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Contents
National

Section 1

International

Section 2

Special Report

Section 3

Business & Economy

Section 4

Science & Technology

Section 5

Ecology

Section 6

Sports

Section 7

Persons in NEWS

Section 8

Awards

Section 9

Special Mention

Section 10

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National
Recommendations on expanding the term custodial death:

Due to a PIL filed highlighting the need for police reforms and plight of victims of custodial
violenceas many encounter killings are custodial deaths.
To plug loopholes the amicus curiae recommends to the court to order mandatory initiation
of criminal proceedings for culpable homicide.
Constitution of human rights courts in districts under human rights protection act 1993 and
fill all vacancies.
State govt. to appoint independent and non-official personal to conduct regular and random
inspection of police stations.

Delhi Declaration pushes for better education:

At the second meeting of Education Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC), issued a joint statement titled The New Delhi Declaration on
Education. Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani chaired the meeting.
The priority areas of action: enhancing the learning and development readiness of preschool children, ensuring education for all, expanding skill development, facilitating mutual
recognition of qualifications and mobility of students and teachers and expanding
alternative ways of learning such as open and distance education.
The Ministers discussed Indias use of ICT in education, development and sharing of eresources, connectivity, e-learning and Massive Open Online Courses. Agencies reported
that Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman of Pakistans Higher Education Commission, proposed a
SAARC education and research network for sharing information.

One rank, one pension scheme pushes up centers defence pension bill:

The implementation of one rank, one pension has pushed up the Centres defence pension
payments by a record 40 per cent, posing fresh challenges to Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitleys resolve to keep the Centres fiscal deficit within the budgetary target of 4.1 per
cent of the Gross Domestic Product.

Piyush Goyal voices caution on Nuclear power

Power, Coal and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal said that nuclear energy offered
potential but the government would remain cautious about tapping it for power generation.
Mr. Goyal reiterated the governments aim of providing 24x7 power supply to all citizens
by 2019, adding that the sector was likely to attract investments of around $250 billion in
the next four to five years.
Mr. Goyals comments seemed to be at odds with the current negotiations by the
government, particularly in the field of nuclear technology, where India is negotiating with
France and the U.S. for the latest cutting edge technology.
On nuclear energy, Mr. Goyal pointed out that the U.S. and many European nations had
stopped setting up nuclear plants.

PM Modi adopts Jayapur village, seeks end to female foeticide

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday strongly pitched for ending the wretched practice
of female foeticide as he adopted Jayapur village in his Lok Sabha constituency, urging
villagers to give up dependence on governments for solving their problems.

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The Prime Minister won many hearts when he got up from his seat to adjust the mike for
the village head Durga Devi.
Referring to a recent report which found that 40 per cent of children died young in a
neighboring country as they did not wash their hands before eating, Modi said villagers
should pledge that they would not let their kids eat without washing hands.
Pitching for modernization of the textile sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday
asked the weavers to utilize the growing e-commerce market to reach out to global
consumers even as he announced a package of Rs 2,375 crore to revive banks in eastern
UP.

Question Hour shifted in RS to stop disruptions

To preserve the sanctity of the Question Hour, Rajya Sabha Chairman has decided to
move it from the customary 11 a.m. to noon in the Upper House starting this winter session.
The new rules will have to be presented and ratified by the Rajya Sabha when it convenes
on November 24.

Question Hour:
The first hour of every sitting of Parliament is generally reserved for the asking and answering
of questions.
Types of Parliamentary Questions
A Question is one of the devices available to a Member of Parliament to seek information on
matter of public importance concerning subjects detail with by the Ministries and Departments
and to force on the omissions and commissions of the government.
There are three types of Questions:
Starred Questions:
Starred questions are required to be answered orally by the concerned Minister. These
Questions are distinguished by an asterisk mark. Members of Parliament have the option to
raise the Supplementary Questions based on the replies to the starred Questions. These
Questions for which a notice period of minimum 10 days and maximum 21 days has been
prescribed are asked during the question Hour on the fixed days allotted to the
Ministry/Department.
Un-starred Questions:
Unstarred Questions do not carry asterisk mark and are answered in a written form. The notice
period is the same as that for the started Questions and these are also asked on the allotted
days of the Department/Ministry during Question Hour. The replies to the Un-starred Questions
are laid on the Table of the House.
Short Notice Questions:
Short Notice Questions relate to a matter of urgent public importance and can be asked with a
notice shorter than 10 days. These Questions are answered orally by the Minister concerned
and Supplementary Questions can also be asked. However, a Short Notice Question can be
asked only with the concurrence of the Minister.

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Zero Hour:
The time immediately following the Question Hour has come to be known as Zero Hour.
Members can, with prior notice to the Speaker, raise issues of importance during this time.

Govt allocates Rs 5,000 crore under AYUSH Mission

The government has allocated five thousand crore rupees under AYUSH Mission for
promoting traditional methods of treatment in the country.
Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that through the mission, the government will provide
assistance to States in strengthening planning and infrastructure for promoting
Ayurveda,Yoga Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, AYUSH.
Dr Vardhan also said that the 12 new AIIMS like institutes being set up in various parts of
the country will have large department of AYUSH so there should be an integration with
allopathic methods and holistic approach be developed.

India-Arab League officials meeting in New Delhi

Officials from India and the Arab League are meeting in New Delhi today to discuss
enhancing cooperation in trade and investment, energy and food security.
The two sides will hold deliberations on environment protection, agriculture and education
besides regional and international issues of mutual interest. The Indian side is being
represented by Secretary East, Anil Wadhwa

Agencies reduce CBDT to just two members

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), a key player to track down black money
stashed away abroad, is under tremendous pressure to meet deadlines despite senior
positions being vacant.
The CBDT, a constituent of the Special Investigation Team on black money, comprises a
Chairman and six members: member (income-tax), member (legislation &
computerisation), member (personnel & administration), member (investigation), member
(revenue &vigilance) and member (audit & judicial).
At present the Board has five vacancies.

About CBDT:

The Central Board of Direct Taxes is a statutory authority functioning under the Central
Board of Revenue Act, 1963. The officials of the Board in their ex-officio capacity also
function as a Division of the Ministry of Finance dealing with matters relating to levy and
collection of direct taxes.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is a part of the Department of Revenue in the
Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It provides essential inputs for policy and
planning of direct taxes in India and is also responsible for administration of the direct tax
laws through Income Tax Department. It is Indias official Financial Action Task Force
unit.
The Central Board of Revenue as the Department apex body charged with the
administration of taxes came into existence as a result of the Central Board of Revenue
Act, 1924. Initially the Board was in charge of both direct and indirect taxes. However,
when the administration of taxes became too unwieldy for one Board to handle, the Board
was split up into two, namely the Central Board of Direct Taxes and Central Board of Excise
and Customs in 1964.
The CBDT Chairman and Members of CBDT are selected from Indian Revenue Service
(IRS), a premier civil service of India, whose members constitute the top management of
Income Tax Department.

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Exclusive drug controller to test Ayurvedic drugs: Health minister

India will soon have an exclusive drug control department to facilitate testing of Ayurvedic
drugs, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.

The department will look after research and development, monitor quality control and
standardise the manufacturing of medicinal products of Ayurveda and other traditional
Indian treatment systems, the health minister announced at the inauguration of the Arogya
Expo organised alongside the 6th World Ayurveda Congress in New Delhi.

He said that under the newly-created AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani,
Siddha and Homeopathy) mission, the government would provide funding support to states
wanting to set up manufacturing facilities and would create manpower for the traditional
medicine industry.

The chief objective of the mission is to encourage integration of AYUSH with modern
medicine and create a holistic healthcare system that can be emulated globally and which
will achieve the universal goal of health for all, he said.

Harsh Vardhan said the government, which has allocated Rs. 5,000 crore to the AYUSH
Mission in 12th five-year plan, is keen to partner with states in creating state-of-the-art
research and development facilities, drug testing laboratories and herbal gardens that will
help meet growing industry and market demand for quality raw material and products.

People across the world are talking about integration and holistic development. Yoga will
be one of the greatest healers of the 21st century. That is the reason we have established
the AYUSH mission

Supreme Court sets aside order directing caste census

The Supreme Court has set aside two orders of the Madras High Court, directing the
Centre to conduct a caste-based census, holding that it should not have interfered in the
domain of policy.
Endorsing the instruction manual provision that referred to public participation in the census
as a true reflection of the national spirit of unity in diversity, the Supreme Court said the
High Court, while passing such a direction, had tried to inject the concept of social justice
on its own.
In its 23-page judgment, a Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra noted that the true objective
of the Census was building a source of all welfare schemes, and not a mere informationcollection exercise.
The High Court not only travelled beyond the list in the first round of litigation but also had
really yielded to some kind of emotional perspective, possibly paving the adventurous path
to innovate. It is legally impermissible, Justice Misra wrote.
The Supreme Court held that the government policy allowed enumeration of members of
the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes but no other castes. In Census 2011, no
question on enumeration of other castes had been included

Peace must for economy to grow: Arun Jaitley

Peace in the neighbourhood is a necessity for the economy to grow and to reassure
investors, said Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.
Mr. Jaitley told that there is a difference in the tensions between India and Pakistan and
India and China. Accusing Pakistan of repeated ceasefire violations, he said: The
environment for dialogue suffers if repeated ceasefire violations take place.
Yes, there should be dialogue between the two countries. But one side cannot upset the
environment and then ask why dialogue is not taking place.

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21 new ministers, Modi balances caste, merit

Considerations of merit, caste equations in States crucial to the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and representation of various regions seem to have weighed on Prime Minister
Narendra Modi while expanding the Union Council of Ministers, five months after it was
formed.

No Minister was dropped or promoted from Minister of State to Cabinet rank. Former Goa
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is the new Defence Minister while Suresh Prabhu, who
joined the BJP only, is the new Railway Minister. D.B. Sadananda Gowda has been shifted
to Law. J.P. Nadda is the new Health Minister.

Mr. Jaitley has been given additional charge of Information and Broadcasting, while
Prakash Javdekar has retained Environment.

President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office to 21 new Ministers, including
four Cabinet Ministers, three Ministers of State with independent charge and 14 Ministers
of State.

Making the council more representative geographically and socially, the exercise is
expected to stabilise the BJPs internal politics. The exercise however, alienated former
ally Shiv Sena further; the latter refused to accept the Minister of State position offered to
it.

The new inductions make large-scale changes in portfolios imperative, but no

announcement was made. While Mr. Parrikar is set to be the new Defence Minister, other
Ministers said they had no information regarding their responsibilities.

Modi Government to review ineffective MoUs with various countries

The Narendra Modi Government has decided to do away with ineffective Memorandum of
Understandings (MoUs) signed by India with various countries.

The MOUs which are more than five-years-old and have registered little progress will
specifically be reviewed to see whether there is any rationale to keep them alive, a note
circulated by the Cabinet Secretariat to various Ministries and departments said.

Satish Agnihotri, Secretary (Coordination) in the Cabinet Secretariat, has called for a
meeting to review the status of such MOUs. Notice for the meeting has been sent to nine
Ministries and departments.

These include Ministry of Defence, Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry, Department of

Defence Production, Defence Research and Development Department, Justice
Department, Electronics and Information Department, Department of Posts,
Telecommunication Department, and Legal Affairs Department.

These Ministries and departments have been asked to give details on all MoUs signed so
far and those in the pipeline.

MoU is an instrument to show willingness for future co-operation between two countries
and is singed when senior dignitaries visit each other. It is an indication of intentions before
final agreement is signed. It does not grant any right to the signatories.

There is also no legal binding on any of the party signing such a document. According to
the External Affairs Ministrys annual report for 2013-14 India signed a 56 bilateral
documents in 2013, most were MOUs.

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Gujarat becomes first to make voting compulsory in local body polls

Gujarat has become the first State to make voting compulsory in local bodies after
Governor O.P. Kohli recently gave his sanction by signing the controversial Gujarat Local
Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009.
The Governor sent his assent to the Parliamentary Affairs Department last week. Now it
is up to the government to publish [the rules] in the gazette.
The implementation will begin after the official notification, D.M. Patel, Secretary, Gujarat
Legislative Assembly, told.
Amid opposition from the Congress, the Bill was first passed in the Assembly in 2009 by
the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Jeevan Pramaan Digital Life Certificate for Pensioners

The Prime Minister, recently, launched Jeevan Pramaan an Aadhar-based Digital Life
Certificate for pensioners, in a move that could eventually benefit over a crore pensioners.
The proposed digital certification will do away with the requirement of a pensioner having
to submit a physical Life Certificate in November each year, in order to ensure continuity
of pension being credited into his account. The Department of Electronics and IT has
developed a software application which will enable the recording of the pensioner`s Aadhar
number and biometric details from his mobile device or computer, by plugging in a
biometric reading device. Key details of the pensioner, including date, time, and biometric
information will be uploaded to a central database on real-time basis, ultimately enabling
the Pension Disbursing Agency to access a Digital Life Certificate. This will conclusively
establish that the pensioner was alive at the time of authentication.
The earlier requirement entailed that a pensioner either personally presents himself before
the Pension Disbursing Agency, or submits a Life Certificate issued by authorities specified
by the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO).
At present, 50 lakh individuals draw pension from the Central Government alone. A similar
number draw pension from State and Union Territory Governments. Several PSUs also
provide pension benefits. Over 25 lakh retired personnel draw pension from the Armed
Forces. The Aadhar-Based Digital Life Certificate will go a long way in reducing hardship
which so many senior citizens have to go through to produce a Life Certificate every year.
The software application system will be made available to pensioners and other
stakeholders on a large scale at no extra cost. It can be operated on a personal computer
or a smartphone, along with an inexpensive biometric reading device. This facility will also
be made available at Common Service Centres being operated under the National eGovernance Plan, for the benefit of pensioners residing in remote and inaccessible areas.

3 member Committee to Investigate Quality of F.M.D. Vaccines

Taking cognizance of reports appearing in a section of Press about quality of vaccines for
animals to control Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Minister of State for Agriculture has ordered
to issue notice to three companies involved in manufacturing and supply of FMD vaccines and
ordered constitution of a three member Committee to investigate the issue.
About Foot-and-mouth disease:

Foot-and-mouth disease is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects
cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever
for two or three days, followed by blisters inside the mouth and on the feet that may rupture
and cause lameness.
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has severe implications for animal farming, since it is
highly infectious and can be spread by infected animals through aerosols, through contact

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with contaminated farming equipment, vehicles, clothing, or feed, and by domestic and wild
predators. Its containment demands considerable efforts in vaccination, strict monitoring,
trade restrictions, and quarantines, and occasionally the killing of animals.
Susceptible animals include cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, pigs, antelope, deer, and
bison. Humans are very rarely infected.
The virus responsible for the disease is a picornavirus, the prototypic member of the
genus Aphthovirus. Infection occurs when the virus particle is taken into a cell of the host.
The cell is then forced to manufacture thousands of copies of the virus, and eventually
bursts, releasing the new particles in the blood. The virus is genetically highly variable,
which limits the effectiveness of vaccination.

New draft policy on civil aviation

New draft policy on civil aviation proposes enhanced regional air connectivity,
rationalization of jet fuel costs along with broader institutional reforms like corporatization
of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and development of a road map for Air Indias future.
It aims to develop a transparent policy in which regulations for the Civil Aviation sector
would be more meaningful.
The Draft notes that airports are to be designed as integrated multi-modal hubs, so that
they provide the best possible service levels as well as potential for growth. An integrated
multi-modal hub should include rail, metro, bus and truck connectivity as well as
accommodation and other services.
The six metropolitan airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and
Hyderabad would be developed as major international hubs and would in future be the
main access points for international travel to and from India. In future a hub-and-spoke
model would be followed, which would also facilitate the development of regional networks
and air connectivity as a whole. The existing bilateral agreements with foreign bilateral
agreements will be designed in such a way as to facilitate the hub-and-spoke model.
The Draft puts emphasis on rationalizing the cost of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). Due to
high rates of taxes, the cost of ATF in India is 40 to 45% higher than the international costs.
Steps will be taken in association with the Ministry of Finance and State Governments to
rationalize the rate of taxes so that costs are competitive.
An Expert Committee will be constituted to develop a future roadmap for Air India. Airports
Authority of India will be corporatised, followed by listing in the Stock Exchanges, in order
to improve efficiency and transparency. Pawan Hans Ltd. will be listed in the Stock
Exchanges with the same objective. A mission mode project will be set up to ensure that
organizations under the Ministry are competitive in terms of efficiency and costs.
Governments objective will be to provide optimum air connectivity to all regions, subject
to commercial viability. A special package will be developed for the North-Eastern Region
to improve air connectivity and provide linkages to remote locations.
The functioning of Ministry of Civil Aviation and the offices under the Ministry will be
digitized to improve efficiency and transparency. The service and clearances to be given
by different agencies will be made online. Electronic procurement systems will be
strengthened to ensure transparency and accountability.

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Myanmar, India sign MoU for closer links

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Myanmarese President Thein Sein met at capital
Nay Pyi Taw, the big focus of discussions was improving connectivity between what they
called brother countries.
The two leaders spoke about the need for more direct air links, as well as an IndiaMyanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and the Kaladan multi-modal transport project. They
signed a MoU for a bus service between Imphal and Mandalay only this year.
Both sides see the trilateral highway as an opportunity for industrial cooperation and
sought to explore the possibility of setting up industrial parks along the highway.
The possibility of India investing in special economic zones in Myanmar was discussed,
said a press release.

National Education Day Celebrated

The country celebrates the National Education Day every year on 11th of November which
is the birth anniversary of Indias great freedom movement leader Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad, who was also Indias first education minister. It was 125th birth anniversary of
maulana azad.
Maulana Azad was a key architect of education in independent India. As Minister of
Education, he had a challenging task of conceiving an education system to develop a
national spirit, an element that was missing from the colonial system. He introduced a
system to inculcate a rational approach and spirit of enquiry in the education curriculum.
Maulana Azad is seen as an institution builder and University Grants Commission, Indian
Institutes of Technology and other bodies owe their origins to his tireless efforts. To create
socio-religious and cultural inter-linkages in India, he set up a number of institutions Lalit
Kala Academi, Sangeet Natak Academi and Sahitya Academi.
Maulana Azad had said Schools are the laboratories which produce the future citizens of
a State. The quality of the State therefore depends upon the quality of such laboratories.

To mark the celebration of National Education Day, the following new initiatives were started by
the Ministry of HRD

Saksham which is a college level scholarship for differently abled, needy and meritorious
children.
Pragati which is a scholarship for girl students who are pursuing technical education at
college level.
Skill Credit Framework document which provides a Skill Assessment Matrix for Vocational
Advancement of Youth (SAMAVAY). SAMAVAY allows multiple pathways between

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Vocational education skills, education and job markets. This will facilitate India to harness
the potential of young India.
Know your College Portal which is an application developed for helping a prospective
student make a valued judgment of the college he / she wishes to join by providing him /
her the necessary information about the college.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan to involve higher educational institutions to work with the people of
rural India in identifying development challenges and evolving appropriate solutions for
accelerating sustainable growth.

60 p.c. epileptic women face divorce, finds study

Epilepsy in India is highly stereotyped in terms of gender with 60 per cent married epileptic
women facing divorce and the rest having to suffer through adversely affected
relationships.
This was found in a nation-wide study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences released. The study showed that women with epilepsy suffer from under or no
employment, higher anxiety, difficulty in finding partners, and increased risk of divorce
compared with men with epilepsy.
The study also found that women with epilepsy in India become object of prejudice and are
discriminated against, thereby leading to poorer quality of life.

About Epilepsy:
Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders characterized by epileptic seizures. Epileptic
seizures are episodes that can vary from brief and nearly undetectable to long periods of
vigorous shaking. In epilepsy, seizures tend to recur, and have no immediate underlying cause
while seizures that occur due to a specific cause are not deemed to represent epilepsy.

PM Modi calls for global partnership against all terrorism

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for rejecting any linkages between religion and
terrorism and said that comprehensive response against terrorism requires a genuinely
international partnership against all terrorism.
The rise of jihadist group Islamic State, which indulges in brutal killings and has declared
a caliphate in areas overrun by it in Syria and Iraq, is a major cause of concern in the world.
Mr. Modi said that the challenges of terrorism and extremism have increased and nations
have to ensure that cyber and space remain a source of connectivity and prosperity, not
new theatres for conflict.

Voice vote valid only when nobody questions it

The Maharashtra Speakers decision to adopt the motion expressing confidence in the
newly formed government by a voice vote has created a precedent that can be more
controversial in situations in which the numbers are not as clear as in this case, even as
the validity of the action itself remains a point of debate.

Different methods of voting in the Lok Sabha:

The procedure regarding Voting and Divisions in the House is governed by article 100(1) of the
Constitution and various rules under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok
Sabha. The various methods adopted for voting in the Lok Sabha are:

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Voice Vote:
It is a simple method for deciding a question put by the Chairperson on a motion made by a
member. Under this method, the question before the House is determined by the `Ayes or the
`Noes, as the case may be.
Division:
There are three methods of holding a Division, i.e. (a) by operating the Automatic Vote
Recording Equipment; (b) by distributing `Ayes and `Noes slips in the House; and (c) by
members going into the Lobbies. The Speaker directs the members for Ayes to go to the right
Lobby and those for Noes to the left Lobby where their votes are recorded. However, the
method of recording of votes in the Lobbies has become obsolete ever since the installation of
the Automatic Vote Recording Machine.
Secret Ballot:
During an open voting period, the individual results are shown by the three characters A, N
and O on the Individual Result Display Panel. Secret voting, if any, is on similar lines except
that the Light Emitting Diode (LED) on the Individual Result Display Panel shows P sign in
amber light to show that the vote has been recorded.
Recording of votes by distribution of slips:
The method of recording of votes by members on `Aye and `No slips is generally resorted to
in the eventuality of (i) sudden failure of the working of the Automatic Vote Recording
Equipment; and (ii) at the commencement of the new Lok Sabha, before the seats/division
numbers have been allotted to members.
Physical count of Members in their places instead of a formal division:
If in the opinion of the Chair, a Division is unnecessarily claimed, he/she may ask the members
who are for `Aye and those for `No, respectively, to rise in their places and on a count being
taken, he/she may declare the determination of the House. In such a case, the particulars of
voting of the members are not recorded.
Casting Vote:
If in a Division the number of `Ayes and `Noes is equal, the question is decided by the casting
vote of the Chair. Under the Constitution, the Speaker or the person acting as such cannot
vote in a Division; he/she has only a casting vote which he/she must exercise in the case of
equality of votes.

Govt. yet to push for safer male sterilisation

While the faulty sterilisation surgeries costing the lives of 11 women in Chhattisgarh, has
grabbed national headlines, it turns out that there is a clear gender bias towards the
procedure. Males hardly ever opt for it.
Data shows that, between 2008 and March 2012, the Centre under its Family Planning
Insurance Scheme had to pay compensation for several botched sterilisation cases, of
which 675 resulted in deaths, 438 complications and 18,887 failures.
Statistics show that despite female sterilisation being invasive, more time-consuming and
risky, the government has failed to encourage male sterilisation, which is less invasive and
safer and needs little post-operative care. Citing data, activists and health-care

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professionals are demanding that the Centre focus on male sterilisation and expand the
bouquet of temporary contraception.
Family planning programmes in India have never been assessed. There is a lack of
counselling and poor management of side effects for women who undergo permanent and
temporary contraception.
In 2012, the government conducted sterilisation of 2,01,715 women against 1,50,540 in
2011, a jump of 33.99 per cent. The number of men who were sterilised during the period
grew by just 3.03 per cent.
In Karnataka, more than 99 per cent of those who underwent sterilisation during 2013-2014
were women, while men accounted for a miniscule 0.44 per cent. This is not only in keeping
with the national trend, but it has been prevailing over the years.
The fact that men get nearly double the incentive for undergoing the surgery has not
worked as an incentive for them. Women get Rs.600 (BPL category) and Rs.250 (for APL
category) for sterilisation, while men get Rs.1,100 in any category.
As per World Population Prospects The 2012 Revision, the population of India will cross
the population of China by 2028. The projected population for India in 2028 will be 1.454
billion, while that of China will be 1.452 billion. Hence there is an urgent need to control the
population growth.

Population stabilization and Family planning in India:

Population stabilization is one of the key objectives of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)
launched in April, 2005. It aims at giving a major thrust to population stabilization. The Family
Welfare Programme in India is voluntary in nature, which enables a couple to adopt the family
planning methods, best suited to them according to their choice, without any compulsion or
targets.
For achieving population stabilisation as envisaged by National Population Policy (NPP),
comprehensive strategies aimed at convergence of service delivery at the village level for basic
health care, family planning and maternal and child health related services; and empowerment
of women for accessing health and nutrition services and promotion of male participation in
Family Planning are being implemented as components of the State Programme
Implementation Plan under National Rural Health Mission.

Reforms must be people-centric: Modi

Asserting that reform must be people-centric and people-driven, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi told leaders of the G20 at a Retreat that globally reforms are handicapped with
perception of being government programmes and a burden on the people and this needs
to change.
Mr Modi felt that reforms should lead to simplification of processes and that governance
method must be reformed.
Noting that reform is a continuous multi-stage process and that it must be institutionalised,
the Prime Minister said it must be technology driven and must have scale and address root
causes.

India will take ideas from Barcelona for smart city model

As foreign countries line up to offer their expertise in smart cities, India will next be looking
at Barcelona to borrow best practices for its own model.
Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has been invited by the Mayor of
Barcelona to attend the Smart City World Conference to be held between November 18
and 20.

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Contrary to the perception that we are behind time in shaping the contours of the smart
cities plan, we have a fair idea of what the smart cities are going to look like, Mr. Naidu
told.
He said a broad framework is ready, and a meeting of all the stakeholders will be organised
in the capital soon. Land and urban development being a State subject, the Centre will
seek feedback from each State that has announced its intent to have smart cities.
We will not thrust any ideas on the States, their opinion will be taken, they will be asked
to furnish their requirements about how many smart cities they want and with what
features, he said.
The Minister has already held discussions with officials from Singapore and Seoul on the
smart cities project.
Singapore has shown interest in partnering with India for the development of a new smart
satellite city and a new capital for Andhra Pradesh. Netherlands and Canada too have
offered their expertise and are willing to partner with India.

Germany hopeful of solution over language row soon

Even as a row continued to simmer over the Human Resource Development Ministrys
decision to take off German from the third language slot of the Kendriya Vidyalaya
curriculum, Germany hoped a solution would be found soon.
German Ambassador Michael Steiner said a solution would be found to allow the language
to be taught in these schools.
He expressed confidence that after raising the issue with the Union government, both sides
would be able to work out a way that would take care of childrens desire to learn foreign
languages.
Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani said an investigation had been ordered since the
existing arrangement violated the three-language formula.
After an MoU between the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and the German government in
2011, German was added to the third language list.

SC approves new wildlife board

The Supreme Court has approved the Centres reconstituted National Board for Wildlife.

National Board for Wildlife:

It is a statutory organization constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It was
constituted under the provisions of amended Wildlife (Protection) Act replacing the Indian Board
for Wildlife.
Purpose:
To review all wildlife related matters and approve the projects in and around the National Parks
and Wildlife sanctuaries.

Its recommendations are Advisory in nature.

It is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.
Minister of Environment and Forests is its Vice chairman.

Members:
It has 47 members including the Chairman. Amongst these, 19 members are ex-officio
members. The members other than ex-officio members include

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3 Members of Parliament (2 from Lok Sabha and 1 from Rajya Sabha)

5 NGOs and
10 eminent ecologists, conservationists and Environmentalists.

The term of office of members other than those who are members ex-officio expires after three
years from the date of the constitution/re-constitution.
Functions:

The Board is responsible for promotion of conservation and development of wildlife and
forests.
It helps the Central and State governments in framing policies and advices on conservation
and promotion of wildlife.
It carries out impact assessment of projects in areas inhabited by Wildlife.
It recommends the state governments on alteration of boundaries of a sanctuary or National
Park.
No alteration of boundaries of a tiger reserve can be made except on recommendation of
the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Board for Wildlife.

Worlds largest ring road will be developed in capital of AP

The worlds largest ring road of 180 km will be developed in iconic capital of Andhra
Pradesh at a cost of $ 5,000 million.
This claim was made by the Andhra Pradesh government in the 51-page brochure brought
out in connection with the visit of the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to Japan.
It was mentioned that the investment opportunities in the new capital would be $ 20,00030,000 million in the next decade.
Massive potential for PPP investments and world class urban infrastructure were also
mentioned.
The project brief stated that the Greenfield Capital City area as over 12,000 hectares and
the metropolitan region of 7,000 sq.km with population of 2.1 million.

PMs Make in India road show heads to Sydney

After a high-profile G20 summit for India, at which member countries backed New Delhis
campaign to retrieve black money, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will canvass support for
his Make in India initiative among Australias large Indian community in Sydney.
Mr. Modi is expected to roll out his invitation to expatriates to invest in India, as he did in
the U.S., at the Allphones Arena in Sydneys Olympic Park.
He will attend a special reception for nearly 200 prominent businessmen and professionals
of Indian origin.
The enthusiasm is particularly remarkable given that the population of the community is
300,000, about one-tenth of the Indian-American population, said BJP leader Ram
Madhav, who is in Sydney to oversee the arrangements. Mr. Madhav had also helped
organise a similar event in New York recently.

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP)

The re-launched Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP):

Will be available to the investors in the denomination of Rs. 1000, 5000, 10,000 and 50,000,
with no upper ceiling on investment.
The certificates can be issued in single or joint names and can be transferred from one
person to any other person / persons, multiple times.

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The certificate can also be pledged as security to avail loans from the banks and in other
case where security is required to be deposited.
Initially the certificates will be sold through post offices, but the same will soon be made
available to the investing public through designated branches of nationalized banks.

KVP:
Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) a certificate savings scheme was launched by the Government on
1st April, 1988. The scheme provided facility of unlimited investment by way of purchase of
certificates from post offices in various denominations. The maturity period of the scheme when
launched was 5 years and the money invested doubled on maturity. The scheme was very
popular among the investors and the percentage share of gross collections secured in KVP was
in the range of 9 % to 29 % against the total collections received under all National Savings
Schemes in the country.

It is a very popular instrument among small savers.

The KVP will encourage people having banked and unbanked savings to Invest.
Kisan Vikas Patras have unique liquidity feature, where an investor can, if he so
desires, encash his certificates after the lock-in period of 2 years and 6 months and
thereafter in any block of six months on pre-determined maturity value. The investment
made in the certificate will double in 100 months.

Why is it important?

It provides safe and secure investment avenues to small investors.

It will help in augmenting the savings rate in the country.
It will safeguard small investors from fraudulent schemes.
With a maturity period of 8 years 4 months, the collections under the scheme will be
available with the Govt. for a fairly long period to be utilized in financing developmental
plans of the Centre and State Governments and will also help in enhancing domestic
household financial savings in the country.

Qaumi Ekta Week

The Qaumi Ekta Week (National Integration week) will be observed all over the country, from
the 19th to 25th November, 2014.
Why:

To foster and reinforce the spirit of Communal Harmony, National Integration and pride
in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood.
It provides an opportunity to reaffirm age old traditions and faith in the values of
tolerance, co-existence and brotherhood in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society.
It helps to highlight the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand actual
and potential threats to the eclectic and secular fabric of our country, and nurture a
spirit of communal harmony in its widest sense.

The week long programmes to be observed during Qaumi Ekta Week will be as under:

November 19, 2004 will be observed as National Integration Day

November 20, 2014 will be observed as Welfare of Minorities Day
November 21, 2014 will be observed as Linguistic Harmony Day
November 22, 2014 will be observed as Weaker Sections Day
November 23, 2014 will be observed as Cultural Unity Day
November 24, 2014 will be observed as Womens Day
November 25, 2014 will be observed as Conservation Day

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India brimming with youth

New data released by the United Nations Population Funds (UNFPA) State of the Worlds
Population Report shows that India has the worlds largest population of 10-24 year-olds, but
this demographic dividend is nearing its end.
Other important observations made by the report:

With 356 million 10-24 year-olds, India has the worlds largest youth population despite
having a smaller population than China.
China follows India with 269 million young people, followed by Indonesia (67 million), the
United States (65 million) and Pakistan (59 million).
While Africa is younger, northern Europe is substantially older the United Kingdoms
youth population is 10 percentage point lower than that of Indias.
India is aging faster than the global average and by 2050, the world will have a larger
proportion of youth population than India.

The emergence of a large youth population of unprecedented size can have a profound effect
on any country. Whether that effect is positive or negative depends largely on how well
governments respond to young peoples needs and enable them to engage fully and
meaningfully in civic and economic affairs.

MOU between MSMEs and ILO

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and the International Labour
Organization signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the Governments Make in
India programme.
About the MOU

The MOU is initially for a 5-year period and will support the Governments Make in India
programme.
The MoU will form the basis for a technical partnership with the primary objective of
creating more and better quality employment in India.
Its activities will be focused around three priority areas; entrepreneurship development,
good workplace practices for improving productivity and enhancing integration into global
supply chains, and research and knowledge-building related to sustainable enterprises and
formalization strategies.

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CSO Women and Men in India 2014 Report

A government report released by the Central Statistical Organisation shows that women
are still way behind men when it comes to decision making and participation in economic
activities.
CSOs publication entitled Women and Men in India 2014 indicated that women occupied
just 7 of out 45 ministerial berths in the current CoM (Council of Ministers). Though this an
improvement of 5% from 10% in 2004 to 15% in current times, much more needs to be
accomplished in terms of political representation for women.
In the general elections this year, only 62 women were elected and this makes the share
of female leaders in the 16th Lok Sabha a mere 11%.

Political Participation

While female participation in the elections rose from 56% in the 15th LS to 66% in the
current LS, male participation rose to 67% during the same period of time.
Of the 62 lady parliamentarians, 20 were in the age group 41 to 50.
As regards educational qualifications and professional credentials, 34% of the lady MPs
are social and political workers while 44% were postgraduates. As against this, 31% (the
maximum) of male members were agriculturalists while 42% were graduates and 29%
were postgraduates.
In the state governments Women have an 8% share in legislative assemblies and 4% share
in legislative councils as on August 2014.
As far as Panchayati Raj Institutions are concerned, about 46.7% of the women are present
with maximum number (58.6%) in Jharkhand and minimum of 32.3% in Goa in March 2013.

Representation in the Judiciary

In the higher judiciary, there were only 2 lady judges in a group of 30 in the apex court.
In the different high courts, there were only 58 female judges out of a total of 609 and
maximum number (25%) was in the Delhi HC.
There were no women judge in 6 HCs as on April 2014.
In the Allahabad HC, 5 judged out of 88 were women as against 2 out of 32 in Andhra
Pradesh and 1 out of 29 in Kerala HC.

Administrative Services

14% women officers were in the Indian Administrative Services as against 19% in the
Indian Foreign Services and 12% in the Indian Trade Service in 2012.
Data for IPS was not available and representation of women in the Indian Economic
Service (30%) and the Indian Forest Service (28%) was slightly higher.

Economic Participation
According to Census 2011, workforce participation rate for women was 25.51% as against
53.26% for men.

Better female workforce participation was observed in rural areas at 30.02% as against
15.44% in urban areas.
The report also quoted NSSO survey data which stated that worker population ratio for
women in rural areas was 24.8% and it was 54.3% for the men in 2011-2012.
In urban areas, the ratio was 14.7% for women and 54.6% for the men.
Unemployment rate for women in rural areas was 2.9% as against 2.1% for men.

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The urban Indian female is more susceptible to unemployment according to the report,
which indicated that 6.6% of ladies in urban areas were unemployed in 2011-2012 as
against 3.2% of the men.
Female participation was also reported to be lower than make in labour force as ladies
mostly engaged in unpaid work and women employed in paid work were mainly in the
informal sector.
Women also received lower wages than their male counterparts.

Health Indicators

Crude birth rate has reduced to 21.6% in 2012 while General Fertility rate was found to be
80.3% in the same year.
Total fertility rate has also gone down to 2.2 in 2012.
Female infant mortality rate at 42 was higher than male IMR which was 39 and the overall
IMR which was 40 in 2013.
IMR has reduced considerably to 40 in 2013 indicating better health facilities for infants.
The maternal mortality ratio fell to 178 in 2010-2012. It was highest in Assam and lowest in
Tamil Nadu.

Conclusion
The report clearly indicates that women empowerment has a long way to go in India. The
government has to make good on its promises and ensure that womens right to economic
participation and livelihood is respected. More representation of women in political, judicial and
administrative circles is needed. Rural women as well as their urban counterparts need
representation and participation in the formal workforce.

Organisers offer to modify Kambala but activists want total ban

The Tulunadu pastime of Kambala (slush track buffalo racing) may soon be confined to the
pages of history as activists are demanding total ban on it.
In case of violation, legal action would be taken against officers and organisers as per the
provisions of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
Kambala:
Kambala is an annual Buffalo Race held traditionally under the auspices local land lords and
households or Patel of village, in coastal Karnataka, India. The Kambala season generally
starts in November and lasts until March.
Since the last two decades nearly 18 kambalas are held
Salient features:

The contest generally takes place between two pairs of buffaloes, each pair raced in
wet rice fields, controlled by a whip-lashing farmer.
The track used for Kambala is a paddy field filled with slush and mud.
In traditional form of Kambala, racing is non-competitive, and buffalo pairs run one by
one in paddy fields.
A ritualistic approach is also there, as some agriculturists race their buffaloes for thanks
giving (to god) for protecting their animals from diseases.
The buffaloes developed for the race are carefully fed and some owners of the
buffaloes have even built separate swimming pool for competing buffaloes.

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Why is it being opposed?
Kambala has been criticised by animal lovers as they perpetuate cruelty due to the use of whips
on the racing buffaloes. Kambala organisers, on their part, contend that if whips are not used
on the buffaloes, they may not run with speed in the race.

Indias Alternate Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian Development

Bank
Rajiv Mehrishi, Finance Secretary and Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA),
Ministry of Finance, Government of India has been appointed as Indias Alternate Governor on
the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank.
ADB:
It is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 and is headquartered in
Philippines.
Aim:
To facilitate economic development of countries in Asia. It also aims for an Asia and Pacific free
from poverty.
Membership:

The bank admits the members of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP, formerly known as the United Nations Economic
Commission for Asia and the Far East) and non-regional developed countries.
Currently, it has 67 members of which 48 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19
outside.

ADB was modeled closely on the World Bank, and has a similar weighted voting system where
votes are distributed in proportion with members capital subscriptions.
Funding:

ADB raises funds through bond issues on the worlds capital markets.
ADB also rely on its members contributions, retained earnings from its lending
operations, and the repayment of loans.
Japan holds the largest proportions of shares at 15.67%. The United States holds
15.56%, China holds 6.47%, India holds 6.36%, and Australia holds 5.81%.

Board of Governors:

It is the highest policy-making body of the bank.

It is composed of one representative from each member state.
The Board of Governors also elect the banks President who is the chairperson of the
Board of Directors and manages ADB.

The Alternate Board of Governors are nominated by Board of Governors of ADBs 67 to

represent them at the Annual Meeting that meets formally once year to be held in a member
country.

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Loans:

It offers both Hard Loans and Soft loans.

The ADB offers hard loans from ordinary capital resources (OCR) on commercial
terms, and the Asian Development Fund (ADF) affiliated with the ADB extends soft
loans from special fund resources with concessional conditions.

ADB focuses on five core areas of operations: infrastructure; the environment, including
climate change; regional cooperation and integration; finance sector development; and
education.
ADB against Corruption:

Its Anticorruption Policy requires all staff and parties carrying out activities financed by
ADB (e.g., bidders, consulting firms, consultants, contractors, and suppliers) to adhere
to the highest financial and ethical standards.
The Office of Anticorruption and Integrity (OAI) conducts investigations and audits
related to project procurement, and raises awareness on anticorruption issues.

The Asian Development Fund (ADF) bridges the development gap in Asia and the Pacific,
home to both the worlds fast-rising and most vulnerable economies. ADF is a major instrument
of concessional financing that has supported equitable and sustainable development in the
region since 1973. Funded by ADBs member countries, it offers loans at very low interest rates
as well as grants to help reduce poverty in ADBs poorest member countries.

TSR Subramanian Committee Submits Report

The TSR Subramanian Committee headed by Shri TSR Subramanian has submitted its report
to the Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
Why was it constituted?

It was constituted to review the processes, laws and Acts of the Ministry.

Annual Tribal Art and Crafts Mela

The annual National Tribal Crafts Mela popularly known as Aadishilp will begin here tomorrow.
Organized by:
Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED).
Objective:
To give tribal artisans an opportunity to showcase and sell their traditional Art and Craft works
directly to the customers and get their feedback which would help them in having valuable
inputs.
What it does:
Aadishilp provides them a platform for direct interface with art and craft lovers, share their talent
with the urban elite and know the customers taste and preferences for adapting their product
designs and creations accordingly.

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TRIFED:

It is the only apex body of Govt. of India which is engaged in the development and
marketing of traditional tribal products including Metal craft, Paintings, Textiles,
Jewellery, Natural/ Organic/ Herbal products etc.
It works under Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Its objective is to improve the livelihood of the tribal communities by creating a
sustainable market and create business opportunities for them based on their cultural
knowledge and traditional skills whilst ensuring fair and equitable remuneration for their
products by organizing Tribal Crafts Mela.
TRIFED also focuses on trainings for skill up gradation and capacity building of tribal
artisans and Minor Forest Produce gatherers.

Delhi Declaration
The Delhi Declaration was passed at the end of the two-day international Inter-ministerial
Conference on Population and Development which saw participation of Health Ministers and
senior officers from 26 member countries of PPD.
Organized by:
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the Partners in Population and Development
(PPD).
The Delhi Declaration acknowledges the following:
1. The strategic value of Partners in Population and Development, which currently
includes 26 member countries currently representing nearly 60% of the worlds
population, to the attainment of national, regional and global goals on health,
population and sustainable development through South-South Cooperation.
2. It emphasizes the importance of demographic dividend as a critical window of
opportunity for improving equitable population, health and socioeconomic outcomes,
with a focus on investments and appropriate alignment of national legislation, policies
and resource allocation for adolescents and youth, as well as older people.
3. With the Delhi Declaration, the member countries have agreed to create an enabling
environment, through laws, policies and entitlements, for children, adolescents, youth,
women and men across the life course to realize their rights. They have also agreed
to accord highest priority to institutionalize investments in the demographic dividend by
integrating population issues into national development plans across sectors, including
health; nutrition; education and skills development; employment for inclusive economic
participation and resilience.
4. The 26 member countries have committed to develop comprehensive, multi-sectoral
plans to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls and ending gender
inequality and discrimination in laws (formal and customary) and in policies. Recognize
the importance of sexual and reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health
services, as well as the importance of engaging men and boys, as entry points to
address violence against women and girls.

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Apprentices (Amendment) Bill

The parliament has passed a Bill seeking to amend the Apprentices Act.
Aims of the Bill:

To make apprenticeship responsive to youth and industry, increase skilled labour,

ease rules for employers to recruit apprentices and allow them to undertake
demand-driven courses.
And to facilitate imparting of skills to youth.

Proposed amendment in Apprenticeship Act 1961:

The Bill amends the definition of appropriate government to include an

establishment operating in four or more states to be regulated by the central
government.
The Act sets the minimum age for being engaged as an apprentice at 14 years.
The Bill adds that the minimum age for apprenticeship in designated trades related
to hazardous industries shall be 18 years.
Drop clause which imprisons employers not implementing the Act; will now invite
penalty in terms of fine
Companies can add new trades under the Act without Centres nod
Contractual workers, daily workers, agency workers, casual workers, etc to come
under the Act
Holidays, leaves, shift working to be same for apprentices as regular workers
Providing apprenticeship training to non-engineering graduate and diploma holders
Allow employers to formulate their own policy for recruiting apprentices
The Bill states that the central government shall prescribe the number of
apprentices to be engaged by an employer for designated trade and optional trade.

This step is seen as a positive one since it will help the country meet the growing requirement
of skilled people whose number could rise to 2.4 million from the current level of 4,29,000.
The opposition have termed the legislation inadequate and demanded it be referred to a
Parliamentary standing committee. The amendment Bill has also drawn opposition from the
central trade unions.

Govt to amend Lokpal selection process

The union government is all set to amend the Lokpal Act and Delhi Special Police
Establishment Act.
Why:
To do away with the requirement of quorum in the high-profile committees to select the anticorruption ombudsman and the CBI Director, respectively.
How it helps:
The inclusion of a clause in the statutory provisions dealing with the selection panels would
provide a legal safeguard against any challenges on the validity of an appointment.

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What else:
Necessary amendments would also be made in the statutes to include the leader of the single
largest group in the Opposition as a member of the selection committee in the absence of a
recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. This would bring these statutes in line
with the Central Vigilance Act, 2003 and Right to Information Act, 2005.
Current situation:
Currently, CBI director is selected by a selection committee and the committee is empowered
by the DPSE act. The committee consists of:

Prime Minister chairperson

Leader of Opposition member
Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court Judge recommended by the Chief Justice
member

When making recommendations, the committee considers the views of the outgoing director.
The selection committee, under the Lokpal Act, includes the Prime Minister, the leader of the
opposition in Lok Sabha, speaker, Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated
by him and an eminent jurist to be nominated by the President or any other member.

Sleeper cell busted

The Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra police, in a joint operation, recently busted
a sleeper cell and picked up three terror suspects.
What is Sleeper Cell?

A group of people (sleepers) who inconspicuously remain dormant in a community until

activated, by a prearranged signal, to perform acts of espionage, sabotage, and/or
terrorism.
This consists of secret agents who receive specialized training in their home countries
and are then assigned to assimilate into another countrys culture and society. These
agents may spend years performing their regular duties while living deep undercover,
then suddenly receive orders from their overseas handlers to either commit an act of
terrorism or provide aid to those who will.

More interesting Details:

Individual members of a sleeper cell may not even be aware of each other, since
plausible deniability during police interrogations can be vital.
When the commanders of the terrorist organization want to activate a cell, each
agent may only receive the name of one contact person or receive only his or her
specific orders.
It can be extremely difficult for government agencies to track and dismantle sleeper
cells because of their nebulous construction. If the individual members are welltrained and dedicated to their cause, they can easily blend into society without
raising any suspicions.
A cell doesnt necessarily need to hold regular meetings or undergo additional
training to carry out their missions. Members simply go about their daily routines
until a handler contacts them for an assignment. Some agents may not even be
fully aware of their obligations, believing that a benevolent government agency
simply paid for their education and immigration expenses.

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SC notice to Centre, States on advocates clerks plea

The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre and all the States on a petition by the
Supreme Court Bar Clerks Association seeking enactment of a law to provide social security
benefits to them.
What are the problems faced by the Clerks?

The advocates clerks have been suffering untold miseries because of lack of social
security measures.
Even after working for four to five decades, they do not get any benefits except some
charity.
Few of the Association members had crossed the age of 65 years, but were working to
meet their livelihood as they were not entitled to any pension.
Premature death of some clerks had exposed their families to poverty and no provision of
medical aid for sick clerks.
Lack of pension is a serious concern in old age exposing them to the mercy of grown-up
children.

Hence, there is an urgent need for implementation of social security measures by enacting a
legislation to meet the demands of advocates clerks.
Article 21 and the issue:
The SC said the Centre and the States were jointly and severally liable to implement the right
to social security guaranteed to the advocates clerks under Article 21 of the Constitution by
enacting legislation.

IMAC will help Navy step up coastal surveillance

The Defence Minister, recently, inaugurated the Indian Navy and Coast Guards joint
operations facility, called the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), at
Gurgaon.
Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC):
IMAC is the nodal centre of the National Command Control Communications and Intelligence
Network (NC3I Network), and is a joint initiative of Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Bharat
Electronics Ltd to improve coastal surveillance.
Why is it set up?
It is set up to provide coastal security and to avert tragic incidents like the 26/11 terror attack
on Mumbai.
How is it Helpful?

The National Command Control Communication and Intelligence System (NC3I) network
links 51 Naval and Coast Guard stations, located along the coast and on island territories.
The network provides these stations coastal surveillance information obtained from various
sensors such as the coastal radar chain of the Indian Coast Guard and automatic tracking
systems as well as electro-optical cameras. The network rides on dedicated terrestrial data
circuits, as well as, satellite communication, which helps the stations in remote locations
to be networked.

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The IMAC is the centre where data from various sensors and databases is aggregated,
correlated and then disseminated to various stations for enhanced awareness. The
software on which the coastal surveillance will be carried out incorporates hi-tech features
like data fusion, correlation and decision support features thus facilitating better decision
making.
The National Command Control Communication and Intelligence System (NC3I) will
eventually become the backbone of National Maritime Domain Awareness (NDMA).
The NC3I will link 20 naval and 31 Coast Guard monitoring stations to generate a seamless
real-time picture of the nearly 7,500-km long coastline. The system currently comprises 46
radars and 30 additional radars are planned to fill all the gaps in coastline security.
The hubs are linked by high speed optical fibre networks and satellite links serve as a backup in case of emergency. Apart from coastal radars and optical sensors, it also draws
information from automatic identification systems fitted on merchant ships and has a
comprehensive shipping database of world registers of shipping for analysis of traffic.

It will be manned by the Navy and function under the National Security Adviser (NSA).

Swachhta Udyami Yojana

National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), an Apex
Corporation of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has launched Swachhta
Udyami Yojana.
Objectives:

To provide concessional loan for viable community toilet projects and sanitation related
vehicles to collect the garbage,
to consolidate the ongoing efforts for realising the objectives of the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister on 2nd October, 2014.

Details:

Under the Scheme, entrepreneurs among safai karmacharis and identified manual
scavengers can avail loan upto defined ceiling at concessional rate of interest @ 4%
per annum.
In case of women beneficiaries, there is a rebate of 1% in the rate of interest charged.
No State/ Union Territory wise budget allocations are made under the Scheme as funds
are to be provided to the channelizing agencies on the basis of the proposals received
from them.

National Council for Senior Citizens

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has constituted the National Council of Senior
Citizens (NCSrC) by renaming of the National Council for Older Persons (NPOP).
Mandate:
To advise the Central and State Governments on the entire gamut of issues related to the
welfare of senior citizens and enhancement of their quality of life, with special reference to the
following:

Policies, programmes and legislative measures;

Promotion of physical and financial security, health and independent and productive
living; and
Awareness generation and community mobilization.

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The Council is mandated to meet at least twice a year.

Steps Taken by Govt. to Accelerate Pace of Reduction for MMR to Achieve MDG
Goals
Millennium Development Goal 5: Under the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, the target
is to reduce Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by three quarters between 1990 & 2015.
Present status:
As per the latest report of the Registrar General of India, Sample Registration System (RGISRS), Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has shown a decline from 212 per 100,000 live
births in the period 2007-09 to 178 per 100,000 live births in the period 2010-12.
In future:
If the MMR declines at the same pace, India will achieve an MMR of 141 per 100,000 live births
which is almost equal to the estimated target of 140 per 100,000 live births under MDG -5 for
the MDG.
The key steps taken to accelerate the pace of reduction for Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)
under the National Health Mission (NHM) for achieving MDG goals are:

Promotion of institutional deliveries through Janani Suraksha Yojana.

Capacity building of health care providers in basic and comprehensive obstetric care.
Operationalization of sub-centres, Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and
District Hospitals for providing 247 basic and comprehensive obstetric care services.
Name Based Web enabled Tracking of Pregnant Women to ensure antenatal, intranatal
and postnatal care.
Mother and Child Protection Card in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child
Development to monitor service delivery for mothers and children.
Antenatal, Intranatal and Postnatal care including Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to
pregnant & lactating women for prevention and treatment of anemia.
Engagement of more than 8.9 lakhs Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to
generate demand and facilitate accessing of health care services by the community.
Health and nutrition education to promote dietary diversification, inclusion of iron and folate
rich food as well as food items that promote iron absorption.
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) has been launched on 1st June, 2011, which
entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to absolutely free and no
expense delivery including Caesarean section. The initiative stipulates free drugs,
diagnostics, blood and diet, besides free transport from home to institution, between
facilities in case of a referral and drop back home. Similar entitlements have been put in
place for all sick infants accessing public health institutions for treatment.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the worlds time-bound and quantified targets for
addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of
adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental
sustainability. They are also basic human rights-the rights of each person on the planet to health,
education, shelter, and security.
It is a global partnership, adopted at the millennium summit in 2000 by the UN members, to reduce
poverty and achieve other time bound targets, with a deadline of 2015.

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AADHAAR
Present situation:
Total number of AADHAAR cards generated so far: 70.43 crore
AADHAAR saturation level:

more than 90% in nine States / UTs;

between 75 and 90% in seven States /UTs and
between 50 and 75% in another eight States / UTs.
In remaining twelve States /UTs, the Aadhaar saturation level is under 50%. .

About AADHAAR:
Aadhaar is a 12 digit identification number which will serve as a proof of identity and address,
anywhere in India.
How the scheme is helpful:

Aadhaar-platform is aimed at providing social security benefits / subsidies based on

eligibility through direct benefit transfer. It provides access and options to rural and poor
people. It helps bring transparency and eliminate corruption, leakage and inefficiency.
It was conceived as an initiative that would provide identification for each resident across
the country and would be used primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare
services.
It would also act as a tool for effective monitoring of various programs and schemes of the
Government.

UIDIA:

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is an agency of the Government of

India responsible for implementing the Aadhaar Identities. The agency was established in
January-2009, and owns and operates the Unique Identities database. The Unique
Identification Authority of India had been established under the Planning Commission. The
Unique Identification Authority of India has been established under the Planning
Commission by an executive order.
The agency provides a unique identification number to all persons resident in India on
voluntary basis. The agency maintains a database of residents containing biometric and
other data, and is headed by a chairman, who holds a cabinet rank.
UIDAI is the Registrar of Identities i.e. it registers, assigns and verifies the unique identities.
It is supposed to register two types of unique identities:
1. Residents of India (called Aadhaar)
2. Corporate entities (Corporate-UID) for company, bank, NGO, trust, political party etc.:
Corporate-UID has been provisioned within 12-digit UID number system. CorporateUID is supposed to produce the similar effect as Aadhaar for corporate entities i.e.
identification and traceability of transactions. It is supposed to bring transparency on
financial transactions, donations; and to prevent corruption, money laundering

Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana

The Scheme Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY) has been included as a Central Sector
Scheme in the Annual Plan of Ministry of Tribal Affairs with an initial allocation of Rs. 100.00
Crore for 2014-15.

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Aim:
The VKY is broadly a process, aiming at overall development of tribal people with an outcomebase approach, which would ensure that all the intended benefits goods and services to the
tribal people through various programmes/schemes of Central and State Governments
covered under the respective Tribal Sub-Plans actually reach them by way of appropriate
convergence.
Through VKY, it is envisaged to develop the backward blocks in the Schedule V States as
model Blocks with visible infrastructural facilities to further the mission development while
ensuring the following:

Qualitative and sustainable employment.

Emphasis on quality education & higher education.
Accelerated economic development of tribal areas.
Health for all.
Housing for all.
Safe drinking water for all at doorsteps.
Irrigation facilities suited to the terrain.
All weather roads with connectivity to the nearby town/cities.
Universal availability of electricity.
Urban development.
Robust institutional mechanism to roll the vehicle of development with sustainability.
Promotion and conservation of Tribal Cultural Heritage.
Promotion of Sports in Tribal Areas.

Expenditure Management Commission

The Government has constituted an Expenditure Management Commission (EMC) through
Resolution in September, 2014. The EMC has started its functioning.
Why was it constituted?
It was constituted to look into various aspects of expenditure reforms to be undertaken by the
Government such as review of the institutional arrangements including budgeting process and
Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) rules, suggest ways to improve
allocative efficiencies in the existing expenditure classification system, and other issues
concerning Public Expenditure Management.

Varishta Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY)

The Government has revived the Varishta Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY) scheme for the benefit
of senior citizens aged 60 years and above. The scheme is being administered through Life
Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
What are the benefits?
Under the scheme, all those who will subscribe to the VPBY, will receive a pension linked to
an assured guaranteed return of 9% on the lump sum contribution under the Yojana.
The Salient features of the scheme are as under:

The scheme provides pension in the form of immediate annuity during the lifetime of the
pensioner with return of purchase price to the family/nominee on his/her death.
The mode of payment of pension can be monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly.

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The pension payment shall be through ECS or NEFT.

The minimum pension that can be subscribed to will be Rs. 500/- per month, Rs. 1500/per quarter, Rs. 3000/- per half-year or Rs. 6000/- per year.
The maximum pension that can be subscribed to will be Rs. 5,000/- per month, Rs. 15,000/per quarter, Rs. 30,000/- per half-year or Rs. 60,000/- per year.
A lump sum purchase price for the desired pension shall be paid by the subscriber under
the scheme.

Tourist Visa on Arrival Enabled with Electronic Travel Authorization Scheme

Union Home Minister launched the Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVOA) enabled with Electronic
Travel Authorization (ETA) Scheme recently.
Aim:
To ease visa processing and help increase tourist inflow.
What it does?
Scheme will facilitate nationals of 43 countries to travel to India for tourism for a short stay of
30 days.
Which countries?
The countries are
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

Australia,
Brazil,
Cambodia,
Cook Islands,
Djibouti,
Federated States of Micronesia,
Fiji,
Finland,
Germany,
Indonesia,
Israel,
Japan,
Jordan,
Kenya,
Kingdom of Tongo,
Laos,
Luxembourg,
Mauritius,
Mexico,
Myanmar,
New Zealand,
Niue,
Norway,
Oman,
Palestine,
Papua & New Guinea,
Philippines,
Republic of Kiribati,
Republic of Korea (i.e. South Korea),
Republic of Marshall Islands,

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31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.

Republic of Nauru,
Republic of Palau,
Russia,
Samoa,
Singapore,
Solomon Islands,
Thailand,
Tuvalu,
UAE,
Ukraine,
USA,
Vietnam and
Vanuatu.

How the scheme is helpful:

The TVoA enabled with ETA would enable the prospective visitor to apply for an Indian
Visa from his/her home country online without visiting the Indian Mission and also pay the
visa fee online.
Once approved, the applicant will receive an email authorising him/her to travel to India
and he/she can travel with a print out of this authorization. On arrival, the visitor has to
present the authorisation to the immigration authorities who would then stamp the entry
into the country.
This will allow entry into India within 30 days from the date of approval of ETA and will be
valid for 30 days stay in India from the date of arrival in India.

Who can avail the facility?

This facility is available to Foreigners whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation,
sightseeing, short duration medical treatment, casual business visit, casual visit to meet friends
or relatives etc. and not valid for any other purpose/activities.
.No dilution of MNREGA scheme: Govt.
The government allayed apprehensions over continuance or dilution of MNREGA scheme
launched during the previous UPA rule and said all necessary funds have been released.
MGNREGA:
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, also known as the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is an Indian labour law and social security
measure.
Aims:

To guarantee the right to work and ensure livelihood security in rural areas.
To create durable assets that would augment the basic resources available to the poor.
To follow the Directive Principles of State Policy enunciated in Part IV of the Constitution
of India and conforms to the Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that
defines the right to work as a basic human right.

How?
By providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every
household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

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More Details:

The provisions of the law also adhere to the principles enunciated in the Constitution of
India under Article 21 of the Constitution of India that guarantees the right to life with dignity
to every citizen of India.
This law guarantees the right to work to the people of India and hence is termed as a
Peoples Act.
It is believed that targeting poverty through employment generation is the effective way to
alleviate poverty.
Employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is a guaranteed legal right.
The major responsibility of the implementation rests with Panchayati Raj institutions.
Previous employment guarantee schemes (EGS) like Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar
Yojana (SGRY) Programme and National Food For Work Programme (NFFWP) were
merged with MGNREGA to make it more effective.
The Act sets a minimum limit to the wages, to be paid with gender equality. The states are
required to evolve a set of norms for the measurement of works and schedule of rates. The
unemployment allowance must be paid if the work is not provided within the statutory limit
of 15 days.

Avian flu in Kerala to impact Tamil Nadu

The outbreak of Avian flu in three districts of Kerala and the decision of the State government
to cull lakhs of poultry birds is likely to have an adverse impact on Tamil Nadu.
Safety measure:
Primary Health Centres and Government Hospitals along the border would be put on high alert
in order to deal with any contingency.
Avian flu
Avian influenza (AI), commonly called bird flu, is an infectious viral disease of birds often
causing no apparent signs of illness.
Spread:
AI viruses can sometimes spread to domestic poultry and cause large-scale outbreaks of
serious disease. Some of these AI viruses have also been reported to cross the species barrier
and cause disease or subclinical infections in humans and other mammals.
Effects on Humans:

Most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans; however some, such as A(H5N1) and
A(H7N9), have caused serious infections in people.
The majority of human cases of A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) infection have been associated
with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. There is no evidence that
the disease can be spread to people through properly cooked food.
Controlling the disease in animals is the first step in decreasing risks to humans.
Initial symptoms include high fever, usually with a temperature higher than 38C, and other
influenza-like symptoms (cough or sore throat). Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest
pain, and bleeding from the nose and gums have also been reported as early symptoms
in some patients.

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Treatment:

Evidence suggests that some antiviral drugs, notably oseltamivir, can reduce the duration
of viral replication and improve prospects of survival.
In cases of severe infection with the A(H5N1) or A(H7N9) virus, clinicians may consider
increasing the recommended daily dose or/and the duration of treatment.

History:
The A(H5N1) virus subtype, a highly pathogenic AI virus, first infected humans in 1997 during
a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong SAR, China. Since its widespread re-emergence in 2003 and
2004, this avian virus has spread from Asia to Europe and Africa and has become entrenched
in poultry in some countries, resulting in millions of poultry infections, several hundred human
cases, and many human deaths. Outbreaks in poultry have seriously impacted livelihoods, the
economy and international trade in affected countries.
India had declared itself free from H5N1 Avian Influenza (bird flu) as there had been no
occurrence of the disease for three months.
Measures taken earlier by India to control:

The entire infected poultry population and its eggs, feed, litter and other infected material
was stamped out within a radius of one km.
Restrictions on the movement of poultry was imposed, the affected area was cleaned up
and disinfected. Consequently, a post-operation surveillance plan was adopted as per
international norms.
Regular surveillance was maintained, especially in vulnerable areas bordering infected
countries and in areas visited by migratory birds.

Traditional made snana can continue for now: HC

The Karnataka High Court has said that it cannot stop the tradition of Made Snana followed for
centuries until it decided the constitutional validity of the practice. With this, it has kept in
abeyance its 2012 order of accepting modified form of made snana proposed by the State
government.
Made Snana:
It is a practice observed in certain temples of Karnataka wherein devotees roll over in devotion
on the used plantain leaves after others taking food on the leaves. Progressive people of
Karnataka have strongly condemned the practice and have been demanding its ban.
Why it is observed:

This ritual is observed with a belief that skin deceases of devotees get cured.
The practice is undertaken with a belief that saliva of upper caste people has the power to
cure skin diseases and Lord Subramanya is also believed to cure skin diseases.

CMs asked to ratify Judicial Commission Bill

Union Law Minister has written to Chief Ministers to ratify the National Judicial Appointments
Commission Bill at the earliest.

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Why the Bill requires ratification by the states:

The bill seeks to amend the Constitution and hence at least 15 States have to ratify the Bill
for it to be made law I,e. at least 50 per cent of the state legislatures.
A new article, Article 124A, (which provides for the composition of the NJAC) will be
inserted into the Constitution.

NJAC:
It is a proposed body responsible for the appointment and transfer of judges to the higher
judiciary in India. JAC Bill seeks to replace the collegium system of appointing the judges
of Supreme Court and 24 High Courts with judicial appointments commission wherein the
executive will have a say in appointing the judges.

The Bill has been introduced in conjunction with the Constitutional (121st Amendment) Bill,
2014, which establishes the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
The Bill provides for the procedure to be followed by the NJAC for recommending persons
for appointment as Chief Justice of India and other Judges of the Supreme Court (SC),
and Chief Justice and other Judges of High Courts (HC).
The bill has been passed by both the houses of Parliament.
Along with the Constitution Amendment Bill, the National Judicial Appointments
Commission Bill, 2014, was also passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to regulate
the functions of the National Judicial Appointments Commission.
The amendment bill seeks changes in articles 124,217,222 and 231.

Composition of the commission:

The Commission will consist of the following persons:

Chief Justice of India (Chairperson, ex officio)

Two other senior judges of the Supreme Court next to the Chief Justice of India ex officio
The Union Minister of Law and Justice, ex-officio
Two eminent persons (to be nominated by a committee consisting of the Chief Justice of
India, Prime Minister of India and the Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha or where there
is no such Leader of Opposition, then, the Leader of single largest Opposition Party in Lok
Sabha), provided that of the two eminent persons, one person would be from the
Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or OBC or minority communities or a woman. The
eminent persons shall be nominated for a period of three years and shall not be eligible for
re-nomination.

Functions of the Commission:

Recommending persons for appointment as Chief Justice of India, Judges of the Supreme
Court, Chief Justices of High Courts and other Judges of High Courts.
Recommending transfer of Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts from one High
Court to any other High Court.
Ensuring that the persons recommended are of ability and integrity.

Under the present Collegium system, the Chief Justice of India would consult the four senior
most judges of the Supreme Court for Supreme Court appointments and two senior-most
judges for high court appointments.

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Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

About DDUGJY:
Aim:
To augment power supply to the rural areas and to strengthen sub-transmission and
distribution systems.
The Yojana also includes the components:

to separate agriculture and non agriculture feeders facilitating judicious rostering of supply
to agricultural and non-agricultural consumers in rural areas and
strengthening and augmentation of sub transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural
areas, including metering of distribution transformers/feeders/consumers.

SC calls for stiffer penalties for juvenile crime

The Supreme Court, recently, described a juvenile law that prescribes admonition and group
counselling as punishment for even grave and heinous offences as far too liberal. The SC
also expressed concerns over Sections 7A and 15 of the Act.
Section 7 A of the Act:

Under this provision, an accused person can raise the claim of juvenility before any court,
at any stage, even after the final disposal of the case.

Section 15 of the Act:

It provides for a juvenile offender to be sent him home after a round of advice or ordered
him to perform community service or pay a fine or released him on a bond under the care
of his parents or guardian. Juveniles over 17 years old but less than 18 can be sent to a
special home for a period of two years or until they cease to be a juvenile.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000:

It is the primary legal framework for juvenile justice in India.

The Act provides for a special approach towards the prevention and treatment of juvenile
delinquency and provides a framework for the protection, treatment and rehabilitation of
children in the purview of the juvenile justice system.
This law, brought in compliance of Child Rights Convention 1989, repealed the earlier
Juvenile Justice Act of 1986 after India signed and ratified Child Rights Convention 1989
in year 1992.

History:
The first legislation on juvenile justice in India came in 1850 with the Apprentice Act which
required that children between the ages of 10-18 convicted in courts to be provided
vocational training as part of their rehabilitation process. This act was transplanted by the
Reformatory Schools Act, 1897, the Indian Jail Committee and later the Children Act of
1960.

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Labours law amendment bill cleared by the parliament

The Labour Laws (Exemption from Furnishing Returns and Maintaining Registers by
Certain Establishments) (LLE) Amendment Bill stipulates small establishments and
cover those employing between 10 and 40 workers as against 19 in the Principal Act, and
increases the number of laws under which small establishments enjoy exemptions from
nine to 16.

It also provides for maintenance of registers and returns in electronic form.

Misuse of Dowry Act (498-A) by wife is a valid ground for divorce: Supreme
Court

The Apex Court, in a landmark judgement, instructs police not to

accused automatically under the Dowry Law (Section 498A of IPC).

arrest the

Now what?
The police now have to offer valid reasons with substantial proof to the magistrate
for arresting the accused under the anti-dowry law.
The arrest will gets validation if the magistrate finds the reasons and proof satisfactory.
The failure to do so, on behalf of both the above stakeholders, would invite
departmental action and amount to contempt of court.
Cognizable offence
Offences in which police can make an arrest without a warrant and start an
investigation even without the permission from court.

Compoundable offences
Offences where, the complainant (i.e. the victim) is allowed to enter into a bonafide out of
court settlement or compromise with the accused.
They also happen to be easier to get the bail in.

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International
Facebook launches Ebola charity donation button

Facebook is stepping up its efforts to fight Ebola by adding a button designed to make it easier
for its users to donate to charities battling the disease.
The social media company is also deploying 100 satellite communication terminals to boost
Internet and phone services to affected areas in West Africa, where the disease has killed
nearly 5,000.
The programmes come on the heels of a $25 million donation last month by CEO Mark
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
toward the Ebola response.

Blood swept lands and seas of red:

It is the poppy field memorial at the London tower, marking the centenary of the outbreak of First
World War.

Mauritius offers help on black money issue:

Mauritius, often accused of being a route for round-tripping of funds by Indians, conveyed to
India that it was ready to support its Special Investigation Team (SIT) to unearth black
money.Round-tripping is usually referred to routing of domestic investments through Mauritius
to take advantage of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two
countries

Trilateral Coast Guard exercise Dosti-XII:

India, Maldives and Sri Lanka off the Maldives coast ended. Started in 1991, Srilanka became
part in 2012.

Russia, Ukraine & EU sign natural gas supply deal:

Ukraine, Russia and the European Union signed a deal on the resumption of Russian natural
gas supplies to Ukraine for winter after several months of delay during the conflict in Ukraine

Navies of friendly nations keen on Indian SONARS:

Recently 3 to Myanmar.

U.S. slams Pakistan for using militant proxies in a war against India:
In its report on Progress Towards Security and Stability in Afghanistan, tabled in the U.S.
Congress, the Pentagon said, Afghan - and India - focused militants continue to operate from
Pakistan territory to the detriment of Afghan and regional stability.

Boko Haram kidnapped girls converted and married:

The girls were kidnapped from chibok town of Nigeria.

Nigeria is Africas most populous nation. It is a West African nation and biggest oil producer
on the continent.

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Celebrations to mark 25 years since fall of Berlin Wall

Germany has kicked off celebrations marking 25 years since the epochal fall of the Berlin Wall,
set to culminate in rock stars and freedom icons joining millions at an open-air party.
The festivities under the banner Courage for Freedom recall the peaceful revolution that led
communist authorities to finally open the border after 28 years in which Easterners were
prisoners of their own government

June 21 will be made the International Day of Yoga

The draft resolution for an International Day of Yoga was prepared by India and informal
consultations were convened last month by the Indian mission in the U.N. General Assembly where
views on the topic were expressed by other delegations.The draft resolution, known as the L
Document, was finalised with 130 countries co-sponsoring it, an all-time record for a resolution of
such kind. Expected to come up for adoption in the General Assembly on December 10, it would
recognise that yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being.
UN General Assembly Resolution:

A United Nations General Assembly Resolution is voted on by all member states of the United
Nations in the General Assembly. The resolutions are formal expressions of the opinion or will
of United Nations organs.
General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority (50percent of all votes plus
one) to pass. However, if the General Assembly determines that the issue is an important
question by a simple majority vote, then a two-thirds majority is required; important questions
are those that deal significantly with maintenance of international peace and security, admission
of new members to the United Nations, suspension of the rights and privileges of membership,
expulsion of members, operation of the trusteeship system, or budgetary questions.
Although General Assembly resolutions are generally non-binding towards member states,
internal resolutions may be binding on the operation of the General Assembly itself, for example
with regard to budgetary and procedural matters.

India& Bhutan agree to collaborate on Nalanda University

India and Bhutan agreed to collaborate on the noble objectives of the establishment of
Nalanda University in Bihar to develop the institution as an international centre of excellence.
The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard in Thimphu after
President Pranab Mukherjee held talks with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel
Wangchuck.
According to the MoU, signed by Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and her Bhutanese
counterpart Yeshey Dorji, Nalanda University will be located at Rajgir in Bihar and will have the
power to confer degrees, diplomas and certificates.
The MoU says the objectives and functions of the university include the establishment of an
international institution of learning that will bring together the brightest and the most dedicated
students from all countries irrespective of gender, caste, creed, disability, ethnicity or
socioeconomic background.
According to the MoU, India will provide visa to students, faculty and staff for travel to India to
study or work in the university.

United Nation resolution aims to improve journalists safety

Nearly 50 countries are co-sponsoring a U.N. resolution that condemns attacks against
journalists and the failure to punish those responsible for killing, torturing, kidnapping and
arbitrarily arresting media workers.
The draft General Assembly resolution circulated urges the 193 U.N. member states to do their
utmost to prevent violence, threats and attacks against the media. It calls for speedy and

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independent investigations of alleged attacks and prosecution of alleged perpetrators and those
who aid them or cover up their crimes.
The draft also urges the immediate release of members of the media who have been taken
hostage and are victims of enforced disappearances.
It expresses deep concern at the increased number of journalists and media workers who have
been killed in recent years as a direct result of their profession. It stresses that impunity for
attacks against journalists remains one of the biggest challenges to the safety of journalists.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 42 journalists have been killed so far in 2014
while 211 were imprisoned in 2013 and 456 have been exiled since 2008.
The draft resolution must first be approved by the General Assemblys human rights committee
and then by the assembly itself.
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but if
adopted they do reflect world opinion.

US, China unveil ambitious goals to cut pollution levels

The United States and China unveiled ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gases, aiming
to inject fresh momentum into the global fight against climate change ahead of a make-or-break
treaty to be finalized next year.
President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would move much faster in cutting pollution,
with a goal to reduce by 26 per cent to 28 per cent by 2025, compared with 2005 levels. Earlier
in his presidency, Mr. Obama set a goal to cut emissions by 17 per cent by 2020.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose countrys emissions are still growing as it builds new coal
plants, didnt commit to cut emissions by a specific amount.
Rather, he set a target for Chinas emission to peak by 2030, or earlier if possible. He also
pledged to increase the share of energy that China will derive from sources other than fossil
fuels.

SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement

The proposed SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement has wider scope for movement of all types of
vehicles across SAARC member States and will be a path breaking endeavour.
This agreement would facilitate Nepal-India bus services on reciprocal basis and a seamless
movement of people from the two countries. It would promote tourism and people-to-people
interaction. The following three routes have been identified for the bus service in the first
instance:
1. Kathmandu Bhairahawa Sunauli Gorakhpur Lucknow New Delhi:
2. Kathmandu Bhairahawa Sunauli Azamgarh Varanasi New Delhi;
3. Pokhara Bharahawa Sunauli Gorakhpur Lucknow New Delhi
In addition to the regular bus service along the three routes, the Motor Vehicle Agreement also
provides for movement of private vehicles and non-regular passenger vehicles across the
border. Such private and non-regular passenger vehicles would be entitled to use all
established entry and exit points in the agreed upon framework envisaged under the Draft
Agreement. It would promote tourism and people-to-people interaction.

China flags train to Madrid to revive the ancient Silk Route

An 82-wagon cargo train has left for Madrid from the Chinese city of Yiwu, signaling the feverish
efforts by China and Russia, to revive the ancient Silk Route, and shift the balance of power in
Eurasia towards the East.
The train, which began its journey, will travel a distance off 10,000 kilometers, 741 kilometers
more than the trans-Siberian railway, the longest so far.
Starting from Yiwu, a major trading hub 300 kilometers south of Shanghai, the train will cross
Altaw pass in Chinas Xinjiang province, before entering Kazakhstan.

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It will then cover five other countries Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France before
completing its mammoth 21-day journey in the Spanish capital.
The train from China is run by Trans-Eurasia Logistics, a joint venture of Germanys Deutsche
Bahn AG and the Russian Railways (RZD).
It symbolises the growing transportation links among Beijing, Moscow and Berlin to revive the
Silk Route a land corridor that, in its heyday, was at the heart of trade between Asia and
Europe.
It also illustrates President Xi Jinpings vision, unveiled last year in Kazakhstan, to establish an
economic belt along the Silk Road, which passes through the Central Asia before heading for
Europe. The Chinese hope that the trans-Eurasian project would impact three billion people,
across 40 countries once it is completed.
The dream of an economic belt demands that a string of growth clusters is established along
the New Silk Road. One such economic hub within China is Chongqinga major junction along
the Eurasian corridor.
Chongqing's Liangjiang New Areaa 1200 square kilometer zonehome to big brands, such
as Hewlett Packard, and Iveco is based on Shanghais Pudong and Tianjins Binhai New
Area model.
An intricate rail and road network that connects it with west and middle China has enabled
Chongqing to emerge as the growth locomotive for the entire delta area of the Yangtze river,
which flows to the south, and is a major trade artery.
The new Eurasian rail links feed directly into Chongqings growing international profile. In 2011
the train between Chongqing and Germanys Duisburg in the Ruhr industrial area, was flagged,
accelerating the Yangtze Deltas integration with the global economy.

OPEC meet keeps world on the edge

As oil ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meet in
Vienna to press for a one million barrels a day production cut to support falling Brent crude oil
prices, speculation is rife that Brent crude prices may stabilise at the current level or may plunge
further to $75 a barrel due to lack of consensus among members.
As some major oil producers have hinted at continuing their production to retain the market
share, some analysts have predicted that the prices may plunge to $60 a barrel level, which
seems unlikely.
The price of Brent crude oil peaked this year at $115.15 a barrel on June 19. Since then, prices
are down 31per cent to below $79 a barrel.
Most of the oil price declines occurred after Saudi Aramco started a price war on October 1 for
all its exports, reducing those bound for Asia to the lowest level since 2008.
The move suggests that the biggest member of the OPEC is prepared to let prices fall rather
than cede market share by paring output to clear a supply surplus, said Aviral Gupta, Founder
& Investment Strategist, Mynte Advisors.
Saudi Arabia would need to reduce output about 500,000 barrels a day to eliminate the supply
glut now stemming from the highest U.S. output in three decades.
It is expected that crude oil prices could plunge to $60 a barrel if OPEC does not agree on a
significant output cut when it meets in Vienna, he added.
However, this level would be unsustainable and might not be achieved, said experts. To my
mind, the price may not go down that much. The price has come down is due to the additional
production coming from the U.S. from the shale reserves.

G20 endorses Indias stance

In a major gain for India, the G20 summit endorsed the need for transparency and disclosure
by countries of tax information as Prime Minister of India voiced support to the new global
standard on automatic exchange to tackle the black money issue.

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The new standard would be instrumental in getting information relating to unaccounted money
hoarded abroad and enable its eventual repatriation, utilising the forum of G20, which accounts
for 85 per cent of worlds GDP.
Unofficial estimates of Indias illegal money stashed abroad range from $25 billion to over $4
trillion. Increased mobility of capital and technology has created new opportunities for avoiding
tax and profit sharing.
It is believed that Base Erosion and Profit Sharing (BEPS) system would fully address
concerns of developing and developed economies.
G20:

The Group of Twenty is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors
from 20 major economies. The members include 19 individual countries and the European
Union (EU). The EU is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central
Bank.
Collectively, the G-20 economies account for around 85% of the gross world product (GWP),
80% of world trade, and two-thirds of the world population. The G20 started in 1999 as a
meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial
crisis.
G20 leaders meet annually. In addition, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet
regularly during the year to discuss ways to strengthen the global economy, reform international
financial institutions, improve financial regulation and implement the key economic reforms that
are needed in each member economy. Underpinning these meetings is a year-long program of
meetings among senior officials and of working groups coordinating policy on specific issues.
The G20 is supported by international organisations, including the Financial Stability Board, the
International Labour Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations, the World Bank and the World
Trade Organization.
BEPS:

The BEPS is a technical term referring to the effect of tax avoidance strategies used by
multinational companies on countries tax basis. It is known more commonly as Transfer
pricing. This term was used in a project headed by the OECD that is said to be an attempt by
the worlds major economies to try to rewrite the rules on corporate taxation to address the
widespread perception that the corporations do not pay their fair share of taxes.

BEPS relates chiefly to instances where the interaction of different tax rules leads to double
non-taxation or less than single taxation. It also relates to arrangements that achieve no or low
taxation by shifting profits away from the jurisdictions where the activities creating those profits
take place. No or low taxation is not per se a cause of concern, but it becomes so when it is
associated with practices that artificially segregate taxable income from the activities that
generate it. In other words, what creates tax policy concerns is that, due to gaps in the
interaction of different tax systems, and in some cases because of the application of bilateral
tax treaties, income from cross-border activities may go untaxed anywhere, or be only unduly
lowly taxed.

G-20 decided to set up Global Infrastructure Hub

The G20 leaders decided to set up a Global Infrastructure Hub to help reduce barriers to
investment and improve information sharing for channelising funds into the sector.
Located in Sydney, the Hub will contribute to developing a knowledge-sharing platform and
network between governments, the private sector, development banks and other international
organisations.

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The Hub will foster collaboration among these groups to improve the functioning and financing
of infrastructure markets, said the communiqu released at the end of two day G20 meeting
in Brisbane.
With a four year mandate, the Hub will work internationally to help countries improve their
general investment climates, reduce barriers to investment, grow their project pipelines and
help match investors with projects, according to Australia, which holds the G20 Presidency.
The B20, a grouping of business leaders of G20 nations, have estimated that the Hub could
help unlock an additional $2 trillion in global infrastructure capacity by 2030.
Countries like the United Kingdom, China, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Korea, Mexico and
Singapore have given their financial commitment for establishing the Hub.
The Australian Government will be a major contributor to the Hub with other contributions
coming from G20 members, non-member countries, international organisations, nongovernment stakeholders and the private sector, Australia said in a statement on the G20
website.
Stressing on the need for global investment in infrastructure to boost growth and job creation,
the G20 said it will work with the multilateral lending agencies and encourage national banks to
provide additional lending to the sector.

35.8 million People living as slaves across the world

Almost 36 million people are living as slaves across the globe with an index listing Mauritania,
Uzbekistan, Haiti, Qatar and India as the nations where modern-day slavery is most prevalent.
The Walk Free Foundation, an Australian-based human rights group, estimated in its inaugural
slavery index last year that 29.8 million people were born into servitude, trafficked for sex work,
trapped in debt bondage or exploited for forced labour.
Releasing its second annual index, Walk Free increased its estimate of the number of slaves
to 35.8 million, saying this was due to better data collection and slavery being uncovered in
areas where it had not been found previously.
For the second year, the index of 167 countries found India had by far the greatest number of
slaves. Up to 14.3 million people in its population of 1.25 billion were victims of slavery, ranging
from prostitution to bonded labour.
Mauritania was again the country where slavery was most prevalent by head of population while
Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup, rose up the rank from 96th place to be listed as the fourth
worst country by percentage of the population.
From children denied an education by being forced to work or marry early, to men unable to
leave their work because of crushing debts they owe to recruitment agents, to women and girls
exploited as unpaid, abused domestic workers, modern slavery has many faces, the report
said. It still exists today, in every country modern slavery affects us all.
The index defines slavery as the control or possession of people in such a way as to deprive
them of their freedom with the intention of exploiting them for profit or sex, usually through
violence, coercion or deception. The definition includes indentured servitude, forced marriage
and the abduction of children to serve in wars.
For the first time, the index rated governments on their response to slavery. It found the
Netherlands, followed by Sweden, the United States and Australia as some of the countries
that had the strongest response. At the opposite end of the scale, North Korea, Iran, Syria and
Eritrea had the worst responses.

Chinas economic blueprint wins over APEC

The members of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members have agreed to initiate
the formation of a free trade area in the Asia-Pacific a vision steered by China, which
competes with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) initiative of the United States.

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About Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC):

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is the premier forum for facilitating economic
growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC was
established in 1989 to further enhance economic growth and prosperity for the region and
to strengthen the Asia-Pacific community.
APEC is an intergovernmental grouping that operates on the basis of non-binding
commitments, open dialogue and equal respect for the views of all participants. Unlike the
WTO or other multilateral trade bodies, APEC has no treaty obligations required of its
participants. Decisions made within APEC are reached by consensus and commitments
are undertaken on a voluntary basis.
APEC has 21 members referred to as member economies which account for
approximately 40 percent of the worlds population, approximately 55 percent of world GDP
and about 44 percent of world trade.
APECs 21 Member Economies are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; Peoples
Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia;
Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Republic of the Philippines; The
Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; Viet
Nam.
During the meeting in 1994 in Bogor, Indonesia, APEC leaders adopted the Bogor Goals
that aim for free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific by 2010 for industrialized
economies and by 2020 for developing economies.
To meet the Bogor Goals, APEC carries out work in three main areas:

Trade and Investment Liberalisation

Business Facilitation

Economic and Technical Cooperation

Since its inception, APEC has worked to reduce tariffs and other trade barriers across the AsiaPacific region, creating efficient domestic economies and dramatically increasing exports.
APEC also works to create an environment for the safe and efficient movement of goods,
services and people across borders in the region through policy alignment and economic and
technical cooperation.
India has requested membership in APEC, and received initial support from the United States,
Japan and Australia. Officials have decided not to allow India to join for various reasons. The
main reason is that India does not border the Pacific Ocean, which all current members do.
However, India was invited to be an observer for the first time in November 2011.

Australia-India sign pact to enhance skill development

Australia and India have decided to map common standards on job roles and further strengthen
bilateral cooperation on skill development. The Indian Government has also decided to expand
the capacities of 12,000 industrial training institutes.
The purpose is to further strengthen cooperation between the two to enhance and extend
bilateral cooperation between Australia and India, a statement noted. The aim is to contribute
positively to the development of technical and vocational education and training related linkages
between India and Australia

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China-U.S. deal on emission cuts

China and the United States have agreed to limit emission of greenhouse gases. This decision
is expected to impose fresh pressure on India to not obstruct a binding treaty on climate change
next year.
The U.S. has agreed to reduce its emission of greenhouse gases by 26 to 28 per cent below
its 2005 level, by 2025. China stated its intent to peak emissions of carbon dioxide in 2030, if
not earlier. It also agreed to raise the share of non-fossil fuels to 20 per cent, in its primary
energy mix, in the next 16 years. This would entail China shifting massively towards clean
energy from nuclear, wind, solar and other zero-emitting resources.
The new deal puts pressure on India to decide on whether it wants to toe this line or create a
new target for itself and also pressure the world to adopt stringent emission cuts. The joint
announcement could impose fresh pressure on India not to become a deal breaker in the run
up to the Paris talks. Indias per capita emissions are estimated at one-tenth of the United
States and one-fourth of China, but, without a significant shift towards non-fossil fuels, its
carbon footprint could rise substantially between 2020-2040, out of sync with global
expectations.
KYOTO PROTOCOL:

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding
emission reduction targets.
Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of
GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, the
Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of common but
differentiated responsibilities.
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force
on 16 February 2005. The detailed rules for the implementation of the Protocol were adopted
at COP 7 in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2001, and are referred to as the Marrakesh Accords. Its
first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012.
In Doha, Qatar, on 8 December 2012, the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol was
adopted. The amendment includes:

New commitments for Parties to the Kyoto Protocol who agreed to take on
commitments in a second commitment period from 1 January 2013 to 31 December
2020;
A revised list of greenhouse gases (GHG) to be reported on by Parties in the second
commitment period; and
Amendments to several articles of the Kyoto Protocol which specifically referenced
issues pertaining to the first commitment period and which needed to be updated for
the second commitment period.

During the first commitment period, 37 industrialized countries and the European Community
committed to reduce GHG emissions to an average of five percent against 1990 levels. During
the second commitment period, Parties committed to reduce GHG emissions by at least 18
percent below 1990 levels in the eight-year period from 2013 to 2020

President Putin is to walk out of a G20 summit after rebukes over Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to walk out of a G20 summit in Australia, an aide said, after
he faced scorn and scepticism from Western leaders over Ukraine despite venturing to paper
over Europes deepest chill in relations since the Cold War.
The abrupt decision threatens to upend the annual summits focus on revamping the global
economy and fixing sores such as the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

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The programme of the second day is changing, its being cut short, a source in the Russian
delegation told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Mr. Putin will attend summit sessions but will skip an official lunch and address reporters earlier
than planned, the source said, adding: Lunch is more of an entertainment.
There was no immediate comment from the G20s Australian hosts or other delegations such
as U.S. President Barack Obamas to Mr. Putins decision, which came after some testy
exchanges in Brisbane.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was approached by Mr. Putin to shake hands. Mr.
Harper said, according to Canadian media: Well, I guess Ill shake your hand, but I only have
one thing to say to you: you need to get out of Ukraine.
Before his own tense meeting with Mr. Putin on the G20 sidelines, British Prime Minister David
Cameron said Russia faced a choice, with one option to implement an agreement to allow
stability to return to Ukraine free of Moscows meddling.

Memoranda of Understanding signed during the visit of Prime Minister to

Australia
Various agreements signed between the two countries during the visit of Prime Minister of India
to Australia are as follows:
Agreement on Social Security

Will strengthen the people-to-people contacts and facilitate and regulate the regulations
between the two countries with respect to social security benefits and coverage.

It will provide for social security and superannuation benefits for those who have been residents
of the other country on basis of equality of benefit, export of benefits and avoidance of double
coverage.

It will lead to greater economies and promote the flow of professionals.

Agreement concerning Transfer of Sentenced Persons

Will enhance cooperative efforts in law enforcement and administration of justice and to
cooperate in the enforcement of penal sentences.
It will facilitate, regulate and lay down procedures for the transfer of sentenced persons and
enable rehabilitation and reintegration of sentenced persons into society.
MOU on Combating Narcotics Trafficking and Developing Police Cooperation

Will address concerns regarding illicit trafficking and drug abuse.

It places priority on tackling illicit trade, diversion of precursors, asset forfeiture and drug money
laundering.
It will promote capacity building and help develop strategies and procedures for operations to
disrupt and dismantle transnational narcotic related threats.
MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Arts and Culture

Will enhance cultural relations between the two countries in pursuance of the Cultural
Agreement of 1971.
It will promote cooperation through exchange of information, professional expertise, training
and exhibitions in the field of culture.
It will deepen understanding between the people, institutions and art genres and promote sound
and sustainable artistic and cultural activities.

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MOU in the Field of Tourism

Will enhance the bilateral cooperation and strengthen the friendly between the people.
It will encourage cooperation in tourism policy, information exchange, interaction between
tourism stakeholders, training and investments in hospitality sector and promote the importance
of the tourism sector in economic development and employment generation.

Modi gifts Rani of Jhansi's petition to Toni Abbott

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted to his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott Australian lawyer
John Langs 1854 petition against the East India Company on behalf of Rani Lakshmibai.

Mr. Modi gave the gift to Mr. Abbott just ahead of bilateral talks. John Langs original petition
of 1854 on behalf of Jhansi ki Rani against the East India Company, External Affairs
spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweeted. Then he proceeded towards the Prime Ministers
Office for bilateral talks. Born in 1816 in Sydney, Lang is generally regarded as Australias first
native novelist. As a man of many talents, he was also a lawyer, journalist and born traveller.

In 1842, he sailed to India and made the country his new home, even learning the Hindustani
language. While carrying on a successful legal practice, he started a newspaper in 1845 called
The Moffusilite, published initially from Meerut and later from Mussoorie.

The paper often took a critical stance against the East India Companys harmful policies and
consequently he was sued and briefly jailed by the Company.

In 1854, Lang became the counsel of Lakshmibai an iconic figure in the Indian uprising of
1857.

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Refugees Special Report

In the months of July and August 2014, as Israel carried out a merciless assault on Gaza, killing over 2,100
people, and the world indulged in fatuous condemnations of violence, a tiny community of 50-odd families in
New Delhi saw their hopes fade a little more as each day passed. These were Palestinian-Syrians born
second- or third-generation Palestinian refugees, who have fled Syria sometime in the past five years. They
have never been considered as citizens anywhere. New Delhi is their waiting room, in their transit to a better life
somewhere.
Anywhere ! ! !
In the past decade, however, not just Palestinians, but desperate individuals from all over West Asia, running
away from conflicts at home, have been seeking refuge in New Delhi. Though, unlike the Palestinians, these
people were not born into refugee status, they are united in seeing New Delhi as a sort of waiting room, before
a developed country grants them asylum. The degree of their suffering and victimhood varies, but in their status
as refugees in India, they are solely dependent on luck. That is because Indias asylum policy is ambiguous and
differs from case to case.
Before we dig deep into the recesses of the abyss known to civilized man as Refugees we need to understand
what this term means. To understand this we must first look into

Who are refugees?

Why they became refugees?

Only when we have answers to these question can we think about how and what we can do to help these people
who in some; rather most cases have lost all they had in their lives including hope.
Looking back into history we can find the instances of refugee movement as far back as World War I. Since then
there has been a lot of work which has been carried out by different groups and agencies. The pioneer was the
1951 Convention on Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol attached to it.
According to them the term 'refugee' is defined as a person owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership
of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to
such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of that protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being
outside a country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear,
unwilling to return to it.
The thing we should all be looking at here is the fact that the legal definition of the term refugee in the end says
..owing to such fear, unwilling to return to it. The key in defining who a refugee is, should not be 'the reason
for leaving one's country but rather the reason for being unable or unwilling to return to it.
By this definition, internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are often mistakenly referred to as refugees, do not
qualify as refugees because they have remained inside their home countries under the protection of their own
government.
There are many reasons a person or a community have to turn into becoming refugees. Until and unless we
understand the thought process behind the action it becomes meaningless what we do or what we think about
these people.

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This crisis presents at least two aspects humanitarian and security.
First, people have the basic right to live without fear of persecution, however many do not and face untold
hardship. Apart from the high financial cost of migration, refugees become exposed to human rights abuses and
face the risk of an uncertain future.
Second, refugees are a security risk to the international community. This risk could be social, economic or
political and can affect relationships between the country where these refugees originate from and the country
where they seek refuge. They may also change the nature of the country were refuge has been sort.
For example, Pakistan blames its Kalashnikov culture on the Afghan refugees. According to Moore & Shellman,
most observers contend that forced migration burdens the economies of nations and regions.
Violent Conflicts
According to Hakovirta, the primary cause of refugee flows is violent man-made conflict.
Obviously, there is strong evidence to support the correlation between violent conflicts in Third World countries
and refugee outflows. Countries like Senegal, Jamaica, and Bhutan that have not had violent conflicts have not
produced noticeable numbers of refugees, while most countries that have been involved in very violent conflicts
like Bangladesh, Kampuchea, and Afghanistan have been key producers of refugees.
It is reasonable to infer that the more relentless the war is, the greater the scale of the refugee flow.
While violent conflicts are directly responsible for major refugee outflows, there are underlying interactive
features of societies that cause wars and/or interact with wars to produce refugees. These interactive features
include whether or not the government is oppressive and suppressive, the sort of rapport between various social
groups and the government, the nature of social, ethnic and religious cleavages, and the ideologies that divide
the country.
In order to understand these interactive features, one must consider two types of wars: non-ethnic and ethnic;
both of which are largely political.
Non-ethnic Wars
Political Tensions
Non-ethnic civil wars incorporate those hinged on differences in class, region, or ideology, or an armed political
power tussle by political and/or military factions. However people are not targeted because of ethnic distinction.
Examples include the civil wars in Cambodia and Angola
Both cases produced 117,500 and 237,000 refugees respectively.
Other forms of non-ethnic wars that generate refugees include interstate and anti-colonial conflicts.
Ironically, the interstate war between India and Pakistan in 1972 was due to the flow of 10,000,000 Pakistani
refugees into India as a result of the civil war in Pakistan in 1971. This caused economic and social instability in
India that forced India into the war in order to stop this massive inflow of Pakistani refugees.
Relatively few refugees resulted from anti-colonial wars. This was because in most of these wars, the indigenous
population chose to fight not flee.

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Foreign Intervention
The Cold War that preceded the early 1990s witnessed the Soviet Union and the United States providing
ideological, political, economic, and military aid to those who presided over governments or who opposed
governments.
Ethnic Wars
Ethnic Tensions
The philosophy of a politically organised nation-state provides for opposing features e.g. religion, ethnicity, etc,
each theoretically having a potential of producing a new state. However, a new state may create instability and
dislocation, thus this is resisted by already existing states.
Ideally, governments try to implement policies of national integration or nation-building. Here, multi-ethnic states
confront the difficulty of harmonizing these policies with their political veracities. This creates tension.
Thus, according to UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] (1993) refugee flows have been
largely due to conflicts within states rather than between states.
Economic Causes
Ethnic tensions can be exacerbated by severe economic decline or poverty. The genocide in Rwanda originated
from economic friction due to the demand for land. This subsequently degenerated into political tension that led
to conflict. When a dominant ethnic group tries to advance its economic standing over the other national groups,
bitter politically explosive disputes over the allotting of resources erupt.
Human Rights Violation
There are cases where the central government is so powerful that it results in oppression and human rights
violations. This is usually the case with autocratic and revolutionary governments. According to Schmeidl, many
authors like Smyser (1987), Ferris (1987), Zolberg, Suhrke and Aguayo (1989) concede to the 1951 Refugee
Conventions conclusions that unsatisfactory reports of human rights abuses from oppressive regimes is a
significant cause of refugee outflow.
Some of the largest refugee flows have been from autocratic and revolutionary regimes. This was the case after
World War II; in China after the Communist revolution; Cuba after Fidel Castros revolution, and Iran after
Ayatollah Khomeinis Islamic revolution.
Environmental Causes
According to UNHCR, there is an obvious relationship between environmental deterioration and refugee flow.
The decline of the natural resource foundation, in addition to population statistical pressure and constant poverty
can result in or worsen ethnic, political, social and economic tensions. The UNHCR observed that the parts of
the African continent that are most affected by soil erosion, drought and other environmental problems are the
main hosts of armed conflicts, chronic famine and therefore refugee flows.
On any given day, thousands of individuals including women and children from all parts of the world are forced
to flee their homes for fear of persecution or to escape the dangers of armed conflicts and other refugee-creating
force making claims for refugee status in foreign countries.

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There are three stages which come into play when a person or community becomes a refugee. These three
stages are:Stage 1
In the initial stage the person or a community is leaving their home. There are 22 million refugees throughout
the world who are forced to flee their home country. 75% of these refugees are women and children.
There are two categories of refugees:

People who flee their home country and cross into a neighbouring country.

People who move into another part of their own country. (These people are called internal refugees or
displaced people)

The majority of refugees come from developing countries like Afghanistan and Iraq.
Stage 2
In this stage the people or the community is living in a refugee camp. There may be thousands of refugees living
in one camp.
An example of a refugee camp is Jazolai, a sprawling squalid refugee settlement near the mouth of Khyber Pass
in Pakistan. These people are forced to live in poor conditions. The refugee camps are crowded and dirty; there
is no shelter, little food and fresh water and disease. Some of these refugees will live in these conditions for their
whole life and others may have a short stay after moving to another country.
Stage 3
The final stage is either returning to home or being placed in another country (The Third State). Many wealthy
countries accept many refugees such as the United States and Australia. Australia accepts 30,000 to 99,999
refugees per year, which is a poor amount compared to other small Middle Eastern countries such as Iran and
Pakistan, which accept 500,000 to 999,999 refugees a year.
The UNHCR says, during 2013, on an average 32,200 individual were forced to flee their homes every day and
most of them never returned. In 2013, 98400 refugees were resettled in 21 countries including India.
As on Jan 1, 2014:

Global refugees= 16.7 million

Asylum seekers= 1.2 million
Internally displaced= 33.3 million
For the 1st time since the 2nd World War the global figure for refugee has passed the number of 52 Million
by the end of 2013.
This is a Human Catastrophe and should be swiftly tackled by the UN.

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The Indian Perspective
India has had an age old tradition of according humanitarian protection to refugees and asylum seekers. It has
followed a very liberal refugee policy. However, the absence of a refugee specific legislation can be attributed
to Indias volatile situation in South Asian politics and the threat of terrorism faced by it. Even in such absence
of a specific law, India has addressed the needs of refugees who have fled from their home country into its
territory.
India hosted around 420,400 refugees, including some 110,000 from Tibet who fled since China's 1951
annexation. Another 102,300, mostly Tamil Sri Lankans, escaped fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam and the Sri Lankan armed forces. There were about 36,000 Buddhist ethnic Chakmas and Hajongs from
present-day Bangladesh who fled to Arunachal Pradesh after Muslim annexation of their land in 1964.
India has accorded differential treatment to refugees belonging to different countries. There were two major
refugee flows from Bangladesh and Bhutan.
The Chakmas were provided with inadequate facilities as confirmed by National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC) and repatriated in 1988. Tibetan refugees received far better treatment in comparison to other refugee
groups. With regard to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, an official refugee determination process has been practiced
and the principle of non-refoulement has been complied with.
India is not a party to the 1951 Convention or the 1967 Protocol. An individual refugee is protected essentially
under the Constitution of India since there has been no domestic legislation passed on the subject of refugees.
But the provisions of these international treaties have now acquired the status of customary international law and
maybe regarded as incorporated into the domestic law to the extent of their consistency with the existing
municipal laws and also when there is a void in the municipal laws. Also, Article 51(c) of the Constitution of India
advocates fostering respect for international law.
The legal status of refugees in India is governed mainly by the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Citizenship Act
1955. These Acts do not distinguish refugees fleeing persecution from other foreigners; they apply to all noncitizens equally. Under the Acts it is a criminal offence to be without valid travel or residence documents. These
provisions render refugees liable to deportation and detention.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is based in New Delhi. Once recognized,
Afghan, Burmese, Palestinian and Somali refugees receive protection from the UNHCR. Many refugees receive
a small monthly subsistence allowance and all have access to the services provided by the UNHCRs
implementing partners in Delhi: the YMCA, Don Bosco and the Socio-Legal Centre (SLIC).
The support of these organizations is vital, providing a degree of support to the refugee community.Despite the
support provided by these organizations, the majority of refugees in India experience great hardship, both
economically and socially.
The largest refugee populations in India do not fall under the UNHCRs mandate, but are nonetheless considered
refugees by the government. At present, there are over 150,000 Tibetans and 90,000 Sri Lankans who have fled
violence and persecution and sought refuge in India. These groups are accommodated and assisted in
accessing education, healthcare, employment and residence to varying degrees.

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Tibetan Refugees
Country of origin background
As recently as 1914, a Peace Convention was signed by Britain, China and Tibet that formally recognized Tibet
as an independent country. Representatives from the major monasteries governed the country with the Dalai
Lama heading the government. The Tibetan people have a deep-seated faith in religion and Buddhism ruled
every aspect of their lives. In 1949 China invaded Tibet. Two years later Chinese troops forcibly occupied Tibet;
killing, detaining and arresting thousands of Tibetan citizens.
Reason for flight
Following the Chinese incursion in 1951, China continued to perpetrate human rights violations in Tibet despite
pleas from the Dalai Lama and his government. The efforts of the Dalai Lama to find a peaceful solution to the
ongoing violence proved futile and his personal security was threatened. Calls for help to the international
community went unheeded and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee. His flight was followed by an exodus of
Tibetan people unable to live under Chinese oppression. In 1959, approximately 80,000 Tibetans fled to India
with a steady flow filtering into India in the years that followed. Today, there are approximately 150,000 Tibetan
refugees living in India.
Legal status
Tibetans who arrived in India in the late 1950s and early 1960s were accorded refugee status by the Indian
government despite India not being party to either the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
or the 1967 Protocol. These Tibetans were issued registration certificates, which must be renewed once or twice
a year. Tibetans who were born in India are also eligible to obtain a registration certificate once they are 18 years
old.
Although the Indian government continues to allow Tibetans to enter the country, it has not afforded them the
same legal status as the first wave of Tibetans. However, some Tibetans who arrived in the second-wave were
able to obtain their registration certificates by claiming that they were born in India.
Tibetans are given more rights than most other refugee groups in India. They are provided with residence
permits, which enable them to seek formal employment. They are the only refugee group to receive travel permits
from the Indian government.
Socio-economic conditions
Tibetans in India live in 37 different settlements and 70 scattered communities in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, South Sikkim, West Bengal, Maharashtra and
Orissa. Of the settlements, just under half are based on agriculture, while one-third are agro-industrial and a fifth
are handicraft-based. The scattered communities consist of smaller groups of Tibetans outside of the official
settlements who were not willing, or not able, due to limited resources, to be accommodated in the settlements.
Specific protection issues
Indians and Tibetans generally co-exist peacefully but there have been isolated cases of anti-Tibetan violence.
There have been no cases where any specific groups within the Tibetan Community have been targeted.

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Sri Lankan Refugees

Country of origin background
For the past 20 years Sri Lanka has been embroiled in conflict between the Sri Lankan army and the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who are fighting for independence for the minority Tamil population. The conflict
has left as many as 70,000 people dead and one million people displaced. Tamils from Sri Lanka have been
fleeing their home country for India since 1983 when the conflict began. There are no signs of the conflict abating
in the immediate future. The armed conflict has escalated since the beginning of 2006 and in March 2007, after
four years of negotiations, the peace process between the warring factions officially collapsed.
Reason for flight
The majority of the fighting in Sri Lanka occurs in the northern and eastern areas of the country. The population
in these areas is exposed daily to the risks of air strikes, bomb blasts and landmines and many leave their homes
in search of safety. In addition, many are forced to flee the country in order to escape torture, rape and
disappearances perpetrated by the security forces. The warring parties are Buddhist Sinhalese and Tamil
Hindus. The ethnic dimension to the conflict leads the civilian Tamil population to seek refuge in India. The
majority of individuals fleeing the Sri Lankan conflict for India arrive by boat; risking a dangerous journey across
the Palk Strait. In June 2007 it was estimated that approximately 18,000 Tamils had undertaken this journey to
Tamil Nadu in the previous 18 months. On arrival they are accommodated in the main refugee camp near
Rameswaram, 600km south of Chennai, before being sent to camps in other parts of Tamil Nadu. On arrival,
refugees are questioned by Indian police in order to establish their identities and to discover whether they have
links to the Tamil Tigers, which is an illegal organization in India.
Legal status
The legal status of Sri Lankan refugees in India is officially governed by the Foreigners Act 1946 and India's
Citizenship Act 1955 which defines all non-citizens who enter without visas to be illegal migrants, with no
exception for refugees or asylum seekers. Sri Lankans who are considered to be a threat to national security
are deemed to be militants and detained in special camps in Chenglepet or Velloreand. Nonetheless, in general
the Government of India recognizes Sri Lankans fleeing violence at home to be refugees and accordingly grants
them protection.
Socio-economic conditions
Sri Lankan refugees remain largely in Tamil Nadu and live in refugee camps scattered across the state. At
present, more than 72,000 thousand Sri Lankan refugees live in over 120 camps in Tamil Nadu. In addition to
this, a further 30,000 Sri Lankans are living outside the government camps. Those that choose to live outside
must register with the local police and visit the camps on a fortnightly basis to register their attendance.
Refugees living within the government camps are housed in warehouses or in temporary shelters and are subject
to an evening curfew at 7 p.m. Each adult refugee receives a small monthly stipend. Though not officially
permitted to work in India, the refugees worked as unskilled labour in the informal sector to supplement their
incomes. The Indian Government provides basic medical care and education for school-age Sri Lankan children
as well as subsidized food grain for the camps inhabitants. Despite these provisions, conditions in the camps
are generally poor with insufficient health and sanitary facilities available for the refugee population.

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Bhutanese Refugees
Country of origin background
Ethnic Nepalese people started arriving in Bhutan in significant numbers in the early 20th century. By the 1980s
they accounted for a quarter of the Bhutanese population. In the mid to late 1980s, the authorities began to view
the growing numbers of Hindu Nepalese in Bhutan as a direct threat to Bhutanese ethnic identity. After this time,
discriminatory measures were employed to restrict the Nepalese from government service jobs, from obtaining
promotions and receiving passports.
Alongside these measures, the government introduced a national campaign to revive traditional culture.
Teaching Nepali as a second language in schools was banned and Bhutanese national dress was to be worn at
school as well as on official occasions. A census was carried out in the early 1980s which determined the number
of Nepalese living in Bhutan. As a result of the census, the Citizenship Act of 1985 was enacted which set out
new conditions for citizenship of Bhutan. A great number of Hindu Nepalese became illegal residents overnight.
The only way to regain it was to prove their residence in Bhutan for the previous 15 years. As a result, many
naturalized citizens lost their status. The Act also allowed for any naturalized citizen to be stripped of his or her
status if they had shown, by act or speech, to be disloyal to the King, country, or people of Bhutan. This provision
has been used frequently to revoke citizenship from Hindu Nepalese under the pretext of disloyalty. Expulsions
of Hindu Nepalese who fell foul of the Citizenship Act began in 1988. Street protests and hunger strikes took
place in the south to demonstrate against the measures taken against the Hindu Nepalese population.
Reason for flight
In response to the protests by the ethnic Nepalese in Bhutan in the south against their deportation and
discrimination, the governments military presence increased. After several raids and bombings, the Bhutanese
authority ordered the closure of local Nepalese schools, clinics, and development programs. Many ethnic
Nepalese were forcibly evicted and forced to cross the Indian borders into Assam and West Bengal. The Indian
states would not accept the expelled Bhutanese and they were forced to move on. Most went through Nepal to
go back into India at different entry points, while approximately 100,000 stayed in UNHCR refugee camps in
Nepal. Thereare between 15,000 and 30,000 ethnic Nepalis living in India. For them, obtaining recognition as
refugees remains an impossible task.
Legal status
Since 1949, Bhutanese citizens have been permitted to move freely across the Indian border. An open border
between India and Nepal and India and Bhutan is provided for by a treaty between the respective states, last
updated in February 2007. A reciprocal arrangement between Indian and Bhutan grants its citizens equal
treatment and privileges. The right to residence, study, and work are guaranteed without the need for identity
papers. For this reason, the Indian government has not acknowledged the ethnic Nepalese Bhutanese who were
forced to flee to be refugees, and nor has it provided any sort of assistance. The UNHCR does not carry out
status determination for the Bhutanese. This is most likely due to the friendship treaty between the two countries.
Socio-economic conditions
Under its reciprocal arrangement with Bhutan, the Indian government affords the Bhutanese more freedom of
movement and residence than to recognized refugee groups. Nonetheless, because the Bhutanese are not
recognized as refugees, they are not eligible to receive the amenities and assistance afforded to refugees. They
too fled their country with little or no possessions and are in dire need of assistance. Despite being officially
treated as equals to Indian citizens the refugees still experience difficulties in securing driving and business
licenses, travel documents, cooking gas and school and university admission.

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Hindu Pakistani Refugees

Country of Origin Background
India was partitioned in 1947, leading to the creation of two sovereign states: India and Pakistan. The Hindu
population of Pakistan, numbering roughly three million, is largely concentrated in the southern province of
Sindh. The majority of the population are Dalits, impoverished landless labourers. Although some minor clashes
occurred from time to time prior to partition, relations between Hindu and Muslims in Sindh were generally
peaceful. After 1947 an influx of Urdu speaking Muslims from India arrived in Sindh province. Communal violence
erupted and the first wave of Sindhs Hindus was forced to flee. Finding themselves subject to religious
persecution, they sought refuge in India.
Reason for flight
The tense inter-communal relations between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Pakistan have become more
apparent since the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. Growing insecurity amongst Hindus, particularly with the
rise of right-wing Islamist groups in the country caused more Hindus to leave for India. The Islamisation of the
country under the dictatorship of Zia ul-Haq made life for religious minorities in Pakistan difficult in the late 1970s
and 1980s. After the destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992, the backlash against the Hindu
population caused many more to flee to India.
Legal status
Roughly 115,000 people displace from Pakistan have arrived in India since 1965 and most have settled in
Rajasthan or Gujarat. The Indian government does not recognize this group to be refugees and as a result, they
are unable to acquire residence permits and find it difficult to gain employment.
The Indian Constitution and the Indian Citizenship Act 1955, however, make specific provision for those who
were born or whose parents were born in undivided India to apply for Indian citizenship. The Citizenship
Amendment Rules 2004 specifically provide for Pakistanis to apply for citizenship in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The
conditions for citizenship are that the individual must have been continuouslyresident in India for five years,
rather than for 12 years as is the case with other foreigners applying for citizenship, and intend to settle
permanently in India. As a result of this legislation, which dramatically sped up the application process, the Indian
government awarded 13,000 Hindu Pakistanis Indian citizenship between 2005 and 2006. Once Pakistani
refugees have attained citizenship they are afforded the same rights as Indian citizens. The amendment of the
Citizenship Act in 2005, however, has drastically increased the fee structure for citizenship application. For the
poorest Pakistanis these fees are prohibitive, leaving them permanently disenfranchised.
Socio-economic conditions
Despite the acquisition of India citizenship, some Pakistani Hindus report ongoing problems with accessing the
associated benefits including ration cards and other government schemes. The Pakistani communities generally
work in the informal sector and often take jobs as manual labourers and in quarries to earn a living. As with many
other refugee groups in India, they often experience exploitation in the work place and often do not earn enough
to adequately support themselves and their families.

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Burmese Refugees
Country of origin background
Burma gained independence from Great Britain in 1948. Following the 1962 coup dtat, the leadership shifted
from democracy to a military junta, the fore-runner of the current ruling regime; the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC). In 1990, despite multi-party legislative elections that resulted in the main
opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), winning a landslide victory, the SPDC refused to
hand over power. The leader of the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest.
Reason for flight
In 1988, the Burmese government began suppressing the pro-democracy movement forcing 3,000 refugees to
cross the border into India. The increased militarization under the SPDC and its effects continue to cause flight
from Burma, especially in the western region. Torture, disappearances, forced labour, rape and extra-judicial
killings are among the human rights abuses perpetrated by the military junta against its perceived opponents.
Ethnic and religious persecution of the minorities, in particular the Chin Christians in the Chin state.
Legal status
Most of Burmese enter India from the northeast and very few asylum seekers who travel to Delhi are recognized
as refugees by the UNHCR. The UNHCR in Delhi assists about 2,000 Burmese refugees, the majority of whom
are from Chin state. The organization provides the more vulnerable individuals with a small monthly stipend,
which is often not enough to cover basic necessities.
In addition to the Burmese who are recognised refugees by the UNHCR, there are also a large number of
Burmese asylum seekers living in India. The majority live in Mizoram in northeast India; they belong to the same
ethnic group and find integration easier. Employment opportunities are also better there.
Socio-economic conditions
Daily life is a struggle for many Burmese refugees in New Delhi. Many live in the slums or share cramped
accommodation with other refugees. Refugee families also host several asylum seekers, adding to their financial
burden. In some instances the lack of privacy leads to frustration and domestic violence as well as greater
instances of marital discord.
Unlike some other refugee groups, Burmese refugees are granted residence permits to stay in India. Despite
this benefit, joining the formal workforce remains a serious challenge. Most refugees are from rural areas in
Burma and do not have the same level of education as those from urban areas. Furthermore, they often do not
speak English or Hindi, nor possess the skills to allow them to compete with Indian citizens to secure jobs. As a
result the refugees seek work into the informal sector where they are often exposed to exploitation. Employers
in the informal sectors often do not grant leave or grant it on a weekday making it difficult for Burmese refugees
to attend church on Saturdays or Sundays.
Access to education is formally ensured for every child protected by the UNHCR mandate; however, educational
institutions require a birth certificate and papers for registration and fees, which refugees cannot always provide.
In government schools the medium of instruction is Hindi, which often discourages parents from sending their
children to these schools. This often presents a barrier to education for Burmese children.
Specific protection issues
Burmese women bear the largest burden among the refugee population. Some women are widows or are the
head of large families. In addition to taking care of their families they must also work to provide for them. Burmese
women refugees are regularly harassed at work. Working in the informal sector means that they are often
overworked and underpaid. The necessity of providing for their families leads many Burmese refugees to attend

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the night markets after they close in order to search for left-over vegetables or rummage through the rubbish. In
order to provide their families with basic necessities the refugees are often out alone late at night, putting them
at greater risk of harassment and assault. Their precarious situation is compounded by the fact that Burmese
refugees are often unable or unwilling to obtain police protection when they are the victims of crimes.

Somali Refugees
Country of Origin Background
Somalia has been without a government since 1991, following the overthrow of President Siad Barre. After he
left the country, warring factions of rival clan-based groups turned on each other, throwing the country into a civil
war which has raged ever since. Interventions by the United Nations to stop the war and the resulting
humanitarian crises have proved ineffective. There have also been numerous attempts since 2000 to reach a
lasting peace. To date, none of these have been successful. In January 2007, the United States backed the
Ethiopian invasion of Somalia to overthrow Mogadishu's Islamic Courts Union and install the weak, and largely
secular, transitional federal government. At the present time, the transitional government struggles to impose its
authority on the country and its forces face daily attacks from opponents.
Reason for flight
The civil war has killed thousands and left millions displaced. Human rights violations are commonplace and
include extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture and forced disappearances. Discrimination and abuse
of marginalized groups and minorities, sexual and gender-based violence and exploitation of women are also
widely perpetrated. Approximately 400,000 Somali refugees have fled the country to seek refuge from the daily
violence and instability. 71% of the population of Somalia is classed as undernourished. The UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) believes that Somalia is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis
in 16 years; it estimates that 1.8 Somalis are in need of aid. Since July 2007, an increased number of civilians
have fled Somalia due to the deteriorating security situation.
Legal status
Somalis constitute the largest African community in India, numbering approximately 400 people, although less
than 200 are officially registered. Somalis who reach Delhi apply for refugee status under the UNHCR mandate.
Somali refugees are not provided with residence permits by the Indian government rendering them unable to
work. Refugees recognized by the UNHCR receive a subsistence allowance of Rs. 2,225 for the principal
applicant and Rs. 750 each for the dependents for the first six months. After six months, the allowance is cut to
Rs. 1,400. Some Somalis report problems in the past in accessing the subsistence allowance from the UNHCR
but state that the situation has improved since the beginning of 2007. Nonetheless, the subsistence allowance
is not enough to cover the refugees basic needs, and many rely on small donations from friends and families
living abroad to support their stay in India.
Socio-economic conditions
Somalis face greater challenges than other refugee groups in finding housing, gaining access to education and
medical treatment and seeking employment. There are two reasons for this. First, the majority of the Somali
community in India cannot speak English or Hindi. Secondly, they are discriminated against because of their
colour. They stand out from the local population. Somali refugees report that it is extremely difficult for them to
find housing since many Indians do not want to lease properties to them.
Whilst Afghans and other refugee groups often find it relatively easy to find work in the informal sector, this is
often impossible for Somalis. Employers are reluctant to give them work because they do not have residence
permits and their appearance would attract the attention of the police.

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Somali women face particular problems in accessing transport, healthcare and education. They are less likely
than their male counterparts to learn English or Hindi and are isolated from the local community. It is estimated
that 80-90% of the Somali community in India lives in Hyderabad rather than in Delhi. The majority of the
community consists of unaccompanied minors and young adults who share cramped accommodation and have
no way of making a living. Whilst the UNHCRs implementing partners in Delhi, the YMCA and Don Bosco, help
refugees access housing and education there are no equivalent opportunities or assistance in these matters in
Hyderabad. As a result the refugees in Hyderabad often feel depressed, lonely and without support Nonetheless,
some refugees report that living conditions are easier in Hyderabad due to the lower cost of food and housing.
Somalis also experience a friendlier reception amongst the large Muslim population of Hyderabad than in Delhi.
The problem with living in Hyderabad, however, is the distance from the UNHCR in Delhi. Many Somali families
move to Delhi, despite the expense, in order to be close to the UNHCR, the YMCA and Don Bosco who assist
refugees in accessing services and provide a degree of protection.

Palestinian Refugees
Country of Origin Background
After the establishment of the State of Israel, about two thirds of the Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from
their territories, which came under Israeli control after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. More and more Palestinians
were forced to flee to the neighboring countries and the mass expulsion of the Palestinian Arabs from their
homes, villages and towns uprooted an entire population. In most cases these refugees have not been permitted
to return to their homes to date. They have either been languishing in sub-human conditions in their host
countries facing hostilities and discrimination, or volatile political situations in the countries in which they seek
refuge. Many Palestinians fled to neighbouring Iraq and lived there as refugees.
Reason for flight
Since the fall of Saddam Husseins government, Palestinian refugees in Iraq have increasingly become targets
of violence and persecution since these refuges were issued special travel documents, had the right to work and
were given full access to health, education and other government services. They were also provided with
government-owned housing or subsidized rent in privately-owned houses. This was a source of resentment for
Iraqs poor, mostly Shia population, who believed that Palestinians were receiving preferential treatment over
Iraqis. Palestinians were not given citizenship, however, nor were they allowed to own assets such as cars,
houses, or land. The precariousness of their situation was revealed starkly after the US invasion, and their
preferential treatment; more superficial than real, made the Palestinians targets for reprisals. As the American
invaded Iraq and the country was pushed to the brink of a civil war, most Palestinians living there fled to various
countries, some of them to India.
Legal status
160 Palestinians are currently seeking refugee status and are the most recent refugee group to arrive in India.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Delhi has recognized some of the Palestinians
as refuges and the applications of others are under consideration. Unlike Afghans and Burmese refugees these
refugees are not issued residence permits by the Indian government.
Socio- economic conditions
The Palestinians who fled Iraq under threat of persecution had to pay huge amounts of money to agents to gain
entry to India. Many of them had therefore already spent their savings before entering India. Their only means
of income in India is through the UNHCR. The majority of the Palestinian refugees stay in New Delhi.
Palestinian refugees in India experience severe hardship. They are keen to work and to support themselves but
it is difficult for them to find a job due to language problems and not possessing residence permits. In terms of
accommodation and housing, their living conditions are very poor. Since the rent is often too high the refugees
live in very cramped conditions. The education of the school-age refugees in New Delhi is another serious
concern. Most Palestinian children do not attend school since they find difficult to learn Hindi whilst English

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medium schools (private schools) are prohibitively expensive. The language barrier also makes it difficult for
Palestinian children to socialize.
The UNHCR provides only the newly recognized refugees with a subsistence allowance of Rs.2245 per principal
applicant, plus Rs.750 each for the dependents. A maximum of eight people in a family are supported. This
amount is valid only for six months after which it is reduced to 50% for the next six months. After one year,
financial assistance is discontinued except for particularly vulnerable cases.

Afghan Refugees
Country of Origin Background
In 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Over the next ten years, there was fierce resistance to the Soviet
presence from the United States-backed Mujahadeen. During this time, approximately 60,000 Afghans sought
refuge abroad. The Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989. By 1992, however, the country was
embroiled yet more violence; this time a civil war between the Taliban and the ruling Najibullah regime. The civil
war, lasting four years, destroyed more than 80% of the capital city, Kabul and saw yet more Afghans forced to
flee the country. The Taliban came to power in 1996. Their oppressive regime was based on the strictest
interpretation of Sharia law. Under the Taliban, it was forbidden for girls or women to be educated after the age
of eight, to watch television, listen to music or to clap during sporting events. Following the events of 11
September 2001, the United States and the United Kingdom, along with other NATO supporters, launched a
military attack on Afghanistan. The Taliban withdrew to the Afghan-Pakistani border where they continue their
protracted campaign against the new Afghan government.
Reason for flight
There are over 9,000 recognised Afghan refugees in India and 90 percent of them belong to the Hindu or Sikh
faiths; religious minorities in Afghanistan who could not openly practice their religions in their home country for
fear of persecution. Most of the Afghan Sikh and Hindu refugees in India sought asylum after 1992, with the fall
of the Najibullah regime.
Three decades of fighting have destroyed the countrys economy and infrastructure and government security
bodies continue to commit human rights violations with impunity. Widespread human rights violations include:
extra-judicial killing, torture, rape, violence against women and tight restrictions on freedoms of press, religion,
movement and association. Between July and October 2007, it is estimated that a further 15,000 people were
forcibly displaced by the conflict.
Legal status
India has not signed the 1951 Convention on Refugees or the 1967 Protocol and the Indian government does
not officially recognize the Afghan community to be refugees. Instead, they are recognised and protected under
the UNHCR mandate. The Indian government has issued most Afghan refugees with valid residence permits.
This affords them a degree of legal protection, which allows them to stay in the country despite not having valid
passports. Attaining residence permits has been more difficult for the newer arrivals that arrived in India between
2004 and 2007.
Socio-economic conditions
Newly recognised Afghan refugees receive a small subsistence allowance for the first six months: Rs 2,225 for
the principal applicant and Rs 750 for each dependant. After six months, only the most vulnerable Afghans such
as female heads of household, the disabled and the elderly, receive this sum.
Whilst most Afghan refugees live in Delhi, there are also a large number living in Faridabad, Haryana. The
Afghan Hindu and Sikh community are generally well integrated into Indian society since they share religious
beliefs and often speak Hindi. Since the majority of the Afghan community holds resident permits, many Afghans

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are able to work in the informal sector, for example, running shops and working as salespeople. Whilst there are
some prosperous Afghan refugees, a large number live in poverty; sharing cramped living quarters with other
families and seeking work in the informal sector. Those that are in need receive some support from their
community and from various welfare societies like Khalsa Diwan Society and Gurudwaras.
The UNHCR also runs various assistance programmes through its implementing partners for the benefit of
Afghan refugees. Through its implementing partners, it provides refugees with access to academic resources,
including an education assistance programme in association with the Young Mens Christian Association, Delhi.
Educational assistance is provided to all Afghan refugee children who are pursuing primary and secondary
education.
Specific protection issues
Afghan refugees who do not possess residence permits often struggle to support themselves and their families.
A large proportion of the Afghan community are widows and single mothers Workers in the informal sector work
very long hours and often find it difficult to get time off work. They are at risk of exploitation and harassment at
work and it is reported that Muslim Afghan women are particularly discriminated against. The employment of
Afghan refugees who do not possess valid resident permits is illegal and extortion and harassment by the police
is an ever present threat.
Whilst education is open to all Afghan refugee children, most Afghan boys only study up to primary level before
starting work to support their families. The dropout rate among Afghan girls is also high in the primary level for
a variety of reasons: to take care of ill relatives, because they get engaged and for financial reasons.
Naturalisation
The majority of Afghan refugees are Hindus and Sikhs who arrived in India in the early 1990s after the Taliban
came to power. A large number of them have shown interest in becoming naturalised Indian citizens. The
eligibility requirement is that a refugee must have lived in India for 12 years or have been married to an Indian
for seven years.
In addition to these groups India also hosts small numbers of refugees from Sudan, Iraq, Iran Ethiopia and
Eritrea amongst others.
Indian Practice Regarding Refugee Protection:
The practice of the Indian Government has been to deal with refugees in three main ways:
(a) Refugees in mass influx situations are received in camps and accorded temporary protection by the Indian
Government including, sometimes, a certain measure of socio-economic protection
(b) Asylum seekers from South Asian countries, or any other country with which the government has a sensitive
relationship, apply to the government for political asylum which is usually granted without an extensive
refugee status determination subject, of course, to political exigencies;
(c) Citizens of other countries apply to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) for individual refugee status determination in accordance with the terms of the UNHCR Statute
and the Refugee Convention.
Judicial Treatment of Refugees:
Indian courts, while generally strictly interpreting the stringent legislation on foreigners by refusing to interfere
with the powers of the executive, have, on occasion, evolved a wider and more humane approach to protect the
rights of refugees in India. In 1996, the Supreme Court in National Human Rights Commission v. State of
Arunachal Pradesh intervened with a liberal interpretation of the law to suggest that refugees are a class apart
from foreigners deserving of the protection of Article 21 of the Constitution. The Court held at pr. 20,

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We are a country governed by the Rule of Law. Our Constitution confers certain rights on every human being
and certain other rights on citizens. Every person is entitled to equality before the law and equal protection of
the laws. So also, no person can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure
established by law. Thus the State is bound to protect the life and liberty of every human being, be he a citizen
or otherwise, and it cannot permit anybody or group of persons, e.g., the AAPSU, to threaten the Chakmas to
leave the State, failing which they would be forced to do so.
India's International Commitments To Refugee Protection
India has signed a number of international conventions that impinge upon its obligations towards refugees.
These include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 [UDHR]; the International Convention on Civil
and Political Rights, 1966 [ICCPR]; the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966
[ICESCR]; the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1966 CERD;
the Convention Against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984 CAT); and,
the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1979 CEDAW. Significant
pressure to accede to the Refugee Convention and enact refugee protection legislation for the country is exerted
on the Indian Government by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Future Protection:
The need for a stable and secure guarantee of refugee protection in India led to the establishment of an Eminent
Persons Group (EPG), chaired by former Chief Justice P. N. Bhagwati, to suggest a model law for refugee
protection. However, the process of drafting appropriate refugee protection legislation began earlier at the Third
South Asian Informal Regional Consultation on Refugee Migratory Movements, where a five-member working
group was constituted to draft a model refugee protection law for the South Asian region. The first draft of this
proposed law was presented at the 1997 SAARC LAW Seminar in New Delhi, modified and then adopted by the
Fourth Annual Meeting of the Regional Consultation at Dhaka in 1997. The India-specific model law was born
out of this regional consultative process to provide statutory protection to refugees in the diverse South Asian
region. Despite technical or specific misgivings about the model law, there has been unanimity about its
necessity and widespread acceptance of its use as a framework for future protection.
The Indian state has treated a few refugee communities reasonably well but has not formulated a well-defined
refugee law and judicial interventions have been case specific. The absence of clearly defined statutory
standards subjects refugees and asylum seekers to inconsistent and arbitrary government policies.
In conclusion we can say that refugee is someone who has fled his/her country because of a justifiable fear of
persecution due to religion, nationality, race, member of a particular social group or political opinion and cannot
or does not want to return to his/her country because of that fear.
Refugees face humanitarian problems, burden the economies of host countries, and pose security risks to the
international community. This makes it important to determine and understand the causes of refuge flows. A war
is usually the direct instigation of such a fear and subsequent flight. This war may be within or between states.
However, such a conflict may have underlying causes that may have resulted from tensions from a complex
interplay of pressures from political, ethnic, and economic disputes. Environmental degradation is also one of
the interactive factors that exacerbate refugee flows.
While some governments lack the capacity to provide security for their minority groups from aggression from
dominant groups, others governments are involved in gross human rights violations of its own people; either
social classes or ethnic minorities and political dissidents.

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Business & Economy

RBI tightens norms for NBFCs
Tightening norms for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), the Reserve Bank of India
has raised the capital adequacy requirement and the net owned fund limit, among others, with
an objective to mitigate risks in the sector.
New Norms:

With a view to streamlining the regulations for the sector, the RBI also revoked temporary
suspension on issuance of Certificate of Registration (CoR) to companies that want to
conduct business of non-banking financial institution (NBFI).
As per the latest directives, the RBI has raised the limit for NBFCs to maintain the net
owned fund (NOF) requirement to four times by 2017 to Rs.2 crore. At present, the NOF
requirement is at Rs.25 lakh. In a phased manner, the NBFCs would be required to raise
it to Rs.1 crore by March, 2016, and to further double it to Rs.2 crore by 2017. NBFCs
failing to achieve the prescribed ceiling within the stipulated time period shall not be eligible
to hold the CoR (Certificate of Registration) as NBFCs. The bank will initiate the process
for cancellation of CoR against such NBFCs.
NBFCs primarily engaged in lending against gold jewellery, will have to maintain a
minimum Tier I capital (or equity capital) of 12 per cent with effective from April 1 as against
existing requirement of 10 per cent.
For deposit and non-deposit taking NBFCs, Capital to Risk (Weighted) Assets Ratio or
CRAR, which includes Tier I capital of 7.5 per cent, is 15 per cent at present. However, as
per the new norms, NBFCs have to raise the Tier I capital to 8.5 per cent by end of March
2016 and 10 per cent by March 2017. Towards provisioning of standard assets, the RBI
said that NBFCs would be required to raise it to 0.3 per cent by end of March 2016; 0.35
per cent by March 2017 and to 0.4 per cent by end of March 2018.
Presently, every NBFC is required to make a provision for standard assets at 0.25 per cent
of the outstanding. In the interest of harmonisation, the asset classification norms for
NBFCs-ND-SI and NBFCs-D will be brought in line with that of banks. At present, an asset
is classified as non-performing asset when it has remained overdue for a period of six
months or more for loans; and overdue for twelve months or more in case of lease rental
and hire purchase instalments, as compared to 90 days for banks.
For NBFCs-ND with an asset size of less than Rs.500 crore shall not be subjected to any
regulation either prudential or conduct of business regulations if they have not accessed
any public funds and do not have a customer interface. Also, those having customer
interface will be subjected only to conduct of business regulations including FPC, KYC, if
they are not accessing public funds.
Those accepting public funds will be subjected to limited prudential regulations but not
conduct of business regulations if they have no customer interface. Where both public
funds are accepted and customer interface exist, such companies will be subjected both
to limited prudential regulations and conduct of business regulations.

NBFCs:
Non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) are financial institutions that provide banking
services without meeting the legal definition of a bank, i.e. one that does not hold a
banking license. These institutions typically are restricted from taking deposits from the
public depending on the jurisdiction. Nonetheless, operations of these institutions are
often still covered under a countrys banking regulations.

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The Reserve Bank of India is entrusted with the responsibility of regulating and
supervising the Non-Banking Financial Companies by virtue of powers vested under
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The regulatory and supervisory objective is to:

Ensure healthy growth of the financial companies;

Ensure that these companies function as a part of the financial system within the policy
framework, in such a manner that their existence and functioning do not lead to systemic
aberrations; and that
The quality of surveillance and supervision exercised by the Bank over the NBFCs is
sustained by keeping pace with the developments that take place in this sector of the
financial system.

Difference between Banks and NBFCs:

NBFCs lend and make investments and hence their activities are akin to that of banks; however
there are a few differences as given below:

NBFC cannot accept demand deposits;

NBFCs do not form part of the payment and settlement system and cannot issue cheques
drawn on itself;
deposit insurance facility of Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation is not
available to depositors of NBFCs, unlike in case of banks.

SEBI to clear milder version of draft insider trading norms

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is set to overhaul the insider trading
norms, first framed two decades ago. The new rules would be far more stringent than the
regulations currently in place but not as strict as those mentioned in the draft document
circulated in December last year.
The insider trading norms will define connected persons on the basis of the duty they
perform for a company and the legal relation they have with the listed entity and its
promoters.
In the draft regulations formulated by the insider trading committee, led by judge N K Sodhi,
a connected person was defined as someone connected with a company in any capacity
(including people who had frequent communications with company officers) in the six
months prior to the trade. The committee had suggested fundamental changes to current
regulations, aimed at improving predictability, clarity and deterrence.
The draft regulations had made headlines for their inclusion of public servants in the
definition of connected persons. But in the final guidelines, public servants and ministers
might not find a specific mention.
In the draft regulations, any due-diligence that companies engaged in needed to be
declared to stock exchanges two days before any trading activity was undertaken in the
stock. But the final norms might not find mention of due-diligence aspects.
Draft norms

Connected persons defined on the basis of association and responsibility to a company

Connected persons include public servants
Due-diligence required to be declared to bourses 2 trading days before proposed trade
New norms

Connected person is someone who is related to a firm in any capacity

No specific mention of public servants as connected persons
Due-diligence aspects will not be mentioned

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However, there is another section of market that believes any form of price-sensitive
information should be available to all types of investors. The due-diligence aspect is the
heart and soul of the regulations.
Legal experts say persons with fiduciary duty to shareholders are supposed to put
shareholders interest ahead of their own and, thus, should be labelled as insiders.
Sebi is also thinking about introducing a trade plan for companies that want to deal in
their own shares. Under the plan, companies and promoters will be required to declare
their intent of trading in their own shares and mandatorily conduct such trades six months
later. Experts say trade plan will aid in removing the hassles companies earlier faced in
trading in their securities.
Insider trading is the trading of a public companys stock or other securities (such as bonds
or stock options) by individuals with access to non-public information about the company.
With the main objective to prohibit an insider from making any personal gain from
unpublished price sensitive information, SEBI had framed regulations known as SEBI
(prohibition of insider trading) regulations 1992. These regulations were applicable to all
listed companies which were required to disseminate price sensitive information such as
financial results, dividend information, bonus declarations, merger/amalgamations
declarations and other material developments, which have an impact on the share prices
of the company.
The current regulations have many loopholes. The current framework is considered heavily
skewed in favour of minority shareholders and, therefore, promoters say taking a company
private is extremely difficult.
The proposed tightening of norms assumes significance in the wake of Sebi coming across
cases of insider trading at not just small companies, but at big corporates as well.

Department of Telecom blinks, agrees to take 150 MHz spectrum from Defence

The Department of Telecom and the Ministry of Defence have finally agreed on the
contours of how spectrum will be earmarked for use by the armed forces and mobile
operators.
one of the sticking points was the amount of spectrum to be vacated by the Defence
between the 1700 MHz band and the 2000 MHz band, considered to be the ideal frequency
bands for mobile operations.
While the DoT had been insisting on getting at least 230 MHz between these frequency
bands, it has managed to get only 150 MHz, which was what the Defence had agreed to
release initially.
The DoT has moved a note seeking the Cabinets approval for creating an exclusive
Defence Band for use by the armed forces.
The spectrum usage charges have also been waived for this, which if collected would have
resulted in additional revenues of Rs. 47,000 crore a year to the Government.

FM Arun Jaitley slams unsustainable taxes

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that an unsustainable tax demand would only earn the
country a bad name as an investment destination.
The Ministers comments come in the wake of the Income Tax department losing its battle
against Shell in Mumbai High Court.
Unsustainable demand wont get you taxes. Unsustainable demands in the books can
show you in good glory, but eventually those taxes will be blocked in some judicial court
proceedings...they would have only earned us a bad name as an investment destination,

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Mr Jaitley said at the HT Leadership Summit. He, however, maintained that those who are
supposed to pay taxes must pay.
Mr Jaitleys comments come in the wake of Mumbai High Court order earlier this week
wherein Income Tax Department lost its Rs 18,000 crore transfer pricing cases against oil
major Shell India. The government is also engaged in a Rs 20,000 crore tax dispute with
British telecom major Vodafone.
Referring to retrospective amendments to the tax laws by the UPA government, Mr Jaitley
said, if the government was not investor friendly, people would start looking elsewhere.
He further said making the taxation regime investor-friendly and streamlining the procedure
for land acquisition were the big challenges facing the government.
The Minister, however, took comfort from the fact that taxation laws were the domain of
the Lok Sabha in which the NDA has majority.
He said though the government had managed to get the mess concerning allocation of
coal blocks cleared with ease, resolving other issues remained a challenge.
When asked the three specific reforms he would like to get passed in the ensuing Winter
session of Parliament, Mr Jaitley said he would like the insurance Bill, coal laws and Goods
and Services tax to be cleared. He said there were political risks to reforms.
Reforms alone by themselves are not enough, if they have to survive politically, the
blending [with politics] has to be adequately done by those involved, Mr. Jaitley said.

Floor capital for small finance, payments banks set at Rs. 100 cr
Objective of setting up of small finance banks: to further financial inclusion by provision of
savings vehicles and supply of credit to small business units, small and marginal farmers,
micro and small industries and other unorganised sector entities, through high technologylow cost operations.
New guidelines include:

The minimum paid-up capital for these banks will be Rs.100 crore each.
The foreign shareholding will be in line with the foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for
private sector banks.
Individuals/professionals with 10 years of experience in banking and finance and
companies and societies will be eligible to set up small finance banks.
Existing non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), micro finance institutions (MFIs), and
local area banks (LABs) can also opt for conversion into small finance banks.
The small finance banks will primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of
deposits and lending to un-served and underserved sections, including small business
units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector
entities.
The small finance banks will be subject to all prudential norms and regulations of RBI as
applicable to existing commercial banks, including requirement of maintenance of Cash
Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).
The small finance banks will be required to extend 75 per cent of its adjusted net bank
credit (ANBC) to the sectors eligible for classification as priority sector lending (PSL) by
the RBI. At least 50 per cent of its loan portfolio should constitute loans and advances of
up to Rs. 25 lakh.
If the small finance bank aspired to transit into a universal bank, such transition would not
be automatic, but would be subject to fulfilling minimum paid-up capital / net worth
requirement as applicable to universal banks, among others.
Objectives of setting up of payments banks: to further financial inclusion by providing small
savings accounts and payments/remittance services to migrant labour workforce, low
income households, small businesses, other unorganised sector entities and other users.

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New guidelines for Payment banks include:

Existing non-bank pre-paid payment instrument (PPI) issuers and other entities such as
individuals /professionals, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), corporate business
correspondents(BCs), mobile telephone companies, super-market chains, companies, real
sector cooperatives and public sector entities can apply to set up payments banks.
A promoter/promoter group can have a joint venture with an existing scheduled commercial
bank to set up a payments banks.
These banks would be allowed to distribute non-risk sharing simple financial products like
mutual fund lending activities.
Payment banks are not allowed to lend and must have a cap of Rs 1 lakh on deposits
which can be invested in government securities, but they will have access to the RBIs
liquidity windows.
They will be required to invest at least 75 per cent of their demand deposit balances in
statutory liquidity ratio (SLR)-eligible government securities and treasury bills with maturity
of up to one year.
They can hold a maximum of 25 per cent in current and time/fixed deposits with other
scheduled commercial banks for operational purposes and liquidity management.
Payment banks will be allowed to issue debit cards, but not credit cards, and can offer
current and savings account deposits.
They cannot accept NRI deposits.

Subsidies will leave next generation in debt: Arun Jaitley

A reduction of the scope of subsidies currently being provided to the well-off appears to be
on the anvil with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley questioning the justification of giving
unquantified subsidy to unidentifiable sections.
However, he maintained that some element of subsidy will have to remain for a large
section, who are entitled to it since the country has several poor people who need state
support.
Yesterday I had said why should people like you and me get an LPG subsidy and look at
the kind of burden it is having on the budget.
We have started living with the deficit budget. We just make sure that our fiscal deficit is
not beyond a particular point, he said at an interaction with PTI journalists at the agencys
headquarters here.
Under the current dispensation, the Minister said the government targets a specific number
for deficit and in turn borrows from the market to fund current expenditure.
You cannot have a subsidy, an unquantified amount given to an unidentified section of
people. So subsidy must be a quantified amount given to an identifiable section, he said,

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adding the duplication of subsidy benefits results in losses to the exchequer to the tune of
thousands of crores.
We will leave the next generation in debt so that they (next generation) levy higher taxes
to pay back the loan of subsidising me, when I am not entitled to the subsidy. So this kind
of an economy will keep the country in a trap, he said.

BSE starts new investor service centre in the capital

Strengthening its efforts to reach out to a larger number of investors, leading bourse the
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) started an investor service centre in the national capital.
The new centre would be co-ordinating the investor education and grievance redressal
activities of other such centres in the northern region, including Kanpur and Lucknow.
The exchange has about 16 investor service centres in different parts of the country.
BSE Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Ashishkumar Chauhan said the
exchange has been in the forefront of resolving issues related to investor grievances in the
shortest possible time.
While inaugurating the new centre, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
chairman U.K. Sinha said in recent years the attention on investor services has gone up
substantially.

Disaster insurance cover:

A task force report recommendations being examined. Combined efforts of Home and Finance
ministries, NDMA, IRDA to identify solutions towards disaster relief and risk mitigation.

Exclusive natural catastrophe insurance product.

Make public liability cover mandatory for public places.
Enable NDRF and SDRF to buy parametric insurance covers to augment their financial
capabilities.

80:20 scheme for gold import set for revamp:

Why revamp: Round-tripping and Smuggling of gold has become rampant. To finance
smuggling, hawala route was the preferred option and hence premiums have increased. To
stop misuse, the scheme should be simple to implement and supervise.

PM chairs high-level meeting to review connectivity-related infrastructure

sectors
PM reviewed the progress of work towards achievement of targets in the connectivityrelated infrastructure sectors of roads, railways, shipping and civil aviation. The Prime
Minister said that the Sagarmala project must lay stress on "port-led development"
- which will include various connectivity elements including ports, international shipping,
highways and rail connectivity

Oil hits 4 year low at $82

Brent crude oil fell by more than 3%. (brent oil is oil obtained from north sea).

Blue Revolution can start from Kerala said union minister for agriculture

Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh said that issues related to the
makeover of the fisheries sector would be discussed before the next Union Budget. He was

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speaking at the inauguration of the three-day Global Agro Meet and exhibition of organic
products BIOFACH India 2014 at Kurkutty, near Angamaly.

The Blue Revolution envisages transformation of the fisheries sector, chiefly marine
fisheries and the Centre had appointed a committee to review Indias marine fisheries
policy.

Mr. Singh said that funds had been allotted for the development of several fishing jetties in
Kerala and emphasised the governments concern for the fishing community.

Greater market access in Russia sought for Indian products

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanded greater market
access in Russia for Indian pharmaceutical, automotive, textile and value-added farm
products and invited Russian businessmen to explore with an open mind investment
opportunities in India. (while addressing India-Russia forum on trade and
development).

Fiscal deficit touches 83% of full-year target in first 6 months:

Fiscal deficit has reduced to 4.1% from previous 4.5% of GDP.

ATMs use over five times in any way will be charged rs.20 a transaction.

The number of free transactions at ATMs of non-home banks has been cut to three
times a month from five times(in 6 metro cities only- delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata,
Hyderabad and Bangalore).
The cap in the number of free ATM transactions will not apply on small/no-frills or basic
savings bank deposit account holders.

Spanish govt. imposes Google tax

The Spanish government has successfully passed a new copyright law which imposes fees
for online content aggregators such as Google News, in an effort to protect its print media
industry.

The new intellectual property law, known popularly as the Google Tax or by its initials
LPI, requires services which post links and excerpts of news articles to pay a fee to the
organisation representing Spanish newspapers, the Association of Editors of Spanish
Dailies (known by its Spanish-language abbreviation AEDE). Failure to pay up can lead to
a fine of up to 600,000.

The law is the latest volley in the war between European newspapers and Google. The
publishers accuse the search firm of using their copyrighted material to build up a news
service without doing any reporting of its own; Google defends itself by claiming that it
secured 10 billion views to newspapers websites every month.

A similar law passed in Germany saw Google removing the affected newspapers from
Google news altogether before the publishers eventually came back and asked to be
relisted after seeing their traffic plummet, a step they said they had to take because of the
overwhelming market power of Google.

The Google tax isnt the only component of Spains law, which tightens up existing
regulation. Once it comes into action at the beginning of 2014, the country will also require
websites to remove links to material that infringes copyright, even if the websites

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themselves dont make money from the infringement. It doesnt require copyright holders
to go through a judge before demanding links be removed, while imposing fines of
600,000 on sites which dont act.

The law also applies to the third party sites providing hosting or payment services to the
infringing site, something that has led opponents of the law to label it as censorship,
comparing it to the financial boycott of Wikileaks.

Make in India programme will meet Russias Eastern pivot:

Fields defence production, nuclear and space programmes, are fields India is looking
to Russia for closer cooperation.

Final guidelines for the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) issued by RBI.

The BBPS is an integrated bill payment system offering inter-operable and accessible bill
payment service to customers through a network of agents, enabling multiple payment
modes, and providing instant confirmation of payment.
It will help consumers pay multiple bills like electricity, telephone and school fees at a single
point of transaction.
The RBI-promoted payment retail gateway and the issuer of the Rupay debit Cards, the
National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has been appointed as the nodal body.
The move will help track all the payments being made in economy, including cash
payments to utilities, schools, and telcos among others.

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Minister urges use of M-sand for construction
What is M-Sand?
M-Sand is manufactured sand. M-sand is crushed aggregates produced from hard granite
stone which is cubically shaped with grounded edges, washed and graded with
consistency to be used as a substitute of river sand. Manufactured sand is an alternative
for river sand.
Why is it required?

Due to fast growing construction industry, the demand for sand has increased
tremendously, causing deficiency of suitable river sand in most part of the word. Due to the
depletion of good quality river sand for the use of construction, the use of manufactured
sand has been increased.
Another reason for use of M-Sand is its availability and transportation cost. Since this sand
can be crushed from hard granite rocks, it can be readily available at the nearby place,
reducing the cost of transportation from far-off river sand bed.
Advantages of Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) are:

It can be dust free, the sizes of m-sand can be controlled easily so that it meets the required
grading for the given construction.
It is well graded in the required proportion.
It does not contain organic and soluble compound that affects the setting time and
properties of cement, thus the required strength of concrete can be maintained.
It does not have the presence of impurities such as clay, dust and silt coatings, increase
water requirement as in the case of river sand which impair bond between cement paste
and aggregate. Thus, increased quality and durability of concrete.
M-Sand is obtained from specific hard rock (granite) using the state-of-the-art International
technology, thus the required property of sand is obtained.
M-Sand is cubical in shape and is manufactured using technology like High Carbon steel
hit rock and then ROCK ON ROCK process which is synonymous to that of natural process
undergoing in river sand information.
Modern and imported machines are used to produce M-Sand to ensure required grading
zone for the sand.

Scientists developed a new drug Staphefekt to replace antibiotics

Scientists for the first time developed antibiotic-free drug named Staphefekt as an
alternative to antibiotics.
This new drug will aid in the fight against the antibiotics-resistant superbugs such as MRSA
(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
About Staphefekt

Staphefekt is based on a naturally occurring enzyme called endolysins produced

by viruses and attacks infections differently to antibiotics. Unlike antibiotics, it does
not destroy the harmless bacteria that live in the body.
Endolysins (enzymes) exist in nature but the scientist made a modified version that
combines the bit that is best at binding to the bacteria with another bit so that it is
best at killing it.

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Staphefekt is already used as a cream to treat skin infections and researchers hope
to create pill and injectable forms in future.
Healthcare experts looking for the alternative for antibiotics because 5000 deaths
in a year are linked to drug resistance diseases.

Khejri trees of Rajasthan is dying: scientists

Rajasthans State tree Khejri is dying a slow death, scientists and environmentalists
have warned.
Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) covers about two-thirds of the total geographical area of the
State and and is of immense significance culturally and economically. The tree supports
rural economy like no other wild vegetation does.
The fruit of the tree is eaten as sangria, cooked as a delicious vegetable and mixed with
the fruits of Kair, another dominant vegetation across the desert region. It is rich in
proteins and dry sangria is sold at Rs. 300-400 a kg. The dead leaves of the tree are natural
fertilizers. Other parts are fed to the cattle as it increases the milk yield.
A branch or two on the top of the tree is left uncut, which helps rejuvenate the tree within
a few months. The Desert Tree, as it is also known as, was the lifeline of the people in
Western Rajasthan in the earlier times. It provided firewood and even acted as a cash crop.
The root cause of decline in the Khejri cover is its excessive lopping (cutting of branches),
which all farm owners do annually to procure its fruit, pods, leaves, branches and twigs,
says environmentalist Harsh Vardhan. Indiscriminate cutting of branches takes its toll on
the tree and its decay gets expedited, Mr. Harsh Vardhan explains.
Scientists at Jodhpur-based Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI) have assessed that
Khejri mortality ranged from 18.08 per cent to 22.67 per cent with an average mortality of
20.93 per cent in Jodhpur, Nagaur, Churu, Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Jalore districts.

Google X, developing nanoparticles to detect cancer

Google X, the internet giants research unit, is reportedly working on a technology project
that combines disease-detecting nanoparticles, which would enter a patients bloodstream
via a swallowed pill, with a wrist-worn sensor.

The technology aims to constantly monitor the blood for the unique traces of cancer,
allowing diagnosis long before any physical symptoms appear.

What we are trying to do is change medicine from reactive and transactional to proactive
and preventative, said Dr. Andrew Conrad, a molecular biologist who is leading the
diagnostic project.

Nanoparticles give you the ability to explore the body at a molecular and cellular level,
Dr. Conrad said.

These nanoparticles are intended to match markers for different conditions. They could be
tailored to stick to a cancerous cell or a fragment of cancerous DNA. They could also find
evidence of fatty plaques about to break free from the lining of blood vessels. These can
cause a heart attack or stroke if they stop the flow of blood.

You can recall those nanoparticles to a single location - because they are magnetic - and
that location is the superficial vasculature of the wrist, [where] you can ask them what they
saw, said Dr. Conrad.

The tech company will also create a wristband that would take readings of the
nanoparticles via light and radio waves one or more times a day.

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Google has hired more than 100 experts for the nanotechnology project from disciplines
including astrophysicists, immunology, biology, oncology, cardiology and chemistry.

Indias first net zero energy building with energy- efficient building material

Indias first net zero energy building that has been constructed with adoption of solar
passive design and energy-efficient building materials.
Functional since a year, a tour of the Indira Paryavaran Bhavan, a building under the
Central Government, was organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and
the Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats. It was aimed at
reinforcing the need for more such buildings across the country.
Speaking about the energy efficiency of the building, TERI (Sustainable Habitat Division)
director Mili Majumdar said: The Indira Paryavaran Bhavan is one of the first buildings in
India to have deployed energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies at a large
scale.
It is one of the exemplary projects to be rated under Green Rating for Integrated Habitat
Assessment [GRIHA] and has set standards that can be emulated by upcoming buildings
in the region.

Controlling mosquitoes from breeding vital to prevent diseases

Money spent on controlling mosquitoes will have little impact if community participation in
maintaining its environment is poor. By preventing mosquitoes from breeding, all diseases
caused by them malaria, dengue, filaria, chikungunya and Japanese encephalitis can
be prevented,
It is necessary to follow these steps as they would prevent the aquatic stage in mosquitos
breeding cycle from egg-laying to pupae stages. The aquatic stage lasts from a week
to 10 days.
Mosquitoes lay eggs only in water. While Culex mosquito, which spreads filaria, prefers
polluted water, dengue-spreading mosquitoes prefer clean water.

Philae lands on comet 67P

The European Space Agency said it has succeeded in landing a spacecraft on a comet for
the first time in history.
The landing on the speeding comet marks the highlight of the decade-long Rosetta
spacecrafts mission to study comets and learn more about the origins of these celestial
bodies.
The landing capped a 6.4 billion-kilometer journey by the European Space Agencys
Rosetta spacecraft, launched a decade ago to study the four-kilometer-wide
67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet

Rosetta was launched on 2 March 2004 on an Ariane 5 rocket and reached the comet on 6
August 2014, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a comet.Rosetta took off from Earth 10
years ago carrying Philae and traveled 6.4 billion miles before arriving in early August at the
comet.
Philae:

Philaes mission was to land successfully on the surface of a comet, attach itself, and
transmit data from the surface about the comets composition. It is a robotic European
Space Agency lander.
The scientific goals of the mission focus on elemental, isotopic, molecular and
mineralogical composition of the cometary material, the characterization of physical
properties of the surface and subsurface material, the large-scale structure and the
magnetic and plasma environment of the nucleus. Sensors on the lander will measure the

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density and thermal properties of the surface, gas analyzers will help detect and identify
any complex organic chemicals that might be present, while other tests will measure the
magnetic field and interaction between the comet and solar wind.
Philae is equipped with an array of experiments to photograph and test the surface of
Comet 67P as well as to find out what happens when the roasting effect of the sun drives
off gas and dust.

Lightning strikes may go up due to global warming

New research says that lightning strikes are likely to increase by 50 per cent thanks to
global warming.
Studying predictions of precipitation and cloud buoyancy in 11 different climate models,
researchers have concluded that their combined effect will generate more frequent
electrical discharges to the ground. With warming, thunderstorms become more explosive.
Lightning is caused by charge separation within clouds, and to maximise charge
separation, you have to loft more water vapour and heavy ice particles into the atmosphere.
Global warming is leading to more water vapour into our atmosphere which is the fuel for
explosive deep convection in the atmosphere.
Precipitation total amount of water falling on ground in the form of rain, snow is
basically a measure of how convective the atmosphere is. It is convection that generates
lightning.
More lightning strikes mean more human injuries; estimates of people struck each year
range from the hundreds to nearly a thousand, with scores of deaths

Internet users in India expected to cross 300 mn by December: Report

The number of Internet users in India is expected to cross the 300 million mark by the end
of this year, overtaking the US as worlds second-largest Internet market.
According to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB
International, the number of Internet users in India is expected to grow 32 per cent to 302
million this year from 213 million at the end of December 2013.
Presently, India has the third-largest Internet user base in the world. While China leads
with more than 600 million Internet users, the US has an estimated 279 million users

CO2 emissions must be nil by 2070 to prevent disaster: U.N.

The UN has warned that the world must cut CO2 emissions to zero by 2070. The UNEP
report says that by 2100, all greenhouse gas emissions including methane, nitrous oxide
and ozone, as well as CO2 must fall to zero.
WHY?

To keep global warming below dangerous levels and prevent a global catastrophe. Or else
the world will face severe, widespread and irreversible effects from climate change.
The UNEP report is based on the idea that the planet has a finite carbon budget. Since
emissions surged in the late 19th century, some 1,900 Gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2 and 1,000
Gt of other greenhouse gases have already been emitted, leaving less than 1,000 Gt of
CO2 left to emit before locking the planet in to dangerous temperature rises of more than
2 degree C above pre-industrial levels.
What Next?

All scenarios in the UNEP report now require some degree of negative CO2 emissions in
the second half of the century, through technologies such as carbon capture and storage
or, possibly, controversial, planetary wide engineering of the climate known as geo-

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engineering. UNEP is extremely interested in the subject and is planning a report in the
months ahead.
Consideration should be given to compensatory schemes for investors in fossil fuels
companies to address the stranded assets issue.
What is the problem now?

The big uncertainty is whether a country can put enough policies in place from 2020-2030
in the critical window to allow the least-cost pathways [to lower emissions and
temperatures] to still stand a chance of being followed.
And it is a political game now as the uncertainties have shifted from the science to the
politics.

$9.3 billion climate funding pledged

Nations meeting in Berlin pledged $9.3 billion for a climate fund to help poor countries cut
emissions and prepare for global warming, just shy of a $10 billion target.
Green Climate Fund (GCF):
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund established in 2010 and is within the framework
of the UNFCCC.
How it helps?

The Green Climate Fund will support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in
developing country Parties using thematic funding windows.
It is intended to be the centre piece of efforts to raise Climate Finance of $100 billion a year
by 2020.
The Fund will promote the paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient
development pathways by providing support to developing countries to limit or reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change, taking into
account the needs of those developing countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse
effects of climate change.
The Fund will strive to maximize the impact of its funding for adaptation and mitigation, and
seek a balance between the two, while promoting environmental, social, economic and
development co-benefits and taking a gender-sensitive approach.
Who will govern the Fund?

The Fund is governed and supervised by a Board that will have full responsibility for funding
decisions and that receives the guidance of the COP.
The Fund is accountable to, and functions under the guidance of, the COP.
It is governed by a Board of 24 members and was initially supported by an Interim
Secretariat.

DIPP abolishes licensing for ANFO

The government after due consideration has decided that no licence under the Industries
(Development & Regulation) Act, 1951, will be necessary by mine owners to manufacture
ANFO explosives.
Now: Mining companies engaged in the manufacture of ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO)
would not be required to obtain licence for possession and use of blasting accessories like
safety fuse and detonators.

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How this will be Helpful: This will help mine owners using ANFO to continue mining
operations and will help the development of cement industry as well as the construction
sector
About ANFO:
It is a widely used bulk industrial explosive mixture.
Constituents:
It consists of 94% porous prilled ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) (AN) that acts as the
oxidizing agent and absorbent for the fuel and 6% number 2 fuel oil (FO).
Uses:

ANFO has found wide use in coal mining, quarrying, metal mining, and civil construction in
undemanding applications where the advantages of ANFOs low cost and ease of use
matter more than the benefits offered by conventional industrial explosives, such as water
resistance, oxygen balance, high detonation velocity, and performance in small diameters.
Ammonium nitrate is widely used as a fertilizer in the agricultural industry. In many
countries, its purchase and use are restricted to buyers who have obtained the proper
license. This restriction is primarily because it is an attractive and simple component used
in the production of bombs.
The popularity of ANFO is largely attributable to its low cost and high stability.
Why it is said to be dangerous:

Unmixed ammonium nitrate can decompose explosively and has been responsible for
several industrial disasters, including the 1947 Texas City disaster in Texas City, Texas,
the 2004 Ryongchon disaster in North Korea, and the 2013 West Fertilizer Company
explosion in West, Texas.
Environmental hazards include eutrophication in confined waters and nitrate/gas oil
contamination of ground or surface water.
Ammonium nitrate and nitromethane (ANNM) is one of the most powerful improvised types
of AN-based explosives and is very dangerous.

Two new subatomic particles discovered

Two new subatomic particles that could widen our understanding of the universe have
been discovered, scientists at CERN announced.
The collaboration for the LHCb experiment at CERNs Large Hadron Collider discovered
the two new particles belonging to the baryon family.
A baryon is a composite subatomic particle made up of three quarks.
The particles were predicted to exist by the quark model but had never been seen before.
A related particle was found by the CMS experiment at CERN in 2012.
Like the well-known protons that the LHC accelerates, the new particles are baryons made
from three quarks bound together by the strong force.
The types of quarks are different, though: the new particles both contain one beauty (b),
one strange (s), and one down (d) quark, CERN said in a statement.
Thanks to the heavyweight b quarks, they are more than six times as massive as the
proton. But the particles are more than just the sum of their parts: their mass also depends
on how they are configured.
Nature was kind and gave us two particles for the price of one, said Matthew Charles of
the CNRSs LPNHE laboratory at Paris VI University.

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As well as the masses of these particles, the research team studied their relative production
rates, their widths a measure of how unstable they are and other details of their
decays.
The results match up with predictions based on the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics
(QCD), researchers said.
QCD is part of the Standard Model of particle physics, the theory that describes the
fundamental particles of matter, how they interact and the forces between them.

MP Says no to two GM seeds field trial

The Madhya Pradesh government has declined to give no objection certificate for field
trials of two genetically modified seeds chick pea and mustard in the State due to
doubts over adverse impact of those crops on humans, animals, biodiversity and
environment.
The decision over-rules the permission granted for such trials by the Genetic Engineering
Approval Committee under the Central Government in August.
The trials are for testing the bio-safety of the two new crop varieties. The new chick pea
seed promises to increase productivity by preventing damage to crops by podborer pest.
Yield loss in chick pea due to this pest is estimated at 21 per cent. The seed has been
developed by the Delhi Universitys Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants.
The new mustard variety is the first-ever hybrid version of the crop developed indigenously.
It was developed by the Delhi Universitys South Campus and had been given to Delhibased Sungro Seeds for field trial.
Expressing dismay, a senior official in the Central Governments Department of
Biotechnology said it was unfortunate as the new varieties could have helped increase the
production of the two crops significantly in the country.

India did not clear on its position on the issue of hydrofluorocarbons

India did not clearly spell out its position on the issue of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) during
a key UN conference as nations debated whether to set up a contact group for discussing
the proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the harmful greenhouse
gas.
As nations debated pro and cons of the issue, India neither supported nor opposed it and
instead merely read out a joint-bilateral statement on HFCs signed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama during their White House summit on
September 30.
When contacted, Indian officials known to the development pointed out that it was done to
clarify the countrys stand after Canada, while moving the amendment, referred to a
change in Indias approach on the issue.
Indias unclear stand has irked the green groups attending the conference.
I cant understand why a bilateral deal was read out in a multilateral forum, climate expert
and deputy director general of Centre for Science and Environment, Chandra Bhushan,
said.
On the opening day of the conference on November 17, India had not opposed to
participate in discussing on the agenda on the issue of harmful greenhouse gas under
United Nations Montreal Protocol on ozone depleting substances.
As the debate is still on, a breakthrough on the issue of HFCs is highly unlikely as oil
producing gulf countries participating in a key UN conference continued their strong
opposition to the U.S.-led nations proposal to amend the Montreal Protocol to phase down
the harmful greenhouse gas.

IIT-Madras joins CERN experiment

IIT-Madras has been accepted as a full member of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS)
experiment collaboration and is looking forward to make best use of the opportunity.

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The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, which is part of the Large Hadron Collider
at CERN, is famous for its role in the discovery of the Higgs Boson a.k.a the god particle.
It is expected to start collecting data once again around March 2015.
Large Hadron Collider:
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the worlds largest and most powerful particle
accelerator.
Built by: European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
Aim:
To allow physicists to test the predictions of different theories of particle physics and highenergy physics, and particularly prove or disprove the existence of the theorized Higgs
boson and of the large family of new particles predicted by supersymmetric theories.
The LHC consists of a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets with a number of
accelerating structures to boost the energy of the particles along the way.
Details:

Inside the accelerator, two high-energy particle beams travel at close to the speed of light
before they are made to collide.
The beams travel in opposite directions in separate beam pipes two tubes kept at
ultrahigh vacuum. They are guided around the accelerator ring by a strong magnetic field
maintained by superconducting electromagnets.
The electromagnets are built from coils of special electric cable that operates in a
superconducting state, efficiently conducting electricity without resistance or loss of
energy. This requires chilling the magnets to -271.3C a temperature colder than outer
space. For this reason, much of the accelerator is connected to a distribution system of
liquid helium, which cools the magnets, as well as to other supply services.
Just prior to collision, another type of magnet is used to squeeze the particles closer
together to increase the chances of collisions. The particles are so tiny that the task of
making them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 kilometres apart with such precision
that they meet halfway.

Achievements in Space Science

The details of the major achievements made in the field of space during the last one year
and how they benefit our country are given below:

Successful launch of India`s first interplanetary spacecraft, Mars Orbiter onboard Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C25 in November, 2013. On September 24, 2014, India`s
Mars Orbiter Spacecraft was successfully placed into an elliptical orbit around planet Mars.
Mars Orbiter Mission has benefitted the country by:
(1) Technological up-gradation of the country in the area of space technology
(2) Providing excellent opportunities in planetary research for the scientific
community of the country and enthuse the younger generation.

Successful launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5) with an

indigenous cryogenic engine & stage in January 2014. The GSLV-D5 injected the GSAT-

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14 Communications Satellite, weighing 1982 kg, into a precise Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbit.
GSLV-D5 flight has benefitted the country by
1. Achieving self-reliance in launching 2000 kg class communication

satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.

2. GSAT-14 satellite has benefitted the country by augmenting the satellite

communication infrastructure in the country with addition of 12

transponders.

Successful launch of Indian navigational satellite IRNSS-1B, the second satellite in the
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) onboard PSLV-C24 in April, 2014
and IRNSS-1C, the third satellite of IRNSS onboard PSLV-C26 in October, 2014.
1. IRNSS is a constellation of seven satellites and currently three satellites

(IRNSS-1A, 1B & 1C) are in orbit.

2. With the planned completion of constellation, IRNSS will benefit the country

by providing positioning services with an absolute position accuracy of better

than 20 meters over Indian Land Mass and a region extending to about 1500
Kms around India.

PSLV-C23 successfully launched French Earth Observation Satellite SPOT-7 along

with four small satellites viz. AISAT (Germany), NLS 7.1 & 7.2 (Canada) and VELOX1 (Singapore) in June, 2014 under commercial arrangements between ANTRIX and
the respective foreign agencies.

1.1 million HIV infections among children prevented: UNICEF

An estimated 1.1 million human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections among children
under the age of 15 have been prevented between 2005 and 2013.
According to data released by the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) ahead of World AIDS
Day, new HIV infections among children has declined by about 40 percent between 2009
and 2013, Xinhua reported.
However, the global goal of reducing the figure by 90 percent is still out of reach, the data
said.
The progress has been made through providing more pregnant women living with HIV with
services for the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), such as lifelong HIV
treatment which can reduce the transmission of virus to babies and keep their mothers
alive.
The sharpest declines took place in eight African countries, including Malawi, Ethiopia,
Zimbabwe, Botswana, among others.
However, only 67 percent of pregnant women living with HIV in all low- and middle-income
countries received the most effective treatment for PMTCT in 2013.
An estimated 190,000 children under the age of 15 died of AIDS-related causes in 2013
due to lack of treatment.
If we can avert 1.1 million new HIV infections in children, we can protect every child from
HIV but only if we reach every child, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said.

Virgin galactic spaceship:

A suborbital passenger spaceship being developed by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic
company, California. Crashed during test flight.

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Scientists identified Cancer cell fingerprints in blood that could speed up

diagnosis:
In particular they found a very specific fingerprint which identifies different types of
neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer which develops from a type of nerve cell.

Pakistan a big impediment to global polio eradication:

IMB report. IMB is independent monitoting board. a vital first step in completing a task that began
in 1988 and was to have been achieved by the year 2000. The virus remains out of control in
Pakistan. In Africa, Ebola has complicated the task of wiping out the virus. Home to 80 per
cent of the worlds polio cases in 2014, Pakistan is now the major stumbling block to global
polio eradication.

IIT-B develops advance membrane for dialysis patients

The futuristic IIT Bombay has developed a special membrane which will reduce the cost
and time required in the procedure by close to half.
The new product is also much safer to use with less potential for harmful side-effects.
The product is considered as the first step towards buiding of a portable or wearable
dialysers.

The product is expected to hit the market in a span of 3 years - that is after all the preclinical trials are successfully cleared.
What is Dialysis?

Its the process of artificially filtering solid and liquid waste and excesses present in the
body (blood) - otherwise done by the kidneys - to evict them out of the system.
Needless to say its man-made replacement of kidneys.
What is wrong with the present system?
High on Cost
In a poor country like India, only a handful kidney failure patients can afford dialysis.
The process requires money (a lot and often) and advance infrastructure (hospitals and
experts) - both are a luxury in India.
Its not even a one-off procedure which patient with mediocre resources can think of risking
their hard-earned money on.
Dialysis means recurring cost - each filter cost between Rs 600-1000 and is to be
used exclusively.
Any repeat use - to save on cost - expose the patient to infections such as Hepatitis B and C.
High on Suffering

The present process is especially harsh on the critical patients who has to endure
prolonged procedural suffering at a high cost during the dialysis.
Each dialysis session lasts two-three hours and a patient requires the treatment two-three
times a week.
As per an AIIMS report, almost 90% kidney failure cases in the country end up dead
within months due to lack of treatment.

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India test-fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II and Dhanush missiles

The day began with the test-firing of its Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile, which has a
strike range of 350 km, from a test range at Chandipur at abour 10.40am as part of a user
trial by Army.
Nine hours later, Dhanush, also a surface-to-surface missile and a naval variant of 'Prithvi',
was test-fired from a ship in the Bay of Bengal at around 7.40 pm by the Strategic Force
Command of the defence force.
Prithvi II was inducted into the SFC in 2003.
The launch was part of a regular training exercise of SFC and was monitored by DRDO
scientists, the sources said.
The single-stage, liquid-propelled Dhanush has already been inducted into the armed
services and is one of the 5 missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, defence
sources said.
Dhanush missile is capable of carrying conventional as well as nuclear payload of 500 to
1,000 kg and hit both land and sea-based targets.

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Ecology
Conclave on Asian elephants for conservation think tank in India, Myanmar,
Bhutan

The two-day conference on Asian elephants, held recently, concluded with a resolve to
establish a regional think tank with nodal officers from India, Bhutan and Myanmar.The meet
also stressed the need for bringing back focus to manage elephant ranges as cornerstone to
achieve clearly defined and measurable targets of conservation of elephants both in the wild
and in captivity in the three neighbouring countries.
Elephant experts and conservationists who participated in the discussions, resolved that transnational green corridors should be protected and strengthened. Other resolutions include
increased coordination between enforcement agencies of the three neighbouring countries,
involvement of younger generation in conservation programmes to infuse dynamism in
initiatives, and enabling trans-boundary protection of Asian elephants.The conference, while
noting fragmentation of elephant reserves and corridors due to setting up of railway lines,
construction of highways, building of dams and tea gardens have given rise to man-elephant
conflict also resolved to initiate innovative measures to reduce man-elephant conflicts.The
experts said that along with protection of trans-boundary corridors, the protection of elephant
reserves and corridors within north-east region of India was equally important.The region has,
according to experts, 58 elephant corridors and a population of about 9,300 elephants, some
of which undertake trans-boundary movement to neighbouring Myanmar and Bhutan.

Indias first nesting site of white-bellied heron found

A nesting site of the extremely rare white-bellied heron has been discovered in a remote part
of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh. It is estimated that there are only 250
white-bellied herons left in the world and only about 50 left in India.

This is the first nesting site of the white- bellied heron to be discovered in India. Before the
discovery of this site, Bhutan was (thought to be) the only country in the world to have a
breeding population of the white-bellied heron.
About Heron:

With roughly 250 White-Bellied Herons (Ardea Insignis) in the world today, herons are among
the 50 rarest bird species on earth. Herons mostly dwell in Southeast Asian countries and
presumably Bhutan shelters a little over 30 herons in the nation.

It is a critically endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN). It is an extremely shy bird which feeds on fish in clear fast flowing rivers.

The main threats are presumed to be widespread loss, degradation and disturbance of forest
and wetlands. Wetlands have become degraded as a result of pollution, rapid growth of aquatic
vegetation, and the over-exploitation of resources. Increasing disturbance and habitat
degradation from settlement, conversion to agriculture, harvesting of wetland resources and,
more locally, poaching are thought to present significant threats in key protected areas.

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Attacks on birds and their eggs by predators have also been a major cause in their reduction.
The pressure on the birds has further risen with the lack of scientific approach and scanty
awareness among the local communities. Heron habitat could also be defragmented with pro
developmental activities such as, hydropower generation and road creation.

Migratory birds, mammals and fish get new UN protection

Polar bears, whales, sharks and gazelles were among 31 new species granted new protection
status by the UN conservation body.
A record 21 species of shark, ray and sawfish were added to the list. The polar bear, which is
found in the Arctic, and the widely-distributed Cuviers beaked whale made the list too. Also
newly protected are the red-fronted gazelle, common in Africa, and the great bustard, found in
Europe and Asia.
More than 900 experts from 120 countries met for the six-day meeting, approving all but one
proposed species to be included on the protected wildlife list. The African lion did not make the
final cut because there was not enough information from the countries on where it lives.

UN Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS):

It is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme,
CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals
and their habitats. CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the
Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation
measures throughout a migratory range. It aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian
migratory species throughout their range.
As the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their
habitats and migration routes, CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other
international organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.
CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting Migratory species threatened with extinction,
conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and
controlling other factors that might endanger them. Besides establishing obligations for each
State joining the Convention, CMS promotes concerted action among the Range States of
many of these species.

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There are, currently, 119 Parties to the Convention.

Karnataka has mangrove patches, a study finds

Importance of mangroves:

Mangroves protect coastal areas from erosion, storm surge (especially during hurricanes)
and tsunamis
The mangroves massive root system is efficient at dissipating wave energy. Likewise, they
slow down tidal water so that its sediment is deposited as the tide comes in, leaving all
except fine particles when the tide ebbs. Mangroves protect coastal areas from erosion,
storm surge (especially during hurricanes) and tsunamis
Mangrove forests are regarded as the most productive wetlands in the world on account of
the large quantities of organic and inorganic nutrients released in the coastal waters by
these ecosystems.
They also act as nurseries for fin fish, shell fish, crustaceans and molluscs.
The fine, anoxic sediments under mangroves act as sinks for a variety of heavy metal in
the sediments scavenged from the water.
Mangroves in India:
Mangroves in India account for about three per cent of the worlds mangrove vegetation.
Mangrove cover in India is 4,662 sq. km, which is 0.14 per cent of the countrys total
geographical area. Sundarbans in West Bengal accounts for almost half of the total area
under mangroves in the country. The Sundarbans covers approximately 10,000 square
kilometres of which 60 percent is in Bangladesh with the remainder in India. The
Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The forest survey report, 2013, notes down that the overall Mangrove cover in the county
in 2013 has decreased compared to 2011.The reasons for the decrease in the mangrove
cover may be

grazing by domestic cattles and exploitation of mangrove woods for fuel and timber
the neo-tectonic movement of river courses
abatement of upstream freshwater discharges due to construction of dams and
reservoirs
rapid trend of reclamation of mangrove forests for habitations
pollutant discharges from cities and industries etc.

Indias first nesting site of white-bellied heron discovered

A nesting site of the extremely rare white-bellied heron has been discovered in a remote part
of the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.
It is estimated that there are only 250 white-bellied herons ( Ardea insignis ) left in the world
and only about 50 left in India.
This is the first nesting site of the white- bellied heron to be discovered in India. Before the
discovery of this site, Bhutan was (thought to be) the only country in the world to have a
breeding population of the white-bellied heron, Gopinathan Maheswaran, the scientist who is
in charge of the bird Section of the Zoological Survey of India told.
According to Mr Maheswaran, who has spent years in the wilderness looking for rare birds,
there are very few people in the country who have encountered the white-bellied heron.
Declared a critically endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), it is an extremely shy bird which feeds on fish in clear fast flowing rivers.
The confluence of Noa-Dihing and Namdapha rivers in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve supports
a few individuals of white-bellied heron by providing them with freshwater fish.

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The nest of the bird was found about 18 metres above ground on an East Indian almond (
Terminalia myriocarpa ) tree adjacent to a dry river bed covered in tall grass and small shrubs,
said Himadri Sekhar Mondal, a research scholar who along with Mr. Maheswaran observed
behaviour of the herons at the nesting site. The scientists observed the courtship of a pair of
white-bellied heron that went on to build a nest at the site earlier this year.

Role of El Nino in heat build-up in Indian Ocean

Recent studies show that a warm Indian Ocean can in turn modulate the Pacific conditions
including the El Nino events. And such large warming over the Indian Ocean has implications
on the global climate.
The Indian Ocean has been warming at a rate faster than thought before. It is also the largest
consistent contributor to the global ocean warming trends. The western Indian Ocean,
traditionally thought to have cooler sea surface temperatures (SSTs) than the central and
eastern Indian Ocean, is surprisingly showing an even stronger summer warming trend over
the whole of the 20th century than the central and eastern Indian Ocean. The warming is
significantly so large that it may alter the monsoon circulation, monsoon rainfall, marine food
webs and fisheries (western Indian Ocean is one of the most productive oceans) and global
climate including the El Nino.
A recent study focused on the causes for this warming and found that it was mainly due to El
Nino events, which are getting stronger and more frequent during recent decades, possibly due
to a changing climate.
These El Nino events weaken the summer westerly (blowing from west to east) winds over the
Indian Ocean. Winds have the effect of cooling the sea surface. Strong winds cause
evaporation and loss of latent heat from the ocean leading to cooling. When the winds are
weakened the opposite happens the ocean warms.
The study found that the ocean atmospheric phenomenon the El Nino, and its influence on
the Walker Circulation were responsible for periodic weakening of monsoon westerlies and led
to abnormally high summer sea surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean.
Walker Circulation represents the zonal (east-west) circulation over the tropics. In the Pacific,
the trade winds blow from east to west. This is because of the low pressure in the west and
high pressure in the east, which drives these winds. This is linked to the warm waters over the
west Pacific and cool waters over the east Pacific.
During summer, the Pacific cell is linked to the monsoon westerlies in the Indian Ocean. During
an El Nino, the wind direction reverses and the whole circulatory system shifts eastward leaving
only weak surface westerlies in the western Indian Ocean. This results in ocean warming in the
Western Indian Ocean.
Unlike the Pacific or the Atlantic Oceans, the Indian Ocean is land-locked on the north. This
means that the ocean circulation which carries the tropical heat towards the poles is restricted
in the Indian Ocean, withholding the piled up heat.

Western Ghats facing significant conservation concerns: IUCN

World Heritage Sites such as the Western Ghats, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaziranga National
Park and Sundarbans are facing significant conservation concerns, according to an
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessment.
The IUCN World Heritage Outlook report, released at the ongoing World Park Congress at
Sydney, had assessed 228 World Heritage sites for natural values.
While none of the seven Indian sites qualified to be included in the good category, the Great
Himalayan National Park, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks and Keoladeo
National Parks were assessed as good with some concerns. There were no Indian sites in the
critical category.
The report attempted to recognise well-managed sites for their conservation efforts and
encourage the transfer of good management practices between sites and identified the most

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pressing conservation issues affecting natural World Heritage sites and the actions needed to
remedy those issues.
The 39 serial sites of Ghats, which were inscribed in 2012 amid some controversy, are under
increasing population and developmental pressure that requires intensive and targeted
management efforts to ensure that not only are existing values conserved, but that some past
damage may be remediated, it said.

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Sports
Novak Djokovic retains Paris Masters title

Topranked Novak Djokovic easily defended his Paris Masters title with a 62, 63 victory
over.

Djokovic, who did not drop a set during the whole week, won the indoor tournament for the third
time and claimed the 20th Masters title of his career.

The Serb also made a big step in his bid to finish the year at the No. 1 spot for a third time,
extending his lead over Roger Federer before the ATP Finals in London.

The 23yearold Raonic, who has never beaten Djokovic in their four meetings, appeared
apprehensive and could not convert his few openings.

Djokovics only scare came in the first set when Raonic won eight straight points but failed to
convert three consecutive break opportunities.

Sardar singh to lead hockey squad for Australia tour

Sardar Singh will lead a 21-member Indian mens hockey squad for the four-match Test tour of
Australia to be held in Perth from November 4 to 9.

Post bagging the gold medal at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, the tour of Australia is being
organised as part of preparation for the upcoming FIH Champions Trophy 2014, to be held in
Bhubaneswar December 6-14.

Besides the four Tests, India will also play a training game against Australia A on November 1
at the Perth Hockey Stadium.

The 21-member squad was selected by Hockey India selectors B.P. Govinda, Harbinder Singh
and Arjun Halappa along with chief coach Terry Walsh, coach Jude Felix and physiotherapist
Jince Thomas Mathew on the basis of their performance in the recently-concluded selection
trials at at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

Goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh has been named Sardars deputy for the tour. Harjot Singh has been
named as the second custodian in the squad.

The first Test between India and Australia will be played on November 4, followed by matches
on November 5, 8 and 9.

Lewis Hamilton wins US Grand Prix

Race by race and point by point, Lewis Hamilton is tightening his grip on the Formula One world
championship and squeezing out Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

This whole season has been incredible, Hamilton said after playfully taking former world
champion Mario Andrettis black Stetson cowboy hat on the winners podium. I pushed as hard
as I could.

Mercedes had another 1-2 finish in a dominating season that has pushed Hamilton and
Rosberg well clear of the pack in the title chase. Red Bulls Daniel Ricciardo was third for his
eighth podium finish on the season.

Rosberg could still find a way to steal the title from Hamilton. Formula One moves to Brazil next
weekend and the final race in Abu Dhabi will be worth double points in a rule change this
season.

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Full attack, Rosberg said. Well try to be on the pole and win (in Brazil). Theres a lot of points
to be had. Were hunting for those points. So far, Ive done what Ive needed to do. I should
continue to do the same, Hamilton said.

The Mercedes drivers have waged a season-long duel for the title, a tense back-and-forth that
has strained their long friendship, and Sundays race was more of the same.

Rosberg started from pole position and Hamilton chased him for 23 laps, steadily keeping up
the pressure and slowing gaining on him. Hamilton finally made his move on lap 24, squeezing
inside Rosbergs left on the tight 12th turn out of the long straightaway.

It was the same spot and a similar move to Hamiltons pass of Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel that
propelled him to the victory here in 2012.

Manavaditya Rathore wins gold at Asian Championships

Manavaditya Rathore, son of Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Rathore, clinched the
gold medal in junior mens trap at the 4th Asian Shotgun Championships. Rathore shot 114
out of 125 to win the junior trap event in a shoot-off.

Commenting on Manavadityas performance, Raninder Singh, president, NRAI said, I would

like to congratulate Manavaditya on winning the gold today. This is Indias third gold in the
championship and this showcases Indias strength in the world of shooting and how our
youngsters like Manavaditya are the rightful stars of the future that India is going to bank on
for years.

However the lack of the required entries resulted in the junior trap event being converted to a
grand prix, which eluded Manavaditya of an Asian Championship gold but with the precision
and accuracy that he has showcased I am sure he is not far away from earning many other
big international medals for India.

Other members of the junior trap squad Sharan Susheel and Kismat Chopra shot 113 and
105 respectively. In the senior trap event for men, Kynan Chenai finished 5th in the finals,
after having shot an impressive 120 in qualification.

The senior mens trap team finished fourth overall with other members of the team namely
Manav and Prithvi Raj Tondaiman shooting 115 and 114 respectively to add to Kynans tally.

Maana Patel, Saurabh and P.S. Madhu swim to new marks

Indias new wonder girl of swimming, Maana Patel of Gujarat, bettered her own mark in the
womens 100m backstroke at the 68th senior National aquatic championship.

The opening day saw two more records in the mens section with Saurabh Sangvekar of
Maharashtra and Services P.S. Madhu eclipsing the previous bests while winning the 400m
freestyle and 100m backstroke events respectively.

The 14-year-old Maana maintained the sequence of creating records that she had started in
the senior nationals at Thiruvananthapuram last year. Manaa cut short her previous best of
1:06.58 (set in 2013) by recording 1:05.47 in the 100m backstroke heats. She won the final but
could not better the timing set in the morning.

I felt a lot energised in the heats and also enjoyed a nice rhythm to get that timing in the heats.
I could not warn up properly ahead of the final and that seemed to upset the tempo, said
Maana, who has won five gold medals in the junior Nationals with a record in each effort.

Saurabhs outstanding performance in the first event of the day where he beat the defending
champion Sajan Prakash of Railways to win the mens 400m freestyle with a record timing
lit up the proceedings.

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Saurabh made a perfect start and led all along to win in 3:56.17 seconds, erasing the record of
3:58.51 set by Sajan in the previous Nationals. I had timed 3.59 in the Incheon Asian Games.
Since then I am targeting 3.54 and am happy to reach nearer to it today, said Saurabh.

Madhu peaked at the right moment as clocked a record-breaking 57.95 seconds to beat back
the challenges of M. Arvind of Karnataka and Rohit Havaldar of Maharashtra, who had the top
two positions in the heats.

ODI World record by Rohit Sharma (264), Sri Lanka 251

A world record 264 by Indias Rohit Sharma and a mammoth 404 for five in 50 overs was
enough for India to plunge Sri Lanka to its fourth straight defeat in the fourth ODI of the
Micromax Cup series.

Chasing a massive target at the Eden Gardens, the visiting team finished at 251 in 43.1 overs.
Captain Angelo Mathews defied the Indian bowling to score a fine 75 and received support from
Lahiru Thirimanne (59) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (34) in the top-order.

Riding on the confidence of scoring 142 in the tour opener for India A at Mumbai, Rohit
conjured up a brilliant double hundred his second in ODIs. Rohit was slow to begin with.

He took off in the company of skipper Virat Kohli and the two put the Lankan bowling to the
sword. He fiercely pulled Eranga for a six in the first over of the batting powerplay.

With that, the 100 partnership came up. It was only a matter of time before the 27-year-old
reached his century off 100 balls with 12 fours and a six. His 150 came off 125 balls with the
aid of 19 boundaries and three sixes. The third-wicket produced 202 runs in 25.5 overs before
Kohli (66) ran himself out going for the second run.

The Mumbai player, who scored 209 against Australia at Bengaluru last year, raced to 200 in
151 balls with 25 hits to the fence and five over it to emerge the first man to hit two double
centuries in ODIs. This was the fourth double century in total, all scored by Indians.

Rohit made Lanka pay heavily for three dropped chances (on four, 201 and 222). He first went
past his previous best of 209 and then Virender Sehwags 219. He reached 250 in 166 balls
(32x4, 8x6).

Prakash creates new national record

Sajan Prakash of Railways sank the mens 1500m freestyle record before booking a ticket to
the FINA World championships on the second day of 68th senior National aquatic
championship at the Subhas Sarobar swimming complex.

Prakash was definitely the toast of the day, creating the lone record with his brilliant effort even
as Sandeep Sejwal and Virdhawal Khade won their races 50m breaststroke and 50m
freestyle to maintain their supremacy in the format.

Owner of a host of National records Richa Mishra returned from a two-year ban for doping
violation keeping her dominance almost unmitigated.

Showing that she still possesses the art and skill to outgun the younger challengers, Richa won
the 400m medley in style which she added to the 400m freestyle bronze she had won. Richa
holds the national record in both the events.

Prakash, who had missed the 400m freestyle gold to challenger Saurabh Sangvekar of
Maharashtra on the opening day, rebounded back in style to win in the longer format.

The 15:45.83 seconds timing by the young Railways swimmer sunk the national created by
Sangvekar in 2011.

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Hockey India annual awards announced

In a first for Indian hockey, the national federation decided to have the Hockey India Annual
Awards wherein the top players in the mens and womens categories will walk away with a
prize money of Rs. 25 lakh each.

Hockey India will be identifying and rewarding the most promising and potent players from the
current as well as upcoming teams.

Speaking on the announcement, Hockey India Secretary General Md. Mushtaque Ahmad said,
It is huge leap that we at Hockey India are preparing for. These awards are not only focused
towards the welfare of the players but will ultimately help in boosting the morale of the players
and motivating them to perform even better.

The Hockey India family as an organisation takes pride in announcing the Hockey India Annual
Awards for the Players and shall strive to take more such steps for the enhancement of the
sport as well the players.

HI has decided to name the individual trophies after HI president Dr Narinder Batras son Dhruv,
who passed away recently.

The Hockey India Executive Board and the Indian hockey community recognise and
acknowledge the major contribution that Dr. Narinder Batra in particular and his family have
made to Indian hockey.

Dr Batra was also recently honoured internationally by being awarded the FIH presidents award
at the FIH Congress on 1 November 2014 for his role in the development and growth of hockey
in India over the recent years, he said.

In remembrance of the late Mr. Dhruv Batra who expired on 29 October 2014, during the FIH
Congress, the son of President, Dr Narinder Batra, the Board thought it was fitting to name the
Player of the Year awards in the category of men and women to the remarkable young man
that was Mr. Dhruv Batra, Ahmad added.

Saina stood just 1 win away from China Open

Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal stood just one win away from clinching her maiden
China Open title after she stormed into the finals of the $700,000 Super Series Premier
tournament in Fuzhou.
In her sixth appearance in the prestigious tournament, Saina continued her rampaging run as
she produced another good show to outclass World No. 17 Liu Xin of China 21-17 21-17 in the
womens singles semifinals that lasted 47 minutes at the Haixia Olympic Sport Centre.
The World No. 5 Indian will take on the winner of match between fifth seed Bae Yeon Ju of
Korea and Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, in the summit clash.
Saina took time to get going initially as Liu opened up a slender 7-4 lead but the Indian soon
clawed back and went into the interval with a narrow 11-10 lead.
She came out all guns blazing after that to create a huge 19-13 gap. The Chinese girl reeled
off four points to reduce the margin but the Indian soon pocketed the first game.
In the second game, Liu once again marched ahead 5-2 but Saina didnt take much time to
draw level and entered the break with a two-point lead.
Sainas angled strokes had Liu struggling but the Chinese kept herself in close range after the
Indian stumbled on some unforced errors. At 14-14, Saina hit long allowing Liu to take the lead.
The Chinese then won an aggressive rally when Saina failed to connect and hit wide. However,
Liu then fell pray to a series of unforced errors as Saina soon moved to a three-point cushion.
Liu once again hit wide helping Saina clinch her place in the final.
The last time Saina reached the finals of a tournament was at the Australian Super Series,
where she defeated Spains Carolina Marin to win the title. The Indian had won the Syed Modi
International Grand Prix gold early in the year.

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Russia, Qatar to host World Cups

Russia and Qatar were cleared by a FIFA judge of corruption in their winning bids for the 2018
and 2022 World Cups.
FIFA ethics judge Joachim Eckert formally ended a probe into the bidding contests, almost four
years after the vote by the governing bodys scandal-tainted executive committee. No proof
was found of bribes or voting pacts.
The evaluation of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups bidding process is closed for the FIFA
Ethics Committee, the German judge wrote in a statement released by FIFA.
The 2022 World Cup will finally, it seems, be played in Qatar though exactly when is still unclear
as FIFA seeks an alternative to the desert heat in June and July.
FIFA welcomes the fact that a degree of closure has been reached, the governing body said
Thursday in a statement. As such, FIFA looks forward to continuing the preparations for Russia
2018 and Qatar 2022, which are already well underway.
The Qatari organizing committee said it would study the report before commenting.
Despite finding wrongdoing among the 11 bidding nations, Eckert said the integrity of the
December 2010 votes was not affected.
In particular, the effects of these occurrences on the bidding process as a whole were far from
reaching any threshold that would require returning to the bidding process, let alone reopening
it, he summarized.
The corruption case is still open for past and current members of FIFAs ruling board.
Critics of FIFA have long relied on Eckert and ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia to build a case
to remove the wealthy desert emirate as host in 2022 by proving suspicions that votes and
influence were bought. Qatar beat the United States 14-8 in the final round of a five-nation
contest.

Maana Patel, P. S. Madhu emerge the best

Backstroke specialists P.S. Madhu (Services) and Maana Patel (Gujarat), who dominated the
68th edition of senior National aquatic championship by winning three gold each with two
records to boot, were declared the best swimmers of the tournament after the final day of
competitions.

Maana, the 14-year-old junior champion, tried her skills in 100m freestyle and took bronze
behind Aditi Dhumatkar (Maharashtra) and Shivani Kataria (Haryana).

In the mens 200 individual medley, Madhu took gold, beating Incheon Asian Games bronze
medallist Sandeep Sejwal.

I want to translate my good showing in the Nationals to the international stage and am looking
to train intensely to better my timing and get medals for the country, said Maana, aiming to
qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Doing well in the Nationals is a big achievement and I am happy that I peaked at the right
moment. It is now time for me to better my performance in the international forum.

I will get back to my coaches to prepare for bigger events, said Madhu. Maharashtra became
the overall champion dislodging Karnataka that had dominated that position for over a decade.

Delhi takes on Punjab in Champions Tennis League

It is entertainment, pure and simple. The benefits percolating into the grassroots of Indian tennis
may not commensurate with the investments being made in organising the first edition of the
Champions Tennis League (CTL). But, it will be unfair to expect rich and quick returns for the
game in the country by lining up a series of stars.

There is definitely a market for a different, abridged version of sports, much against the hard
core competition at the highest level. A variety of games, including kabaddi, have shown the
way.

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As the countrys No.1 player and gold medallist in the Asian Games and Commonwealth
Games, Somdev Devvarman observed, there will be a welcome buzz about the game in the
country when the different leagues unfold.

Of course, there was not much of a buzz at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium, when the likes of
the former womens world No.1 Jelena Jankovic and world No.16 Kevin Anderson, who made
the fourth round of three Grand Slams this season, had a training stint on an outside court at
the DLTA Complex.

The organisers looked to have kept the whole show under wraps, possibly waiting to spring
everything into life with the first match between Delhi and Punjab.

The presence of the legends, the former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero and the
former world No. 4 Greg Rusedski, the Indian Davis Cuppers Leander Paes, Somdev
Devvarman and Sanam Singh should strike a healthy vibe among the spectators, who are listed
to have grabbed all the available tickets.

It remains to be seen, whether the sold out sticker on the official website for sale of tickets
ensure a vibrant atmosphere at the stadium, over the next two days, with the second match
lined up between Delhi and Mumbai.

Snehlata Rajawat wins trap gold

Snehlata Rajawat beat Varsha Varman 13-11 for the gold medal in womens trap in the National
shotgun championship at the Moti Bagh Gun Club range.

In an equally impressive fare, Rajeshwari Kumar beat former national champion Shreyasi Singh
in the bronze medal contest.

The results: Women: Trap: 1. Snehlata Rajawat 13 (12) 63; 2. Varsha Varman 11 (11) 61; 3.
Rajeshwari Kumari 11 (10) 62;

Juniors: 1. Mallika Wig 10 (10) 58; 2. Aakriti Khapra 9 (11) 53; 3. Anam Basit 10 (8) 57.

Skeet: Rashmee Rathore 11 (13) 62; 2. Arti Singh 10 (14) 63; 3. Shreiya Chowdhary 11 (12)
53.

Juniors: 1. Maheshwari Chauhan 60; 2. Jasmeen Kaur 57; 3. Shambhavi Kumari 42.

Srikanth, Saina win China Open

Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal clinched the $ 700,000 China Open Super Series
Premier tournament after beating young Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in the summit clash, in
Fuzhou.

The World No. 5 Indian prevailed over the 17-year-old Akane 21-12 22-20 in the womens
singles finals which lasted 42 minutes at the Haixia Olympic Sport Centre.

Young Indian shuttler K Srikanth clinched his maiden Super Series title after defeating two-time
Olympic champion Lin Dan of China in the mens singles events of China Open Super Series
Premier.

The 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh showed nerves of steel to produce a dominating
performance which helped him see off five-time world champion Lin 21-19 21-17 in the mens
singles final which lasted 46 minutes.

Srikanth, who won the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold last year, had finished runners-up at the
2014 India Open Grand Prix Gold event in Lucknow and was a quarter-finalist in this years
Malaysian Open.

He was also a part of the Indian badminton contingent that reached the semifinals of the mixed
team event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

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This is the first time any Indian male shuttler has won a Super Series Premier event ever since
the Super Series and Premier tournaments were introduced.

This is Sainas third title of the year as the Indian had won the Australian Super Series in June,
besides clinching the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold early in the year.

In her sixth appearance in the prestigious tournament, Saina had to draw from her reservoir of
experience to stave off the challenge of the athletic Akane.

In the opening game, Saina led 3-1 early on and extended it to 8-4. She lost few points due to
miscued strokes but the Indian managed to go into the interval with a four-point lead with the
help of an angled stroke and down the line smash.

Bafna assured of title in National karting championships

Ameya Bafna of Mumbai and Bengalurus Ricky Donison and Yash Aradhya won the titles in
the Senior Max, Junior Max and Micro Max events respectively at the 11th JK Tyre-FMSCI
National karting championships, which concluded with the fifth and final leg.

Bafna (Rayo Racing) played it safe in the final leg and finished fourth to make sure of the overall
championship.

Championship winners:

Senior Max: Ameya Bafna (Rayo Racing); Junior Max: Ricky Donison (BFC Racing); Mirco
Max:Yash Aradhya (MECO Racing) 196 points.

Final leg results: Senior Max: 1. Chittesh Mandody (Mohites Racing); 2. Nayan Chatterjee
(Rayo Racing); 3. Dhruv Mohite (Mohites Racing).

India consolidates its top rank in ICC ODI list

World champions India consolidated its top rank on the ICC ODI Team Rankings after sweeping
the series against Sri Lanka, which concluded in Ranchi.

India had started the series at third position on 113 points and finished on 117 points - two
ratings points clear of South Africa, which is involved in a five-ODI series against Australia.

Sri Lanka retained their fourth position but slipped to 108 points. It now hosts England in a
seven-ODI series, leading Alastair Cooks side by one ratings point.

However, with the Australia-South Africa series locked at one-all, both sides have an
opportunity to regain the top spot.

But to make that happen, either side will have to win the remaining three matches. If Australia
wins the series 4-1, then it will move ahead of India by a fraction of a point (0.2 ratings points)

Harinder Pal wins gold in Asian Beach Games

Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu held his own to defeat Hong Kongs Yip Tsz Fung in an exciting
three-game affair to win gold in the mens squash event at the Asian Beach Games in Phuket,
Thailand.

Apart from Sandhu, India won two bronze medals from Kush Kumar (mens singles) and
Aparajitha Balamurukan (womens singles).

Harinder later said: This is a superb tournament and I am proud to win a gold medal for my
country. It has been a memorable week.

Firstly, I was honoured when IOA selected me to carry the Indian flag at the opening ceremony
and now, I am going home with a gold medal. Playing outdoors was special, he added.

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Tough draw for Srikanth; easy for Saina in Hong Kong Open Super Series

After their triumphant campaign in China, where Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth won titles,
the Indian contingent arrived in Kowloon for the Hong Kong Open Super Series which begins
with the qualifying round.

Novak Djokovic wins ATP world tour final

A mouthwatering finale to the season ended before it even began when Roger Federer was
forced to pull out prior to the ATP World Tour Final showdown with Novak Djokovic.

The 33-year-old Swiss, who spent nearly three hours late beating compatriot Stanislas
Wawrinka in a gruelling semifinal, announced his decision on court as the O2 Arena filled up
for the expected final.

India wins silver in Asian Beech Games

India settled for the mens 3x3 basketball silver medal at the Asian Beach Games after losing
a close final to Qatar 21-20 at Phuket, Thailand.

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi top-scored for India with eight points, while Amritpal Singh netted six.
India had beaten Bangladesh 21-6 in the semifinals and Turkmenistan 21-11 in the quarterfinals
earlier in the day.

Mudgal report, BCCI backs N. Srinivasan

The emergent working committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which met, gave
a clean chit to International Cricket Council chairman N. Srinivasan in the Indian Premier
League corruption scandal.

The official release made no mention of the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman having
taken no action to report a player violating the IPL players code of conduct.

Now the focus will shift to the November 24 hearing in the Supreme Court where more is
expected to be known in the matter.

Panel of Indian officials announced for HIL 2015

With the third edition of the Hero Hockey India League (HIL) fast approaching, the organisers
announced the panel of Indian officials for the tournament scheduled from January 22 to
February 22.

The panel boasts of esteemed and experienced names such as umpire Javed Shaikh, who has
recently conducted his 100th match. The most experienced umpire, Shaikh has been officiating
in major tournaments like the FIH World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games
since 2003.

Raghu Prasad RV, who has conducted 90 matches till now, will be seen on field during the
league. He has been officiating since 2004 and conducted matches in the FIH World Cup and
the Commonwealth Games. He also officiated in the 2012 London Olympics.

The officials panel also include Gurinder Singh Sangha (37 matches), Ripudaman Sharma (15
matches), Anil Kumar (6 matches) and a new name to the list Gurbaj Singh, who will make his
debut. The panel consists of judges Anjali Sharma, Milind Narwekar and Sonia Bathla.

The technical officials in the panel include Claudius de Sales, Moghul Mohammed Muneer and
Ashutosh Verma.

Speaking on the appointment, Hockey India Leagues CEO, Elena Norman said, The League
is in its third year and hence, it is necessary we take it a notch higher in all fronts. The entire
panel of umpires and officials coming on board are known for their work towards the game and
they have vast experience in officiating international-level matches around the world.

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Hero Hockey India League welcomes each one on board and will look forward to their
contribution in this season.

Manan Chandra wins a scrappy contest

Manan Chandra held his nerve in the deciding frame to post a 31-91, 112-1, 17-59, 28-52, 8624, 69-42, 58-26 victory over Philippiness Alvin Barbero at the IBSF World snooker
championship.

The match a scrappy affair where neither player could find any rhythm was locked at 33, before Manan finally came into his own. He pulled ahead in the final frame with a 27-break,
and did a Houdini act when Barbero attempted to close the gap.

Up 36-26, the Indian served a marvellous snook by resting the cue ball between the green
and the top rail. Both players then battled for the final red, and a missed pot from Barbero
sold the red at the centre pocket.

Manan obliged, and after a brief tussle for the brown, Barbero threw in the towel. The 33year-old Delhi cueist the 2013 national champion now has two straight wins in Group
G.

Barbero played slower than most players I have competed against and that threw me off.
Neither of us could find any real form. When I was trailing 1-3, I decided to play my natural
game and relieve the pressure. In the end, it was those small 15-30 breaks which made the
difference, Chandra, a wild card entrant, said.

A fluent Kamal Chawla raced to his second win as well, taking out UAEs Marwan Alfalasi 970, 97-0, 76-41, 23-69, 77-01. He did go down in the fourth frame the only blip in an
otherwise impressive performance.

Local favourite Pankaj Advani proved too good for Hong Kongs Chi Wai Au, and motored
along to a 99-24, 67-39, 65-0, 84-45 victory.

Deborah takes gold at Track Asia Cup

Deborah overcame a bout of fever and cold to claim the womens 500m time trial gold medal
on the opening day of the Track Asia Cup.

The youngster from Car Nicobar of Andaman and Nicobar islands performed close to her best
timing.

She clocked 37.25 to push Kazakh woman Tatyana Zadnepryanova (40) to the second place.
Bangladeshi girl Parul Akhtar (45.6) finished a distant third.

With an average speed of more than 48km per hour, Deborah, who completed the first half
with 20.78, increased her pace significantly to record 16.47 in the next 250m. My personal
best is in the 36 range.

I was not well, so I held myself back a little bit. I have a few other events left where I also want
to win the gold medal, said Deborah.

The results (Indians unless stated): Men: 1km time trial: 1. Kwun Wa Law (HK) 1:08.35; 2.
Satjakul Sianglam (Tha) 1:08.46; 3. Amrit Singh 1:08.88.

Points race:
1. Magomed Mamedov (Kaz) 81;
2. T. Boonratana (Tha) 69;
3. Ching yin Mow (Hkg) 52.

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Cycling: Deborah finished with two more golds

Deborah finished her campaign in style by securing two more gold medals in the Track Asia
Cup cycling event, which concluded at the Indira Gandhi velodrome.

Deborah thwarted a late challenge from Kazakh rider Tatyana Zadnepryanova to take the top
honour in the womens keirin event. She beat compatriot Kezia Vargheese to grab the sprint
gold as well.

In the elite events, India gathered a total of five gold, four silver and five bronze medals.

In the mens keirin event, Amarjeet Singh Nagis spectacular performance to get past two Thai
riders on the home stretch and cross the line behind winner Pavel Vorzhev turned out to be a
disheartening affair as he was relegated to the sixth place for having ridden on

Roger Federer seals 1st Davis Cup win for Switzerland

Roger Federer produced a vintage performance to crush Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 and seal
Switzerland's maiden Davis Cup title with a 3-1 win over hosts France.

The 17-times grand slam champion shook off back problems during the weekend and
recovered from defeat by Gael Monfils to hand France a third defeat in their last three finals.

Sarjubala, Saweety enter finals in World Boxing Championships

Indian boxers Sarjubala Devi (48kg) and Saweety (81kg) continued their prolific form to enter
the Womens World Boxing Championships with thumping wins and assure themselves of at
least a silver each, in Jeju.

Sarjubala, a 2011 world youth champion, defeated Thailands Chuthamat Raksat 38-38 40-36
39-37, while Saweety got the better of Anastasiia Chernokolenko 39-37 40-36 40-36 in her
semifinal bout.

Saweety was the next to take the ring for India and she was equally dominant in her semifinal
clash. The Indian was the unanimous choice of the judges all through. She will be up against
Xiaoli Yang of China in the summit clash.

Guye Adola sets new course record in Delhi Half Marathon

For the second year running, an Ethiopian won the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, beating a strong
field dominated by the Kenyans. Guye Adola, who burst on the international marathon scene
only in 2014, ran 59:06 to set a new course record for the race on his way to winning the gold.

Kenyan world champion Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor had to settle for the second place,
finishing a second behind, for the third time in the event. Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia finished
third in 59:11, bettering his personal best by more than 30 seconds.

In fact, all three podium finishers had a better time than the existing record of 59:12, set by
Ethiopian Atsedu Tsegay in the previous edition.

Magnus Carlsen defeated challenger Viswanathan Anand

Norways Magnus Carlsen defeated challenger Viswanathan Anand in the penultimate game
of their 12-game match to retain the World chess title in Sochi, Russia.

Anand needed to stay undefeated on Sunday to force the final game.

Kohli maintains second position in ICC rankings

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Top India batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his second position in the latest ICC batsmen
rankings while medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has moved up a place to be seventh in the
bowlers standings.

AB de Villiers has strengthened his grip on the number-one batting ranking by extending his
advantage of Kohli to 25 ratings points, with third-ranked Hashim Amla another 34 ratings points
behind.

South Africa batsman Quinton de Kock, James Faulkner and Aaron Finch (both Australia) are
the big gainers in the table. de Kocks 109 against Australia, his sixth ODI century in 36 matches
has moved to a career-high seventh position, a rise of two places.

Australian Aaron Finch, who finished as the third highest run-getter in the series behind AB de
Villiers (271) and Steven Smith (254) with 250 runs that included scores of 109 and 76 in the
third and fifth ODIs, has vaulted six places to 15th.

In the bowlers rankings, suspended Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal holds the top spot ahead of
West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine and South Africa speedster Dale Steyn.

The in-form Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews holds a nine-point advantage at the top of the
all-rounders rankings, with Indian Ravindra Jadeja maintaining his fourth place.

Police will help to curb fixing during World Cup

The ICC has made clear its intent to curb the menace of match-fixing and spot-fixing in the
World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand early next year, getting the police force
of the two countries involved in the process.

Informing that ticket sales for the quadrennial event had been encouraging, Richardson said
the new rules had made the 50-over format exciting and relevant. The 50-over game is the
perfect bridge between the traditional Test match form and Twenty20 cricket.

In the 50-over format, the new rules have made the game far more attacking. The run-rates
have improved and more wickets are being taken, he said.

Sania Mirza named UN Goodwill Ambassador

Sania Mirza was named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the South Asian region by
UN Women. Described as a woman of achievement and youth icon, Sania will undertake
initiatives to promote women empowerment in the region.

Lionel Messi sets Champions League goals record

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi set a Champions League scoring record of 74 goals when he
netted a hat-trick in 4-0 Group F win at APOEL Nicosia.

The Barca and Argentina captain surpassed the record of 71 he jointly held with former Real
Madrid and Schalke 04 striker Raul when he put his side 2-0 ahead shortly before halftime.

The 27-year-old added two more goals in the second half to complete his 31st career treble,
his fifth in Europe's elite club competition and the first in which he has scored all three with his
less-favoured right foot.

Cricketer Phillip Hughes dies of injuries

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died in hospital in Sydney, two days after the international
batsman was struck on the head by a ball during a domestic match.

Governing body Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the 25-year-old had lost his fight for life,
casting a pall over a cricket-mad nation which is co-hosting the World Cup early next year.

"We are extremely sad to announce that Phillip Hughes has passed away at the age of 25," CA
said on its Twitter feed.

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"Our thoughts go out to Phillip's family, friends, and the entire cricket community on this
incredibly sad day. "He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and
close friends.

"As a cricket community, we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillips
family and friends at this incredibly sad time."

Rio de Janeiro wins legal battle over Olympic golf course

A Rio de Janeiro judge denied a request from prosecutors to halt construction of the Olympic
golf course because of environmental concerns, curtailing fears that the venue wont be ready
in time for test events.

Judge Eduardo Antonio Klausner said in his decision that there is no new fact justifying ... a
halt in the implementation of the golf course for the Olympics.

It wasnt clear if state prosecutors would seek to appeal Wednesdays ruling, but legal
challenges were expected to continue.

In a 27-page legal brief made public last week, prosecutors had termed laughable proposals
by the city and the course developer to modify the layout to reduce the environmental impact.

The judge ruled that by changing one of the holes of the golf course, the developers did enough
to preserve the local vegetation.

He said that the relocation of hole No. 12 made way for a 32-metre-long wildlife corridor that
will keep the vegetation intact. He also said that the type of grass being used on the golf course
does not endanger the vegetation already in place in the area.

Prosecutors initially said they wanted a wildlife corridor of about 400 meters long to make sure
the local environment was properly preserved.

The course, estimated by local media to be about 70 percent completed, is being cut out of a
nature reserve in western Rio near the main cluster of Olympic venues and is part of a complex
of luxury apartments selling for $3 million to $7 million.

Prosecutors have argued the environment must be the primary concern not the Olympics or the
real estate development.

Priyanka sets new national mark in Junior Athletic championship

Uttar Pradeshs Priyanka created a national and new meet record in the 10,000 metre walk
event in the under-20 girls segment of the Jio 30th National Junior Athletic championship at
Indira Gandhi Municipal stadium. She bettered Punjabs Kushbir Kaurs record, set in 2010 by
clocking 49:16.51 seconds.

Haryanas Ashish Jhakar created a new meet record by hurling the hammer to a distance of
67.09 metres in the under-16 boys category, eclipsing his state-mate Sukhdev Singhs efforts
of 66.51m in 2006. But, he missed the national record (67.10m) by 1 (one) centimetre.

The days third new meet record was registered by Keralas Maymon Poulose in the boys 100m
hurdles of the under-18 division.

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Persons in news
Sulawesi bird named after Indian-origin scientist

A new bird species discovered more than 15 years after it was first seen on the Indonesian
island of Sulawesi has been named after late ecologist and ornithologist Navjot Sodhi.
A mottled throat and short wings distinguish Muscicapa sodhii , the newly named Sulawesi
streaked flycatcher.
Compared with similar flycatchers, the bird has shorter wings, a more strongly hooked bill
and a shorter tail. The bird has a plainer face and streaked throat.
Several animal species have been named after Prof Sodhi, including a snail, a fish and a
new genus and species of crab.

Indian-origin radiographer elected as the President of ISRRT

A South African Indian-origin radiographer has been elected as the president of the
International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT).
Dr Fawzia Peer, who has been a radiographer for three decades, is the Manager of the
Department of Nuclear Medicine and also an honorary lecturer at the Albert Luthuli Central
Hospitals Nuclear Medicine Department in Durban.
The future of nuclear medicine is molecular imaging, Peer said. We were fortunate to
have the first PETCT scanner in the public sector in South Africa in 2006, she said.
Peer has previously been elected to the Radiography and Clinical Technology Board of
the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HCPSA), where she served two terms of
office on the executive committee as a representative of the Radiography sector.

M.V. Raghavan passes away

Veteran Communist leader and Communist Marxist Party (CMP) general secretary M.V.
Raghavan passed away at the Pariyaram Medical College Hospital (PMCH). He was 81.
The veteran leader had served as Minister for Cooperation in the United Democratic Front
(UDF) government in 1991 and 2001. He had formed the breakaway CMP after his
expulsion from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in 1986.
He had also been founder chairman of the Pariyaram Medical College (PMC) started in
the cooperative sector. He had earlier founded the Pappinissery Visha Chikilsa Society
(PVCS) which runs a snake park and an Ayurveda medical college, among others.

Johnson declared as ICC Cricketer of the Year

It was double delight Mitchell Johnson as the Australian fast bowler declared ICC Cricketer
of the Year as well as the ICC Test cricketer of the Year.
The 33-year-old has won the coveted Cricketer of the Year award for the second time in
his career while he is only third Australian after Ricky Ponting (2006) and Michael Clarke
(2013) to win the Test Cricketer of the Year award.
During the voting period between 26 August 2013 and 17 September 2014, Johnson
claimed 59 Test wickets at an average of 15.23, with best bowling figures of seven for 40
runs against England in Adelaide last December.
In ODIs, Johnson claimed 21 wickets in 16 games.
Since the inception of the awards in 2004, Johnson is only the second player after
compatriot Ricky Ponting to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy twice.
While Johnson previously won this trophy in 2009, Ponting lifted it backtoback in 2006
and 2007. Other winners include Rahul Dravid (2004), Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff

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(2005), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Jonathan Trott (2011),
Kumar Sangakkara (2012) and Michael Clarke (2013).
Some of the greats of the game have been nominated and won this award, and its a very
special honour, a delighted Johnson said.

Actor Farhan Akhtar is UN Womens first male Goodwill Ambassador

Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar has become the first man in UN Womens history
to be appointed its Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.
In his new role, the 40-year-old actor will serve as an advocate for UN Womens newlylaunched HeForShe initiative for gender equality and womens empowerment.
The U.N. organisation, dedicated to gender equality and womens empowerment, chose
Farhan for raising his voice against gender inequality and violence against women and
girls in India through his Men against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) campaign.
We are pleased and honoured to have Farhan as our Goodwill Ambassador for South
Asia, for we believe his work and values represent the core values of UN Women, said
UN Women Executive Director and Under-Secretary General Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
We need creative and committed men like Farhan to push the gender equality and
womens empowerment agenda.
I am convinced that Farhans passion and conviction for the cause will galvanise a
multiplier effect and reach the hearts and minds of men and boys in South Asia and
beyond, she said.
Farhans campaign has encouraged many actors from the industry to join the campaign.
I am honoured to serve UN Women as the Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.
This gives me and our MARD initiative an added impetus to work together towards a more
gender-equal India and world.

Raghuram Rajan on shortlist for BRICS NDB President

Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan, a Union Cabinet Minister and a well-known
banker in infrastructure finance have figured so far in discussions on possible candidates
for BRICS New Development Bank president.
This shortlist is not final; the Modi government is scouting for more names before it takes
a decision on the nomination, a Finance Ministry source told. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, in his opening statement at the BRICS leaders meet in Brisbane, proposed that
2016 be set as the target for the inauguration of the BRICS Bank.
We hope to ratify the agreement by the end of the year We would soon nominate our
candidate for the post of the presidency, Mr. Modi said. The BRICS nations Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa had agreed at their sixth Summit in Fortaleza
that India will nominate the first president of the bank and that its headquarters will be
located in China.
The government has not formally reached out to Mr. Rajan, the source said. He also
indicated that ultimately it might become difficult for India to spare Mr. Rajan for the role.
Volatility in the rupee has reduced and external account stabilised over the first 14 months
of Mr. Rajans tenure at the Reserve Bank.

Hyderabad duo win Aegis Graham Bell Award

Imagine wearing Google glass and focussing it on a brand new electronic gadget, only to
see the screen of the head-mounted device getting filled up with the technical directions
needed to operate the gadget. The concept may look futuristic and straight out of sci-fi
movies.

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However, such an innovation is very much possible, thanks to Augmented Reality (AR),
the technology based on which two youngsters from Hyderabad have developed a unique
product.
Their tech innovation on AR platform has recently fetched Hasan Ali Khan and Vaishali
Neotia, Aegis Graham Bell Award, constituted by Aegis Graham Bell Business School
and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
Their work has also been nominated in best innovation in IT category of The Institute of
Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation Awards, London, scheduled to be held on
November 19.
Of the 400 innovations received worldwide, their product was nominated for IET Innovation
awards, London. The nomination reflects the growing interest on Indian start-ups.

Indian origin student wins International Children's Peace Prize

Neha Gupta, an 18-year-old of Indian descent from Philadelphia, was awarded the
International Children's Peace Prize by Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu at a
ceremony in The Hague.
She was honoured for setting up a foundation called Empower Orphans when she was
just 9 after visiting an orphanage in India. The foundation has since helped thousands of
children. Marc Dullaert, founder of children's rights organisation KidsRights, says Gupta,
"discovered at a young age that it is possible to take action as a child and help vulnerable
children."
The winner of last year's Children's Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai, went on to win this
year's Nobel Peace Prize.

Vengsarkar will receive C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award

Dilip Vengsarkar who earned the sobriquet colonel has been chosen for the BCCIs Col.
C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013-14.
He will receive a citation, trophy and cheque for Rs. 25 lakh at the BCCIs eighth annual
awards ceremony to be held on November 21.
Vengsarkar was Indias prominent batsman from the mid-70s to early 1990s. He earned
fame for scoring three consecutive centuries at Lords (103 in 1979, 157 in 1982 and 126
not out in 1986).
He scored 6,868 runs in 116 Tests (17 centuries) and 3,508 runs in 129 One-Day
Internationals.

Murli Deora passes away

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Murli Deora passed away after
prolonged illness. He was 77.
Murli bhai as he was known as died at around 3.25 a.m. He had been unwell and admitted
to a hospital. He had come home two days back, family said.
Mr. Deora, who held several important portfolios during his decades-long career, first
contested the civic elections in Mumbai in 1975.
An economics graduate, Mr. Deora was Mayor of Mumbai from 1977 to 1978 and was later
elected to the Lok Sabha four times from Mumbai South, a seat later held by his son, Milind,
who is also a former MP and ex Union minister. Currently, he was serving his third term as
a Rajya Sabha MP.
He held the portfolio of Petroleum and Natural Gas during the UPA1 regime. The
Congress veteran had also served as the Mumbai Congress President for 22 years.
He joined the Union Cabinet in 2006, shortly before he turned 70 and led oil diplomacy in
Myanmar, Algeria and Egypt, and held talks with ministers from Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and
Comoros.

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Deora also hosted the first IndiaAfrica Hydrocarbon Conference and Exhibition in
November 2007. In July 2011, Deora became Minister of State for Communications and
Information Technology.

Legendry Kathak dancer Sitara Devi passes away

Legendary Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi, described as Empress of dance and a

pioneering force in bringing this classical dance genre to Bollywood, died at Jaslok
Hospital after a prolonged illness. She was 94.
Born in 1920 in Calcutta, Sitara drew from the themes, poetry and choreography
collected by her father. She also got inspired from the environment around her.
She was born Dhannolakshmi to a family of Brahmin kathakar Sukhdev Maharaj and
chose school and dance over an early wedding, as was the norm then.

Anoop Mishra will be new Lok Sabha Secretary-General

Anoop Mishra, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, will be the new Secretary-General of
the Lok Sabha.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced the appointment. Mr. Mishra, a former IAS officer of
the 1978 batch, will have the rank and status of Cabinet Secretary with effect from
December 1, 2014 to November 30, 2016 or until further orders.
Mr. Mishra has held several important positions at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh. He had
been the Chief Secretary for a year with overall responsibility of the State administration,
superintendence of law and order and development and infrastructure schemes.
During his stint at the Centre, Mr. Mishra held, among several, the post of Joint Secretary,
Cabinet Secretariat, with the responsibility of strategic Ministries of Home, Defence,
External Affairs, Atomic Energy and Space and the economic Ministries of Finance and
Commerce, besides the Planning Commission.

Avinash Chander will continue as DRDO chief

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chief Dr. Avinash Chander will
retire on November 30 but will continue to occupy the position on contractual basis till May,
2016.
The appointment of Dr. Chander beyond his date of retirement for 18 months would
be on contract basis, with the same terms and conditions as he would be entitled to
Secretary (DRD) before the date of retirement, the statement said.

PM Modi among worlds most powerful people, ranked 15th: Forbes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his debut among the worlds most powerful people,
ranked 15th on the Forbes list topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin who pipped his
U.S. counterpart Barack Obama for a second year in a row.
The list of 72 most powerful people in the world also included the names of Reliance
Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani at 36th, ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi
Mittal at 57th and Microsofts Indian-born CEO Satya Nadella at 64th.
On Modi, Forbes said Indias newest rock star doesnt hail from Bollywood. He is the newly
elected Prime Minister who sailed into office in May with a landslide victory, ushering the
BJP into power after decades of control by the Gandhi dynasty.
Forbes described him as a Hindu nationalist and referred to the 2002 Gujarat riots when
he was the States Chief Minister.

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T.R.K. Rao

T.R.K. Rao has assumed charge as Director (Commercial) of NMDC Ltd, a Navaratna
enterprise, under the Ministry of Steel.

Hormuzd Masani

Hormuzd Masani, secretary-general of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Mumbai, has been
re-elected to the Executive Board of the International Federation of Audit Bureaux of
Circulations (IFABC) for the fourth successive time. Mr. Masani will also be the Treasurer
of the IFABC, again for the fourth consecutive term. The Executive Board has
representatives from Australia, Sweden, Poland, Spain, the U.K., Switzerland and
Romania.

Sutirtha Bhattacharya

The Public Enterprises Selection Board has finalized Sutirtha Bhattacharya, a 1985 Andhra
Pradesh cadre IAS officer, as the new chairperson and managing director of Coal India
Limited.
Coal India limited is government mining company, its head quarters is at Kolkata
It is the largest coal producer company in the world. It contributes 81% of the coal
production in India.
In April 2011, CIL was conferred the Maharatna status by the Union government of India
To take care of energy requirements of India, the Central Government of India did a
nationalization of coal industry in the 1970s. By 1972, it acquired most of the coking coal
mines in India (226 coking coal mines) through Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
Similarly, it acquired all 711 non-coking coal mines in India through Coal Mines Authority
Limited (CMAL)

Prachi Mishra:

International Monetary Fund economist Prachi Mishra has joined the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI). This is the first lateral entry in the central bank in the promotion grade.
Mishra, who joins as chief general manager, will be part of the economic and policy
research department. Michael D Patra is the executive director of the department, which
is headed by Deputy Governor Urjit Patel.
Her key role will be to strengthen the economic and policy research of the central bank.
Mishra, who joined earlier this week, has already spoken to the researchers to get a
sense of the kind of work that is done and identifying gaps.

RK Dutta:

A day after the Supreme Court removed CBI Director Ranjit Sinha from the 2G spectrum
case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) named Additional Director RK Dutta as his
replacement in the agencys probe team.

Pandian

M.S.S. Pandian, an eminent social scientist who wrote extensively on the Dravidian
Movement, south Indian politics, cinema, caste, identity and several other socially relevant
issues, passed away after a sudden heart attack on 10th November.

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Rajiv Mehrishi

Economic Affairs Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi has been nominated as the Finance Secretary.
He will replace Arvind Mayaram who has been transferred to Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Mehrishi is a 1978 batch Indian Administrative Service officer from the Rajasthan cadre.
He was appointed Economic Affairs Secretary last month.

Ratan Tata:

Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata was inducted on the board of Interpol
Foundation to contribute to two new global initiatives aimed at combating organized crime
and terrorist activities by the international police organization.
The initiatives include protecting cultural property and modernizing channels of
international judicial cooperation. The other board members include HSBC CEO Stuart
Gulliver, Credit Agricole Chairman Jean-Marie Sander, Abraaj Capital Chairman and CEO
Arif Naqvi and Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn. The board is
headed by Prince Albert II of Monaco and former Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Elias
Murr. The other initiatives of the Foundation include I-Checkit, which protects airlines,
hotels, banks from threats of identity frauds.

Nikki:

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley interacted with politicians and industry alike as she
began her 10-day visit to the country from Chandigarh. In Punjab, Ms. Haley who was
born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa and who is the second Indian-American governor in the U.S.
after Bobby Jindal said her main objective is to establish aerospace, pharma, tourism
and agro-processing industries. The Governor spoke about how South Carolina has been
able to create new jobs in the aerospace and hospitality sectors.

Charles Rivkin:

He is US assistant Secretary of state economic and business. At present he is visiting in

India. Rivkin made a strong case for India to put in place a special law for the protection of
IPR to help improve bilateral relationships and growth of two economies.

Srivari Chandrasekhar:

CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) chief scientist Dr. Srivari

Chandrasekhar is among the scientists chosen for the Infosys Science Foundation's
Infosys Prize 2014. Dr Chandrasekhar will receive the award at a ceremony which will be
held on January 5, 2015, in Kolkata, where Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India, will
felicitate the winners. The award carries a personal purse of Rs 55 lakh, 22 carat gold
medal and a citation.
While the 2014 Prize in Physical Sciences has been awarded to Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar,
Chief Scientist of CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, the winners in other categories are: Jayant
Haritsa (Professor, Supercomputer Education & Research Centre, IISc, Bengaluru),
Shamnad Basheer (Founder and Managing Trustee, Increasing Diversity by Increasing
Access,Bengaluru ), Shubha Tole (Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, TIFR,
Mumbai ), Madhu Sudan (Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research New England), Esther
Duflo (Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics,
J-PAL, Boston, USA ). Dr Chandrasekhar is the first synthetic chemist to win the Infosys
prize.

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About Infosys Prize:

The Infosys Prize is an annual award given to scientists, researchers, engineers and
social scientists in India. The Infosys Prize ranks among the highest monetary awards in
India that recognizes scientific research .The prize for each category includes a gold
medallion, a citation certificate, and prize money of Rs. 55 Lakh (over US$ 90000). The
Prize was originally given across five categories: Engineering and Computer Science, Life
Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences. A sixth
category - the Humanities - was added in 2012.

Vijay Kelkar

Thirteenth Finance Commission Chairman Vijay Laxman Kelkar has been appointed as
Chairperson of the Finance Ministrys think tank National Institute of Public Finance &
Policy (NIPFP). He replaces the former Reserve Bank Governor C. Rangarajan.
Prior to this, he was Adviser to the Union Finance Minister from 2002 to 2004. He was also
the Union Finance Secretary in 1998-1999. He was nominated as Executive Director of
India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka on the Board of the International Monetary Fund
in 1999. He has also held various positions in government, public and private sectors.

Mallikarjun Kharge

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has been inducted into the threemember selection committee which will select the Chief Information Commissioner. As per
file nothings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who heads the panel, has nominated Defense
Minister Arun Jaitely besides Kharge to the committee. The decision to include Kharge has
been taken on the advice of Law Ministry as there was lack of clarity on the Leader of
Opposition in Lok Sabha.

Amrapurkar

Veteran actor and social activist Sadashiv Amrapurkar passed away on 3rd November.
Amrapurkar made his mark as an actor and director in Marathi theatre and was best known
to the national audience for his roles in movies like 'Ardha Satya', 'Sadak', 'Ishq'. His
negative characters in number of Hindi movies also made a mark on the viewers.

Hasmukh Adhia

The government on 3rd November appointed Hasmukh Adhia as the new financial services
secretary replacing G S Sandhu. Sandhu, has been made chairman of the National
Authority Chemical Weapons Convention.

Fabiola Gianotti

Italian physicist Fabiola Gianotti was chosen on 4th November to lead the Cern particle
physics research centre, the first woman to head up the globally renowned laboratory.
Gianotti, who joined CERN near Geneva in 1987, was project leader from 2009 to 2013 of
the Atlas collaboration, one of two teams tasked with finding the Higgs boson particle, for
which scientists had been searching for over 40 years.
Gianotti was selected by the centre's ruling council and her new role will be officially
confirmed in December. She will replace Rolf Heuer, who presided over the launch of the
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) used to find the Higgs boson.

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At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are
probing the fundamental structure of the universe. They use the world's largest and most
complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter the fundamental
particles. The particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The
process gives the physicists clues about how the particles interact, and provides insights
into the fundamental laws of nature.
The instruments used at CERN are purpose-built particle accelerators and detectors.
Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before the beams are made to
collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results
of these collisions. Founded in 1954, the CERN laboratory sits astride the Franco-Swiss
border near Geneva. It was one of Europe's first joint ventures and now has 21 member
states.

Rajdeep Sardesi

Veteran Journalist and TV anchor, wrote a book known as The Election that changed
India

Anita Kapur

Senior IRS officer Anita Kapur has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Central
Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex authority of the Income-Tax Department. Kapur,
a 1978-batch officer of the Income-Tax cadre, was till now serving as Member (Legislation
and Computerization and Income-Tax) in CBDT. She took over the top charge after her
appointment was announced by the government as incumbent CBDT Chairman K V
Chowdary retired on October 31.

Sachin Tendulkar

Former Indian cricketer, Bharata Ratna Sachin Tendulkar autobiography Playing It My Way
was released on 5th November.

Parsekar

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Laxmikant Parsekar, who was Health Minister in
the Manohar Parrikar government, was on 8th November sworn in as the 11th Chief
Minister of Goa. Governor Mridula Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr.
Parsekar and nine Ministers, including two from the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the
BJPs ally. The Goa Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the state of Goa
in western India. It consists of 40 members.

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Awards
ISRO wins Indira Gandhi Prize
The Indian Space Research Organisation has won the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development for 2014.
Why:

It was given for its path-breaking achievement, culminating in the Mars orbiter mission.
The prize was also for ISROs contributions in strengthening international cooperation
in the peaceful use of outer space and for the organisations role in addressing the
needs of rural Indians in remote areas.

About the Award:

The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is awarded
annually to a person or organisation without any distinction of nationality, race or
religion, in recognition of creative efforts towards enlarging the scope of freedom and
enriching the human spirit.
It is given to individuals or organisations who promote international development, a
new international economic order or make scientific discoveries for public good.
It consists of an award of Rs. 2.5 million and a trophy with a citation

Bilal Tanweer

Pakistani author Bilal Tanweer is honoured with the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book
Prize for his novel 'The Scatter Here Is Too Great'.
The award is comprised of the prize money of 2 lakhs rupees in addition to a trophy.

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank clinches its 3rd consecutive 'Custodian of the Year' award at the 11th
Custody Risk European Awards.
The recognition is entitled as Channel Islands Custodian of the Year 2014.
The recognition aims to identify the best companies in custody, fund administration
and technology across Europe.

Wong Kar-Wai

Hong Kongs celebrated filmmaker 'Wong Kar-Wai' is selected for the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the 45th edition of IFFI (International Film Festival of India).
He is globally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylised,
emotionally resonant work.
Some of his notable films are: In the Mood for Love, Days of Being Wild, Ashes of Time
etc.

Pandit Jasraj

Eminent classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj is honoured with the Sumitra Charat Ram Award
2014 for Lifetime Achievement.

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The award, named after Sumitra Charat Ram - founder of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala
Kendra in 1952 - was instituted in 2011 to honour outstanding contributions in the field of
art.
The previous awardees are Pandit Birju Maharaj, Kishori Amonkar and Mayadhar Raut.

Indira Gandhi official language awards distributed.

The honour, a language shield and certificates, is awarded to public bodies who have
excelled in the promotion of Hindi across various categories.
Various offices promoting Hindi and individuals who have authored original literature
and works of writing in Hindi on the occasion of 'Hindi Divas' on September 14 every year.
The delay in presentation of award is commonplace and the government want to set that
right as it prepare to declare these awards in future on Hindi Diwas (September 14) itself.

Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting award 2014 goes to

Radio Kashmir Jammu.

It clinches the prestigious prize for its programme Jeevan Rekha - a live broadcasts on
the rescue operations carried out in the state during the recent massive floods.
It was instituted to commemorate the sole visit of Mahatma Gandhi to the Studios of AIR
(New Delhi) on 12 November 1947.
The award is presented annually to the best programmes produced on 'Gandhian Philosophy
and Public Services Programmes' by AIR & Doordarshan.

Jnanpith Award 2013 goes to Hindi poet Dr Kedarnath Singh

Renowned Hindi poet Dr Kedarnath Singh is honoured with the Jnanpith Award 2013 for his
outstanding contribution towards Indian literature.
The Sahitya Akademi Award (1989) winner is cherished for his simple style of writing capable of
evoking rich imagery in readers mind.
He has also been conferred with the Kumaran Aashan, and the Vyas Award.
About the Award

The word Jnanpith is combination of two Sanskrit words jnana (Knowledge) and pitha (seat);
which means "Seat of Knowledge"
It was instituted in 1961 and is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in India along
with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship.
Any Indian citizen who writes in any of the official languages of India is eligible for the
honour.
It is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a trust founded by the Sahu Jain family, the
publishers of the The Times of India newspaper.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 7 lakh, a citation and a bronze replica of Saraswati with
a public felicitation.
Previous (2012) winner : Ravuri Bharadhwaja
First awardee 1965 : G Sankara Kurup (Malyalam)

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National Safety Council (NSCI) Awards 2013 presented

The Awards are given for ensuring Workplace Safety, Health and Environment in three
important sectors of the economy - Manufacturing, Construction and MSME (Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises).
Key Points

It recognize effective Safety Management System and excellent safety & health performance
by organizations during the relevant assessment periods.
These Awards are adjudged and declared every year by National Safety Council, an
autonomous organization set up by the Minister of Labour, Government of India.
Altogether 85 organisations have won the awards in four awards categories Sarva
Shreshtha Puraskar, Shreshtha Puraskar, Suraksha Puraskar and Prashansa Patra.

Notable 'Sarva Shreshtha' Recipients

Tarapur Atomic Power Station (Unit 3 & 4 of NPCIL): in Manufacturing Sector.

(Group C - Power Generation)
Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (3 & 4 of Larsen & Toubro): in Construction Sector.
Elin Appliances Pvt Ltd (Solan, Himachal Pradesh): in MSME Sector.

Dr. Manmohan Singh chosen for Japan national award

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been chosen for one of Japans top national
awards for his contribution to India-Japan ties, becoming the first Indian to receive the rare
honour.
Dr. Singh will be awarded The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers for his
significant contribution to the enhancement of relations and promotion of friendship
between Japan and India for about 35 years, a Japanese Embassy statement said.
It is a high level National Order and a rare honour awarded to those who are recognised for
their distinguished contribution, it said, adding Manmohan Singh is the first Indian recipient
of this Order.
Dr. Singh said he was truly honoured and felt humbled by the love and affection showered
upon me by the people and government of Japan.
He said it had been his dream to see India-Japan relationship grow and prosper and this is
an objective towards which I have worked, not only in my tenure as the Prime Minister of
India, but across the larger part of my career in public service.
Dr.Singh, who served as the Prime Minister for 10 years from 2004, said he was heartened
to witness today the transformation in India-Japan relations into a durable partnership.
He is among 57 foreign recipients named for the 2014 Autumn Imperial Decorations.

Erach Bharucha gets 'Earth Hero' award

A pioneer of environment education in India, Erach Bharucha, has been named for the Royal
Bank of Scotland (RBS) 'Earth Hero' award for this year.
All of you need to work with conservation, whichever profession you are in. The significance
of these awards are that it brings recognition for hotspots of biodiversity and the need for
conservation... For conservation to be successful, we need the number of conservation
conscious individuals to reach a tipping point and the press and schools are the two
mediums which can make this happen, he said.
Mr. Bharucha is currently the Director of Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University in Pune.

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The winners of other awards, announced by RBS, include Indian Forest Service Officer Sujoy
Banerjee and P.S. Somashekar (Green Warriors), Nagaland's Pangti Village Council and
Assam's Goutam Narayan (Save the Species award), Tamil Nadu's Kenneth Anderson
Nature Society (KANS) (Earth Guardian), West Bengal's Padmaja Naidu Himalayan
Zoological Park (Special Mention) and wildlife photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee (Inspire
award).
Uttar Pradesh cadre forest officer Mr. Banerjee is credited with ensuring the breeding of more
than 2,000 gharials in the National Chambal Sanctuary, which falls in Uttat Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh and Rajasthan in 2012-13.

Superstar Rajinikanth conferred Centenary Award at IFFI

South Indian cinemas superstar Rajinikanth was bestowed with the Centenary Award for
Indian Film Personality of the Year at the opening ceremony of the 45th International Film
Festival of India (IFFI).
Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, who was the chief
guest, presented the award, which consists of a cash prize of Rs.10 lakhs, a certificate and
the Silver Peacock Medal. It was instituted last year to commemorate 100 years of Indian
Cinema.

N. Ram gets Award

N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu and chairman of Kasturi and Sons, publishers of
The Hindu, has been selected for the first N. Ramachandran Foundation Award.
The former Chief Justice of India, M.N. Venkatachaliah, would present the award at a
function to be held on November 25, Foundation president B.R.P. Bhaskar said.
The award, instituted in memory of N. Ramachandran, a doyen of Malayalam journalism who
passed away earlier this year, carries a purse of Rs. 50,000, a citation and a plaque.

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The Marrakesh Treaty (2013)

Marrakesh, also called as the city of Seven Saints, witnessed the advent of what is referred
to as Miracle in Marrakesh in the form of the Treaty which is beneficial to everyone.
There are no winners and no loosers in this Treaty, Moroccos Minister of
Communications and Government Spokesperson Mustapha Khalfi said.
Marrakesh VIP Treaty - Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for
Persons who are Blind, Visually impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled is a treaty signed in
Marrakesh, Morocco, on 28th June, 2013. It addresses the book famine by requiring its
contracting parties to adopt national law provisions that permit the reproduction,
distribution and making available of published works in accessible formats through
limitations and exceptions to the rights of copyright rightholders.
According to the World Blind Union, of the million books published each year in the world,
less than 5% are made available in formats accessible to visually impaired persons. There is
a continuing shortage of available works in accessible format copies for such persons, and
considerable resources are required for their effort of making works accessible to the
visually impaired, and the lack of possibilities of cross-border exchange of accessible format
copies has necessitated the augmentation of such multilateral treaty.
Meeting of 600 International negotiators took place under the auspices of the World
Intellectual Property Organization WIPO from among its 186 member states which
substantially lead to a landmark new treaty that boosts access to books for the benefit of
hundreds of millions of people who are blind, visually impaired and print-disabled.
The Treaty released by WIPO and adopted by the Diplomatic Conference emphasizes on the
importance of copyright protection as an incentive and reward for literary and artistic
creations and of enhancing opportunities for everyone, including persons with visual
impairments or with other print disabilities, to participate in the cultural life of the
community, to enjoy the arts and to share scientific progress and its benefits, thereby vividly
depicting the principles of non-discrimination, equal opportunity, accessibility and full &
effective participation and inclusion in society, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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