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Weekly Current Affairs 1st April to 7th April, 2013
SCHEDULE FOR GS TOPICAL TESTS

2nd December: Infrastructure & Resources 1. Transportation infrastructure: Road and Highway Networks, Mass Transit Systems, Railways, Waterways, Ports.... 2. Energy infrastructure:- Thermal Power Generation, Natural Gas Pipelines & Petroleum Pipelines, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy...... 3. Water management infrastructure:- Drinking water supply, Sewage Collection and Disposal of Waste water, Flood Control, Water Harwesting..... 4. Communications infrastructure:- Television and Radio Transmission, Internet, Social Network, Search Engines, Communications Satellites...... 5. Solid Waste Management 6. Economic Infrastructure: Manufacturing Infrastructure, including Industrial Parks and Special Economic zones, Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Infrastructure.... 7. Resources: Water Resources, Forest Resources, Land Resources, Energy Resources, Minerals, Resource Management..... 9th December: Demography : Population Composition, Density, Literacy, Sex Ratio... 16th December: Environmental Problems & Global Environmental Governance : Deforestation, Pollution: Air, Water, Land, Noise, Desertification, Biodiversity Depletion, Global Warming, SD.......
Production and productivity, Microirrigation, Urbanization, Government Initiatives...... 6th January: Indian Economy Basics, Planning & Trade 1. Industry Services, Agriculture, Energy..... 2. Balance of Payments. Foreign Direct Investment....... 3. Growth, Development and Other Issues......... 4. Poverty Estimates, Impact of Poverty........ 5. Exchange rate. Role of RBI..... 6. Nature of Planning - Five Year Plan, Planning after 1991 (LPG), Inflation..... 13th January: Governance and Contemporary Political Developments : Development Politics, Political and Administrative Institutions, Good Governance, Internal Security....
23rd December: Human Development, Social Sector Initiatives and Programmes & Policies 1. Concept of Human Development, Development vs. Growth, Human Development Index, MPI, Innovation..... 2. Social Inclusion, Child Welfare, Women Welfare.... 30th December: Agriculture, Urbanisation, Health : Agriculture and GDP, Agricultural Regionalization,
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20th January ... 27th January ... 3rd February .. 10th February . 31st March ...... 7th April ......... 21st April ........ 28th April .......
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Ecology and environment Comprehension Polity and Governance English Language Comprehension + Logical Reasoning 17th February . Geography 24th February . Decision Making and Problem Solving 3rd March ....... General Science and Science and Technology 10th March ..... Mental Ability, Basic Numeracy, Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency 17th March ..... History 24th March ..... Indian Economy
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NATIONAL
Armed Forces Tribunal must have civil contempt powers: Parliamentary panel The Armed Forces Tribunal Act was enacted in 2007 to provide for adjudication or trial by the Armed Forces Tribunal of disputes and complaints with respect to commission, appointments, enrolment and conditions of service in respect of persons subject to the Army Act, 1950, the Navy Act, 1957 and the Air Force Act, 1950 and also to provide for appeals arising out of orders, findings or sentences of court martial held under the said Acts and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Section 19 of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act enables the Tribunal to punish for criminal contempt only and not for civil contempt. The aforesaid Act in its present form does not contain any provision for the execution of the orders finally passed by the Tribunal. As a result of which cases involving serious questions of law of public importance are to be taken to the Supreme Court for appropriate directions. It is, therefore, proposed to confer powers of civil contempt to the said Tribunal in addition to the existing powers of criminal contempt. The proposed amendment would give the same jurisdiction, powers and authority to the said Tribunal in respect of contempt of itself as a High Court has and may exercise and, for this purpose, the provisions of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, shall have effect subject to certain modifications mentioned in the Bill. In the face of stiff resistance from the armed forces, the Parliamentary Committee on Defence has finally recommended that the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) be given powers of civil contempt as many of its orders are not being implemented despite its having the status of a High Court. raised objections on the grounds that it might become difficult to implement some orders of the tribunal which are against the settled policy of the government. The aggrieved party could always appeal against non-implementation of the order before the Supreme Court, it said. In another step, aimed at making the ATF a strong and independent institution, and to avoid conflict of interest, the panel has recommended that the administrative control of the tribunal should be with the Ministry of Law and Justice Ministry rather than the Ministry of Defence (MoD). While approving shifting of administrative control of the AFT to the Law Ministry, the committee noted that eventually it would come under the Central Tribunal Division proposed to be set up by the Ministry on the advice of the Supreme Court, for control of all tribunals. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in its decision in the public interest litigation, 'Maj Navdeep Singh vs. Union of India', has already directed that the AFT be placed under the Law Ministry, and not the MoD, to ensure its independence and that keeping in view the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution, the government should have a minimal say in its functioning. Cash transfer of subsidy could save 60k cr: Study
The committee has recommended civil contempt powers to the AFT in cases involving retired defence personnel but refrained from giving such powers with regard to serving personnel so as to avoid disturbing the high disciplinary standards of the forces. The forces apprehend that civil contempt would impinge on operational requirements. Though the MoD was in favour of conferring these powers, the committee noted that within the Ministry, the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare
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A study conducted by CACP revealed that Direct Transfer of benefits in cash to targeted beneficiaries of food and fertilizer subsidies could save an estimated Rs 60,000 crore and help trim the fiscal deficit which, in turn, may calm stubbornly high food inflation, a study by a government wing has shown. The project was undertaken to identify the causes for high food inflation and suggest possible remedies. The report identified three factors which have contributed to sticky food inflation. It included the ballooning fiscal deficit, rising farm wages and transmission of the impact of global food inflation. The study said the three factors accounted for 98% of the variations in Indian food inflation over the period 1995-96 to December 2012.
Suggestions: The study showed that policies to rein in food inflation would require winding down of the fiscal deficit, which has gone above 8% of GDP for Centre and states combined and way beyond the guidelines laid out in FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) Act, 2003. The CACP advises the government on price policy for major farm commodities to help maintain the interest of producers and consumers. This would require political courage as well as innovative ways to implement direct cash transfers to targeted beneficiaries through Aadhaar. The study also recommended mechanization of farms to raise labour productivity, and dovetailing of MGNREGA with farm operations through panchayats. This will help in containing 'costpush' inflationary pressure. And, in order to ensure that small farms are not overcapitalized, raising their costs of production, land lease markets should be freed to let economically viable size of the holdings to emerge. Also, custom hiring of capital farm machinery will have to be developed to contain capital costs. The study also called for boosting supply response in agriculture and save on large wastages in the supply chains.
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DBT will be expanded to include Post Offices and schemes run through Post Office accounts from 1 October 2013. By this time, the Post Offices will have the core banking system in 51 districts. They will accelerate CBS in other districts as well.
Prime Minister approves expansion of Direct Benefits Transfers (DBT)
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved the extension of the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme to 78 more districts taking the total number of districts to be covered under the scheme to 121 since January one. The scheme will now cover one fifth of the country. The scheme was launched in 43 districts on January one this year. Phase II of the scheme will include: a) DBT will now be expanded to NPR states where biometrics are being collected under the National Population Register. These include Odisha, West Bengal, UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The collection biometrics in selected districts here will be accelerated to have a coverage of 70-80% by June 2013 and DBT will be rolled out from 1.7.2013. b) DBT now covers 26 schemes. The three Pension Schemes managed by MoRD (old age, disability and widows) will now be covered under DBT in all the covered districts. DBT for pension schemes would be introduced from 1.7.2013 along with the rollout of Phase-II.
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d) The government has decided to transfer cash subsidy to domestic cooking gas (LPG) consumers under its ambitious Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme from next month. LPG consumers will get about Rs 4,000 per annum in cash from the government, and they will have to then buy LPG at a market price of Rs 901.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder. Currently, each consumer is entitled to get 9 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised price of Rs 410.50. On each of these cylinders, the government bears a subsidy Rs 435. Beginning next month, consumers in select districts will get this subsidy amount transferred into their bank accounts. Once they get the subsidy, they will have to buy LPG at market price. e) Departments will start the process of digitisation in all districts, irrespective of the rollout of DBT as this is a critical activity which need not wait and can be done in parallel. A full fledged DBT Mission Directorate consisting of a Mission Director assisted by other officers is being created to have an institutionalized administrative arrangement to enable smooth rollout, early identification of bottlenecks, and resolution of bottlenecks and handholding of Ministries / departments wherever necessary. To facilitate a nationwide rollout of DBT, the Prime Minister has approved the creation of a post of Mission Director for DBT.
National Higher Education Qualification Framework for Mobility of Students in Higher Education
The government has proposed a National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) to address the issue of compatibility and seamless recognition of qualification across all higher education institutions. With the present system being unique to the country with range of complexities and divergences across levels, the framework would seek to provide a comprehensive definition of a single system of levels for all qualifications offered by a variety of higher educational institutions across discipline.
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The final decision will be taken by Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE). The Central Advisory Board on Education stated that a CABE Committee will be constituted to examine the formulation of a National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF). It will submit its recommendations within a period of six months. The CABE has appreciated the proposal to develop a National Higher Education Qualification Framework which would facilitate the mobility of students in higher education. The essential purpose of the NHEQF is to provide the broad framework within which universities and other degree-awarding educational institutions could develop the syllabi that they consider relevant thereby using their academic autonomy to the fullest extent in a responsible manner and without adversely affecting the horizontal and vertical mobility of students. The NHEQF may provide a comprehensive indicator of all learning achievements within and across different disciplines and shall represent a consensus of views of all stakeholders. Accordingly, it shall provide a basis for monitoring and regulating the quality and compatibility of higher education across institutions. It may thus become a single system of levels for all qualifications offered by higher educational institutions across all disciplines thereby making higher education qualification comparable nationally and internationally.
The CRPF camps are located in the remotest areas, hundreds of miles away from the district headquarters. Reaching these areas is difficult mainly because of lack of motorable roads and a geographically hostile terrain. Thus to address this issue a panel of specialist doctors of the AIIMS shall hold teleconferencing twice a week with the CRPF locations. The conferencing shall be done on Skype or on the phone wherever these are available, and through digital satellite phone terminals where neither phone nor the Internet works. The CRPF will inform the villagers of the place designated for teleconferencing with doctors. On the basis of medical advice, the CRPF paramedics will hand out medicines to the villagers from their stock and shift the patients [to a proper hospital], if required." Furthermore, the doctors will visit the camps, initially in accessible areas, and "soon the remote locations." Centre proposes measures to strengthen SC/ ST Act
Another distinctive feature of the NHEQF is making the programmes of studies modular, thereby permitting accreditation or certification of a component, part of the larger qualification. Thus, the NHEQF would serve as an unequivocal description of higher education qualification at the national level with the aim that the higher education system of the country is internationally understood. CRPF launches a soft offensive to win over villagers
The CRPF's Chhattisgarh Operations Sector and the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have launched a "telemedicine facility for more than 100 locations." The initiative will cover personnel posted in remote areas and "hundreds of villages located near the camps". Twenty thousand CRPF personnel are stationed in seven districts of south Chhattisgarh, where Maoists run eight divisions with several area committees and at least 10 companies of People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).
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Imposing a social or economic boycott on persons from a reserved caste or tribe, parading them naked, preventing them from entering a place of worship or employing them as manual scavengers - such offences will now be dealt with more severely and in a time-bound manner, as the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has recommended measures to strengthen the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and Rules 1995. The recommendations include newer forms of offences and bring within the purview of the Act relevant IPC Offences that attract penalties of less than 10 years. The Ministry is also keen on having dedicated special courts and a 30-day trial to deal with complaints. The time taken to file a complaint and then to address it is a crucial aspect of the complaint redress. There are designated courts and special public prosecutors appointed to ensure speedy trial, but a review of trials under the Act has shown that all witnesses are not given adequate notice, not briefed appropriately, and not apprised of time, place and status of the case. In all, there is undue delay in disposing of these cases, leading to loss of confidence among the victims in the criminal justice system," the official said.
Now, the Ministry has recommended that the Act include provisions like appointment of special public prosecutors to try cases exclusively, all cases be disposed of within three months from the date of filing of charge sheet and cases under the Act be given priority in appeals. Offences that are well documented, but not within the ambit of the Act, such as obstructing the use of common property resources, causing physical harm or death on the allegation of practising witchcraft or abetment should be brought within the purview of the Act, the Ministry has said. "Another important recommendation is expanding the scope of presumption whether the perpetrator had knowledge of the (SC/ST) identity of the victim while committing the offence. We found a shortcoming in the reading of the Act: the emphasis on establishing that the offence was committed on ground that the victim was SC or ST. There are numerous cases of the police refusing to register complaints under the Act unless the complainant could establish that the identity of the victim was in fact the ground for committing the offence; in some cases, the police refuse to register a case because the perpetrator did not overtly use the terms of caste abuse while committing the offence. We have called for tweaking the Act in such a way that the police and the judiciary do not place the onus on the complainant or the prosecution to prove that the accused acted on the basis of caste or tribal identity," the official said.
CCI providing Environment clearance for projects worth Rs. 45,000 crore
The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) seems to be helping to pass infrastructure projects which are awaiting environment clearances, till now more than Rs. 45,000 crore worth of projects has been passed in its first two months of existence. In the next few months, the CCI expects to spur revisions in clearance provisions for high-rises, SEZs and roads, and form a new panel to appraise applicants from the mining sector. Since it was set up by the Union Cabinet last December, the CCI has successfully prodded the Ministry of Environment and Forests to implement a slew of measures aimed at streamlining clearance procedures. Those include such controversial moves as the delinking of environment and forest clearances for linear projects like roads, railways and transmission lines, and the exemption of such projects from getting gram sabha consent, which face vociferous opposition from forest and tribal rights activists. The CCI was set up after Ms. Natarajan's strong objections to the initial proposal of a National Investment Board which could have over-ruled her Ministry's clearance decisions. The revised proposal approved by Cabinet said the CCI, chaired by the Prime Minister and including administrative Ministries, would only prescribe time limits for clearance decisions and facilitate the removal of bottlenecks and delays.
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INTERNATIONAL
UN General Assembly approves global arms trade treaty The United Nations General Assembly has approved a global arms trade treaty. Its adoption implies a major step forward in controlling the $70billion flow of arms across borders, particularly restricting its movement to and from areas where groups are suspected of violation of human rights. It was passed in the General Assembly with 154 members voting 'Yes'; three - Iran, Syria and North Korea - voting no; and 23, including India, abstaining. The treaty's passage came after negotiations failed last July when the U.S. pulled out abruptly. In addition to India, the nations that abstained included China, Egypt, Myanmar, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. Pakistan voted in favour of the treaty though its representative expressed concerns over the imbalance in obligations between arms exporters and importers. The treaty regulates all conventional arms within the following categories: battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms and light weapons. The treaty prohibits countries that ratify it from exporting conventional weapons if they violate arms embargoes, or if they promote acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, or if they could be used in attacks against civilians or schools and hospitals. According to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, the treaty will not do any of the following: interfere with domestic arms commerce or the right to bear arms in Member States; ban the export of any type of weapon; harm States' legitimate right to self-defence; or undermine national arms regulation standards already in place. The adoption of the treaty was welcomed by several UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who hailed it as a powerful new tool in efforts to prevent grave human rights abuses, and added that it will provide much-needed momentum for other global disarmament and nonproliferation efforts. The text draws a link with the presence of weapons across the developing world, especially in conflict-affected areas, with the challenge of sustainable development and safeguarding human rights.
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The treaty will be open for signature on June 3 and will enter into force 90 days after the 50th signatory ratifies it. Developed world refuses to commit for climate fund
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More than 190 countries decided it would build up to a $100 billion kitty by 2020 to fight climate change globally but the Green Climate Fund looks set to remain an empty pot as the US and other developed countries have refused to commit the needed money or even set timelines for contributions. In a meeting of the UN fund held in Berlin, the US and other developed countries refused to discuss a burden-sharing formula for contributions or set any calendar to schedule the initial funding. By December 2012, only $5.7 million was committed by the rich world to the fund. India was represented at the meeting by Dipak Dasgupta, principle economic advisor to the finance ministry. During the meet Indian representative stated that the fund was not a donor programme or a charity but a commitment made under the UN climate change convention. He warned that there could not be a voluntary approach to contributions. But the developed countries preferred to not be bound by a time-table or a target, suggesting that at present the fund should depend upon only ad hoc pledges. They demanded that the business model of the fund be developed before monies are committed. The purpose of the fund is to fight climate change globally and help developing countries cut greenhouse gas emissions
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund within the framework of the UNFCCC founded as a mechanism to transfer money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.
New Zealand troops begin withdrawal from Afghanistan
New Zealand troops began their withdrawal from their base in Bamiyan at Afghanistan to mark the end of a 10-year involvement in the war.
The government announced the early withdrawal last year, with the New Zealand contingent originally scheduled to remain until September 2014. 145 New Zealand troops working on provincial reconstruction had a significant impact on the region. The hospital has been rebuilt and new health centres have opened in all seven districts. Mortality rates for children have plummeted, and the same has happened to maternal death rates. New Zealand will continue to station 27 planning and intelligence personnel in Kabul. Ten New Zealand soldiers have died in Afghanistan over the past decade eight in Bamiyan and two in Kabul. UK eases immigration rules for elite overseas graduates
Britain eased immigration rules for a section of foreign students, including Indians, who wish to stay and work in the country, in a bid to attract the "brightest and the best" global talent. Changes to the "Graduate Entrepreneur Programme" will allow up to 1,000 international graduates with masters degrees in business administration to stay on in Britain to work for 12 months after they finish their course. The new rules follow ongoing criticism over tougher student visa norms putting off foreign students from applying to study in Britain. The number of students coming from India to study at UK universities registered a fall of nearly 23.5 per cent last year, including a 28 per cent drop at post-graduate level. US issues fresh waiver to Pakistan
For the second time in six months, the US has issued a waiver for sale of major defence equipment to Pakistan likely to be worth over USD 2 billion, citing national security interests. In September last year, the US had waived conditions that would have halted USD 2 billion in aid to Pakistan, which was slammed for not making progress in fighting terrorism. Pakistan has received USD 7.9 billion worth of military equipment from the US since 2001. "Major Defence Equipment," means any US manufactured defence article whose export is controlled by US Munitions List which has a nonrecurring research and development cost of more
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than USD 50,000,000 or a total production cost of more than USD 200,000,000. These items require Congressional notification. Under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill the US can't approve sale of major defence equipment to Pakistan unless the Secretary of State either gives a waiver under national security interests or certifies that Pakistan is continuing to cooperate US to dismantle supplier networks relating to the acquisition of nuclear weapons-related materials, and has demonstrated a sustained commitment to and is making significant efforts towards combating terrorist groups. The bill requires the Secretary of State to certify that Pakistan is taking steps to prevent al-Qaeda, the Taliban and associated terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, from operating on its soil, including carrying out crossborder attacks into neighboring countries. Private dailies allowed in Myanmar
Privately owned daily newspapers hit Myanmar's streets for the first time in decades under freedoms that represent a revolution for a media shackled under military rule. Four Burmese-language titles - The Voice , The Golden Fresh Land , The Union and The Standard Time - made the transition from weekly as new rules came into effect that swept away state media's long monopoly on daily printing. The country's military rulers seized control of private daily papers in 1964. Myanmar's quasicivilian government took power in early 2011 after the military dictatorship relinquished a half-century stranglehold on the former Burma. It embarked on media reforms as part of its democratisation programme in August 2012, when it relaxed draconian censorship. A total of 16 weekly news journals were allowed to become dailies under the new rules but logistical challenges such as distribution, poor infrastructure, outmoded printing equipment and staffing issues are some of the stumbling blocks for media organisations wanting to expand into dailies.. Myanmar jumped to 151st out of 179 in Reporters Without Borders' 2013 World Press Freedom Index because of "dramatic changes" that included scrapping harsh pre-publication scrutiny regime until last year imposed on everything from newspapers to fairytales.
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ECONOMY
Novartis loses patent battle in SC The Supreme Court has dismissed Novartis AG's appeal for patent protection of its anti-cancer drug, Glivec, putting an end to a seven-year battle between the Swiss drug maker, several domestic generic manufacturers, as well as patient groups fighting for affordable medicines. At the heart of the dispute was the Indian government's contention that Glivec, which treats myeloid leukaemia and some gastrointestinal cancers, is simply a retooled avatar of a pre-existing drug - Imatinib. However, Novartis argued Imatinib Mesylate was a new salt form of an older medicine, Imatinib, and the new version represented a 30 per cent increase in the bioavailability of the medicine. company also lost the case at the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, which rejected the company's appeal in 2009. Novartis then decided to take the case to the country's highest court. With this landmark judgment coming through in favour of generics, many are also concerned that it might shunt multinationals from making further investments and launching innovative medicines in the country. Foreign investment in Government Securities and Corporate Bonds Rationalized
A Bench of judges Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai ruled out that the Novartis version of the drug was not "an invention as understood in the law of patent in India" and, therefore, not entitled to get patent for the improved version of its cancer drug, Glivec. The court clarified in this judgment that it did not apply to all improvements in products. It said it had not barred patent protection "for all incremental inventions of chemical and pharmaceutical substances." It would be a "grave mistake" to read this judgment to mean that it prohibited all fundamental changes in a product, the verdict said.
While the verdict might make multinationals like Novartis more wary of the Indian market, it could boost prospects of domestic companies, such as Natco, Cipla and Ranbaxy, manufacturing generic versions of the medicine.
According to the Novartis about 16,000 patients in India use Glivec, a vast majority of whom receive it for free. By contrast, according to industry reports, the generic Glivec is used by a little more than 300,000 patients. Its generic version of the drug is priced at Rs 9,600 for a month's therapy as against Rs 1,10,000 for Novartis' Glivec. The case has an acrimonious history. Novartis had filed for a patent in 1998, which was denied in 2006. Then, in 2007, the Madras High Court also rejected Novartis' plea against the 2006 order. The
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The Central Government in consultation with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and SEBI has been progressively liberalizing/rationalizing the scheme for foreign investment in G-Secs and Corporate bonds keeping in view the evolving macroeconomic scenario and financing needs of the economy. Till now FIIs were permitted to invest USD 25 billion in G-Secs (Comprising of two sub-limits of USD 10 billion and USD 15 billion), USD 26 billion in General Corporate bonds (comprising of USD 25 billion limit for FIIs and USD 1 billion limit for QFIs) and USD 25 billion in Long-term infra bonds (comprising of USD 10 billion limit for IDFs, USD 12 billion limit for FII investment in long-term infra bonds and USD 3 billion limit for QFI investment in Mutual Fund Debt schemes which invest in Infrastructure sector). The various sub-limits stated above were subject to different sets of conditions in terms of original maturity, lock-in period and residual maturity restrictions. On review, it was observed that the existing framework of various debt sub-limits and associated conditions with respect to each sub-limit led to complexity and inflexibility for investors and hampered investment in debt securities. Therefore, in order to encourage greater foreign investments in INR denominated debt instrument, it was decided in consultation with RBI and SEBI to simplify the framework of FII debt limits, the allocation mechanism of these debt limits and also lay down a perspective plan for enhancement of these debt limits in the future. The new policy has been put in place with effect from 1st April 2013.
The salient features of the new approach are as follows: a) The existing debt limits will be merged into following two broad categories: I. Government securities of US$ 25 billion (by merging Government Securities old and Government Securities long term) and, II. Corporate bonds of US $ 51 billion dollars (by merging US $ one billion for QFIs, US $ 25 billion dollars for FIIs in corporate bonds and US $ 25 billion for FIIs in long term infra bonds). b) The entire limit in both the Government securities and Corporate bonds categories will be made available to all eligible classes of foreign investors, including FIIs, QFIs, and long term investors such as Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs), Pension Funds, Foreign Central Banks etc. c) Out of USD 25 billion limit for Government Securities, a sub limit of US $ 5.5 billion has been provided for investment in short term papers such as treasury bills. d) Similarly in case of USD 51 billion limit for corporate bonds, a sub limit of US $ 3.5 billion has been provided for investment in short term papers such as commercial papers. e) These sub-limits have been carved out based on the current holdings of such short term instruments by FIIs and have been provided so that existing investments are not adversely affected. f) Because of the room created by unifying categories, the current SEBI auction mechanism allocating debt limits for corporate bonds will be replaced by the 'on tap system' currently in place for infrastructure bonds. g) In order to allow large investors to plan their investments, the Government will review the foreign investor limit in corporate bonds when 80% of the current limit is taken up. Further, it will also enhance the limit on government bonds as and when needed, based on utlilisation levels, demand from foreign investors, macro-economic requirements and a prudent off shore: on shore balance. h) To provide a guide to investors, it has been decided that the annual enhancement of the Government bond limit will remain within 5% of the gross annual borrowing of the Central Government excluding buy backs. These measures will simplify the norms for foreign investment and are likely to encourage greater capital inflows, enhance the flow of resources to the Indian economy and encourage development of the debt market in India.
GOI formed 2k cr pool to cover Iran oil
The government is setting up an Indian Energy Insurance Pool of Rs 2,000-cror, to back Indian firms that insure domestic refineries processing Iranian crude oil. Indian insurance firms depend on large European counterparts to reinsure their risks as they would otherwise end up in deep financial trouble in case of large payout. The problem has arisen since under the US and the European Union (EU) sanctions, global insurers have added a "sanctions clause" in their contract that limits the amount to be paid in case of a claim. That is why domestic insurance companies have refused cover to refineries processing Iranian oil as they could not get reinsurance from their European counterparts. Reinsurance makes up for 90% of the insurance cover. Because of these criteria's refining at Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd and Essar Oil Ltd were under threat as the two buy 1,00,000 barrels of oil a day from Iran. The Department of Financial Services will create the fund within a month, with INR10 billion of its fund to come from the reinsurance premium paid to Indian insurers by the refiners and an equal amount from the Oil Industry Development Board, which collects taxes on crude oil. For claims beyond Rs 2,000 crore, the Central government would extend sovereign guarantee up to Rs 10,000 crore. These contributions are proposed to run for the next three years to eventually build a corpus of INR60 billion. State-run Oriental Insurance and New India Assurance will be the initial contributors as they underwrite risks of government-run MRPL and private Essar Oil. Private insurers will also have the option to participate in the EIP fund. The proposal is an outcome of a meeting chaired by the National Security Advisor to establish a mechanism so that Indian insurers would no longer require reinsurance coverage from much larger European counterparts. Unsecured Exposure Norms for UCBs released by RBI
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In order to promote lending to priority sectors and to provide impetus to the objective of financial inclusion it has been decided that urban co-operative banks (UCBs) fulfilling the following conditions may, with the prior approval of the Reserve Bank, grant unsecured loans (with or without surety) upto 25% of their total assets.
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The UCBs need to fulfill criterion such as, coverage of the entire loan portfolio of the bank under priority sector and that all loans to be sanctioned as small value loans of up to Rs 20,000 in a single amount. Besides, they should have assessed CRAR (Capital to Risk Assets Ratio) of 9 percent and have assessed gross NPAs at less than 10 percent of gross advances. Financial parameters for the above purposes may be considered as on March 31 of the previous year. Assessed CRAR and gross NPAs would be as assessed by the latest inspection carried out by the RBI. Further UCBs desiring to grant unsecured loans in excess of 10 percent of total assets may approach the Regional Office of UBD (Urban Banks Department) for permission. The term Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) refers to primary cooperative banks located in urban and semi-urban areas. These banks, until 1996, could only lend for non-agricultural purposes.
sugar mills, leaving the call on cane area reservation, minimum distance criteria and adoption of the cane price formula to state governments. The levy-sugar mechanism mandates mills to sell 10 per cent of their annual produce to the government at cheap rates for sale through ration shops whereas the regulated release mechanism gave the Centre the power to fix the amount that sugar mill owners could release in open market. Now, consumers could face a greater fluctuation in sugar prices through the year with the government deciding to partially decontrol the Rs 80,000 crore sugar trade. The move is also going to lead to an additional subsidy burden on the government of Rs 3,100 crore, leading to an overall bill of Rs 5,300 crore annually at present rates and volumes of supply. The government will bear the difference between the exmill price of Rs 32 per kg and retail sugar price of PDS at Rs 13.50 per kg. The government has decided that the state governments will be asked to purchase their requirement of sugar for the PDS from open market and would be reimbursed by the centre for the difference in prices based on their existing share in the levy sugar supply. The government's decision comes after a committee under C Rangarajan, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, submitted its report recommending that sugar trade be put completely to market forces. Government releases latest edition of consolidated FDI policy
However, today this limitation is no longer prevalent. While the co-operative banks in rural areas mainly finance agricultural based activities including farming, cattle, milk, hatchery, personal finance, et cetera, along with some small scale industries and self-employment driven activities, the co-operative banks in urban areas mainly finance various categories of people for self-employment, industries, small scale units and home finance. Co operative Banks in India are registered under the Co-operative Societies Act. The cooperative bank is also regulated by the RBI. They are governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1965.
These banks provide most services such as savings and current accounts, safe deposit lockers, loan or mortgages to private and business customers. For middle class users, for whom a bank is where they can save their money, facilities like Internet banking or phone banking is not very important. Cabinet gives approval to decontrolling sugar sector
The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) has decided to do away with the regulated release mechanism and the obligation of levy on
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The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) released the latest edition of consolidated FDI policy incorporating the changes made in the regulations over the past one year. The DIPP is the nodal agency on FDI related matters. With a view to make Indias FDI regime simple and easy to under stand for investors, the department had compiled all the related policies into a single document. This is the sixth edition of consolidated FDI policy and will be effective from April 5. The guidelines incorporated changes with regard to inflows in multi brand retail and allowing Pakistan nationals and companies to invest in the country. Besides, it has included policy changes in sectors like single brand retail, asset reconstruction companies (ARCs), power exchanges, civil aviation, broadcasting and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
Last year, amid opposition from some of its key allies and state governments, the Centre permitted 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail sector. The government also allowed foreign airlines to pick 49 per cent stake in the cash-strapped domestic carriers. Similarly, it has raised FDI cap to 74 per cent in various services of the broadcasting sector. The foreign investment ceiling in ARCs has also been increased to 74 per cent from 49 per cent, a move aimed at bringing more foreign expertise in the segment. It has said that the total shareholding of an individual FII in an ARC shall not exceed 10 per cent of the total paid-up capital. Further, it has incorporated the changes made with regard to FDI from Pakistan. Now, a Pakistani citizen or an entity can invest in the country under the government approval route.
cent to USD 21 billion against USD 31 billion in the same period last year due to the global economic uncertainties. Core sector output contracts 2.5 % in Feb
With regard to issue price of shares, a new paragraph has been added. Under this, where a non-residents including NRIs are making investments in an Indian firm in compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956, by way of subscription to its Memorandum of Association, "such investments may be made at face value subject to their eligibility to invest under the FDI scheme". The government has permitted foreign investment of up to 49 per cent in the power trading exchanges in the country.
The policy has also listed as many as eight mandatory conditions and one optional clause with regard to conversion of a company with FDI into a Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) firm.
In the first 10 months of current financial year, foreign direct investment (FDI) contracted by 33 per
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The output of eight core sector industries contracted 2.5 per cent in February, against a growth of 3.1 per cent in January and 7.7 per cent growth in February 2012. This is the weakest performance for the eight core industries - that have a 37.9 per cent weightage in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) - since the new series started in April 2005. The January 2013 output figure has also been sharply revised downwards to 3.1 per cent, from 3.9 per cent earlier. On a cumulative basis, the eight core industries' output grew 2.6 per cent in April-February 2013, lower than the 5.2 per cent growth recorded in same period last year. All this is a pointer to weak industrial growth for February 2013, official data for which is expected to be released on April 12. The February performance of eight core industries was hit by contraction in as many as five of the eight industries. The five sectors that saw a decline in output are coal (8 per cent), crude oil (4 per cent), natural gas (20 per cent), fertilisers (4 per cent) and electricity (4.1 per cent). The other three core industries cement (3.9 per cent), steel (0.5 per cent) and refinery products (4.3 per cent) recorded growth in output during February 2013. The weak core sector performance for February coupled with the sharp fall in India's manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for March (from 54.2 to 52) is a signal that growth recovery may be further delayed economy.
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INDIA AND THE WORLD

India and Azerbaijan Sign Treaty on Legal and Judicial Cooperation in Civil and Commercial Matters India and Singapore Sign MoU on Air Services India and Singapore signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral air services arrangement in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister, Shri Ajit Singh and Minister of Transport of Singapore, Mr Lui Tuck Yew. It rationalizes the capacity entitlements of both countries in terms of seats per week in each direction with a route specific cap for Singapore on each route. The MoU also enhances, by 10%, the capacity entitlement with India now entitled to operate 29,400 weekly passenger seats from India to Singapore and the designated airlines of Singapore entitled to operate 28,700 weekly passenger seats from Singapore to India. No additional point of call has been given to Singapore. India also did not agree to the demand of Singapore for additional point of calls from Pune and Madurai. The common pool rights to the extent of 5160 seats earlier available to Singapore, which provided greater operational flexibility to Singapore carriers at major metro centres viz Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, have now been withdrawn. The designated airlines of Singapore can operate with any aircraft type except A-380. Both the sides, while expressing satisfaction on growing trade and economic co-operation, felt that there was a need to foster greater co-operation in the area of airport development and airport management. Besides, institutional- level cooperation is needed in the areas of training in aviation skill development, maintenance repairs and overhaul services, aviation safety and exchange of technology transfer in air space management and air navigation services. They have agreed to review and update the air services agreement and meet every two years to discuss various air services matters. Steel Minister Strengthens Ties with Tanzania
India and Azerbaijan has signed a treaty to cooperate with each other in dealing with various crimes, including terrorism. The treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde with Azerbaijan Minister of Justice Fikrat Mammadov.
The pact is one of the significant legal instruments to improve and facilitate effectiveness of the contracting states in investigation and prosecution of transnational crime including terrorism by providing the necessary legal framework for rendering or receiving legal assistance in criminal matters. Further Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Union Minister of Law & Justice and Shri Fikrat Mammadov, Minister of Justice of Republic of Azerbaijan has signed a Treaty on Legal and Judicial Cooperation in Civil and Commercial Matters.
The Treaty between the two countries in Civil matters is a comprehensive agreement for reciprocal arrangement with foreign countries for service of summons, for issuing Letters of Request, for taking of evidence, for execution of civil decrees and for enforcement of arbitral awards. As per provisions of the Treaty, requests for legal assistance shall be made through the Central Authorities of the Contracting Parties. In India, the Central Authority is the Ministry of Law and Justice and in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Central Authority is the Ministry of Justice. The Treaty aims to benefit the citizens of the respective States seeking Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters in the requested State irrespective of any gender, class or income bias. This Treaty will open the avenues of cooperation between both the countries in other sectors/spheres also.
Similar Treaties on Civil and Commercial Matters have already been signed with France, U.A.E., Russia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Mongolia, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan.
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A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between Government of India and the Government of Tanzania for cooperation in the field of steel. The LoI was signed in the presence of the Union Minister of Steel, Shri Beni Prasad Verma and Prof. Sospeter Muhongo, the Minister of Energy and Minerals, United Republic of Tanzania.
India to set up Food processing units in African countries
Ministry of Food Processing Industries has decided to establish Food Testing Labs (FTL) and Food Processing Business Incubation Centres (FPBIC) in the African Union countries. Each FTL will be established at an estimated cost of Rs. 10 crore in Zimbabwe, Gambia, The Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Nigeria. Similarly, the FPBICs would be established in Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and Angola at an estimated cost of Rs. 7.3 crore. Medak-based International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has already initiated the feasibility study and preparation of business plans towards the establishment of FTLs. ICRISAT has also been selected by the Government of India as the implementation agency for FPBICs. A food processing cluster can process about 2.5 lakh tonnes of raw material per year will come up in one of the AU nations at an estimated cost of Rs. 117 crore. The project would be completed in three years after selection of location. FTLs would play key role in maintaining the quality of food. Further the training programme would be helpful in addressing poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in dry land tropics. Indian, Chinese varsities sign agreement
The Beijing Institute of Technology, a government-run research university known for its work on China's space programme, on Wednesday
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The LoI aims to promote and expand bilateral relations between the two countries in the mineral sector with focus on strengthening supply chain for growth of the steel industry in both the countries. It aims to encourage investment opportunities in India and Tanzania in the iron & steel related businesses, facilitates exchange of technical know-how in developing iron and steel production and other steel related raw materials, including pelletisation plants and other associated industries. LoI aims that both the Governments jointly work for developing the steel industry and exchange technically qualified manpower for sustainable growth of iron & steel industry. The visit will not only strengthen relations between India and Tanzania. It will also give added thrust to the possibility of exploration and development of mineral assets in the country.
signed a first of its kind Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Karnataka-based Manipal University paving the way for closer collaboration on joint research projects. The MoU says both universities will take forward exchanges of students and faculty, and issue dual degrees. They will also undertake cooperative research and development activities. "This shows that China, under the new leadership, has understood the importance of India as a high technology partner," said Madhav Das Nalapat, Honorary Director of Department of Geopolitics, Manipal University, who signed the MoU with Wang Ying, director, International Student Centre of BIT. Manipal University also signed an MoU with BIT's sister university, the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in southern Jiangsu province. Both universities have ties to China's space programme, and also run research and development programmes related to defence projects. BIT has a research budget in the range of $500 million, and is among the top five Chinese universities in terms of allocations it receives. Unlike other universities, it is run by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and not the Education Ministry. Visa-on-arrival for senior Pakistanis
India has started the 'visa on arrival' facility for senior citizens from Pakistan. The facility, which was supposed to start on January 15 as part of the new liberalised visa pact between the two neighbours, was suspended following the killing of two Indian soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC) and subsequent heightened tensions in bilateral relations. The visas are valid for Pakistani citizens who are above the age of 65. However, no decision has been taken on the stalled group tourist visa facility to Pakistani nationals. The two countries had agreed to operationalise the group tourist visa facility to be offered to each other's citizens from March 15. The new visa agreement was signed last September to ease cross-border travel as part of a number of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs). Some clauses of the relaxed visa regime like multipleentry and reporting-free visas for businessmen and allowing them to travel to five cities instead of the earlier three were operationalised when Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik visited New Delhi in December.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India calls for major scaling up of response to Non-communicable diseases Government of India called for a major scaling up of attention to address the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancers in India. High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease; in 2008, 24% of all deaths in India were from cardiovascular diseases. The need is to address the major risk factors such as unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco intake, harmful use of alcohol by creating awareness on promotion of healthy lifestyle and habits among the community. The theme of the World Health Day 2013 is stronger focus on high blood pressure, as part of a comprehensive approach to NCDs. Thus the Government is planning to scale up the response to the NCDs epidemic by expanding the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) from 100 districts at present to cover all districts in the country during the 12th Five Year Plan. Under the NPCDCS, about 1.76 crores persons aged 30 years and above have been screened for diabetes and hypertension, out of which 7.22% were suspected of having diabetes and 6.59% hypertension. The goal of World Health Day 2013 is to reduce heart attacks and strokes. Specific objectives of the campaign are to: Raise awareness of the causes and consequences of high blood pressure; Encourage people to change behaviours that can lead to hypertension; Persuade adults to have their blood pressure checked regularly; Increase the number of health facilities offering blood pressure checks; and Encourage national and local authorities to create enabling environments for healthy behaviours.
Coordination between the health sector, food and agriculture sector and other relevant stakeholders for the reduction of salt intake in food was cited as one of the best buys for the reduction of hypertension and related cardiovascular diseases. It may be mentioned that the Government of India has been a key player in WHO processes towards the production of draft global and regional action plans for 2013-2020 to address NCDs, as well as the creation of a draft global monitoring framework for the prevention and control of NCDs. The monitoring framework has the overarching goal of a 25% reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2025. All countries are being encouraged by WHO to create national monitoring frameworks, drawing from the global one, which is expected to be approved by the World Health Assembly in May 2013.
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All about H7N9 bird flu
Influenza A H7 viruses are a group of influenza viruses that normally circulate among birds. The influenza A(H7N9) virus is one subgroup among the larger group of H7 viruses. Although some H7 viruses (H7N2, H7N3 and H7N7) have occasionally been found to infect humans, no human infections with H7N9 viruses have been reported until recent reports from China. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. However, information is still limited about the full spectrum of disease that infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus might cause. Although both the source of infection and the mode of transmission are uncertain, it is prudent to follow basic hygienic practices to prevent infection. They include hand and respiratory hygiene and food safety measures. Hand hygiene: Wash your hands before, during, and after you prepare food; before you eat; after you use the toilet; after handling animals or animal waste; when your hands are dirty; and when providing care when someone in your home is sick. Hand hygiene will also prevent the transmission of infections to yourself (from touching contaminated surfaces) and in hospitals to patients, health care workers and others. Wash your hands with soap and running water when visibly dirty; if not visibly
dirty, wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand cleanser. Respiratory hygiene: Cover your mouth and nose with a medical mask, tissue, or a sleeve or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing; throw the used tissue into a closed bin immediately after use; perform hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions. Currently, no vaccine exists for H7N9, but antigenic and genome sequencing suggests that H7N9 is sensitive to neuraminidase inhibitors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has begun sequencing and development of a vaccine as routine procedure for any new transgenic virus.The CDC and vaccine manufacturers are developing a candidate virus to be used in vaccine manufacturing if there is widespread transmission.
Preliminary tests have shown the virus would react to existing antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, according to the WHO.
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New Radiation therapy developed to cure cancer Scientists have developed a new form of radiation therapy that successfully put cancer into remission in mice, without producing harmful sideeffects of conventional chemo and radiation cancer therapies. Scientists from the University of Missouri found that mice treated with the radiation therapy showed no signs of cancer afterwards. Cancer cells grow faster than normal cells and in the process absorb more materials than normal cells. Hawthorne's team took advantage of that fact by getting cancer cells to take in and store a boron chemical designed by Hawthorne. When those boron-infused cancer cells were exposed to neutrons, a subatomic particle, the boron atom shattered and selectively tore apart the cancer cells, sparing neighbouring healthy cells. The physical properties of boron made Hawthorne's technique possible. A particular form of boron will split when it captures a neutron and release lithium, helium and energy. The helium and lithium atoms penetrate the cancer cell and destroy it from the inside without harming surrounding tissues.
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2 - MARKERS
ICSI National Awards for Excellence in Corporate Governance - 2012 Indian Oil Corporation Limited; and HCL Technologies Limited have received the National Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance 2012 of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) for excellence in corporate governance. ICSI bestows this award every year to those it considers the two best governed companies in India, underlining its commitment to good corporate governance. This is considered among the most prestigious corporate governance awards in India. ICSI Life Time Achievement Award for the year 2012 was presented to Shri Deepak S. Parekh, Chairman, Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. for translating excellence in Corporate Governance into reality. Tagore Centre for Global Thought set up in London in art, music, education and traditional literature, but focus on studies of Indian intellectual traditions in global perspective. Central Press Accreditation Committee reconstituted
The Tagore Centre for Global Thought has been officially inaugurated at King's College London.
It has been established to engage audiences with India's intellectual traditions whilst addressing a number of contemporary global questions and dilemmas. The Centre was founded in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India as part of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of Tagore's birth, taking inspiration from his work to enhance academic, intellectual and philosophical work globally.
The Tagore Centre at King's will provide two PhD scholarships for students from India over the next three years. It will host a series of public lectures, discussions and film screenings based on Tagore's writing and a number of high-profile Tagore Fellows, the first of which is Gopalkrishna Gandhi - former Governor of West Bengal and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. The Tagore Centre is expected to become a vibrant intellectual hub in the field of arts and culture and build on King's extensive cultural links in the capital and beyond. It will not only promote and support research studies inspired by Tagore's work
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The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has reconstituted the Central Press Accreditation Committee (CPAC). The CPAC functions as a body to approve applications for accreditation from the media, both Indian as well as foreign. The tenure of the committee shall be two years from its first meeting. IAF gears up for US combat exercise
The IAF will send eight Sukhoi-30MKIs, two C130J Super Hercules tactical airlift planes, two IL-78 mid-air refuelling tankers and one IL-76 heavy-lift aircraft, along with over 150 personnel, for the mother of all air combat exercises: the Red Flag exercise held at the Nellis US Air Force (USAF) base in Nevada, northwest of Las Vegas. The network-centric exercise will not only provide an opportunity for IAF pilots to match their combat skills with the USAF and its allies, but also serve to establish the force's capability to project air power by deploying a trans-continental task force across the globe. This will be the second time IAF will take part in the complex air combat manoeuvres of the Red Flag. Kris Gopalakrishnan
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-Founder and Executive Co-Chairman of Infosys, has been elected as the President of the industry body CII for the year 2013-14. He succeeds Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group. Gopalakrishnan was recently voted as the top CEO (IT services category) in Institutional Investor's inaugural ranking of Asia's Top Executives, and selected as one of the winners of the second Asian Corporate Director Recognition Awards by Corporate Governance Asia.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the German-born screenwriter and novelist who, as the writing member of the Merchant Ivory filmmaking team, won two Academy Awards for adaptations of genteel, class-conscious E. M. Forster novels, died at
the age of 85. Jhabvala wrote a dozen novels, 23 screenplays and eight collections of short stories and was made a CBE in 1998 and granted a joint fellowship by BAFTA in 2002 with Ivory and Merchant. She is the only person to ever have won both a Booker Prize and an Oscar.
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EDITORIALS
India must look North-East The reason why the legendary freedom-fighter from Meghalaya, U Kiang Nanbah, is an unknown figure for the rest of the country is that we are so poorly informed about the history and culture of the Seven Sisters. At the first instance, the name struck as perhaps one of some South East Asian political leader. It was later one realised that he was one of the greatest freedom-fighters this country has produced. Unfortunately, not only in the rest of the country but even in his own native Meghalaya, U Kiang Nanbah is not a well-known figure, thanks to a policy of sheer indifference successive Central Governments have adopted towards the history and culture of the people of the North-East, Remembering Nanbah now assumes all the more significance as 2013 marks 150 years of his execution at the hands of the British rulers. Not much is known about his early days except that he was a child when the British annexed the Jaintia kingdom in 1835. He had no royal lineage whatsoever and was born in an ordinary peasant family, but what ignited the spirit of patriotism in the young Nanbah was the high-handedness of the alien rulers and the daredevil exploits of his maternal uncle U Ksan Sajar Nangbah, who fought against the invaders at a place called Chanmyrsiang. Like in other places, the British initially adopted a policy of least interference in the internal affairs of the newly annexed kingdom, but gradually started imposing taxes and restrictions on the religious beliefs and cultural practices of the locals, which was resisted by Nanbah and his many compatriots. The movement against the aliens intensified after they set up a police station at Jwai in 1855 to establish "Government authority" over the hills. The establishment of the military outpost near the cremation grounds of the Dkar clan and orders restricting the burning of the dead was seen as interference in religious beliefs and fuelled popular resistance against the British. The establishment of a missionary school, the destruction of weapons ahead of a traditional ceremony and attempts by British-supported missionaries to slam the beliefs of the locals as superstitions added fuel to fire. U Kiang emerged
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as the leader of the resistance movement and led the attacks on the Jwai Police Station, which was totally destroyed. Subsequently, the group burnt down the Christian settlement and besieged the military post. The resistance was so fierce that the British had to rush in reinforcements and launch full-scale military operations against U Kiang and his men. Unfortunately, U Kiang fell ill and was finally nabbed after stiff resistance, with the help of informers. This revolutionary leader was put on mock trial and was sentenced to death within three days of his capture, before the very eyes of the locals, to send across a tough message that any resistance to the British rule would not be tolerated and would be suppressed with an iron hand. However, as he was being taken to the gallows on the evening of December 30, 1862, U Kiang said something prophetic, "Brothers and sisters, please look carefully on my face when I die on the gallows. If my face turns towards the east, my country will be free from foreign yoke in the next 100 years and if it turns west, it will remain in bondage for good." In less than a century, India became independent. Like the native American Indians, U Kiang fought for the rights of the people in the face of imposition of an alien way of life and values. People of Khasi and Jaintia Hills have since lost much of their traditional culture. In fact, not many in the younger generation even remember U Kiang Nanbah. The ignorance about U Kiang Nanbah is a reflection on the Government's education policy, which has totally neglected the history of the NorthEast. Forget Nanbah, most history textbooks prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education do not have any reference to the history, culture or traditions of the region. It seems as if their history begins with the British annexation of their territories. A serious attempt was made in this direction under the leadership of the then National Council of Educational Research and Training Director, JS Rajput, during the NDA regime, but hundreds of textbooks prepared during the time were later thrown into the dustbin under the garb of preventing 'saffronisation' of education. Even 65 years after independence, people from the North-East continue to be clubbed together and
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singled out, and that too for their racial features. Often, they are mistaken as Chinese, Nepalese or from South East Asia, and referred to even by the educated as 'Chinkies' because of their Mongoloid features. Forced to migrate from their idyllic but underdeveloped States for education and job opportunities, these people, mostly women and youngsters, are not only discriminated against but also have often been victims of eve teasing, molestation and rape. What's more, they also find themselves at the receiving end of the utterly insensitive law enforcement agencies. This has led to a sense of alienation among these people, many of whom have become susceptible and vulnerable to propaganda by the separatists. While sociologists, politicians and commentators have been attributing it to factors including the insensitivity and conservatism of the North to the lack of infrastructure and employment opportunities as also massive corruption in the North-East, resulting in migration, the fact remains that the wide communication gap between the peoples of the region and the rest of India, as well as ignorance about each other, have significantly contributed to this crisis. Not that have there not been efforts to build bridges of understanding between the North-East and the other parts of the country, but the few attempts that have been made are few and far between. Few Gandhians, some Hindi activists, initiatives such as Ekal Vidyalaya, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Ramakrishna Mission, cultural centres of the Union Government and even State-controlled media, have been contributing their bit in this direction. There have been some citizen-driven initiatives such as My Home India, run by Mumbai-based social activist Sunil Deodhar, which seeks to bridge the chasm by helping students and others from North Eastern region in metropolises such as Mumbai and Delhi, in their hour of need. "We not only strive to help the people from the North-East but also sensitise locals about the beautiful region", says Deodhar. Nevertheless, this sensitisation has to begin from the school level itself, and that can be made possible only by incorporating the history, culture and traditions of the North-East in social studies textbooks taught across the country. There cannot be a greater and better opportunity to reach out to the people of the North-East than by observing the 150th anniversary of U Kiang Nanbah's martyrdom. This can be done with the active involvement of the people of the region and by educating the rest of the country about the contributions made by the freedom-fighters, intellectuals, artists and sportspersons from the North-East towards the building of a modern India. Source: The Poineer
Implement guidelines to curb moneylaundering
Recent media reports outlining the scale of moneylaundering activity have jolted the financial services industry. Many observers believe that organised crime is of sufficient scale and power not only to influence financial institutions but also to exert control over large sections of the economy. If left unchecked or dealt with ineffectively, the ramifications for the Indian society are potentially severe. Indeed, some commentators estimate that money-laundering accounts for about 4- 5% of the global domestic product. India is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) - an intergovernmental body that seeks to combat moneylaundering and terrorist-financing. In February 2012, the FAFT issued a revised set of international standards to combat moneylaundering and the financing of terrorism. The revised recommendations merged nine previously iterated special recommendations relating to terrorist-financing with more general recommendations and an extended coverage to include proliferation-financing. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA), which became effective on July 1, 2005, was amended last year to make it more robust and comprehensive. Section 3 of the PMLA clearly states that anyone who, directly or indirectly, is involved in any process/activity connected with the proceeds of crime, including its concealment, possession, acquisition or use and projecting it as untainted property, is guilty of money-laundering. "Proceeds of crime" encompasses any property obtained, directly or indirectly, by any person as a result of criminal activity relating to a scheduled offence or the value of any such property. Importantly, "directly" and "indirectly" widen the scope of moneylaundering to include, for example, back-office employees who knowingly process illicit transactions. One might think that it is a privilege to work in the financial sector but it comes with responsibility and accountability. It requires extra caution as the punishment for money-laundering is also high where the terms of imprisonment shall not be less than three years but which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to a fine. Burden of proof is on the accused under section 24 of the Act. Regulators, namely, the Reserve Bank of India, the Securities Exchange Board of India, and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority have all issued detailed KYC/AML/CFT guidelines covering the areas of customer acceptance, customer identification, monitoring of transactions and risk
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Of course, it is a Herculean task to implement standard procedures at more than 81,000 bank branches across India. However, the FIU-IND and other regulators have had significant success. These days, RBI is also taking stern action by penalising banks for non-adherence to the AML/KYC norms. With a robust legal framework in place, it is the responsibility of the management of financial entities to ensure integrity at the grassroot level. Financial organisations should take a zero tolerance approach when it comes to executives who act without integrity. Source: Economic Times
Food inflation: Blame the fisc, not private trade
The fiscal deficit is the single biggest cause of food inflation. To rein in food inflation, generally, policy makers and governments supplement the supply side. This is because attempts at demand compression could either be difficult or politically unpopular. Traditional interventionist steps include release of buffer stocks, more imports, banning or restricting exports, imposing stock limits on private trade, subsidising domestic and imported goods, blaming or banning future exchanges in order to curb speculation, and providing doles or increasing wages.
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management. Rigorous implementation of these guidelines by the reporting entities creates deterrence to the use of legitimate channels for illegal money. Entities with reporting obligations under the PMLA include: banks; financial institutions like insurance companies, housing finance companies, non-banking finance companies, chit fund companies, payment system operators, authorised money changers; casinos and intermediaries of the securities markets. The number of entities operating in the financial sector in India is huge and it is a real challenge to engage them and make them comply with the reporting obligations. The "train the trainer" programme conducted once a year by Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) has enhanced AML/KYC awareness. Data suggests that those persons who underwent training, in turn, imported training to a large number of employees in their respective organisations. The phenomenon is evidenced by a sharp increase in Suspicious Transaction Reporting (STR). STR increased by 1,470% from 4,409 between 2008 and 2009 to 69,224 in 2011 and 2012. Similarly, public sector banks account for 67% of all large Cash Transaction Reporting (CTR). Unfortunately, a meager 8% contribution comes from co-operative banks, which are more vulnerable to be exploited by money launderers.
All these steps - except offloading inventories and increasing imports - prove counterproductive and distort markets. They collectively create a parallel, covert market, because official interventions and notifications end up confirming that "shortages" are around the corner. This stimulates hidden or benami stocking, buying subsidised food and selling in the open market at a premium; vayda (futures) and hazr (spot) markets go underground. Free supply of food or cash militates against national work culture and spirit of human dignity. Indeed, all these actions are exercises in futility in India. According to a recent discussion paper, Taming food inflation in India, by Ashok Gulati and Shewata Saini of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the nuisance lies elsewhere. The paper states that "Three factors stand out in this regard: the ballooning/monetised fiscal deficit, rising farm wages, and transmission of the global food inflation; together they explain 98 per cent of the variations in Indian food inflation over the period 1995-96 to December, 2012". The prescription given is "Policies to rein-in food inflation will foremost require winding-down fiscal deficit, which has gone (at above 5 per cent of GDP) way beyond the guidelines laid out in FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003". All "market interventionist" measures have little or no relevance, when the malaise is financial mismanagement. With the Centre's fiscal deficit alone at around 5 per cent of GDP (against a 3 per cent ceiling under FRBM), a 10 per cent average rate of food inflation should not come as a surprise. Why harass and blame private trade for food inflation? The fiscal deficit is set to increase, once the Food Security Bill (FSB) approved by the Cabinet, comes into effect. It will enhance the fiscal deficit (by about Rs 30,000 crore), which will bloat annually when MSP is hiked. This running FSB expenses exclude extra storage and distribution cost, amounting to 25-30 per cent of acquisition cost, and additional outlay on infrastructure. So, the foundation of higher inflation in food items is being laid by FSB, even as official promises are being made to lower them! Prudent suggestions by the Agriculture and Finance Ministers were also ignored by the majority in the Cabinet. RISING FARM WAGES On farm wages - the report notes that "during 2007-08 to 2011-12, nominal wages increased at a much faster rate, by close to 17.5 per cent per annum.
For the period since the 1990s, on an average, the money supply (measured by M3) has increased by 18 per cent, and this is combined by an agriculture GDP growth rate of 3 per cent". Open-ended procurement for rice and wheat continues at a higher MSP each year, despite surplus inventory, that will touch around 95 million tonnes by July 2013. Too much money chasing too few goods will continue to push up farm prices. A consistent long-term OGL import/export policy (rather than the ad-hocism of the past), which might be regulated with 5-10 per cent duty in exceptional circumstances, is suggested in this document. Neither is there any need to interfere with trade in cotton, sugar, edible oil and pulses. Exports of rice, maize and soyameal handled by private trade have touched, respectively, 10 million tonnes, 3.5 million tonnes and 4 million tonnes last year - totalling Rs. 55,000 crore ($10 billion). This is likely to be repeated this year with a 1015 per cent variation either way.
Gujarat has the lowest taxes, hardly any State procurement and yet has shown 10 per cent growth in agriculture over the last 10 years. Source: Business Line Time to revisit the Vienna Convention
However, wheat exports from FCI stocks are tightly regulated by PSUs and Government committees. Shipments were limited to 3 million tonnes in 2012-13, while shipments of 10 million tonnes in 2013-14 will be desirable. With larger exports, the trade deficit, current account deficit and fiscal deficit can be contained. REPORT PRESCRIPTION
The report finally recommends:
Prune the fiscal deficit by cutting down fuel, fertiliser and food subsidies at the Centre and power subsidies at the State level. An estimated Rs 60,000 crore ($11 billion) will be saved. Liquidate excessive grain stocks in the local market or through exports to recover sunk cost and carrying cost, by slashing government inventory to a maximum of 40 million tonnes, instead of 90-95 million tonnes in July 2013.
A revenue of Rs 100,000 crore ($18 billion) - can be realised, and a saving of Rs 20,000/tonne by reducing inventory to 50 million tonnes. These two proactive policy measures will cut fiscal deficit by Rs 160,000 crore ($29 billion). Stop or review open-ended grain procurement, especially in States that impose high taxes (like Punjab Haryana) or give an extra bonus - like Chhattisgarh's Rs 270 per quintal on paddy and Madhya Pradesh's Rs 150 per quintal on wheat, crowding out private trade.
Unilateral changes by the West are increasingly affecting diplomats from the developing world The Italian Ambassador's matter before the Supreme Court is over but problems with the Vienna Convention will not go away. This is because the past three decades have witnessed an increasing effort on the part of western countries to unilaterally introduce changes in the application of the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations to the detriment of diplomats of developing countries. They say that this aggressive approach is in keeping with new standards of humanitarian and labour laws. However, its selective, self-serving and at times unscrupulous application belies these tall claims. These countries are also taking care to ensure that the functioning or personal situations of diplomats working in their embassies are not impaired while considerable difficulties are experienced by those of developing countries. Some years ago the domestic help who had accompanied a senior Indian diplomat to his post in a Western country sued him for maltreatment in a local court. Along with the diplomat, the Indian government was also sued. The country concerned took the position that its courts had jurisdiction as it was a civil law matter. As the case was going on, authentic documentary evidence emerged that established the involvement of the officials of the host country in a virtual conspiracy to instigate the domestic help to leave his employer. They had also created circumstances that had enabled him to take legal action. Under sustained pressure from South Block, the country cleared up the matter within its own system, including its courts, but requested the Indian authorities that the issue be kept confidential. That request was accepted for diplomats prefer to deal with all matters relating to privileges, immunities and protocol discreetly, outside the public gaze. They especially try to avoid entanglements with the courts. That is one reason why the Italian Ambassador's affidavit to the Supreme Court was, per se, so extraordinary. Safety net The Convention codifies traditional immunities and privileges given to diplomats to enable predictable diplomatic interaction between states. Immunities are essential for diplomatic interaction.
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Defining family
There was certainly no attempt at intervening with home based personnel including domestic help. Now this is being done regularly as in the Indian domestic help's case. Court action is being allowed even though they are Indian nationals, are recruited in India and always travel on official passports. Another emerging problematic area is the definition of family itself. The Convention prescribes that members of a diplomat's household also enjoy immunity. It does not define household but it is accepted that household means family. The official definition of family differs from country to country. In the past, a relaxed attitude was taken and dependent children irrespective of their age or dependent parents were accepted as family and given the protection of the Convention. Now, western countries and some others are applying their official definition of family. Consequently many diplomats from developing countries with elderly single parents or dependent university going children face problems. On the other hand western countries are urging that live-in partners of their diplomats be accepted as family members under the Convention.
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They also provide a safety net for intelligence officers posted under cover in Embassies. The identity of such officers is known or discovered by host countries. Whenever their activities cross the acceptable line, they are declared persona non grata and are publicly expelled. Reciprocal action is taken in such cases by the other country. Diplomats caught in unbecoming acts including criminal acts such as smuggling or bribing are withdrawn quietly at the demand of the host country or suo moto. Reciprocal action is seldom taken in such cases. Till about four decades ago, a laissez-faire approach was taken in the working of Missions. Issues relating to commercial disputes of embassies or differences between embassies and local employees were almost always resolved quietly between the embassies and foreign ministries. They were not allowed to reach the courts. It was generally felt that local staff were outside the jurisdiction of the application of local labour laws even if their work contracts were more generous than the contracts between embassies and local staff. Western countries took the lead in asserting that their labour laws would cover employees recruited locally by embassies and disputes between them would, if necessary, have to go to the courts whose decisions would be executed. Bank accounts of some embassies have been frozen on orders of Italian courts or payments made from them in commercial or labour disputes.
Inherent to the Vienna Convention is the practice of reciprocity. Reciprocity can be applied if a diplomatic privilege is restricted or denied by one country, even if it is applied uniformly to all diplomats stationed there. The problem lies in uneven situations where on account of their power and economic clout some countries can get a better deal for their diplomats. There is no absolute freedom of movement for diplomats. Many countries require that diplomats seek the clearance of the Foreign Ministries before leaving the capital city. In any event, sensitive areas are out of bounds for them. The European Union mildly and indirectly protested against the Supreme Court's decision that the Italian Ambassador should not leave the country till it heard the matter on April 2. In view of the sui generis circumstances of the case, this writer feels that it was not unwarranted. The Vienna Convention is now 50 years old. In these decades, the world, including that of diplomacy, has changed in fundamental ways. A review of the Convention will be timely. Source: The Hindu New and improved
SC ruling sets a higher bar for what the pharmaceutical industry can declare a patentable innovation The Supreme Court has rejected the plea of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis for a patent on its leukaemia drug Glivec, in a ruling that could ripple through the developing world and affect the fundamentals of the pharmaceutical revenue model. Upholding earlier decisions of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board and the Madras High Court, the court fortified Section 3 (d) of the Patents Act, which requires companies to prove "therapeutic efficacy" when they tweak a molecule or put a known substance to a new end. In the Glivec case, it ruled that better bio-availability by itself was not reason enough for a patent, unless it contributed to more effective treatment. This ruling helps those who would have otherwise been priced out of life-saving care (Glivec costs about Rs 1,42,000, compared to Rs 9,500 for generic versions). It appears to be in line with the public health imperative recognised by the Doha Declaration of the TRIPs agreement. Novartis, though, has argued that Glivec is patented in 40 countries, and that India's seeming disregard for intellectual property could freeze investment here. Other pharma majors like Roche and Pfizer are also locked in patent disputes in the courts. They argue that if patents are eroded, then the resulting chill on innovation would end up slowing the production of
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new drugs, hurting the public interest. Of course, access must be balanced with the incentive to create. Pharmaceutical companies invest a great deal of money and effort to produce new drugs, and if generic companies could simply reverse-engineer them, it could discourage invention. The court's ruling in this case, though, only sets a higher bar for patentable creation. Innovation will have to be a solid leap forward for companies, not just sitting back after a single blockbuster drug and fiddling with its composition for decades afterwards. This ruling could be a bracing force for the industry, making it chase after genuine breakthroughs. It could be argued that modifications to minor ends also deserve their own rewards, but that must be separately worked out - patents are a 20-year monopoly, a take-it-or-leave-it proposition that
leaves much of the public underserved in times of desperate need. The Supreme Court ruling has clarified that it does not mean no minor variations are patentable that assessment depends on the test of therapeutic efficacy. Glivec does not pass that test, at least based on the evidence presented by Novartis. However, the judgment has left key questions open. For instance, would reduced toxicity be considered a factor in measuring efficacy, and if so, does the lower dosage required due to better bio-availability contribute to this? These ambiguities should be resolved to the extent possible, if India is to have a balanced and clear policy on pharmaceutical innovation. Source: Indian Express
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Weekly Current Affairs 1st April to 7th April, 2013

Prime Minister approves expansion of Direct Benefits Transfers (DBT)

Weekly Current Affairs 1st April to 7th April, 2013

New Zealand troops begin withdrawal from Afghanistan

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GOI formed 2k cr pool to cover Iran oil

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INDIA AND THE WORLD

India to set up Food processing units in African countries

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

All about H7N9 bird flu

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Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Weekly Current Affairs 1st April to 7th April, 2013

Implement guidelines to curb moneylaundering

Food inflation: Blame the fisc, not private trade

The report finally recommends:

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