15 th January - 21 January 2013 Issue-3/2013 (22 nd January to 28 January)

CURRENT AFFAIRS
CLASS NOTES: 22 Jan -28 Jan, 2013
(Compiled from 11 Newspapers & 7 Magazines)
Union for telecom services.

22 January 2013 India committed to implementing TAPI Project by 2017

President Pranab Mukherjee said India is fully committed to implementing the TurkmenistanAfghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Project by August 2017. During his interaction with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov at RashtrapatiBhavan here on Monday, Mr. Mukherjee said India is deficient in energy resources, whereas Turkmenistan is rich in hydrocarbon resources. Concept: TAPI The TransAfghanistan Pipeline (also known as TurkmenistanAfghanistan PakistanIndia Pipeline, TAP or TAPI) is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank. The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. The abbreviation comes from the first letters of those countries. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road. The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the projects revenue. GAIL India may become a part of TAPI project. Bangladesh is also keen to join the TAPI project.

3. We have set up a lab in the country so that mobile phones can be tested here for electromagnetic radiations, Mr.Sibal said. 4. He added more such labs will be set up across the country starting with Mumbai. 5. The Telecommunication Engineering Centre SAR lab, which has been commissioned at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore, is the first lab in the country for independent audit of SAR value, self-certified by mobile handset manufacturers and importers in India. 6. The lab is capable of making SAR measurement for CDMA, GSM 2G and 3G mobile handsets in the frequency band of 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz. 7. The lab is also capable of making measurement of SAR value against the International Commission on non-Ionising Radio Protection (ICNIRP) limit of 2 Watt per kg measured over 10 gram of tissue as well as the recently adopted 1.6 watt per kg measured over 1 gm of tissue. 8. Mr.Sibal also commissioned a Next Generation Network (NGN) lab in TEC, which serves the objectives of testing and certification as well as network related study for any Internet Protocol (IP) based equipment. Concept: 4G In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of mobile phone mobile communications standards. It is a successor of the third generation (3G) standards. A 4G system provides mobile ultrabroadband Internet access, for example to laptops with USB wireless modems, to smartphones, and to other mobile devices. Conceivable applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing and 3D television. Two 4G candidate systems are

commercially deployed: the Mobile WiMAX standard (at first in South Korea in 2006), and the firstrelease Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard (in Oslo, Norway since 2009). It has however been debated if these first-release versions should be considered to be 4G or not, as discussed in the technical definition section below.

Alarm in China over high gender imbalance

1. The gender imbalance in China has remained at an alarmingly high ratio of 117 newborn boys for 100 girls in 2012, officials said on Tuesday. 2. The imbalance, which has remained far higher than the normal 103 to 107 ratio, has prompted renewed promises from the government to crack down on illegal selective abortions, while also triggering strong calls for China to discard its unpopular family planning restrictions. 3. According to census data released on Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics, the gender ratio was 117.7 newborn boys for every 100 girls in 2012, the official Xinhua news agency reported. 4. The report said Chinas gender imbalance had widened after ultrasound examinations were widely available in the 1980s. The ratio reached a record 120.56 in 2008, the report added. 5. In 2011, the government had punished 13,000 people following a campaign to monitor selective abortions, she said. The government has announced a target to bring down the imbalance to 115, from the current 117, by 2015. 6. The widening gender imbalance, coupled with concerns over Chinas ageing labour force, has renewed calls for the government to relax family planning policies. Enforced in the early 1980s, and known widely as the one-child policy although the rules are more

Govt to auction 700Mhz spectrum for 4G services next year

1. The government on Monday said it will auction spectrum in 700 Mhz band, which is used for offering high-speed Internet services through fourth generation technologies, in 2014. 2. The 700-Mhz spectrum band ranges from 698 Mhz to 806 Mhz and has been identified by the International Telecommunication

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complex, the measures have been seen as a major reason behind the fast-widening gender imbalance. 7. Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said at a press conference on Friday that the government would need to come up with an appropriate and scientific family planning policy to address the ageing labour force. 8. The government says the policy prevented 400 million additional births since the 1980s, and spared China a burden on resources it could not afford to bear. The policy now covers two-thirds of the population. In rural areas, families can have a second child if their first-born is a daughter, while members of Chinas 55 minority groups are also exempt from the restrictions. 1 in 6 cases of adult asthma caused by workplace environments There are many occupations that are thought to cause asthma in adults, according to researchers. In a new study, the start of asthma in adulthood was clearly linked to 18 types of job, and the strongest evidence seems to be for jobs involving cleaning or cleaning agents. The researchers base their findings on the job histories up to the age of 42 of almost 7,500 British adults born in 1958, all of whom were taking part in the National Child Development Study, which is tracking the long term health of more than 11,000 people living in Britain. University of Copenhagen. 4. By examining 73,000 persons, we found that an increase in the ugly cholesterol triples the risk of ischemic heart disease, which is caused by lack of oxygen to the heart muscle due to narrowing or blocking of the coronary arteries, he said. 5. I hope that this new knowledge will lead to better preventive treatment including lifestyle changes, as more than one in five individuals in affluent countries suffers from high ugly cholesterol, he said. 6. We also hope that the pharmaceutical industry will develop new drugs targeted specifically at raised ugly cholesterol levels, he emphasises, he added. 7. High ugly cholesterol is the result of high blood levels of normal fat (triglycerides). The most important cause of high ugly cholesterol is overweight and obesity. Persons with high ugly cholesterol should therefore be advised to lose weight, but drugs such as statins and fibrates may also lower levels of ugly cholesterol in the blood, says BorgeNordestgaard. them to glow. However, before hitting the atmosphere, these particles also emit radio waves into space. 7. It found that the radio emissions from a number of ultracool dwarfs may be caused in a very similar, but significantly more powerful, way to Jupiters auroras. 8. We have recently shown that beefed-up versions of the auroral processes on Jupiter are able to account for the radio emissions observed from certain ultracool dwarfs - bodies which comprise the very lowest mass stars - and brown dwarfs - failed stars which lie in between planets and stars in terms of mass, Nichols said. 9. These results strongly suggest that auroras do occur on bodies outside our solar system, and the auroral radio emissions are powerful enough - one hundred thousand times brighter than Jupiters - to be detectable across interstellar distances, Nichols said in statement. 10. The radio emission could provide key information about the length of the planets day, the strength of its magnetic field, how the planet interacts with its parent star and even whether it has any moons, researchers believe.

Auroras also occur outside our solar system: scientists

1. Auroras occur on several planets within our solar system, and the brightest on Jupiter are 100 times brighter than those on Earth. 2. However, no auroras have yet been observed beyond Neptune. 3. A new study led by University of Leicester lecturer Dr Jonathan Nichols has shown that this phenomenon is not limited to our solar system. 4. Researchers found that processes strikingly similar to those which power Jupiters auroras could be responsible for radio emissions detected from a number of objects outside our solar system. 5. In addition, the radio emissions are powerful enough to be detectable across interstellar distances - meaning that auroras could provide an effective way of observing new objects outside our solar system. 6. Auroras occur when charged particles in an objects magnetosphere collide with atoms in its upper atmosphere, causing

Mars mission to boost Indias global credentials

1. Indias proposed Mars mission in November would boost New Delhis credentials to become a partner in international ventures of such kind in the future besides achieving its scientific objectives and demonstrating capability, veteran space scientist K Kasturirangan said. 2. Planning Commission Member Kasturirangan, who was also former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, said while the mission is indeed a logical extension of the country planetary exploration programme, it more than just a technical bonanza. 3. Once you show an affordable scale of the activity, then you qualify yourself to be a partner of international programme. So, when future manned missions or even future important missions to Mars take pace, India would be part of the global community because you have already demonstrated that you have reached the place (Mars), Kasturirangan he said. 4. According to ISRO officials, the proposed mission to demonstrate

Ugly cholesterol may triple risk of heart disease: study

1. People with high levels of ugly cholesterol face three times increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease, the most common cardiovascular disease. 2. Cholesterol is divided into the good HDL cholesterol, the bad LDL cholesterol and the ugly cholesterol. It is the so-called ugly cholesterol - also called remnant cholesterol - that can be really harmful. 3. LDL cholesterol or the bad cholesterol is of course bad, but our new study reveals that the ugly cholesterol likewise is the direct cause of atherosclerosis resulting in ischemic heart disease and early death, said Professor Borge Nordestgaard from the

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Indias capability to reach Martian orbit is planned to be completed by 2015-2016. The Mars orbiter is planned for launch using Indias Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sri harikota. It will be placed in an orbit of 500 x 80,000 km around Mars and will have a provision for carrying nearly 25 kg of scientific payloads onboard, they said. 5. On concerns in sections of the Indian space establishment about China forging ahead in the area of space, with New Delhi lagging behind, Kasturirangan dismissed suggestions of a space race between the two countries. We have never been at competition with China. We have our own pace. We have our own priorities. There are many things in which we have scored very high in terms of international reckoning, the use of space for socio-economic sectors, and we are one of the well organised systems in the world in terms of getting mission benefits out a shoe-string budget, he said. 6. Kasturirangan underlined that Indias space programme is guided by the countrys own requirements and the nation has world-class remote sensing and communication satellites and rocket developments are contemporary in nature. degasses to form solidified pumice that can be sufficiently light to float on water. In air pumice is obviously associated with violent, explosive eruptions. Consequently underwater volcanoes flanked by highly vesicular pumice have, to date, also been interpreted as having erupted explosively. But the results of the new study by Victoria University, Wellington and the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton indicate that there is a third eruptive style unique to underwater volcanoes, which is neither effusive nor explosive. By documenting the shape and density of bubbles in pumices generated by an underwater caldera volcano in the southwest Pacific Ocean - the Macauley volcano - we found large differences in the number and shape of bubbles in the same pebble-sized samples, different to anything previously documented, said Professor Ian Wright of the National Oceanography Centre, who co-authored the paper. This range of bubble densities distinct in these pumice samples indicates that the lava erupting from the caldera was neither vigorous enough for an explosive eruption, nor gentle enough for an effusive flow, Wright said in a statement. The study proposes that rather than exploding in the neck of the volcano, the formation and expansion of bubbles in the magma created a buoyant foam, which rose to the seafloor and then buoyantly detached from the volcano as molten pumiceballoons but with chilled margins. During its ascent to the sea surface, the vesicles within the molten interior would have continued to expand as the pressure reduced. These processes explain the unique bubble structure seen in the samples analysed, which could have only occurred with an intermediate eruption style and in an underwater setting, said Wright. The authors proposed that this style of eruption be named Tangaroan, the Maori god of the sea, and name of the research vessel used to collect the samples. are exploring how to mimic the way plants transform sunlight into energy and produce hydrogen to fuel vehicles. They will join other researchers around the world studying artificial photosynthesis as governments seek to cut greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. The research will use synthetic biology to replicate the process by which plants concentrate solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then released into the atmosphere. We will build a system for artificial photosynthesis by placing tiny solar panels on microbes, said lead researcher Julea Butt at the University of East Anglia (UEA). These will harness sunlight and drive the production of hydrogen, from which the technologies to release energy on demand are well-advanced. Hydrogen is a zero-emission fuel which can power vehicles or be transformed into electricity. We imagine that our photocatalysts will prove versatile and that with slight modification they will be able to harness solar energy for the manufacture of carbon-based fuels, drugs and fine chemicals, she added. The 800,000 pound ($1.3 million) project will be undertaken by scientists from UEA and Cambridge and Leeds universities. The scientists believe copying photosynthesis could be more efficient in harnessing the suns energy than existing solar converters. CUTTING CO2 Many countries have deployed at least one kind of renewable energy, such as solar, wind power or biofuels, or use a mixture to see which becomes most competitive with fossil fuels. But as carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, some experts argue more extreme methods are needed to keep the average rise in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius this century, a threshold scientists say would avoid the most harmful effects of climate change. Many renewable energy supplies, such as sunlight, wind and the waves, remain largely untapped resources. This is mainly due to the challenges that exist in converting these energy forms into

Scientists discover new type of underwater volcanic eruption

Scientists have uncovered a previously undocumented type of eruption in underwater volcanoes by looking at tiny original bubble spaces trapped in volcanic rocks. Volcanic eruptions are commonly categorised as either explosive or effusive but researchers from the UK and New Zealand have uncovered a new type of eruption in underwater volcanoes. Inside volcanoes, gases are dissolved in the molten magma as a function of the very high pressures and chemistry of the magma. In the same way that gases dissolved in carbonated drinks bubble up when the lid is taken off, when magma is erupted as lava, the pressure is relieved and the gases exsolve to form small gas bubbles or so-called vesicles. In explosive eruptions these vesicles expand so quickly they fragment the magma, violently ejecting lava, which cools and

UK scientists to mimic plants to make zerocarbon fuel

British scientists seeking to tap more efficient forms of solar power

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fuels from which energy can be released on demand, said Butt. Some of the more extreme methods which are being studied are controversial, such as removing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and geo-engineering techniques such as blocking sunlight using artificial clouds or mirrors in space. Such technology is far from being employed on a large scale and the costs are enormous. Critics argue these techniques manipulate the climate, are too costly, take too long to prove and governments should concentrate on more mainstream renewable energy sources. provided due orientation, training and skill development opportunities not only to attain appropriate operating skills of advanced technological platforms but also contribute efficiently to the quality enhancement through customization of sector specific warning and forecasting services. Commissioning of the High Performance Computing (HPC) system at the ESSO-National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) and ESSOIMD has provided opportunity to assimilate satellite radiance data in to the global/regional forecast systems and to enhance the spatial resolution of the global forecast systems from about 50km grid scale to about 22km grid scale. The performance evaluation of the new global forecast system has demonstrated enhanced forecast skill quantitatively. In order to capture the characteristics of the severe weather in real time, state-of-theart 24X7 monitoring system comprising 14-DWRs, located at Agartala, Chennai, Delhi-Airport, Delhi-Lodi Road, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Machilipatnam, Nagpur, Patna, Visakhapatnam, Lucknow, Patiala and Mohanbari is made functional. DWRs at Mumbai and Bhuj are undergoing site acceptance tests while it is under commissioning at Bhopal. DWRs commissioning is put on hold at Goa, Paradip and Karaikal for the want of clearances from the Ministry of Defence that is under the consideration of Committee of Secretaries (COS). Commissioning of DWR network covering the whole country would have to happen in a phased manner in view of the various factors such as site selection; site survey for height of line of sight of locating the antenna; available/ emerging technology variants for their suitability as per terrain variability based frequency of operation over hill states and NE States etc. Despite the above, the Government is committed to set up and enhance gradually its observational network of DWRs, AWSs, ARGs, etc. for monitoring abnormal weather patterns and upgrading its forecasting capabilities, so that advance warning can be provided to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture to tackle the impacts of the adverse and extreme weather phenomena.

Measure to Increase Availability of Pulses

In order to increase the availability of pulses, especially for the people living under the low poverty line, the government has resumed import of pulses through State Governments for distribution under Public Distribution System. The centre will provide subsidy for this import to the states. The thrust of the scheme is to make pulses available to the BPL card holders at least one kg. per month. An increase availability of pulses would also have a controlling effect on prices. Imported susidised pulses will also be provided to youth hostels, homes for poor and other such institutions which house people belonging to low income groups in large numbers. Besides this the centre has taken a number of steps recently to control prices of pulses which include-

23 January 2013 Nowcasting of Weather

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences has operationalised its location specific nowcasting weather services through Earth System Science Organization (ESSO)-IMD across the country. This includes the web based inputs. Under this service activity, that covers 117 urban centres currently on experimental basis,nowcast of severe weather (Thunderstorms; heavy rainfall from lows/depressions over the land) in 3-6h range is issued. Origin, development/movement of severe weather phenomena are regularly monitored through all available observing systems (Automatic Weather Stations-AWSs; Automatic Rain Gauges-ARGs; Doppler Weather Radars-DWRs; Automatic Weather Observing SystemsAWOS; satellite derived wind vectors, temperature, moisture fields etc.) are assimilated to generate predictions (prepared both in text as well as in graphical form) on 3h time range. Web GIS rendering of the nowcast products is implemented for enhanced spatial representation of the severe weather intensities associated with warnings. With the commissioning of the state-of-the-art observing (675 Nos. of AWSs; 955 Nos. of ARGs; 15DWRs), monitoring/early warning and data visualization/information processing and communication technologies under the Phase-I of the modernization of IMD, several manual operations have been fully automated. All the manpower that was engaged earlier for such manual operations have been

Reduced import duties to zero for pulses. Banned export of pulses (except Kabuli chana and organic pulses and lentils up to a maximum of 10000 tones per annum).

Imposed stock limits from time to time in the case of pulses. Suspended Futures trading in urad and tur. Several measures have also been taken to increase domestic supply of pulses. The National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-Pulses is under implementation in 468 districts. The Accelerated Pulses Production Programme (A3P) has been launched under the NFSMPulses from Kharif 2012 for demonstration of production and protection technologies on village level compact Blocks for enhanced production of pulses as well as motivating farmers. To compensate the losses of production of Kharif pulses, a programme on additional area coverage of pulses during Rabi/Summer 2012-13 has been sanctioned with an allocation of Rs. 100 crore to increase production of Rabi/summer pulses through area expansion of Rabi pigeon pea, gram, pea and lentil during Rabi and green gram and black gram during summer. Besides, under the Macro Management of Agriculture (MMA) scheme, assistance is also provided for pulses development in the states which are not covered under NFSM-Pulses.

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15 January - 21 January 2013 Initiatives to Boost Manufacturing Growth

The Global economic turmoil has impacted the overall economy in general and industry in particular. This is quite evident from the deceleration witnessed in the performance of industrial sector in the recent past. During 2011-12 industrial growth in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), showed a low growth of 2.9% compared to 8.2% growth registered in 2010-11. The moderation in the industrial growth, however had started in 2008-09. The IIP growth rate was 2.5% in 2008-09 which improved slightly to 5.3% in 2009-10 compared to the peak growth rate of 15.5% achieved in the year 2007-08. Manufacturing Growth During 2011-12, a low growth in manufacturing (3.0%) was a main reason for moderation in IIP growth. The cumulative growth of manufacturing sector was 1.0 per cent during April-October, 2012-13 compared to its 3.8 per cent growth during corresponding period of the previous year. Similar to the overall industrial growth, the reasons for moderation in the growth of manufacturing include global slowdown, moderation in domestic demand, hardening of interest rates etc. Amongst the manufacturing goods the moderation in its growth rate is largely accounted by the performance of capital goods and intermediate goods which has been in the negative trajectory for most part of the year. Capital goods witnessed a sharp decline in growth during 2012-13 (AprilOctober) with growth rate of 11.4%. Items such as Boilers; Grinding Wheels; Cement Machinery; Sugar Machinery; Textile Machinery; Plastic Machinery Incl. Moulding Machinery; Transformers (Small); Earth Moving Machinery; Computers has shown a consistent negative growth. Measures to Boost Manufacturing The future trajectory of the index of industrial production (IIP) depends largely on the revival of investment. Low economic activity due to weak investment sentiments and global slowdown is well reflected in National Accounts Statistics. Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) as a measure of addition in productive capacity of the economy grew at 5.5 percent in 2011-12 compared to 7.5 percent in 2010-11. The GFCF as a percent of GDP at 2004-05 prices moderated to 32.0 % in 2011-12 compared to 32.5 % in previous year. Gross Fixed Capital Formation grew at 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2012-13 against 0.7 percent in the first quarter. The Government has been taking confidence building measures for improving the industrial climate and manufacturing in the country. Three important initiatives taken in this regard are announcement of National Manufacturing Policy (NMP), implementation of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project and policy reforms to promote Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) The National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) was approved by the Government in October, 2011. The major objectives of the policy are for enhancing the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% and creating additional 100 million over a decade or so. Other quantitative and qualitative changes that are envisaged by the policy include creation of appropriate skill sets among the rural migrant and urban poor to make growth inclusive; increasing domestic value addition and technological depth in manufacturing; enhancing global competitiveness of Indian manufacturing through appropriate policy support; ensuring sustainability of growth, particularly with regard to the environment including energy efficiency, optimal utilization of natural resources and restoration of damaged/ degraded eco-systems etc. The Policy also provides special focus to the industries that are employment intensive, those producing capital goods, those having strategic significance, small and medium enterprises, public sector enterprises besides industries where India enjoys a competitive advantage etc. In addition, specific instruments have been conceptualized under NMP to achieve its stated objectives. Accordingly the policy envisages among others rationalization and simplification of business regulations; simple and expeditious exit mechanism for closure of sick units while protecting labour interests; financial and institutional mechanisms for technology development, including green technologies; industrial training and skill up gradation measures; incentives for SMEs, clustering and aggregation support through National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs), trade policy etc. Promoting clustering and aggregation, especially through creation of NIMZs is a major policy instrument of NMP. NIMZs as key instruments to catalyze the growth of manufacturing are envisaged to be developed in the nature of green field industrial townships, benchmarked with the best manufacturing hubs in the world. The Zones are expected to help in meeting the increasing demand for creating world class urban centres in India, while absorbing surplus labour by providing them gainful employment opportunities. These NIMZs will seek to address the infrastructural bottleneck which has been cited as a constraining factor for the growth of manufacturing.Ten NIMZs have been announced, eight of which are along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project The Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project is being implemented on both sides of the 1483 km long Western Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor between Dadri (UP) and JNPT (Navi Mumbai). The project seeks to create a strong economic base with a globally competitive environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance investments and attain sustainable development. The DMIC Project covers the six States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC) was incorporated in January 2008 for project development, coordination and implementation of the numerous projects. Looking at the magnitude and diversity of the project, it is planned to be implemented in phases. Initially, eight industrial cities have been taken up for development. So far the overall perspective plan for the entire DMIC Region has been completed. The Master Planning for the Investment Regions and Industrial Areas taken up initially to be developed as New Cities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have been completed

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and Master Planning in Uttar Pradesh has started. The State Governments have initiated the process of obtaining land for the new industrial regions/areas as well as for the Early Bird Projects. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Studies have been initiated for five industrial cities. DMICDC had initiated development of Smart Communities or Eco-Cities that can contribute to improving the sustainability of the DMIC region. Japanese technology and expertise is being made available under collaboration with METI, Government of Japan for the Smart Community projects. Significant progress has been reported by DMICDC in the development of Smart Communities or Eco-Cities. Along with the planning of each city, preparation of feasibility studies for Early Bird Projects has been taken up on the recommendation of the State Governments. These projects are in the sectors of water supply, transport connectivity, logistic hubs, mega industrial parks, knowledge cities etc. As the Master Plans progressed, it was felt necessary and essential that new industrial cities must be created on the back of world class trunk infrastructure i.e. drainage, sewage, solid waste, water supply, internal roads. Without the trunk infrastructure the development of PPP projects in greenfield cities was not feasible and it was felt that this may lead to real estate development without trunk infrastructure and a developed backbone. Accordingly the project was restructured in September, 2011 with an Implementation Fund of Rs.17,500 crore to be utilized over a period of five years and an additional project development Fund of Rs.1000 crore for project development. The land for the new industrial cities will be the contribution of the State Government. The DMIC Project Implementation Fund, is a revolving fund, and has been set up as a Trust. It will be a repository of Government of India financial assistance. The funds will flow from the Trust to the SPVs and the Trust will receive upside from bidding and monetization of land values. The Trust will also provide resources to DMICDC for project development activities. The Japanese Government has also announced their financial support for DMIC project to an extent of US $ 4.5 billion in the first phase for the projects with Japanese participation. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy Domestic savings in India have not been adequate to meet the investment requirement of the country. The ratio of domestic savings to GDP has generally been lower than the ratio of GCF to GDP. During 2008-11 share of Gross Domestic Capital Formation in the GDP was 35.3% whereas share of domestic saving during the period was only 32.7%. Capital inflow from other countries, particularly of an investment nature, therefore adds to the domestic investment. It also brings in new management practices and technologies, besides subsequently contributing to enhancement of the export potential/earning of the country. Indias attractiveness as an investment destination has to be seen in the context of major economic reforms embarked upon by the Government of India since mid-1990s, the objective being the achievement of a greater level of integration with the world economy and the emergence of India as a significant player in the globalization process. The larger and ultimate goal however is to step up the scale of development of the economy. As a part of this process, the FDI policy is being liberalized progressively on an ongoing basis in order to allow FDI in more industries under the automatic route. Some recent changes in the FDI policy, besides consolidation of the policy into a single document include FDI in Multi-Brand Retail Trading up to 51% subject to specified conditions; increasing FDI limit to 100% in Single-Brand Retail Trading; FDI up to 49 percent in Civil Aviation and Power Exchanges; FDI up to 49 percent in Broadcasting sector under the automatic route and FDI beyond 49 percent and up to 74 percent under the Government route both for Teleports and Mobile TV. The advantages of India as an investment destination rest upon strong fundamentals, which include a large and growing market; world-class scientific, technical and managerial manpower; cost effective and highly skilled labour; abundant natural resources; a large English speaking population; independent judiciary, etc. This is now recognized by a number of global investors. Ongoing initiatives, such as further simplification of rules and regulations, improvements in infrastructure are expected to provide the necessary impetus to increase FDI inflows in future. The Government continues to make efforts to increase economic cooperation with the developing as well as developed countries through different fora such as Joint Commissions/Joint Committees, other bilateral channels like interaction with the delegations visiting the country and organizing visits abroad for discussions on issues of mutual interest and business/ investment meets between Indian and foreign entrepreneurs to stimulate foreign investment into India. It has announced the setting up of Invest India, a joint venture company between the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion and FICCI, as a not-for-profit, single window facilitator, for prospective overseas investors and to act as a structured mechanism to attract investment. In addition, the Government has initiated implementation of the e-Biz Project, a Mission Mode Project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) for promoting an online single window at the national level for business users. The objectives of setting up of the e-Biz Portal are to provide a number of services to business users, covering the entire life cycle on their operation. The project aims at enhancing Indias business competitiveness through a service oriented, event-driven G2B interaction.

Indian Railways Covers New Grounds in 2012

The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during 1st April to 31st December 2012 were Rs. 89906.46 crore compared to Rs. 75009.17 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 19.86 percent. The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 49868.95 crore during 1st April 31st December 2011 to Rs. 62413.41 crore during 1st April 31st December 2012, registering an increase of 25.15 percent. The total passenger revenue earnings during 1st April 31st December 2012 were Rs. 23025.34 crore compared to Rs. 20999.01 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 9.65 percent. In the calendar year 2012, Indian Railways has achieved scrap sale of Rs. 3903.84 crore till Nov. 2012. For the corresponding period in 2011 sale achieved by

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Railway was 3748.68 crore. The total approximate numbers of passengers booked during 1st April 31st December 2012 were 6422.29 million compared to 6210.12 million during the same period last year, showing an increase of 3.42 percent. Indian Railways have carried 735.10 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during April-December 2012. The freight carried shows an increase of 31.33 million tonnes over the freight traffic of 703.77 million tonnes actually carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.45 percent. In a path breaking initiative taken by the Ministry of Railways, a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in February 2012 for setting up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) namely Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDL) to take up work of redevelopment of railway stations along with station maintenance across India in a dedicated manner. Under new SPV, it is proposed to provide the identified stations with well designed concourses, high quality waiting spaces, easy access to the platforms, congestion free platforms, modern State of the art Catering facilities, Hotels and other facilities. After conducting preliminary studies & holding consultations with zonal railways, five stations, Bijwasan (Delhi) Habibganj (Bhopal), AnandVihar (Delhi), Chandigarh, Shivaji Nagar (Pune), have been identified for implementation through IRSDC in the first phase. As a major initiative to further facilitate the travel of bonafide and legitimate passengers and to reduce the scope for misuse of reserved ticketing system by unscrupulous elements/ middlemen, the Ministry of Railways has now made it compulsory to carry prescribed original proof of identity cards during train travel on all reserved classes of tickets. Those travelling without an original identify proof shall be treated as without ticket and charged accordingly. This new change of policy is aimed at facilitating the travel of bonafide and genuine passengers and simultaneously checking the scope for travel on transferred tickets. It is also considered that this policy provision shall also be useful from the security point of view. The year 2012 saw a big push for the key infrastructure projects of Railways. After a review meeting on infrastructure held by the Prime Minister in the last week of November 2012, deadline has been set for such important infrastructure projects like the elevated rail corridor in Mumbai, setting up of locomotive factories on public private partnership, rail tariff authority and Dedicated Freight Corridors. A time bound action plan has since been initiated by the Railway Ministry on these issues. Mumbai has one of the most crowded and overloaded suburban systems in the world. Concerned about the capacity constraint on the Corridor, Ministry of Railways has decided to augment the system capacity and has accordingly envisioned a two track elevated corridor along Churchgate-Virra section. This new Elevated Rail Corridor (ERC) will be between Oval Maidan and Virar of Western Railway in Mumbai area. The indicative cost of 63.27 km-long ERC project is approximately Rs. 21,000 crore. Under this corridor, 26 stations are proposed, out of which 5 stations would be underground, 19 elevated and 2 at grade. The Indian Railway has achieved one more milestone in transportation sector with the completion of Banihal-Qazigund section of ambitious and challenging UdhampurBaramullah-Srinagar Rail link Project. Trials by running trains have started in the section by Railways with the arrival of first Track Tamping machine at Banihal on 24th December 2012 from Qazigund. All the major works have been completed and finishing touch is being given. This section will be ready for opening shortly the 17.729 km long section consists of only one tunnel of 11.215 km length known as PirPanjal Tunnel, which is the longest transportation tunnel in India and second longest in Asia. Opening of Banihal-Qazigund railway section will be a turning point not only in the history of Jammu & Kashmir State only, but for the Indian history. Indian Railways ambitious project of Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) continued its implementation momentum during this year. There has been progress on both the corridors namely 1499 km long Western DFC from JawaharLal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai to Dadri/Tughlakabad (Near Delhi) and 1839 km long Eastern DFC from Ludhiana (Punjab) to Dankuni (Near Kolkata). Land acquisition is progressing well and as on November 2012, out of total land of 10703 hectares to be acquired for both corridors, 7768 hectares i.e. 73% has been acquired. Initial funding agreements for Western DFC through JICA and part of Eastern DFC (Ludhiana-Khurja-KanpurMughalsarai) through World Bank have already been formalized while remaining Dankuni-Sonnagar section of Eastern DFC is proposed to be implemented through PPP and MughalsaraiSonnagar section of Eastern DFC is being implemented through the resources of the Ministry of Railways. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Campaign Clean India was signed between the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Railways. Under the MOU, the two Ministries will work together towards a sustained sensitization campaign to train travelers and service providers under the Capacity Building for Service Providers scheme of Ministry of Tourism and for consultations and discussions with the stake holders including the travel trade to evolve strategies for the up-keep and cleanliness of the stations and coaches. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways has issued a notification containing rules on prohibition of activities affecting cleanliness and hygiene in the Railway premises alongwith penalties for contravention of these rules. Whosoever contravenes any of the provisions of these rules or fails to comply with such provisions shall be punished with a fine which shall not exceed five hundred rupees. Indigenously designed, developed and manufactured Air conditioned double decker train was introduced for the first time between Howrah and Dhanbad. This year, an improved design of the train has been developed and its services between Jaipur and Delhi and Ahemdabad and Mumbai have been introduced. Such services are also planned between HabibganjIndore and Chennai-Bangalore in near future. AC double decker train with improved passenger friendly design is having capacity of 120 passengers per coach and are becoming popular among passengers. Continued efforts and constant persuasion by Railway Board and energy conservation initiatives by

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Zonal Railways have resulted into bagging highest ever 11 National Energy Conservation Awards by the Indian Railways out of total awards of 87 from 773 applications during 2012, which were awarded by the President of India during National Energy Conservation Day on 14th December 2012. Indian Railways continued its thrust on enhancing safety. Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) was extended on pilot basis on main line operations on Hazrat Nizamuddin Agra Section of Northern/North Central Railway (200 Route Kilometres) where work is under progress. Based upon experience gained from ACD & TPWS systems, Indian Railways has now taken up development of Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). TCAS shall be a fusion of functionalities of TPWS & ACD and shall prevent Signal Passing at Danger as well as Collisions. After invitation of Expression of Interest, six Indian firms have been shortlisted. One of the firm has developed the Prototype which underwent field trials in Oct2012 over South Central Railway. To bring further convenience to the rail users, Indian Railways through Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Railway, is offering the service of booking e-ticket over the mobile phone. After initial registration and downloading of suitable software on the mobile handset with internet facility, it is quite easy for the mobile users to book a reserve ticket through their own mobile. After booking, the passenger l receives a reservation message with full details of the ticket including PNR, Train No, date of journey, class etc. This virtual message is treated at par with the print-out of the e-ticket. With a commitment to provide hygienic environment to its passengers and staff, Indian Railways, along with Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) have developed Environment Friendly Bio-toilets for its passenger coaches. In these bio-toilets, the human waste is treated by bacteria, which is benign to the humans. This bacteria converts human waste into water and gases (methane and CO2). The gases escape to atmosphere and treated waste water is discharged after chlorination. Human waste thus does not fall on the tracks. Eight trains are running with 436 biotoilets and in the year 2012-13, 2500 more bio-toilets are planned to be introduced. A complete switch-over to bio-toilets in new coaches has been planned by 2016-17 and the Indian Railway has targeted elimination of direct discharge passenger coach toilet systems by the end of the Thirteenth Five Year Plan i.e., 202122. The travel distance from l00 kilometres has been extended to 150 kilometres under IZZAT scheme. There is no change in other terms and conditions. This extension of travel distance from 100 kms to 150 kms is admissible on IZZAT Monthly Season Tickets (MST) purchased on and after June 1, 2012. IZZAT is a scheme of uniformly priced MST of Rs. 25/inclusive of all surcharges issued up to distance of 100 Kms to persons working in unorganised sector with monthly income not exceeding Rs. 1500/-. This distance has now been increased from 100 km to 150 km. Supervision and monitoring of catering services both in trains and at stations has been strengthened, as a result of this the number of complaint cases has reduced by 4.82 % (approx.) during the calendar year (up to October, 2012) as compared to the corresponding period of last year. About 26860 inspections have been carried out during January, 2012 to October, 20 12 by Zonal Railways for ensuring quality in catering. In order to make catering services effective, a Standard Bid Documents (SBDs) have been prepared for award of tenders for various catering services over Indian Railways. To provide accurate train running information to the public, the Indian Railways has expanded the train running information facility. Now the information on the running of all trains is available at www.trainenquiry.com. Similarly this facility is available through SMS on 139. Earlier, train running information of only selected 36 important trains (Shatabdi, Rajdhani & Duronto) were available at website www.simran.in and through SMS on 9415139139. Indian Railways is adopting a multi pronged strategy to provide a safer, faster, cleaner, and comfortable passenger trains. Firstly, seven corridors have been identified for conducting pre-feasibility studies for running high speed trains (popularly referred as) at speeds above 350 kmph. These corridors will be set up through PPP route. Initially, Mumbai- Ahemdabad corridor has been taken up for which pre-feasibility has been completed. Secondly, a study is also being done on Delhi-Mumbai route with Japanese help to raise the speed of passenger trains from 160 kmph to 200 kmph being referred to as Semi-High Speed. Thirdly, Indian Railways is working on the concept of acquiring Electrical Multiple Units (EMU) Train sets for intercity journeys for operating speed ranging from 130160 km/hour. With high pick-up and increased acceleration & deceleration characteristic, these proposed modern distributed powered EMU train sets will provide faster and safer movement and will substantially reduce run time. Continuing with the Indian Railways and State Government partnership model, a MOU for the development of rail corridors in Chhatisgarh state was signed. The three rail corridors meant for both passengers and freight would be developed in northern region of Chhatisgarh state, approximately 452 kilometres in total length.. These are:- 1) East Corridor: Bhupdevpur-GharghodaDharamjaygarh up to Korba with spur from Gharghoda to Donga Mauha to connect mines of GarePelma block, approximately 180 kilometres in length, 2) North Corridor: Surajpur-Parsa-KatghoraKorba, approximately 150 kilometres in length and 3) EastWest Corridor: Gevra Raod to Pendra Road via Dipka, Katghora, Sindurgarh, approximately 122 kilometres in length. These corridors will be implemented through specific Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). Filling up of vacancies is a matter of priority and is being actively pursued by Railways Recruitment Boards. In 2012, fourteen written examinations have been held for 271 categories, covering 50515 vacancies. Panels of about 15,838 candidates mainly for safety category posts have been supplied to Zonal Railways/Production Units during the last 11 months period i.e. 1st January 2012 to 30th November 2012. Five centralized notifications have been issued in 2012 covering 27,038 vacancies in 138 categories. Examinations against 4 notifications, out of five issued in 2012, have already been held in this year itself for 26,213 vacancies. Railway sportspersons were felicitated by the Railway Ministry for their remarkable performance in the London Olympics 2012. They

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were presented with a shawl, a memento and the cheque of the award amount. Sushil Kumar, who won silver medal in wrestling (66 kg. Free Style) event in London Olympics was given a cash award of Rs. 75 lakh. JoydeepKarmakar who got 4th position in the final in Shooting (50m Prone) and Ms. Krishna Punia who got 7th position in the final in Discuss Throw were given Rs. 25 lakh cash award each. In a momentous recognition of the role and contribution of the Indian Railways in promoting sports in the country, Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) of Ministry of Railways has bagged Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, for the year 2012 which is a part of National Sports Awards, announced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Bilateral cooperation in Railway sector with foreign countries is an ongoing process. India and China, among others, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Cooperation in Railway Sector. Under this MoU, both the countries will enhance mutual cooperation across various areas of rail technology including High Speed Rail, Heavy Haulage and Station Development. A MoU was also signed between Indian Railways and Belgium on bilateral co-operation for the effective development and modernization of railway sector of both the countries. Another Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of India and Government of Spain on technical cooperation in the field of Railway sector. Delegation level talks were held separately with Switzerland and Germany on bilateral cooperation in the railway sector. Manager Gary Sanders told newspersons here at the end of a meeting of the Projects Governing Board. 3. Edge sensors and actuators, in particular, would play a key role in the working of the telescope. Since the primary mirror of the telescope would be made of an array of 492 identical mirror segments, the main challenge in its working would be to ensure that the segments remained aligned properly all the time. The edge sensors and the actuators would help in this task. 4. Work on producing prototypes of these have already been initiated. While Pondicherry-based General Optics Asia Limited [GOAL] has been asked to produce 25 prototype edge sensors, Avasarala Technologies of Bangalore, has been engaged to produce 20 prototype actuators, Dr. Sanders said. 5. Programme Director for the India component of the mega science project, Eswar Reddy noted that Indian companies have been selected following a very stringent process, said the telescope would be 81 times more sensitive and resolve objects by a factor of 3 times better than the largest ground-based telescopes that are available at present across the world. 6. The unprecedented light gathering capability and angular resolution of the telescope is expected to help shed new light on many unsolved and challenging problems in astronomy and astrophysics. 7. The telescope is being constructed by a consortium consisting of US, China, Japan, Canada and India. India is making a contribution of 10 per cent 70 per cent of it in kind and 30 percent in cash. 8. India presently has a status of an observer and it is in the process of becoming a permanent member. A note for approval of the Union Cabinet in this regard is currently under preparation. Indian funding will be done through the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy. outbreak of the dreaded poultry disease in Bhutan. 2. Thousands of birds have been culled in Bhutan after the outbreak, which is yet to be controlled. Earlier this month, samples of affected birds were sent to Indias High Security Animal Disease Lab in Bhopal and they tested positive. Concept: Avian influenza Avian influenza is flu infection in birds. The virus that causes the bird infectin can change (mutate) to infect humans. Such mutation could start a deadly worldwide epidemic. Causes, incidence, and risk factors The first avian influenza virus to infect humans occurred in Hong Kong in 1997. The epidemic was linked to chickens and classified as avian influenza A (H5N1). Human cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) have since been reported in Asia, Africa, Europe, Indonesia, Vietnman, the Pacific, and the near East. Hundreds of people have become sick with this virus. Slightly more than 60% of those who became ill have died. The more the avian flu virus spreads, the greater the chances of a worldwide outbreak in humans. There is a tremendous concern that H5N1 poses an enormous pandemic threat. The following people have a higher risk for developing the bird flu:

Indian firms to supply parts for billion-dollar telescope

1. Several Indian companies are gearing up to play a major role in the construction of the $1.2 billion Thirty Metre Telescope, which will be the worlds most advanced ground-based observatory that will be operating in optical and midinfrared wavelengths. 2. The Indian companies will be supplying high-end components such as edge sensors, actuators, segment support assemblies and provide services such as polishing of the mirror segments, and software to control the operations of the telescope, the mirror, and telescope dome, its Project

Farmers and others who work with poultry Travelers visiting affected countries Those who touch an infected bird Those who eat raw or undercooked poultry meat, eggs, or blood from infected birds Health care workers and household contacts of patients with avian influenza may also be at an increased risk of the bird flu. The avian flu virus (H5N1) has been shown to survive in the environment for long periods of time. Infection may be spread simply by touching contaminated surfaces. Birds who were infected with this flu can continue to release the virus in their feces and saliva for as long as 10 days. Symptoms Symptoms of avian flu infection in humans depend on the strain of virus.

Border States on high alert after bird flu in Bhutan

1. The Centre on Wednesday sounded high alert in border States against avian influenza after

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Infection with the H5N1 virus in humans causes typical flu-like symptoms, which might include: of the law, this constitutes a dueprocess violation, which offends against the rule of law. Due process has also been frequently interpreted as limiting laws and legal proceedings (see substantive due process), so that judges - instead of legislators may define and guarantee fundamental fairness, justice, and liberty. This interpretation has proven controversial, and is analogous to the concepts of natural justice, and procedural justice used in various other jurisdictions. This interpretation of due process is sometimes expressed as a command that the government must not be unfair to the people or abuse them physically. Due process is not used in contemporary English law, though two similar concepts are natural justice (which generally applies only to decisions of administrative agencies and some types of private bodies like trade unions) and the British constitutional concept of the rule of law as articulated by A. V. Dicey and others. However, neither concept lines up perfectly with the American theory of due process, which, as explained below, presently contains many implied rights not found in the ancient or modern concepts of due process in England. Due process developed from clause 39 of the Magna Carta in England. When English and American law gradually diverged, due process was not upheld in England, but did become incorporated in the Constitution of the United States. Home Ministry on Wednesday, committee member GopalSubramaniam said going by the testimonies of the people from Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and the North-East, it was evident that there was a pressing need to try armed forces personnel guilty of sexual offences in conflict areas under the ordinary criminal law. Taking cognisance of the complaints and reports of sexual assaults on women by men in uniform and the civil societys demand for repeal of the AFSPA, the committee recommend an immediate resolution of jurisdictional issues. Simple procedural protocols must be put in place to avoid situations where the police refuse to register cases against paramilitary personnel. Concept: AFSPA The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), was passed on September 11, 1958, by the Parliament of India. It grants special powers to the armed forces in what the act calls disturbed areas in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. It was later extended to Jammu and Kashmir as The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 in July 1990. This act has been regarded as a shameful act, which perpetuated all the ills in India and hampering the development of the country. According to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), in an area that is proclaimed as disturbed, an officer of the armed forces has powers to Fire upon or use other kinds of force even if it causes death, against the person who is acting against law or order in the disturbed area for the maintenance of public order, after giving such due warning.

Cough (dry or productive) Diarrhea Difficulty breathing Fever greater than 100.4F (38C) Headache Malaise Muscle aches Runny nose Sore throat

U.S. calls for due process in 1971 war trial

The U.S. has extended support to the trial of the people who committed crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Washington, however, stressed the need for holding the trial in a free and fair way. Victoria Nuland, spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, spoke at a press briefing in Washington DC on January 22, a day after Bangladeshs war crimes tribunal passed its maiden verdict ordering giving death sentence to an Islamist leader, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, on charges of genocide, killing, rape and arson as the local cohorts of the Pakistani army during the war. The press statement was posted on its website. As Bangladesh addresses the legacy of atrocities committed during the Liberation War and as we await further verdicts by the International Crimes Tribunal, the U.S. urges the government of Bangladesh to adhere to the due process standards that are part of its treaty obligations, and to fully respect the rule of law, the statement said. However, we believe that any such trials must be free, fair, and transparent, and in accordance with domestic standards and international standards Bangladesh has agreed to uphold through its ratification of international agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Concept: Due process Due process is the legal requirement that the state must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual person from it. When a government harms a person without following the exact course

Dont allow Armymen to take cover under AFSPA, says Verma

The Justice J.S. Verma Committee, set up to suggest amendments to laws relating to crimes against women, has recommended review of the continuance of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the context of extending legal protection to women in conflict areas. There is an imminent need to review the continuance of the AFSPA and AFSPA-like legal protocols in internal conflict areas as soon as possible, it said. This is necessary for determining the propriety of resorting to this legislation in the area(s) concerned. In its report submitted to the Union

Destroy any arms dump, prepared or fortified position or shelter or training camp from which armed attacks are made by the armed volunteers or armed gangs or absconders wanted for any offence

To arrest without a warrant anyone who has committed cognizable offences or is reasonably suspected of having done so and may use force if needed for the arrest.
To enter and search any

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premise in order to make such arrests, or to recover any person wrongfully restrained or any arms, ammunition or explosive substances and seize it. composed of not just anti-particles but anti-atoms by mid-2014. 4. AEgIS is one of six antimatter experiments at CERN that create antiparticles and anti-atoms in the lab and then study their properties using special techniques. The hope, as Dr. Jeffrey Hangst, the spokesperson for the ALPHA experiment, stated in an email, is to find out the truth: Do matter and antimatter obey the same laws of physics? 5. Spectroscopic and gravitational techniques will be used to make these measurements. They will improve upon, precision measurements of antiprotons and anti-electrons that have been carried out in the past without seeing any difference between the particles and their antiparticles at very high sensitivity, as Dr. Michael Doser, AEgIS spokesperson, told this Correspondent via email. 6. The ALPHA and ATRAP experiments will achieve this by trapping anti-atoms and studying them, while the ASACUSA and AEgIS will form an atomic beam of anti-atoms. All of them, anyway, will continue testing and upgrading through 2013. Working principle 7. Precisely, AEgIS will attempt to measure the interaction between gravity and antimatter by shooting an anti-hydrogen beam horizontally through a vacuum tube and then measuring how it much sags due to the gravitational pull of the Earth to a precision of 1 percent. 8. The experiment is not so simple because preparing anti-hydrogen atoms is difficult. As Dr.Doser explained, The experiments concentrate on anti-hydrogen because that should be the most sensitive system, as it is not much affected by magnetic or electric fields, contrary to charged antiparticles. 9. First, antiprotons are derived from the Antiproton Decelerator (AD), a particle storage ring which manufactures the antiparticles at a low energy. At another location, a nanoporous plate is bombarded with anti-electrons, resulting in a highly unstable mixture of both electrons and anti-electrons called positronium (Ps). 10. The Ps is then excited to a specific energy state by exposure to a 205-nanometre laser and then an even higher energy state called a Rydberg level using a 1,670nanometre laser. Last, the excited Ps traverses a special chamber called a recombination trap, when it mixes with antiprotons that are controlled by precisely tuned magnetic fields. With some probability, an antiproton will trap an anti-electron to form an antihydrogen atom. Applications 11. Before a beam of such antihydrogen atoms is generated, however, there are problems to be solved. They involve large electric and magnetic fields to control the speed of and collimate the beams, respectively, and powerful cryogenic systems and ultra-cold vacuums. Thus, Dr.Doser and his colleagues will spend many months making careful changes to the apparatus to ensure these requirements work in tandem by 2014. 12. While antiparticles were first discovered in 1959, until recently, it was impossible to measure anything about anti-hydrogen, Dr.Hangst wrote. Thus, the ALPHA and AEgIS experiments at CERN provide a seminal setting for exploring the world of antimatter. 13. Anti-particles have been used effectively in many diagnostic devices such as PET scanners. Consequently, improvements in our understanding of them feed immediately into medicine. To name an application: Antiprotons hold out the potential of treating tumors more effectively. 14. In fact, the feasibility of this application is being investigated by the ACE experiment at CERN.In the words of Dr.Doser: Without the motivation of attempting this experiment, the experts in the corresponding fields would most likely never have collaborated and might well never have been pushed to solve the related interdisciplinary problems.

Stop and search any vehicle or vessel reasonably suspected to be carrying such person or weapons.

Any person arrested and taken into custody under this Act shall be made over to the officer in charge of the nearest police station with the least possible delay, together with a report of the circumstances occasioning the arrest.

Army officers have legal immunity for their actions. There can be no prosecution, suit or any other legal proceeding against anyone acting under that law. Nor is the governments judgment on why an area is found to be disturbed subject to judicial review.

Protection of persons acting in good faith under this Act from prosecution, suit or other legal proceedings, except with the sanction of the Central Government, in exercise of the powers conferred by this Act.

For declaring an area as a disturbed area there must be a grave situation of law and order on the basis of which Governor/ Administrator can form opinion that an area is in such a disturbed or dangerous condition that use of Armed Forces in aid of civil power is necessary

A different kind of experiment at CERN

1. At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland, experiments are conducted by many scientists who dont quite know what they will see, but know how to conduct the experiments that will yield answers to their questions. They accelerate beams of particles called protons to smash into each other, and study the fallout. 2. There are some other scientists at CERN who know approximately what they will see in experiments, but dont know how to do the experiment itself. These scientists work with beams of antiparticles. According to the Standard Model, the dominant theoretical framework in particle physics, every particle has a corresponding particle with the same mass and opposite charge, called an anti-particle. 3. In fact, at the little-known AEGIS experiment, physicists will attempt to produce an entire beam

China confers top science award on noted scientist Dr C N R Rao

1. Noted Indian scientist Dr C N R Rao has been conferred with Chinas top science award for his important contributions in boosting Sino-India scientific cooperation.Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) yesterday gave its 2012 Award for International Scientific Cooperation to three scientists from India, Germany, and Russia. 2. Rao, 79, founder of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced

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Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, shared the 2012 award with Herbert Jaeckle of Germanys Max Planck Society and Russian space physicist G AZherebtsov. 3. The awards are given every year by the CAS, which is Chinas top academic and research institution for natural sciences.It has so far honoured 17 international scientists for their contributions in Sino-Foreign research cooperation, since the prize was instituted in 2007. 4. Rao is devoted to the research of solid-state and structural chemistry. He was awarded for his important contributions in boosting scientific cooperation between China and India, as well as raising the scientific capabilities ofdeveloping countries, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted CAS as saying in a statement.Rao has won various prestigious awards. He is currently the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister.German scientist Jaeckle specialised in the fields of molecular developmental biology. He has actively promoted scientific cooperation between China and Germany, CAS said. 5. He has explored and put into practice approaches thatintegrate a Max Planck management model with the CASs scientific research system, as well as set up an international team of researchers, it said. 6. Zherebtsov has actively promoted the construction of a Sino-Russian weather research centre and is currently working to get Russia involved in a CAS space science programme, the CAS said. times more brightly, Betelgeuses impressive statistics come with a cost. For this star is likely on its way to a spectacular supernova explosion, having already swelled into a red supergiant and shed a significant fraction of its outer layers. The new far-infrared view from Herschel shows how the stars winds are crashing against the surrounding interstellar medium, creating a bow shock as the star moves through space at speeds of around 30 km/s. A series of broken, dusty arcs ahead of the stars direction of motion testify to a turbulent history of mass loss. Closer to the star itself, an inner envelope of material shows a pronounced asymmetric structure. Large convective cells in the stars outer atmosphere have likely resulted in localized, clumpy ejections of dusty debris at different stages in the past. An intriguing linear structure is also seen further away from the star, beyond the dusty arcs. While some earlier theories proposed that this bar was a result of material ejected during a previous stage of stellar evolution, analysis of the new image suggests that it is either a linear filament linked to the galaxys magnetic field, or the edge of a nearby interstellar cloud that is being illuminated by Betelgeuse. If the bar is a completely separate object, then taking into account the motion of Betelgeuse and its arcs and the separation between them and the bar, the outermost arc will collide with the bar in just 5,000 years, with the red supergiant star itself hitting the bar roughly 12,500 years later. The Super-TIGER was launched from the Ross Ice Shelf on Dec. 9, 2012, and has circled the South Pole two and a half times at an altitude of about 130,000 feet, three or four times higher than passenger planes cruise. The team hopes it will complete the circuit in another 8 to 10 days, coming back round to McMurdo latitude, or at least close enough that it can be retrieved. New venture to mine asteroids for metals within two years A US company plans to mine asteroids for metals, useful ores and minerals as they hurtle past the Earth using the first rockprospecting spacecraft by 2015. Deep Space Industries says it wants to start sending miniature scout probes, dubbed Fireflies, on one-way missions to near-Earth asteroids as soon as 2015. Company CEO David Gump said larger probes, Dragonflies, that will bring back 50-to 100-pound samples from prospective targets could be on their way by 2016, CNN reported. The goal is to extract metals, water and compounds that can be used to make spacecraft fuel from the chunks of rock that float within about 50 million kilometres of Earth. Gump said the ability to produce fuel in space would be a boon for NASA, as the US space agency shifts its focus toward exploring deeper into the solar system. As much as 90 percent of the weight of a prospective monthslong Mars mission could be fuel and it costs between USD 5,000 and USD 10,000 per pound to put anything into space. If NASA can launch just the hardware and tank up in orbit, where the fuel is cheap, that means we could get to the Red Planet a lot sooner than we currently expect, Gump said. It could also allow commercial satellite companies to extend the life of hardware thats now written off when fuel for manoeuvring thrusters runs out. If you give it one more month of active work in orbit, its worth about USD 5 (million) to USD 8 million to the owner of that satellite, Gump said. The announcement comes nine months after the unveiling of a similar project by Planetary

Supergiant star nearest to Earth on its way to spectacular explosion

New image from ESAs Herschel space observatory has revealed multiple arcs around Betelgeuse, the nearest red supergiant star to Earth, and scientists analysing the image have suggested that the star and its arc-shaped shields could collide with an intriguing dusty wall in 5000 years. Betelgeuse rides on the shoulder of the constellation Orion the Hunter. It can easily be seen with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere winter night sky as the orange-red star above and to the left of Orions famous three-star belt. Roughly 1,000 times the diameter of our Sun and shining 100,000

Super-TIGER smashes cosmic-ray balloon record in Antarctica

Super-TIGER, the balloon carrying the cosmic-ray detector, has set a new record by floating in the air 45 days serenely in the Antarctica. It shattered the previous record of 42 days set by Cream I, another cosmic ray experiment that flew during the winter of 2004-2005. The team celebrated by thanking everyone involved in a long series of tweets including the balloons maker, Raven Aerostar, and NASAs Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, which tracks and controls the balloon.

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Resources, a company backed by investors such as filmmaker James Cameron and Google executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt. The group says it hopes to get its first unmanned probes into space by the end of 2013. Since the retirement of its space shuttles, NASA has outsourced supply missions to the International Space Station to the private rocket company Space X. Deep Space Industries said it can build its first class of probes largely with off-the-shelf parts and book them on other launch vehicles, such as the French-built Ariane rockets or the Falcon boosters developed by SpaceX. Its executives said the company is also developing a foundry designed to produce metal parts from nickel, an element abundant in asteroids, and operate in space, and a class of Harvestor craft to extract valuable material from the asteroids. Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Policy with effect from 1.4.2010 for decontrolled P & K fertilizers (w.e.f. 1.5.2010 for SSP). As per this policy, the fertilizers namely DAP, MOP, NPKS complexes, MAP, TSP, Ammonium Sulphate (AS) and Single Super Phosphate (SSP) are provided to the farmers at the subsidized rates based on the nutrients (N, P, K & S) contained in these fertilizers. Additional subsidy is also provided on the fertilizers fortified with secondary and micronutrients as per the Fertilizer Control Order such as Boron and Zinc. NBS has been announced for 2010-11 on annual basis based on prevailing international prices and price trends. Since this scheme has just been launched about 3 months ago, therefore at present, Government is not considering any change in the NBS. Subsidy under the NBS is being released through the manufacturers/importers. mutual fund debt schemes, subject to a total overall ceiling of $1 billion. 5. This limit of $1 billion shall continue to be over and above the revised limit of $50 billion for investment in corporate debt, the RBI added. 6. As a measure of further relaxation, it has been decided to dispense with the condition of one year lock-in period for the limit of $22 billion (comprising the limits of infrastructure bonds of $12 billion and $10 billion for non-resident investment in IDFs) within the overall limit of $25 billion for foreign investment in infrastructure corporate bond. 7. The residual maturity period (at the time of first purchase) requirement for the entire limit of $22 billion for foreign investment in the infrastructure sector has been uniformly kept at 15 months. The five-year residual maturity requirement for investments by QFIs within the $3 billion limit has been modified to three years original maturity.Maturity restrictions for first time foreign investors on dated G-Secs removed. Removal of rules requiring FIIs to hold infrastructure debt for at least one year Definition of Gilt-Edged Securities High-grade bonds that are issued by a government or firm. This type of security originally boasted gilded edges, thus the name. In the case of a firm, a gilt-edged security is a stock or bond issued by a company that has a strong record of consistent earnings and can be relied on to cover dividends and interest.

Reserve Bank eases rules for FII investment in debt

1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Thursday, notified the enhanced limit of investing in government securities (G-Secs) by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and long-term investors by $5 billion to $25 billion from $20 billion.It also hiked the investment limit in corporate bonds by these entities by $5 billion $50 billion from $45 billion. 2. Long-term investors include SEBI-registered sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), multilateral agencies, endowment funds, insurance funds, pension funds and foreign central banks.The RBI also relaxed some investment rules by removing the maturity restrictions for first time foreign investors on dated G-Secs. Earlier it was mandated that the first time foreign investors of G-Secs must buy securities with at least threeyear residual maturity. But such investments will not be allowed in short-term paper like Treasury Bills, the RBI added. 3. Further, the central bank has also restricted foreign investors from buying certificates of deposits and commercial paper. 4. In the total corporate debt limit of $50 billion, the RBI stipulated a sub-limit of $25 billion each for infrastructure and other than infrastructure sector bonds. In addition, qualified foreign investors (QFIs) would continue to be eligible to invest in corporate debt securities (without any lock-in or residual maturity clause) and

24 January 2013 GoM set up to review urea pricing policy

1. The Centre has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM), which will look into the modified new pricing scheme (NPS) III for urea as well as consider earlier proposals for de-regulating the sector. 2. The GoM is likely to be headed by Agriculture Minister SharadPawar. Apart from Mr.Pawar, the GoM is likely to include Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Chemical and Fertilizer Minister M. K. Alagiri and Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister VeerappaMoily. 3. Urea is the only fertilizer that remains under full price control. Its current retail price is Rs.5,360 a tonne. The proposal to hike urea prices was made to redress imbalanced use of soil nutrients and reduce governments subsidy burden. Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme for Fertilizers In the context of Nations food security, the declining response of agricultural productivity to increased fertilizer usage in the country and to ensure the balanced application of fertilizers, the Government has introduced the

Antibiotic resistances apocalyptic threat

1. Britains most senior medical adviser has warned MPs that the rise in drug-resistant diseases could trigger a national emergency comparable to a catastrophic terrorist attack, pandemic flu or major coastal flooding. 2. Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, said the threat from infections that are resistant to frontline antibiotics was so serious that the issue should be added to the governments National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies. 3. She described what she called an apocalyptic scenario where people going for simple operations in 20 years time die of routine infections because we have run out of antibiotics.

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4. The register was established in 2008 to advise the public and businesses on national emergencies that Britain could face in the next five years. The highest priority risks on the latest register include a deadly flu outbreak, catastrophic terrorist attacks, and major flooding on the scale of 1953, the last occasion on which a national emergency was declared in the U.K. 5. Speaking to MPs on the Commons science and technology committee, Davies said she would ask the Cabinet Office to add antibiotic resistance to the National Risk Register in the light of an annual report on infectious disease she will publish in March. 6. Davies declined to elaborate on the report, but said its publication would coincide with a government strategy to promote more responsible use of antibiotics among doctors and the clinical professions. We need to get our act together in this country, she told the committee. 7. The issue of drug resistance is as old as antibiotics themselves, and arises when drugs knock out susceptible infections, leaving hardier, resilient strains behind. The survivors then multiply, and over time can become unstoppable with frontline medicines. Some of the best known are so-called hospital superbugs such as MRSA. 8. In the past, most people havent worried because weve always had new antibiotics to turn to, said Alan Johnson, consultant clinical scientist at the Health Protection Agency (HPA). What has changed is that the development pipeline is running dry. We dont have new antibiotics that we can rely on in the immediate future or in the longer term. Changes in modern medicine have exacerbated the problem by making patients more susceptible to infections. For example, cancer treatments weaken the immune system, and the use of catheters increases the chances of bugs entering the bloodstream. 9. We are becoming increasingly reliant on antibiotics in a whole range of areas of medicine. If we dont have new antibiotics to deal with the problems of resistance we see, we are going to be in serious trouble, Johnson added. The supply of new antibiotics has dried up for several reasons, but a major one is that drugs companies see greater profits in medicines that treat chronic conditions, such as heart disease, which patients must take for years or even decades. There is a broken market model for making new antibiotics, Davies told the MPs. 10. She has met senior officials at the World Health Organisation and her counterparts in other countries to develop a strategy to tackle antibiotic resistance globally. Powerful drugs losing efficacy 1. Drug resistance is emerging in diseases across the board. Davies said 80 per cent of gonorrhea was now resistant to the frontline antibiotic tetracycline, and infections were rising in young and middle-aged people. Multi-drug resistant TB was also a major threat, she said. 2. Another worrying trend is the rise in infections that are resistant to powerful antibiotics called carbapenems, which doctors rely on to tackle the most serious infections. Resistant bugs carry a gene variant that allows them to destroy the drug. What concerns some scientists is that the gene variant can spread freely between different kinds of bacteria, said Johnson.Bacteria resistant to carbapenems were first detected in the U.K. in 2003, when three cases were reported. The numbers remained low until 2007, but have since leapt to 333 in 2010, with 217 cases in the first six months of 2011, according to the latest figures from the HPA. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2013 2012-13 for his research. From the infected monkeys that serve as its hosts, this parasite gets transmitted to humans through the Leucosphyrus group of Anopheles mosquitoes that serve as vectors, Mr. Das said.Till date there has been no confirmatory report about any Plasmodium Knowlesi infection in the mainland. It is likely that the parasite migrated to the islands from neighbouring south-east Asian countries, which have similar flora and fauna.Poachers from Thailand and Indonesia are said to secretly visit the islands. Probably this new malaria-causing parasite has been introduced to Indian islands through poachers, Mr. Das said.

Verma report for parliamentary panel

The Union government is planning to send the Justice Verma Committee report to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs for consideration even as Law Minister Ashwani Kumar on Thursday hinted that it would not be possible to implement all recommendations, particularly on review of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and disqualification of tainted lawmakers. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was studying the report and whatever fresh recommendations were found, would be flagged and forwarded to the parliamentary committee, a senior government official said. Notably, the committee, headed by the former Chief Justice of India, J.S. Verma, has recommended harsher punishment for rape convicts besides bringing stalking, marital rape and other women related issues within the purview of criminal law. According to government sources, many of the recommendations given by the three-member committee on Amendments to Criminal Law had been incorporated in the Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2012, which was introduced in Parliament during the winter session. The MHA has set no time frame to introduce the proposed amendments in Parliament as suggested by the panel, they said.

Malaria-causing parasite found in Andamans

Researchers have located a new malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium Knowlesi for the first time in humans in India. A team of researchers, consisting of Manoj Kumar Das of the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), Shiv S. Singh of G.B. Pant Hospital, Port Blair, Rupesh K. Tyagi and Yagya D. Sharma of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), have made this discovery. They located the plasmodium in tribal people in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Mr. Das, during his visit to the city, said monkeys, especially crabeating ones found in the islands, served as hosts for this parasite. Mr. Das, who has spent 16 years of research as officer-in-charge of the field unit of the malaria research centre in the Car Nicobar island, received the ICMR award for senior bio-medical scientists for the year

Justice verma report reccomendations:

1. The equality of women, being integral to the Constitution, its

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denial is a sacrilege and a constitutional violation. Sustained constitutional violations mean that governance is not in accordance with the Constitution. A fortiori, all limbs of the State - the executive, the legislature as well as the judiciary -must respect womens rights and must treat them in a non-discriminatorymanner. 2. As a primary recommendation, all marriages in India(irrespective of the personal laws under which such marriages are solemnised) should mandatorily be registered in the presence of a magistrate, which magistrate will ensure that the marriage has been solemnised without any demand for dowry having been made and that the marriage has taken place with the full and free consent of both partners. 3. The manner in which the rights of women can be recognised can only be manifested when they have full access to justice and when the rule of law can be upheld in their favour. The proposed Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2012, should be modified as suggested, and to secure public confidence, be promulgated forthwith. Since the possibility of sexual assault on men, as well as homosexual, transgender and transsexual rape, is a reality the provisions have to be cognizant of the same. 4. In respect of certain categories of cases, such as those where the victim is in custody of persons in authority including police and armed personnel, certain statutory presumptions must apply under Section 114A of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Every complaint of rape must be registered by the police and civil society should perform its duty to report any case of rape coming to its knowledge. 5. Any officer, who fails to register a case of rape reported to him, or attempts to abort its investigation, commits an offence which shall be punishable as prescribed. We have also taken into account offences of eve teasing, voyeurism, stalking as well as sexual assault and unsolicited sexual contact. 6. A special procedure for protecting persons with disabilities from rape, and requisite procedures for access to justice for such personsis also an urgent need. Amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which are necessary, have been suggested. 7. The protocols for medical examination of victims of sexual assaulthave also been suggested, which we have prepared on the basis of the best practices as advised by global experts in the fields of gynaecology and psychology. Such protocol based, professional medical examination is imperative for uniform practice and implementation. 8. The insensitivity of the police to deal with rape victims is well known. The police respect a patriarchal form of society, and have been unable to deal with extraordinary cases of humiliation and hardship caused by the khappanchayats, as is evident from various judgments of the Supreme Court. The police are involved in trafficking of children (including female children) and in drug trade. To inspire public confidence, it is necessary that there must not only be prompt implementation of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh case, but also police officers with reputations of outstanding ability and character must be placed at the higher levels of the police force. In the present context, and in view of the facts revealed to us, it is necessary that every police commissioner and director general of police of this country must be selected in accordance with the directions of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singhs case, who can lead by example. The leader makes all the difference. As such, all existing appointments need to be reviewed to ensure that the police force has the requisite moral vision. 9. It is settled law that every policeman is bound to obey the law and any order of a superior officer, which is contrary to law, is no defence for his illegal action, which may be a punishable offence. Accordingly, any political interference or extraneous influence in the performance of the statutory duty by a policeman cannot be condoned.This principle has to be clearly understood by every member of the police force their accountability is only to the law and to none else in the discharge of their duty. Dereliction of this duty has to be punished according to the service rules and applicable law. 10. Authentic figures of missing children in India are not available for obvious reasons of the complicity of law enforcement agencies. Children have been driven into forced labour, sex abuse, sexual exploitation as well as made victims of illegal organ trade. Our report includes the testimonies of children (whose identities have been concealed for their safety) to verify facts from their personal experience. As a small gesture, this Committee has (at its own cost) taken necessary steps for proper rehabilitation and education of one of these children, payment of the minimum wages due to the said child, her safe passage and reintegration with her family, psychotherapeutic intervention, and to fulfil her educational aspirations.The Committee expects similar treatment by the State of all such deprived children. 11. Every District Magistrate is responsible for carrying out a census of missing children within his district. Having regard to the apathy shown by the district magistrates and the police in the matter of missing children, evident from advisories issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs as late as on 30th January 2012, this issue needs immediate attention. This is necessary also for the credibility of the political establishment. 12. The judiciary has the primary responsibility of enforcing fundamental rights, through constitutional remedies. The judiciary can take suomotu cognizance of such issues being deeply concerned with them both in the Supreme Court and the High Court. An all India strategy to deal with this issue would be advisable. The Chief Justice of India could be approached to commence appropriate proceedings on the judicial side. The Honble Chief Justice may consider making appropriate orders relating to the issue of missing children to curb the illegal trade of their trafficking etc. Social activists involved in curbing this menace could assist the court in the performance of this task. The question of award of compensation and rehabilitation could also be considered in such cases by the court. 13. Juvenile homes in the country, i.e. child homes, and observation homes, are not being run in a manner consistent with the spirit of the Juvenile Justice Act. To ensure that the constitution of the Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board, the infrastructural facilities in a home, the quality of food, the quality of counselling and psychotherapy required for a child

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to wipe out the scars of abuse and deprivation in early childhood and to mainstream him/her in society and to educate him/her fully requires a deeper and profound engagement of the State and civil society. This is the primary duty of the State, which is found wanting. We are shocked to note that so many of these children have been forced into bonded labour and beggary, which is in violation of Article 23 of the Constitution. India should not permit cheap child labour to be an incentive for foreign investment to boost our economy. 14. It is time for the judiciary to step in to discharge the constitutional mandate of enforcing fundamental rights and implementation of the rule of law. In performance of this obligation, the Chief Justice of the High Court in every State could devise the appropriate machinery for administration and supervision of these homes in consultation with experts in the field. For the safety and physical security of children, women, persons with disabilities, inmates of mental homes and widows, monitoring by the judiciary is necessary. The immediate and ultimate guardianship of such persons has to be with the court, founded on the principle of parenspatriae. 15. To augment the police force, there is a need to develop community policing by involving the local gentry, which would also motivate them to perform their duty as citizens. Respectable persons in each locality could also be appointed Special Executive Magistrates under Section 21, Cr.P.C. and invested with powers to deal with the traffic offences and other minor offences. In addition, to assisting the maintenance of law and order in the locality, their presence would inspire greater confidence of safety in the locality. 16. Street lighting everywhere would provide more safety since dark areas are more prone to facilitate crimes. There is great wisdom in the words of the American Judge Louis Brandeis, that Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectant; electric light the most efficient policeman. 17. Street vending should be encouraged to make the bus stops and footpaths safe for communities and pedestrians, in addition to providing street food for the common man. 18. We recommend the creation of a new constitutional authority akin to the Comptroller and Auditor General for education, nondiscrimination, in respect of women and children. the Act? It is very doubtful, legally perhaps. 6. Mr.Vahanvati said he did not want to give off-the-cuff answers. I need time to go into these issues. Justice Lodha told the AG: From your affidavit itself, it appears that minerals and mining lease has to be executed by the State and not by the Centre. It strikes at the root of all allocations. Referring to counsel PrashantBhushans submission that the Coal Secretary had filed an affidavit on how the blocks were decided by a Screening Committee, Justice Lodha observed: This seems to be extra legal.

Coal allocation is none of your business

The right vests with States, Supreme Court tells Centre 1. The Supreme Court on Thursday made it clear to the Centre that it had no power to allocate coal blocks to private companies and sought legal explanation from Attorney-General G.E. Vahanvati for making the allotments. 2. A Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and J. Chelameswar told the AG that there was absolutely no power given to the Centre under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. It was vested only with the States. 3. The Bench was hearing a petition filed by a group of prominent citizens and Common Cause, a non-governmental organisation, seeking cancellation of the allocation of captive coal blocks made from 1993 and a probe by a special investigation team. The petitioners included T.S.R. Subramanian, former Cabinet Secretary; N Gopalaswami, former Chief Election Commissioner; Ramaswamy R. Iyer, former Secretary, Government of India; Admiral (retd.) R.H. Tahiliani; SushilTripathi, former Secretary, Government of India; and Admiral (retd.) L. Ramdas. 4. They said that according to the CAGs conservative estimates, the allocation between 2004 and 2010 caused a windfall gain of Rs. 1.86 lakh crore to private companies, making it a bigger scandal than the 2G scam. There was a related loss to the public exchequer. Various political and commercial vested interests joined forces to block competitive bidding [auction].A petition by advocate M.L. Sharma was tagged with this plea. 5. The Bench wanted to know from the AG whether the Centre derived any power to allocate coal blocks to private companies under the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act. Justice Lodha told Mr.Vahanvati: You are required to give a lot of legal explanation. The question is: does the Centre have power under the MMDR Act and does it have the power to undermine the entire statutory mechanism? Can you override the statutory provisions of

25 January 2013 Norms revised for offer for sale mechanism

1. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), on Friday, revised the offer for sale (OFS) mechanism as the deadline is approaching for the promoters of listed companies to offload their stake to meet the minimum public shareholding norm of 25 per cent by June 2013. 2. Based on past experience of sale of shares through OFS, the mechanism of OFS has been found to be useful by market participants and popular for offloading shares of promoters in listed companies in order to achieve minimum public shareholding, said SEBI in a circular to all sock exchanges. 3. The revised norms would be more economical, efficient and transparent, it added. 4. The cumulative bid quantity will be made available online to the market throughout the trading session at specific intervals in respect of orders with 100 per cent upfront margin and separately in respect of orders placed without any upfront margin. 5. The indicative price shall be disclosed to the market throughout the trading session. This is also calculated based on all valid bid / orders. 6. Institutional investors have an option to pay either upfront 100 per cent margin in cash or without margin. However, non-institutional investors have to pay 100 per cent upfront margin in cash. 7. Orders with 100 per cent margin paid upfront by institutional investors and non-institutional investors can be modified or

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cancelled at any time during trading hours. Orders without paying upfront margin by institutional investors can not be modified or cancelled except make upward revision in the price or quantity. Institutional investors who placed orders / bids with 100 per cent margin upfront, custodian confirmation would be within trading hours and settlement shall take place on T+1 (trading plus one day) and without upfront margin it will be on T+1 and settlement will be on T+2 as it is now followed in secondary market transactions. 8. The extended half-an-hour time after trading hours given to the custodians earlier has been done away with. it out along with sewage, burdening the system. More important, the precious water is lost. In contrast, countries such as Japan extensively recycle water and successfully tide over their water deficit. Through a combination of strategies involving small treatment plants and closed loop water supply at building level, Japan reuses more than 53 million litres of water every day. In addition, innovative bathroom fixtures conduct used sink water directly to the flush tank of the toilet and save about 22,000 gallons every year. Recycling needs changes to plumbing arrangements in a building, but it is not hard to implement or monitor. What is missing is the will and regulatory framework. Cities such as Nanded have amended their building rules to make wastewater treatment in large buildings compulsory, but such provisions are present more on paper than in practice. If policymakers are serious about increasing water use efficiency through recycling a goal set by the National Water Mission buildings should be compelled to meet most of their non-potable water requirement through grey water reuse. the statute or amended or repealed. Cutting down delays 5. Another area that needed urgent attention would be amendments to the civil procedure code to cut down procedural delays, viz whether appeals could be cut down. He suggested that instead of legislation, the Supreme Court, after discussion with various stakeholders, could come out with guidelines on cutting down delays on account of arguments. 6. Asked about the Law Commissions earlier report on rape laws and the Justice Verma Committees report, he said he would look into both reports. A large number of issues were pending with the Commission and would be examined. 7. On the government not acting on the Law Commissions report, he said the Supreme Court had been using these reports in judgments and I am sure these reports will get the attention they deserve. Godhra cases 8. Justice Jain, heading a threemember Bench, monitored the Special Investigation Team probe into the Godhra and post-Godhra cases in Gujarat and the Gulberg Society case in which the court directed the Ahmedabad magistrate to decide on the closure report. Last week, the magistrate was restrained from pronouncing final orders on the report. 9. Justice Jain was heading the Benches on sensitive Mullaperiyar and Cauvery disputes cases. Election commission of India: A Constitutional Body India is a Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic and the largest democracy in the World. The modern Indian nation state came into existence on 15th of August 1947. Since then free and fair elections have been held at regular intervals as per the principles enshrined in the Constitution, Electoral Laws and System. The Constitution of India has vested in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for conduct of elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India. Election Commission of India is a permanent Constitutional Body.

Recycle grey water

1. UN-Habitat has commenced a new global consultation to reiterate the crucial role of wastewater management in the water cycle and explore policy options for a sustainable future. These consultations have also become necessary to set a future goal for water use, particularly for the years following 2015, which is the target year for the Millennium Development Goals. For India a severely water-stressed region this offers an opportunity to reflect on its policies and draw lessons from best practices across the world. The core challenge facing the country is the yawning gap between demand for water and the severely constrained supply. From 813 billion cubic metres the figure for 2010 demand is set to reach 1,093 BCM by 2025. Conventional resources alone cannot meet this steep increase. There is a pressing need to explore alternative sources. In this context, policymakers have done well to promote water harvesting to improve supply. But they have utterly failed when it comes to reusing water. Industrial scale recycling would help, but it could be expensive. On the other hand, the often overlooked building level reuse of grey water wastewater from kitchen sinks, showers and laundry fixtures is a more effective strategy to pursue. 2. According to a Centre for Science and Environment estimate in 2011, kitchen use, shower and laundry consume more than 70 per cent of the 920 litres of water supplied per household per day. Building systems seldom trap this wastewater for non-potable use such as toilet flushing, fire fighting and gardening. Instead, they drain

Immediate priority to poll reforms, says new Law Commission chief Jain
1. Justice D.K. Jain, retired judge of the Supreme Court, took charge as Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India at a brief ceremony here on Friday. 2. He laid down office as judge on the evening of Thursday when he was given a warm farewell by members of the Bar and the Bench at a function held on the Supreme Court lawns. 3. Justice Jain had been a judge of the Supreme Court from April 2006 and during the over six-year tenure he had delivered several landmark judgments and he endeared himself to the members of the Bar. 4. Speaking to The Hindu soon after assuming office as Law Commission Chairman, he said his immediate priority would be to look into electoral reforms, which, the government had asked him to do. In particular, the Commission would look into state funding of elections and preventing criminalisation of politics etc. There were many outdated laws and the Commission, in consultation with other members, would see whether these could be taken out of

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The Election Commission was established in accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950. The Commission celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2001. For details, please click here Originally the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. It currently consists of Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. For the first time two additional Commissioners were appointed on 16th October 1989 but they had a very short tenure till 1st January 1990. Later, on 1st October 1993 two additional Election Commissioners were appointed. The concept of multi-member Commission has been in operation since then, with decision making power by majority vote. Appointment & Tenure of Commissioners The President appoints Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. They have tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. They enjoy the same status and receive salary and perks as available to Judges of the Supreme Court of India. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through impeachment by Parliament. Transaction of Business The Commission transacts its business by holding regular meetings and also by circulation of papers. All Election Commissioners have equal say in the decision making of the Commission. The Commission, from time to time, delegates some of its executive functions to its officers in its Secretariat. The Setup The Commission has a separate Secretariat at New Delhi, consisting of about 300 officials, in a hierarchical set up. Two or three Deputy Election Commissioners and Director Generals who are the senior most officers in the Secretariat assist the Commission. They are generally appointed from the national civil service of the country and are selected and appointed by the Commission with tenure. Directors, Principal Secretaries, and Secretaries, Under Secretaries and Deputy Directors support the Deputy Election Commissioners and Director Generals in turn. There is functional and territorial distribution of work in the Commission. The work is organised in Divisions, Branches and sections; each of the last mentioned units is in charge of a Section Officer. The main functional divisions are Planning, Judicial, Administration, Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation, SVEEP, Information Systems, Media and Secretariat Co-ordination. The territorial work is distributed among separate units responsible for different Zones into which the 35 constituent States and Union Territories of the country are grouped for convenience of management. At the state level, the election work is supervised, subject to overall superintendence, direction and control of the Commission, by the Chief Electoral Officer of the State, who is appointed by the Commission from amongst senior civil servants proposed by the concerned state government. He is, in most of the States, a full time officer and has a small team of supporting staff. At the district and constituency levels, the District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers, who are assisted by a large number of junior functionaries, perform election work. They all perform their functions relating to elections in addition to their other responsibilities. During election time, however, they are available to the Commission, more or less, on a full time basis. The gigantic task force for conducting a countrywide general election consists of nearly five million polling personnel and civil police forces. This huge election machinery is deemed to be on deputation to the Election Commission and is subject to its control, superintendence and discipline during the election period, extending over a period of one and half to two months. Budget & Expenditure The Secretariat of the Commission has an independent budget, which is finalised directly in consultation between the Commission and the Finance Ministry of the Union Government. The latter generally accepts the recommendations of the Commission for its budgets. The major expenditure on actual conduct of elections is, however, reflected in the budgets of the concerned constituent units of the Union - States and Union Territories. If elections are being held only for the Parliament, the expenditure is borne entirely by the Union Government while for the elections being held only for the State Legislature, the expenditure is borne entirely by the concerned State. In case of simultaneous elections to the Parliament and State Legislature, the expenditure is shared equally between the Union and the State Governments. For Capital equipment, expenditure related to preparation for electoral rolls and the scheme for Electors Identity Cards too, the expenditure is shared equally. Executive Interference Barred In the performance of its functions, Election Commission is insulated from executive interference. It is the Commission which decides the election schedules for the conduct of elections, whether general elections or bye-elections. Again, it is the Commission which decides on the location polling stations, assignment of voters to the polling stations, location of counting centres, arrangements to be made in and around polling stations and counting centres and all allied matters. Political Parties & the Commission Political parties are registered with the Election Commission under the law. The Commission ensures inner party democracy in their functioning by insisting upon them to hold their organizational elections at periodic intervals. Political Parties so registered with it are granted recognition at the State and National levels by the Election Commission on the basis of their poll performance at general elections according to criteria prescribed by it. The Commission, as a part of its quasi-judicial jurisdiction, also settles disputes between the splinter groups of such recognised parties. Election Commission ensures a level playing field for the political parties in election fray, through strict observance by them of a Model Code of Conduct evolved with the consensus of political parties. The Commission holds periodical consultations with the political parties on matters connected with the conduct of elections; compliance of Model Code of Conduct and new measures proposed to be introduced by the Commission on election related matters. Advisory Jurisdiction & QuasiJudicial Functions

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Under the Constitution, the Commission also has advisory jurisdiction in the matter of post election disqualification of sitting members of Parliament and State Legislatures. Further, the cases of persons found guilty of corrupt practices at elections which come before the Supreme Court and High Courts are also referred to the Commission for its opinion on the question as to whether such person shall be disqualified and, if so, for what period. The opinion of the Commission in all such matters is binding on the President or, as the case may be, the Governor to whom such opinion is tendered. The Commission has the power to disqualify a candidate who has failed to lodge an account of his election expenses within the time and in the manner prescribed by law. The Commission has also the power for removing or reducing the period of such disqualification as also other disqualification under the law. Judicial Review The decisions of the Commission can be challenged in the High Court and the Supreme Court of the India by appropriate petitions. By long standing convention and several judicial pronouncements, once the actual process of elections has started, the judiciary does not intervene in the actual conduct of the polls. Once the polls are completed and result declared, the Commission cannot review any result on its own. This can only be reviewed through the process of an election petition, which can be filed before the High Court, in respect of elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures. In respect of elections for the offices of the President and Vice President, such petitions can only be filed before the Supreme Court. Media Policy The Commission has a comprehensive policy for the media. It holds regular briefings for the mass media-print and electronic, on a regular basis, at close intervals during the election period and on specific occasions as necessary on other occasions. The representatives of the media are also provided facilities to report on actual conduct of poll and counting. They are allowed entry into polling stations and counting centres on the basis of authority letters issued by the Commission. They include members of both international and national media. The Commission also publishes statistical reports and other documents which are available in the public domain. The library of the Commission is available for research and study to members of the academic fraternity; media representatives and anybody else interested. The Commission has, in cooperation with the state owned media - Doordarshan and All India Radio, taken up a major campaign for awareness of voters. The Prasar Bharti Corporation which manages the national Radio and Television networks, has brought out several innovative and effective short clips for this purpose. Voter Education Voters Participation in the democratic and electoral processes is integral to the successful running of any democracy and the very basis of wholesome democratic elections. Recognising this, Election Commission of India, in 2009, formally adopted Voter Education and Electoral participation as an integral part of its election management. 2009, it was 60.03, 75.87 and 82.68 respectively more candidates got elected to the LokSabha by securing less than 50 per cent of the total votes polled in their constituencies. 4. The conclusion is inescapable that a majority of elected members of the LokSabha in recent years, and even earlier, won on a minority of votes cast in their constituencies. The situation is no better, perhaps worse, in the Assembly Elections with the percentage of the returned candidates on minority of votes cast going above 70 in several cases. 5. When this percentage is considered alongside the average voter turnout, it would suggest that the elected representative may not be, often is not, representative of his/her electoral constituency. Furthermore, this system encourages candidates to focus on securing votes of a segment of the electorate and thereby accentuate or reinforce social divisions based on narrower considerations that derogate from inclusiveness and promote divisive tendencies and social conflict, Mr. Ansari said. 6. The Vice-President also called for a fresh debate on the right to reject (the candidate during the polls by voters). It was argued in terms of the democratic theory, that the right to vote carries with it an obligation to exercise the franchise in favour of a candidate of choice. A corollary of this would be the right to reject if none of the candidates on the list found favour with the voter. Such a conscious rejection would be preferable to abstention from voting. The procedural modality for bringing this about can be worked out on the model of some of the democracies where it is in vogue. 7. Law and Justice Minister Ashwani Kumar said the government remained irrevocably committed to electoral reforms in a major way. First past the voting system: A first-past-the-post (abbreviated FPTP or FPP) election is one that is won by the candidate with more votes than any other(s). It is a common, but not universal, feature of democratic political systems with single-member legislative districts, and generally results over time with a two-party competition.

First past the post not real victory in polls: Ansari

1. Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Friday initiated a fresh debate on electoral reforms by suggesting introduction of the right to reject in the voting system, and discussing the increasing number of candidates winning polls (to the LokSabha/Assemblies) with minority votes getting elected by securing less than 50 per cent of the total votes polled in their constituencies. 2. Addressing a function of the Election Commission, to celebrate the third voters day (to enrol new voters in the country), Mr. Ansari, who is also Chairman of the RajyaSabha, said there was need for taking corrective steps relating to the first-past-the-post system in which the successful candidate wins on the plurality, rather than the majority, of votes cast. 3. Its limitation was evident from factual data. In the first general election in 1952, the percentage of successful candidates who secured less than 50 per cent of the total votes cast in their constituencies was 67.28. This figure went down to 58.09 per cent in the 1957 election. In the general elections held in 1999, 2004, and

Governor may ask Shettar to prove majority in House

Chief Minister JagadishShettar may

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be directed by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj to prove his majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly ahead of the joint session of the Legislature provided there is prima facie evidence that the government has been reduced to a minority. Mr. Shettar called on the Governor at the Raj Bhavan on Friday and is said to have conveyed that his government enjoys a majority. Should there be a need, he would prove his majority on the floor of the House. As is customary, the Chief Minister invited the Governor to address the joint session. No directive Meanwhile, the Governor has said that there appears to be a split in the BharatiyaJanata Party, and the relative strength, if required, may have to be established in the Assembly. There is, however, no directive issued by the Raj Bhavan calling upon the Chief Minister to face a vote of confidence. The two Houses of the legislature are scheduled to meet on February 4, and the Chief Minister, who holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the State Budget on February 8. It is evident that the Governor will wait for Speaker K.G. Bopaiah to accept the resignations of the 13 legislators in the Yeddyurappa camp. With the expectation of a trust vote coming into play, the political atmosphere in the State, particularly in the BJP, is surcharged, and efforts are on to shore up numbers. There is also the talk of a Ministry expansion to win over legislators who may be tempted to cross over to the Karnataka JanataPaksha led by B.S. Yeddyurappa. The Governor on Friday accepted the resignations of two Ministers, ShobhaKarandlaje and C.M. Udasi, which were forwarded to him by the Chief Minister. The KJP, which already enjoys the support of 13 legislators, is expected to receive the support of a few more legislators and two more Ministers prior to the commencement of the legislature session. The Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have made it clear that they will vote against the government if it comes to a confidence vote. With elections round the corner, they would not like to be seen as aligning with the BJP.

15 January - 21 January 2013 Padma Vibhushan:

The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. It is awarded to recognize exceptional and distinguished service to the nation in any field, including government service.The first recipitants of this award were SatyendraNath Bose, NandLal Bose, Zakir Hussain, BalasahebGangadharKher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, V. K. Krishna Menon in the year 1954

determined government, since the change of guard at the Finance Ministry, has taken some bold decisions. The government expects that the measures announced by it and the central bank will stimulate the economy and reduce fiscal and current account deficits (CAD). 3. Since Mr. Chidambaram took over the Finance Ministry last August, he was able to cheer up the stock market substantially. The benchmark 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) shot up from 17257.38 on August 1, 2012, to 20103.53 on January 25, 2013. In this period, more than $16 billion foreign institutional investor (FII) inflow was recorded. A rate cut by the RBI would provide an essential euphoria in the market. The departure of SubirGokarn, the former Deputy Governor of RBI, who guided the policy rates, has raised expectations of a cut much before the end of the fourth quarter. Dr.Gokarn had always maintained that inflation was a major worry for the central bank as he had said Runaway inflation could be much worse in the long-run. Rate cut hopes 4. Inflation rate, especially the wholesale price index (WPI), is not in the comfortable level of 5-5.5 percent which the central bank was anticipating for a long time. This is at present hovering around a stubbornly high level of 7-7.5 percent. Retail inflation (based on consumer price index) is above 10 per cent. 5. The recent statement of the RBI Governor D. Subbarao that inflation remained too high hit the hopes of a sharp cut of 50 basis points in policy rate, after nine months. 6. The RBIs last rate cut was in April 2012 when it reduced the repo rate by 50 basis points from 8.5 per cent to 8 percent. Meanwhile, the RBI had brought down the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from a high of 6 per cent to 4.25 percent pumping liquidity to the banking system. 7. The repo rate is the rate at which banks borrow funds from the central bank. Cash Reserve Ratio is the portion of deposits banks are required to maintain with the Reserve Bank of India. The RBI had forecast which was unusual and surprised market participants in the second half of monetary policy review in October that there was a reasonable likelihood of further policy easing in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year.

Padma Shri:
Padma Shri (also Padmashree) is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. It is awarded by the Government of India. It is awarded to citizens of India to recognize their distinguished contribution in various spheres of activity including the Arts, Education, Industry, Literature, Science, Sports, Medicine, Social Service and Public Affairs. However it has also been awarded to some distinguished individuals who were not citizens of India and who did contribute in various ways to India

Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.

26 January 2013 News Analysis - RBI in a fix as growth concerns rise

1. While inflation and inflationary pressures are major concerns of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), bankers and the market expect a rate cut of 25 basis points to balance growth and inflation as envisaged by the government. 2. The RBI had asked the government to cut subsidies and help fiscal consolidation but coalition politics made the decision-making difficult for the government for some time. Now a

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8. The central bank reiterated that in its mid-quarter review in December Inflation patterns and projections provide a basis for reinforcing our October guidance about policy easing in the fourth quarter. The yield of benchmark 10-year Government Securities (GSec) has fallen below 7.9 per cent from above 8 per cent prevailed in mid-December in anticipation of a rate cut. 9. However, the RBI said risks to inflation remained. Even though it said that the policy emphasis shifts towards growth, the policy stance would remain sensitive to two risks: falling growth and rising inflation. 8. ESAs Euclid mission is designed to probe one of the most fundamental questions in modern cosmology, and we welcome NASAs contribution to this important endeavour, the most recent in a long history of cooperation in space science between our two agencies, said Alvaro Gimenez, ESAs Director of Science and Robotic Exploration. 9. In addition, NASA has nominated three US science teams totalling 40 new members for the Euclid Consortium. This is in addition to 14 US scientists already supporting the mission. 10. Euclid will map the dark matter in the universe. Matter as we know it the atoms that make up the human body, for example is a fraction of the total matter in the universe. 11. The rest, about 85 per cent, is dark matter consisting of particles of an unknown type. Dark matter first was postulated in 1932, but still has not been detected directly. 12. It is called dark matter because it does not interact with light. Dark matter interacts with ordinary matter through gravity and binds galaxies together like an invisible glue. 13. While dark matter pulls matter together, dark energy pushes the universe apart at ever-increasing speeds. In terms of the total massenergy content of the universe, dark energy dominates. Even less is known about dark energy than dark matter. 14. Euclids observations will yield the best measurements yet of how the acceleration of the universe has changed over time, providing new clues about the evolution and fate of the cosmos, researchers said. Defence (R&D) and DRDO Director General, said. He said Nirbhay has good loitering capability, good control and guidance, high degree of accuracy in terms of impact and very good stealth features.

Indo-Pak water talks put off

Talks between the Water Secretaries of India and Pakistan, scheduled to begin in Islamabad on January 28, have been put off in the wake of tensions over ceasefire violations along the LoC . The two sides were scheduled to discuss the Tulbul navigation project-Wullar Barrage issue . Tulbul project: The Tulbul Project is a navigation lock-cum-control structure at the mouth of Wular Lake. According to the original Indian plan, the barrage was expected to be of 439 feet (134 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, and would have a maximum storage capacity of 300,000 acre feet (370,000,000 m3) of water. One aim was to regulate the release of water from the natural storage in the lake to maintain a minimum draught of 4.5 feet (1.4 m) in the river up to Baramulla during the lean winter months. The project was conceived in the early 1980s and work began in 1984. There has been an ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the Tulbul Project since 1987, when Pakistan objected that the it violated the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. India stopped work on the project that year, but has since pressed to restart construction. The Jhelum River through the Kashmir valley below Wular Lake provides an important means of transport for goods and people. To sustain navigation throughout the year a minimum depth of water is needed. India contends that this makes development of the Tulbul Project permissible under the treaty, while Pakistan maintains that the project is a violation of the treaty. India says suspension of work is harming the interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir and also depriving the people of Pakistan of irrigation and power benefits that may accrue from regulated water releases.

NASA joins probe to solve dark energy puzzle

1. NASA has teamed up with the European Space Agency to probe one of the most fundamental questions in modern cosmology the existence of dark matter. 2. ESAs Euclid mission, a space telescope designed to investigate the cosmological mysteries of dark matter and dark energy will launch in 2020, NASA said. 3. Euclid will spend six years mapping the locations and measuring the shapes of as many as 2 billion galaxies spread over more than one-third of the sky. 4. It will study the evolution of our universe, and the dark matter and dark energy that influence its evolution in ways that still are poorly understood. 5. The telescope will launch to an orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2 the location where the gravitational pull of two large masses, the Sun and Earth in this case, precisely equals the force required for a small object, such as the Euclid spacecraft, to maintain a relatively stationary position behind Earth as seen from the Sun. 6. NASA is very proud to contribute to ESAs mission to understand one of the greatest science mysteries of our time, said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate, in a statement. 7. NASA and ESA recently signed an agreement outlining NASAs role in the project. The US space agency will contribute 16 state-ofthe-art infrared detectors and four spare detectors for one of two science instruments planned for Euclid.

India to launch sub-sonic missile next month

India would flight test sub-sonic, medium range cruise missile Nirbhay, next month, a key defence official said on Friday. Nirbhay is being developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a Defence Research and Development Organisation lab based here, V K Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, told a press conference here. This is in the final stage of integration and we expect to launch it next month, Mr.Saraswat, also Secretary in the Department of

Solar cities
1. Fifty-four cities across India have received in-principle approval to be developed as solar cities by the

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Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. The draft Master Plans have been prepared for 28 cities, of which eight have been approved by the Ministry for implementation; the development of projects is in progress in Agra and Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), Thane and KalyanDombivli (Maharashtra), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizawl (Mizoram) and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. 2. An amount of Rs. 19.23 crore has been sanctioned for preparation of Master Plans, solar city cells and promotional activities for 41 cities, out of which Rs. 4.22 crore has been released. Further, an amount of Rs.11.98 crore has been sanctioned for execution of renewable energy projects in five cities, out of which Rs. 3.87 crore has been released. 3. According to New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, the criteria set by the Ministry for the identification of cities include a city population between 50,000 to 50 lakh (with relaxation given to special category States, including the north-eastern States), initiatives and regulatory measures already taken along with a high level of commitment in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. Dr. Abdullah said renewable energy has the potential to be cost effective with advancement in technologies and economies of scale. Power generation from renewable is at present generally more expensive than that from conventional sources. While cost of power generation from wind, biomass and small hydro are comparable with cost of power from conventional sources, solar power may take some more time to achieve grid parity. The total installed capacity of renewable energy-based power in the country is 26,267 MW. A capacity addition of 30,000 MW is proposed from renewable energy during the 12th Plan period. The Ministry is supporting research in various renewable energy technologies for improvement in efficiency, reduction in cost and to develop new applications. Meanwhile, global venture capital (VC) investments in the solar sector have touched a five-year low down by nearly 50 per cent in 2012 to $992 million involving 103 deals compared to $1.9 billion raised from 108 deals in 2011. 4. The slowdown in VC funding can be attributed to the grim prospects for thin-film, concentrating solar and concentrating PV technologies, Mercom Capital Group managing partner Raj Prabhu said. 5. The thin-film companies saw the largest amount of VC funding in 2012, although the total fell by 47 per cent to $314 million compared to almost $600 million in 2011. During the past three years, thinfilm companies have received the most VC funding, with almost $1.5 billion. The diminished funding activity is not a true reflection of the health of the solar sector, because the demand side of global solar installations has continued to grow, Mr.Prabhu added. 6. Corporate merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity in solar industry amounted to $6.7 billion in 52 transactions compared to $4 billion in 65 transactions in 2011. It was a buyers market in 2012 acquirers were targeting distressed companies with the goal of buying technology or equipment on the cheap. More than half the 52 M&A deals in 2012 involved solar manufacturers and equipment makers, he said. 7. VC funding in Q4 2012 came in at $220 million in 27 deals compared to just $72 million in 14 deals in Q3. Twenty-five investors participated in the 27 deals in Q4, and no investor was involved in multiple deals. About 35 solar companies filed for insolvency or bankruptcy protection over the course of 2012. More than 70 per cent of these companies were active in manufacturing and all but a few were based in Europe and the U.S. Thin-film manufacturers accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the bankruptcies.The solar cities project, however, may help to boost investment in the sector. Europes, Merkels persistence appeared to pay off after she met her Brazilian and Argentina counterparts and warned them not to revert to the kind of protectionism of the 1930s that deepened the Great Depression. A tremendous effort has been made to install new momentum into the discussions, the EUs Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told Reuters during the summit. Asked if there had been a breakthrough, he said: I think we have to be careful with that word. Its moving on the political front. Five years after the global financial crisis and with the euro zone in its second recession since 2009, the European Union needs Latin Americas buoyant economies. But it is frustrated by Brazil and Argentinas policies to protect local industry. Both sides have now agreed to exchange offers by the end of the year on how far they are willing to go in opening up sectors ranging from services to agriculture and De Gucht said the European Union will reciprocate Mercosurs offers. We need to have open markets in terms of free trade and not protectionism, Merkel told a meeting of business leaders. History taught us that in the 20s and 30s, she said, flanked by the pro-free trade presidents of Mexico and Chile. Negotiations on a trade pact with Mercosur began in the 1990s and were relaunched in 2010. If successful, the accord would encompass 750 million people and $130 billion of annual trade. But talks have yet to make real progress due to disputes over European farm subsidies and moves by Brazil and Argentina to shield local industry from cheaper, foreign-made imports. In a further complication, Venezuela became a member of the bloc last year. Its president, Hugo Chavez, is an outspoken critic of free trade. In the meantime, Brussels has signed free-trade deals with a number of Latin American countries, including Mexico, Peru and Chile, exposing a split between the free-trade advocates on the Pacific side and the more closed economies, such as Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela, on the other side of the continent. Standing out in orange among other leaders dark suits, Merkel shared a joke with Brazilian

Mercosur to unblock trade talks, hurdles remain

EU leaders won a promise from Argentina and Brazil on Saturday to revive stalled talks on a free-trade deal that would be a major prize for Europe as it emerges from crisis, but disputes over key issues mean a breakthrough appears distant. At a summit in Santiago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the Europeans in a new push in the negotiations with the South American trade bloc Mercosur that is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and Uruguay. In a region whose economies are in markedly better shape than

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President DilmaRousseff and Argentinas Cristina Fernandez as about 60 leaders posed for a summit photo. Within Mercosur, those in favor of this agreement have won the battle, said Gianni Pittella, vice president of the European Parliament, which has to approve the EUs trade pacts. LATIN AMERICAS DECADE 1. Europe wants to retain its influence in a region it conquered 500 years ago and where it remains the biggest foreign investor as China steps up its investment in mining and energy. 2. After decades of hyperinflation and financial crises, Latin Americas economic fortunes are now better than Europes. Latin Americas economic output is expected to grow almost 4 percent this year, while the 17-nation euro zone will probably contract. 3. Latin Americas per capita gross domestic product could double by 2030, according to the Inter American Development Bank, meaning Europe will have more potential buyers of its cars, luxury goods, banking services and pharmaceuticals. 4. Gathered at a luxury hotel in a part of the Chilean capital dotted with newly built glass skyscrapers, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos declared it was Latin Americas decade. 5. But differences with Argentina and Brazil represent a new hurdle to a Mercosur deal, one that Germany as Europes top exporter is especially keen to see resolved. 6. Argentinas fiery, left-leaning Fernandez, slapped sweeping controls on imports in February 2012 in a bid to prop up the trade surplus and keep industry competitive as labor costs soar. 7. According to Global Trade Alert, an independent body monitoring commerce, Argentina is the worlds worst offender when it comes to protectionist measures because the policies affect so many industries and sectors all over the world. 8. Neighboring Brazil - Latin Americas largest economy - has also raised import barriers on goods ranging from European steel to powdered milk. In the first 10 months of 2012, Brazil opened 47 trade defense cases, more than double the number in all of 2011.

15 January - 21 January 2013 Voters day

25th January is also the foundation day of the Commission, which came into being on this day in 1950. The Commissions objective through NVD is to increase enrolment of voters, especially of the newly eligible ones, to make universal adult suffrage a complete reality. The National Voters Day is also utilized to spread awareness among voters regarding effective participation in the electoral process.

of integrating K-15 missile with INS Arihant, the indigenously-built nuclear submarine, will begin soon. As many as 12 nucleartipped missiles, each weighing six tonnes will be integrated with Arihant, which will be powered by an 80 MWt (thermal) reactor that uses enriched uranium as fuel and light water as coolant and moderator. India is only the fifth country to have such a missile the other four are the United States, Russia, France and China. Meanwhile the reactor has been integrated with the submarine and it was expected to go critical in May/ June 2013. Once that was done, the harbour trials will begin. Besides Arihant, three other nuclear-powered submarines were being constructed one at Visakhapatnam and two at Vadodara. India is also developing K-4 missile with a range of 3,000 km.

National Communal Harmony Award 2012

The National Communal Harmony Awards were instituted in 1996 by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH), an autonomous organization set up by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, for promoting communal harmony and national integration. The ward has been instituted with a view to demonstrating due appreciation and recognition of the efforts of individuals and organisations for promotion of communal harmony and national integration in a sustained manner over a sufficiently long period of time. In addition to a citation, the award carries a cash prize of Rupees five lakh for the Organisation.

Farmers of the forests

Bangalore to Beijing and Baghdad to Bangkok there will be no husband worth his weight in gold when compared to the hornbill. A bird blessed with immense patience and perseverance in the world of bird brain a definition with which human beings tend to delight in describing other creatures. Taking this into cognisance, recently the Environment Ministry declined a proposal to set up a RADAR installation on a secluded Island in the Andamans thus saving the remaining 300 wild Narcondam Hornbills from extinction. Hornbills are a group of birds distinguished by very large bulky curved beaks. If that is not enough, most Hornbill species have an extra projection known as casque on the upper beak and the precise use of this outcrop has yet not been deciphered by scientists. The utility of such an enormous beak in these birds is intriguing because it is almost half the size of its body. Watching hornbills in the Silent Valley and Periyar Sanctuary of Kerala and in the jungles of Digboi, Kaziranga and Namdapha national parks in the north east, I wondered whether the birds topple forward with their oversized beaks. However, I learnt that the big beak is not as heavy as it looks since it contains perforated spaces to make it lightweight. Perfectly built and suitably streamlined, the beak of the bird is designed to fly like an

27 January 2013 India successfully testfires underwater missile

India on Sunday successfully testfired the underwater ballistic missile, K-15 (code-named B05), off the Visakhapatnam coast, marking en end to a series of developmental trials. In its twelfth flight trial, the 10-metre tall Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) lifted off from a pontoon, rose to an altitude of 20 km and reached a distance of about 700 km as it splashed down in the waters of the Bay of Bengal near the pre-designated target point. According to scientific advisor to the Defence Minister V.K. Saraswat, the missile was tested for its full range of 700 km and the mission met all its objectives. He said the impact accuracy of the medium range strategic missile was in single digit. With the completion of developmental trials, the process

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airbus with a nozzle nose in front. The big beak is, however, dexterously deployed to pluck ripened fruits and berries from treetop canopies. Scientists at the San Diego Safari Park, USA, explain that hornbills are the only birds in which the first two neck vertebrae (the axis and atlas) are fused together. This probably provides a stable platform for carrying big beaks with ample agility even while airborne. While most hornbills inhabit thick jungles of the north-east and south-west India, Indian Grey Hornbill, the smallest, is sighted even in Allahabad, Chandigarh and Delhi due to availability of tree canopy. Basically arboreal, all hornbills are sighted in pairs as they tend to be life-long couples. As the birds grow older, their feathers turn black and yellow from grey. The beaks also obtain grey, yellow to orange and all hues in-between as they mature. The most exceptional aspect of all hornbills is that they nest in naturally prefabricated cavity of large trees that are refurbished with love and care. A peculiar characteristic of this bird during nesting is that the female stays inside the nest and is literally imprisoned. The male, assisted by the female from inside, seals the nest entrance leaving only a small opening for feeding the female. By this clever modus operandi, the eggs and hatchlings are protected from possible predators and vagaries of nature as well. The entire process takes about three to four months depending upon specific species. Inside the nest, the female uses its own feathers to line up the nest bottom to cushion the delicate eggs and the chicks as they hatch. All the while, the male feeds the female and the fast growing chicks even as it itself becomes emaciated with the toil. The fresh growth of feathers on the female hornbill corresponds with maturity of the young chicks at which point the nest entrance is broken open and the mother escapes from its captive tree hollow. Now both parents feed the perpetually hungry chicks in the nest until they grow big enough to flutter away to freedom. As hornbills are omnivorous, they feed on fruits, occasionally crunchy insects, lizards; even rodents and small snakes are also relished. Unfortunately, most of the 10 hornbill species in the subcontinent are now endangered due to fragmentation of forests, vanishing woodlands and mushrooming concrete jungles. These birds cannot live and procreate without the help of large trees. While the tree provides space to make a home in its wooden lair, the birds provide bird excreta rejected from the nest serving as manure for the tree. They are also excellent at dispersing seeds from the canopy to various locations propagating forest growth. A perfect example of interaction between two different organisms that is beneficial to both species, hence scientists the world over acknowledge that hornbills as the farmers of the forests. In December last year, a Hornbill Festival was held in Nagaland to enhance the understanding of hornbills through tourism and a variety of cultural activities. The event used rock concerts, motor races, trekking, painting competitions, dance and drama to spread the message of nature conservation and to discourage tribal hunters who use hornbill beaks as decorative headgear for their rituals. The mutual fund houses have already started lining up mutual fund schemes focused on the RGESS. Two state-owned fund houses SBI and IDBI and one private fund house DSP Blackrock have filed draft offer documents for such schemes with the market regulator SEBI, while others may soon follow suit. The scheme was notified by the Department of Revenue, Finance Ministry on November 23 last year.

Internet tax, a flawed idea

A levy will not work as 99.5 % of traffic exchange on the Net happens for free Weve become the bad gatekeepers, lamented Sunil Mittal, CEO, BhartiAirtel. When somebody watches YouTube on a mobile and ends up [with a] big bill, he curses under his breath at telecom operators. But YouTube is consuming a massive amount of resources on our network. Somebodys got to pay for that. What Mittal suggested at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last year, and is gaining rapid popularity with service providers around the world, was an inter-connect charge, an effective Internet tax that would force companies such as Google and Facebook to pay network operators a levy similar to the termination fee that networks pay one another to complete a voice call. This growing clamour for an Internet tax was obliquely backed by the Government at a U.N conference, held last month. The advantages for both telecom operators such as Airtel, and the Government (which too might look to levy a similar tax) are immediate and obvious. Telcos, which dole out huge investment for spectrum and network infrastructure, will be able to get a bigger slice of what goes to companies such as Google. This is exactly the new source of revenue that operators, which are suffering from shrinking revenue and rising costs, have been waiting for. Gated highway If this is put into practice, service providers would be able to essentially prioritize certain types of traffic, and the sending party Facebook, YouTube would have to pay Airtel and BSNL for the privilege of reaching consumers. Its glaringly obvious to see where this idea, where the sending party

Chidambaram to launch RGESS in Mumbai

Aiming to attract first-time stock market investors, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram will launch the much-awaited Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS) in Mumbai on February 9. He (Chidambaram) is going to Mumbai next month and will formally launch the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Scheme there, sources told PTI. The RGESS, which was announced in the Budget for 201213, seeks to provide tax benefits to first-time investors in stock markets. Under the scheme, an individual with an income of less than Rs 10 lakh would get tax incentives for investing up to Rs 50,000 in the stock market. As per the notification issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on the RGESS, there would be a lockin period of one year on investments made under the scheme. For transactions undertaken by investors through their RGESS designated Demat account, depositories would be required to seek necessary transactional details from stock exchanges for enforcing lock-in.

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must pay, originates from however. Data inter-connections in the phone world work this way where if Rajesh in America, a customer of AT&T, wanted to call Lata in India, a customer of Airtel, Rajesh would first pay AT&T. AT&T would then pay Airtel a little for their efforts in connecting the call. The principle of allowing the sending party to pay is a good, and natural fit for the way phone networks work. This will not work on the Internet though, for the simple reason that 99.5 percent (OECD statistics) of the exchange of traffic between Internet networks typically happens for free. This method, which is known as the peering system, has benefited both content providers and telcos. It is also what has directly led to the rapid growth of the Internet over the past fifteen years if a telephony inter-connection model would be imposed on the Internet, it would create big problems; for content networks and ISPs would have to use massive resources to bill each other. A customer would also have to think twice before jumping onto Google to make a quick search, lest he rack up his bill too much. Other disadvantages would surface unregulated markets for Internet service have proved to work exceedingly well. Even in places with limited broadband competition, for instance, the amount of bandwidth that consumers get for their money has increased at rates far beyond those of any other industry. Lowest common denominator Having an inter-connection pricing model for a better quality service would also unwittingly create strong incentives for ISPs to let their current service get worse than what it is today. It is similar to how the less-than-average quality of general-compartments on trains has led to the popularity of the more expensive air-conditioned compartments. This tiered- Internet, where one must pay more and more for better service, will only result in the lowest denominator reaching rockbottoma result that will have devastating consequences for a country where its population can hardly afford the basic package. While most of this talk of an Internet tax was mere wishful thinking on the part of telcos, the recent International Telecommunication Union conference in Dubai has shown that the Indian Government is only too willing to jump on board. The conference, which sought to bring the Internet under the framework of the U.N agency, saw a proposal from the Indian Government which said: Member States are free to levy fiscal taxes levied on collection charges for international telecommunication services...in accordance with their national laws. Another section of the proposal stated: Member States should endeavour to take measures to ensure that an adequate return is provided on investments in network infrastructure. If this cannot be achieved through market mechanisms, then other mechanisms may be used. These two statements point to the fact that the Government is indeed eager to cash in on a time when public finances have been stretched thin. The funds collected from this tax could, ostensibly, be used for the development and laying of fibre optic throughout the country, something the Government is planning. Not that easy However, a recent study shows that the sending party pays principle may not result in the growth of Internet-related development infrastructure as it hasnt worked for telecommunication networks. A study from the Mercatus Centre at George Mason University charted international billing rates against four statistics that measure the development of telecommunication networks: fixed telephone lines per 1090 people, mobile subscribers per 100 people, Internet users per 100 people and broadband subscribers per 100 people. The author, Eli Durado, found little correlation between long distance rates and fixed telephone line construction. For the other three variables he found a negative correlation. My results contradict the hypothesis that the ability to charge more for international Internet traffic is all that is needed to build out telecommunications infrastructure in poor countries, Dourado concludes. No chest-thumping High international telephone collection rates have not led to greater build-out and adoption of telecommunications infrastructure in the past two decades. It seems unlikely, therefore, that adopting a sender-pays model for Internet traffic would increase build-out of Internet infrastructure today. Therefore, it becomes clear that the development of the telecommunication/fibre optic network depends on the quality of domestic institutions, rather than collection of external funds which are often misused. The curious part, however, is that there are solutions with far less political implications and make more economic sense. Taxing Internet advertising, for instance, is something that can be done easily and legally. An additional tariff could be placed on the purchasers of ads being shown to Indian residents. This would have nearly the same effect as taxing Internet companies directly, minus the political fuss. Vint Cerf, Vice-President of Google, Special Services and founder of the TCP/IP protocol, feels that the move to tax Internet firms is strongly anticompetitive, and does not bode well for the spread of Googles services in India. I dont deny that if Governments and telcos collect the money, they might do something with it. But for that, I might as well go rob a bank and justify myself, saying, I am robbing the bank and getting this money and doing something good with it. I see this proposal as a gun to the head, he said. If you are building a piece of infrastructure, and we are building applications on top of that theres nothing wrong with your Government and companies building applications to compete with us. But when you oppose network neutrality and inhibit other people from using that pipe it is anti-competitive and it is wrong.

Home-grown GPS Gagan likely by 2014

India will launch this year the first of its series of navigation satellites required to provide regional navigation service, independent of the U.S.-controlled GPS (Global Positioning System), said S. Ramakrishnan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). He said that now we rely on the GPS for the navigation service. Europe, Russia and China were either having or evolving their own navigation services independent of the GPS. The Indian Space Research Organisation too was planning to evolve indigenous navigation service to provide

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enhanced and more precise navigation. To provide this service, to be christened Gagan, India needed to launch a number of satellites and the first of this series, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), would be launched by the PSLV C-22 rocket, probably in the second half of this year. After all the required satellites were launched, India would be in a position to provide navigation service through Gagan probably in 2014, Dr.Ramakrishnan added. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an international conference on Bio energy, Environment and Sustainable Technologies (BEST 2013), a fourday event, organised by the Arunai Engineering College here. To a question on Chandrayaan-II, he said the moon mission was getting delayed since Russia, partner of the programme, was completely reviewing the spacecraft design after the failure of its own mars mission. Earlier, delivering the inaugural address at BEST 2013, he said space science was playing a crucial role in surveying and assessing environmental damage like depletion of the ozone layer, shrinking of the polar ice cap and pollution of coastlines. said. The audience comprised trade ministers, diplomats and CEOs who descended here for the annual summit. The RCEP is an ASEAN-led trade agreement, linking the economies of 16 Asia-Pacific countries. The grouping, which includes more than 3 billion people, has a combined GDP of about $17 trillion and accounts for about 40 percent of world trade. Mr. Ansari said the global market place would change with the formation of new trading blocks and enlarged markets and companies must gear themselves to meet the new requirements. Innovation and creativity will play an important role in reviving growth, especially in emerging economies that often struggle with limited resources and dated technology, he said. Restore trajectory He said the challenge before India was to restore as soon as possible the high growth trajectory, along with adequate employment generation, in a sustainable and inclusive manner. This would be the necessary condition for addressing the primary challenges of poverty alleviation and socio-economic development confronting us. As the new economic order emerges and the weight of the global economy moves towards Asia, I invite countries from across the globe to partner with India so that we move together towards a better economic future for all our people, he concluded. Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to contributing banks in proportion to their contribution to the warehousing fund, alleging violation of RBI Interest Rate Directives and also that funds under RIDF could not be used for providing refinance to banks. The RBI reiterated its objections on December 17, 2012 a week after The Hindus expose and advised the NABARD to either refund the entire amount to banks or treat the deposits used for refinancing as our own commercial borrowings from the depositing banks, by paying interest rate at which NABARD raises money from open market through non-SLR and Non-Priority Sector bonds/ debentures for an equivalent tenor of RIDF deposits, the boards minutes note. The RBIs unrelenting stance has forced the NABARD management to change tack. In view of the above, the following proposals are made: NABARD (Warehousing) Refinance Scheme 2011-12 will be withdrawn with retrospective effect in view of the RBI advice. Banks which availed [themselves of] refinance during 2011-12 would be advised either to refund the entire amount drawn by them at the contracted rate (i.e. 8% pa) or carry the entire amount as per the repayment schedule prescribed by us at the prevailing rate of General Refinance (i.e. 10% pa for RRBs/ SCBs/PUCBs and 10.25% for Commercial Banks). Further, NABARD would refund the entire amount of Rs. 759.09 crore drawn under RIDF XVII to the contributing banks with interest as applicable. This implies a loss of Rs. 125.86 crore of losses will be booked by the NABARD in the present financial year. Finally, the management has also decided NABARD (Warehousing) Refinance Scheme 2012-13 would be withdrawn with immediate effect. Chairman, NABARD, PrakashBakshi, did not respond to a detailed questionnaire emailed by The Hinduon January 14, including on whether any enquiry had been initiated to probe the matter. Two loans compared Investigation reveals that under the same scheme, NABARD refinanced Federal Bank at 8% for onward finance to a small entrepreneur Abdul Kareem for a small Rs. 60-lakh loan as well as

G-20 and RCEP will redefine contours of Indian, global economy, says Ansari
Batting for advanced and emerging economies working in tandem to prepare a roadmap for global recovery, Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Sunday said partnerships would redefine the contours of the Indian economy. Delivering the inaugural address at the Global Partnership Summit2013 here, organised by the CII, Mr. Ansari said the emerging economies leveraged each others strengths and comparative advantages to create a new economic world order. Partnerships, such as the G-20, whose member countries account for two-thirds of the worlds population, 90 percent of worlds GDP and 80 per cent of world trade; and the recently launched Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) a group of 16 countries comprising ASEAN member-states and six countries with which they have free trade agreements will redefine the contours of the global economy, he

NABARD scraps controversial scheme for corporate warehousing

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), whose funding of corporate warehousing projects on terms far softer than those offered to poor and often suicidal farmers was highlighted by The Hindu last month, has withdrawn its controversial scheme with retrospective effect under pressure from the Reserve Bank of India. The minutes of a meeting of the sub-committee of the NABARD Board held last month confirm that the RBI had advised the NABARD on September 27, 2012, to refund the amount refinanced to banks in the year 2011-12 with interest at applicable rates under the Rural

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for a Rs.100-crore loan to Emmay Logistics of the over $4.5-billion Middle East retail giant EMKE Group (the parent company of the famous Lulu hypermarket chain). However, Federal Bank lent to Emmay Logistics at 10.65% (effective rate after rebate of 1.5% for prompt repayment is only 9.15%), with a grace period of 2 years. EMKE has so far claimed only Rs. 573.30 lakh as refinance. In contrast, Mr. Kareem, the ideal target group for such welfare schemes, was charged 13.22% interest (eventual interest burden of 11.72%) with a grace period of just 6 months on a small Rs.60-lakh loan. In effect, the rate of interest charged is inversely proportional to the amount of loan sanctioned culminating in the powerful Emke Group paying 2.57% less interest than the aamaadmi. The Managing Director, EMKE Group, Yusuf Ali MA, did not respond to questions about its funding or whether the warehouse is used to stock material for the Hypermarket or for some other purpose. While active in supporting rich corporates, the NABARD has been found to be choking the credit flow to farmers throughout the country by systematically withdrawing support to cooperative banks. From its inception, the NABARD was refinancing State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Banks (SCARDBs) by way of contributions to debentures floated by them. Following advice from its freshly appointed consultant the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in September 2011, the NABARD, without prior warning to the State governments or SCARDBs, replaced this with a loan system. The NABARD also insisted on executing a revised guarantee deed as a pre-condition for refinance. According to Chairman, National Cooperative Agriculture & Rural Development Banks Federation Ltd, K. Sivadasan Nair, the NABARD delayed disbursement of refinance to most of the SCARDBs up to 9 months by placing additional conditions throughout the year. Moreover, the NABARD imposed a second audit on the banks to be conducted by chartered accountants empanelled by it in addition to the statutory audit undertaken by the SCARDBs. NABARD has never at any time in the past, ever pointed out any shortcomings in the audits conducted by the CAs empanelled by the States. This second audit results in the doubling of expenditure with Rs. 8 lakh being the lowest rate quoted by CAs empanelled by NABARD and can only be viewed as a deliberate move to delay release of refinance and make these institutions unviable, Mr. Nair told The Hindu. Data bears out this claim. Though the NABARDs refinance business grew 208% over a decade from Rs. 7,418.77 crore to Rs. 15,471.20 crore in 2011-12, the share of commercial banks grew from 16.73% to 54.68%, while the share of SCARDBs declined by from 63% in 2002-3 to 15.86% in 2011-12. and improved livelihoods of smallholder farmers in African countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya, and is crucial to the food security in India. 6. ICRISAT and its partners have once again demonstrated the power of productive partnerships by achieving this breakthrough in legume genomics, says William Dar, Director General of ICRISAT. 7. In the face of the growing global hunger and poverty amid the threat of climate change, the chickpea genome sequence will facilitate the development of superior varieties that will generate more income and help extricate vulnerable dryland communities out of poverty and hunger for good, particularly those in the drylands of Asia and subAfrica for whom ICRISAT and our partners are working, Dr. Dar said. 8. This study will provide not only access to good genes to speed up breeding, but also to genomic regions that will bring genetic diversity back from landraces or wild species to breeding lines, said Dr. Rajeev Varshney, coordinator of ICGSC and Director Center of Excellence in Genomics, ICRISAT. 9. Renowned agricultural scientist and RajyaSabha member M.S. Swaminathan said chickpea occupied a pride of place in the struggle against protein hunger. I am confident that the knowledge provided by this study will help accelerate the improvement of this crop through marker-assisted breeding. AshishBahuguna, Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture, said the development was of great importance to India, the largest producer and consumer of chickpea.

28 January 2013 Genome sequence of 90 chickpea lines decoded

1. In a breakthrough that promises improved grain yields and quality, greater drought and disease resistance and enhanced genetic diversity, a global research team has completed high-quality sequencing of not one but 90 genomes of chickpea. 2. Nature Biotechnology featured the reference genome of the CDC Frontier chickpea variety and genome sequence of 90 cultivated and wild genotypes from 10 different countries as an online publication on January 27. 3. The paper provides a map of the structure and functions of the genes that define the chickpea plant. It also reveals clues on how the sequence can be useful to crop improvement for sustainable and resilient food production. Global partnership 4. The global research partnership, led by the International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) based here, succeeded in identifying an estimated 28,269 genes of chickpea after sequencing CDC Frontier, a kabuli (large-seeded) chickpea variety. This will help chickpea farmers become more resilient to emerging challenges brought about by the threat of climate change. The genome map can also be used to harness genetic diversity by broadening the genetic base of cultivated chickpea gene pool. 5. Chickpea is the second largest cultivated grain food legume in the world, grown in about 11.5 million hectares mostly by resource poor farmers in the semi-arid tropics. It contributes to income generation

Foodgrains output may drop

1. After a record run in two consecutive years, foodgrains production is likely to decline this year owing to the deficient southwest monsoon during the 2012-13 kharifseason. This adversely impacted the output of pulses, coarse cereals and oilseeds, with a bearing on their price levels. 2. But what may bring down the overall output is the slightly lower area sown under rabi wheat, rice, coarse cereals and minor oilseeds. The crops that are under stress include minor oilseeds, jowar and bajra, while pulses

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remain an area of concern. 3. With rabi sowing complete, the picture has become clearer now and it is expected that against an output of 257.44 million tonnes last year, the country will be lucky if it can reap a harvest of 250 million tonnes this year. 4. Kharif production was lower by 12.6 million tonnes this year. Rabi crops will be harvested in MarchApril. 5. The States that have suffered the most due to rain deficit are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. 6. Rice output will be hit in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh because of water deficiency, while rabi sowing is down in Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh, official sources said. 7. The good news is that the estimate of the highest ever foodgrains production of last year at 257.44 million tonnes may be better by about one per cent in the final estimates that will be released shortly. The loss in kharif output will be lower than the initial estimate of nearly 10 per cent, Agriculture Secretary AshishBahuguna told journalists here on Monday. 8. The last rabi wheat output was an all-time record of 93.9 million tonnes. This year, it may be close to that, he said, adding that the fine weather available for wheat in January-March of 2012 was the best ever in the last 22 years. According to him, the area under rabi wheat this season is 0.4 hectares lower than last year, but higher by 4.1 lakh hectares if the average of the last five years is taken into account. level has to be raised from 132 ft to 136 ft, Kerala says the structure is weak and it has to be replaced with a new one. 4. As tension rose between the two states in December 2011, a twomember technical team of apex court-appointed Empowered Committee visited the site and concluded that recent tremors in that region did not have any impact on the dam and that it was safe. 5. The committee, set up in February 2010 to look into all aspects of the dam, had submitted its report to the apex court in a sealed cover on April 25. 6. The five-member committee headed by former Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand, which had finalised the report, is understood to have examined all aspects of the 119-year-old dam, including its safety. 7. Earlier, the apex court had directed the registry to digitise the 50,000-odd page report so as to enable it to examine it. 8. The Bench is hearing a suit filed by Tamil Nadu questioning the law enacted by Kerala in 2006 to restrict the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam at 136 ft though the Supreme Court had permitted Tamil Nadu to raise the water level up to 142 ft. Concept: The Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Kerala state of India. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area (presentday Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation, and a length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dams reservoir. The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but is controlled and operated under a period lease by neighboring Tamil Nadu state. Although the Periyarriver has a total catchment area of 5398 km2 with 114 km2 in Tamil Nadu, the catchment area of the Mullaperiyar dam itself lies entirely in Kerala. The control and safety of the dam and the validity and fairness of the lease agreement have been points of dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu states. Supreme court judgment came in 27 February 2006, allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the level of the dam to 152 ft (46 m) after strengthening it. Responding to it, Mullaperiyar dam was declared an endangered scheduled dam by the Kerala Government under the disputed Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2006.

Consensus over key issues of GST

1. States have agreed to the compensation formula suggested by the Centre for their CST (Central Sales Tax) revenue loss for implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), said Sushil Kumar Modi, Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, here on Monday. 2. States will be given 100 per cent compensation of their claims for 2010-11, 75 percent for 2011-12 and 50 percent for 2012-13. The compensation formula has been prepared on the basis of the August 22, 2008, guideline, Mr.Modi said. 3. He said, States are not responsible for the delay in introduction of GST. They have lost heavily on account of gradual cut in the Central Sales Tax (CST). GST was scheduled to be launched on April 1, 2010. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has not given its views on the 115th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2011. Payment schedule 4. According to initial estimates, the total compensation which the States will receive, comes to around Rs.34,000 crore. The provision for CST compensation could be reflected in the forthcoming budget, Mr.Modi said. 5. The Empowered Committee has asked the Centre to prepare a payment schedule. Some States are of the view that they should revert to the earlier 4 per cent CST to make up for the huge losses in case there is a delay in introduction of GST beyond April 1, 2014. 6. States having manufacturing base and mineral export are the worst sufferers. States that have lost more than Rs.1000 crore due to gradual cut in CST include Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Haryana. Critical finances 7. For the year 2010, States had demanded a compensation of

Mullaperiyar dam row: SC final hearing from April 9

1. The final hearing on the legal battle between Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the controversial Mullaperiyar dam will be held from April 9 in the Supreme Court. 2. A five-judge Constitution Bench of justices R.M. Lodha, H.L. Dattu, C.K. Prasad, Madan B. Lokur and M.Y. Eqbal directed both the states to exchange all documents and findings of the expert committee by March 15 and posted the matter for final day-to-day hearing from April 9. 3. There has been tension between the two states over the safety of the dam. While Tamil Nadu contends that the dam is safe and its water

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Rs.19,000 crore-, but the Centre could pay only Rs.6,000 crore owing to the critical financial position. 8. Mr.Modi said States would continue to lose even after rolling out of GST. States are afraid of incurring heavy losses in the initial years of the GST regime. We have asked the Centre to evolve a mechanism to compensate States for subsequent five years as was done in the case of value added tax. 9. Mr. Modi said all the States were in favour of introducing GST. The Empowered Committee would discuss the GST design on Tuesday. point and then apportioned, split and routed to the respective heads of account of Central / State / parastatal (a quasi-governmental organisation, corporation, business, or agency) agencies along with generation of challans and MIS (management information systems) reports. why some areas are experiencing warmer winters than predicted by climate models, researchers said. 4. The study found that temperatures in some remote areas increase by as much as 1 degree Celsius. At the same time, the changes to atmospheric circulation caused by the waste heat cool areas of Europe by as much as 1 degree Celsius. 5. The net effect on global mean temperatures is nearly negligible an average increase worldwide of just 0.01 degrees Celsius. This is because the total human-produced waste heat is only about 0.3 per cent of the heat transported across higher latitudes by atmospheric and oceanic circulations. 6. The waste heat is also changing atmospheric circulation,including jet streams - powerful narrow currents of wind that blow from west to east and north to south in the upper atmosphere, LiveScience reported. 7. In the new study, the researchers looked at urban heat, produced directly by transportation, heating and cooling units, and other energy-consuming activities. 8. The burning of fossil fuel not only emits greenhouse gases, but also directly affects temperatures because of heat that escapes from sources like buildings and cars, said study researcher Aixue Hu, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). 9. Although much of this waste heat is concentrated in large cities, it can change atmospheric patterns in a way that raises or lowers temperatures across considerable distances, Hu said. 10. The team studied the energy effect using the NCAR model and ran it with and without the input of human energy consumption, to see whether it could account for largescale regional warming. 11. When man-made energy was included in the model, it led to winter and autumn temperature changes of up to 1 degree Celsius in mid- and high-latitude parts of North America and Eurasia. 12. The energy consumption in highly populated areas can cause changes in wind patterns, and that causes climate change far away from the heating source, said meteorologist and study author Ming Cai of Florida State University.

Forget 3D as 4K TVs are now the latest must-have

1. With the endless upgrades to high definition and screens that could show 3D images it seems it could all have be in vain as the technology is already out of date through the arrival of the 4K picture. 2. The ultra-high quality definition is four times as sharp as standard quality high definition and is close to that viewed only in an Imax cinema. 3. However, for those wishing to view the latest picture in their own living room, they must have plenty of room available for the 84inch screen and plenty of spare cash, the Daily Mail reported. 4. Sony has brought out a model that is more than 7ft wide and can play the new technology. Costing 25,000 pounds, only Harrods in central London currently sells the television. 5. The giant screen can convert ordinary television into 3D, and comes with five pairs of glasses for viewing the pin-sharp images. 6. Even without 3D, the ultra-high definition images are 16 times sharper than those on a normal television. 7. According to experts, the televisions picture is so technologically advanced that few broadcasters can yet take advantage of its full potential.

eBiz portal launched

1. As part of the UPA Governments National eGovernance Plan, the Commerce and Industry Ministry, on Monday, announced the launch of an eBiz portal aimed at providing Government-to-Business (G2B) services for Indias investor and business communities. 2. The portal was launched by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma at the CII Partnership Summit here. The portal was developed by Infosys in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode. Infosys has been selected as the concessionaire/ project implementation partner, and is responsible for the design, development, implementation and maintenance of the eBiz solution. 3. The online single-window concept was visualised to enable businesses and investors to save time and costs and improve the business environment. The project aims to create a business and investor-friendly ecosystem in India by making all business and investment-related regulatory services across Central, State and local governments available on a single portal, thereby obviating the need for an investor or a business to visit multiple offices or a plethora of websites, he said. 4. eBiz will create a 24x7 facility for information and services, and will also offer joined-up services where a single application submitted by a customer, for a number of permissions, clearances, approvals and registrations, will be routed automatically across multiple governmental agencies in a logical manner. 5. An in-built payment gateway will also add value by allowing all payments to be collected at one

City heat affecting temperatures thousands of kilometres away

1. Heat generated by everyday activities in major cities affects temperatures across thousands of kilometres, significantly warming some areas and cooling others, according to a new study. 2. The waste heat generated from buildings, cars, and other sources in major Northern Hemisphere urban areas causes winter warming across large areas of northern North America and northern Asia, US scientists found. 3. The impact on temperatures may explain a climate puzzle of sorts:

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