectives.

Agni-I, a single-stage missile powered by solidpropellants, has a specialised navigation systemwhich ensures that it reaches the target with a highdegree of accuracy and precision. Weighing, 12tonnes, the 15-metre-long Agni-I, which is capableof carrying payloads up to 1,000 kg, has already beeninducted into the Indian Army. The last trial of theAgni-I missile was successfully carried out on July13, 2012, from the same test range.

The DRDO has developed Agni series of ballisticmissiles of different ranges. These include Agni-I(around 700 km); Agni-II (up to 2,000 km), Agni-III(up to 3,000 km), Agni-IV beyond 3,500 km and Agni-V which is beyond 5,000 km.

Pandit Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitarist and composer,who has died recently, was India's most esteemedmusical Ambassador. In 1956, he began to tourEurope and the Americas playing Indian classical

music and increased its popularity there in the 1960sthrough teaching, performance, and his associationwith violinist Yehudi Menuhin and rock artist GeorgeHarrison of The Beatles. He has also composed for

ballets and films in India, Canada, Europe and theUnited States. The latter of which includes the films"Charly," "Gandhi," and the "Apu Trilogy".

From 1986 to 1992 he served as a nominatedmember of the upper chamber of the Parliament ofIndia. Shankar was awarded India's highest civilianhonour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999, and received threeGrammy Awards.


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EDITORIALS

Nobel Years Of Peace In Europe

The EU's contribution to promoting reconciliationand democratic values in Europe shouldn't beslighted

The Nobel peace prize, awarded to the EuropeanUnion (EU) at a ceremony in Norway yesterday, hadcome as a surprise to many. This surely shows thatthe EU's success as a peace building project hasallowed people to take peace in Europe for granted.Let me remind you about the process that broughtus here.

Like other parts of the world, the history of Europehas had some glorious moments and others that wereinglorious. Amongst the latter we may count atradition of solving disputes through violence. Thiswas so much a part of the European experience thatprevious generations would look back wistfully atthe ''Pax Romana'', the two centuries in which theRoman empire guaranteed relative peace throughoverwhelming strength. For centuries European

history was marked by large and long or small andintermittent wars. Then came an extraordinary andpioneering acceleration of technological andeconomic progress, which may certainly be countedamongst Europe's achievements, but with it camealso a terrifying transformation of man's capacity tokill and destroy. The politics of peace lagged far

behind the technology of war and the twodevastating world wars of the 20th century originatedon the European continent, though theirconsequences were felt globally.

A handful of 19th-century dreamers had drawnup plans for a united and peaceful Europe, but theircontemplations were interrupted by the movementsof armies. Not even the trauma of the so-called GreatWar, the ''war to end all wars'', which devastated ageneration between 1914 and 1918, was capable offorging a new path for the continent. It was duringthose two decades between the world wars that theNorwegian Nobel Committee on a number ofoccasions awarded the Nobel peace prize for various

means and schemes to put an end to the Europeantradition of war. None of these efforts succeeded inaverting the World War II.

The attribution in 2012 of the Nobel peace prizeto the European Union is not an exercise in hope oran attempt to bolster an innovative approach thatmay one day succeed. Instead, it looks back at sixdecades of an extraordinary and unprecedented pathto peace against the most dispiriting of backgrounds.The Norwegian Nobel Committee justifies the prize

by simply remembering Europe's history and theEU's achievements: ''The union and its forerunnershave for six decades contributed to the advancementof peace and reconciliation, democracy and human

rights in EuropeThis shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence,historical enemies can become close partners''.

The genius of the European approach is that itbegan not with grand architecture but with themodest laying of one brick upon another. Thepurpose was visionary and ambitious, but themethod was humble, determined and intelligent asnever before. Coal and steel, the essential ingredientsof war, were to be shared among six countries

(France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlandsand Luxembourg), which agreed to pool a modicumof their sovereignty in exchange for the hope of amore peaceful future. Upon this foundation peacewas built.

Today, the EU counts over 500 million citizens in27 - soon to be 28 - countries. It has held peace inEurope for 60 years, not through a simple treaty ordiplomatic arrangement that might one day be

broken with a shift in the winds, but through agradual process of deep political, economic and socialintegration. At the outset, war amongst the countriesof the EU was merely undesirable; today it has

become impossible. That is the measure of thehistorical achievement. And when we think ofconflicts that in our contemporary world appear to

be intractable, it is useful to record that for so longEurope was also a continent of permanent conflict.

There is of course an irony in the announcementof this most prestigious of prizes at a time when thenewspaper headlines speak mostly of the difficulties

of Europe: economic slowdown, social crises in somecountries, bickering over budgets and uncertaintiesin the eurozone. All of these matters are certainly


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important. But we must have a sense of history ifwe are to have a sense of the future, and the historyof the EU has uniquely prepared it to respond tothese challenges.

In late 2012 we are finding our way out of aworldwide economic crisis that has hit the EUparticularly harshly. We are not yet in calm waters

but we no longer face storms of the same magnitudeand intensity we have faced over the past couple ofyears. Understandably, a great part of the attentionof European leaders and societies in the recent pasthas been dedicated to these issues, but it is also fairto say that at no moment have we turned inwards,forgetting our engagement with countries aroundthe world.

The EU is the world's largest provider ofdevelopment assistance and its security policy is

helping to put war-torn states like Afghanistan andSomalia back on their feet. Indeed, the NobelCommittee's announcement serves as a timelyreminder that the values which Europe seeks topromote around the world are the same which it sopainstakingly learnt to promote within Europe itself:peace, democracy and human rights.

Source: Times of India

Not making the cut

The road from Copenhagen, where the UnitedNations climate meet four years ago promised somuch but delivered nothing, has been steadilydownhill. It was only an 'accord' - as distinct froma binding treaty - hammered out literally at midnightof the concluding day, with President Barack Obamaplaying an uninvited but bullying midwife. Thefollowing year in Cancun, Mexico, the continuationof the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, the agreementwhich most nations barring the US signed and isdue to expire at the end of this month, eluded

negotiators. They could only come up with anagreement that once again did not compel industrialcountries to commit to deadlines for reducingemissions. The third year, there was merely a Durban'platform' and the Doha conclave which ended lastweek turned out to be a damp squib.

This is, by no means a gross exaggeration butalmost literally, the road to certain perdition. Whiledeveloped and developing nations bicker over whois to do what, the science on how human interventionis causing irretrievable harm to the planet isincontrovertible. According to the World Bank, whichis not given to making sensational pronouncements,the globe is likely to face an average increase of 4

degrees Celsius by the end of this century, doublewhat it should be at 2050. It has just been reportedthat global carbon dioxide emissions have risen bya record 35.5 billion tonnes this year, a 2.6% rise.These are nearly 60% more than 1990 levels, fromwhich date developed countries are required to cutemissions under the Kyoto Protocol.

The US, faced with an intransigent Congress forwhich the Kyoto Protocol is anathema, has dug inits heels. Analysts assert that Mitt Romney'sobscurantist views on the subject were one of thereasons why he lost, particularly after SuperstormSandy. However, going by past experiences,President Obama's record has not been that differentfrom Bush. He may well be trying to revive theeconomy and thus resist any cut on emissions. Butthe world's second biggest polluter - China is thefirst - ought to realise that such a blinkered approachwill actually cost more in the long run in purelyfinancial terms, let alone damage to humans andproperty. In 2005, Katrina's insured losses were $62

billion and overall losses $125 billion. India is nowthe world's third largest emitter, though way downin per capita terms.

The central issue at Doha was the agreement ona long-term cooperative action, the tenure of whichexpired last week. It is a depressingly familiar story:how developed countries are backing out of

commitments on funding, intellectual propertyrights, transfer of technologies and equity amongnations. The US is for scuttling UN or multilateralagreements in favour of bilateral deals. It opts for a'building block' approach, to establish standards invarious sectors like energy, building and cook stovesto make progress incrementally. The bonus is that itcan permit the US to sell its clean energy and similartechnologies.

Canada has now opted out of Kyoto, emulating

the US, while Russia, Japan and New Zealand haverefused to make cuts. The European Union, the mostproactive by promising to cut emissions by 20% by2020, rising to 30% if the US comes on board, is now

backtracking. All that the first phase of Kyotocompelled industrial countries was to cut 5% by 2008-12, which has been honoured more in the breach.The Geneva-based South Centre put it tellingly: "Ifyou are adamant in doing away with the life in the

body, at least make sure there is a proper allocationof its property and continuity of its heritage, and

then give it a proper burial."

As always, and in the trajectory of the climatenegotiations, one should follow the money. Secretary


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of State Hillary Clinton triumphantly mounted thestage at Copenhagen and promised $100 billion byway of helping developing countries adapt to globalwarming. Other leaders clarified that sum wouldmaterialise only in 2020; between 2010 and 2012,there would be a yearly infusion of $10 billion as'fast-start finance'. When observers read the not-so-

fine print, this would incorporate existing overseasdevelopment assistance, private sector investmentin clean technologies or, worst, loans. While the USis dreading its 'fiscal cliff' by the end of this month,it - along with other developed countries - ispropelling the planet out of control by refusingprogressively to cut emissions by half by 2050 over1990 levels, as science compels them to.

India, meanwhile, can be accused ofgrandstanding by sticking to rhetoric abroad and,when push comes to shove, ditching the G77developing countries for its alliance with theemerging economies of Brazil, Russia and China.While much has been made of the National ActionPlan on Climate Change, emissions rose by 7.5% lastyear. Why India is the third largest polluter eventhough it has over six decades permitted 600 millionpeople to exist without buying any form of energy,and 450 million of them without electricity, but isnow firing over their shoulders, is a question onlyits elite can answer.

Source: Hindustan Times

Slowdown - but who cares?

For a government that has been starved of goodvibes, the vote on FDI in retail must have been likespring in winter. Key policymakers keen to pushahead with more changes were, however, in for ashock, as the reactions to the proposed amendmentssought in the Banking Laws Bill 2012 showed revivedhostility from the Opposition benches.

If spring appears a mirage for the UPAGovernment, it's certainly deep winter for the formaleconomy. The Manila-based Asian DevelopmentBank has again lowered its growth estimate for thecurrent financial year to 5.4 per cent. It's an anaemiceconomy, so says the ADB; consumption andinvestment, not to mention industrial output, areweak. Nothing new there; the perennially slothfulcore sector still plays its role of pulling down theeconomy in real terms with resultant powershortages.

Grudgingly, policymakers have now accepted thefact of a retreat from those halcyon days of 2004-05

to 2007-08 when both UPA-1 and the formal economywith its privileged stakeholders felt there was nogoing back.

Who is bothered?

But whom does that retreat really upset? UnlikeGreece Ireland or even England, consigned to a long

winter of austerity, the economic slowdown we cribabout affects almost no one, because India has twokinds of people joined perversely by a bond ofindifference to the world outside; those who have,and those who did not have. The latter still do nothave, just as the former do. Nothing has changed foranybody. There have been no cutbacks inemployment of a kind that sends Grecians andparticularly Athenians out onto the streets, simply

because there has been no employment for the vastmajority in the first place.

Privileged urban Indians participating in theformal economy as floor managers in malls or callcentres to CEOs would hardly complain of aslowdown, even though the GDP has fallen somefour percentage points from its high mark in 2008-09.

And yet the financial media, policymakers andchambers of commerce worry about the slowdownin GDP. They worry that the RBI will not cut interestrates; they worry about the RBI's worries over

inflation, its neglect of the "growth" impulse.

Key policymakers address these stakeholders inthe formal economy. FDI in retail was steeredthrough Parliament not on the basis of genuine beliefin the benefits to the Indian farmer, but more becauseof the supposed benefits to the consumer. We aretold to buy into the myth of consumer power - theprivilege to get fooled all of the time into buyingthings you don't need. Its eventual benefit will bereaped by global retail giants whose supply chains

in their own economies are increasingly underpressure, owing to weak domestic demand.

Job rates in the US are climbing, but not steadilyenough to encourage investments there; theEuropean Central Bank has cut the forecast for theEuro Zone in 2013, expecting the economy to shrink

by 0.3 per cent; three months ago it had expectedthe economy to grow 0.5 per cent.

China has also slowed but its focus on politicalstability and endemic corruption coupled with

domestic restrictions may not render it particularlyattractive to jaded European and American investors:So, India is the best bet.


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Aiming global

The UPA victory for FDI in retail may or may nothelp farmers; but it will drive up real estate pricesand, by that token, provide a leg-up to the 'services'economy that rests so much on construction, tradeand allied activities. In short, the "reforms" on FDIin retail trade will appeal to the kind of constituency

the UPA has increasingly turned its focus upon:urban, globalising India.

So too for financial reforms: It may not be easy toget the Banking Laws amendments throughParliament and past a truculent Opposition but theobjective is evident: To get a stubborn RBI tocommence the process for private bank licences.Permitting private enterprise, flush with funds toacquire more capital by tapping household savingsis an easier way of establishing commitment tofinancial reform than struggling with universal

financial empowerment.

Expect the improbable

However, this is India. It is entirely conceivablethat the predictions of the most wild-eyed optimistmay turn out true. That the big reforms push maywitness capital movements into productive sectors;GDP may inch upwards of 5 per cent in 2014, if notearlier. But general elections will keep investors awaytill the outcomes are known; if the BJP wins and ifMurli Manohar Joshi remembers what he has just

said, the BJP may thumb down FDI, perhaps moreout of sheer cussedness than conviction.

Growth yes, jobs none

Suppose 2013 surprises Finance Minister P.Chidambaram and shows up a climbing GDP. In thetwenty-five years to 2026, India's population willincrease by 371 million. More than 80 per cent ofthis increase will be in the age group 15-59 years. Toreap the dividends of youthfulness, employment willhave to grow dramatically. But if the golden age of

high growth is any indication, many may be stuckin the informal economy, or without jobs at all.

If India has shown anything, it is that growthmay lead to high productivity but not more jobs.

In its December 2011 report on employment inthe 12th Plan, the Planning Commission observedalmost jobless growth in the formal sector, a huge

burden of unemployed on agriculture whosecontribution to GDP is falling. The PC breaks throughthe myth that high GDP leads to increasingemployment. As it says: "Although some expansionin employment has taken place in the manufacturingand non-manufacturing sectors, however (sic) a largepart of it falls under the informal sector."

This is not surprising. Services sector nowaccounts for 60 per cent share in GDP; the data onemployment elasticity reflects this importance withelasticities highest in segments such as trade,transport, construction - much more than inmanufacturing or mining or utilities.

This is not surprising. The structural shift in the

GDP from agriculture to services that now accountsfor 60 per cent share in GDP, makes it the engine ofgrowth.

The data on employment elasticity it provides alsoreflects the importance of services since elasticitiesare highest in trade, transport, construction, muchmore than in manufacturing or mining or utilities.

These services are largely in private hands andwork best with casual labour. No wonder theinformal sector is so vital to job creation.

Source: Business Line

Voting with your fingertips

Every October, the Election Commission beginsthe annual exercise of revising the electoral rolls withthe following January 1 as the effective date. ThisOctober, there was another important news - thelaunching of Aadhar enabled service delivery inDudu in Rajasthan. The EC and Aadhar can meetand let us see where and how.

The Commission undertakes two types ofrevisions of electoral rolls - 'summary revision' and'intensive revision.' In the former, responsibility iscast on the potential voter to get himself registered

by going to the designated centre. In the latter, door-to-door verification is undertaken by theCommission's officers, the electoral roll is preparedafresh and this is generally done in States where ageneral election to the Assembly is due the followingyear. Over the years, computerisation of records andintegration of voters' photographs in the electoral

rolls have helped make for a more error-free roll.They have also helped in undertaking variousanalyses to gauge the health of the electoral roll.

Change in numbers

It is now possible to quickly analyse byconstituency and polling station the increase anddecrease in the number of electors; based on theCensus-given indicators of population growth, mid-term population figures and its age-wise distribution,pick out constituencies and polling stations that show

a high deviation or, in other words, an abnormalincrease or decrease in the number of voters. Thishelps to focus attention on constituencies and polling


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stations that need further checks and verification formistakes in the electoral rolls. To quote an instance,immediately before the 2006 general elections to theKerala Assembly, after an analysis on the above lines,the CEO of Kerala was able to pick two Assemblyconstituencies - one each in Kasargod and Palghat -that showed an abnormal increase in the number of

electors. A special check ordered by the Commission,under the supervision of two senior officers, one fromKarnataka and the other from Tamil Nadu, revealedlarge-scale duplication of names in the pollingstations on the Kerala side with polling stations inKarnataka and Tamil Nadu respectively. In theKasargod Assembly constituency, about 5000duplicate (bogus) voters were deleted. Incidentally,that figure matched the margin of victory in theprevious election!

With computerisation, it is also possible now tocompare the electors in different age groups in therolls with the Census given percentage of populationin different age groups. Not surprisingly, it has beenfound that in most States, there is under-enrolmentof electors mainly in the age group of 18 to 25, whichmade the Commission take up a special campaignfor enrolling first-time voters. Such analyses, which

began on an all-India basis in November 2008, arenow de rigueur .

Establishing identity

While establishing a voter's identity at the pollingstation on the day of election has become easier withthe photo electoral roll, problems of missing or left-out voters still remain. The problem is more acute inmetropolitan towns because of high level of inter-State,

weekly 10 to 16 december 2012 ias

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