Chief Editor: Sachchida Nand Jha Editor: Yagya Nand Jha Designed by: Chandan Kumar Raja Editorial Office: A 13/A 3rd Floor, Gali No-1, Hardev Nagar Jharoda Majra New Delhi84 CURRENT AFFAIRS National Issues 15 International Issues 27 India & the World 37 Economy 42 Science and Technology 50 Sports 66 Awards & Prizes 78 In the News 86 PAGE NO. 4 PAGE NO. 11 PAGE NO. 123 AUGUST, 2012 For Advertisement Contact at : 8826659121 Join us at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/upscportal.original Follow us at Twitter: http://twitter.com/upscportal PAGE NO. 126 PAGE NO. 8 Disclaimer: Editor and Publisher are not responsible for any view, data, figure etc. expressed in the articles by the author(s). Maps are notational . All Disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and fourms in Delhi/New Delhi only. Selected Articles from Selected Articles from Selected Articles from Selected Articles from Selected Articles from Various Newspapers & Journals Various Newspapers & Journals Various Newspapers & Journals Various Newspapers & Journals Various Newspapers & Journals 103 THE MISINTERPRETATION AND THE MISINTERPRETATION AND THE MISINTERPRETATION AND THE MISINTERPRETATION AND THE MISINTERPRETATION AND MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA CHILD LABOUR-A CHILD LABOUR-A CHILD LABOUR-A CHILD LABOUR-A CHILD LABOUR-A
BLOT ON BLOT ON BLOT ON BLOT ON BLOT ON THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY THE FACE OF DEMOCRACY FEBRUARY, 2013 INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT AT KALPAKKAM AT KALPAKKAM AT KALPAKKAM AT KALPAKKAM AT KALPAKKAM INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING ASEAN CO-OPERATION ASEAN CO-OPERATION ASEAN CO-OPERATION ASEAN CO-OPERATION ASEAN CO-OPERATION JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN I NDI A I NDI A I NDI A I NDI A I NDI A UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 4 44 44 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe The Indian Moving Bus Gang Rape Case in Delhi is much talked about and is being followed issue in Indian society these days. What had happened on the night of 16th of December had shaken the whole nations soul and has also raised the question on the level of inhumanity and brutality one can ever think of. The incident was a slap slap on the face of the na- tion, the police forces, the govern- ment, the judiciary, but above all it was a tight slap on the face of the humanity. India is ashamed After they were thrown out of the bus they were there lying naked on the road. Shouting and screaming for help. There were many people surrounding them; looking at them; auto rickshaws and car drivers came and went. None of them thought of taking them to the hospital, or even to cover their nude bodies. The whole Delhi (India) turned out to be a rapist the rapists of human- ity, as no one helped them. In case they had had been helped on time the reality today with have been different. Three PCR Vans passed by, but none helped them (claimed by misfortunate girls friend in interview). Then after one of the passerbies called the police and at last when they came after two and a half hours not even a single police personal had a thought of covering the naked bodies of the two victims in such a shivering cold. The gang rape in the capital of a paramedical student, who died in hospital, should more than just outrage us. Rape is not simply about law and order, or about de- ranged individuals. Nor is the problem going to be solved by more laws, more police on our streets, more CCTV cameras on our buses or stiffer sentences for rapists. The gang rapes that are occurring with alarming regularity must compel us to reflect upon who we are as a society. Just like the killing of young innocents is forcing Americans to address the societal reasons for such violence and not just blame one individual, Indians need to understand that gang rape is not just an aberration committed by inhuman men. We need to address how we as a society are implicated in producing such appalling lev- els of violence against women, which is increasingly being toler- ated and even normalised. As women enter the work place and the public arena, their boldness and confidence seem to trigger a sense of insecurity in a society where men are used to being in charge. While it is impossible to reduce the issue of violence to one sole cause, that is men, the fact remains that young men are the ones committing these crimes. These include the 2003 gang rape of a 17-year-old Delhi University student in Buddha Jayanti Park; the Dhaula Kuan gang rape in 2005 in a moving car of a student from Mizoram; and the 2010 gang rape of a young BPO employee from the north-east. INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED INDIA IS ASHAMED UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 5 55 55 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Caught as they were between the stony silence of an impassive government and the cynically sim- plistic demands of Opposition politicians for instant justice, it is hardly surprising that the leader- less crowds which spontaneously gathered at India Gate on Saturday and Sunday to protest the recent incident of rape in the Capital should have ended up in a violent skirmish with the police. Yes, lumpens looking for a scrap jumped in to take advantage and yes, the police did respond with mindless brutality against every- one present. But the primary re- sponsibility for the turmoil surely lies with our national political leaders who simply lack the abil- ity to understand and engage with a democratic upsurge from below, especially one that is not stratified by language, religion or caste. Confronted with the possibility of mass protest, the government on Saturday should have acted politi- cally to assure the women of In- dia that a serious national review of all legal issues surrounding rape, sexual assault and gender rights would be undertaken on a war-footing. Instead, its first and only instinct was to shut down the public transport system in Central Delhi and prepare for battle. When thousands of young women and men arrived at India Gate on Sun- day having successfully evaded official attempts to restrict their movement, they found themselves face to face with a state appara- tus that was not interested in a conversation. Although arrests have been made after the gang rape incident and the government has promised a speedy trial, women in New Delhi and the rest of India do not feel any safer when stepping out of their homes. This is because they know that the official mindset has not changed. Instead of push- ing the national debate in the di- rection of serious systemic reform, especially of law enforcement and justice delivery, a number of Op- position politicians have started an irresponsible debate on the need for the death penalty, or castration of rapists. These demands, which have had a populist echo amongst the protesters at India Gate, ignore the fact that shoddy investigation, poor forensics and misogynist at- titudes among the police and even lower judiciary are the main rea- sons why rape victims in India do not get justice. The editorial page article by Anup Surendranath to- day explains why castration is not a solution. As for the death pen- alty, making it mandatory for rape will make it more likely that a rap- ist kills his victim. A committee headed by Justice J.S. Verma has now been tasked with reviewing the legal position on aggravated sexual assault. What the govern- ment must do is to commit itself to implementing all its recommen- dations, including any on police and judicial reform, and not sim- ply cherry pick those that are po- litically the most convenient. Whats happening in worlds biggest democratic Nation. After this incidence Government and all other authorities are taking some actions for the security of women but as per other laws, rules and regulations in India these laws will also be on papers. If we talk about Government or any other authori- ties they will not make it happen or may be these laws will be implemented for 1-2 years or till General Elections in India. The worst thing about this gang rape incidence is that in all culprits there is an accused who is juve- nile. Like the gang rape in Delhi, these stories lead many to believe that rape is a psychopathology; the work of a handful of evil men. It isnt: data from across the world shows rape is extraordinarily com- monplace. Every year in the U.S., the highly-regarded Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) estimates, over 200,000 women suffer sexual assault one approximately every two min- utes. In 2000, the United Kingdom survey concluded that 4.9 per cent of all women had experienced at least one rape or sexual assault; a more recent survey put the figure at above 10 per cent. Ireland, Swe- den and Germany have survey es- timates that range from 25 per cent to 34 per cent. Likelier than not, the 24,206 cases reported to po- lice in 2011 are almost certainly the tip of the iceberg. Fifty-three per cent of 12,000 children polled in a 2007 government survey said they had encountered one or more forms of sexual abuse. More than a fifth, over half of them boys, reported severe sexual abuse. It is almost certain that even more en- countered sexual violence. The hideous gang-rape in Delhi is part of the continuum of violence millions of Indian women face every single day; a continuum that stretches from sexual harass- ment in public spaces and the workplace to physical abuse that plays itself out in the privacy of our homes far more often than on the street. Nor is it true, secondly, that Delhi is Indias rape capital. There are plenty of other places in India with a higher incidence of reported rape, in population ad- justed terms and Delhis record on convicting perpetrators is far higher than the national average. Third, this is not a problem of po- licing alone. Finally, Indias soci- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 6 66 66 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ety rails against rape, in the main, not out of concern for victims but because of the despicable notion that a womans body is the reposi- tory of family honour. It is this honour our society seeks to pro- tect, not individual women. It is time for us as a people to feel the searing shame our society has un- til now only imposed on its female victims. Castration is not the right legal Castration is not the right legal Castration is not the right legal Castration is not the right legal Castration is not the right legal response response response response response Much before the current de- mand for chemical castration as a legal response to rape, Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau, while sentencing Dinesh Yadav in May 2011 for raping his 15-year old step-daughter for four years, called for a debate on castration as an alternative to incarceration in rape cases. Sentencing Dinesh Yadav to the minimum possible punishment of 10 years for such a crime under Section 375(2) of the Indian Penal Code, Judge Lau in- dicated that castration, surgical or chemical, would perhaps be a far more effective method to prevent rape. While contemplating the le- gal and ethical aspects of such a measure, it is important that we understand the precise terms of the suggestion, its potential to re- duce the incidence of rape and its potential for abuse. Clarity on the meaning of some of the terms might be useful at this juncture. Surgical castration does not mean removal of the pe- nis, but is instead the irreversible surgical removal of the testoster- one producing testes. Chemical castration involves injecting anti- androgen drugs that suppress the production of testosterone as long as the drugs are administered. Once we get past the histori- cal baggage of the term castra- tion, the strongest argument in favour of chemical castration is that it is a non-invasive, reversible method of nullifying the produc- tion of testosterone and thereby controlling extreme sexual urge. The use of Depo-Provera in many American States subsequent to chemical castration legislation does indicate that it reduces the risk of recidivism. However, such an approach limits the under- standing of rape to the framework of sex. Irrespective of the differ- ences in their positions on rape, influential feminists like Susan Brownmiller, Catharine MacKinnon, Andrea Dworkin, Ann Cahill, etc., agree that rape is not about the manifestation of ex- treme sexual urge. Violence, power, aggression and humiliation are central to understanding rape, and sex is only a mechanism used to achieve those aims. Addressing the sexual element of rape does not address the violence and hu- miliation that rape is intended to inflict. Responding to a question on whether chemical castration for child molesters works, Catharine MacKinnon in an interview with Diane Rosenfeld (March 2000) captured the issue at hand by say- ing that they just use bottles. Castration as a response to rape furthers the myth that rape is about the uncontrollable sexual urge of men. Lets ask how we contribute to Lets ask how we contribute to Lets ask how we contribute to Lets ask how we contribute to Lets ask how we contribute to rape rape rape rape rape Lawyers and judges too have joined the protests and this is all to the good for the more diverse the protests, the more impact they will have. But its lawyers who use every ruse in the book to allow rapists to get away, judges who make concessions because the rapists are young men who have their whole lives in front of them and so on. Do womens lives not have a value then? Hatred for women Hatred for women Hatred for women Hatred for women Hatred for women It is important to raise our collective voice against rape. But rape is not something that occurs by itself. It is part of the continu- ing and embedded violence in society that targets women on a daily basis. Lets raise our voices against such violence and lets ask ourselves how we, in our daily actions, in our thoughts, contrib- ute to this, rather than assume that the solution lies with someone else. Lets ask ourselves how we, our society, we as people, create and sustain the mindset that leads to rape, how we make our men so violent, how we insult our women so regularly, lets ask ourselves how privilege creates violence. It is important we raise our collective voice for women, but lets raise it for all women, lets raise it so that no woman, no mat- ter that she be poor, rich, urban, rural, Dalit, Muslim, Hindu, or whatever, ever, in the future, has to face sexual violence, and no man assumes that because of the system and peoples mindsets, he can simply get away with it. And lets raise it also for men, for transgenders, for the poor all those who become targets of vio- lence. Lets not forget that the young rape survivor in Delhi was accompanied by a friend who too was subjected to violence and nearly killed. Lets talk about him too. None of this ought to surprise us: though we might condemn rape, our culture shares the rapists values. Indias mass culture is re- plete with misogyny. Few films even seek to escape romantic memes which involve men pursu- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 7 77 77 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ing, and eventually conquering, women who say no; it is no coin- cidence that pop singer Honey Singh, whose lyrics valorise the taming of liberated women, has become a youth icon. Conviction rate Conviction rate Conviction rate Conviction rate Conviction rate The point here isnt that Indias less-than-luminous convic- tion rates 26.5 per cent nation- ally, similar to the U.S. average; 41 per cent in Delhi are less grim than they seem. Rather, it is that policing isnt a panacea. The utter failure of highly-resourced U.S. campaigns to stamp out narcotics use is a case in point. None of this is to say improved policing cant mitigate the problem. More offic- ers, particularly women officers, on the streets, will deter street sexual harassment and stalking. Capacity building for investigation and prosecution will lead to a more effective punishment of per- petrators. Even better lighting in public spaces has been shown to yield results. Harsher police action on street crime, elsewhere in the world, has often correlated with declines in rape rates. Yet, we ought not to delude ourselves about what can be achieved. There is no reason, for example, to believe more police checkpoints will deter rapists, when they have done next to noth- ing to apprehend terrorists or rob- bers. Forensics will also help but, outside of crime-fiction shows, DNA isnt a magic anti- criminal bullet. Leaving aside the fact that forensic evidence can be matched to perpetrators only in a tiny percentage of cases, criminals have become increasingly adroit at covering their trail. Even a Mumbai suspect recently forced his victim to bathe after raping her, demonstrating a robust grasp of evidence destruction. Lapsing into pseudoscience fantasies that the screening of possible perpetrators will help detect rapists, as judges of the Delhi High Court recently did, helps not at all. Let us begin the process of destigmatisation and demystification of rape by pledging not to use associative words such as honour, viola- tion, defilement and disgrace. Perhaps the real tragedy we must contemplate, as we consider the story of the young woman who died in Singapore hospital after being brutally beaten and gang- raped, is this: in six months or less, she will have been forgotten. There will, by then, have been the next victim, and the one after and absolutely nothing will have changed. Ever since Sundays sav- age crime, Indias political leader- ship has been loudly engaged in what it appears to believe is ad- vocacy of womens rights in the main, dramatic but meaningless calls for summary trials, castration and mandatory death penalties. The same leaders will, if past record proves a guide, do abso- lutely nothing to actually address the problem. For all the noise that each gang-rape has provoked, Par- liament has made no worthwhile progress towards desperately- needed legal reforms. Even nuts- and-bolts measures, like enhanced funding for forensic investigations, upgrading training of police to deal with sexual crimes, and mak- ing expert post-trauma support available to victims, are conspicu- ous by their absence. Pankaj Kumar Pankaj Kumar Pankaj Kumar Pankaj Kumar Pankaj Kumar Buy Online at: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/order-books Help Line No. 011- 45151781 Also Available at: http://www.flipkart.com UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 8 88 88 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe THE nuclear power complex at Kalpakkam, about 50 km from Chennai, will soon have a nuclear desalination plant, which will be the worlds largest sea water hy- brid desalination plant to be coupled to a nuclear power sta- tion. It will produce 63 lakh litres of potable water a day using a thermal method and a reverse os- mosis (RO) system. While the ther- mal method will produce 45 lakh litres of drinking water a day, the reverse osmosis system will pro- duce 18 lakh litres. The Rs.40-crore Nuclear Desalination Demonstra- tion Project (NDDP) is being built by the Desalination Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay. Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic En- ergy Commission; Dr. B. Bhattacharjee, Director, BARC; and Dr. B.M. Misra, Head, Desali- nation Division, BARC, visited the desalination project at Kalpakkam on November 17 and saw the work under way. The Nuclear Desalination Demonstration Plant (NDDP) lo- cated at Kalpakkam [off Chennai], Tamil Nadu, is the worlds largest hybrid seawater desalination plant coupled to an existing nuclear power plant, says Dr. P.K Tewari, Head, Desalination Division, BARC, Mumbai. This desalination facility is coupled to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), and deploys both multi-stage flash (MSF) evaporation and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane separa- tion technologies. The total capac- ity of NDDP is 6.3 million litres per day (MLD). Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) evaporation plant produces 4.5 million litres per day of distilled quality water and Reverse Osmo- sis (RO) plant produces 1.8 million litres per day of potable-quality water. The desalination plant meets the entire pure water re- quirement of Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS). The multi- stage flash technology works on the principle of flash evaporation wherein the temperature of water is increased under pressure and then flash evaporated by reducing the pressure gradually in multiple stages, said Shri. M.M. Rajput, Plant Superintendent, NDDP, BARC Facilities, Kalpakkam. According to Dr. B.M. Misra, the desalination project aims to demonstrate safe and economical production of good quality water by nuclear desalination of sea wa- ter; establish indigenous capabil- ity in the design, manufacture, in- stallation and operation of such plants; generate necessary design inputs for large-scale nuclear de- salination plants; and serve as a demonstration project to the Inter- national Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), welcoming participation from interested member-states. Dr. B.M. Misra said that desalina- tion would become inevitable by 2025 since the demand for quality drinking water would exceed availability. That is why the De- salination Division of the BARC has been concentrating its research on this hybrid technology, that is, both thermal/MSF, and RO desali- HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT AT KALPAKKAM HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT AT KALPAKKAM HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT AT KALPAKKAM HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT AT KALPAKKAM HYBRID DESALINATION PLANT AT KALPAKKAM UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 9 99 99 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe nation, he said. BARC was a pio- neer in research in desalination and has been engaged in research and development activities in de- salination since early 1970s. In MSF plant, by increasing the pressure of water by 2 bar, the boiling point temperature of wa- ter is raised up to 121 degree C. The superheated water is then al- lowed to cool in steps of 2 degree C at each of 39 stages, and the water is allowed to flash evapo- rate and condense as pure water by reducing the pressure. Small part of the low pressure steam (at 130 degree C) that goes from MAPS high pressure turbine to low pressure turbine is used for heating the sea water. The pres- sure drop across the flashing stages will be more at the initial stages and reduces gradually with decreasing temperature, said Shri. C. Balasubramaniyan, Deputy Plant Superintendent, NDDP, BARC Facilities, Kalpakkam. Tem- perature drop from 119 degree C to 117 degree C is achieved by reducing the pressure by 1,300 mm water column. But at the low- est temperatures, say 42 degree C to 40 degree C, the pressure drop will be only 100 mm water col- umn. In short, when the pressure drops, the boiling point of seawa- ter also drops. The excess heat, in turn, causes seawater to flash evaporate into pure water vapour. The water vapour is then con- densed to produce distilled wa- ter. The challenge The challenge The challenge The challenge The challenge But the challenge in MSF plant comes from making the wa- ter flash in 39 stages through a small and controlled temperature drop of just 2 degrees per stage. So much so, that water continues to flash even when the tempera- ture reaches as low as 40 degrees C at 39 th stage the last and final stage! But how does water con- tinue to flash evaporate even when the temperature is as low as 40 degree C? If initially, increasing the pressure helped in increasing the boiling temperature, reducing the pressure at later stages helps in reducing the boiling temperature. From the 10{+t}{+h}stage on- wards, flashing is achieved under progressively increasing vacuum, explained Shri. Balasubramaniyan. By reducing the pressure, the water continues to flash evaporate at lower temperature. Hence at the last stage, vacuum is in the or- der of -0.95 bar(g), and this helps in evaporating the seawater at 40 degree C. If the entire quantity of superheated water is allowed to flash and produce steam at one instant, the amount of water pro- duced will be several times less than multi-stage flashing, Shri. Rajput explained. In the MSF plant, the scientists have achieved pro- duction of more than 9 kg of wa- ter from every kilogram of steam produced. This has become possible as the system is designed to recover most of the heat internally. As the superheated seawater continues to lose temperature at every stage of flashing, the incoming sea wa- ter used for condensing the steam, in turn, gains heat. The sea water used for condensing the steam gets heated to 113 degree C by the time it leaves the heat recovery stages, said Shri Rajput. The tem- perature of the seawater has to be raised by a mere 8 degree C (from 113 degree C to 121 degree C) before it is flashed multi times to produce distilled water. The cost of producing distilled water using MSF technology is 10 paisa per li- tre, and 6 paisa per litre in the case of reverse osmosis, noted Shri Amitava Roy Facility Director, BARC Facilities at Kalpakkam. This is after factoring in the cost of power, steam, chemicals, mainte- nance and depreciation. We can set-up a similar plant in three to four years, said Dr. Tewari. and whatever be the temperature of steam the plant can be designed to produce distilled water. THE thermal process is also called multi stage flash (MSF) technology. The RO is called mem- brane technology as well because it uses a membrane to filter sea water. A nuclear desalination plant is called so because it is erected in a nuclear power station to use sea water, steam and electrical power from the latter. In the MSF process, evaporated sea water at above atmospheric pressure is led to a lower pressure unit, resulting in the release of vapour which is condensed to get potable water. Reverse osmosis is a membrane process where saline water or ef- fluent water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane at pressure in excess of osmotic pressure and permeate water (passing through the membrane) of potable quality is produced. The semi-permeable membrane is made of polyamide which will re- ject salt and permeate water. The membrane also rejects micro-or- ganisms. Since the thermal method requires steam, it is advantageous to erect a desalination plant at a power generating station. Misra said: Although most of the desali- nation plants are erected in a power station, they can be con- structed at nuclear power stations from which we get sea water, steam and electrical power. It was more economical to site them at nuclear power stations than ther- mal power stations because the UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 10 10 10 10 10 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe former produces more waste steam that can be used. Since 1975 the BARC has set desalination plants all over the country, including one on the BARC premises at Trombay. There are four operational plants at the BARC now. While the first plant produces one lakh litres of water a day using the RO method, the second one produces four lakh litres of water a day using the MSF method. The third plant uses the low evaporation technology (LET) method to desalinate water and produces about 30,000 litres of water a day. The fourth plant uses the multiple effect distillation (MED). According to M.S. Hanra, Coordinator, NDDP (Kalpakkam), BARC, the RO plant at the BARC converted sea water with 35,000 parts per million (ppm) of salt into drinking water with less than 500 ppm of salt. The water was treated further to match the standards pre- scribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The BARC had earlier erected desalination plants using RO that produced 5,000 litres and 40,000 litres of water a day. The capacity was gradually stepped up. Using the same de- sign, we are now building an RO plant at Kalpakkam that can pro- duce 18 lakh litres of drinkable water a day, Hanra said. The BARC was doing research to re- duce the energy consumption in desalination plants and get more output through membranes. The BARC also erected de- salination plants in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, the Andaman and Nicobar islands (Port Blair) and Lakshadweep. (All of them used the RO technology.) The aim was to demonstrate the technology in a rural setting. The first plants came up at a village about 40 km from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, and at Maliga village, Surendra Nagar district, Gujarat. Both pro- duced 30,000 litres of drinking water a day from brackish water. But the plants could not be sus- tained owing to infrastructural problems, especially because of lack of assured power supply. In Gujarat, while public acceptabil- ity of desalination plants was lim- ited, they were well accepted in the industrial sector. In Tamil Nadu, 12 desalina- tion plants were operated by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) in the coastal Ramanathapuram district. Thus membrane distillation using RO technology has already been es- tablished in the country as one of the most reliable processes for the production of potable water from brackish and sea water. R Prasad R Prasad R Prasad R Prasad R Prasad I AS PCS N1XMMZ DO by 583#Sur edohv#d#er r n#r q#J 1V1#DydIodeoh H0p dIo#=#Iqi r C xmmz doIdv1Iq Z hevIwh#=#z z z 1xmmz doIdv1Iq UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 11 11 11 11 11 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ASEAN is a regional inter- governmental organization formed by the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand through the Bangkok Declaration which was signed by their foreign minis- ters on 8th August, 1967. Brunei joined in 1984, Vietnam in 1995. Laos and Myanmar in 1997 and Cambodia in 1999. Papua New Guinea also has observer status. Its main objectives are to accelerate economic growth, Social progress and cultural development to en- sure the political and economic stability of the South East Asian region. In the beginning India did not have cordial relations with ASEAN due to certain doubts and suspi- cions on both sides. While India was suspicious of underlying American diplomacy, ASEAN was wary of India due to its closeness to Russia. For example, in 1982 India supported Hague Samarin government in Combodia which had the support of Vietnam, whereas ASEAN recognized the Democratic Kampuchean coali- tion-the opponent of Hague Samarin. Though India always wanted to join the ASEAN in view of its steady economic progress, Indonesia. Philippines and Thai- land were not in favour of India joining ASEAN, because it feared Indias hegemony due to its sheer size and population. India-ASEAN relations, as they exist today, are in some ways, a, reconfiguration of age-old ties that date back 2,000 years. Only the modes of trade have changed. Instead of the silk route, countries now use tech-oriented routes to link up. ASEAN, the latest version of what was the Asian trade net- work ages ago, is an effort to es- tablish cooperation in the eco- nomic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields among its member countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Phil- ippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. For a relationship that began warming up only about a decade ago, the India-ASEAN partnership has been trotting at quite a fast pace. India became a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992. The sectors were trade, investment, tourism and science and technol- ogy. Mutual interest led ASEAN to invite India to become a full dia- logue partner of ASEAN during the fifth ASEAN summit in Bangkok in 1995 and a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (AREF) in 1996. India signed an agreement in Oc- tober 2003 for a free trade area (FTA) with Thailand. Under the agreement, 84 items can be im- ported from Thailand from April 2004 at 50 percent of the normal rate of duty prevailing in India. The pact with Thailand is to be fol- lowed by a similar agreement with Singapore and, ultimately, the en- tire ASEAN region and India is committed to aligning its peak tar- iff to East Asian levels by 2005. India has also been engaged in negotiations to form a Compre- hensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING ASEAN CO-OPERATION INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING ASEAN CO-OPERATION INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING ASEAN CO-OPERATION INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING ASEAN CO-OPERATION INDIAS ROLE IN PROMOTING ASEAN CO-OPERATION UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 12 12 12 12 12 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Singapore. Sub-regional coopera- tion has accelerated too. The Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) and the BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Economic Cooperation) are indicators to this effect. In 2003, India acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Coopera- tion (TAC) in South-East Asia, signed a declaration to combat international terrorism and agreed on comprehensive economic co- operation to step up their current trade turnover of S 12 billion. Among ASEAN members, Singapore and Malaysia have been Indias most prominent trading partners and Indias trade with Laos has been the least in valve terms. Trade Cooperation Trade Cooperation Trade Cooperation Trade Cooperation Trade Cooperation The deepening of ties is be- ginning to show in the intra-coun- try trade figures. India-ASEAN trade in 2010-11 was about $51.10 billion, over six times the 2003-04- trade figure of $9.78 billion. India- ASEAN trade during the calendar year 2009 was - exports $ 17.3 bil- lion and imports $ 23.8 billion and during 2010 - exports $ 22.3 bil- lion and imports $ 27.8 billion. Indias trade with ASEAN had in- creased by 30 per cent in 2010- 2011, crossing the $50-billion mark, and with such a rate of growth, the target of $70 billion by 2012 would be feasible. Indias trade with ASEAN has increased by 30 per cent in 2010-2011 and has crossed the $50 billion mark. According to the prime minister, With such a rate of growth we should be able to achieve our trade target of $billion by 2012. Pushing for greater physical con- nectivity between India and ASEAN, remains the strategic ob- jective70. There are several pro- posals under consideration with regard to land and sea connectiv- ity, which include the India- Myanmar-Thailand Highway, its extension to Laos and Cambodia and the development of a new highway also linking Vietnam. Growth in Indias exports to ASEAN in recent years has been much higher in comparison to other destinations. As expected, trade relations have led to a spurt in people-to-people links, giving a boost to tourism. It will only grow further when India and the ASEAN countries establish the planned road and rail links between them To take this step further, a motor car rally has been organised by Indias Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India and the Confederation of Indian Indus- try (CID in close cooperation with the member-states of the ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat. At this point, India is poised at a strate- gic moment from where it can pitch for better cooperation with the ASEAN countries. Links with ASEAN countries Links with ASEAN countries Links with ASEAN countries Links with ASEAN countries Links with ASEAN countries The ninth India-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit was held in Bali, Indonesia on November 19, 2011. Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that greater physical connectivity between India and the 10-member grouping remains New Delhis strategic objective. The prime minister listed proposals, among others, for an India-Myanmar-Thai- land highway and its extension to Laos and Cambodia, and the de- velopment of a new highway also linking Vietnam. He also referred to a study on a Mekong-India eco- nomic corridor, which proposes to link corridors in the peninsular, and possibly the north-eastern, regions of India with the East Asian region. The prime minister further urged ASEAN to take considered decisions to link the peninsular region with the North-east. He added: I would suggest that all these different proposals should be studied in an integrated man- ner by our officials, so that we take considered decisions to optimize our resources and efforts. Implementation of ASEAN- Implementation of ASEAN- Implementation of ASEAN- Implementation of ASEAN- Implementation of ASEAN- India Plan India Plan India Plan India Plan India Plan The successful implementa- tion of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action for 2004-10 listing specific items of cooperation was fol- lowed by an 82-point Plan of Ac- tion for the period 2010-2015, about the ambitious document adopted at the Hanoi Summit in 2010. India has forwarded a num- ber of cooperative projects as part of this plan as well as part of the $50 million ASEAN-India Coopera- tion Fund to the ASEAN Secre- tariat. Other Developments Other Developments Other Developments Other Developments Other Developments In addition to the expansion of India-ASEAN cooperation in the fields of science and technology, space and information technology, several projects were under imple- mentation under the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Fund. Based on the feedback from the ASEAN, Indias Department of Space has revised its proposal for a five-year project for establishing a tracking and reception station and data processing facility for the ASEAN countries and training of ASEAN personnel. India will con- vene a meeting of heads of space agencies of India and ASEAN in early 2012. The summit also discussed the security-related issue includ- ing maritime security, counter-ter- rorism, training, exercises and di- saster management. The prime UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 13 13 13 13 13 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe minister has proposed to hold the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on December 20-21, 2012 in New Delhi. India is now looking to the IT and energy sectors to up the tempo of investments. ONGC has put in $200 million in an upstream gas project in southern Vietnam. The oil and gas major has already started getting revenue from its investment, and is generating cash. flows of around $6 million flow- ing in from the sale of gas to the downstream industries in Viet- nam. So, overall India-ASEAN re- lations are on the right track and its future prospects appear to be bright in view of the bilateral trade links. Shri Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, signed the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement in Goods follow- ing the meeting of the ASEAN-In- dia Economic Ministers, held in Bangkok. The meeting was hosted by Thailand, the then Chair of the 10-member Association of South- east Asian Nations (ASEAN) grouping that completed four de- cades of its existence in 2007. As part of the Comprehensive Eco- nomic Cooperation Agreement, the Trade in Goods Agreement will integrate the two globally im- portant economic blocks for mu- tually beneficial economic gains. ASEAN is a major trading partner for India and accounts for about 10% of its global trade. In the last financial year, bilateral trade be- tween India and ASEAN was more than US $ 40 billion. India and ASEAN have set an ambitious tar- get of achieving bilateral trade of US $ 50 billion by 2010, which is already achieved. The current Agreement which comes into force from 1 st January 2010 would help achieve this target. The Trade in Goods agree- ment focuses on tariff liberaliza- tion on mutually agreed tariff lines from both the sides and is targeted to eliminate tariffs on 80% of the tariff lines accounting for 75% of the trade in a gradual manner start- ing from 1st January, 2010. The Agreement has provided flexibilities to India and ASEAN countries to exclude some of the products from the tariff conces- sions or eliminations to address their respective domestic sensitiv- ity. India on its part has excluded 489 items from the list of tariff con- cessions and 590 items from the list of tariff elimination to address sensitivities in agriculture, textiles, auto, chemicals, crude and refined palm oil, coffee, tea, pepper etc. ASEAN countries have also main- tained similar exclusion list from the proposed tariff concessions or eliminations. The exchange of tariff con- cessions between India and the ASEAN Member Countries would lead to growth in bilateral trade and investment resulting in eco- nomic benefits to India and the ASEAN Member Countries. Indian exporters of Machinery and ma- chine parts, Steel and steel prod- ucts, agriculture products such as Oilcake, Wheat and Buffalo Meat, Auto Components, Chemicals and Synthetic Textiles would gain ad- ditional market access as a result of tariff liberalisation by ASEAN. Indian manufacturers would also be able to source products at competitive prices from the ASEAN countries. The Agreement also provides for bilateral safeguard mecha- nisms to address sudden surge in imports after the Agreement comes into force. In such an even- tuality if it hurts a domestic indus- try, safeguard measures including imposition of safeguard duties may be put in place for a period up to 4 years. The flexibility to in- voke the safeguard measures will remain available for both the sides for a period of 7 years to 15 years from the date, the Agreement comes into force. The signing of the Agreement signals Indias firm commitment to its Look East policy of building upon its histori- cal links with the countries of the Southeast Asian region and further deepening and widening this part- nership. India-ASEAN Future CRUCIAL India-ASEAN Future CRUCIAL India-ASEAN Future CRUCIAL India-ASEAN Future CRUCIAL India-ASEAN Future CRUCIAL FOR ASIA GROWTH FOR ASIA GROWTH FOR ASIA GROWTH FOR ASIA GROWTH FOR ASIA GROWTH India-ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) rela- tions are a reflection of the complementariness of interests between the two entities. As In- dia chooses to embark on a benign projection of its rising power, it has become imperative to chart a foreign policy commensurate with its ambitions in Asia and the world. For Indias power to be ac- cepted in the Asian Continent, it needs to look beyond its immedi- ate neighbours in the sub-Conti- nent, and diversify and cement its relations mainly with the South- East Asian nations, the very es- sence of its Look East Policy and its continuing effort to sustain and improve ties with a regional body like ASEAN. Indias strengthening rela- tions with the individual countries of the ASEAN and the regional body at large is mutually reinforc- ing. The foreign policy vision of a rising India should reflect an en- largement of vision and a continu- ous effort towards cultivation of resources to increase its zone of influence, albeit in a more diplo- matic and friendly manner without evoking sentiments that could UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 14 14 14 14 14 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe brand India as a meddling power. Undoubtedly, this is basically where India could chart out a more benign space for itself in the South-East Asian region despite the overwhelming presence of the Chinese power. As Krishna said, We feel that the principles of State sovereignty and non-interfer- ence in internal affairs of others must be the bedrock of our coop- erative endeavours. Indias strategic and diplo- matic maneouvers in South-East Asia are signs of its intent to play a more substantial role in Asia. This ambition is a result of New Delhis rise as one of the major players in the world and a healthy competitor to rising China. Since the liberalization of the Indian economy and the proposition of Indias Look East Policy in the early 90s, policy-makers in New Delhi have increasingly tried to tighten and expand relations with the South-East Asian countries. India-ASEAN relations have gradually evolved and matured over the years, corresponding with the changed nature of interna- tional politics in the post Cold-War era along-with New Delhis delib- erate attention towards the East and South-East Asian countries. Over the years, Indias relations with the ASEAN have reached a full dialogue partnership from a sectoral one. Moreover, regular In- dia-ASEAN summits since 2002 have substantially added to the se- riousness of the ties and provided a platform for regular, sustained negotiations and deliberations. The trajectory of the relationship has been essentially encouraging with relations having diversified, covering political and security di- mensions. India has been an ac- tive participant of the ASEAN Re- gional Forum (ARF) and many other efforts towards regional in- tegration. The multitude of regional or- ganization that have been on the advent since the end of the Cold War are symptomatic of the inter- connectedness of economies and other forms of interest among dif- ferent countries, specifically within the same geographical re- gion. The complex inter-depen- dence among many countries is the nature of international politics in the 21st century and it is very normal that countries within the same region and also beyond would build bridges and try to amplify the convergences among them. In an era when shocks in a country can have viral-like reper- cussions in many others around the world, countries need to come together more than ever before, looking for uncharted territories and moving beyond the conven- tional zone of interest. New Delhis continuing success with the ASEAN countries is germane to both to the growth and sustenance of India as a major economy in the world and also salient from the view of keeping alive some healthy competition in the Asia given the fact that China is being projected as the next great power in the in- ternational system. The shifting nature of power is something constant in interna- tional politics, and the 21st cen- tury is being already labelled an Asian century, in which the two rising giants, India and China will definitely play a big role. As the saying goes: With great powers, comes great responsibilities, India is at a great juncture in its history, travelling an upward journey to major power status. Clearly, Indian policy-makers should create such a scenario where Indias arrival as a major power in the international system should not be seen as a liability but as an asset by the ASEAN coun- tries. In recognizing Indias stature in regional Asian and international politics, these countries should see a reflection of their rising op- portunities for their own countries in an inclusive, healthy and peace- ful Asian order. To make them re- alize their own success in the suc- cess of India would indeed be the litmus test for present and future Indian policy-makers. Md. Israr Md. Israr Md. Israr Md. Israr Md. Israr UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 15 15 15 15 15 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Janashree and Aam Aadmi Bima Janashree and Aam Aadmi Bima Janashree and Aam Aadmi Bima Janashree and Aam Aadmi Bima Janashree and Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana Exempted from Service Yojana Exempted from Service Yojana Exempted from Service Yojana Exempted from Service Yojana Exempted from Service Tax Tax Tax Tax Tax Union Government of India in the month of December granted service tax exemption on the ser- vices of life insurance business provided under the Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) and Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY). Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) was launched in August 2007and it basically covers death and disabil- ity insurance for the benefit of ru- ral landless households. Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) (AABY) (AABY) (AABY) (AABY) AABY provides for insurance of the head of the family or earning member of the family of rural landless households between the age of 18 and 59 years against natural death or accidental death and partial/ permanent disability. The annual premium payable is 200 rupees of which 50 per cent shall be payable by the Union Government and the re- maining 50 per cent by the State Government. The Centre has created a fund that is being operated by LIC for meeting the liability of the Cen- tral Government towards premium payment. AABY also provides for educational assistance to the ben- eficiaries children studying from 9 to 12 Standard as an extended benefit. A separate fund has been created for providing scholarship to the children of beneficiaries. Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY) Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY) Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY) Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY) Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY) Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY) was launched in August 2000 and it provides life insurance protection to people who are below poverty line or margin- ally above poverty line. Persons aged between 18 years and 59 years and who are members of the identified 45 occupational groups are eligible to be covered under the scheme. The premium for the JBY is 200 rupees per member. While 50 per cent premium under the scheme is met out of Social Security Fund maintained by LIC, the balance 50 per cent premium is borne by the mem- ber and/or nodal agency. The Granting of Tax Exemp- tion is going to save some money of the government as the central contribution towards premium in the two schemes is 50% and the rest is contributed by state govern- ments. Bihar became the Fastest Bihar became the Fastest Bihar became the Fastest Bihar became the Fastest Bihar became the Fastest Growing Indian State Growing Indian State Growing Indian State Growing Indian State Growing Indian State As per the data released by the Planning Commission of India, NATIONAL NATIONAL NATIONAL NATIONAL NATIONAL UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 16 16 16 16 16 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Bihar became the fastest growing state in India at 10.9 per cent be- tween 2006 and 2010 while Gujarats growth rate declined to 9.3 per cent and it lagged behind Bihar and other four states- Orissa, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh in terms of growth rate. Bihar was the slowest grow- ing state during 2001-05 period with GDP figure of 2.9 percent whereas Gujarat was the fastest growing state between 2001 and 2005 with figure of 11 percent. Chhattisgarh grew from 7.7 per cent in 2001-05 to 10 per cent growth between 2006 and 2010 while Haryana grew from 8.4 per cent to 9.7 per cent, Maharashtra from 8.2 per cent to 9.6 per cent and Orissa from 7.8 per cent to 9.4 per cent between 2006 and 2010. The period between 2004- 05 and 2011-12 registered an av- erage increase of 300 per cent in consumption in rural areas, mini- mizing the gap between rural and urban area thus highlighting the inclusive growth. LARR Bill, 2011 Cleared By the LARR Bill, 2011 Cleared By the LARR Bill, 2011 Cleared By the LARR Bill, 2011 Cleared By the LARR Bill, 2011 Cleared By the Union Cabinet Union Cabinet Union Cabinet Union Cabinet Union Cabinet Land Acquisition and Reha- bilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Bill, 2011 was cleared by the Union Cabinet on 13 December 2012, making it compulsory to get consent of 80 percent land own- ers. However in case of the Pub- lic-Private Projects (PPP), it was made mandatory that the consent of 70 percent people should be taken. The bill was passed at the Cabinet which was presided by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Land Acquisition Bill was made final by the Rural De- velopment Ministry which also in- cluded suggestion of UPA Chair- person Sonia Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi had suggested the govern- ment to take consent of 80 percent land owners for purchasing the land in order to set up PPP projects and industries. Sonia Gandhi was against the proposal of Group of Ministers that consent of 2/3rd land owners was sufficient to ac- quire the land for setting up indus- tries and PPP projects. Group of Ministers suggested that consent clause should be kept at 67 percent for private projects and PPP projects. The Group of Ministers was constituted by the Union Government after ministers voiced out their reservations against a few provisions of bill at Cabinet meeting. The government wanted introduction of official re- vision to Land Acquisition and Re- habilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 in the Lok Sabha. In the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, there was no provision of returning the land which was not used. But as per the clause in new Bill, in case the ac- quired land was not utilised for 5 years, it would lapse. Constitution Amendment Bill Constitution Amendment Bill Constitution Amendment Bill Constitution Amendment Bill Constitution Amendment Bill passed passed passed passed passed The Constitution Amend- ment Bill that provides quotas for SCs and STs in Government Job Promotions was approved in Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2012 by an overwhelming majority. The new amendment demands retaining of Article 335 and deletes the words or in the article to make sure that condition of efficiency as men- tioned in the Article continues to be the part of Indian Constitution and not wiped out. The bill would also ensure that the provision of the Article 335 and its effects are retained and allows related stan- dards for promotion against re- served vacancies to candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The reservation in Promotion had been in existence for Sched- uled Castes and Scheduled Tribes since 1955 but has suffered attacks in different cases by the decisions of Supreme Court of India in cases like Indra Sawhney, Veer Pal Singh Chauhan and S. Vinod Kumar. The Indian Government has passed several amendments namely 77th, 81st, 82nd and 85th amendments to overcome these effects. The Judgment of the Supreme Court in case of M Nagaraj mentioned few of the pre-requisite conditions to provide reservation in promotion and the laid condition was assess- ing the quantum of representation of SCs, STs and their backward- ness along with the effect on the efficiency. The bill would be for- warded to the Lok Sabha for fur- ther consideration and passing on 19 December 2012. Article 335 Article 335 Article 335 Article 335 Article 335 It claims of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to services and posts. Part XVI of the article states Special Provisions Relating to Certain Classes. The article claims that the members of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes should be taken into consider- ation, consistently with the main- tenance of efficiency of the admin- istration while making appoint- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 17 17 17 17 17 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ments to services and posts in con- nection with the affairs of the union or the state. The 289B seg- ment provided in the article pre- vents making on any provision to favour the members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes by relaxing the qualifying marks in the examina- tion, or the standards of evaluation for reservation in promotion mat- ters of any class of services and classes and posts connected to the affairs of state or of the union. Union Government Introduced Union Government Introduced Union Government Introduced Union Government Introduced Union Government Introduced Bill to Amend Competition Act Bill to Amend Competition Act Bill to Amend Competition Act Bill to Amend Competition Act Bill to Amend Competition Act The Union Government of In- dia on 10 December 2012 intro- duced a bill in Parliament to amend the Competi ti on Act which, among other things, will require the Competition Com- mission to decide on corporate mergers within 180 days. The bill is named Competition (Amend- ment) Bill, 2012 bill and was in- troduced by Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot in the Lok Sabha to amend the Competition Act 2002. The bill would also con- fer powers on fair trade regulator Competition Commis- sion of India (CCI) to vet all M&A deals and also authorise its Direc- tor General to carry out search and seizure activities. Presently, CCIs Director General, upon authorisation by the Chief Metro- politan Magistrate, Delhi, has the powers to carry out search and seizure in any investigation. This is under Section 41(3) of the Com- petition Act, 2002. The Bill also seeks to amend the existing pro- vision on abuse of dominant posi- tion to provide that no enterprise or group either jointly or singly shall abuse its dominant position. A new Section 5A is also going to be inserted into the Act. As per this section, notwithstanding any- thing in Section 5, the Central Gov- ernment may, in consultation with the Commission, by notification, specify different values of assets and turnover for any class or classes of enterprise for the pur- pose of Section 5. Decks cleared for Ambedkar Decks cleared for Ambedkar Decks cleared for Ambedkar Decks cleared for Ambedkar Decks cleared for Ambedkar Memorial Memorial Memorial Memorial Memorial Union Government of India on 5 December 2012 cleared the decks for transferring the prime India 12.5 acre United Mill land in Mumbai to the Maharashtra gov- ernment for building a state-of- the-art memorial to B.R. Ambedkar. The Maharashtra State government is going to bear the entire cost of the memorial project and will henceforth take care of the land. The Union Cabinet will take further decisions on the pro- cess. A Bill will have to be passed in Parliament for transfer of the land for the memorial project. Also, a separate authority is going to be set up for the purpose and an architect will be appointed as a consultant to prepare the blue- print for the memorial. The author- ity is said to comprise seven mem- bers, including three from the State government, while the rest will be from the Centre. The me- morial is to be modeled on the basis of Mahatma Gandhis Samadhi at Rajghat. The Urban Development department of Maharashtra had earlier on 1 De- cember 2012 amended reserva- tion of the mill land from a special industrial zone to Grand Memorial of Bharat Ratna Babasaheb Ambedkar by issuing a notification inviting suggestions and objec- tions. P Chidambaram Unveiled Cash P Chidambaram Unveiled Cash P Chidambaram Unveiled Cash P Chidambaram Unveiled Cash P Chidambaram Unveiled Cash Transfer Rollout Plan Transfer Rollout Plan Transfer Rollout Plan Transfer Rollout Plan Transfer Rollout Plan The government is going to roll out its ambitious scheme of transferring cash to beneficiaries of select schemes in 20 districts on 1 January 2013, but food, fertiliser and fuel subsidies will not be covered in the initial phase. As per the roll-out plan, more and more districts and schemes would be covered under the scheme dur- ing the course of 2013. All 26 schemes are ready for rollout. On 1 January 2013 the seven schemes in which payout is due in the (20 selected) districts, the money will be transferred through the direct benefit transfer system using the UIDAI platform. However, Government clarified that subsidies relating to cooking gas (LPG), kerosene, diesel, food and fertilizers will not be included in the first phase of the roll-out. The scheme is going to be rolled out in 43 districts by 1 March 2013 20 districts from January 1, 11 districts from Feb- ruary 1 and 12 districts from March 1. By end of 2013, the direct cash benefit transfer will be rolled out in all the districts of the country. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 18 18 18 18 18 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe The subsidies would be trans- ferred to the beneficiaries bank accounts if they do not have an Aadhaar number. Commission Constituted to Commission Constituted to Commission Constituted to Commission Constituted to Commission Constituted to suggest measures for Safety of suggest measures for Safety of suggest measures for Safety of suggest measures for Safety of suggest measures for Safety of Women Women Women Women Women The Union Government of In- dia on 23 December 2012 consti- tuted a three-member Commis- sion to be headed by the Former Chief Justice of India J.S. Verma for reviewing the laws in existence and the lapses of the police to sug- gest measures for ensuring safety of women in Delhi as well as across the nation. It would also look into the matter of the gang rape incident. Former Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramaniam and Justice Lalitha Seth are the two other members of the constituted inquiry commis- sion. The commission would sub- mit its report and findings within 30 days to the Government. Senior High Court lawyer Dyan Krishnan was appointed as the Special Pros- ecutor to ensure speedy trial and enhancement of the punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault. New cases of HIV decreased by New cases of HIV decreased by New cases of HIV decreased by New cases of HIV decreased by New cases of HIV decreased by 57 percent in India 57 percent in India 57 percent in India 57 percent in India 57 percent in India Addressing the India Health Summit which was organised by CII in New Delhi, the Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 18 December 2012 declared that In- dia was witnessing a steep decline in fresh cases of HIV. The health minister announced that the fresh cases of HIV have dropped down to 57 percent. Addressing the Summit, the heath minister also announced that there was a steep decrease in measles, mumps and rubella, infant mortality rate as well as new HIV cases by 57 percent. Also, it was declared that 2012 would be the second successive year to witness polio-free nation. The credit for putting an end to H1N1 was given to Indian manufacturers as well as Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR) for developing the vac- cines as well as testing the regents. Apart from this, it was declared that ICMR was working on 75 leads of public health importance in or- der to develop as well as evaluate affordable diagnostics which in- clude test for diabetes, cancer and TB. 2012 Corruption Perception 2012 Corruption Perception 2012 Corruption Perception 2012 Corruption Perception 2012 Corruption Perception Index Index Index Index Index India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency Internationals 2012 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released on 5 December 2012. In 2011, In- dia was ranked 95 out of 183 coun- tries. Denmark, Switzerland and Finland topped the index with a score of 90 followed by Sweden which scored 88 points. North Korea, Afghanistan and Somalia scored a lowly 8, ranking at the bottom of the index. In fact, two- thirds of the 176 nations scored below than 50 points. India scored a low score of 36 on a scale from 0 to 100 where o means most corrupt and 100 sig- nifies least corrupt. Indias low score was attributed to the scams and incidents of corruption in the public sector which involved gov- ernment officials, private officials and private companies. The Methodology used by The Methodology used by The Methodology used by The Methodology used by The Methodology used by Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International does so by aggregating different sources of corruption-related data that are produced by a variety of independent and well known in- stitutions, such as the World Bank, the World Justice Project, the Af- rican Development Bank, the Economist Intelligence Unit and other. The measurement of the perceived level of corruption by Transparency International is an evolving project since 1995. Every year, such measurement builds upon previous editions while re- fined with newly available data. The CPI 2012 is calculated using a simple average of standardized scores. Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International Transparency International is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to fighting corruption. It is best known for its Corruption Perceptions Index. Its secretariat is located in Berlin, Germany. The organization is present in more than 100 coun- tries. It came into existence in 1993. To get a Detail insight of country wise Ranking of Corrup- tion Perception Index (CPI) follow the below given table - UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 19 19 19 19 19 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe RANK RANK RANK RANK RANK COUNTRY COUNTRY COUNTRY COUNTRY COUNTRY SCORE SCORE SCORE SCORE SCORE SURVEYS SURVEYS SURVEYS SURVEYS SURVEYS CI: CI: CI: CI: CI: CI: CI: CI: CI: CI: USED USED USED USED USED LOWER LOWER LOWER LOWER LOWER UPPER UPPER UPPER UPPER UPPER 1 Denmark 90 7 87 93 1 Finland 90 7 85 95 1 New Zealand 90 7 87 94 4 Sweden 88 7 85 91 5 Singapore 87 9 83 90 6 Switzerland 86 6 81 90 7 Australia 85 8 83 86 7 Norway 85 7 82 87 9 Canada 84 7 80 87 9 Netherlands 84 7 81 88 13 Germany 79 8 75 83 14 Hong Kong 77 8 74 80 15 Barbados 76 3 65 87 17 Japan 74 9 70 78 17 United Kingdom 74 8 72 77 19 United States 73 9 66 79 22 France 71 8 67 75 27 United Arab Emirates 68 7 61 75 33 Bhutan 63 3 57 69 54 Malaysia 49 9 44 55 69 Brazil 43 8 38 49 69 South Africa 43 9 39 48 72 Italy 42 7 38 46 79 Sri Lanka 40 7 38 42 80 China 39 9 34 43 88 Thailand 37 8 34 40 94 Greece 36 7 30 42 94 India 36 10 33 40 118 Egypt 32 7 27 37 118 Indonesia 32 9 27 37 133 Russia 28 9 25 32 139 Nepal 27 5 23 31 139 Pakistan 27 8 23 31 144 Bangladesh 26 7 20 33 169 Iraq 18 4 14 22 172 Myanmar 15 4 9 21 174 Afghanistan 8 3 2 13 174 Korea (North) 8 3 2 13 174 Somalia 8 4 4 12 Bhatinda Srinagar Gas Pipeline Bhatinda Srinagar Gas Pipeline Bhatinda Srinagar Gas Pipeline Bhatinda Srinagar Gas Pipeline Bhatinda Srinagar Gas Pipeline Project to be completed by July Project to be completed by July Project to be completed by July Project to be completed by July Project to be completed by July 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014 The Jammu and Kashmir Government on 10 December 2012 informed that the 328-km- l ong Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar Bhatinda-Jammu-Srinagar gas pipeline project gas pipeline project gas pipeline project gas pipeline project gas pipeline project is scheduled to be completed by July 2014 to draw gas from Gujarat to the State. The progress on the pro- posed project was reviewed by Chief Minister of Jammu and Kash- mir Omar Abdullah at a meeting of high-level officers in Jammu and an early start of work was empha- sized by him. He stressed upon the need for fast tracking the project to ensure its timely completion. The availability of gas in abundance has been a great challenge for the Government of Jammu so this step towards sup- ply of gas to the consumers in the State through gas pipeline is go- ing to be a revolutionary step as it will relieve the pressure on avail- ability of domestic gas and will also help generate employment. The gas pipeline will consist of 328-km-long main gas trunk from Bhatinda to Srinagar passing through Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, Anantnag, Pulwama and Srinagar and there will be hundreds of sub-lines which will supply gas to the con- sumers at their houses. The proposed gas pipeline project was already approved by Omar Abdullah during a meeting of State officers and the team of Petroleum and Natural Gas Petroleum and Natural Gas Petroleum and Natural Gas Petroleum and Natural Gas Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Regulatory Board (PNGRB) Regulatory Board (PNGRB) l ed by its Chairman Lalit Mansingh at Srinagar. The Chief Minister had directed PNGRB to start laying pipeline from both Srinagar and Bhatinda simultaneously so that gas is supplied to both the cities of Jammu and Srinagar at the same time. The project possessed greater importance to the State in providing adequate domestic and commercial supply of gas to the consumers on cheaper rates be- sides creating huge employment for youth of the State. The rev- enue and law department had al- ready been directed by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to finalise the Draft Bill for Right of Use of land for laying of gas pipelines by the gas company in the State leg- islature for enactment as per the Constitution of Jammu and Kash- mir. Global Terrorism Index Global Terrorism Index Global Terrorism Index Global Terrorism Index Global Terrorism Index Revealed Revealed Revealed Revealed Revealed New index called Global Global Global Global Global UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 20 20 20 20 20 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Terrorism Index Terrorism Index Terrorism Index Terrorism Index Terrorism Index (GTI) prepared by Australian think tank revealed on 4 December 2012 that India, Af- ghanistan and Pakistan were the most terrorism-hit nations in 2011. GTI was released by Austra- lia-based Institute for Economics & Peace and it ranked various countries based on the data col- lected from Global Terrorism Da- tabase, which in turn is operated by a group at University of Mary- land. GTI revealed that India, Af- ghanistan and Pakistan accounted for 11 percent, 10 percent and 12 percent of global terrorist events respectively from time period 2002 to 2009. The major points of the report are as follows: The figures revealed that there were 529 terrorist incidents in 2011 and they had tolled lives of 402 people, injuring 687 people. The numbers were higher in 2006 to 2010 time period when the number of casulties averaged greater than 600 people per year, rising to 735 people in 2009 and 772 in 2010. In the year 2011, India, Paki- stan, Russia as well as Middle East were most affected by terrorism. Out of 159 countries that were surveyed, India ranked num- ber 4. Iraq was at the first po- sition followed by Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Yemen respectively. The GTI showed that terrorism in the world started escalating after an increase in Iraq war. Consequently, it was followed by increasing terrorism in Af- ghanistan and later in Pakistan after 18 months. The index also revealed that merely 31 countries out of sur- veyed 159 did not expereince a single terrorist attack since 2001. Z-Plus Security Cover Z-Plus Security Cover Z-Plus Security Cover Z-Plus Security Cover Z-Plus Security Cover Withdrawn from Gen V K Singh Withdrawn from Gen V K Singh Withdrawn from Gen V K Singh Withdrawn from Gen V K Singh Withdrawn from Gen V K Singh The union government of In- dia withdrew Z-plus security pro- vided to ex-army chief General V K Singh. The Ex-Army chief had remained in limelight over the is- sue of his age, and currently for sharing stages with critics of the central government such as Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev. The decision to withdraw Z-plus secu- rity cover from 1 December 2012 was taken after home ministry re- viewed that there wasnt any threat against the ex-Army chief. How- ever, Gen V K Singh will stay in the government accommodation in the Delhi Cantonment area for an- other six months because he had obtained that permission from de- fence minister A K Antony. Usu- ally, all the retiring Army chiefs are given Z-plus security for a period of six months. The security is con- tinued only in case there is a high threat perception to the chief. As Z-plus security beneficiary, the ex- army chief had around 30-35 Army personnel offering 24*7 proximate security in shifts. Six to seven ve- hicles which include the primary bullet-proof vehicle was also pro- vided to the ex-army chief. While the government withdrew the se- curity to Gen V K Singh, he would still get secretariat staff as well as certain sahayaks. What is Z-Plus Security? What is Z-Plus Security? What is Z-Plus Security? What is Z-Plus Security? What is Z-Plus Security? In India, depending upon the threat perception, high-risk people are provided securities by local government and the police. There are mainly four categories of security and these are Z-Plus, Z, Y and X. Z-Plus security cover is the highest level of security. Any- one provided with the Z-Plus se- curity, gets a security cover of 36 personnel. Individuals in India who are provided with various cat- egories of securities include cabi- net ministers, chief ministers, Su- preme Court and High Court judges, senior bureaucrats as well as leading politicians. NSG or Na- tional Security guards are usually used for providing security to in- dividuals under Z-Plus security cover. Companies Bill 2011 passed by Companies Bill 2011 passed by Companies Bill 2011 passed by Companies Bill 2011 passed by Companies Bill 2011 passed by Lok Sabha Lok Sabha Lok Sabha Lok Sabha Lok Sabha Lok Sabha on 18 December 2012 passed the Companies Bill UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 21 21 21 21 21 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe 2011. The Bill is aimed at improv- ing corporate governance. It con- tains provisions to strengthen regulations for corporate as well as auditing firms. Once enacted as law, it will replace the Companies Act 1956. The Companies Bill makes it mandatory for profit-mak- ing companies to spend two per- cent of their profit for community welfare as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. In case, a company fails to meet its social obligations, it will have to explain the reasons for the shortfall. The Bill will protect small investors from corporate frauds. Under the proposed legislation, more pow- ers will be conferred upon Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to deal with corporate frauds. There will be better co-ordination now between the investigation agencies at the centre and the states. In the year 1956, there were only 30000 registered companies in India. In 2012 there are more than 850000 companies. Therefore a modern company bill was needed to check the corporate fraud. Karnataka to Provide Tamil Karnataka to Provide Tamil Karnataka to Provide Tamil Karnataka to Provide Tamil Karnataka to Provide Tamil Nadu with 12 TMC feet of Nadu with 12 TMC feet of Nadu with 12 TMC feet of Nadu with 12 TMC feet of Nadu with 12 TMC feet of Cauvery water Cauvery water Cauvery water Cauvery water Cauvery water The Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) on 7 December 2012 asked Karnataka to provide Tamil Nadu with 12 TMC feet of Cauvery water during December even as it asked both the states to be more efficient in using available water. The meeting of the CMC came after the Supreme Court of India on 5 December 2012 asked the multi-state panel to meet within the next two days to decide on water requirement of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.The states sharing the disputed Cauvery River waters were informed that the fi- nal award of the Cauvery Waters Dispute Tribunal will be notified by the end of December 2012. In 1997, the Union Govern- ment of India had proposed the setting up of a Cauvery River Au- thority. Under this new proposal, the Government set up two new bodies- Cauvery River Authority and Cauvery Monitoring Commit- tee. The Cauvery River Authority consisted of the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of all four states(Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Kerala) and its head- quarter is in New Delhi. The Cauvery Monitoring Committee is an expert body which consists of engineers, technocrats and other officers. This body takes stock of the ground realities and report to the government. Mismatch of signatures on the Mismatch of signatures on the Mismatch of signatures on the Mismatch of signatures on the Mismatch of signatures on the cheque would amount to cheque would amount to cheque would amount to cheque would amount to cheque would amount to criminal proceedings criminal proceedings criminal proceedings criminal proceedings criminal proceedings Supreme Court set aside the verdict of Gujarat High Court in which it said that the criminal pro- ceedings for dishonouring cheque would start off only in case the cheque is dishonoured because of insufficient amount in the account. The Supreme Court said that the criminal proceedings would also be initiated in case the cheque issued by a person gets dishonoured on the basis that sig- nature is not matching with the specimen signature that bank has. The Gujarat High Court had said that there would be cheque dishonouring only in case of lack of sufficient balance in the ac- count and not when the signature mismatches. The bench of the Apex Court said that there would be dishonour of cheque in case the signatures do not match, refer- ring to the meaning of Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act. However, the Supreme Court said in cases like these, the per- son would be provided with a chance for arrangement of the payment before the criminal pro- ceedings start. 12.5 % Stake in Rashtriya 12.5 % Stake in Rashtriya 12.5 % Stake in Rashtriya 12.5 % Stake in Rashtriya 12.5 % Stake in Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers to be Chemicals and Fertilizers to be Chemicals and Fertilizers to be Chemicals and Fertilizers to be Chemicals and Fertilizers to be sold sold sold sold sold yyyyyyyyy The union government of In- dia approved selling 12.5 percent stake in Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) on 26 December 2012. This is said to be the 11th public sector undertaking which is approved for the action. Finance minister P. Chidambaram an- nounced that the Cabinet Commit- tee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) agreed to disinvest 12.5 per cent paid-up equity capital of RCF. The government would make an effort to wind up the entire process in 2012-2013 financial year which would end on 31 March 2013. As of now, government held 92.5 per- cent stake in RCF. The paid-up capital of RCF was 551.7 crore Rupees. Considering the present UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 22 22 22 22 22 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe market price of 57.8 Rupees per share, the stake of 12.5 percent would bring in 360 crore Rupees to exchequer. The finance minis- ter also announced that it was de- cided to make use of the offer for sale via the auction or stock ex- changes, but it might be altered to follow-on public offer. Disinvest- ment would help RCF meet its minimum public shareholding of 10 percent, which was prescribed to it by SEBI. About Rashtriya Chemicals and About Rashtriya Chemicals and About Rashtriya Chemicals and About Rashtriya Chemicals and About Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) Fertilizers (RCF) Fertilizers (RCF) Fertilizers (RCF) Fertilizers (RCF) Rashtriya Chemicals and Fer- tilizers (RCF) is the mini-ratna un- der Ministry of Chemicals & Fertil- izers administrative control. It manufactures as well as markets fertilisers as well as industrial chemicals like ammonium nitrate, ammonium bicarbonate, methanol and methylamines. The operating units of RCF are located at Thal and Trombay in Maharashtra. The revenue of RCF by end of 30 Sep- tember 2012 was 1668.57 crore Rupees. The net profit of the com- pany increased to 82.88 crore Ru- pees. SC Judges Number increased to SC Judges Number increased to SC Judges Number increased to SC Judges Number increased to SC Judges Number increased to 28 28 28 28 28 Chief Justices of three High Courts were on 22 December 2012 elevated as judges of the Supreme Court of India, increasing the strength of the apex court to 28.Chief Justice of Madras High Court, Justice M Yusuf Eqbal, Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice Venkategowda and Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Vikramjit Sen were ap- pointed as judges of the Supreme Court, in that order of seniority. The appointment of judges will come into effect from the date they assume charge of their re- spective office. At present, includ- ing the Chief Justice of India, the Supreme Court has 25 judges against the sanctioned strength of 31. Govt. of India to set up Real Govt. of India to set up Real Govt. of India to set up Real Govt. of India to set up Real Govt. of India to set up Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Time Water Quality Monitoring Time Water Quality Monitoring Time Water Quality Monitoring Time Water Quality Monitoring stations along River Ganga stations along River Ganga stations along River Ganga stations along River Ganga stations along River Ganga The Government of India on 17 December decided to set up 113 Real Time Water Quality Moni- toring Stations along the river Ganga. The Environment and For- ests Minister Jayanti Natarajn in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 17 December 2012 asserted that the Real Time Water Quality Moni- toring Stations stations is going to be set up in the next five years which includes eight in Uttarakhand, 57 in Uttar Pradesh, 13 in Bihar and 35 in West Bengal to monitor the water quality in the river. The Minister also mentioned that the funds to a tune of 100 crore rupees had already been ear- marked by the National Ganga River Basin Authority for the project. 5-Year Project for Cyber 5-Year Project for Cyber 5-Year Project for Cyber 5-Year Project for Cyber 5-Year Project for Cyber Security of Critical Sectors to Security of Critical Sectors to Security of Critical Sectors to Security of Critical Sectors to Security of Critical Sectors to be Set-up be Set-up be Set-up be Set-up be Set-up The union government de- cided to set up five-year project for restoring the overall cyber se- curity structure of critical sectors of India. This was decided in light of increasing number of cyber at- tacks as well as security threats that the Internet offers. In 2011, India suffered 13000 cyber incidents. National Critical Infor- mation Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) is responsible for the project. It is the nodal agency which is responsible for coordi- nating the cyber security opera- tions related to critical infrastruc- tures in India. NCIIPC prepared its 5-year plan for refurbishing as well as integrating the structure of cyber security in all critical struc- tures like defence, telecommuni- cation, transportation, power and water. NCIIPC will be notified for plans in order to set up sectoral UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 23 23 23 23 23 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) which will be as- sociated to it. Sensors will be in- stalled on critical systems for giv- ing real-time information to the command as well as control cen- tre regarding cyber attack of any kind for formulating quick response. While NCIIPC would be responsible for checking the very critical sectors which have higher threat along with higher depen- dence on computer and informa- tion technology (CIT), CERT-IN on the other hand would undertake other sectors. Sectors falling un- der NCIIPC are energy (natural gas, coal, oil and power), finance and banking, transportation (civil avia- tion and railways), space, law en- forcement, security, telecom and defence. NCIIPC functions under guid- ance of National Technical Re- search Organization (NTRO). NCIIPC had organised first national conference of Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) associ- ated with the critical sectors of government in the third week of December 2012. This was an ac- tion for creating awareness as well as setting up security systems in critical agencies of the government. NCIIPC director also announced that there were plans for starting the Cyber Security Operation Centre, 24*7 control room for getting information as well as response along with Na- tional Institute of Critical Informa- tion Infrastructure Protection that would provide training to CISOs. Daily cyber alerts would also be issued. The new structure would make sure that NCIIPC gets exact information as and when the cyber attack takes place on any network. This would allow them to analyse groups of concern. About National Democratic About National Democratic About National Democratic About National Democratic About National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Front of Bodoland (NDFB) Front of Bodoland (NDFB) The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) is an extremist outfit whose motto is to obtain a sovereign Bodoland for the Bodo people in Assam, India. NDFB fights to get a sovereign Bodoland north of the Brahmaputra River. It was very ac- tive during the 1990s. The NDFB is allied with the National Social- ist Council of Nagalim (IM) and il- legally occupies terrorist training camps in the South of Bhutan. In December 2003, the government of Bhutan and the Indian Army launched joint operations to de- stroy the terrorist camps operated in Bhutanese territory by ULFA and NDFB. PIL dismissed against PIL dismissed against PIL dismissed against PIL dismissed against PIL dismissed against Tendulkars Nomination to Tendulkars Nomination to Tendulkars Nomination to Tendulkars Nomination to Tendulkars Nomination to Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha The High Court of Delhi on 19 December 2012 dismissed the PIL (Public Interest Litigation) that challenged Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkars nomination to the Rajya Sabha under the category of person with special knowledge or practical experience in any form of science, art, literature and social service. The High Courts Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Darmar Murugesan and Justice different kinds of attacks as well as offer immediate response. National security advisor Shivshankar Menon also stressed that there should be participation of private sectors as well. Union Government of India Union Government of India Union Government of India Union Government of India Union Government of India Extended ban on ULFA and Extended ban on ULFA and Extended ban on ULFA and Extended ban on ULFA and Extended ban on ULFA and NDFB NDFB NDFB NDFB NDFB The Union home ministry in Month of December extended the ban on United Liberation Front of United Liberation Front of United Liberation Front of United Liberation Front of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) Assam (ULFA) Assam (ULFA) Assam (ULFA) Assam (ULFA) a nd National National National National National Democratic Front of Bodoland Democratic Front of Bodoland Democratic Front of Bodoland Democratic Front of Bodoland Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) (NDFB) (NDFB) (NDFB) (NDFB) under the Unlawful Pre- vention Act. The home ministry in a gazette notification announced that all the factions of the ULFA and the NDFB are banned under Section three of the Unlawful Pre- vention Act. As per the Press re- lease of Assam government the ban extended on Unlawful organisation would stay until fur- ther notification by the govern- ment. About United Liberation Front About United Liberation Front About United Liberation Front About United Liberation Front About United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) of Assam (ULFA) of Assam (ULFA) of Assam (ULFA) of Assam (ULFA) United Liberation Front of Assam is a separatist group from Assam along with many other such groups in North-East India. The motto of the group is to establish a sovereign Assam through an armed struggle in the Assam con- flict. The government of India banned the organisation in 1990 citing it as a terrorist organisation, while the United States Depart- ment of State lists it under other UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 24 24 24 24 24 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Rajiv Sahai Endlaw admitted sports as a form of art and it justi- fied the argument of Union Gov- ernment that Sachin Tendulkar as a person with special knowledge and practical experience in art. The Court also stated that Art holds no satisfactory definition for itself in Indian Constitution. The decision to define sports as a form of art was reached by the Court after referring to experts, dictio- naries, jurists and other sources. The court also took into consideration that time has de- fined art in different form and so different authors of such time in their creations. Art for a common man means a specific skill that can even be an occupation or a pro- fession and therefore sports can be included into the category of Art and sports is a skill that has its masters too. The division bench also spotted Article 80 (3) of the words that in context of the matter of such type litera- ture, science, art and social service has remained illustrative and not exhaustive. The Petition and Petitioner The Petition and Petitioner The Petition and Petitioner The Petition and Petitioner The Petition and Petitioner Ram Gopal Singh Sisodia, the former MLA from Delhi filed a pe- tition that seeking nullification of the cricketers appointment to Upper House as the cricketer didnt possess the qualifications mentioned in Article 80(3) of the Indian Constitution, which allows him to be nominated to the Up- per House of the nation. The peti- tioner mentioned that a person with knowledge or experience in literature, science, art, social ser- vice and cooperative movement can only be nominated to the up- per house of the Indian Parliament, whereas there exist no such clause for nomination of a sportsperson. Article 80 (3) Article 80 (3) Article 80 (3) Article 80 (3) Article 80 (3) The Article 80 (3) of the Constitution of India states that the person - The members to be nomi- nated by the President under sub- clause (a) of clause (1) shall con- sist of persons having special knowledge or practical experi- ence in respect of such matters as the following, namely:- Literature, science, art and social service. Government Calendar Featuring Government Calendar Featuring Government Calendar Featuring Government Calendar Featuring Government Calendar Featuring Flagship Schemes launched Flagship Schemes launched Flagship Schemes launched Flagship Schemes launched Flagship Schemes launched The Government of Indias Wall Calendar for 2013 was launched on 14 December 2012 featuring various flagship programmes of the Government, which includes Aadhaar based Direct Cash Transfer Scheme to be implemented in 51 districts from January 2013 among others. The calendar is printed and designed by Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) of the Min- istry of Information and Broadcast- ing, which has over the years worked on developing social ad- vertising brand Bharat Nirman.The theme of the calendar is Bharat Nirman- Sabka hit, Sabka Haq. Month Month Month Month Month Schemes Schemes Schemes Schemes Schemes January Aadhar based Direct Cash Transfer Scheme February PMs 15-point programme for welfare of minorities March Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan April Mid Day Meal Scheme May Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guaran- tee Scheme (MNREGA) June Immunisation July Saakshar Bharat Abhiyan August Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram September Empowerment of sched- uled castes October Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana November Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana December The Indira Awas Yojana Calendar as a tool of commu- nication played an important role in disseminating information re- garding the policies of the Govern- ment despite the fact that media platforms were enhancing their reach through digital means of communication. The Calendar is dedicated to aam aadmi. The SC asked Judge of SC and The SC asked Judge of SC and The SC asked Judge of SC and The SC asked Judge of SC and The SC asked Judge of SC and HC to Inform Government HC to Inform Government HC to Inform Government HC to Inform Government HC to Inform Government About Details of Foreign Visits About Details of Foreign Visits About Details of Foreign Visits About Details of Foreign Visits About Details of Foreign Visits On 10 December 2012, the Supreme Court partially stayed the order of Delhi high court in which it had cancelled three paras of Centres 2010 circular which made it compulsory for the judges to take foreign visits only with ap- proval of chief justice of the high court concerned or Chief Justice of India (CJI). The judges of Su- preme Court as well as high court needed to inform the Government of India about the foreign visits which include the purpose of their visit, duration as well as the fund- ing source. Foreign visits could be taken after traveling details were submit- ted to the Government of India. The high court had called these conditions offending for au- tonomy of higher judiciary, which is why it cancelled them on 25 May 2012. The high court had cancelled the paragraph which mentioned that travel details need to be sub- mitted, but it clarified that the judged still needed to give infor- mation regarding their duration of the trip as well as city in which they intended to stay. These de- tails need to be submitted to the chief justice of the HC concerned or CJI. In argument to the challenge of government to HC order, the UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 25 25 25 25 25 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe solicitor general R F Nariman clari- fied that this circular was impor- tant in order to provide security for judges while they were in the foreign land. He declared that the judges went abroad on diplomatic pass- ports which are issued to the judges by the Central Government. Bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justices S S Nijjar and J Chelameswar however declared that they also knew judges which took foreign trips on personal passpors instead of dip- lomatic ones. Getting the informa- tion about foreign visit was made necessary so that the concerned ministry could help these judges if they needed some. The Su- preme Court on 10 December 2012 stayed the order of Delhi high court in which it had cancelled the paragraph 10 of Centres 2010 cir- cular. SC Issued Guidelines to Curb SC Issued Guidelines to Curb SC Issued Guidelines to Curb SC Issued Guidelines to Curb SC Issued Guidelines to Curb Eve Teasing At the Public Eve Teasing At the Public Eve Teasing At the Public Eve Teasing At the Public Eve Teasing At the Public Places Places Places Places Places Supreme Court on 30 No- vember 2012 issued certain guide- lines in order to put a halt to eve- teasing. SC termed eve-teasing consequences disastrous and also directed the government that women cops in plain clothes should be deputed at the public places. The state governments as well as the union territories are ordered by the Supreme Court to depute female police officers in plain clothes at the public places such as metro stations, bus stands, railway stations, shopping malls, beaches, parks, worship places, cinemas as well as public service vehicles. This has been done to monitor as well as supervise the incidents of eve-teasing. This was important because there is no uni- form law in order to deal with eve- teasing. The court passed 26-page judgement in which it was men- tioned that eve teasing could be curbed with little efforts and the consequences could be disastrous in case it is left unchecked. Also, the court concluded that eve teas- ing could lead to violation of the fundamental rights which are guar- anteed under constitution. The SC laid down these guidelines in its judgement, setting aside verdict of Madras High Court. Madras High Court had reserved the judgement of Central Administrative Tribunal in which it upheld the dismissal of a police cop who misbehaved with a married woman on 9 July 1999. Apart from deputing female police officers in plain clothes, the Union Territories and state govern- ments will also have to install the CCTV in the strategic positions. Also, the sign boards with caution would be exhibited at the public places.
Click Here to Join Premium Membership: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/premium/member UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 27 27 27 27 27 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL US House of Representatives US House of Representatives US House of Representatives US House of Representatives US House of Representatives passed the Defence Bill 2013 passed the Defence Bill 2013 passed the Defence Bill 2013 passed the Defence Bill 2013 passed the Defence Bill 2013 US (United States) House of Representatives on 20 December 2012 passed the Defence Autho- rization Act of 2013. The bill was passed with a 315-107 vote amid chaos over the fiscal cliff negotia- tions and the threat of drastic de- fense spending cuts. The Defence Authorization Act of 2013 covers the cost of ships, aircraft, weap- ons and military personnel as well as the war effort in Afghanistan. It consists of 528 billion dollars for the Defense Departments base budget, 17 billion dollars for de- fense and nuclear programmes in the Energy Department and 88 bil- lion dollars for the war in Afghani- stan. The bill tightens sanctions on Iran and increases security for U.S. diplomatic missions after the at- tack on U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. It also requests the Pentagon to report to Congress regarding the conflict in Syria on possible military options. US (United States) House of Representatives on 20 December 2012 passed the Defence Autho- rization Act of 2013. The bill was passed with a 315-107 vote amid chaos over the fiscal cliff negotia- tions and the threat of drastic de- fense spending cuts. The Defence Authorization Act of 2013 covers the cost of ships, aircraft, weap- ons and military personnel as well as the war effort in Afghanistan. It consists of 528 billion dollars for the Defense Departments base budget, 17 billion dollars for de- fense and nuclear programmes in the Energy Department and 88 bil- lion dollars for the war in Afghani- stan. The bill tightens sanctions on Iran and increases security for U.S. diplomatic missions after the at- tack on U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. It also requests the Pentagon to report to Congress regarding the conflict in Syria on possible military options. Parliament in Italy dissolved Parliament in Italy dissolved Parliament in Italy dissolved Parliament in Italy dissolved Parliament in Italy dissolved President Giorgio Napolitano on 22 December 2012 dissolved Italys Parliament following the res- ignation of Prime Minister Mario Monti on 21 December 2012. The Parliamentary elections are sched- uled to be held on 24-25 February 2013. Since taking office in No- vember 2011, the Prime Minister and his non-party team of minis- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 28 28 28 28 28 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ters implemented economic aus- terity measures in the form of cuts in spending and tax hikes. The election was triggered after Silvio Berlusconis party center-right People of Freedom party (PdL) withdrew support from Montis government. Italian government under the leadership of Mario Monti brought forward a series of austerity reforms backed by EU and business leaders. Italys pub- lic debt is increasing and economy is in a kind of turmoil. But majority of Italians, frustrated by benefit cuts, tax hikes and unemployment, do not appear convinced. WHO approved Vaccine WHO approved Vaccine WHO approved Vaccine WHO approved Vaccine WHO approved Vaccine Manufacturing Practices Manufacturing Practices Manufacturing Practices Manufacturing Practices Manufacturing Practices The World Health Organisation (WHO) in the third week of December 2012 approved the manufacturing practices being adopted by the private vaccine manufacturing pharmaceutical companies of India. This approval was given to Indian Pharmaceuti- cal companies after an intensive four days audit of the vaccine manufacturing facilities across the country was concluded by a 16- member multi-nation team that was headed by WHO officials. The team comprised officials from China, EU, the US FDA, Thailand, Sweden and France. WHO gave its clearance to the procedures adopted by the Indian National Regulatory Authority (NRA) or the Drug Controller Generals Office (DCGO). The audit team also cleared that the procedures adopted by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and institutions affiliated to it meet the prescribed interna- tional standards and the proce- dures inculcated in production were stringent enough to ensure that the vaccines produced by In- dian companies were safe, high in quality and efficacious. With this approval India be- came the first country in 2012 to pass the stringent levels of seven indicators that is put forward by the WHO that is made much more stringent every time conducted by a team of 12 international experts headed by a member of WHO. India at present is a major vaccine producing country with 12 major vaccine manufacturing fa- cilities and the vaccines formu- lated and manufactured in India are used in national and interna- tional markets of nearly 150 coun- tries of the world. In case of measles every second child of the world is vaccinated using the vac- cine produced in India. At present India manufactures 30 different types of vaccines that include Hepatitis, measles and polio. This approval from WHO had made the 12 manufacturing units of India eligible for supplying the vaccines to international bodies like UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, Gates Foundation, Clinton Foundation, and GAVI. Iran Declared Extracting Iran Declared Extracting Iran Declared Extracting Iran Declared Extracting Iran Declared Extracting Complete Data from the Complete Data from the Complete Data from the Complete Data from the Complete Data from the Captured US Drone Captured US Drone Captured US Drone Captured US Drone Captured US Drone Iran declared on 5 December 2012 that it had extracted data from the US intelligence drone which was caught spying on its military sites as well as oil termi- nals. Iran had declared on 4 De- cember 2012 that the US spying drone was captured. US however put down the claim on the grounds that there were no evi- dences to support this assertion. Iran had announced that it had captured the US ScanEagle drone which was found flying over the Gulf waters. The incident further highlighted the tensions in Gulf while Iran and US are attracting attention to the mili- tary capabilities in oil exporting regions in an argument over the disputed nuclear programme of Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that they had extracted the information from the drone completely. IRGC further also mentioned that this drone was spying and gathering the military information on trans- fer of oil from the petroleum ter- minals of Iran. The primary expert terminal of Iran is located at Kharg Island. UN Approved New Debate on UN Approved New Debate on UN Approved New Debate on UN Approved New Debate on UN Approved New Debate on Arm Treaty opposed by U.S. Arm Treaty opposed by U.S. Arm Treaty opposed by U.S. Arm Treaty opposed by U.S. Arm Treaty opposed by U.S. Gun Lobby Gun Lobby Gun Lobby Gun Lobby Gun Lobby The U.N. General Assembly on 24 December 2012 voted over- poweringly to restart negotiations on a draft international treaty to regulate the 70 billion dollar glo- bal trade in conventional arms, a pact the powerful U.S. National Rifle Association has been lobby- ing hard against. U.N. delegates and gun control activists have complained that earlier in July 2012 talks collapsed largely be- cause U.S. President Barack Obama feared attacks from Re- publican rival Mitt Romney before the 6 November 2012 election if his administration was seen as supporting the pact, charge U.S. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 29 29 29 29 29 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe officials have denied. But after Obamas re-election in November 2012, his administration joined other members of a U.N. commit- tee in supporting the resumption of negotiations on the treaty. On 24 December 2012 the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly voted to hold a final round of negotiations on March 18-28 in New York. The foreign ministers of Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Finland, Ja- pan, Kenya and the United King- dom - the countries that drafted the resolution - issued a joint state- ment welcoming the decision to resume negotiations on the pact. There were 133 votes in favour, none against and 17 ab- stentions. A number of countries did not attend, which U.N. diplo- mats said was due to the Christ- mas Eve holiday. Among the top six arms-exporting nations, Russia cast the only abstention in last months vote. Britain, France and Germany joined China and the United States in the disarmament committee in support of the same resolution approved by the Gen- eral Assembly. The main reason the arms trade talks are taking place at all is that the United States - the worlds biggest arms trader, which accounts for more than 40 percent of global transfers in con- ventional arms - reversed U.S. policy on the issue after Obama was first elected and decided in 2009 to support a treaty. Obama administration officials have tried to explain to U.S. opponents of the arms trade pact that the treaty un- der discussion would have no ef- fect on gun sales and ownership inside the United States because it would apply only to exports. About Arms Trade Treaty About Arms Trade Treaty About Arms Trade Treaty About Arms Trade Treaty About Arms Trade Treaty The Arms Trade Treaty is the name of a potential multilateral treaty that would regulate the in- ternational trade in conventional weapons. The treaty was negoti- ated at a global conference under the support of the United Nations from 2 July 27 July 2012 in New York. Arms Trade Treaty is part of a larger universal effort that be- gan in 2001 with the adoption of a non-legally binding program of action at the United Nations Con- ference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects in 2001. This program was formally called the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA). Queen Elizabeth Became First Queen Elizabeth Became First Queen Elizabeth Became First Queen Elizabeth Became First Queen Elizabeth Became First Peacetime British Ruler to Peacetime British Ruler to Peacetime British Ruler to Peacetime British Ruler to Peacetime British Ruler to Attend Cabinet Meeting Attend Cabinet Meeting Attend Cabinet Meeting Attend Cabinet Meeting Attend Cabinet Meeting On 18 December 2012, Queen Elizabeth became first peacetime British ruler ever since 1781, who attended the cabinet meeting. Though she did not take part in any deliberations, but she participated in the cabinet meet- ing as an observer and a listener. Queen Elizabeth remained seated on the chair which is usually oc- cupied by the prime minister. Historians believed that Queen Elizabeth became the first monarch in the history to attend any cabinet meeting, after George III did that. Factually, George I had abandoned joining the cabinet in 1717. Nevertheless, Queen Elizabeths father George VI had attended the cabinet meeting dur- ing World War II. UK Prime Minister David Cameron seated towards the right side of Elizabeth and foreign sec- retary William Hague seated to- wards her left. George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer was seated just opposite to her. In the cabinet meeting, the PM first wel- comed the Queen formally before spelling out objectives of the cabi- net meeting. The first agenda of the meeting was about law amendment on the succession to royal chair. The agenda was basi- cally allowing the first born girl to be head of the state, even if she had younger brother. Though Queen Elizabeth had attended the cabinet meeting, but academics were of different viewpoints on whether Queen should have at- tended the meeting or not. At present, Britain has a tradition of monarch allowing a weekly audi- ence to PM in order to receive pri- vate as well as confidential brief- ing. But actually, the Queen just rubber stamps the ministerial de- cisions, maybe sometimes in pres- ence of the Privy Council. China Held largest Air Force China Held largest Air Force China Held largest Air Force China Held largest Air Force China Held largest Air Force Drill involving 100 Fighter Drill involving 100 Fighter Drill involving 100 Fighter Drill involving 100 Fighter Drill involving 100 Fighter planes planes planes planes planes China held one of its largest- ever airforce drill involving about 100 multi-types fighter planes, amid heightened tensions with Japan over territorial dispute in the East China Sea. East China Sea. East China Sea. East China Sea. East China Sea. The air com- bat exercises were held under in- formation conditions at an airport UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 30 30 30 30 30 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe in southwest China for 11 days in the month of November 2012 which involved over 100 fighters of over 10 different types and sup- port staff. In recent days, China is hold- ing multi-military exercises involv- ing land, air and naval forces on variety of locations practicing cap- turing islands and holding on to them. Aircraft which took part in the drill came from 14 separate units and included Chinas most modern jet fighters, the J-10 and J-11, along with older models and two-seater Sukhoi Su-30s Sukhoi Su-30s Sukhoi Su-30s Sukhoi Su-30s Sukhoi Su-30s which was purchased from Russia. The exercises are a clear demonstra- tion of Chinas vastly improved military capabilities that have frightened other Asian nations and are encouraging a changed US fo- cus on the region. Chinas navy also for the first time launched and recovered aircraft from the countrys first aircraft carrier, a re- furbished Ukrainian craft that will be armed wi th J-15 fighter- J-15 fighter- J-15 fighter- J-15 fighter- J-15 fighter- bombers, bombers, bombers, bombers, bombers, a Chinese adaptation of the Russian Sukhoi Su-33. President Mohamed Morsi President Mohamed Morsi President Mohamed Morsi President Mohamed Morsi President Mohamed Morsi signed Egypts Controversial signed Egypts Controversial signed Egypts Controversial signed Egypts Controversial signed Egypts Controversial Constitution Constitution Constitution Constitution Constitution Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on 25 December registered voters participated. The remaining 90 were appointed by Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president. It was expected to draft a law for legislative elections for the dissolved lower house that have to be held by the end of Feb- ruary 2013. The National Salvation Front opposition coalition said it would vie for seats in the parlia- ment, which has powers under the new charter that could hamper Morsis ability to govern. European Union imposed Stiff European Union imposed Stiff European Union imposed Stiff European Union imposed Stiff European Union imposed Stiff Sanctions on Trade with Iran Sanctions on Trade with Iran Sanctions on Trade with Iran Sanctions on Trade with Iran Sanctions on Trade with Iran European Union (EU) im- posed stiff sanctions on trade with Iran in a move aimed at further iso- lating it over the controversial nuclear program. The fresh sanc- tions directed against Irans bank- ing, shipping and industrial sectors came into effect from 22 Decem- ber 2012. These are considered to be the toughest EU measures and include bans on financial transac- tions, sales to Iran of shipping equipment and steel, and imports of Iranian natural gas in addition to the existing ban on import of Iranian crude oil. Britain would Pull Half of its Britain would Pull Half of its Britain would Pull Half of its Britain would Pull Half of its Britain would Pull Half of its Troops from Afghanistan Troops from Afghanistan Troops from Afghanistan Troops from Afghanistan Troops from Afghanistan The Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameroon on 19 December 2012 announced that Britain has planned to withdraw more than half of its troops back from Af- ghanistan by 2013 and all-foreign 2012 signed into law a new Islam- ist-drafted constitution which will help end political disorder and al- low him to focus on fixing the weak economy. Mohamed Morsi signed a declaration enforcing the charter late after the official an- nouncement of the result of a ref- erendum approving the basic law, Egypts first constitution since Hosni Mubaraks overthrow. The passing of the constitution meant Egypt could now move to a new stage that should bring security and stability for the people. The body, known as the Shura coun- cil, will temporarily be able to pass laws until a new parliament has been elected within the next few months, after the adoption of an election law. Two-thirds of the members of the 270-seat council were elected earlier this year in a vote in which only 12 per cent of UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 31 31 31 31 31 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe forces of the country would be pulled out by 2014. The Prime Min- ister informed to the commons that 3800 troops, who were de- ployed at Helmand Province would be back by end of the year 2013 leaving 5200 troops behind. Overall, 9500 troops from Britain are out of home out of which 500 are waiting to be back to home before the Christmas of 2012. The troops would be returning home in relatively two even steps in 2013 and 2014. The decision was made because of the success that the British Forces and the Afghan Na- tional security Forces accom- plished in the region. By the time the British forces are pulled out, the Afghani Forces would have been mentored from the battalion level to the Brigade level by 2013. The Prime Minister also an- nounced that even after the final withdrawal of the British Forces a small number of there force would remain operational into the region to have a check on returning of equipments and to deal with the logistics. Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary of Britain in- formed about the long-term plans of the British Forces following the commitment that it made to the Afghani people. The British Gov- ernment also informed that at the end of 2014 reduction in the num- ber of troops on a large scale with immediate effect would not occur. The troops would be withdrawn gradually following the plans of its ISAF [International Security Assis- tance Force] partners as well as the advice offered by its army commanders. A small number of U.K. Forces would remain func- tional for operations in Afghani- stan counterparts till the time the combat operations doesnt come to a cease completely by 2014. Maldives took over Charge of Maldives took over Charge of Maldives took over Charge of Maldives took over Charge of Maldives took over Charge of Male Airport scrapping Male Airport scrapping Male Airport scrapping Male Airport scrapping Male Airport scrapping Agreement with GMR Agreement with GMR Agreement with GMR Agreement with GMR Agreement with GMR Maldives took charge of Male airport from GMR. Maldives gov- ernment had scrapped the agree- ment with GMR on first December 2012, saying that the agreement was not in the interest of the coun- try. Singapore Supreme Court had upheld the right of Maldives to ter- minate the 25 year contract. There will be a three-week transition period starting 7 December 2012 at the end of which GMR will stop operating the airport. Maldivian Airport Company Limited, which will run the airport, has agreed to retain all staff, including Indian nationals, on the same terms. Beijing was 14th Safest City in Beijing was 14th Safest City in Beijing was 14th Safest City in Beijing was 14th Safest City in Beijing was 14th Safest City in China China China China China A survey conducted by China Academy of Social Sci- China Academy of Social Sci- China Academy of Social Sci- China Academy of Social Sci- China Academy of Social Sci- ences (CASS) ences (CASS) ences (CASS) ences (CASS) ences (CASS) which is a govern- ment owned body, revealed that the capital of China, Beijing is less safer than other cities of the coun- try. The safest place is the capital of Tibet, Lhasa, followed by Shanghai. When analysed in terms of safety, the Chinese capi- tal city was ranked 14th, inspite of huge network of the security cam- eras as well as constant police force on the lanes and roads. Other major cities of China were ranked much safer than Beijing and these safe cities included Xiamen, Ningbo, Changchun, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Dalian, Hangzhou and Nanjing. CASS also revealed that around 40 percent of the 25000 respondents of survey from 38 cities of China felt unsafe to go out during night- time. Residents of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province marked it lowest in terms of safety. It was also found out that people in the coastal cities of East China as well as municipalities were safer than other parts of country. Ireland to legalise Abortions Ireland to legalise Abortions Ireland to legalise Abortions Ireland to legalise Abortions Ireland to legalise Abortions Ireland on 18 December 2012 announced that it will legalise abortions when the mothers life is at risk, weeks after the death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar who died after being refused an abortion in the European country. The decision comes after a huge public outcry over the death of 31- year-old Savita, who died on 28 October 2012 at Galway University Hospital. She had been 17-week pregnant and was found to be mis- carrying. Savita Halappanavar asked repeatedly for a termination of pregnancy but was refused and was told the foetal heartbeat was still present and this is a Catholic country. Global Telecom Treaty without Global Telecom Treaty without Global Telecom Treaty without Global Telecom Treaty without Global Telecom Treaty without Net Control Signed by 89 Net Control Signed by 89 Net Control Signed by 89 Net Control Signed by 89 Net Control Signed by 89 Nations Nations Nations Nations Nations A controversial new global treaty on telecom regulations was UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 32 32 32 32 32 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe signed on 14 December 2012 by 89 International Telecommunica- International Telecommunica- International Telecommunica- International Telecommunica- International Telecommunica- tion Union tion Union tion Union tion Union tion Union member states out of a possible 144 Countries regard- less of US objections to prospec- tive regulation of the Internet. Over 150 nations met in Dubai, under the support of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to update a set of telecom rules of 1988, before the Internet and mo- bile phones transformed commu- nications. But they failed to draw a conclusion which will lead to a new fight over cyberspace. Fifty- five countries did not sign the treaty that enters effect in January 2015. A US-led bloc advocated a tolerant approach to the Internet, while Russia, China and much of Africa and the Middle East wanted greater governmental oversight of cyberspace. The treaty that is the first up- date to the International Tele- International Tele- International Tele- International Tele- International Tele- communication Regulations communication Regulations communication Regulations communication Regulations communication Regulations (ITRs) (ITRs) (ITRs) (ITRs) (ITRs) agreed in 1988, stimulated controversy as Internet operators, activists and countries led by the United States objected to refer- ence to the Internet deemed to be paving the way for government control. The United States on 13 December 2012 opposed the treaty saying that the proposed text opened the door to govern- ment regulation of the Internet. As per the treaty, the non-binding resolution on the Internet recognises, among other things, that all governments should have an equal role and responsibility for international Internet governance and for ensuring the stability, se- curity and continuity of the exist- ing Internet and its future devel- opment and of the future Internet. As in a previous version, the Inter- national Telecom Regulations spell out guidelines on technical issues such as how carriers charge each other for incoming international phone calls, as well as taxation and accounting. Countries that sign the treaty are supposed to be guided by its principles, although these have no force of law. US lawmakers had voted unanimously to oppose any efforts to give the United Nations new authority to regulate the Internet, and a variety of Internet activists and US firms, led by Google, also warned against new regulations. Google had asserted that governments taking part in the meeting in Dubai proved that they wanted increased censorship, and it supported countries rejecting the treaty. Israels Jewish Population Israels Jewish Population Israels Jewish Population Israels Jewish Population Israels Jewish Population Passed Crucial 6 Million Mark Passed Crucial 6 Million Mark Passed Crucial 6 Million Mark Passed Crucial 6 Million Mark Passed Crucial 6 Million Mark Israels Central Bureau of Sta- tistics (CBS) in the last week of De- cember 2012 revealed that the Jewish population of Israel passed the crucial mark of 6 million for first time. This is equal to the Jews killed in Holocaust. According to the Israels CBS the overall popu- lation of Israel was 7.98 million out of which 75.4 percent were Jew- ish. The Arab population of Israel accounted for 20 percent and 4 percent were defined as others. However it was made clear that the position of Jews worldwide was the same. Before Holocaust, the number of Jews across the world was 18 million. After it, the number was just a little more than the mark of 13 million. Even now, the population is just a little more than 13 million. Never- theless, the population of Jews in Israel is somewhere near half the population of Jewish nations across the world, which would put Israel in central place. Other figures were released by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and it was found that the overall population of Arabs in Pal- estine and Israel would be equiva- lent to that of Jews by 2016. It was also revealed that the population of Arabs would exceed that of Jews by 2020. Jewish population in Israel increased by ten times since the declaration of this state in May 1948 when the number of Jewish citizens was just 660000. What is Holocaust? What is Holocaust? What is Holocaust? What is Holocaust? What is Holocaust? Holocaust is said to be the bureaucratic, systematic and state-sponsored murder of around six million Jews by Nazi regime as well as collaborators. Holocaust is the Greek-origin word which means sacrifice by fire. Nazis ac- quired power in January 1933 in UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 33 33 33 33 33 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Germany and considered Jews as racially inferior. This genocide oc- curred during the Second World War. Republic of Kosovo recognised Republic of Kosovo recognised Republic of Kosovo recognised Republic of Kosovo recognised Republic of Kosovo recognised by Pakistan by Pakistan by Pakistan by Pakistan by Pakistan Government of Pakistan on 24 December 2012 officially recognised Kosovo as an indepen- dent state, almost five years after it declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. The decision was made in ac- cordance with the aspirations of the people of Kosovo. With this Pakistan became the 98th sover- eign state among 193 UN-member states recognising Kosovo. The government of Pakistan has also decided to at the same time to ac- credit its ambassador to the Re- public of Turkey in Ankara as am- bassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of Kosovo. Kosovo declared full full full full full i ndependence i ndependence i ndependence i ndependence i ndependence in September 2012 after the western powers overseeing Kosovo announced the end of their supervision of this Balkan nation. The unilateral dec- laration of independence by Kosovo was seen as an example for resolving ethnic conflicts on considerations other than territo- rial integrity of countries. It was also feared that the Kosovo prin- ciple could at a successive stage be applied to other separatist movements. About Republic of Kosovo About Republic of Kosovo About Republic of Kosovo About Republic of Kosovo About Republic of Kosovo Kosovo is a small south east European state lies between Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. The capital of the Republic is Prishtina, a city of around 500000 people. The population of Kosovo ex- ceeds 2 million. Kosovo is a democratic, multi- ethnic and secular Republic that incorporates into its Con- stitution the UN Special En- voy, Martti Ahtisaari, Compre- hensive Proposal for Kosovo Status Settlement. This plan ensures that the Constitution of the Republic protects and guarantees rights for all of Kosovo citizens. The support of this proposal by Kosovar people shows readiness to move on, forgive and build. Kosovo has historically, cultur- ally and socially been part of Europe. The ancient kingdoms that stood there were at the center of European history well over 3,000 years ago. Later on, as new world pow- ers emerged and the world changed, again the nations of south east Europe forged the future of this continent. In more modern times, Kosovo ended up as the least de- veloped part of Yugoslavia, slowly moving towards high unemploy- ment and unequal opportunities for Kosovar Albanians. This, coupled with nationalistic policies that broke up Yugoslavia, culmi- nated in the Kosovo - Serbia war of 1997-199 First Woman President of South First Woman President of South First Woman President of South First Woman President of South First Woman President of South Korea Korea Korea Korea Korea Park Geun-hye was elected as the president of South Korea on 19 December 2012, the first woman who acquired this post. Park Geun-hye is the daughter of longest ruling dictator of South Korea. After the counting of votes, it was declared by the Na- tional Election Commission that Park had enjoyed clear victory with 51.64 percent votes in com- parison to 47.93 percent votes for Moon Jae-in, who is the former lawyer of human rights. Moon Jae- in was also imprisoned at some point of time for standing in op- position with the authoritarian rule of her father. Moon Jae-in accepted the defeat because clearly her lead was impossible. Election of Park Geun-hye, 60, is said to be the milestone for South Korean soci- ety which has remained mainly male-dominated. Dictator Park Chung-hee, the father of Park Geun-hye ruled the country from 1961 to 1979 and left behind po- litical repression, something that is still dividing the country. While in office, Lee intensified several problems such as dwindling job opportunities, political corruption as well as increasing tensions with North Korea. While campaigning, Park had said that being a female would help her in a lot of ways. She never got married. Reputation of Park in South Korea is that of a steely as well as principled leader. Her role models are Queen Eliza- beth and British PM Margaret Thatcher. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 34 34 34 34 34 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Immigration to Britain Immigration to Britain Immigration to Britain Immigration to Britain Immigration to Britain Witnessed Biggest Fall in 20 Witnessed Biggest Fall in 20 Witnessed Biggest Fall in 20 Witnessed Biggest Fall in 20 Witnessed Biggest Fall in 20 Years Years Years Years Years Immigration into Britain saw the deepest dip in 20 years, the official figures revealed. In 2011, 536000 foreigners migrated to live in UK, which is 42000 lower than in 2010. This drop is said to be the biggest and deepest because im- migration dropped down by 61000 during the recession of 1991. Numbers of people enter- ing UK were lowest since the year 2004 when thousands of European workers were permitted to work here. The basic reason why this number sank was because of the dramatic reduction in the number of people coming on student vi- sas. In terms of percentage, the net immigration figure went down by 25 percent from 242000 to 183000. The number of students who come for joining courses in UK colleges sank by 67 percent. In the meanwhile, the students coming down for English Language schools dropped by 76 percent. Nevertheless, the foreign students who go to UK varsities increased by 1 percent. Ministers of UK called this drop as a crucial step towards achieving the aim of gov- ernment in reducing immigration to what it was in 1990s. Paper Money to be replaced Paper Money to be replaced Paper Money to be replaced Paper Money to be replaced Paper Money to be replaced with Plastic Banknotes in UK with Plastic Banknotes in UK with Plastic Banknotes in UK with Plastic Banknotes in UK with Plastic Banknotes in UK Britain planned to replace the paper money with plastic banknotes, which are said to be more durable as well as water- proof. Another advantage of these plastic banknotes is that they are difficult to be forged. Paper money has been used in Britain for over 300 years. The radical renovation in Britain might see polymer ster- ling currency in circulation in just three years time. The Bank of En- gland already publicised the 1 bil- lion pounds tender from 2015 for the process of printing of these notes at the press in Debden, Essex. Bidders are expected to cope up with this change from paper currency to plastic right from the beginning of the contract as the part of this process. The contract since 2003 was held by De La Rue, which is one of the only two polymer notes makers. Ini- tially, the Bank would produce lower denominations like fiver (five-pound note). De La Rue prints over 150 currencies and re- cently it had produced new plas- tic banknotes for Pacific island of Fiji. The first country to introduce plastic notes was Australia where the currency was introduced in 1988 as a step to curtail counter- feiting. Some of the other coun- tries that might issue polymer notes include Vietnam, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Romania. Plastic fiver was in- troduced in Northern Ireland in 1999 for indicating the mark of a Millennium. Why plastic notes can be Why plastic notes can be Why plastic notes can be Why plastic notes can be Why plastic notes can be beneficial than paper currency? beneficial than paper currency? beneficial than paper currency? beneficial than paper currency? beneficial than paper currency? Plastic notes are more du- rable than the paper notes. Also, these polymer notes prove to be more hygienic because they at- tract fewer bacteria and do not form crease or tear. Apart from being waterproof, the plastic notes are also easier to be used for vending machines. The primary feature of plastic notes is that they offer clear window which also contains optical variable device through which light can be split easily into the component colours. This makes it very difficult for any- one to counterfeit the currency. These notes are eco-friendly as well as recyclable. However, the cost of producing these notes is a bit higher than the paper currency. Also, the initial cost needs to be invested so that the vending ma- chines as well as ATMs can adapt to them. North Korea Launched Long North Korea Launched Long North Korea Launched Long North Korea Launched Long North Korea Launched Long Range Unha-3 Rocket Range Unha-3 Rocket Range Unha-3 Rocket Range Unha-3 Rocket Range Unha-3 Rocket North Korea launched a long- range rocket Unha-3 Unha-3 Unha-3 Unha-3 Unha-3 on 12 De- cember 2012 despite international opposition and growing tensions in the region successfully deliver- ing a scientific satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 into orbit. Unha-3 is the second version of satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 which is successfully lifted off from the Sohae Space Center by carrier rocket. The North Ameri- North Ameri- North Ameri- North Ameri- North Ameri- can Aerospace Defense Com- can Aerospace Defense Com- can Aerospace Defense Com- can Aerospace Defense Com- can Aerospace Defense Com- mand (NORAD) mand (NORAD) mand (NORAD) mand (NORAD) mand (NORAD)reported that the North Korean missile deployed an object that appeared to achieve orbit, which would fall in line with Pyongyangs claims about the na- ture of the launch. The debris of the rocket fell into waters off the Philippines at 10:05 a.m. local time after passing over Okinawa. The launch is a message from North UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 35 35 35 35 35 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Korea to prove they are not lag- ging behind in terms of technol- ogy. However, The UN Security Council had condemned North Koreas rocket launch in a short statement following an emergency meeting, saying that an appropri- ate response is now being con- sidered. The United States evacuated its The United States evacuated its The United States evacuated its The United States evacuated its The United States evacuated its Embassy in the Central African Embassy in the Central African Embassy in the Central African Embassy in the Central African Embassy in the Central African Republic Republic Republic Republic Republic The United States of America evacuated its embassy in the Cen- tral African Republic, reflecting growing fears that the capital, Bangui, may fall to rebel forces called Saleka. The countrys Presi- dent Francois Bozize sought French and American help against the insurgents, who have been making rapid territorial gains. France, however, rejected any in- tervention. Seleka consists of breakaway factions from three former armed groups. It accuses Bozize of fail- ing to honour a 2007 peace deal, under which fighters were meant to be paid who laid down their arms. The rebels want to depose Bozize in case he fails to negoti- ate with them. The rebels started their campaign in November 2012 and have captured several towns in their advance towards the capi- tal. No Religion Described Third No Religion Described Third No Religion Described Third No Religion Described Third No Religion Described Third Largest World Group Largest World Group Largest World Group Largest World Group Largest World Group In a study entitled The Glo- The Glo- The Glo- The Glo- The Glo- bal Religious Landscape bal Religious Landscape bal Religious Landscape bal Religious Landscape bal Religious Landscape which was issued by Pew Forum on Reli- gion and Public Life on 18 Decem- ber 2012, it was found that people under the affiliation of no no no no no religion religion religion religion religion accounted for 3rd largest global group only after Christians and Muslims. No Religion No Religion No Religion No Religion No Religion group stood just before the Hindus. The study is based on the data for 2010. It indicated that Hinduism and Islam are two religions that are likely to grow larger in future, while the weakest growth oppor- tunities were that of Jews. The most consistently spreading religion was Christian- ity which is said to be present in almost all regions of world. Hin- duism, on the other hand, has its concentration in one country, In- dia with around 94 percent popu- lation following the religion. The study found out that comprehen- sively, 84 percent of the popula- tion of the world (around 6.9 bil- lion) identified itself with a reli- gion. In the unaffiliated category or no religion category were the people who did not profess any religion or are atheists and agnos- tics or have no link with the estab- lished faith. The study also indi- cated that belief in higher power or God was shared by 7 percent unaffiliated Chinese adults, 68 per- cent unaffiliated US adults and 30 percent unaffiliated French adults. Age breakdown was also focused in the study and it was found out that lowest median age was 23 years among Muslims in comparison to 28 years in the population of the world. Median age is the highlighter of the popu- lation bulge at that point where 50 percent population is above and 50 percent is below the number. Breakdown Breakdown Breakdown Breakdown Breakdown According to the study, Christianity was largest faith with 31.5 percent world population fol- lowing the religion. Roman Catho- lic Church accounts for 50 percent of the total. The Muslim population was 1.6 billion or 23 percent of the population of the world. 87-90 percent Muslims are Sunnis and around 10-13 percent are Shia. Out of the 1.1 billion unaffiliated popu- lation of the world, more than 700 million or around 62 percent live in China. Second comes Japan with 72 million or 57 percent unaffiliated population. Thereafter comes US with 51 million people having no link with any established faith. Hindu population is found mainly in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. 50 percent of the Buddhists of the world live in China, followed by Thailand and Japan. 405 million world popula- tion or around 6 percent followed their folk religions. This kind of population was found in Africa as well as China apart from Australian aboriginals and Native Americans. 58 million population came from other reli- gion category which includes Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Tenrikyo, Wicca, Jainism and Taoism. This population was concentrated in Asia-Pacific region. The study in- dicated that Christians were in majority in 157 countries of the world, Muslims in 49 countries of the world and with sharp contrast, Hindus were in majority only in Nepal, India and Mauritius. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 37 37 37 37 37 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe INDIA & THE WORLD INDIA & THE WORLD INDIA & THE WORLD INDIA & THE WORLD INDIA & THE WORLD INDIA AND RUSSIA India and Russia on 24 De- cember 2012 signed a pact for strengthening their economic ties with a Kremlin-backed 2 billion dollar investment fund. Both the parties also agreed to talk about a Comprehensive Economic Part- nership Agreement involving Kazakhastan and Belarus. During the twelfth straight annual summit, the leaders of both the nations Vladimir Putin - President of Rus- sia and Manmohan Singh - Prime Minister of India finalised 10 agree- ments including two military con- tracts of 20000 crore rupees, which was under process for past some time. The two nations were not successful in making a sub- stantial progress on issues related to delay in commissioning of Gorshkov-the aircraft carrier, ap- plicability of the Nuclear Limited Liability Act at Kudankulams six new reactors developed by Rus- sia. Plans of Sistema and Severstal- the two Russian companies invest- ment plans in India and the tax imposed on the Indian company operating in Russia named Impe- rial Energy. Sistema, whose 2G licenses were cancelled by the Supreme Court of India signed two agree- ments in the satellite segment with India through its sister concern company named Glonass. India has signed military side contracts with Glonass- the constellation of 34 satellites in 2011 for receiving precision signals. Both the nations would be extending their partner- ship in energy sector moving be- yond the investments made in Sakhalin-I and direct trade of Gazprom-Gail and are planning to boost joint investment in upstream and downstream sectors. India also managed to discuss on its ar- eas of interest for equity partici- pation via ONGC-OVL in the projects of Siberia, Arctic Shelf and Far East of Russia either in the existing ones or the new ones. In- dia also put on table the interests of acquiring equity stakes in the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Russia. India and Russia India and Russia India and Russia India and Russia India and Russia The only Hindu temple in Russia, ISKCON was scheduled to be demolished by Moscow au- thorities by 15 January 2013. The ISKCON monks announced that the Hindu temple was facing clo- sure by Russian government, a year after the country had sought ban of Bhagvad Gita. As Vladimir Putin, the Russian President arrives in India on 24 December 2012 for negotiations with the Government of India; there are hardly any chances that the issue of ISKCON would be discussed because it was followed already by foreign UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 38 38 38 38 38 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ministry. The Indian ambassador to Russia had requested Moscow authorities for giving extension regarding temporary temple which would expire on 31 Decem- ber 2012, until the construction of Vedic cultural centre is com- pleted. The temple was scheduled to be demolished on the grounds that it violated the urban building code. Additionally, it did not have any legal grounds for its existence. The ISKCON monk finally also confirmed that the demolition order was not cancelled, which is why the temple would be demol- ished in January 2013. Moscows Mayor Sergey Sobyanin had also ordered to cut down the perma- nent temple project, which was included by Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit and former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov in the joint declara- tion back in 2006 for cultural co- operation between these cities. In the year 2004, ISKCON temple in Moscow was demolished and another plot was offered to ISKCON group for building the temple. However, this offer was again withdrawn after the mem- bers of Russian Orthodox Church had protested against building plans of the temple. In 2011, ban on Bhagvad Gita by Russia was also discussed in Lok Sabha and Parliament had asked unanimously to Russia for preventing the ban. The issue of demolition would hamper the bilateral relations once more. INDIA AND PAKISTAN India and Pakistan ex- changed their nuclear units lists on 1 January 2013, as it is custom- ary since 20 years. The list which contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are ex- changed between India and Paki- stan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents them from aiming the nuclear installa- tions of each others nations. The exchange of the list of nuclear units has been going on, on 1 January every year since 1992. This is a customary action as a part of Agreement on Prohibition of At- tacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities which was signed in December 1988. The external af- fairs ministry of India announced that the two countries exchanged the list of nuclear installations through their diplomatic channels at Islamabad and New Delhi. Apart from this list, the two nations, as a part of another bilateral agreement signed back in 2008, share the list of each others prisoners in the jails of two countries. The bilateral agreement was signed between India and Pakistan in May 2008, according to which a complete list of the citizens of both the coun- tries living in the jails of other country should be exchanged two times every year on 1 January and in July. India and Pakistan India and Pakistan India and Pakistan India and Pakistan India and Pakistan A meeting of the India and Pakistan former diplomats, peace activists, army and navy officers concluded on 3 December 2012 with an agenda that Sir Creek dis- pute will be resolved. Apart from this, Siachen and Kashmir are other territorial troubles that sit amidst the India-Pakistan relationship. The strategic seminar called Aman Ki Asha concluded with the fact that even after a lot of deadlock after the bilateral meetings, the is- sue of Sir Creek was not difficult to handle. There were certain pro- posals on which both India as well as Pakistan agreed and this in- cluded de-linking maritime boundaries from land. Also, it was agreed that there would be mark- ing from seaward to the point where both these sides agree. Additionally, it was agreed that the non-defined area (Sir Creek and the approaches) would be de- clared as free zone or the maritime sensitive zone. Or, it was agreed upon that such an area be turned into a jointly administered mari- time park. The experts in the meanwhile also highlighted that in case the shore points are accepted by both the sides mutually, the boundary line marked using angu- lar bisection would only undergo a few changes when final baseline would be established. What is Sir Creek? What is Sir Creek? What is Sir Creek? What is Sir Creek? What is Sir Creek? Sir Creek is the 96 km narrow piece of water that is a subject of dispute between India and Paki- stan. Sir Creek sits in the Rann of Kutch marshlands. Creek opens into the Arabian Sea and divides the region of Kutch of Indias Gujarat with Sindh of Pakistan. The major dispute over Sir Creek is about understanding of the maritime boundary between the Kutch and the Sindh. Before Indias independence, the region remained a part of the British In- dia. After the partition of 1947, Sindh enterred Pakistan and Kutch remained with India. India and Pakistan India and Pakistan India and Pakistan India and Pakistan India and Pakistan India and Pakistan jointly operationalized the new Visa Agreement on 14th December, UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 39 39 39 39 39 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe 2012 in New Delhi during the visit of Pakistan interior minister to In- dia. However, the Visa-on-Arrival will come into effect from 15th January, 2013 and the Group Tour- ist Visa from 15th March, 2013. Government of the Repub- lic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan had signed on 8th September, 2012, a new Visa Agreement to facilitate travel for the nationals of both countries desirous of travel- ling to the other country and to promote people to people con- tact. Main features of the India- Pakistan new Visa Agreement are as following: Visitor Visa Visitor Visa Visitor Visa Visitor Visa Visitor Visa Places of visit allowable in- creased from three to five places In exceptional cases visitor visa for one year could be is- sued in the past. Now provi- sion made for issue of visa upto two years in following cases: a. Persons above 65 years of age b. National of one country mar- ried to national of the other country. c. Children below 12 years ac- companying parents in (b) above Visa on Arrival can be granted at Attari/Wagah check- post to persons more than 65 years of age for 45 days with single en- try (effective from 15 January 2013). Business Visa Business Visa Business Visa Business Visa Business Visa Exemption from Police Re- porting for Business visa granted to businessmen with an annual in- come above Pak Rs. 5 million or equivalent or annual turnover above Pak 30 million rupees or equivalent. Group Tourist Visa Group Tourist Visa Group Tourist Visa Group Tourist Visa Group Tourist Visa Group Tourist Visa for 30 days may be issued for travel in groups, with not less than 10 members and not more than 50 members in each group, organized by approved tour operators/travel agents (effec- tive from 15 March 2013). Entry and Exit Entry and Exit Entry and Exit Entry and Exit Entry and Exit Now entry and exit from dif- ferent designated Immigration Check Posts can be allowed, if indicated in application. However, exit from Wagha/ Attari on foot cannot be ac- cepted unless the entry was also on foot via Attari/Wagah. INDIA AND UKRAINE India and Ukraine on 10 De- cember 2012 signed five agree- ments in New Delhi to enhance cooperation including in areas of defence, Nuclear, Science and Technology and also to remove barriers in trade and commerce.The two countries also agreed to raise bilateral coopera- tion to Comprehensive partner- ship level. The agreements were signed during the visit of Ukraine President Victor Yanukovich. The agreements are as following:- (1) Agreement between the Gov- ernment of the Republic of India and the Cabinet of Min- isters of Ukraine on Coopera- tion in the Field of Defence The Agreement will provide the framework for expanding our military technical coopera- tion on an institutionalized basis. It envisages mecha- nisms to be set up for promot- ing defence cooperation. It will pave the way for moving our relationship to a new plane, that of joint research and development in the fu- ture. (2) Agreement between the Gov- ernment of the Republic of India and the Government of Ukraine on Co-operation in the Fields of Science and Technol- ogy The agreement envisages regular meetings of a joint committee, exchange of sci- entists and holding of semi- nars, joint research programmes and contacts be- tween scientific organizations. There are over ten ongoing joint research programmes and this agreement will allow for further expansion of col- laboration in this area. (3) Treaty on Mutual Legal Assis- tance in Civil and Commercial Matters between the Repub- lic of India and Ukraine The Treaty provides for recip- rocal arrangements for service of summons, execution of de- crees etc. In an environment of increased contacts and en- hanced engagement it eases legal procedures in the field of consular affairs. (4) Agreement between Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Government of India and the State Nuclear Regulatory In- spectorate of Ukraine for Ex- change of Technical Informa- tion and Co-operation on Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection The Agreement flows from UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 40 40 40 40 40 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe the continuing interaction be- tween AERB and the Ukrainian nuclear regulator and will now al- low them to cooperate in a struc- tured format. The Agreement en- visages cooperation in some very important regulatory activities, in- cluding legislative regulations, safety guides and technical crite- ria on nuclear safety; siting, design, construction, operation, decom- missioning of nuclear facilities; waste management and environ- ment impact etc. (5) Memorandum of Understand- ing in the Field of Standardisation, Conformity Assessment and Quality be- tween the Bureau of Indian Standards and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine The MoU is in continuation of a similar MoU signed for a period of five years in 2005. It envisages enhanced economic engagement through elimination of technical barriers to trade and economic relations. INDIA AND CANADA The 11th meeting of the In- dia-Canada Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism was held in New Delhi on 29 Novem- ber 2012. The meeting took place within the framework of the en- hanced interaction in bilateral re- lations between India and Canada, and in keeping with the desire of the governments of India and Canada towards greater coopera- tion in counter terrorism matters. India and Canada shared their re- spective threat assessments and informed each other of the mea- sures taken by them to strengthen counter terrorism policy and struc- ture. Both nations also discussed the follow-up of the Mumbai ter- ror attack of 26 November 2008. India and Canada also exchanged views on international develop- ments, coordination in interna- tional fora and their bilateral co- operation in the area. The next and the 12th meeting of the Joint Work- ing Group will be held in Canada in 2013 on mutually convenient dates. The meeting was co-chaired by Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Special Secretary, Ministry of External Af- fairs, India and Artur Wilczynski, Director General for International Relations, Canada. India and China India and China India and China India and China India and China Shiv Shankar Menon, the na- tional security advisor as well as negotiator in the border talks with China paid the visit here on 2 De- cember 2012. This was the first visit by any top ranking Indian of- ficial post changes announcement in Communist Party of China. Menon would meet the next pre- mier of China- Li Keqiang. China might look for diplomatic indica- tor from the Indian official suggest- ing that India would not join its forces with Philippines and Viet- nam in the passport row which is started by China. Three countries protested against China when it e m b o s s e d Chinas map on those areas which are controlled as well as claimed by them on the passports. China as well as India were working over to explore the posi- tive signal in or- der to rise above the criticism that both these nations have already had 15 rounds of negotiations over border but all in vain without any significant improvements. In the meanwhile, the passport row by China has vitiated this situation. The visit by Menon is very important, especially because China is preparing itself for change of guard with the premier as well as president being replaced in March 2013. Impact of the agreement Impact of the agreement Impact of the agreement Impact of the agreement Impact of the agreement The agreement would create new pathways for greater eco- nomic integration. Post, FTA in in- vestments and services, India was also planning to hold market open- ing negotiations like these with other members of the group. FTA was already implemented with Malaysia and Singapore. Negotiations with Thailand and Indonesia were still on its way. This FTA would also create pathways for discussions on the Regional Comprehensive Eco- nomic Partnership (RCEP) which ASEAN planned sealing with its six crucial trade partners, including India. ASEAN along with the six partners, India, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea would begin first negotia- tion rounds on RCEP in 2013. This UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 41 Korea would begin first negotia- tion rounds on RCEP in 2013. This would form the economic alliance of the world in 2015. Final legal paper work on investment and services pact would be given a concrete shape by February 2013. Signing of the agreement would take place in August 2013. India to sign Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal mat- ters with four other nations India would sign Mutual Le- gal Assistance Treaty in the crimi- nal matters with four other coun- tries in 2013. The treaty in general helps in mutual assistance be- tween two nations for preventing, investigating as well as prosecut- ing crime. Discussions on treaty were initiated already with four countries namely Azerbaijan, Is- rael, Nepal and Oman. Ministry of Home Affairs announced that for- mal signing of this treaty will take place in 2013. As of now, India has signed the treaty with 32 coun- tries which include Russia, Egypt, US, South Africa, France, Switzer- land, UK, Canada, UAE and Iran. The agreement is important be- cause it helps in fighting back the trans-national organised crimes such as money laundering, terror- ism, counterfeit currency, smug- gling of explosives and arms, drug trafficking and much more. INDIA AND ASEAN The awai ted Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in investments and services was finalised be- tween India and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 20 December 2012. The actions would be beneficial in enhancing the trade to around 100 billion dollar by 2015. Also, it will help in enhanc- ing the economic ties. FTA in the goods was operationalised in 2011 and since then both the sides were busy in widening the pact by also including investments and ser- vices. Trade between the two sides is at present 80 billion dol- lar. Indias Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh declared that after implementation of FTA in the goods, the trade between the two sides increased by 41 percent in the year 2011-2012. Manmohan Singh announced at the summit that two-way flows in terms of in- vestment grew rapidl y and reached the mark of 43 billion dol- l ar over l ast 10 years. Because the i n v e s t m e n t s through ASEAN in India grew, there- fore the ASEAN countries al so emerged as lucra- tive destination for the Indian compa- nies. India was de- mandi ng from ASEAN to open the services sector even more which would also include the steps to cover contractual service suppliers along with independent professional services at all its lev- els. But following difficult rounds of talks and discussions on 19 De- cember 2012, India decided to drop the demand of independent professional services. As trade-off, ASEAN on the other hand dropped the demand for pruden- tial measures in context with finan- cial services. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 42 42 42 42 42 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ECONOMY ECONOMY ECONOMY ECONOMY ECONOMY Indian Economy Would Indian Economy Would Indian Economy Would Indian Economy Would Indian Economy Would Dominate the Economy of the Dominate the Economy of the Dominate the Economy of the Dominate the Economy of the Dominate the Economy of the World by 2030 World by 2030 World by 2030 World by 2030 World by 2030 US intelligence community in its report called Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds which was released on 10 December 2012 declared that India would straddle international commerce and will also dominate the economy of the whole world by 2030. This would happen with decelerating Chinese economy as well as declining West. Key points of the report: Indias chance of powering would begin only after 2015 as Chinas fortunes would start diminishing. By the year 2030, Asia (mainly India) would return back to its position of being the power- house of the world, like it was before 1500. Pakistan might not exist at all. India will rush forward after 2020 as China would begin de- celerating, primarily on certain demographic trends. China is indeed ahead of In- dia, but the gap between In- dia and China would start ze- roing in by 2030. The eco- nomic growth rate of India will surge while that of China will slow down. In 2030, India might be rising as the economic powerhouse just like China is today. The current economic growth rate of China, 8-10 percent would become just a memory for the country. Overall size of the working- age population in China would increase in 2016 and decrease from 994 million to 961 million in 2030. Contrarily, working age population of India would most probably rise until around 2050. The demographic opportuni- ties of India will rise between 2015 to 2050. Chinas oppor- tunities window is from 1990 to 2025. Contrarily, USs op- portunity was best between 1970 to 2015. Median age of India which is at present 26 will increase to 32 by 2030, which would still be the least among top 10 economies of world. The report also mentioned that anytime after 2030, India instead of China would be having the largest middle- class consumption, which would be even larger than US and Europe combined. How- ever, India might face trapping in the status of middle-income group in case the resources constraint, especially food, water and energy are not re- solved. More investment would be required in science UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 43 43 43 43 43 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe and technology sector in order to keep the pace of economy in the value chain. It was how- ever made clear that the jour- ney of economic development of both India as well as China will not be smooth. But if the difficulties were handled well, India as well as China would be dominating the world in 2030. About Global Trends 2030: About Global Trends 2030: About Global Trends 2030: About Global Trends 2030: About Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds Alternative Worlds Alternative Worlds Alternative Worlds Alternative Worlds The latest National Intelli- gence Councils (NIC) Global Trends Report was released on 10 December 2012 by the Office of the Director of National Intelli- gence. This report is called Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds. Global Trends project offers ex- pertise beyond government on certain factors like demography, environment, globalisation. The documents are prepared by Glo- bal Trends to assist the makers of policies in long-term planning on major issues which hold world- wide importance. First Global Trends Report was released back in 1997. New global trends report is being published after every four years after the U.S. presidential elections. For the production of Global Trends 2030, a range of analytical tools, in-depth research as well as detailed modeling was employed. UN Slashed World Growth UN Slashed World Growth UN Slashed World Growth UN Slashed World Growth UN Slashed World Growth Forecast to 2.4 % Forecast to 2.4 % Forecast to 2.4 % Forecast to 2.4 % Forecast to 2.4 % United Nations on 18 Decem- ber 2012 slashed its global growth predictions to 2.4 percent for 2013 and 3.2 percent for the following year and warned of a lasting em- ployment crisis for western coun- tries. The UNs World Economic Situation and Prospects 2013 re- port warned that the Debt crises in Europe and the United States and a slowdown in China could all throw the world economy into re- cession. Earlier in the t month of June 2012 UN had predicted a growth forecast 2.7 percent for 2013 and 3.9 percent for the year after. As per the Report, With ex- isting policies and growth trends, it is going to take at least another five years for Europe and the United States to make up for the job losses caused by the Great Re- cession of year 2008-2009. The report also predicted growth in South Asia averaging 5 percent in 2013, up from 4.4 percent in 2012, led by a moderate recovery in In- dia. Rollout of Direct Benefits Rollout of Direct Benefits Rollout of Direct Benefits Rollout of Direct Benefits Rollout of Direct Benefits Transfers started on 1 January Transfers started on 1 January Transfers started on 1 January Transfers started on 1 January Transfers started on 1 January 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 National Committee on Di- rect Cash Transfers in its meet with the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh decided to roll- out, the Direct Cash Benefits from 1 January 2013 in 43 identified dis- tricts of the country. The decision was taken to ensure that the ben- efits could be transferred elec- tronically into the bank accounts of the individuals, without making delays and diversions of any type. A high level meet was con- ducted on 13 December 2012 with the District Collectors of thee iden- tified areas and fine tuned infor- mation related to steps that need to be taken in case of Direct Ben- efits Transfer. Direct Benefits Transfer and it covers: Transfer of cash benefits like pensions, scholarships, NREGA wages and others di- rectly through the Govern- ment in the Bank or Post Of- fice Accounts of identified beneficiaries under the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) programme. The program would also device necessary system so that the transfers can be done in a phased, time- bound manner for Direct Ben- efits Transfer. Direct Benefits Transfer would not act as a substitute for de- livery of public services and it would continue to be in place via normal delivery channels. The Direct Benefits Transfer would not allow replacement of food through cash managed under Public Distribution Sys- tem. The Government will be committed towards legislation of the National Food Security Act. Rollout on 1.1.2013 mean in Rollout on 1.1.2013 mean in Rollout on 1.1.2013 mean in Rollout on 1.1.2013 mean in Rollout on 1.1.2013 mean in practice practice practice practice practice The Rollout that would began on 1.1.2013 in 43 districts of 16 dif- ferent states under 26 different schemes, which have been iden- tified for first round of Direct Ben- efits Transfer. All these districts were selected on the basis of its UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 44 44 44 44 44 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe coverage of bank accounts and Aadhaar. BSE launched SME Platform BSE launched SME Platform BSE launched SME Platform BSE launched SME Platform BSE launched SME Platform Index Index Index Index Index The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 14 December 2012 launched an SME index which pri- marily aims at tracking the current primary market conditions in the Indian capital market and measur- ing the growth in investors wealth over a period. The index is going to be constituted by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which are listed on the BSE SME plat- form. Presently, there are 11 com- panies which are listed on the SME platform and this index is going to have features similar to the BSE IPO index. Through SME index the authorities can recognize the vi- ability of the company and based on the report, people can invest in these companies, which will not only help the organisations to grow their businesses but also suppose to create employment. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India constitute an im- portant segment of Indian economy. Currently, the contribu- tion of SMEs alone is greater than 7 per cent to GDP and 45 per cent to industrial production. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is also the second largest provider of em- ployment after agriculture. SMEs also contribute to 40% of total ex- ports directly and a significant amount of exports indirectly through large trading houses or third parties. With the SME plat- form, companies did not have to rely on loans from banks, as they can raise funds through the mar- ket and play an important role in contributing to the economic growth of the country. Out of the 11 companies listed so far, 10 are trading above their issue prices, while one is below its IPO price. Retail Inflation Increased to 9.90 Retail Inflation Increased to 9.90 Retail Inflation Increased to 9.90 Retail Inflation Increased to 9.90 Retail Inflation Increased to 9.90 Percent in November 2012 Percent in November 2012 Percent in November 2012 Percent in November 2012 Percent in November 2012 Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released on 12 December 2012 showed that the retail infla- tion increased for the second suc- cessive month to 9.90 percent in November 2012 mainly because of the increase in price of food prod- ucts like edible oil, sugar, veg- etables as well as clothing. In Oc- tober 2012, the retail inflation was 9.75 percent and in September 2012, it was 9.73 percent. Maxi- mum increase in the price in the month of November 2012 was in oil as well as fats segment, amounting to the annual inflation of 17.67 percent. Apart from oil, the price of sugar also increased by 16.97 percent and pulses on the other hand because costlier by 14.19 percent on yearly basis. The prices of vegetables increased by 14.74 percent in November 2012, while the price of egg, fish and meat increased by 11.33 percent. Also, there was an increase in the price of footwear and clothing at 11.08 percent in November 2012. In the urban areas, retail inflation increased to 9.69 percent in No- vember 2012 in comparison to 9.46 percent in October 2012. However, in rural areas there was a very slight decrease in inflation to 9.97 percent in November 2012 from 9.98 percent in October 2012. The rural, urban and com- bined All India provisional General (all groups) CPI numbers for the month of November 2012 are 126.9, 123.4 and 125.4, respec- tively. It is important to note that the Reserve Bank will keep an in- crease in retail inflation in mind while taking review about the mid- quarter policy in the third week of December 2012. In October 2012, raising concerns over rising infla- tion, Reserve Bank had kept the standard interest rates unchanged. SEBI allowed 12 more SEBI allowed 12 more SEBI allowed 12 more SEBI allowed 12 more SEBI allowed 12 more Alternative Investment Funds Alternative Investment Funds Alternative Investment Funds Alternative Investment Funds Alternative Investment Funds Indian Market regulator Secu- rity and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed 12 entities to set up Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), a newly created class of pooled-in investment vehicles for real estate, private equity and hedge funds, in the last two months of October and November 2012. The 12 Alternative Invest- ment Funds AIFs that were reg- istered with SEBI since October 2010 included India Realty Fund, Dar Mentorcap Film Fund, Capaleph Indian Millennium Small & Medium Enterprises Fund and Capaleph Indian Millennium Pri- vate Equity Fund. SEBI in last few years had already allowed nine AIFs to set up shops in the coun- try. As on 31 August 2012, a total of 20 applications were pending with SEBI for registration as AIFs. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 45 45 45 45 45 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe As per the new SEBI guidelines, AIFs can operate broadly in three categories. The SEBI rules is ap- plicable to all AIFs which also in- cludes those operating as private equity funds, real estate funds and hedge funds. The Category-I AIFs are those funds that get incentives from the government, SEBI or other regulators. It includes Social Venture Funds, Infrastructure Funds, Venture Capital Funds and SME Funds. The Category-II AIFs are those funds which can invest any- where in any combination but are prohibited from raising debt, except for meeting their day-to-day operational re- quirements. These AIFs in- clude PE funds, debt funds or fund of funds. The Category-III AIFs are those trading with a view to make short-term returns and include hedge funds, among others. Core Sectors of Indian Economy Core Sectors of Indian Economy Core Sectors of Indian Economy Core Sectors of Indian Economy Core Sectors of Indian Economy Grew By 6.5 % Grew By 6.5 % Grew By 6.5 % Grew By 6.5 % Grew By 6.5 % Eight core sectors of the In- dian Economy grew by 6.5 per- cent, the eight-month high in Oc- tober 2012-2013 in comparison to 0.4 percent in same time period last year, the official data revealed on 30 November 2012. The sectors which weight approximately 38 percent in Index of Industrial Pro- duction (IIP) increased by seven- month high in September by 5 percent and 2.3 percent in Au- gust. However, the growth of core sector is not dependent on the data of industrial production. For instance, inspite of the higher growth in core sector, the indus- trial production contracted around 0.4 percent in September. A lot of things are dependent on the capital goods segment which showed consistent contraction. The official data revealed that the eight main industries of the Indian economy- steel, electricity, coal, crude, cement, natural gas, refin- ery products and fertilisers grew 3.7 percent in initial seven months of 2012-2013 fiscal year against 4.3 percent in the same period in 2011-2012 fiscal year. Output of the coal showed regular growth with 10.9 percent. However, on the monthly basis, it was lower when compared with 21.4 percent in September. Refinery products, steel as well as cement contributed towards the strong eco- nomic growth with 20.3 percent, 5.9 percent and 6.8 percent respec- tively. Natural gas as well as crude oil remained in contractionary zone. Crude oil witnessed a fall in the growth consecutively for fifth month at 0.4 percent in comparison to 1.7 percent in September. Production of natural gas on the other hand, de- creased by 14.9 percent. In Septem- ber as well, it decreased 14.8 per- cent. Production of natural gas has continued to contract for more than a year now. Initially, in February 2012, all these sectors grew at a faster speed of 6.9 percent. The pro- duction of cement decreased from 13.8 percent in September to 6.8 percent. Generation of electricity, on the other hand increased by 5.2 percent after this segment saw a decrease in previous three months. Fertilisers indicated positive growth of 2 percent after 5.7 percent growth in September. FII Investment in India FII Investment in India FII Investment in India FII Investment in India FII Investment in India surpassed more than 24000 surpassed more than 24000 surpassed more than 24000 surpassed more than 24000 surpassed more than 24000 crore crore crore crore crore Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in the month of December had pumped in more than 24000 crore rupees in the Indian stock market which is said to be the high- est in 10 months timeline taking to- tal FII inflow for the year 2012 to over 24 billion dollars. As per the SEBI Data, In December, 2012 For- eign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were gross buyers of shares worth Rs 71595 crore rupees while they sold equities amounting to 47412 crore rupees. This translates into a net inflow of 24183 crore rupees or around.4.42 billion dollar. Earlier in the month of February FIIs had in- fused 25212 crore rupees in stocks, which is counted to be second high- est investment in Year 2012 since their entry into Indian capital mar- kets in 1992. If we take the latest in- flows into count, FII investment in that case in the countrys equity market reached 127455 crore rupees ($24 billion) for the year 2012 with just one more trading session left. Foreign investors are pouring money into the Indian stocks in hopes of cut in interest rates by the RBI. FIIs continued their positive standpoint on the Indian equities as the lack of investment options make the coun- try an attractive destination. In ad- dition to equities, FIIs invested 1178 crore rupees in the debt market the month taking the years tally to 34462 crore rupees. As on 28 De- cember 2012 the number of regis- tered FIIs in the country stood at 1759 and total numbers of sub-ac- counts were 6358 during the same period. About Foreign Institutional About Foreign Institutional About Foreign Institutional About Foreign Institutional About Foreign Institutional Investors Investors Investors Investors Investors Foreign Institutional inves- tors are those organizations which sum up huge amount of money and invest that amount in securi- ties, real property and other invest- ment assets. Some Foreign Insti- tutional investors are also operat- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 46 46 46 46 46 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ing companies that decide to in- vest their profits to some degree in these types of assets. The most common types of typical investors includes banks, insurance compa- nies, retirement or pension funds, hedge funds, investment advisors and mutual funds. They act as highly specialized investors on behalf of others which are consid- ered as their economic role. Foreign Investments through P- Foreign Investments through P- Foreign Investments through P- Foreign Investments through P- Foreign Investments through P- Notes Increased to 8-Month Notes Increased to 8-Month Notes Increased to 8-Month Notes Increased to 8-Month Notes Increased to 8-Month Highest Highest Highest Highest Highest Foreign investments in the In- dian markets through P-notes or PNs (Participatory Notes) in- creased to 8-month high of around 1.75 lakh crore Rupees or 32 bil- lion dollar in October 2012. This happened because different re- form measures attracted the over- seas investors towards the Indian markets. Market regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) revealed in its data that the overall value of P-Note invest- ments in India (debt, equity or derivatives) by October 2012 end increased to highest since Febru- ary 2012, when the total value of investments like these were 1.83 lakh crore Rupees. Apart from this, the overall value of P-notes issued with the derivatives as ba- sics stood at 95536 crore Rupees by October 2012 end. What are P-Notes or PNs? What are P-Notes or PNs? What are P-Notes or PNs? What are P-Notes or PNs? What are P-Notes or PNs? P-Notes or PNs or Participa- tory Notes are used by the HNIs or High Networth Individuals, for- eign institutions as well as hedge funds. P-Notes allow them to in- vest their money in Indian markets via registered FIIs or Foreign Insti- tutional Investors. This saves them cost as well as time related to di- rect registrations. So basically, PNs are the tools or instruments which are issued by the registered FIIs to the overseas investors who are willing to invest in stock mar- ket of India without registering with market regulator SEBI. RBI signed Currency Swap RBI signed Currency Swap RBI signed Currency Swap RBI signed Currency Swap RBI signed Currency Swap Agreement with Bank of Japan Agreement with Bank of Japan Agreement with Bank of Japan Agreement with Bank of Japan Agreement with Bank of Japan The Reserve Bank of India on 4 December 2012 signed a three year Bilateral Swap Arrangement (BSA) with the Bank of Japan for swapping of the local currencies to address short-term liquidity problems. The BSA will be effective from 5 Decem- ber 2012. The main idea behind the arrangement is to address short- term liquidity difficulties and supplement the existing interna- tional financial arrangements, as one of the efforts in strengthening mu- tual cooperation between Japan and India. The Bilateral Swap Agree- ment (BSA) is going to enable both the countries to swap their local cur- rencies either Japanese yen or In- dian rupee against US dollar for an amount up to 15 billion dollars. Ear- lier for a period of three years from June 2008 to June 2011 both the countries signed a similar agreement for an amount of 3 billion dollar. The enhancement of the BSA is going to strengthen economic and financial cooperation between the two coun- tries and accordingly to financial market stability. The BSA is acti- vated when an IMF-support programme already exists or is ex- pected to be established in the near future. More Incentives Announced to More Incentives Announced to More Incentives Announced to More Incentives Announced to More Incentives Announced to Exporters Hit By Global Exporters Hit By Global Exporters Hit By Global Exporters Hit By Global Exporters Hit By Global Meltdown Meltdown Meltdown Meltdown Meltdown The union government on 26 December 2012 announced more incentives for the exporters who were hit hard because of global meltdown. An extension of 2 per- cent interest subsidiary would be provided for another year till March 2014. Additionally, the Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma decided an intro- duction of pilot scheme of 2 per- cent interest subsidiary for those project exports that took place through Exim Bank. Any incre- mental export which would be done in the time duration of Janu- ary to March 2013 would also be granted incentive. The ministry an- nounced that the incentives would enable to push the exports in last quarter of 2012-2013 fiscal year. The objective of these incentives was stabilisation of the situation as well as shift from the negative territory to the positive one. An- other objective of the incentives was keeping trade deficit under the control. Exports during the period of April-November 2012 shrunk by 5.95 percent to 189.2 billion. If the situation continues, it would be very difficult for India to achieve export target of 360 bil- lion dollar in 2012-2013 fiscal year. Setting up of CCI approved Setting up of CCI approved Setting up of CCI approved Setting up of CCI approved Setting up of CCI approved The Union government of In- dia on 13 December 2012 ap- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 47 47 47 47 47 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe proved the setting up of a Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI), to fast track investment clearances for mega projects. The decision was taken in the Union Cabinet meeting held under the chairman- ship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Prime Minister will head the CCI and he will also nominate the members of the committee. The CCI will expedite projects offer- ing single window clearance for projects costing 1000 crore rupees or more by setting timelines for the concerned ministries. The Union Cabinet also cleared the Land Acquisition Bill. Under the new bill consent of 80 percent land owners is mandatory for private acquisition of land where as for Public-Private-Part- nership 70 per cent consent is re- quired. The award of compensa- tion will also be as per the new bill. The Cabinet also approved cutting the 1800-MHz band 2G spectrum auction reserve base price by 30 per cent for four circles that did not attract bidders in November. The circles are Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan. The Cabi- net Committee on Economic Af- fairs also cleared a new urea in- vestment policy. The Minimum Support Price of The Minimum Support Price of The Minimum Support Price of The Minimum Support Price of The Minimum Support Price of Wheat was Increased to 1350 Wheat was Increased to 1350 Wheat was Increased to 1350 Wheat was Increased to 1350 Wheat was Increased to 1350 Rupees per Quintal Rupees per Quintal Rupees per Quintal Rupees per Quintal Rupees per Quintal The Union government of In- dia on 26 December 2012 raised the Minimum Support Price, MSP of wheat by 65 rupees per quintal to 1350 rupees per quintal. The de- cision was taken in a Cabinet meeting this morning in New Delhi Chaired by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. The government also decided to export additional 25 lakh tonnes of wheat from its go-downs. The CCEA approved the disinvestment of 12.5 per cent paid up equity capital to the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertiliz- ers. Current government holding is about 92.5 per cent. This will make the company compliant with the SEBI norms that 10 per cent float should be there. CCEA approved the proposal to export an addi- tional 25 lakh tonnes of wheat. Earlier, we had approved export of 20 lakh tonnes of wheat of that a little over 17 lakh tonnes have been contracted. The Union government of In- dia on 26 December 2012 raised the Minimum Support Price, MSP of wheat by 65 rupees per quintal to 1350 rupees per quintal. The de- cision was taken in a Cabinet meeting this morning in New Delhi Chaired by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. The government also decided to export additional 25 lakh tonnes of wheat from its go-downs. The CCEA approved the disinvestment of 12.5 per cent paid up equity capital to the Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertiliz- ers. Current government holding is about 92.5 per cent. This will make the company compliant with the SEBI norms that 10 per cent float should be there. CCEA approved the proposal to export an addi- tional 25 lakh tonnes of wheat. Earlier, we had approved export of 20 lakh tonnes of wheat of that a little over 17 lakh tonnes have been contracted. Indirect Tax Collection Indirect Tax Collection Indirect Tax Collection Indirect Tax Collection Indirect Tax Collection Increased at 16.8 Percent to Increased at 16.8 Percent to Increased at 16.8 Percent to Increased at 16.8 Percent to Increased at 16.8 Percent to 2.92 Lakh Crore Rupees in April- 2.92 Lakh Crore Rupees in April- 2.92 Lakh Crore Rupees in April- 2.92 Lakh Crore Rupees in April- 2.92 Lakh Crore Rupees in April- November 2012 November 2012 November 2012 November 2012 November 2012 The Finance Ministry an- nounced that indirect tax collec- tion increased at the rate of 16.8 percent to 2.92 lakh crore Rupees in the period of April-November 2012 in comparison to the yearly growth target of 27 percent. It was announced that in first 8 months of 2011-2012 fiscal year, accumulation of the indirect taxes which include excise, services tax as well as customs, was 2.50 lakh crore Rupees. Excise amounted to 108470 crore Rupees during April to November 2012, while accumulation from service taxes and customs was 78774 crore Ru- pees and 104864 crore Rupees re- spectively. In 2011-2012 fiscal year, the government had propos- als of collecting 5.05 lakh crore Rupees in all, from customs, ser- vice taxes and excise, which would bring an expected growth of 27 percent from last years collection. Targeted collection through customs for 2012-2013 was determined at 1.87 lakh crore Rupees. The targeted collection was 1.93 lakh crore Rupees through excise and 1.24 lakh crore Rupees through service tax. In the third week of December 2012, the government found it difficult for achieving customs, corporate tax as well as excise target as it was projected in Budget. This hap- pened because there were unre- sponsive corporate profits. During November 2012, indirect tax accu- mulation increased by 17.2 per- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 48 48 48 48 48 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe cent to 36081 crore Rupees in comparison to 30790 crore Ru- pees. Union Government of India Union Government of India Union Government of India Union Government of India Union Government of India lowered the Growth Projection lowered the Growth Projection lowered the Growth Projection lowered the Growth Projection lowered the Growth Projection for Current Fiscal to 5.7 Percent for Current Fiscal to 5.7 Percent for Current Fiscal to 5.7 Percent for Current Fiscal to 5.7 Percent for Current Fiscal to 5.7 Percent The Union Government of In- dia on 17 December 2012 lowered down the growth projection for the current financial year 2012-13 from 7.6 percent that was esti- mated earlier to 5.7-5.9 percent. It also pitched for the supportive monetary and fiscal policies for improving the confidence of the investors. The projection was showcased in the Mid-Year Eco- nomic Analysis tabled in Indian Parliament. Indias Foreign Trade in Indias Foreign Trade in Indias Foreign Trade in Indias Foreign Trade in Indias Foreign Trade in November 2012: Exports valued November 2012: Exports valued November 2012: Exports valued November 2012: Exports valued November 2012: Exports valued at 22299.63 Million Dollars at 22299.63 Million Dollars at 22299.63 Million Dollars at 22299.63 Million Dollars at 22299.63 Million Dollars As per the data released by Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on11 December 2012, ex- ports and imports during Novem- ber 2012 were valued at 22299.63 and 41586.90 million US dollars re- spectively. The trade deficit for April - November 2012-13 was es- timated at 129500.18 million US dollars which was higher than the deficit of 122638.35 million US dollars during April -November 2011-12. EXPORTS (including re-exports) EXPORTS (including re-exports) EXPORTS (including re-exports) EXPORTS (including re-exports) EXPORTS (including re-exports) Exports during November, 2012 were valued at 22299.63 mil- lion US dollars (122148.03 crore rupees) which was 4.17 per cent lower in Dollar terms (3.22 per cent higher in Rupee terms) than the level of 23269.71 million US dollars (118341.35 crore rupees) during November 2011. Cumula- tive value of exports for the period April-November 2012 -13 was 189222.20 million US dollars (1030488.22 crore rupees) as against 201185.40 million US dol- lars ( 933049.70 crore rupees) reg- istering a negative growth of 5.95 per cent in Dollar terms and growth of 10.44 per cent in Rupee terms over the same period in 2011. IMPORTS IMPORTS IMPORTS IMPORTS IMPORTS Imports during November 2012 were valued at 41586.90 mil- lion US dollars (227795.59 crore rupees) representing a growth of 6.35 per cent in Dollar terms and 14.55 per cent in Rupee terms over the level of imports valued at 39102.48 million US dollars (198861.13 crore rupees) in No- vember 2011. Cumulative value of imports for the period April-No- vember 2012-13 was 318722.38 million US dollars (1734998.17 crore rupees) as against 323823.75 million US dollars (1503492.73 crore rupees) registering a nega- tive growth of 1.58 per cent in Dollar terms and growth of 15.40 per cent in Rupee terms over the same period in 2011. CRUDE OIL AND NON-OIL CRUDE OIL AND NON-OIL CRUDE OIL AND NON-OIL CRUDE OIL AND NON-OIL CRUDE OIL AND NON-OIL IMPORTS: IMPORTS: IMPORTS: IMPORTS: IMPORTS:
Oil imports during Novem- ber 2012 were valued at 14522.1 million US dollars which was 16.77 per cent higher than oil imports valued at 12436.6 million US dol- lars in the corresponding period in 2011. Oil imports during April- November 2012-13 were valued at 110091.1 million US dollars which was 10.84 per cent higher than the oil imports of 99324.2 million US dollars in the corresponding pe- riod in 2011. Non-oil imports dur- ing November 2012 were esti- mated at 27064.8 million US dol- lars which was 1.50 per cent higher than non-oil imports of 26665.9 million US dollars in No- vember 2011. Non-oil imports during April - November, 2012-13 were valued at 208631.3 million US dollars which was 7.07 per cent lower than the level of such im- ports valued at 224499.5 million US dollars in April November 2011-12. Ex| #r qoIqh#dw=#kwws=22z z z 1xsvf sr uwdo1f r p 2f IyIovhuyIf hv2er r nv Logical Reasoning & Analytical Reasoning MCQ Series KALINJAR PUBLICATIONS http://www.flipkart.com http://upscportal.com/civilservices/books UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 50 50 50 50 50 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CHAMP Missile tested CHAMP Missile tested CHAMP Missile tested CHAMP Missile tested CHAMP Missile tested successfully successfully successfully successfully successfully Boeing, the US aircraft manu- facturer claimed that a new mis- sile codenamed CHAMP has been tested successfully which makes use of the electromagnetic pulses in order to target the buildings can permanently blackout the elec- tronics of the country without causing any harm to people. Boeing claimed that it has success- fully tested this weapon on their one-hour flight. During the flight, the missile made all the comput- ers of the military in Utah dead. It is also thought that this missile could possibly break through the caves as well as bunkers which allegedly are hiding the nuclear facilities of Iran. However, it was also warned that in case the mis- sile is acquired by the wrong people, it would knock down the Western cities as well. In the ex- periment of Boeing, the missile went flying over Utah Test and Training Range, and it discharged electromagnetic pulses on seven targets. Eventually, it shut down all the electronics of the area perma- nently. Boeing claimed that this test remained highly successful; so much that it also disabled the cam- era recording. CHAMP or Counter - Electronics High Power Micro- wave Advanced Missile Project is the first of its kind missile test with the capability of electromagnetic pulse. Boeing Report mentioned that the stealth aircraft deployed the missile which emitted radio waves from the undercarriage and knocked down the computers in the building below the missile. Experts believed that this missile was equipped with the electromagnetic pulse cannon that make use of the powerful micro- wave oven for generation of con- centrated beam of energy, result- ing in voltage fluctuations in the electronic equipment, rendering them absolutely futile before the fluctuation protectors can react. The programme manager of CHAMP for Boeings prototype arm Phantom Works opined that this technology would mark an era in the modern welfare. NASA to send New Rover to NASA to send New Rover to NASA to send New Rover to NASA to send New Rover to NASA to send New Rover to Mars in 2020 Mars in 2020 Mars in 2020 Mars in 2020 Mars in 2020 The US space agency NASA, on 4 December 2012 announced plans to send a new robotic ex- plorer to the the Red Planet, Mars in 2020. The announcement came a day after NASA released the re- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 51 51 51 51 51 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe sults of the first soil tested by the Curiosity rover, which found traces of compounds like water and oxygen that are necessary for life. Some basic guidelines for the mission are already planned. The 2020 rover is going to help NASA in preparing for its eventual goal of bringing samples from Mars back to Earth an effort most scientists regard as the best way to look for signs of life on the Red Planet. The unmanned rovers chassis and landing system will be based heavily on NASAs 2.5 bil- lion dollar Curiosity rover, which was send on Mars in August 2012. The Curiosity Rover landed on Mars 5 August 2012 and dropped onto the surface by a rocket-pow- ered sky crane. Its now four months into a two-year prime mission to deter- mine if the Red Planet can, or ever could, support microbial life. The 1-ton rover carries 10 different sci- ence instruments to aid this quest. The 2020 Curiosity Rover launch would allow NASA to keep con- tributing to two European-led Mars missions the Trace Gas Orbiter and the ExoMars rover which is scheduled to lift off in 2016 and 2018, respectively. NASA also plans to send a craft dubbed InSight to dig the planets depths in 2016 to determine whether the planets core is solid or liquid like Earths. The 2020 mis- sion is just another step toward being responsive to high-priority science goals and challenge of sending humans to Mars orbit in the 2030s. Mini Nile River on Saturns Mini Nile River on Saturns Mini Nile River on Saturns Mini Nile River on Saturns Mini Nile River on Saturns Moon Titan Discovered Moon Titan Discovered Moon Titan Discovered Moon Titan Discovered Moon Titan Discovered Scientists from NASA spot- ted the longest extra-terrestrial river system ever on Saturns moon Titan which appears to be a min- iature version of Earths Nile River. As per NASA Jet Propul- sion Laboratory, the river valley on Titan stretches more than 400 kilometres from its headwaters to a large sea comparing it with the Nile River on Earth which stretches about 6700 kilometres. The find- ing came into in light after NASAs Cassini mission sent images which revealed for the first time a river system this vast and in such high resolution anywhere other than Earth. Titan is the only body in the solar system apart from earth which is known to have vast seas and possess a cycle of liquids on its surface. However, the other evident fact is that the thick Titan atmo- sphere is a frigid where water could not possibly flow. The liq- uids on Titan are therefore com- posed of hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane. Images from Cassinis visible-light cameras in late 2010 in Titans equatorial re- gions revealed the regions to be darkened due to recent rainfall. Cassinis visual and infrared map- ping spectrometer confirmed liq- uid ethane at a lake in Titans southern hemisphere known as Ontario Lacus in 2008. The radar image taken on 26 September 2012 shows Titans north polar re- gion, where the river valley flows into Kraken Mare, a sea that is, in terms of size, between the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea on Earth. Anti-Ageing Gene Might Anti-Ageing Gene Might Anti-Ageing Gene Might Anti-Ageing Gene Might Anti-Ageing Gene Might Suppress Tumours Suppress Tumours Suppress Tumours Suppress Tumours Suppress Tumours Researchers of the University of Michigan Health System and Harvard Medical School in the sec- ond week of December 2012 showed that anti-ageing genes might be helpful in curtailing the multiplication of cancer. It was shown that the loss of anti-ageing gene can promote the occurrence of tumours in the human beings. The researchers had shown that the decrease in SIRT6 protein in rats increased the size, aggres- siveness as well as number of tumours apart from promotion of tumour growth in the human co- lon as well as pancreatic cancers. The researchers however admitted that it was difficult to know about the range of genes which can sup- press the development of tumours. In the meanwhile, the re- search suggested that the SIRT6 might play an important role in stopping cancer as well as control- ling the cellular metabolism. Re- searchers decided to work further in this regard in order to under- stand how the protein could be helpful in suppressing the devel- opment of tumours. In the new research the role of SIRT6 in dimin- ishing the growth of cancer by re- pressing aerobic glycolysis was highlighted. Aerobic glycolysis is said to be the primary feature of the can- cer cells which involve conversion of the glucose to lactate. SIRT6 is also responsible for inhibiting the activity of major cancer gene called Myc. The research basically indicates the conservation of the biological mechanisms that occur between humans and the lower organisms. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 52 52 52 52 52 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Anti Collision Device for Anti Collision Device for Anti Collision Device for Anti Collision Device for Anti Collision Device for Railways Railways Railways Railways Railways Hyderabad Based Company, Hyderabad Batteries Limited (HBL) developed a new anti colli- sion safety device which is path breaking technology in ensuring safe travelling and fewer acci- dents. The device is based on a combination of railway signalling data with radio communications, global position, radio frequency identification devices, software and logic. It was HBL Power Sys- tems which reacted first to the expression of interest floated by the Research, Design and Stan- dards Organisation of the Indian Railways to develop an anti-colli- sion device in August 2008. The system is designed to automati- cally bring trains to a halt when collision-like situations arise or when the red signal is violated, for whatever reason. In the Month of September 2012, a train collision avoidance system (TCAS), tested in real time on a track near Tandur, in the South Central Railway dem- onstrated the viability of the sys- tem. During the trials, the effective- ness was demonstrated for pre- vention of head-on collisions, rear- end collisions, over-speeding of trains and disregard for red signal. The new anti collision de- vice had essential features of both automatic train protection and collision prevention in one solution. HBL Power Systems had also developed electronic inter- locking system, audio frequency track circuits and train manage- ment systems. Most complex and realistic Most complex and realistic Most complex and realistic Most complex and realistic Most complex and realistic artificial brain artificial brain artificial brain artificial brain artificial brain Software engineers as well as neuroscientists at University of Waterloo, Canada claimed that they have developed a closest model of the functioning human brain, known as Spaun which is advanced enough for passing the basic IQ tests. This is the virtual brain which functions on the supercomputer and comprises of a digital eye, which can be used for visual input. It also has the ro- botic arm which can be used for drawing the response. The engi- neers as well as neuroscientists claimed that this was the most complex model of the world of human brain. Spaun or Semantic Pointer Architecture Unified Net- work comprises of 2.5 million simulated neurons which enables this brain to perform multiple tasks. The tasks which this artifi- cial brain can perform range from answering the questions to copy drawing as well as fluid reasoning. The tests were conducted in which the engineers and neurosci- entists showed various letters as well as numbers, which were read in the memory by Spaun. Later, the other symbol or letter behaved like the command which tells Spaun what needs to be done with the memory. Quake risk at Japan atomic Quake risk at Japan atomic Quake risk at Japan atomic Quake risk at Japan atomic Quake risk at Japan atomic recycling plant recycling plant recycling plant recycling plant recycling plant Japans only reprocessing plant for spent nuclear fuel could sit on an active seismic fault vul- nerable to a massive earthquake, experts warned Wednesday (De- cember 19). If regulators agree they will have to order its closure and Japan would be without any recycling capacity of its own, a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity. This would leave it dependent on other countries and with no way to deal with waste from the Fukushima plant crippled by last years earth- quake and tsunami. Yasutaka Ikeda, assistant professor of geo- morphology at Tokyo University, said a nearly 100-kilometre fault runs under the Rokkasho repro- cessing plant in Japan. Even though experts opinions are di- vided on whether this fault is ac- tive or not, I think the possibility of it being an active fault is ex- tremely high, given the evidence, Ikeda told AFP. This fault could cause an 8-magnitude earthquake, so any nuclear-related facilities in the region are in danger, he said, referring to the Shimokita Penin- sula where the Rokkasho plant is located. Mitsuhisa Watanabe, pro- fessor of geomorphology at Toyo University, separately told WednesdaysTokyo Shimbun that part of an active fault runs directly under the Rokkasho plant, warn- ing it is likely to move when the UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 53 53 53 53 53 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe bigger fault moves. Active faults are those that, amongst other things, have moved within the past 120,000-130,000 years. Under gov- ernment guidelines atomic instal- lations cannot be sited on a fault if it is still classed as active. The comment came days after govern- ment-appointed experts found that a nuclear power plant in the same region may sit atop an active seismic fault. A panel appointed by the Nuclear Regulation Author- ity said fractures in the earth be- neath the Higashidori plants com- pound on the peninsula may be active faults, meaning it may be scrapped. An unfinished nuclear fuel storage facility is also on the peninsula, in addition to the recy- cling plant and the Higashidori power plant. It is also home to another part-built atomic power plant. Operator Japan Nuclear Fuel said last month it would con- duct more research on the fault, but a spokesman said the purpose is to back up its claim that the seis- mic fault is not active. Spaceplane Successfully Spaceplane Successfully Spaceplane Successfully Spaceplane Successfully Spaceplane Successfully Completed Flight Test Completed Flight Test Completed Flight Test Completed Flight Test Completed Flight Test The spaceplane constructed by Richard Bransons spaceflight company called Virgin Galactic successfully completed the impor- tant flight test which would be able to carry the people to space. SpaceShipTwo, the spaceplane was piloted to soft runway touch- down after high-altitude release from White Knight Two mothership, which eventually en- abled it to score successful test drop. It additionally also checked off various milestones at Mojave Air and Space Port in California. George Whitesides, CEO and president of Virgin Galactic de- clared that the test flight made them closer to first powered flight. The spaceplane called SpaceShipTwo is the hybrid mo- tor-powered plane which is de- signed for carrying six passengers as well as two pilots. The spaceplane would carry these pas- sengers to edge of the space with- out completing the full orbit of Earth. The price of spaceplane per seat is 200000 dollar. Commercial operations would be carried out in America at New Mexicos Spaceport. A Headset That Give Humans A Headset That Give Humans A Headset That Give Humans A Headset That Give Humans A Headset That Give Humans 360 Degree Vision 360 Degree Vision 360 Degree Vision 360 Degree Vision 360 Degree Vision French scientists claimed that they developed a new system called FlyVIZ which enables hu- mans to get 360 degree vision. The headset in the system is said to capture the images from different directions and thereafter trans- form these into the matter which is possible for the human vision system to comprehend. The headset was designed at Grande Ecole dIngenieurs Paris-Laval, France. At present the headset is at a stage where it weighs 1.6 kg and is quite heavy to carry around. It is connected with the laptop for processing the images while func- tioning. The device basically makes use of a video camera which is mounted on the top of the helmet with special mirrors that can be used for capturing scenes all around a user. It then displays the results in real-time on modified 3D Viewer headset. The entire system takes around 15 minutes for a user to get used to. Once a user is able to get used to it, it is possible to move around as well as interact fluidly with the environment. In the trials that were conducted, the users got hold of the sticks which were beyond their normal view field. The users even dodged the balls from behind as well as drove the vehicle! Even though the de- vice offers a new perspective of environment to the users, but it still does not cause any form of uneasiness, visual fatigue or mo- tion sickness. Despite FlyVIZ cap- tures and displays the images in 2 D formats, but the users still got functional depth perception. Genetic code of Honey Bees Genetic code of Honey Bees Genetic code of Honey Bees Genetic code of Honey Bees Genetic code of Honey Bees Decoded Decoded Decoded Decoded Decoded Scientists unlocked the ge- netic secrets behind honey bees high sensitivity to environmental change which will help show links between nutrition, environment and the insects development. The decoded gene could offer an in- sight into problems like Colony UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 54 54 54 54 54 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Collapse Disorder, a mysterious cause of mass bee deaths globally. Honey bees live in complex soci- eties comprising tens of thousands of individuals. Most of these are female worker honeybees that are unable to reproduce and in- stead devote their short lives to finding food in flowers and other tasks such as nursing larvae inside the hive. However, the hive has a queen as well - the much longer- lived, reproductive head of the hive. As per the Researchers the change occurs as a result of a his- tone code - a process that sees genetic changes made to proteins called histones within cells nuclei. Rather than genetic changes that are locked into DNA, these are known as epigenetic changes. The study findings appeared in Insect Biochemistry and Molecu- lar Biology. Hottest planet cold enough for Hottest planet cold enough for Hottest planet cold enough for Hottest planet cold enough for Hottest planet cold enough for ice ice ice ice ice Mercury, the innermost planet in the Solar System, is like a small rock orbiting the Sun, con- tinuously assaulted by the stars heat and radiation. It would have to be the last place to look for water. However, observations of NASAs MESSENGER spacecraft indicate that Mercury seems to harbour enough water-ice to fill 20 billion Olympic skating rinks. On November 29, during a televised press conference, NASA an- nounced that data recorded since March 2011 by MESSENGERs onboard instruments hinted that large quantities of water ice were stowed in the shadows of craters around the planets North Pole. Unlike Earth, Mercurys rotation is not tilted about an axis. This means one side of the planet permanently faces the sun, becoming hot enough to melt lead. The other side, however, constantly faces away from the sun, and is ex- tremely cold. This characteristic allows the insides of craters to maintain low temperatures for mil- lions of years, and capable of stor- ing water-ice. But then, where is the water coming from? Bright spots were identified by MESSENGERs infrared laser fired from orbit into nine craters around the North Pole. The spots lined up perfectly with a thermal model of ultra-cold spots on the planet that would never be warmer than -170 degrees centigrade. These icy spots are sur- rounded by darker terrain that re- ceives a bit more sunlight and heat. Measurements by the neu- tron spectrometer aboard MES- SENGER suggest that this darker area is a layer of material about 10 cm thick that lies on top of more ice, insulating it. Dr. David Paige, a planetary scientist at the Univer- sity of California, Los Angeles, and lead author of one of three papers in Science that indicate the cra- ters might contain ice, said, The darker material around the bright spots may be made up of complex hydrocarbons expelled from comet or asteroid impacts. Such compounds must not be mistaken as signs of life since they can be produced by simple chemical re- actions as well. The water-ice could also have been derived from crashing comets, the study by Paige and his team concludes. Finding water on the systems hot- test planet changes the way sci- entists perceive the Solar Systems formation. Indeed, in the mid- 1990s, strong radar signals were fired from the US Arecibo radar dish in Puerto Rico, aimed at Mercurys poles. Bright radar re- flections were seen from crater- like regions, which were indicative of water-ice. However, other sub- stances might also reflect radar in a similar manner, like sulphur or cold silicate materials, says David J. Lawrence, a physicist from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and lead au- thor of the neutron spectrometer study. Lawrence and his team ob- served particles called neutrons bouncing and ricocheting off the planet via a spectrometer aboard MESSENGER. As high-energy cos- mic rays from outer space bom- barded into atoms on the planet, debris of particles, including neu- trons, was the result. However, hydrogen atoms in the path of neu- trons can hold the speeding par- ticles almost completely as both weigh about the same. Since wa- ter molecules contain two hydro- gen atoms each, areas that could contain water-ice will show a sup- pressed count of neutrons in the space above them. Because scien- tists have been living with the idea of Mercury containing water for the last couple decades, the find by MESSENGER is not likely to be revolutionary. However, it bolsters an exciting idea. As Lawrence says, I think this discovery rein- forces the reality that water is able to find its way to many places in the Solar System, and this fact UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 55 55 55 55 55 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe should be kept in mind when studying the system and its his- tory. 100 Times Faster and Sensitive 100 Times Faster and Sensitive 100 Times Faster and Sensitive 100 Times Faster and Sensitive 100 Times Faster and Sensitive Laser Explosives-Detection Laser Explosives-Detection Laser Explosives-Detection Laser Explosives-Detection Laser Explosives-Detection Device Device Device Device Device Scientists of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in the second week of December 2012 developed an all-new 100 times sensitive and faster laser device than any other explosives-detec- tion device, for detecting even the minor traces of explosives. The sample which is pulsed, cavity ring-down spectrometer, quantum laser-based is currently being tested in New Mexico at Los Alamos National Laboratory of US government. Associate Professor of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) revealed that the newly developed laser machine was 100 times more sensitive as well as faster than other detection devices. The professor revealed that the machine had a capability of measuring the TNT components clearly or in the parts per billion range, to be precise. This laser device has a capability of sniffing the travel bags on conveyer belt and alerting the security person- nel in case explosive vapours are detected from the passing object. The device could be used for re- placing the security checks at air- port which include complete scan of the body or bomb sniffer dogs. The device makes use of mir- rors in order to continuously pass through vapour, which in turn of- fers more accuracy in measure- ments. It is expected that the de- vice would take two years for test- ing as well as regulating the pro- totype for detection of unique sig- natories of substances as well as different kinds of explosives, be- fore it could be used commercially. The team of scien- tists started working on this device in 2005. The team was asked by Australian Federal Police for cre- ation of machine which could help in detection of explosive residue at crime scene as well as forensic investigations. Police actually wanted the machine which had a capability of working throughout the day for identifying actual kinds of explosives on each and every suitcase which passes on con- veyer belt. Voyager 1, the NASA Spacecraft Voyager 1, the NASA Spacecraft Voyager 1, the NASA Spacecraft Voyager 1, the NASA Spacecraft Voyager 1, the NASA Spacecraft The Voyager 1 spacecraft sailed into the new area of solar system which scientists were not aware about. Both Voyager 1 as well as Voyager 2 have been con- tinuously moving away from the Sun into the interstellar space, also known as the space between the stars. During the summers, Voy- ager 1 entered into the space where effects are felt from the outside. Scientists at NASA jet propulsion laboratory who man- age the Voyager 1 spacecraft be- lieved that this might be the last layer between earth and interstel- lar space. The location of this spacecraft was presented at American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. Voyager 1 would eventually become the first manmade object that would exit the solar system. When Voyager 1 would exactly exit our solar sys- tem is still unknown, to a certain extent since there is no pattern. Scientists estimated that Voyager 1 would have around two to three years of traveling before it reaches the boundary which separates so- lar system from other space. In the meanwhile, scientists were very surprised to see the un- expected region in boundaries of the solar system. During 2011, team at NASA had been observ- ing alluring clues which signal to- wards new environment of the space. High-energy cosmic rays were streaming in from beyond the solar system. Also, the amount of low-energy particles which originate from within our solar sys- tem dropped down briefly. The scientists were however sure that Voyager 1 did not break through because there were no changes in direction of magnetic field lines. Scientists are calling this newly discovered zone as the type of magnetic highway. These space- crafts called the Voyagers were launched in the space around 35 years ago to take a tour on other planets. Even though Voyager 2, which is at present 9 billion miles away from sun, was first launched but Voyager 1 is closer in leaving the solar system at the back. US Grand Canyon Is 65-70 US Grand Canyon Is 65-70 US Grand Canyon Is 65-70 US Grand Canyon Is 65-70 US Grand Canyon Is 65-70 Million Years Old Million Years Old Million Years Old Million Years Old Million Years Old UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 56 56 56 56 56 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe U S G r a n d C a n y o n , o n e a m o n g t h e s e v e n n a t u r a l w o n d e r s o f w o r l d , i s i n r e a l i t y 6 5 m i l l i o n y e a r s o l d t h a n w h a t w a s t h o u g h t , r e v e a l e d a s t u d y c o n d u c t e d b y t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f C o l o r a d o B o u l d e r . T h i s m e a n s t h a t G r a n d C a n y o n m i g h t h a v e b e e n t h e r e a t t h e t i m e o f d i n o s a u r s a s w e l l . I n t h e p r e v i o u s e s t i m a t e s o f t h e a g e o f G r a n d C a n y o n , i t w a s f o u n d t h a t i t w a s 5 - 6 m i l l i o n y e a r s o l d d e p e n d i n g u p o n t h e a g e o f g r a v e l - w a s h e d d o w n s t r e a m b y t h e C o l o r a d o R i v e r . R e s e a r c h e r s n e v - e r t h e l e s s b e l i e v e t h a t i t w a s c r e - a t e d a r o u n d 7 0 m i l l i o n y e a r s a g o w h e n d i n o s a u r s h a d e x i s t e d o n E a r t h . T h e r e s e a r c h e r s m a d e u s e o f r a d i o a c t i v e d e c a y a s w e l l a s t h e r - m a l d a t i n g i n o r d e r t o f i n d o u t t h e a g e o f G r a n d C a n y o n . I n t h e s t u d y , t h e r a d i o a c t i v e d e c a y o f t h o r i u m a s w e l l a s u r a n i u m a t o m s w a s e x - p l o i t e d i n t o t h e h e l i u m a t o m s i n p h o s p h a t e m i n e r a l c a l l e d a p a t i t e . T h e h e l i u m a t o m s r e m a i n e d l o c k e d i n s i d e t h e a p a t i t e g r a i n s w h e n t h e y c o o l e d a n d c o n t r a c t e d t o s u r f a c e w h e n G r a n d C a n y o n w a s c a r v e d . H o t n e s s o f t h e a p a t i t e d e t e r - m i n e d t h a t f e w e r h e l i u m a t o m s w e r e t h e r e w i t h i n i t , w h i c h e n - a b l e d r e s e a r c h e r s t o f i n d o u t t h e r - m a l h i s t o r y o f t h i s a r e a . T h e t e m - p e r a t u r e v a r i a t i o n s a t t h e s h a l l o w l e v e l s u n d e r t h e s u r f a c e o f E a r t h a r e i n f l u e n c e d b y t h e t o p o g r a p h y a n d t h i s i n t u r n e n a b l e d t h e t e a m o f r e s e a r c h e r s t o f i n d o u t a b o u t t h e i m p o r t a n t n a t u r a l e x c a v a t i o n o f t h i s w o n d e r o f t h e w o r l d . T h e r e s e a r c h f o u n d o u t t h a t G r a n d C a n y o n w a s c a r v e d t o a r o u n d s o m e h u n d r e d m e t r e s o f t h e m o d - e r n d e p t h a r o u n d 7 0 m i l l i o n y e a r s b a c k . A m e r i c a n s c i e n t i s t i n v e n t sA m e r i c a n s c i e n t i s t i n v e n t sA m e r i c a n s c i e n t i s t i n v e n t sA m e r i c a n s c i e n t i s t i n v e n t sA m e r i c a n s c i e n t i s t i n v e n t s p l a s t i c l i g h t b u l bp l a s t i c l i g h t b u l bp l a s t i c l i g h t b u l bp l a s t i c l i g h t b u l bp l a s t i c l i g h t b u l b A U S s c i e n t i s t h a s i n v e n t e d a n e w k i n d o f l i g h t b u l b t h a t u s e s p l a s t i c p o l y m e r s a n d n a n o m a t e - r i a l s t o g e n e r a t e l i g h t t h a t i s m o r e e n e r g y - e f f i c i e n t t h a n c u r r e n t f l u o - r e s c e n t l i g h t s a n d i s e a s i e r o n t h e e y e . D e t a i l s o f t h e n e w i n v e n t i o n w e r e p u b l i s h e d M o n d a y o n t h e w e b s i t e o f W a k e F o r e s t U n i v e r s i t y i n N o r t h C a r o l i n a , w h e r e t h e i n v e n - t o r , p h y s i c s p r o f e s s o r D a v i d C a r o l l , i s b a s e d . T h e n e w p l a s t i c l i g h t i n g u s e s t h e s a m e a m o u n t o f e l e c t r i c i t y a s L E D b u l b s a n d h a l f a s m u c h a s f l u o r e s c e n t b u l b s . T h e d e v i c e i s m a d e o f t h r e e l a y e r s o f w h i t e - e m i t t i n g p o l y m e r b l e n d e d w i t h a s m a l l a m o u n t o f n a n o - m a t e r i a l s t h a t g l o w w h e n s t i m u l a t e d w i t h e l e c t r i c a l c u r r e n t t o c r e a t e b r i g h t , p e r f e c t l y w h i t e l i g h t s i m i l a r t o t h e s u n l i g h t h u m a n e y e s p r e f e r . I t c a n b e m a d e i n a n y c o l o u r o r s h a p e f r o m f l a t s h e e t s t o r e p l a c e o f - f i c e l i g h t i n g t o s t a n d a r d b u l b s i n h o u s e h o l d l a m p s . P e o p l e o f t e n c o m p l a i n t h a t f l u o r e s c e n t l i g h t s b o t h e r t h e i r e y e s , a n d t h e h u m f r o m t h e f l u o r e s c e n t t u b e s i r r i t a t e s a n y o n e s i t t i n g a t a d e s k u n d e r - n e a t h t h e m , s a i d D r . C a r r o l l . D r . C a r o l l i s t h e d i r e c t o r o f t h e C e n - t r e f o r N a n o t e c h n o l o g y a n d M o - l e c u l a r M a t e r i a l s . T h e n e w l i g h t s w e h a v e c r e a t e d c a n c u r e b o t h o f t h o s e p r o b l e m s a n d m o r e . N A S A R u l e d o u t A s t e r o i dN A S A R u l e d o u t A s t e r o i dN A S A R u l e d o u t A s t e r o i dN A S A R u l e d o u t A s t e r o i dN A S A R u l e d o u t A s t e r o i d C o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h i n 2 0 4 0C o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h i n 2 0 4 0C o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h i n 2 0 4 0C o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h i n 2 0 4 0C o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h i n 2 0 4 0 T h e M a y a n D o o m s d a y p r e - d i c t i o n s a b o u t t h e w o r l d e n d i n g o n 2 1 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2 h a d f a i l e d a n d a d d i t i o n a l l y N A S A r u l e d o u t t h e a s t e r o i d c o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h i n 2 0 4 0 . N A S A c l a i m e d t h a t t h e f e a r o f a s t e r o i d c o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h d o e s n o t p o s e a t h r e a t t o o u r p l a n e t a n y m o r e . N A S A d e c l a r e d t h a t d o u b t a b o u t o r b i t o f t h i s a s - t e r o i d c a l l e d 2 0 1 1 A G 5 i n i t i a l l y e n a b l e d t h a t t h e r e w e r e l e s s t h a n 1 p e r c e n t c h a n c e s o f i t h i t t i n g t h e p l a n e t i n F e b r u a r y 2 0 4 0 . I n i t i a l l y t h e s c i e n t i s t s h a d e s t i m a t e d t h a t r i s k o f 1 4 0 m - d i a m e t r e a s t e r o i d c o l l i s i o n w i t h E a r t h w a s j u s t o n e i n 5 0 0 . I n c a s e , t h i s a s t e r o i d w o u l d h a v e c o l l i d e d w i t h E a r t h , t h e r e w o u l d h a v e b e e n a r e l e a s e o f a r o u n d 1 0 0 m e g a t o n n e s o f e n - e r g y , w h i c h i s a l o t m o r e t h a n a t o m b o m b s u s e d i n W o r l d W a r I I . C o n - s i d e r i n g t h e s t a t i s t i c s , i t w a s f o u n d t h a t a b o d y a s h u g e a s t h i s w o u l d h a v e c r e a t e d a n i m p a c t o n E a r t h e v e r y 1 0 0 0 0 y e a r s o n a n a v e r a g e . T h e o b s e r v a t i o n s w e r e m a d e w h i l e m a k i n g u s e o f G e m i n i N o r t h t e l e s c o p e i n H a w a i i . T h e o b s e r v a t i o n s w e r e v e r y c h a l l e n g - i n g f o r t h e t e a m . T h e s c i e n t i s t s w e r e e s p e c i a l l y s u r p r i s e d a b o u t t h e f a c t t h a t a t e l e s c o p e c o u l d r e - c o v e r f a i n t a s t e r o i d i n t h e s k y . B r a i n - R e m o v a l T o o l D i s c o v e r e dB r a i n - R e m o v a l T o o l D i s c o v e r e dB r a i n - R e m o v a l T o o l D i s c o v e r e dB r a i n - R e m o v a l T o o l D i s c o v e r e dB r a i n - R e m o v a l T o o l D i s c o v e r e d i n 2 4 0 0 - Y e a r O l d M u m m yi n 2 4 0 0 - Y e a r O l d M u m m yi n 2 4 0 0 - Y e a r O l d M u m m yi n 2 4 0 0 - Y e a r O l d M u m m yi n 2 4 0 0 - Y e a r O l d M u m m y B r a i n - r e m o v a l t o o l , w h i c h w a s u s e d b y t h e a n c i e n t E g y p t i a n e m b a l m e r s , w a s d i s c o v e r e d b y UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 57 57 57 57 57 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe the researchers of Zagreb Croatia in the third week of December 2012. This brain-removal tool was lodged in skull of the female mummy which dated back to ap- proximately 2400 years. This was the 3-inch object which was found in body of the 40-year old woman. The researchers who discovered this tool were surprised by the breakthrough. Brain removal was the Egyptian mummification pro- cedure which was quite popular around 3500 years ago. It was also used extensively in later periods. It is important to note here that identification of the ancient tools which were used by the embalm- ers for brain removal was very dif- ficult. Researchers also noted that this was the 2nd time when this kind of a tool was found in the skull of a mummy. After the CT scans were car- ried out, the researchers found a tool or an instrument which was located between the left parietal bone as well as the rear of skull. This was filled with the resin dur- ing the process of mummifica- tion. Curious about the recent dis- covery, the team of researchers also made use of the endoscope (a thin tube that is used for noninvasive medical processes), in order to extract it from the resin with which it remained stuck. The researchers found out that the embalmers might have inserted this tool through a hole which was made in skull near nose. This was later used for liquifying as well as removing the brain. The re- searcher, Dr Mislav avka of Uni- versity Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb Croatia explained that this brain- removal tool was extracted using the clamp with the help of endo- scope. Some of the parts of brain might be wrapped around the stick and extracted while others might be liquefied during the mummification process. The mummy could be put on the abdomen then and liquid might be drained through hole of the nose. The researcher also added that leaving this tool in the skull of the mummy was an error on the part of embalmers. The re- searcher also added that possibly the tool might have been broken during the process. This embalm- ing accident which might have occurred provided the research- ers with rare artifact. The research- ers found out that brain-removal tool or stick found in the skull of the mummy dated back to some 2200 years. At present this mummy is in Archaeological Mu- seum in Zagreb Croatia. New Dinosaur with Gigantic New Dinosaur with Gigantic New Dinosaur with Gigantic New Dinosaur with Gigantic New Dinosaur with Gigantic Nose Discovered Nose Discovered Nose Discovered Nose Discovered Nose Discovered Scientists in northern Mexico discovered a new dinosaur with a large prominent nose which lived about 73 million years ago. The duck-billed dinosaur, which was named Latirhinus uitstlani lived during the Late Cretaceous period and its wide nasal cavity might have given it incredible smell-de- tecting ability. As per researchers the giant nose of Dinosaur sup- ported and provided enhanced space for a soft tissue structure, sort of like an inflatable bladder, for display, recognition and com- munication purposes in general. The dinosaur also possessed sturdy hind limbs ending in three toes, and relatively smaller and thinner forelimbs ending in 4 dig- its meaning this animal was thumb-less. These dinosaurs were herbivores with a few thousand teeth closely packed together to form a grinding surface to chew the vegetation they fed upon. As per the report it was concluded that the environment that Latirhinus inhabited was likely warmer and more humid than it is todays time, with lakes and bays nearby. Alarming Cushion to Warn You Alarming Cushion to Warn You Alarming Cushion to Warn You Alarming Cushion to Warn You Alarming Cushion to Warn You against Sedentary Lifestyle against Sedentary Lifestyle against Sedentary Lifestyle against Sedentary Lifestyle against Sedentary Lifestyle Australian researchers at the University of Queenslands human movement studies developed the alarming cushion, a unique device that enables you to get warning against the sedentary lifestyle. This cushion provides you with the warning signals against the risks which are being posed by the in- active lifestyle. The device re- minds people or those workers especially who spend several hours at their desks and seldom stand up. The study conducted found out that sitting for several hours amounted to health issues such as obesity, shoulder, neck and back injuries, diabetes as well as obesity. Also, sitting for several hours continuously led to reduced life expectancy, even in case of those people who are considered physically fit and active. The alarming cushion device actually records the sitting time of the em- ployees and the time when they get up. This is done by making use of the medical grade pressure sen- sor as well as custom-built micro- controller. There is a mechanism built within the sensor and it is UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 58 58 58 58 58 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe being set in order to sound the alarm in case the person remains seated continuously for a longer duration or predetermined time period. The alarm thereafter stops when person gets up. Again the alarm would be reactivated in case a person sits down just in certain seconds. Researchers who have used the device explored that employees spent more than two- third of their time period sitting at their desks. Improvement of the health of employees could be achieved through measurement of workplace behaviour, the re- searchers found out. Video shows physics can be fun Video shows physics can be fun Video shows physics can be fun Video shows physics can be fun Video shows physics can be fun Australian researchers have shown that physics can be fun, with an experiment using nothing more than a coiled spring that toymakers call a slinky becoming a hit on video-sharing site YouTube. Sydney Universitys Mike Wheatland and Rod Cross rigged up slow-motion cameras to show that a slinky performs a mar- vellous feat when let hang through gravity and then dropped. What happens next is not visible to your naked eye but, remarkably, the bottom section of the slinky re- mains suspended in mid-air until the entire top section collapses onto it, Wheatland said. The pair have written a paper to be pub- lished in the American Journal of Physics . It might seem like a frivolous exercise but in fact it pro- vides us with an insight into the fascinating physics of everyday objects, Wheatland said. The fall- ing slinkys behaviour might seem counterintuitive, but physics can be like that. Dynamics the in- terplay of forces around us of- ten needs to be examined to be- come clear. Protein behind Aggressive Protein behind Aggressive Protein behind Aggressive Protein behind Aggressive Protein behind Aggressive Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Australian researchers of Sydneys Garvan Institute claimed that they discovered primary fac- tor which made breast cancer ag- gressive as well as resistant to the treatments. Protein called ELF5 is responsible for making the tumours of breast cancer more aggressive as well as resistant to treatments, revealed the key re- searcher Chris Ormandy. Chris Ormandy was studying about this protein for 10 years. The protein also plays an important role in breast cancer development. Study revealed that in the breast cancer, certain molecular decisions take place. ELF5 changes the already- existing tumour to the oestrogen- insensitive type. The study de- picted that cancers that are un- manageable to anti-oestrogen treatment are like that because they elevate the levels of ELF5 and also become oestrogen receptor negative functionally. Around half of the women will eventually not be able to tackle to anti-oestrogen treatment which they would have been undergoing, which would in turn further progress their tumour. In the tissue-culture models of this type of cancer which were made numb to anti-oestrogen treatment, levels of ELF5 increase dramati- cally. Even though the study was important because it would open up new possibilities of treatments, but this may take several years. The study would help in targeting ELF5 in such a way that it would help in treating the breast cancers which became numb to anti-oestrogens. NASAs Twin Probes Crashed NASAs Twin Probes Crashed NASAs Twin Probes Crashed NASAs Twin Probes Crashed NASAs Twin Probes Crashed Successfully onto Lunar Successfully onto Lunar Successfully onto Lunar Successfully onto Lunar Successfully onto Lunar Mountain Mountain Mountain Mountain Mountain Ebb and Flow, the gravity mapping satellites of NASA ended the successful mission to Moon by crashing on the rim of crater. Lu- nar surface on which Ebb and Flow crashed will be given a name after Sally Ride, the first woman of America in the space who died earlier in 2012. Ebb and Flow, two spacecrafts of NASA that comprised Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mis- sion, on 14 December 2012 were commanded for landing in lower orbit of Moon which would cre- ate an impact on the mountain near its North Pole. Ebb and Flow were launched in September 2011 and were orbiting Moon since 1 January 2012. After a year of their arrival on Moon, the twin space- crafts of NASA hit the lunar sur- face as it was planned at 5:28:51 pm EST and 5:29:21 pm EST re- spectively. The speed of the two was 1.7 kilometres per second. The location of site is on southern face of around 2.5 kilometre tall Lunar Mountain near the crater called Goldschmidt. The principal investigator of GRAIL, Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cam- bridge declared that the lunar mis- sion was complete and that they were proud to honour the contri- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 59 59 59 59 59 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe butions of Sally Ride after naming that corner of Moons surface af- ter her. The impact indicated that the GRAIL mission was complete. This was the first planetary mission of NASA which carried cameras that were completely dedicated to public outreach as well as educa- tion. Apart from the basic science instrument, the spacecrafts carried MoonKAM, the camera which cap- tured over 115000 images of Moons surface. Just fifty minutes before the impact, spacecraft fired the en- gines till propellant was ex- hausted. It was designed in such a way that it could determine ex- actly how much fuel was left in tanks. This would help the engi- neers of NASA to legalise comput- ers for improving the predictions of quantity of fuel needed for mis- sions in future. Ebb and Flow were deliberately sent on the sur- face of Moon since there was not enough altitude or fuel remaining for continuing the science opera- tions. The successful missions of these two spacecrafts produced highest resolution gravity field map in context with any celestial body till now. The scientists would take a lot of time, maybe years for analysing the data that is collected from Ebb and Flow. Mystery that Surrounded the Mystery that Surrounded the Mystery that Surrounded the Mystery that Surrounded the Mystery that Surrounded the Missing Sandy Island Solved Missing Sandy Island Solved Missing Sandy Island Solved Missing Sandy Island Solved Missing Sandy Island Solved A researcher from New Zealand claimed that he had solved the mystery of the missing South Pacific Island which was shown on the world maps as well as Google Earth but did not actu- ally exist. The blame of the miss- ing island went to the whaling ship from the year 1876. The landmass in Coral Sea which is shown as the Sandy Island on Google maps as well as Google Earth is apparently somewhere between Australia and New Caledonia. Times Atlas of the World, on the other hand identifies it as the Sable Island, but the Australian scientists who went on a research in November 2012 could not locate it exactly, which is why they claimed that the island did not exist actually. A researcher at Auckland Museum after his in- vestigations claimed that the is- land had never existed. Google in the meanwhile welcomed this feedback and explained that sug- gestions from the users on maps enabled integration of new infor- mation into Google Maps. Appar- ently, now the Sandy Island has been removed from the maps. NASA to turn asteroid into NASA to turn asteroid into NASA to turn asteroid into NASA to turn asteroid into NASA to turn asteroid into space station space station space station space station space station NASA scientists are planning to capture a 500,000 kg asteroid, relocate it and transform it into a space station for astronauts to re- fuel at on their way to Mars. It would be the first time a celestial object has ever been moved by humans, the Daily Mail reported. The White Houses Office of Sci- ence and technology will consider the USD 2.6 billion plan in the coming weeks as it prepares to set its space exploration agenda for the next decade. A feasibility re- port prepared by NASA and Cali- fornia Institute of Technology (Caltech) scientists outlined how they would go about capturing the asteroid. An asteroid capture cap- sule would be attached to an old Atlas V rocket and directed to the asteroid between the Earth and the Moon. Once close, the asteroid cap- sule would release a 50 ft diam- eter bag that would wrap around the spinning rock using draw- strings, the paper said. The craft would then turn on its thrusters, using an estimated 300 kg of pro- pellant, to stop the asteroid in its tracks and tow it into a gravitation- ally neutral spot. From here space explorers would have a stationary base from which to launch trips deeper into space. The idea of exploiting the natural resources of asteroids dates back over a hundred years, but only now has the technology become available to make this idea a reality, the report said. The feasibility is enabled by three key developments: the ability to dis- cover and characterise an ad- equate number of sufficiently small near-Earth asteroids for cap- ture and return; the ability to implement sufficiently powerful solar electric propulsion systems to enable transportation of the captured asteroid; and the pro- posed human presence in lunar space in the 2020s enabling explo- ration and exploitation of the re- turned asteroid, it said. NASA declined to comment on the project because it said it was in negotiations with the White House, but it is believed that tech- nology would make it possible within 10-12 years. The technology would also open up the possibility of mining other asteroids for their metals and minerals. Some are full of iron which could be used for in the making of new space stations, oth- ers are made up of water which UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 60 60 60 60 60 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe could be broken down into hydro- gen and oxygen to make fuel. Permian Mass Extinction Was Permian Mass Extinction Was Permian Mass Extinction Was Permian Mass Extinction Was Permian Mass Extinction Was Led By a Microbe Led By a Microbe Led By a Microbe Led By a Microbe Led By a Microbe A microbe led to extinction of more than 90 species on Earths surface around 251 million years ago, the researchers found out in the second week of December 2012. The mass extinction did not take place due to catastrophic volcano or meteorite, but because of a microbe. According to the current theory, mass extinction by end of Permian period was started because of volcanic eruptions on a large area, now called Siberia. This in turn led to a dramatic in- crease in the emission of green- house gases. But a researcher from Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology believes that the scenario doesnt align with the facts. An analysis of the end-Permian sedi- ment sample from China was con- ducted and it was found that car- bon levels had rushed too fast for geological processes to begin. Microbes could generate equally fast carbon compounds. When the group of research- ers analysed genome of Methanosarcina - a methanogen which is accountable for most of the biogenic methane on Earth today, it was discovered that mi- crobe acquired this ability some 231 million years ago. This date matched closer to the time when mass extinction took place. How- ever, the link could still not be suggested. Methanosarcina needs huge amount of nickel for produc- ing methane fast. On going back to sediment cores, the research- ers discovered that the level of nickel prickled exactly 251 million years. This might have happened because the Siberian lavas had nickel in large quantities. This in turn reinforced the fact that Methanosarcina triggered mass extinction. It is important to note that the mass extinction of biodiversity of todays time is quite identical since it is mainly deter- mined by our species. 100 % Ultrasound Toothbrush of 100 % Ultrasound Toothbrush of 100 % Ultrasound Toothbrush of 100 % Ultrasound Toothbrush of 100 % Ultrasound Toothbrush of the World Developed the World Developed the World Developed the World Developed the World Developed British scientists claimed that they developed in the first week of December 2012, the first tooth- brush of the world called Emmident toothbrush which makes use of the ultrasound waves for cleaning teeth, which means that there is no need of abrasive brushing. Even though the manual toothbrushes have been replaced long back with whizzyelectric ver- sions of the brushes which have super-fast vibrations along with costly whitening heads, but the high-tech toothbrushes launched in UK in first week of December 2012 is the first 100 percent ultra- sound toothbrush of the world. Ultrasound technology was also included in electric de- signs earlier but this time it is the first of its kind toothbrush which has independent ultrasound tech- nology and it does not require movement of brush. About the new Emmident About the new Emmident About the new Emmident About the new Emmident About the new Emmident toothbrush toothbrush toothbrush toothbrush toothbrush Emmident toothbrush makes 86 million sound waves in a minute and these waves in turn are used for cleaning the teeth. The cost of this product is 79.95 pounds. Manufacturers of this product claimed that ultrasound waves which are emitted from this tooth- brush create tiny bubbles from special 3.99 pounds toothpaste which should be used with this. These bubbles can get between teeth as well as the gums which in turn help in killing bacteria as well as dislodging tarter. The bacteria which are left on brush head are also killed. British Dental Associa- tion however admitted that proper tests should be done in order to prove efficiency of this tooth- brush. Silent stroke can cause Silent stroke can cause Silent stroke can cause Silent stroke can cause Silent stroke can cause Parkinsons Parkinsons Parkinsons Parkinsons Parkinsons A small or silent stroke which shows no outward symptoms can cause Parkinsons disease, scien- tists claim. In a new study, re- searchers from the University of Manchester have for the first time identified why a patient who ap- pears outwardly healthy may de- velop Parkinsons disease, a de- generative disorder of the central nervous system. While conditions such as a severe stroke have been linked to the disease, for many sufferers the tremors and other symptoms of Parkinsons can ap- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 61 61 61 61 61 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe pear to come out of the blue. A silent stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked for only a very short amount of time and often a patient wont know they have suffered from one. However, it now ap- pears that one of the lasting effects of a silent stroke can be the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in the brain, which is an important region for move- ment coordination. At the mo- ment we dont know why dopam- inergic neurons start to die in the brain, There have been sugges- tions that oxidative stress and age- ing are responsible, said Dr Emmanuel Pinteaux who led the research. Life Supporting planet Found Life Supporting planet Found Life Supporting planet Found Life Supporting planet Found Life Supporting planet Found orbiting Star near Earth orbiting Star near Earth orbiting Star near Earth orbiting Star near Earth orbiting Star near Earth Scientist in the month of De- cember revealed a planet that could support life, orbits a Sun- like star near the Earth. There are five planets found to be circling Tau Ceti - a star just 12 light years away - which is almost identical to the sun, a journal set to appear in Astronomy & Astro- physics says. Out of the five planet found, one of the planet which is five times the mass of earth sup- port life and lies in the habitable zone where liquid water and life could potentially exist. As per the Astronomers estimate the Tau Ceti planets is two to six times big- ger than Earth. Most planets de- tected in the Universe so far had high masses due to the difficulties in finding extra-solar planets. The Tau Ceti planetary family is thought to be the lowest mass so- lar system yet detected. More than 800 planets have been discovered so far orbiting stars beyond the sun since the 1990s. Like water droplets off a lotus Like water droplets off a lotus Like water droplets off a lotus Like water droplets off a lotus Like water droplets off a lotus leaf? leaf? leaf? leaf? leaf? Frugal Indian housewives, who extract the very last traces of condiments from unyielding bottles and jars, will be the first to appreciate the genius of LiquiGlide, which Time magazine has named one of the Best Inven- tions of the Year 2012. Prof. Kripa Varanasis group at the Massachu- setts Institute of Technology has developed a super-slippery, non- toxic coating for the insides of food containers, so these surfaces will concede the stored condi- ment down to the last drop. No scraping, rinsing or special manoeuvres required. And the compound is safe enough to eat, says Varanasi. The group demon- strated the proof-of-concept with a bottle of free-flowing tomato ketchup. Of course, the folks at the MIT Lab for Nano-engineered Sur- faces, Interfaces & Coatings didnt set out to solve the problem of tricky ketchup bottles nor is it the ultimate use for LiquiGlide. De- signing super-hydrophobic sur- faces that can repel water drop- lets think of lotus leaves in a pond has been a key research interest for the group. The researchers have tested LiquiGlide on materials used to make food containers glass, ce- ramic, metal and plastic. But the coating need not confined to one formulation unlike, say, Teflon, Varanasi points out. Depending on the substance that needs to slide, we can design different coatings for different applications. The underlying principle remains the same that is the real beauty of this. There are possible indus- trial applications. Hydrophobic coatings can keep ice off the wings of an airplane, for instance. The researchers could use this to ad- dress the flow assurance prob- lem of the oil and natural gas in- dustry where insides of pipes sees buildup of organic compounds that clog supply networks. In the consumer space, LiquiGlide could find uses in the health and beauty industry. Think of all those bottles with pumps to draw expensive lotions out that design can change, says Varanasi. That also means less plastic is needed to make these containers. Rare Supercomet Would Rare Supercomet Would Rare Supercomet Would Rare Supercomet Would Rare Supercomet Would Outshine Moon in 2013 Outshine Moon in 2013 Outshine Moon in 2013 Outshine Moon in 2013 Outshine Moon in 2013 Astronomers claimed that a rare supercomet called C/2012 S1 (ISON) was moving towards the Sun from outer solar system. This supercomet would outshine Moon in November 2013. C/2012 S1 (ISON) was first noticed in Sep- tember 2012. The comet would be closest to the Sun in Novem- ber 2013. The comet would be as good as Hale-Bopp, a comet which appeared in 1997. Hale- Bopp is the most widely noticed comet of 20th century. It is also the UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 62 62 62 62 62 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe brightest comet observed in vari- ous decades. ISON on the other hand would be making its first voy- age in the solar system. Astrono- mers believe that this comet might also contain certain volatile gases which are not found in other com- ets. Astronomers also hope that this would help them get a peep into the materials of the outer so- lar system. Additionally, the year would also witness celestial fireworks having various flavours because of the gas cloud which has three times the mass of Earth, heading in the direction of calm supermassive black hole which sits in the heart of our galaxy. This collision would not be visible with naked eyes. However, the X-ray telescopes will be able to catch the radiations from shock wave which would be created as the cloud hits into aura of hot gases which surround the hole. Because this black hole called Sagittarius A is just 25000 light years far from Earth, therefore the crash would offer a unique view of various ma- terials getting into the black hole. This might also provide a hint about what had happened 300 years back when this black hole was brighter than present. New Next-Gen Spacesuit for New Next-Gen Spacesuit for New Next-Gen Spacesuit for New Next-Gen Spacesuit for New Next-Gen Spacesuit for Complex Space Ventures Complex Space Ventures Complex Space Ventures Complex Space Ventures Complex Space Ventures NASA developed new next- gen spacesuit called Z-1 Proto- type Spacesuit and Portable Life Support System (PLSS) 2.0 for the sophisticated and complex space ventures, which also include Mars mission. The spacesuit can supply the astronauts with oxygen as well as provide protection to them from the extreme temperatures. The spacesuits used by NASA at present were designed in 1992 and were fabri- cated especially for the crews that boarded space shuttle task force as well as spent time in Interna- tional Space Station (ISS). But with the recent retirement of space shuttle task force as well the goal of the country to land on Mars, an asteroid as well as even beyond that, NASA recognised that there was time to design tech- nologically-equipped as well as robust spacesuits for the astro- nauts. The entry into the spacesuit is from the back and it can perform approximately all those functions that are also performed by the ac- tual spaceship. Basically, the new spacesuits can get rid of the car- bon dioxide, supply oxygen as well as provide protection to as- tronauts from extreme tempera- tures such as excessive cold or heat. How is the spacesuit How is the spacesuit How is the spacesuit How is the spacesuit How is the spacesuit designed? designed? designed? designed? designed? The spacesuit is crafted out of various hard elements on the fabric. It also becomes flexible af- ter being inflated. On the rear of the suit, astronauts may find the hatch and life support which would enable them to attach to rover or spacecraft. Apart from all this, it has urethane-coated nylon as well as polyester layers which enable the astronauts to maintain pressure as well as get greater flex- ibility in torso and limbs. Getting into the spacesuit Getting into the spacesuit Getting into the spacesuit Getting into the spacesuit Getting into the spacesuit Astronauts can get in this spacesuit via suitport which is ba- sically a pack of hatch and life sup- port. There is no need of an airlock for seeking entry or getting exit in and out of this suit. This means that it is possible for the astronauts to make a quick entry and exit in and out of spacesuit. This happens because the spacesuit operates at similar pressure like that of spacecraft. The spacesuit packs in itself water membrane evapo- ration cooler which cools the suit through same method like sweat- ing. It does not use the recent technique that includes sublimator which works only in hard vacuum. Natural heart pacemaker from Natural heart pacemaker from Natural heart pacemaker from Natural heart pacemaker from Natural heart pacemaker from single gene single gene single gene single gene single gene Researchers of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute developed pace- maker cells through injection of gene called Tbx18, which could greatly help in repairing the heart. This research would help treating the heart patients with the simple injection of so-called natural pace- maker. The researchers pro- grammed ordinary cells of heart for becoming the exact imitations of specialised biological pacemak- ers through injection of single gene. This is said to be the major step towards a long search of 10 years for finding the biological therapy that can correct falling heartbeats. The researchers de- scribed the study the first one to UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 63 63 63 63 63 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe depict that one gene can direct conversion of cells of heart muscle to authentic pacemaker cells. The new cells are said to generate elec- trical impulses unexpectedly and these were also different from the local pacemaker cells. Actually, the pacemaker cells produce electrical activity which spreads in turn to other heart cells in a neat pattern for creating regu- lar muscle contractions. In case these cells go wrong, the heart starts beating randomly at its best. The heartbeat begins in sino- atrial node (SAN) of right upper chamber of heart where there are accumulated pacemaker cells. Out of the 10 billion cells of heart, less than 10000 are the pacemaker cells which are also referred as SAN cells. Once these new pace- maker cells are programmed by Tbx18 gene, they had all the im- portant features of the native pace- makers. These pacemaker cells once programmed, also main- tained the SAN-like characteristics despite the fact that effects of Tbx18 gene faded away. Research- ers, who made use of the virus which is engineered to carry the single gene called Tbx18, directly reprogrammed the cells of heart muscle for specialising pacemaker cells. These new cells performed the function as well as features of native pacemaker cells in lab cell reprogramming as well as in the studies conducted on guinea pig. In the initial efforts, new pacemaker cells were created but there was a risk of infecting can- cerous cells. However, the new research created the pacemaker cells which are closely associated with native ones that do not pose risk of cancer. Human Intelligence Associated Human Intelligence Associated Human Intelligence Associated Human Intelligence Associated Human Intelligence Associated With Genetic Accident With Genetic Accident With Genetic Accident With Genetic Accident With Genetic Accident Scientists at the University of Edinburgh discovered how intel- ligence originated, after they iden- tified the genetic accident which happened 500 million years ago. This genetic accident allowed the human species to think and rea- son; and thus they evolved. The scientists discovered how humans as well as various mammals evolved in terms of intelligence. Scientists found out that hu- man intelligence developed be- cause of a rise in the number of genes in brain in the evolutionary ancestors. Scientists additionally also believed that these genes which help in improvisation of the mental capability are also in turn respon- sible for the brain disorders that might occur in the humans. Scien- tists explained that a plain inverte- brate animal that lived in sea around 500 million years ago experienced this genetic accident which pro- duced extra copies of the genes being developed. The offspring of these animals benefited in turn from the extra genes which led to sophis- ticated vertebrates in terms of behaviour, including the humans. HQJ OLVK#J UDPPDU DQG#XVDJ H Ex| #r qoIqh#dw=#kwws=22z z z 1xsvf sr uwdo1f r p 2f IyIovhuyIf hv2er r nv KALINJAR PUBLICATIONS UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 64 64 64 64 64 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Soil mediates effects of phosphorus application In Brazil, farmers must use a huge amount of the fertilizer. In Iowa, his- torical overuse of phosphorus still harms waterways. A one-size-fits-all approach will lead to wrong conclu- sions if the regional biophysics are not considered. Probiotics help fish grow up fast, healthier A new study at the Institute of Ma- rine and Environmental Technology (U.S.) found that feeding probiotics to baby zebrafish accelerated their growth and boosted their chances of survival into adulthood. Radio waves to kidneys lower chronic high BP Directing short bursts of radio waves at nerves sorrounding the kidneys lowered BP for at least six months and up to a year among hy- pertensive patients, says a study in Circulation . Bats may hold clues to human longevity Bats have been around for at least 65 million years. A deeper understanding of evolutionary ad- aptations in bats may lead to bet- ter treatments for human diseases. HIV has been around longer than thought Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) thought to have originated from chimpanzees in central Africa may have crossed over to humans between 1884 and 1924, a new study has found, over- turning current belief. Role of crucial plant hormone unravelled New research from Carnegie Mellon University focuses on the role of the crucial plant hormone brassinosteroid in the creation of plant-shoot architecture leading to organ formation and organ bound- ary creation. De novo assemblies of large complex genomes The goat genome is the first refer- ence genome that may help to ad- vance the study of distinct rumi- nants genomic features from non- ruminant species and enable de novo assemblies of large, complex genomes in the future. Immune therapy treats brain tumours in mice Using an artificial protein that stimulates the bodys natural im- mune system to fight cancer, a re- search team at Duke Medicine has engineered a lethal weapon that kills brain tumours in mice while sparing other tissues. Squirrels, birds study leads to tricky robots Using deceptive behavioural pat- terns of squirrels and birds, re- searchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed robots that are able to deceive each other and could be implemented by the military. Hawaiian islands are dissolving from within Soil erosion is not the cause and Oahus mountains are dissolving from within due to groundwater. Someday, Oahus Koolau and Waianae mountains will be reduced to nothing more than a flat, low-ly- ing island like Midway. Monkey study to treat Parkinsons disease Parkinsons disease is caused by loss of the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine (known as dopaminergic neurons). Re- searchers have now derived dopam- inergic neurons from bone marrow stem cells in monkeys. Smaller Colorado River projected for future Some 40 million people depend on the Colorado River Basin for water but warmer weather and a growing population may signal a 10 per cent drop in the Colorado Rivers flow in the next few 2 cups of milk a day ideal for kids health Two cups of milk per day provides enough vitamin D levels for most children, while also maintaining iron stores. With more milk, there is a further loss in iron stores sans greater benefit from vitamin D, says a study. West Antarctic ice sheet warming rapidly In a discovery about the future con- tribution of Antarctica to sea level rise, a new study finds that the west- ern part of the ice sheet is experi- encing nearly twice as much warm- ing as previously thought. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 65 65 65 65 65 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Voyager 1 enters new region in deep space NASAs Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a new region the final area to cross before reaching inter- stellar space a highway for charged particles as our suns mag- netic field lines are linked to inter- stellar magnetic field lines. Cause of widespread eye disease found It is now shown that thickening of the arterial walls is behind the com- mon eye disease known as branch retinal vein occlusion a type of blood clot in the eye that blocks the vessels that transport blood from the retina. Rover Curiositys first analysis of Martian soil NASAs Curiosity rover analyzed its first solid sample of Mars in Novem- ber with a variety of instruments, including the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite. GRAIL lunar impact site named for Sally Ride NASA has named the site where twin spacecraft impacted the moon Monday in honour of the late astro- naut Sally K. Ride, who was Americas first woman in space and a member of the probes mission team. Ex| #r qoIqh#dw=#kwws=22z z z 1xsvf sr uwdo1f r p 2f IyIovhuyIf hv2er r nv CSAT General Studies Manual IAS Preliminary Examination Paper I KALINJAR PUBLICATIONS
Click Here for More Information About AITS: http://upscportal.com/civilservices/AITS UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 66 66 66 66 66 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS CRICKET Sachin Tendulkar announced Sachin Tendulkar announced Sachin Tendulkar announced Sachin Tendulkar announced Sachin Tendulkar announced Retirement Retirement Retirement Retirement Retirement Sachin Tendulkar on 23 De- cember 2012 announced retire- ment form one day cricket which put an end to his 23- year old glo- rious career. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian Batsman who is considered one of the greatest batsman of the world af- ter Don Bradman in Test Cricket and the second most successful one day batsman after Viv Richards as per the ranking done by Wisden-the Bible of Cricket. Tendulkar who belongs to Mumbai Maharashtra made his appearance in six world cups for India and was the member of the 2011 World Cup winning squad of the nation. The major facts related to his one day international career are as follows: Sachin scored 18426 runs in 463 one-day matches at an av- erage of 44.83 Tendulkar made his ODI debut on his international tour against Pakistan in 1989 in Gujranwala, where he scored zero runs He scored his first half century in the 9th ODI He made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, including a double hundred which is the first in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries He scored his first century in the 79th ODI against Australia in 1994 at R Premadasa Sta- dium, Colombo in a day-night match-this was the third match of singer world series In the 2003 World Cup in South Africa he finished as the highest run-getter He became the first cricketer to score a double century in the history of One Day inter- national Cricket against South Africa in February 2010 He played his last One Day In- ternational Match against Pa- kistan in Asia Cup Dhaka played at Shere Bangla Na- tional Stadium, Mirpur and scored a half century to help India win the match Tendulkar scored his 100th in- ternational century on 16 March 2012 against Bangladesh, where he scored 114 runs India retained their Number India retained their Number India retained their Number India retained their Number India retained their Number Five Position Five Position Five Position Five Position Five Position India retained their number five position as per the latest ICC UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 67 67 67 67 67 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Test Championship rankings is- sued in Dubai on 17 December 2012 despite losing to England 1- 2 in the home Test series. South Africa topped the ranking at 123 points. India, however, dropped a ratings point to 105, and is now four-points behind arch-rival Paki- stan who are placed at the fourth position. England, on the other hand, consolidated their number two slot by adding a point after drawing the final Test at Nagpur, thereby winning a Test series in India after a long gap of 28 years. England now stands just five points behind South Africa. Aus- tralia is positioned at number three in the rankings. India Lost the Test Series to India Lost the Test Series to India Lost the Test Series to India Lost the Test Series to India Lost the Test Series to England England England England England The last test match between India and England of the Tourna- ment England Tour to India ended up as a draw and with this India lost the four-test match cricket series against England by 1-2 on 17 December 2012. With this win England succeeded in ending a 28 year long wait of winning a test series on Indian Soil. Before this the English side under the cap- taincy of David Gower won the test series in India 1984-85. The first Test was played at Ahmedabad from 15 Novem- ber to 19 November 2012 in which India won the match by 9 wickets. The second was played at Mumbai from 23 November to 26 November 2012 in which England won the match by 10 wickets In the third test match played at Kolkata from 5 December to 9 December 2012 England won the match by 7 wickets The last test resulted in a draw and was played at Nagpur from 13 December to 17 De- cember 2012 SBI T20 World Cup for the Blind SBI T20 World Cup for the Blind SBI T20 World Cup for the Blind SBI T20 World Cup for the Blind SBI T20 World Cup for the Blind 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 India won the inaugural SBI T20 World Cup for the Blind on 13 December 2012 after beating Pa- kistan in the finals at Central Col- lege grounds in Bangalore. A total of 5000 crowd cheered as India shattered Pakistan from 29 runs and the Indian captain Shekhar Naik lifted the trophy. India de- cided to bat first and scored 119 for 4 in 10 overs. India put up a competitive score of 258 runs in 20 overs. Rescuer of the team In- dia was middle-order batsman Ketan Patel who scored 98 runs off 43 balls and is completely blind. Pakistan entered into finals un- beaten. Pakistan is the only team that entered the finals of all the four international blind cricket tournaments till now. At the break of the innings, Pakistan might have thought of winning the match on the grounds of excellent batting skills of the team throughout this tournament. The opener Mohammad Akram who had the highest score in the history of in- ternational blind cricket (264 against West Indies) was sent back to the pavilion for 32 runs only. Eventually, India won the T20 World Cup for the Blind and the team was later crowned as the world champions. It is also worth noticing that Men-of-the-Series were all Indians. These were Ketan Patel, Fully blind category (B1); Prakash Jayaramaiah, Partially blind category (B2) and Ajay Kumar Reddy, Partially sighted category (B3). About T20 World Cup for the About T20 World Cup for the About T20 World Cup for the About T20 World Cup for the About T20 World Cup for the Blind 2012 Blind 2012 Blind 2012 Blind 2012 Blind 2012 T20 World Cup for the Blind was a 12-day tournament which comprised of nine teams. The T20 World Cup for the Blind 2012 was hosted by India. The tournament ran from 1 December 2012 to 13 December 2012 in Bangalore. The competing teams included Bangladesh, Australia, India, Nepal, England, Sri Lanka, Paki- stan, West Indies and South Africa. The tournament was played on league-cum-knockout basis. Crick- eter Saurav Ganguly is the Brand Ambassador of T20 World Cup for the Blind. The Cricket Association for the Blind (CABI) is main body which organises as well as con- ducts cricket for visually impaired in India. CABI is registered NPO which is affiliated to World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC). About World Blind Cricket About World Blind Cricket About World Blind Cricket About World Blind Cricket About World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) Council (WBCC) Council (WBCC) Council (WBCC) Council (WBCC) World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) laid its foundation in 1996. The founding chairman of UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 68 68 68 68 68 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe WBCC was George Abraham of India. The primary purpose of WBCC is promotion as well as ad- ministration of the game of blind cricket in the world. About Cricket Association for About Cricket Association for About Cricket Association for About Cricket Association for About Cricket Association for the Blind (CABI) the Blind (CABI) the Blind (CABI) the Blind (CABI) the Blind (CABI) CABI is a non-profit organisation affiliated to World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC). Pakistan, South Africa and England Blind Cricket bodies receive spon- sorship from their mainstream cricket bodies but CABI does not receive any such sponsorship from Board of Control for Cricket in In- dia (BCCI). CABI survives with the support from corporate houses as well as a few public sector organisations. Composition of the team Composition of the team Composition of the team Composition of the team Composition of the team Among the 11 players, four players are under completely blind or B1 category (partially- sighted), four players are under B2 category (players who are able to see up to 3 metres) and three play- ers are under B3 category (play- ers who are able to see up to six metres). According to the rules, B1 players get the scores doubled, which means that when they hit, they can add major difference to the score of the team. Alastair Cook became the Alastair Cook became the Alastair Cook became the Alastair Cook became the Alastair Cook became the youngest Batsman to score 7000 youngest Batsman to score 7000 youngest Batsman to score 7000 youngest Batsman to score 7000 youngest Batsman to score 7000 Runs Runs Runs Runs Runs England Cricket team captain Alastair Cook on 6 December 2012 claimed his place among the cricketing greats when he set an England record for the most Test centuries and became the young- est player in the long history of the game to pass 7000 runs. The 27 years old Alastair Cook scored his 23rd Test hundred to leave En- gland closing in on a rare series win in India. He has ahead of past legends Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott. Team-mate Kevin Pietersen has also scored 22 tons. Alastair Cook made an unbeaten 136 to put En- gland on 1 for 216 at stumps at Eden Gardens on 6 December 2012 only 100 runs behind Indias first innings total of 316. Glenn McGrath to be inducted Glenn McGrath to be inducted Glenn McGrath to be inducted Glenn McGrath to be inducted Glenn McGrath to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of into the ICC Cricket Hall of into the ICC Cricket Hall of into the ICC Cricket Hall of into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame Fame Fame Fame Fame Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath is going to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the third Test between Aus- tralia and Sri Lanka starting from 4 January2013 in Sydney. McGrath became the third inductee of the year 2012-13 to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and will join Enid Bakewell and Brian Lara to the list and also became the 68th male member of the Hall of Fame. Lara and Bakewell were inducted in September 2012 at the ICC Awards; McGrath will be inducted at his home ground of the SCG. A fourth and final inductee of 2012- 13 would be announced next sum- mer. Glenn McGraths Career Glenn McGraths Career Glenn McGraths Career Glenn McGraths Career Glenn McGraths Career McGrath represented Austra- lia in 124 Test matches be- tween 1993 and 2007 and claimed 563 Test wickets at an average of 21.64. He took more Test wickets than any other seam bowler currently in the game or re- tired. Glenn McGrath represented Australia in 250 ODIs, claim- ing 381 wickets at an average of 22.02, and was part of the Australian side that won three successive World Cups 1999, 2003 and 2007. He still holds the record for most wickets in World Cup competitions, with 71 scalps and his figures of 7-15 against Namibia are the best in the competitions history. Michael Hussey Announced Michael Hussey Announced Michael Hussey Announced Michael Hussey Announced Michael Hussey Announced Retirement Retirement Retirement Retirement Retirement Australian veteran Michael Hussey on 29 December 2012 an- nounced that he would retire from Test cricket after playing the final match of the series against Sri Lanka at Sydney starting on 3 Janu- ary 2012. Sydney Test match is going to be the 79th and final Test in 37-year-old Husseys career hav- ing made his debut at 30. How- ever Hussey will continue playing the ODI tri-series involving Austra- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 69 69 69 69 69 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe lia, West Indies and Sri Lanka which will be his last international assignment. Michael Hussey, the senior left-hand batsman who is Known as Mr Cricket for his con- sistency, had a successful year 2012 with four centuries and has been in great scoring form this summer season against South Af- rica and Sri Lanka. A Brief insight into Husseys A Brief insight into Husseys A Brief insight into Husseys A Brief insight into Husseys A Brief insight into Husseys Career Career Career Career Career Hussey made his Test debut at the age of 30 in the Gabba cricket ground of Brisbane on 3 November 2005, as a re- placement for fellow Western Australian batsman Justin Langer in the Australia vs. West Indies series. Hussey has till now played 78 Tests scoring 6183 runs in- cluding 19 centuries and 29 half centuries at an impressive average of 51.52. Hussey who i s al so the Australias 393rd Test Captain had a fantastic ODI record having scored 5442 runs in 185 ODIs with three hundreds and 39 half-centuries at an average of 48.15. He was a member of the vic- torious 2007 ICC World Cup squad. He also played 38 T20 Internationals. He had played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Chennai Super Kings, although he opted out of the 2009 sea- son. He was retained by Chennai Super Kings in the 20112012 season of Indian Premier League for 425000 dollars. BB Nimbalkar Passed away BB Nimbalkar Passed away BB Nimbalkar Passed away BB Nimbalkar Passed away BB Nimbalkar Passed away Bhausaheb Babasaheb Nimbalkar, a giant of Indian do- mestic cricket who came close to breaking Sir Don Bradmans first- class score in the Ranji Trophy, passed away due to age related ailments in his residence in Kolhapur on11 December 2012 just one day shy of his 93rd birth- day. Nimbalkar is survived by his son Netaji. His other three sons died a few years ago due to ill- health. Nimbalkar, holds the record for the highest individual first-class score by an Indian - 443 not out for Maharashtra against Kathiawar at Poona Club in De- cember 1948. Nimbalkar had claimed that he was not aware of Bradmans record at the time of batting, else he would have bat- ted faster. A Brief insight into his Career A Brief insight into his Career A Brief insight into his Career A Brief insight into his Career A Brief insight into his Career He made his Ranji Trophy de- but in 1939 against Baroda. Bhausahebs first-class cricket spanned decades. From 1939- 40 to 1963-64 he played for six teams: Baroda, Maharashtra, Holkar, Madhya Bharat, Rajasthan and Railways. Bhausaheb was the ADC for Maharaja of Baroda, and de- spite having a first-class bat- ting average of close to 48 in 80 matches (12x100s), never played for India. He once rep- resented the Indians against a Commonwealth team and scored 48. BCCI honoured him with the Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, for his contribution to the sport, in 2002. Nimbalkar had 58 wickets in his domestic career which spanned from 1939-40 to 1964-65, and also kept wick- ets in some matches. He was a prolific run getter and in his 80-match long first- class career he had scored 4577 runs at an average of 52.01 with 12 centuries. With an aggregate of 3,687 runs at a healthy average of 56.72 with 11 centuries he is counted among the outstanding batsmen in the Ranji Trophy. TENNIS World Tennis Championships World Tennis Championships World Tennis Championships World Tennis Championships World Tennis Championships Novak Djokovic on 29 De- cember 2012 won World Tennis Championship final against Span- ish tennis player Nicolas Almagro. Novak Djokovic beat Nicolas Almagro to clinch the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhi- bition tournament held in Dubai. Novak Djokovic, the world num- ber one from Serbia beat Nicolas Almagro the Spaniard by 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-4 to get his season off to the perfect start. Also, Spains David Ferrer defeated Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to take third place in Abu Dhabi. All the four UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 70 70 70 70 70 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe players are going to compete in the Australian Open which is meant to be started in Melbourne on 14 January 2013 with Serbias Djokovic the defending champion. Novak Djokovic beat world num- ber five Ferrer in straight sets to book his place in the final, while Almagro, a late replacement for the injured Rafael Nadal, fought back from a set down to beat Janko Tipsarevic. Swiss Male Athlete of the Year Swiss Male Athlete of the Year Swiss Male Athlete of the Year Swiss Male Athlete of the Year Swiss Male Athlete of the Year 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 Roger Federer, 31, the No. 2 of the world and 17 times Grand Slam champion, was named Swiss Male Athlete of the Year on 16 December 2012. Federer received the honour for the fifth time. Earlier in 2012, Federer had grabbed the 17th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon Championships, London, while also reclaiming his No. 1 ranking in the month of July 2012. He also acquired top most position by the end of the season. Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis player acquired the same title in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. The female Athlete of the year was Nicola Spirig, the Olym- pic triathlon champion of Switzer- land. TABLE TENNIS Junior World TT Championship Junior World TT Championship Junior World TT Championship Junior World TT Championship Junior World TT Championship China got the clean sweep of titles at Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championship after it won girls as well as boys trophies on 16 December 2012. In the second week of December 2012, China had won girls and boys team titles. Petrissa Solja of Germany who was the only non-Chinese, lost in the semifinal to Chinese top seed Zhu Yuling who finished by turning over Gu Yuting 4-0 for the title of girls. Her top speed, supe- rior technique as well as great at- titude helped her win the title. Thereafter, Fan Zhendong also overcame to beat Lin Gaoyuan 4-2 and thus claimed boys singles title. Initially, he was also the win- ner of mixed doubles title. Sec- ond-seeded team of Liu Gaoyang and Fan Zhendong recovered fast to beat top-seeded competitors Gu Ruochen and Lin Gaoyuan 4-3 to claim their gold in boys doubles. Gu Yuting and Zhu Yuling defeated Gu Ruochen and Liu Gaoyang with a score of 4-3 to claim girls double gold. The mixed doubles gold was claimed by Fan Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang who defeated Lin Gaoyuan and Gu Ruochen combine 4-3. FOOTBALL Mohun Bagan banned for Two Mohun Bagan banned for Two Mohun Bagan banned for Two Mohun Bagan banned for Two Mohun Bagan banned for Two Years Years Years Years Years I-League football club Mohun Bagan on 29 December 2012 slapped with a two-year suspen- sion by the All India Football Fed- eration (AIFF) for abandoning their violence-marred I-League match against East Bengal on 9 December 2012. As per the AIFFs Statement Mohun bagan had breached Regulation 22, the 123- year-old club, had been with- drawn from the current I-League season, with all its past and future matches in the 2012/13 null and void. In effect, this season will have 13 teams now. The I-League Core Committee of All India Foot- ball Federation (AIFF) received the detailed Report dated 26th December 2012 of the Justice A K Ganguly relating to I-League Match No. 68 between Kingfisher East Bengal (KEB) and Mcdowell Mohun Bagan (MMB) played at Yuba Bharati Stadium, Salt Lake City Kolkata on 9 December 2012. Justice Ganguly in his report has concluded that the decision of UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 71 71 71 71 71 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe MMB for not playing the match after the interval cannot be sup- ported on the grounds of Force Majeure and accordingly MMB has breached Regulation 22 of the I- League Regulation 2012-2013. The I-League core committee is going to meet on 9 January 2013 to decide if the quantum of pun- ishment on Mohun Bagan is enough or if additional fine and suspension were needed. About Mohun Bagan Football About Mohun Bagan Football About Mohun Bagan Football About Mohun Bagan Football About Mohun Bagan Football Cl ub Cl ub Cl ub Cl ub Cl ub Founded in 1889, Mohun Bagan is the oldest football club in India. It is the first Indian club to win the IFA Shield final, in 1911, beating East Yorkshire Regi- ment. It have won the erstwhile Na- tional Football League thrice in 1997-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02 and their best per- formance in the re-christened I-League has been a runner-up finish in 2008-09. Lionel Messi set the Record for Lionel Messi set the Record for Lionel Messi set the Record for Lionel Messi set the Record for Lionel Messi set the Record for most Goals in a Calendar Year most Goals in a Calendar Year most Goals in a Calendar Year most Goals in a Calendar Year most Goals in a Calendar Year Lionel Messi, the renowned soccer player on 9 December 2012 set the record for most goals in a calendar year by scoring his 86th goal of 2012. He set the record while scoring the winning goal against Real Betis. Messis record included 12 for Argentina and 74 goals for Barcelona in 66 games. The earlier record was made by Gerd Mueller who had scored 85 goals in 1972 which included 72 goals for his club Bayern Munich and 13 for his country West Ger- many. Messi still has to play two league matches and one Kings Cup match before the end of 2012. The record breaking performance has made Messi favourite to claim his fourth FIFA World Player of the Year award. Lionel Andrs Leo Messi is a footballer who plays for La Liga club FC Barcelona and as the cap- tain of the Argentina national team. HOCKEY Sardar Singh costliest player in Sardar Singh costliest player in Sardar Singh costliest player in Sardar Singh costliest player in Sardar Singh costliest player in Hockey India League Auction Hockey India League Auction Hockey India League Auction Hockey India League Auction Hockey India League Auction In the Hockey India League Auction held at New Delhi on 16 December 2012 the Indian Skip- per Sardar Singh became the high- est marquee player after com- manding for the best price of 78000 dollar. Sardar Singh was bought by the Delhi Franchisee. The five marquee players for the league were drawn by Delhi Wave Riders, Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Mumbai Magi- cians, Ranchi Rhinos and Uttar Pradesh Wizards. The marquee players would be offered with 15 percent more price than the com- manded best price by the player by their respective teams. The price quoted for the players would be same for next three years and the teams are allowed to buy the players from other teams. Few more players who commanded best prices were V. Raghunath bought by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for 76,000 dollar, Moritz Fuertse bought by Ranchi Rhinos for 75500 dollar, Teun de Nooijer brought by Uttar Pradesh Wizards for 66000 dollar and Jamie Dwyer bought by Jaypee Punjab Warriors for 60000 dollar and Sandeep Singh moved to Mumbai Magicians with a base price of 27800 dollar. The Hockey League will comprise of 33 UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 72 72 72 72 72 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe matches in all and would be played in India from 16 January 2013 onwards. Australia Won Hockey Australia Won Hockey Australia Won Hockey Australia Won Hockey Australia Won Hockey Champions Trophy Champions Trophy Champions Trophy Champions Trophy Champions Trophy At the Champions Trophy 2012, Australia won once again, adding to fifth victory consecu- tively after it earned a 2-1 win in a match against Netherlands in Melbourne. The fifth consecutive victory of Australia at this event re-estab- lished it as the hockey team (mens) to beat, after Australia had missed on gold at Olympics. For the Netherlands, it was silver medal with the silver lining. Neth- erlands upgraded itself from bronze which they acquired last two years. The bronze was claimed by Pakistan after they beat India 3-2 on a match on 9 Decem- ber 2012. India missed the chance to win bronze, which would have been its second Champions tro- phy medal as well as the first since 1982. For the fifth place, Belgium won the match against Germany, the Olympic champion. New Zealand, in the meanwhile stood at seventh position over England. The awards for the tourna- ment were as follows: Top Scorer: Nicholas Wilson (NZL) Best Player: Shakeel Abassi (PAK) Fair Play Award: The Nether- lands Best Goalkeeper: Jaap Stockmann (NED) Records of Hockey Champions Records of Hockey Champions Records of Hockey Champions Records of Hockey Champions Records of Hockey Champions Trophy (Mens) Trophy (Mens) Trophy (Mens) Trophy (Mens) Trophy (Mens) In the mens tournament Aus- tralia has won Champions Tro- phy 13 times. Germany has won this trophy 9 times. Netherlands won the Champi- ons Trophy 8 times. Pakistan is only Asian cham- pion that has three titles in its name. About Hockey Champions About Hockey Champions About Hockey Champions About Hockey Champions About Hockey Champions Trophy Trophy Trophy Trophy Trophy Hockey Champions Trophy is held every year by International Hockey Federation. The tourna- ment features some of the best teams of the world which com- pete against each other in round- robin format. Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament tournament tournament tournament tournament Air India emerged champion against Bharat Petroleum in the 23rd Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium on 4 December 2012. This was second title of this season for Air India. Air India had already shared the MCC- Murugappa Cup with Indian Oil. Air India had an edge over Bharat Petroleum because the team was full of expereinced players. Besides, there was also an advantage because Bharat Petro- leum did not give its 100 percent which was evident when it wasted a lot of opportunities. For Bharat Petroleum this was another run- ner-up in the second event consecutively. Air India, in the meanwhile, won the cheque worth 2 lakh Rupees along with the title of the tournament. Amir Khan, the Bharat petroleum striker was decided as the Best Player of the Tournament. V.S. Vinaya of Air In- dia team, on the other hand won the title of Top Scorer of the Event with six goals. BOXING Government de-recognised the Government de-recognised the Government de-recognised the Government de-recognised the Government de-recognised the Indian Amateur Boxing Indian Amateur Boxing Indian Amateur Boxing Indian Amateur Boxing Indian Amateur Boxing Federation Federation Federation Federation Federation The Union government of In- dia on 7 December 2012 de- recognised the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation and the Ar- chery Association of India. The government took this step in the interest of sportspersons. Earlier, the International Box- ing Association (AIBA) had sus- pended the Indian Amateur Box- ing Federation, IABF alleging pos- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 73 73 73 73 73 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe sible manipulation in its recent elections. However, the IABF has denied the charge, insisting that the process was transparent. The development comes within a few days of the International Olympic Committee suspending the Indian Olympic Association. During the September elections, outgoing President Abhay Singh Chautala, who was elected IOA President despite IOCs suspension, was re- tained in the body as nominated Chairman. SHOOTING/ARCHERY National Shooting National Shooting National Shooting National Shooting National Shooting Championship Championship Championship Championship Championship Mahaveer Singh of Rajasthan and Tejaswini Sawant of Maharashtra won gold medals on 28 December 2012 in National Shooting Championship. In the category called standard-pistol, Mahaveer Singh shot 569 to get hold of the prestigious prize ahead of Pemba Tamang (567) who be- longs to Army as well as Samaresh Jung (563) belonging to CISF at Karni Singh Shooting Ranges. ONGCs Amanpreet Singh shot 580 + 99.5 to secure gold in the mens air pistol. The silver was grabbed by Armys Jitu Rai scor- ing 579 + 100. Karnatakas P N Prakash was the one to win bronze with 580 + 98.4 score. In 3-posi- tion womens event, Tejaswini Sawant shot 581 + 98.2 for the gold. Armys Raj Chaudhary grabbed silver with 579 + 98.5 score while the bronze was grabbed by Lajja Gujarats Gauswami who scored 578 + 96.6. In the category of air pistol junior, Armys Sarjeet Singh claimed gold medal by scoring 573. Womens Air Rifle Womens Air Rifle Womens Air Rifle Womens Air Rifle Womens Air Rifle Apurvi Chandela of Rajasthan on 24 December 2012 won Womens Air Rifle Gold in the Sa- hara 56th National Shooting Cham- pionship. The 19 year old man- aged to take a lead with 0.2 points from Pooja Ghatkar with a 10.7 last shot, till the ninth shot the game between two was tied. Pournima Zanane, the former champion and National record holder was suc- cessful in winning the Bronze and was 0.2 points ahead of the Avneet Sidhu the World Championship fi- nalist. Pournima clinched the bronze 0.2 point ahead of the World championship finalist Avneet Sidhu. Nikita Salunke lost her race in the final but was suc- cessful in winning a junior gold. KABBADI World Cup Kabaddi Tournament World Cup Kabaddi Tournament World Cup Kabaddi Tournament World Cup Kabaddi Tournament World Cup Kabaddi Tournament 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 India on 15 December 2012 won the 3rd World Cup Kabaddi Tournament for the third consecu- tive time in the Mens category and second consecutive time in the Womens category. Indian men thrashed arch rival Pakistan with a decisive margin of 37 points whereas, Indian women out scored Malaysia 72-12. Both the finals were played at the Guru Nanak Dev Stadium in Ludhiana. The Kabaddi world cup was a 15- day tournament. In mens cat- egory, third prize went to Canada and in womens category, it went to Denmark. Indian men registered a hat trick by dashing Pakistan to the ground in every aspect. At the end of the first half, Indian men squad was leading with a point difference of 34-9. Indias raider and stoppers showed an extraor- dinary sport in collecting points for their country. Womens final was virtually a one sided show as Malaysian team was no match against Indian eves. India on 15 December 2012 won the 3rd World Cup Kabaddi Tournament for the third consecutive time in the Mens category and second consecutive time in the Womens category. Indian men defeated arch rival Pakistan with a decisive margin of 37 points whereas, In- dian women thrashed Malaysia 72- 12. Both the finals were played at the Guru Nanak Dev Stadium in Ludhiana. The Kabaddi world cup was a 15-day tournament. In mens category, third prize went to Canada and in womens category, UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 74 74 74 74 74 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe it was given to Denmark. Indian men registered a hat trick by out- classing Pakistan in every aspect of game. At the end of the first half, Indian men squad was leading with a point difference of 34-9. India s raider and stoppers showed an extraordinary sport in collecting points for their country. Womens final was virtually a one sided show as Malaysian team was no match against Indian eves. SQUASH Womens World Open Squash Womens World Open Squash Womens World Open Squash Womens World Open Squash Womens World Open Squash Championship 2012 Championship 2012 Championship 2012 Championship 2012 Championship 2012 Dipika Pallikal of India who ranked 10th in the world and 13th seed in tournament lost in the pre quarters of Womens World Open Squash Championship. Pallikal lost to second seed Weleily in the 38-minute match at South Sound squash club on 20 December 2012. In the pre-quar- ters at Grand Cayman Island, Car- ibbean, Dipika Pallikal of India played a fruitless game to lose against Egypts Raneem El Weleily. In the match there were short ral- lies and also some errors on both the sides. Pallikal had good shots in the beginning of the match but the op- ponent took away the match. Pallikal, the Chennai girl had ear- lier won against Malaysian quali- fier Delia Arnold 30 in USD 188,000 WISPA event first round. CHESS London Chess Classic London Chess Classic London Chess Classic London Chess Classic London Chess Classic Viswanathan Anand, the World Chess Champion in a match against Luke McShane of England finished with a draw in second round of the London Chess Clas- sic on 3 December 2012. In the game which was finely crafted, the number one of the world Norwe- gian Magnus Carlsen achieved himself the position of highest- rated player in the history by de- feating second seed Levon Aronian of Armenia. The former World Champion Russian Vladimir Kramnik ensured in the meanwhile that victory wouldnt come easy to Carlsen in merely two rounds. He also grinded US-based Hikaru Nakamura in the endgame that had queen and the pawns. Another game that concluded in a draw was a match between Gawain Jones of England and Judit Polgar of Hungary. Wi th ei ght rounds still remaining in the 9-player tournament, Carlsen and Kramnik rushed forward with six points respectively. In first round, Carlsen thrashed McShane; while on the other hand, Kramnik achieved an advantage at Polgars expense. Michael Adams of En- gland as well as Nakamura shared third position with the three points each and Michael Adams had his extra match in hand when he bid adieu in second round only. Just like Adams, Anand too had a game in hand and now he shares fifth spot jointly in the rankings with Jones, McShane and Polgar. Aronian on the other hand, is at the lowest position in table be- cause he has still not opened his account. Womens World Championship Womens World Championship Womens World Championship Womens World Championship Womens World Championship Crown Crown Crown Crown Crown Anna Ushenina of Ukraine on 1 December 2012 won the Womens World Championship Crown of Chess at Khanty- Mansiysk, Russia after defeating Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria in first set of tie-break game. Anna won the title along with 60000 US dollar for the efforts made by her to win the Chess championship. In 2013 Anna would be playing the next world championship against Chinese Yifan Hou, which is a part of new cycle in Womens World Championship. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 75 75 75 75 75 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ATHLETE Asian Championship Asian Championship Asian Championship Asian Championship Asian Championship Shiva Keshavan, the top luge athlete of India won the gold medal for second time succes- sively and set the Asian record of 49.590 seconds in the Asian Championship. In the race, at first Keshavan was at second place during his first run at 0.129 sec- onds behind Hidenari Kanayama of Japan. At the third place was the runner up of last year Oguchi Takahisa with just 0.058 seconds after Shiva. All the three athletes broke the track record of previous years. The previous record was 50.072, which was set back in 2004. In the second heat however, the champion of last year, Shiva collapsed the scores, breaking the Asian track record by 0.482 sec- onds. Inspite of having the disad- vantage from his first run, Shiva won with good margin. At fourth and fifth position were Yamaura Yohan of Japan and Kim Dong Hyeon of Korea respectively. Shiva Keshavan now has two out of three Asian records. The only record that he needs to break is start record of 3.190 seconds which was set in 1999. WRESTLING Five wrestlers suspended for Five wrestlers suspended for Five wrestlers suspended for Five wrestlers suspended for Five wrestlers suspended for testing positive testing positive testing positive testing positive testing positive Five wrestlers which also in- clude four medalists were tested positive on banned substances during Senior National Wrestling Championship at Gonda, Uttar Pradesh which was held from 8 November 2012 to 11 November 2012. All five wrestlers were pro- visionally suspended while they have pending hearing against them. All these wrestlers agreed to B Sample testing which would be conducted soon. Four out of these five wrestlers were till now attending national camp at Sonepat, Haryana. After the infor- mation, they were asked to leave the camp till this issue was sorted finally. The wrestlers who failed the test include Manoj and Balraj, winners of bronze in 55kg freestyle; Sukhwinder, finishing at the fifth position in same category of the weight; Jitender, silver med- alist in 74kg and Manish (60kg), winner of bronze in Graeco-Ro- man. VARIOUS Athens Olympics Athletes Lose Athens Olympics Athletes Lose Athens Olympics Athletes Lose Athens Olympics Athletes Lose Athens Olympics Athletes Lose Medals over Doping After 8 Medals over Doping After 8 Medals over Doping After 8 Medals over Doping After 8 Medals over Doping After 8 Years Years Years Years Years International Olympic Commit- tee (IOC) announced on 5 Decem- ber 2012 that four 2004 Athens Olympic medalists had their med- als taken away because the re-tested samples, which were stored for 8 years, proved positive. The four medalists included shot put cham- pion of Ukraine Yuriy Bilonog, womens shot putter of Russia Svetlana Krivelyova, discus thrower Irina Yatchenko of Belarus and Belarussian hammer thrower Ivan Tsikhan. 3-times world champion Tsikhan also had to give away his bronze medal from the 2008 Beijing Games. However, this decision was reversed at Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on the grounds that there were errors in laboratory pro- cedures. IOC declared that the case which involved fifth athlete from Athens Games was pending. The four athletes who had to give their medals had tested positive for the anabolic steroids. Around 100 samples from Athens Games were target tested eight years ago by IOC with the help of modern methods. IOC has a procedure of storing the samples for eight years in order to enable re-testing of newly found substances or those substances for which no tests were available at that time. IOC also declared additionally that respective federations had the responsibility to check whether medals were returned or not. Ath- ens Olympics doping cases tally now stands at 31 after 26 positive tests as of now. This is the maximum in any game. IOC declared that it UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 76 76 76 76 76 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe would like the extension of law of limitation from current 8 years. It was added by IOC that World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) was con- sidering this law of limitation to ex- tend to 10 years. IOC suspended IOA IOC suspended IOA IOC suspended IOA IOC suspended IOA IOC suspended IOA The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the India Olympic Association (IOA) on 4 December 2012 and eventu- ally this might also lead to IOA ban from Olympic movement. IOC sus- pended IOA because India was following the Sports Code of gov- ernment in the IOA elections, which is against the Olympic Char- ter. IOC declared that following of Sports Code of government is ac- tually the interference of the gov- ernment in the Olympic Move- ment. Suspension of IOA from Olympics came just before the Election Day. IOA officials de- clared that the elections would go as planned and scheduled. IOA has been holding the elections on direction by the Delhi high court which had asked this body to con- duct its polls as per the Sports Code and its own constitution.IOA decided this after it put down the bid of IOA to send the 2-member delegation for explaining its scenario. It was already evident that the suspension was in the line because of the development in run-up to these elections. After sending various letters to IOA, ask- ing it to follow the Olympic Char- ter, IOC warned for the first time regarding suspension on 23 No- vember 2012. Then it gave the sec- ond warning of suspension to IOA on 28 November 2012. It is worth noticing that the decision of IOC was welcomed by several former as well as current sportspersons. They believed that suspension was an opportunity of cleaning the hassles in IOA. IOA ban from Olympic would result in conse- quences such as: No funding from IOC No officials from India would be invited by IOC to any events such as Paralympics and Olympics No India athlete would be al- lowed competing under Indias flag; but could be per- mitted competing under IOC flag Commonwealth Games Fed- eration as well as The Olym- pic Council of Asia might also go with the trend which would lead to similar sanctions in case of Commonwealth Games as well as the Asian games Golf World Challenge Golf World Challenge Golf World Challenge Golf World Challenge Golf World Challenge Graeme McDowell of North- ern Ireland ended his two-year wait of winning the tournament on 2 December 2012 with his three- shot victory in World Challenge which was hosted by Tiger Woods. McDowell had last won in 2010 season in which he captured the victory in US Open but since then, he hasnt won anywhere. For the 72-hole total out of 17-under 271, McDowell carded four-under par 68 in his fi- nal round. He received a three- stroke triumph over Keegan Brad- ley. Bradley, in the meanwhile posted 69 for 274. Bradley had won PGA Championship in 2011. After he took the 54-hole lead on 1 December 2012, McDowell accepted that though this tournament was not a part of the tour but it would definitely help him check the mixed season in which he tied the match for sec- ond at US Open and also tie for the fifth in British Open. Another player, Bo Van Pelt carded 70 ac- quiring the individual ownership of third place on 278. The host, Tiger Woods, on the other hand carded one-under 71 on the courses of Sherwood Country Club for the fourth place on 279. Rickie Fowler (69) and Jim Furyk (70) joined him as well. Kobe Bryant Became Youngest Kobe Bryant Became Youngest Kobe Bryant Became Youngest Kobe Bryant Became Youngest Kobe Bryant Became Youngest Player to Reach 30000 Career Player to Reach 30000 Career Player to Reach 30000 Career Player to Reach 30000 Career Player to Reach 30000 Career Points Points Points Points Points Kobe Bryant, 34, achieved the title of youngest ever player to reach the milestone of 30000 ca- reer points in NBA (basketball) on 5 December 2012. He achieved the milestone when he took Los Angeles Lakers towards the 103- 87 victory over New Orleans Homets. In the second quarter, only 1:16 time was left and within that time period, Bryant took his jump shot, taking his career points to 30001. With that accomplish- ment, Kobe Bryant joined the elite list of just 5 more players to reach that milestone in the history of UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 77 77 77 77 77 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe NBA. Other four of this elite seg- ment are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38387 points), Karl Malone (36928 points), Michael Jordan (32292) and Wilt Chamberlain (31419). He is the youngest player in NBA history to reach this land- mark at the age of 34 years. Cham- berlain was aged 35 when he achieved this milestone; Malone and Abdul-Jabbar were 36 years of age while Jordan on the other hand was 38 years old to achieve this landmark. Bryant however was the fifth-fastest NBA player in context to the games played for reaching this milestone. He achieved this milestone in 1179th match. Chamberlain on the other hand achieved it in 941 games only. Ex| #r qoIqh#dw=#kwws=22z z z 1xsvf sr uwdo1f r p 2f IyIovhuyIf hv2er r nv KALINJAR PUBLICATIONS http://www.flipkart.com http://upscportal.com/civilservices/books UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 78 78 78 78 78 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe AWARDS & PRIZES AWARDS & PRIZES AWARDS & PRIZES AWARDS & PRIZES AWARDS & PRIZES Sahitya Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi Award Jeet Thayil - nominated to Booker Prize 2012, Subrata Mukhopadhyay - the Bengali nov- elist, K Satchidanandan - the Malayalam poet and HS Shivaprakash - the noted Kannada writer are among the 24 authors, who were chosen for the Presti- gious Sahitya Akademi Awards 2012 on 20 December 2012 by the Sahitya Akademi - Indias National Academy for Letters. Six short stories, twelve books of poetry, four novels along with an autobi- ography and criticism have been chosen for being awarded. The works were chosen after the rec- ommendation of the Jury mem- bers who represented from 24 In- dian languages and then the Ex- ecutive Board of the Akademi ap- proved the selected candidates for the award to be presented this year. The nominations were done in the chairmanship of Dr. Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, who also is the acting President of the Sahitya Akademi. Jeet Thayil was chosen and awarded for his po- etry collection in English - These Errors are Correct. Marannu Vecha Vasthukal the poetic creation of Satchidanandan helped him to be nominated for the award whereas the Novel Birasan helped Subrata Mukhopadyay in winning the nomination for the award. About Sahitya Akademi Award Sahitya Akademi Award the literary honour in India is annually conferred to the writers for their outstanding works in the field of literature by Sahitya Akademi, the National Academy of Letters in India. The award is conferred for the works done in 24 major lan- guages of India including English as quoted in Sahitya Akademi. The Sahitya Akademi Award had been into existence since the year of its inception in 1954 and was con- ferred for the first time for merito- rious literature published in India in the year 1955. Since day of in- ception the prize amount of the Sahitya Akademi has been changed constantly and it fol- lowed like 5000 rupees since in- ception which was enhanced to 10000 rupees from 1983, 25000 rupees from 1988, 40000 from 2001 rupees, 50000 rupees from 2003 and is now 100000 rupees from 2009. 2011 Jnanpith Award 2011 Jnanpith Award 2011 Jnanpith Award 2011 Jnanpith Award 2011 Jnanpith Award Renowned Oriya novelist, UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 79 79 79 79 79 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Pratibha Ray on 27 December 2012 selected for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2011 for her contribution to the field of Indian literature. Pratibha Ray is the first Oriya woman and fourth Oriya writer to get the coveted award. Earlier Gopinath Mohanty (1973), Sachidananda Routray (1986) and Sitakant Mohapatra (1993) were conferred the honour. The award carries a cash prize of 7 lakh rupees, a citation and a bronze statuette of Godess Saraswati. About Pratibha Ray Pratibha Ray was born in Alabol, a village in Jagatsingpur district of Odisha. Rays literary journey started at nine, she received recognition as a writer with her first novel Barsa Basanta Baishakha in 1974 followed by Aranya, 1977, Nishidha Pri thi vi , 1978, Pari chya, 1979, Aparichita, 1979 (a film was made and won Best Film- Story award from the state gover nment ) , Punyat oya, 1979, Meghamedura, 1980, Ashabari, 1 9 8 0 , A y a m a r a m b h a , 1 9 8 1 , N i l a t r i s h n a , 1981, Samudrara Swara, 1982. Rays Shilapadma in 1983 won her the Orissa Sahitya Acad- emy Award, 1985, while Yajnaseni (1984) got her the Moorti Devi Award in 1991 and Sarala Award in 1990. Ray has 20 novels, 24 short sto- ries, 10 travelogues, two po- etry collections and a number of essays to her credit. Rays writings have been trans- lated into English, other for- eign languages as also a num- ber of other Indian languages. Other renowned works of the eminent writer include Yjnaseni (1985), which won Jnanpith Trusts Moorti Devi Award in 1991, Mahamoh (1997), Shilapadma (1983), Uttarmarg (1988), Magnamari (2003), among others. She described Odishas first Jnanpith awardee (1973) Gopinath Mohanty as her role model and favourite among Oriya novelists. Pratibha Ray is one of the most widely read Oriya novelists and short story writers. Her nov- els and stories are deeply and per- suasively grounded in the great tra- dition of story-telling. Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Awards Awards Awards Awards Awards The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the Na- tional Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi on 21 De- cember 2012 in a meet elected and declared N. Rajam, T.H. Vinayakram and Ratan Thiyam as the three eminent personalities in the field of Arts, as Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna). This fellowship is the rare and most prestigious honour, re- stricted to a limited number of people at a given pint of time. At present, there exist only 40 fellows of the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Thirty Six persons from field of Music, Theater, Puppetry and Dance were also elected by the General Council of the Akademi for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) 2012. Nine eminent art- ists are from the field of Music and they are Mysore M. Nagaraja, (Vio- lin) and K.V. Prasad (Mridangam) for Carnatic Instrumental Music, Sabir Khan (Tabla) and Bahauddin Dagar (Rudra Veena) for Hindustani Instrumental Music, O.S. Thyagarajan for Carnatic Vo- cal Music, Rajashekhar Mansur and Ajay Pohankar for Hindustani Vo- cal Music, Illayaraja for Creative and Experimental Music and Bhai Balbir Singh Ragi (Gurbani) for other major traditions of music. Nine Artists were also se- lected for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards in the field of Dance and they are Vijay Shankar (Kathak), Priyadarsini Govind (Bharatanatyam), Vedantam Ramalinga Sastry (Kuchipudi), Painkulam Damodara Chakyar (Kutiyattam), Vazhengada Vijayan (Kathakali),Sharmila Biswas (Odissi), Jai Narayan Samal (Chhau), Jwala Prasad (Music for Dance) and Aditi Mangaldas (Cre- ative & Experimental Dance). Eight artists from the Theatre world were also selected for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2012 namely Tripurari Sharma and Waman Kendre for Direction, Arjun Deo Charan for Playwriting, Parvesh Sethi, Murari Roychoudhury for Theatre Music, Nirmal Rishi and Purisai Kannappa Sambandan for Acting and Ghulam Rasool Bhagat for Major Traditions of Theatre (Bhand Pather). Eight more artists were se- lected for making the contribu- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 80 80 80 80 80 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe tions in other folk/traditional/ dance/tribal music/ theatre and puppetry for the Akademi Awards and their names are Goru Channabasappa for Folk Music (Karnataka), Kinaram Nath Oja for Suknani Ojapali (Assam), Prem Singh Dehati for Folk Theatre (Haryana), Sulochana Chavan for Lavani (Maharashtra), Mattannur Sankaran Kutty Marar for Thayambaka (Kerala), Govind Ram Nirmalkar for Nacha (Chhattisgarh), Heera Das Negi for Mask Making (Himachal Pradesh) and Prafulla Karmakar for Tradi- tional Puppetry (West Bengal). Nandini Ramani and Arun Kakade would be awarded with the Akademi Award 2012 for their Overall Contribution/Scholarship in Performing Arts. Akademi Award Akademi Award Akademi Award Akademi Award Akademi Award The Akademi Award has been conferred on people since 1952 and the Akademi Fellow honour has been conferred since 1954. The honour and the award is the symbol of highest standards of excellence and achievements on national level and also recognises sustained work of the individual and his/her contribution to the practice and appreciation of arts via scholarship, teaching and performance. Akademi Fel- lowship carries a prize amount of three lakh rupees and the Akademi Awards carry a prize amount of one lakh rupees, besides Tamrapatra and Angavastram. Grammy Lifetime Achievement Grammy Lifetime Achievement Grammy Lifetime Achievement Grammy Lifetime Achievement Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 2013 Award 2013 Award 2013 Award 2013 Award 2013 Organisers of the Recording Academy announced on 13 De- cember 2012 that Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro would be honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. Pandit Ravi Shankar would become first In- dian to receive the prestigious award. The award would be pre- sented at 55th Grammy Awards ceremony on 10 February 2013 in Los Angeles. Pandit Ravi Shankar is a three-time Grammy Award win- ner. Pandit Ravi Shankar, 92 had passed away on 11 December 2012 after heart-valve replacement surgery in California. The organisers had decided to honour Pandit Ravi Shankar before his dis- missal and he was also notified about this personally. Ravi Shankar is said to be a pioneer for introducing Indian music to West- ern world. The most well-known Sitar player of not just India, but the world, he is also said to be ambassador of the international music. For the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Shankars The Living Room Sessions Part 1, which was released in April, has been nominated for the category of Best World Music Album. It is impor- tant to note here that his daughter Anoushka Shankar has also been nominated in this category for the albumTraveller. Shankar per- formed for the last time on 4 No- vember 2012 in California with his daughter Anoushka Shankar. Apart from Pandit Ravi Shankar, others who would be receiving the life- time achievement Grammy award are Temptations, Carole King, Patti Page, Lightnin Hopkins, Glenn Gould and Charlie Haden. Other honours received by Other honours received by Other honours received by Other honours received by Other honours received by Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Apart from being three times Grammy Award winner, Ravi Shankar has also been honoured with over 14 honourary doctorates from across the world. He was honoured with Bharat Ratna, the highest honour of India. Other honours include Polar Music Prize from Sweden which is also referred as the Nobel Prize for Music, Praemium Imperiale from Ja- pan, Commandeur de la Le- gion dHonneur, which is the highest French civilian award, Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire awarded by Queen Elizabeth. National Tourism Awards National Tourism Awards National Tourism Awards National Tourism Awards National Tourism Awards Life of Pi was given two Na- tional Tourism Awards by the Min- istry of Tourism, Government of India on 8 December 2012 recog- nizing the impact it has had in pro- moting India as a tourism destina- tion, especially Puducherry and Munnar (Kerala). These Awards will be given to Ang Lee, Director of the film Life of Pi and Yann Martel, writer of the book of the same name. The Ministry of Tour- ism identified Film Tourism as a Niche Tourism product. It has re- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 81 81 81 81 81 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe quested the State Governments and Union Territory Administra- tions to recognize the potential of Film Tourism and constitute spe- cial bodies/cells to facilitate film- ing in their respective States/Union Territories. In February 2012 the Ministry of Tourism signed a MoU with Ministry of Information & Broadcasting as a major initiative to promote the Incredible India campaign and Cinemas of India as a sub brand of Incredible India at various international film festivals and markets abroad. The MoU is expected to en- hance the reach of Incredible In- dia through the Medium of Cin- ema, develop synergy between tourism and film industry and pro- vide a platform for enabling part- nerships between the Indian and global film industry. The MoU also provided an impetus to frame poli- cies and guidelines for facilitating shooting of International films in India and promote India as a film- ing destination, both for interna- tional and domestic film produc- ers. Another key objective of the MoU is to initiate dialogue with State Governments and UTs for development of locations for film shootings. As per the MoU, the Ministry of Tourism would provide budgetary support for identified film festivals, markets and events. The Ministry would facilitate pub- licity through the available content based on existing audio visual material and print designs. The joint participation of the two Min- istries would cover the Cannes Film Festival and Market, IFFI Goa including the Film Festival and Film Bazaar and European Film Market at Berlin. Bharat Muni Samman Bharat Muni Samman Bharat Muni Samman Bharat Muni Samman Bharat Muni Samman Famous Bollywood actress and Bharatanatyam exponent Hema Malini had been selected for the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman of year 2012 for her out- standing contribution to the field of art and culture. Bharat Muni Samman is named after the author of Natyashastra Bharat Muni and has been instituted by Bhubaneswar-based organisation Kalingayana Touryatrikam. The award is going to be pre- sented to Hema Malini on 18 De- cember 2012 for her outstanding contribution towards promotion of Indian arts and entertainment which is also marked by the con- cluding day of the three-day Bharat Muni Festival scheduled to be held in Bhubaneshwar. Hema Malini is 64 years old and she would be the fifth recipient of the award. The earlier recipients are Thankamani Kutty, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit Jasraj and Ratan Thiyam. Hema Malini was also awarded with Padma Shri, Indias fourth highest civilian award in year 2000. Aryabhatta Award by the ASI Aryabhatta Award by the ASI Aryabhatta Award by the ASI Aryabhatta Award by the ASI Aryabhatta Award by the ASI The Astronautical Society of India (ASI) in the last week of De- cember 2012 announced names of former secretary of the Depart- ment of Ocean Development, Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam and Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister for prestigious Aryabhatta Award for the year 2010 and 2011 respectively. The two have been selected for the achievement in rocketry. Dr. G. Satheesh Reddy an associate Di- rector of Research Centre Imarat Hyderabad and P. Kunhikrishnan of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Cen- tre, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Thiruvananthapuram would re- ceive ASI Awards for rocket and rocket related technologies for the year 2010 and 2011 respectively. Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam Served as a director for the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO He served the Department of Atomic Energy as head of a committee to look into safety issues related to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tamil Nadu in 2011 Dr. V.K. Saraswat Dr. V.K. Saraswat Dr. V.K. Saraswat Dr. V.K. Saraswat Dr. V.K. Saraswat Director-general of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and was an architect for the intercep- tor missile Agni and Prithvi programme G. Satheesh Reddy G. Satheesh Reddy G. Satheesh Reddy G. Satheesh Reddy G. Satheesh Reddy He is a specialist in navigation system and is the person who developed Avionics, with ring laser gyroscope based naviga- tion system as well as the fi- bre-optic gyroscope-based inertial navigation system P. Kunhikrishnan P. Kunhikrishnan P. Kunhikrishnan P. Kunhikrishnan P. Kunhikrishnan He has served as a Mission Di- rector for different Polar Sat- ellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 82 82 82 82 82 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Tagore Peace Prize Tagore Peace Prize Tagore Peace Prize Tagore Peace Prize Tagore Peace Prize Emirati poet and translator Shihab Ghanem became the first Emirati and Arab to win the Tagore Peace Prize. Tagore Peace Prize is instituted by the In- dian government to commemo- rate the birth anniversary of Indias poet, philosopher and Nobel Lau- reate Rabindranath Tagore. Shihab Ghanem is officially go- ing to receive the Tagore award by the Asiatic society in a ceremony to be held in Kolkata on 6 May 2012. Ghanem was awarded the accolade in recognition of his cre- ative literary and translation works, both in Arabic and English, and for promoting human understanding and values of love and peace Tagore had advocated. The award is given to one person every two years. Ghanem was chosen due to the promotion of the human val- ues of love and peace via his po- etic works. Ghanem had written 31 Arabic poems and 36 English poems and had published 45 books mainly in Arabic verse. Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Shihab Ghanem Shihab Ghanem Shihab Ghanem Shihab Ghanem Shihab Ghanem Rashid Award for Scientific Excellence in 1989 1st prize for poetry in the UAE in 1984 Book prize from the Ruler of Sharjah for poetry translation in 2003 and 2007. Best Administrator in India Best Administrator in India Best Administrator in India Best Administrator in India Best Administrator in India Award Award Award Award Award Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on 20 December 2012 awarded with the Best Ad- ministrator in India Award insti- tuted by K. Karunakaran Founda- tion. The award was presented to him by Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari. The award is given to him for his role in evolving indian economy as Finance Minister in the late 1990s when he presented what was widely called a dream budget which gave a road map for economic reforms in India and lowered income and corporate tax rates. After the consequences of the horrific Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, the tenure as Home Min- ister of P. Chidambaram was marked by his constant efforts at streamlining and modernizing na- tional security apparatus of the nation which did provide a sense of security and calm to a trauma- tized and angry population. As a Minister in the Union Government, P. Chidambaram had held the important portfolios like Finance, Home and Commerce. He has won admiration for his vi- sion, articulation, diligence and determination. P. Chidambaram is second recipient of the Best Administra- tor in India Award. Earlier in year 2011 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the Best Admin- istrator in India Award 2011 of the K Karunakaran Foundation to former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on 21 December 2011. The award carries a purse of 1 lakh rupees, citation and a memento. Nobel Peace Prize 2012 Nobel Peace Prize 2012 Nobel Peace Prize 2012 Nobel Peace Prize 2012 Nobel Peace Prize 2012 The Nobel Peace Prize 2012 was awarded to the European Union (EU) leaders on 10 Decem- ber 2012 at Oslo, Norway. The award was given to the European Union leaders for the efforts in promotion of peace as well as hu- man rights. The award was given despite criticisms from some. Around 20 European government leaders which included French President Francois Hollande, Ger- man Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as the Italian Premier Mario Monti, attended this ceremony in Oslo, the capital city of Norway. It is important to note that Norway, which is a country rich in oil, has rejected joining EU twice. Thorbjorn Jagland, the head of Nobel Committee hailed EU on the grounds that it brought peace after years of war. The Nobel di- plomas as well as medals were handed over to EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU Parliament Martin Schulz as well as EU Coun- cil President Herman Van Rompuy at a ceremony initially at the City UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 83 83 83 83 83 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Hall of Oslo. The ceremony was attended by international dignitar- ies, heads of state as well as roy- alty. The prize came this year de- spite protests. Protests are being organised because of the debt cri- sis being faced by countries which use Euro currency. This has trig- gered tensions in union, leading to soaring unemployment. EU insti- tutions as well as the member countries were criticised for their slow reactions to this crisis which kept going for 3 years. Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Peace Prize Nobel Peace Prize is awarded on 10 December always in Oslo. 10 December is the anni- versary of Alfred Nobels death which happened back in 1896. Ceremonies like these were also held in Swedish capital for Nobel laureates in literature, physics, chemistry and medicine. Order of Canada Award Order of Canada Award Order of Canada Award Order of Canada Award Order of Canada Award Venkatesh Mannar a Channai- born Scientist of Indian Origin and President, Micronutrient Initiative, Canada was awarded with Canadas Highest Civilian Award the Order of Canada in the last week of December 2012. Mannar, a Graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and a post graduate in chemical engineering from Northwestern University, US, was honoured with the award for his forty years long contribution working towards reduction of de- bilitating micronutrient deficien- cies among the worlds most vul- nerable. Micronutrient Initiative Micronutrient Initiative Micronutrient Initiative Micronutrient Initiative Micronutrient Initiative The not-for-profit organiza- tion, Micronutrient Initiative is dedicated towards ensuring the worlds most vulnerable, the chil- dren and the women mainly in the developing countries get a proper amount of minerals and vitamins (supplements) that they require for survival and it tries to thrive the same through food fortification programme. The organization works for identifying, develop- ment, implementation and moni- toring the cost effective solutions for hidden hunger. The Support offered by Canada to the organi- zation allows it to improve lives of more than 500 million people in 70 different countries, annually. All this is being done through dif- ferent programs of the organiza- tion and they are child health, child survival, growth and devel- opment, and womens and new- born survival and health pro- grams. About Order of Canada Award About Order of Canada Award About Order of Canada Award About Order of Canada Award About Order of Canada Award The Order of Canada insti- tuted by Queen Elizabeth II in the year 1967 is a Canadian National Order and is the second highest honour of merit in the Country. It is placed next to Order of Merit. The order is given to people with lifetime outstanding achievements and their dedication towards the community and service to the na- tion and people in Canadian Soci- ety in all the sectors. Queens 2013 New Year Queens 2013 New Year Queens 2013 New Year Queens 2013 New Year Queens 2013 New Year Honours Honours Honours Honours Honours Londons Olympic champi- ons on 29 December 2012 had been generously rewarded for their exploits in a special New Year Honours list, with Bradley Wiggins and Ben Ainslie receiving knighthoods. Bradley Wiggins with his his- toric Tour de France triumph is the first British cyclist to be awarded with the honors. He had won a fourth Olympic gold medal and first on the road. On the other hand Ben Ainslie became the most suc- cessful Olympic sailor of all time with his fourth successive gold. Along with Bradley Wiggins and Ben Ainslie, inspiring British Cy- cling performance director Dave Brailsford is also knighted as he once again masterminded a stun- ning medal haul as well as leading Team Sky to a one-two in the Tour de France. The fourth knighthood went to David Tanner, the perfor- mance director for British Rowing, who also overseen a record medal pull as Britains rowers won four golds and nine medals in all. Four Olympic stars are made CBEs, in- cluding the king and queen of Brit- ish athletics, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis, after they lit up the Olym- pic Stadium. London was the a fi- nal performance or effort for cy- clist Victoria Pendleton, who added a second Olympic gold and is made a CBE after playing a trailblazing role for women sprint- ers on the track. Rower Katherine Grainger receives the same honour in the year she finally made it gold with Anna Watkins in the UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 84 84 84 84 84 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe double sculls following three suc- cessive silvers. Three of Britains double gold medallists have been awarded OBEs - dressage star Charlotte Dujardin and cycling couple Jason Kenny and Laura Trott - along with tennis Andy Murray, who was both a gold med- allist and a grand slam winner in 2012. Long jumper Greg Ruther- ford, another gold medal winner in the Olympic Stadium on that Super Saturday, has been given an MBE. Also honoured with MBEs are 51-year-old three-day eventer Mary King, who won team silver in London, and gymnast Louis Smith, now a three-time Olympic medalist. About New Year Honour About New Year Honour About New Year Honour About New Year Honour About New Year Honour The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, where New Years Day, 1 January, is marked by naming new mem- bers of orders of chivalry and re- cipients of other official honours. A number of other Common- wealth Realms also mark this day in this way. The awards are pre- sented by or in the name of the reigning monarch British honours are published in supplements to the London Gazette. Honours have been awarded at New Year since at least 1890, in which year a list of Queen Victorias awards was published by the London Gazette on 2 January. Web Ratna Award-2012 Web Ratna Award-2012 Web Ratna Award-2012 Web Ratna Award-2012 Web Ratna Award-2012 Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) was conferred the prestigious Web Ratna 2012, Golden Icon Award for Innovative use of Technology. The DAVP Website (http:/ davp.nic.in/) has enabled a com- plete change from the manual mode to the online mode where the media plans are made and re- leased for the end users. The website with several user friendly features is the only advertising agency in the country which re- leases its designs, Release orders, payments online. The DAVP website has added a great deal of transparency to the entire system in its billing as well as other pro- cedures which have not only helped the organisation but also its stakeholders. DAVP also keeps as much information as possible on the website for public scrutiny and information. The entire chain has contributed a great deal of ef- ficiency to the DAVPs operation and vastly improved the satisfac- tion levels of the client ministries as well as newspapers, channels and other agencies. The Project was headed by A P Frank Noronha, DG, DAVP. The Web Ratna Awards The Web Ratna Awards The Web Ratna Awards The Web Ratna Awards The Web Ratna Awards The Web Ratna awards, con- stituted by the Ministry of Commu- nication and Information Technol- ogy, acknowledges exemplary ini- tiatives/practices in the realm of e- governance. In order to promote more innovative e-governance ini- tiatives, the Web Ratna Awards have been instituted under the ambit of the National Portal of In- dia. Nominees for Padma Awards Nominees for Padma Awards Nominees for Padma Awards Nominees for Padma Awards Nominees for Padma Awards High-level committee met on 26 December 2012 to shortlist the nominees of prestigious Padma awards. Rajesh Khanna, singer Kailash Kher as well as director of much-acclaimed movie Sholay, Ramesh Sippy might be honoured with the prestigious awards on 26 January 2013. Rajesh Khanna, who died on 18 July 2012, was shortlisted for highest category of Padma awards- Padma Vibhushan. Ramesh Sippy and Kailesh Kher were shortlisted for the award of Padma Shri. The high-level com- mittee that shortlisted the nomi- nees of the award included cabi- net secretary Ajit Seth, home sec- retary R K Singh, scientist Anil Kakodkar, principal secretary to the PM Pulok Chatterjee as well as actor Ratna Pathak Shah. Awardees names would be de- clared on 25 January 2013 after PM Manmohan Singhs approval. Rajesh Khanna, Kailash Kher and Ramesh Sippy were shortlisted after recommendations from the Ministry of Information and Broad- casting. Usually, the Padma awards are not conferred after the death of an individual, but Rajesh Khanna was considered by the Government as highly deserving candidate for Padma Vibhushan. This would make an exception to the Padma awards. Similar excep- tions were made earlier when singer and music director Bhupen Hazarika was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2012. It is quite ironical that Rajesh Khannna had never received Padma award dur- ing his lifetime, while a lot of his colleagues had achieved the honour in various years. Brand Laureate Legendary Brand Laureate Legendary Brand Laureate Legendary Brand Laureate Legendary Brand Laureate Legendary Award Award Award Award Award 47 Years old Bollywood Ac- tor Shah Rukh Khan on 13 Decem- ber 2012 awarded with the presti- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 85 85 85 85 85 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe gious BrandLaureate Legendary Award in Malaysia. The award was given by the Malaysia-based Asia Pacific Brands Foundation for his contributions to the Bollywood film industry and as Indias fore- most brand ambassador. The BrandLaureate Legend- ary Award had been earlier given to well known personality like those to Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate recipient Mohammad Yunus, Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Michael Schumacher and more. Earlier in 2008 Shah Rukh was conferred with the prestigious Malaysian title of Datuk by the governor of Malaysias southern state of Malacca for promoting tourism through his movies in that region. Malaysian title of Datuk is equivalent of the British Knight- hood, the highest awards given to an individual in the UK. Shah Rukh Khan went to Malaysia to attend Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohammads birth- day. The BrandLaureate award is the sobriquet for the APBF Brand Excellence Awards. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 86 86 86 86 86 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe IN THE NEWS IN THE NEWS IN THE NEWS IN THE NEWS IN THE NEWS APPOINTED Narendra Modi Narendra Modi Narendra Modi Narendra Modi Narendra Modi Narendra Modi on 26 De- cember 2012 was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the fourth consecutive term. Governor Kamla Beniwal administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at Sardar Patel Stadium at Ahmedabad. Seven cabinet Min- isters and nine Ministers of State also took oath. Narendra Mdoi was sworn-in as the Chief Minis- ter of Gujrat for the first time on 7 October 2001. He was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujrat for the second time on 22 December 2002. He was born in September 1950 at Vadnagar, a small town in Mehsana district of North Gujarat. Virbhadra Singh Virbhadra Singh Virbhadra Singh Virbhadra Singh Virbhadra Singh Former Union Minister of In- dia and Veteran Congress leader Virbhadra Singh on 25 December 2012 was sworn-in as Chief Minis- ter of Himachal for a record sixth term in Shimla. 78 years old Virbhadra Singh was administered the oath of office by Governor of Himachal Pradesh Urmila Singh. Oath of office and secrecy to the chief parliamentary secretaries was administered by the Chief Minister. Besides Virbhadra Singh, nine Cabinet members and three chief Parliamentary secretaries were also sworn-in. Virbhadra Singh is often referred to as the Raja of Rampur because his ances- tors were royalty. He had served five terms as chief minister of Himachal Pradesh between 1983 and 2007. In his five-decade po- litical career, he has been an MLA seven times and a parliamentarian five times. Ranjit Sinha Ranjit Sinha Ranjit Sinha Ranjit Sinha Ranjit Sinha Ranjit Sinha, IPS officer of 1974-batch Bihar cadre on 3 De- cember 2012 acquired the office UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 87 87 87 87 87 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe as new CBI director. Ranjit Sinha, 59, who was holding the designa- tion of director general Indo-Ti- betan Border Police, succeeded A.P. Singh who retired from the CBI office on 30 November 2012. Sinha will have two-year duration as the CBI director. He had served in CBI agency initially as the DIG and joint director as well. Sinha accepted that there were chal- lenges which the agency needed to face and these included lack of proper manpower, Letters Roga- tory execution delays as well as delays in the forensic field. Dur- ing his tenure, he would try solv- ing and addressing these issues. Sinha accepted the prestigious designation with a greater sense of responsibility. He believed that the faith in CBI would be strength- ened under his guidance and su- pervision. Vinod Rai Vinod Rai Vinod Rai Vinod Rai Vinod Rai United Nations gave Vinod Rai, the comptroller and auditor general of India a second term as the designation of chairman of UN Panel of External Auditors for 2013. CAG of the UK, Amyas Morse was re-elected as the vice- chairman. Panel of the United Nations is the deciding body of the course as well as subject of audit of the different UN organisations which also include International Atomic Energy Agency. The UN Panel of External Auditors for 2013 includes apex auditors of various countries such as Switzerland, Tanzaniam, Canada, China, India, Italy, Philippines, UK, France and Pakistan as the members. Role of UN Panel of External Role of UN Panel of External Role of UN Panel of External Role of UN Panel of External Role of UN Panel of External Auditors Auditors Auditors Auditors Auditors The UN Panel of External Auditors has a crucial role to play in promotion of accountability as well as strengthening of the gov- ernance mechanisms in various organisations of UN. The Secretary General of UN, Ban-ki-Moon ap- preciated this panel of the audi- tors which was headed by Vinod Rai. In the meeting held on 11 December 2012, the panel of au- ditors at UN headquarters in New York held discussions about the business transformations which were at present underway in United Nations with secretary gen- eral. Composition of UN Panel of Composition of UN Panel of Composition of UN Panel of Composition of UN Panel of Composition of UN Panel of External Auditors External Auditors External Auditors External Auditors External Auditors UN Panel of External Audi- tors comprises of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) which are al- ways engaged in auditing the United Nations as well as the specialised agencies and Interna- tional Atomic Energy Agency. Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe, the conservative leader of Japan was elected as the prime minister of the country by lower house of the Parliament called the House of Representa- tives, on 26 December 2012. Shinzo Abe took oath to rebuild Japanese economy as well as mend the coalition with US. The lower house of the parliament in Japan, which is said to be very powerful, picked 58-year old Shinzo Abe as the new leader of the country. All this came after the loud victory of Liberal Democratic Party which is headed by Abe, in national election earlier in Decem- ber 2012. The Liberal Democratic Party had won over Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). The lawmak- ers in Japan voted in favour of Abe by 328 votes. Opponent Banri Kaieda, the newly chosen leader of DPJ received merely 57 votes. The cabinet of Yoshihiko Noda resigned as a whole before LDP-powered lower house of the Parliament named Abe as the next Prime Minister. Abe had initially served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007. Kamal Nath Kamal Nath Kamal Nath Kamal Nath Kamal Nath Prime Ministers Office on 26 December 2012 re-constituted the Planning Commission and ap- pointed the Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development Minister - Kamal Nath as its new ex-officio member, replacing Jairam Ramesh. The decision was taken with the view to lay down govern- ment emphasis on the Urban De- velopment and schemes like MNREGA, already in existence for rural development. The other ex- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 88 88 88 88 88 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe officio members of the Commis- sion are Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Agriculture Minis- ter Sharad Pawar, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Health Min- ister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chemi- cals and Fertilisers Minister M K Alagiri, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, Law Minister. Justice Swatanter Kumar Justice Swatanter Kumar Justice Swatanter Kumar Justice Swatanter Kumar Justice Swatanter Kumar Justice Swatanter Kumar in the fourth week of December 2012 took over as the Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) - the apex body constituted under The National Green Tribunal Act 2010. He would look forward to the issues related to the cases of environmental protection and conversation of forests and the natural resources. Justice Kumar is the first Judge of Supreme Court of India to preside over the Tribunal that never had a full-time Chairperson for itself. He would be retiring from the Supreme Court on 30 December 2012. A retired judge of Madras High Court - Justice P. Jyothimani took his charge as the judicial member of the NGT on 24 December 2012. Parthasarathi Shome Parthasarathi Shome Parthasarathi Shome Parthasarathi Shome Parthasarathi Shome The Union government of In- dia appointed Parthasarathi Shome, the tax expert, as the ad- viser to finance minister P Chidambaram. Shome was ap- pointed with a rank of minister of state and this also indicated his comeback to the Secretariat build- ing after almost 5 years. Shome was also the adviser to P Chidambaram during the UPA-I. He was the working brain behind fringe benefit tax as well as bank- ing cash transaction tax on the withdrawals of the cash. These tax policies were aimed towards keeping a check on black money which was a subject of sharp criti- cisms apart from the securities transaction tax. For past few months, he was also associated with acquiring back the investor confidence. He was the head of committee on General Anti-Avoid- ance Rules (GAAR) as well as ret- rospective amendments, the con- troversial legislative idea which was taken by Pranab Mukherjee in previous budget session. Naina Lal Kidwai Naina Lal Kidwai Naina Lal Kidwai Naina Lal Kidwai Naina Lal Kidwai Naina Lal Kidwai on 15 De- cember 2012 took over as Presi- dent of FICCI, becoming the first woman to head the leading indus- try body. Kidwai, is the first woman and professional manager to be elected as President of the chamber. She is 55 years old. Digjam Ltd,Sidharth Birla was elected as Senior Vice-President of FICCI. Kidwai succeeds R V Kanoria of Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Ltd. Chairman of Xpro India Ltd. Naina Lal Kidwai on 15 December 2012 took over as President of FICCI (Federation of Indian Cham- bers of Commerce and Industry), becoming the first woman to head the leading industry body. Kidwai, is the first woman and professional manager to be elected as Presi- dent of the chamber. She is 55 years old. Chairman of Digjam Ltd, Sidharth Birla was elected as Senior Vice-President of FICCI. Kidwai succeeded R V Kanoria of Kanoria Chemicals & Industries Ltd. Chairman of Xpro India Ltd. Naina Lal Kidwai is the Country head of HSBC India and Director of HSBC Asia Pacific. Patrick Suckling Patrick Suckling Patrick Suckling Patrick Suckling Patrick Suckling Career diplomat Patrick Suckling on 30 December 2012 had been appointed as Australias next High Commissioner to India. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 89 89 89 89 89 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Patrick Suckling who is a career diplomat and had been previously posted to New Delhi and Wash- ington is going to take up the po- sition in New Delhi in January 2013. The appointment of Patrick Suckling was announced by For- eign Minister Bob Carr who as- serted that the role was important because India is Australias fourth largest export market, with trade between the two countries reach- ing 18-billion dollars a year. Suck- ling is replacing Peter Varghese, who is returning to Australia to head the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Suckling holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Hindi from the University of Sydney and as a career diplomat had an exper- tise in policy development, pub- lic diplomacy and consular ser- vice. Patrick Suckling was adviser to Foreign Minister D MS Sahoo MS Sahoo MS Sahoo MS Sahoo MS Sahoo MS Sahoo, the former mem- ber of SEBI (Securities and Ex- change Board of India) on 27 De- cember 2012 had been appointed secretary of the Institute of Com- pany Secretaries. The appoint- ment of MS Sahoo is going to be effective from 1 January2013. MS Sahoo had over three de- cades of rich work experience in self-employment, private sector, public sector, regula- tor and government in varied functional areas such as re- forms, policy, regulations, re- search and analysis. Before joining the ICSI, he was an eminent legal practitioner in the field of securities laws. He was a Whole Time Member of the Securities and Ex- change Board of India (SEBI) during 2008-11. M S Sahoo was instrumental in development of human re- source capacity in securities mar- kets through various interventions such as NSEs Certification in Fi- nancial Markets (NCFM), National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) and a number of reputed publications. He has served / serves as a member on several expert committees / boards and professional groups. Praful Patel Praful Patel Praful Patel Praful Patel Praful Patel Praful Patel on 20 December 2012 was re-elected as the Presi- dent of All India Football Federa- tion (AIFF) during the annual gen- eral body meet that was held at Football House at New Delhi. This would be the second term for him as the President of All India Foot- ball Federation. The election con- cluded in the presence of Radhica Sreeman-Regional Director of SAI, P. C. Makholia of SAI, Mun Si Song of Asian Football Confederation and Shaji Prabhakaran of FIFA Re- gional Developmental Officer, South and Central Asia and the members of the federation were elected unopposed to the AGM. Justice Arun kumar Mishra Justice Arun kumar Mishra Justice Arun kumar Mishra Justice Arun kumar Mishra Justice Arun kumar Mishra Justice Arun Kumar Mishra took over as the new Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on 14 De- cember 2012. Arun Kumar Mishra was earlier the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court. He was ad- ministered the oath of office by West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan. Taking over the office Justice Mishra in his address said he would strive to ensure speedy dis- posal of cases to reduce pendency and his endeavour will be to work tirelessly for the interest of com- mon men. Justice Mishra called on the Bar to ensure speedy and in- expensive justice to the people. S.A. Ibrahim S.A. Ibrahim S.A. Ibrahim S.A. Ibrahim S.A. Ibrahim The Competent Authority on 3 December 2012 approved ap- pointment of S. A. Ibrahim the IPS (MP-77) as officer on Special Duty in the Intelligence Bureau and also as the Director for Intelligence Bureau for a next two years from the date he acquires his charge or till the next order that is is further sent. His tenure to the post of Of- ficer on Special Duty in the Intelli- gence Bureau started from 1 De- cember 2012. At Present S.A. Ibrahim is serving as Special Direc- tor, Intelligence Bureau and will be taking over the charge of Director, Intelligence Bureau after vice Nehchal Sandhu will retire from his office on 31 December 2012. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 90 90 90 90 90 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe S Raman S Raman S Raman S Raman S Raman Indian Market Regulator SEBI on 28 December 2012 appointed S. Raman as Whole-time Member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Prior to this appointment, Raman, had served as Chairman and Managing Direc- tor of Canara Bank from Septem- ber 2010 to September 2012 and had also served as Executive Di- rector of Union Bank of India from October 2008 to August 2010. As per the Finance ministry Raman is going to hold the post of SEBI whole-time member for a period of five years from the day he as- sumes charge or up to 65 years of age or until further orders, which- ever is earlier. With this appoint- ment, SEBI has three wholetime members, including Prashant Sa- ran and Rajeev Kumar Agarwal. Subhash Joshi Subhash Joshi Subhash Joshi Subhash Joshi Subhash Joshi Subhash Joshi on 18 Decem- ber 2012 appointed as the new chief of Border Security Force (BSF) while. Subhash Joshi is at present is the director general of National Security Guard and he is going to lead the 1.8 lakh strong border force BSF. The post of the chief of Indian Border Force had fallen vacant on 1 December 2012 due to retirement U K Bansals, the director general of the Border Se- curity Force ( BSF). Subhash Joshi is a 1976 batch IPS officer from Uttrakhand cadre and is due to retire in February 2014. He has also served in CRPF as special director general of Police. Ajay Chadha Ajay Chadha Ajay Chadha Ajay Chadha Ajay Chadha Special secretary in home ministry Ajay Chadha appointed to head the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), appointment cleared by appointments commit- tee of cabinet. Ajay Chadha is a 1977 batch IPS officer of AGMU cadre and is going to have his ten- ure till August 2013.The post of director general of ITBP had fallen vacant after Ranjit Sinha was ap- pointed as director of CBI. Arvind Ranjan Arvind Ranjan Arvind Ranjan Arvind Ranjan Arvind Ranjan The Special director general of BSF Arvind Ranjan was ap- pointed as new director general, National Security Guard (NSG). Arvind Ranjan is a 1977 batch IPS officer of Kerala and will continue his service till April 2015. All the appointments is go- ing to be in effect from the dates these officers assume charge of their posts and till their superan- nuation or until further orders, whichever event takes place ear- lier. DEATH Tony Greig Tony Greig Tony Greig Tony Greig Tony Greig Tony Greig, 66, the former captain of England cricket team and renowned commentator passed away in Sydney on 29 De- cember 2012 following lung can- cer. Tony Greig was born in Queenstown in South Africa. He was awarded with the Best Crick- eter of the Year award in 1975. Greig had the test career of 58 matches and he scored 3599 runs while claiming 141 wickets. He played 22 ODIs and scored 269 runs while grabbing 19 wickets. Greig was diagnosed with the ailment in October 2012. Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Renowned Indian sitarist and Bharat Ratna Recipient Pandit Ravi Shankar passed away in San Diego city of California on 11 December 2012. He was 92 years old. The musician was admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla on 6 December 2012 after he complained of breathing difficul- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 91 91 91 91 91 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ties. Pandit Ravi Shankar is sur- vived by his wife Sukanya and musician daughters, sitar player Anoushka Shankar, singer Norah Jones, 3 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. Pandit Ravi Shankar was suffering from upper- respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart- valve replacement surgery on 6 December 2012. Though the sur- gery was successful, recovery proved too difficult for him. Pandit Ravi Shankar was the sitar exem- plar and was also called Indias musical ambassador who was re- sponsible for making Indian clas- sical music popular in the West. He had collaborated with several in- ternational artists including George Harri son of The Beatles which had earned him fame and adoration all over the world. In his 60 years as a musi- cian Pandit Ravi Shankar had won numerous national and interna- tional awards. Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Awards and Honours won by Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar He received the Padma Bhushan in 1967, Padma Vibhushan in 1981 and Bharat Ratna in 1999. He is also a three-time Grammy winner. He is a honourary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and is a mem- ber of the United Nations In- ternational Rostrum of com- posers. He is winner of Magsaysay award in year 1992. He received the music award of the UNESCO International Music Council in 1975. Pandit Ravi Shankar had won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury at the 1957 Berlin International Film Fes- tival for composing the music for the movie Kabuliwala. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1962 He received the Kalidas Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh for 1987 88, the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 1991, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1992, and the Polar Music Prize in 1998. A three-time Grammy award winner Pandit Ravi Shankar last performed in California on 4 No- vember 2012 along with his Daughter Anoushka Shankar. Pandit Shankar has also been nominated for the 2013 Grammys for his album The Living Room Sessions Part1 and was pitted against Anoushka in the same cat- egory. Pandit Ravi Shankar wrote a autobiography, Raga Mala, with Harrison as editor in year 1997. The autobiography was named Raga Mala: The Autobiog- raphy of Ravi Shankar. Pandit Ravi Shankars Career Pandit Ravi Shankars Career Pandit Ravi Shankars Career Pandit Ravi Shankars Career Pandit Ravi Shankars Career Born in 1920 in Varanasi to a well-off Brahmin family, Shankar left a possible career as a dancer behind to study sitar. Ravi Shankar was trained un- der Baba Allauddin Khan of the Senia Maihar gharana. Pandit Ravi Shankar had authored violin-sitar composi- tions for Yehudi Menuhin and himself, music for flute vir- tuoso Jean Pierre Rampal, music for Hosan Yamamoto, master of the Shakuhachi and Musumi Miyashita - Koto vir- tuoso, and has collaborated with Phillip Glass (Passages). Shankar also composed for ballets and films in India, Canada, Europe and the United States. The latter of which includes the films Charly,Gandhi, and the Apu Trilogy. He was also nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha in year 1986. Between the early 1950s and the mid-1960s he became the leading international emissary for Indian music, first perform- ing as a solo artist in the USSR in 1954, in Europe and North America in 1956, and Japan in 1958. He developed a characteristic sitar sound, with powerful bass notes and a serene and spiritual touch in the alap movement of a raga. He was the man responsible for incorporating many as- pects of Carnatic (south In- dian) music into the north In- dian system, especially its mathematical approach to rhythm. He also gave a new prominence to the tabla player in concert. He was appointed Director of Music at the Indian Peoples Theatre Association, and later held the same position at All India Radio (194956). He composed his first new raga in 1945 (30 more would follow) and began a prolific recording career. In 2001, Shankar was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II for his services to music. Pandit Ravi Shankar is the brother of dance exponent Uday Shankar and had also UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 92 92 92 92 92 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe scored music for Satyajit Ray s Pather Panchal i and other Bengali and Hindi mov- ies. In 2010, Shankar received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Pandit Ravi Shankar is to re- ceive a posthumous lifetime achievement Grammy award to be presented at 55th Grammy Awards ceremony on 10 February 2013 in Los Angeles becoming the first Indian to receive the presti- gious award. His daughter Anoushka Shankar was also nominated in the same category for her Deutsche Grammophon release, Traveller. Nityanand Swami Nityanand Swami Nityanand Swami Nityanand Swami Nityanand Swami The first chief minister of Uttarakhand, Nityanand Swami, passed away on 12 December 2012. He was 84 years old and belonged to the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). Nityanand Swami, served the people throughout his life, focused on developmental is- sues and built a very good rapport with the people. Nityanand Swami was born on 27 December 1927 in Haryana. He was the first chief minister of the Uttarakhand and had served from 9 November 2000 to 29 October 2001 and then resigned willingly in favor of Bhagat Singh Koshiyari when asked by the BJP leadership. Nitayanand Swamis father served in the Forest Research Institute of India where he had spent almost all of his life in Dehradun .He joined Indias freedom struggle at an early age, under the umbrella of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) and contributed to local resistances in Dehradun. Nitayanand Swamis Political Nitayanand Swamis Political Nitayanand Swamis Political Nitayanand Swamis Political Nitayanand Swamis Political Career Career Career Career Career In year 1969 Nitayanand Swami was first elected as the member of U.P legislative from the Dehradun constituency. In Year 1984, he was elected as a member of Uttar Pradesh legislative council by the graduate and one of the larg- est constituency of kumaon and garhwal. He had represented the con- stituency of Garwal and Kumaon for three years. He served as the deputy chair- man of the Uttar Pradesh Leg- islative Council in 1991 and was unanimously elected the chairman of the same in 1992. Leslie Claudius Leslie Claudius Leslie Claudius Leslie Claudius Leslie Claudius The legendary hockey player Leslie Claudius, Indias triple Olympic Gold Medallist died af- ter a prolonged illness on 20 De- cember 2012. Cirrhosis of the liver became the region of his death and is now survived by a wife and three sons. Claudius was a leg- endary Hockey player from the Indian side, who won three Olym- pic Gold Medals in the year 1948 London Olympics, 1952 Helsinki Olympics and 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He also won a silver medal at 1960 Rome Olympics. Udham Singh along with him is the only two Indians who share a tally of 4 Olympic Medals in the history of Hockey. The 85 year old was a part of legendary trio of the Indian Hockey team and shared the berth with Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh. During the Bangkok Asian Games of 1978, Claudius was ap- pointed as the manager for the In- dian Team. Claudius was the First Indian Hockey Player to play more than 100 games for the country. Besse Cooper Besse Cooper Besse Cooper Besse Cooper Besse Cooper Besse Cooper, the woman listed as the oldest person of the world died on 4 December 2012 in Georgia nursing home at 116 years of age. Besse Cooper had died peacefully in Monroe. Besse was recently taken ill with the stomach virus. Besse Cooper was declared as the oldest person of the world in January 2011 by the Guinness World Records. She was also the first Georgian who had world record with her. The birth place of Besse was Tennes- see and she had moved during the First World War to Georgia. Guinness World Records declared that as of now, merely 8 people have reached the age of 116. Besse Cooper held this title of oldest person of the world since 2011. She explained her secret of living for such a long time, to Guinness World Records. She ex- plained that she didnt eat junk food. After the death of Besse Coo- per, the title of oldest person of the world now goes to Dina Manfredini of Johnston who is aged 115 years of age. Jeanne Calment, the French woman is the oldest known person till now. She was aged 122 when she died in 1997. Norman Schwarzkopf Norman Schwarzkopf Norman Schwarzkopf Norman Schwarzkopf Norman Schwarzkopf Norman Schwarzkopf the retired US General and a person who led the U.S. Forces for a Vic- tory in the first Gulf War in Opera- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 93 93 93 93 93 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe tion Desert Strom in 1991 died at Florida on 27 December 2012. He led an international coalition of U.N. authorized forces from 34 different nations into Kuwait to drive out the forces of Iraq from the country, when the forces of Iraq invaded Kuwait during the regime of President Saddam Hussein. The retired general died at the age of 78 due to the complica- tions of pneumonia. Norman Schwarzkopf last served the U.S. Army as commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command on their assignment in Tampa - the head- quarter that is responsible for U.S. military and security concerns in nearly 20 countries from Africa to Pakistan and the Eastern Mediter- ranean. Norman Woodland Norman Woodland Norman Woodland Norman Woodland Norman Woodland Norman Woodland, the in- ventor of bar code, which revolutionalised retail in 70s, died at 91 on 8 December 2012 at New Jersey. He died because of com- plications resulting due to Alzheimers disease. He is sur- vived by his wife (61), two daugh- ters, one brother and granddaugh- ters. Woodland was the co-inven- tor of bar code; the zebra pattern which stores information about the products. He as well as his partner Bernard Silver (who died in 1963) patented this idea of bar code back in 1952 and also sold that to Philco, the electronics com- pany for 15000 US dollar. Woodland was mechanical engineer. He worked at IBM for around 35 years. He worked with the team that had developed laser scanner which could read bar codes during the 70s. For his invention, Woodland was also awarded National Medal of Technology in 1992. Bar code Bar code Bar code Bar code Bar code Woodland along with his partner Silver started working on a project which eventually led to bar code. At that time, they taught at Drexel University in Philadel- phia. They developed bar code after the head of one supermarket asked for a way of keeping a bet- ter record of the inventory. Wood- land thought if Morse Code was useful in tracking inventory and then he started drawing lines of varied thickness on sand. That is how the code came up and is to- day known as Universal Product Code (UPC). First bar code scan occurred on 26 June 1974 in Troy, Ohio. Today, there are 5 billion products which are scanned optically with the help of bar code or UPC. The laser scanner which is handheld is today used in industrial, transpor- tation as well as shipping indus- tries across the world. Today, the bar code saves countless hours of shoppers in the supermarkets. ACCUSED/RESIGNED/CONTROVERSY Narhari Amin Narhari Amin Narhari Amin Narhari Amin Narhari Amin Senior party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Indian National Congress in Gujrat Narhari Amin on 6 December 2012 switched sides and joined the BJP with his supporters. Narhari Amin had over 21-year-old asso- ciation with the Congress, where he worked hard to build and main- tain a strong base of party work- ers. His decision of joining BJP came after he was denied ticket by the party for 2012 Assembly polls. Amin alleged that Union Minister C P Joshi, who was in- charge of screening committee on ticket distribution, had been giv- ing tickets to unknown faces and fixed the polls before voting. Amin resigned from the Congress along with his six supporters. Another 175 of his supporters also had re- signed on 5 December 2012 from the primary membership of the party. All of them joined BJP along with him. Mario Monti Mario Monti Mario Monti Mario Monti Mario Monti UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 94 94 94 94 94 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on 21 December 2012 re- signed after 13 months in office with handing over his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano after parliament gave final ap- proval to the 2013 budget law. With the resignation of Mario Monti the President is expected to call early national elections within 70 days of the parliament dissolu- tion, possibly on 24 February 2013. 69-year-old Mario Monti is an economist and former European commissioner and was appointed by the President Napolitano to fill former premier Silvio Berlusconis place after he resigned in 2011 under pressure for failing to con- trol Italys debt and a series of scandals. Montis term was origi- nally set to expire in mid-2013, but his earlier departure is expected to bring elections forward. Former Prime Minister Berlusconi had an- nounced that he intends to run for re-election in the New Year. BOOKS Tamil Version of the Book Still Tamil Version of the Book Still Tamil Version of the Book Still Tamil Version of the Book Still Tamil Version of the Book Still Counting the Dead Counting the Dead Counting the Dead Counting the Dead Counting the Dead Tamil version of the book, Still Counting the Dead- Survivors of Sri Lankas Hidden War authored by Frances Harrison was released on 15 December 2012. The first copy of the translated work was received by noted art critic and writer Sadanand Menon. This book reveals the unprec- edented killings in the last phase of civil war-also called as Eelam War in Sri Lanka in the year 2009. The Book The book states the killings of thousands of people who lost their lives in the No Fire Zones because mortars, artilleries, rocket launchers and supersonic jets were used by the armed forces of Sri Lanka to fight with the rebel group Tamil Tigers. The book in- cludes interviews of the people who had shared their experiences and condition during the war with the author. VARIOUS Cyber Security get Revamped Cyber Security get Revamped Cyber Security get Revamped Cyber Security get Revamped Cyber Security get Revamped with Government Five Year Plan with Government Five Year Plan with Government Five Year Plan with Government Five Year Plan with Government Five Year Plan Union government of India in its bid to meet the challenge of cyber attacks and security in the virtual world in month of Decem- ber set in motion a five-year project to revamp the entire cyber security apparatus of critical sec- tors in the country. In the past one year, India has suffered 13,000 cyber incidents. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) had taken the responsi- bility to coordinate cyber security operations for critical infrastruc- tures across the country. It is part of the step to first create aware- ness and ensure setting up of a robust security system in all criti- cal government agencies at their own level. Once agencies set up their security infrastructure, it will be connected to NCIIPC. NCIIPC had prepared a five- year plan to completely revamp and integrate the cyber security apparatus of all critical infrastruc- tures such as power, transporta- tion, water, telecommunication and defence. The government has also defined clear mandates for NCIIPC and CERT-IN, which is also engaged in cyber security of na- tional infrastructure. Tasks that NCCIIPC is Going to Tasks that NCCIIPC is Going to Tasks that NCCIIPC is Going to Tasks that NCCIIPC is Going to Tasks that NCCIIPC is Going to Perform Perform Perform Perform Perform NCIIPC will only look after ab- solutely critical sectors that have high threat perception coupled with greater depen- dence on computer and infor- mation technology (CIT),while other sectors will be with CERTIN. These sectors (with NCIIPC) have been identified as energy (power,coal,oil and natural gas),transportation (railways and civil aviation),banking and finance, telecom, defence, space, law enforcement and security. NCIIPC also plans to set up a sectoral Computer Emergency Response Team (CERTs) that would be connected to it, and will install censors on all criti- cal systems to provide real- time information to its com- mand and control (C&C) cen- ter about any cyberattack to formulate a quick response. Under a newly defined man- date, NCIIPC will look after critical sectors with high de- pendency on computer and information technology (IT), while other sectors will be under Indias CERT, CERT-IN. Indias critical infrastructure agencies are no stranger to cyber attacks. Just in month of Decem- ber a hacker group leaked Indian telco BSNLs passwords and da- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 95 95 95 95 95 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe tabase, calling for the withdrawal of a controversial legislation which allegedly suppresses freedom of speech and expression. In April 2012 Chinese hackers allegedly planted a bug via flash drives on Indias navy computers, which re- layed sensitive data to China IP addresses. Vasai Vasai Vasai Vasai Vasai Early in December 2012, a team of the historians in Vasai re- covered the 750 year old stone tablet which has sexually explicit inscription. The historians ex- plained that the bygone king of that area (identity of whom is yet to be discovered) might have had custom-made the carvings as warning symbol for keeping the trespassers at a distance or to make sure that the tax collectors regularly deposited the revenue. The stone tablet bears the inscription of a donkey copu- lating with the female, which might be an indication that women of trespassers would face a simi- lar fate. In the olden times, the property owners in Vasai area used to place the carved stones at entrances of their properties. This practice is followed even today in Vasai. Trespassers were given a warning using the abusive words but historians believe that such a pictorial abuse was not common. The stone tablet dates back to 1268 AD and was recov- ered from the Kiravali village. The measurements of the stone are 126 cm, 56 cm and 22 cm in length, width and breadth respectively. The stone is from the era of Shilahara kings who were the rul- ers of Vasai around 1000 years back. Shilahara kings had ruled over the Vasai region before Por- tuguese in 1536. It is important to note that this stone tablet was, at some point of the time, acclaimed artifact in village. It was kept in Chankai Devi Mandir and villagers broke coconuts on it on new moon day. Later, this stone was kept near the pond. The historians eventu- ally removed this stone tablet and were surprised at the historical value. India Successfully test fired India Successfully test fired India Successfully test fired India Successfully test fired India Successfully test fired Agni I Ballistic Missile Agni I Ballistic Missile Agni I Ballistic Missile Agni I Ballistic Missile Agni I Ballistic Missile India on 12 December 2012 successfully test-fired its indig- enously developed nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missilewith a strike range of 700 km from a test range off Odisha coast. The missile was test-fired under a practice trial by the Stra- tegic Force Command of the In- dian Army from a mobile launcher at about 8.30 am on 12 December 2012 from launch pad-4 of the In- tegrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island, about 100 km from Balasore, defence. Facts about Agni I Ballistic Facts about Agni I Ballistic Facts about Agni I Ballistic Facts about Agni I Ballistic Facts about Agni I Ballistic Missile Missile Missile Missile Missile Agni- I is a single-stage missile which is powered by solid propellants and has a specialised navigation system which ensures that it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision. It Weighs around 12 tonnes and is 15-metre-long which is capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg. Agni-I has been developed by advanced systems laboratory, the premier missile develop- ment laboratory of the De- fence Research and Develop- ment Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Defence Research Development Labo- ratory and Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad. The last trial of the Agni-I missile was successfully carried out on 13 July 2012 from the same test range off Odisha Coast. New Freshwater Mosasaurs New Freshwater Mosasaurs New Freshwater Mosasaurs New Freshwater Mosasaurs New Freshwater Mosasaurs Species Species Species Species Species Researchers discovered the fossilised bones of new species of mosasaurs in Bakony Hills, West- ern Hungary in the third week of December 2012. The fossilised bones are those of mosasaurs spe- cies which were thought as the marine animals initially. New find- ings proved that the 84 million years old sea monsters lived in freshwaters. These reptiles were present in the period when dino- saurs existed and were known as T.Rex of sea. The study established the fact that these were the first freshwater mosasaurs discovered. First fossil ruins of the large speci- men were also found in 1764 in Maastricht. The details were pre- sented after the study conducted by Laszlo Makadi of the Hungar- ian Natural History Museum to- gether with the University of Alberta, Canada colleagues. The new species was called Pannoniasaurus. It was found that this species was larger than T.Rex and also they did not share the same ancestor. The researchers declared that size of the Pannoniasaurus made them larg- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 96 96 96 96 96 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe est-known predators in paleo-en- vironment waters. Prithvi I, Missile Successfully Prithvi I, Missile Successfully Prithvi I, Missile Successfully Prithvi I, Missile Successfully Prithvi I, Missile Successfully test-fired test-fired test-fired test-fired test-fired India on 20 December 2012 successfully test-fired its indig- enously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surfacePrithvi- II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore. The missile was test fired from a mobile launcher in salvo modefrom launch com- plex-3 of Integrated Test Range at about 9:20 am. The missile launch was conducted as part of opera- tional exercise by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the de- fence services. The entire trajec- tory of the missile was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and na- val ships. The missile was ran- domly chosen from the produc- tion stock and the total launch ac- tivities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and moni- tored by the scientists of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of practice drill. The Prithvi-II missile, developed by the DRDO, is al- ready inducted into the Indian Armed forces. The last trial of Prithvi-II was successfully carried out from the same base on 4 Oc- tober 2012. Missile Specification Missile Specification Missile Specification Missile Specification Missile Specification Prithvi is Indias first indig- enously built ballistic missile and one of the five missile developed under Indias pres- tigious Integrated Guided Mis- sile Development Programme (IGMDP). It is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads and thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines, uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory. The Prithvi-II missile is equipped with advanced high accuracy navigation system and guided by an innovative guidance scheme. The improved Circular Error Probability (CEP) achieved by the missile is a testimony to specify the efficacy of this mis- sile system. Prithvi uses an advanced iner- tial guidance system with manoeuvring capabilities and comes within metres of its tar- get. Ramanujans Cryptic Death Bed Ramanujans Cryptic Death Bed Ramanujans Cryptic Death Bed Ramanujans Cryptic Death Bed Ramanujans Cryptic Death Bed Theory Theory Theory Theory Theory Indian maths genius Srinivasa Ramanujans cryptic deathbed theorywhich he claimed was con- ceived in his dreams was finally proved by American scientist in the month of November. It was in year 1920, when while on his death-bed, Ramanujan wrote a let- ter to his mentor, English math- ematician G.H. Hardy, demarcat- ing several new mathematical functions never before heard of, along with an instinct about how they worked. As per the Research- ers study the theory is now proved to be right and that the formula derived from the theory is capable of explaining the behaviour of black holes. Researcher proved that Ramanujan was right and found the formula explaining one of the visions that he believed came from his goddess Research- ers were also stunned to find the function could be used even to- day. The problem was solved from the last mysterious letters of the theory. The problem has been open for 90 years for people who work in this area of math. Ramanujan, was a self-taught mathematician who was in born in a rural village in South India and had spent so much time thinking about mathematics that he flunked out of college twice. The maths geniuss letter described several new functions that behaved differ- ently from known theta functions, or modular forms, and yet closely mimicked them. Functions are equations that can be drawn as graphs on an axis, like a sine wave, and produce an output when com- puted for any chosen input or value. The findings were pre- sented in November at a Ramanujan conference held at the University of Florida, ahead of the 125th anniversary of the Ramanujan s birth on 22 Decem- ber. Astra Missile test-fired Astra Missile test-fired Astra Missile test-fired Astra Missile test-fired Astra Missile test-fired Astra air-to-air inceptor mis- sile was successfully test-fired for the third time within a week on 24 December 2012 from the Chandipur, defence base of Odisha. The test was conducted for identifying the missiles inter- ception capability and high manoeuvring and was successful in intercepting the simulated tar- get at an altitude of 4 kilometer. Astra has capabilities of intercepting the enemy aircraft and destroy it at supersonic speed UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 97 97 97 97 97 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe that is for head on mode at a range of 1.2 Mach and at the tail-chase mode at 1.4 Mach. The missile can be launched from different alti- tudes and can easily cover a dis- tance of 110 kilometer if launched from an altitude of 15 kilometer, 44 kilometer when launched from an altitude of 8 kilometer and 21 kilometer when launched from sea level. The missile with a capabil- ity of carrying a conventional war- head of 15 kilogram uses a solid propellant. Astra is of 3.8 meter in length and the smallest missile developed by the DRDO till date. Before this test firing, Astra was also tested from the same base on 21 December and 22 De- cember 2012 by the scientists of the Defence Research and Devel- opment Organisation (DRDO), who have designed and devel- oped this missile. After passing all the tests, Astra would be inte- grated with different combat fighter aircraft like MIG-29, Sukhoi- 30 and other light combat aircraft. Worlds Longest High-speed Worlds Longest High-speed Worlds Longest High-speed Worlds Longest High-speed Worlds Longest High-speed Rail Route Rail Route Rail Route Rail Route Rail Route China on 26 December 2012 inaugurated worlds longest high- speed rail route linking its capital Beijing with the southern me- tropolis of Guangzhou, covering a distance of 2298 kms. It runs at an average speed of 300 km per hour and it will save nearly 12 hours by bringing down the travel time be- tween Beijing and Guangzhou from more than 20 hours to around eight. The route connects five provinces and has 35 stops in ma- jor cities, including Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan and Changsha. With the opening of the Beijing- Guangzhou high-speed railroad, China now has a network of more than 9300 km of operating high- speed railways. This is the longest high speed network China launched after the Beijing-Shang- hai Bullet train in 2010, which brought down travel time to around five hours, covering over 1300 km distance between two of Chinas largest cities. The new train covers Beijing with Chinas most industrialised province Guangdong where most devel- oped cities like Guangzhou close to Hong Kong and Maccau are lo- cated. The line is expected to be extended to Hong Kong by 2015. P-8I Maritime Surveillance P-8I Maritime Surveillance P-8I Maritime Surveillance P-8I Maritime Surveillance P-8I Maritime Surveillance Aircraft Aircraft Aircraft Aircraft Aircraft The Indian Navy on 19 De- cember 2012 received its first P-8I Maritime Surveillance Aircraft at its facility located at Seattle, out of the eight that it would get from Boeing. P-8I would be armed with torpedoes, rockets and deadly missile with abilities to fight against powerful warships and anti-submarine warfare. A deal of 2.1 billion dollar was signed be- tween India and the US Aircraft maker Boeing in January 2009 for procurement of the long range surveillance aircraft equipped with anti-submarine weaponry. This contract also included the option of having four additional aircrafts along with the intelli- gence and surveillance systems, training and maintenance support and warfare. The aircraft will ar- rive in India by May 2013 along with two more aircrafts expected to be handed over the Indian Na- val team by the month. About P-8I P-8I, the aircraft is an imita- tive of the Boeing 737-800 long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and an anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Being an Indian variant of the P-8A Poseidon, be- ing developed by Boeing for U.S. Navy the P-8I is expected to re- place Indian Navys Russian Tupolev Tu-142M maritime surveil- lance turboprop. The aircraft would enable Indian Navy to pa- trol across Indian Ocean to a greater level. Sonar Fort Sonar Fort Sonar Fort Sonar Fort Sonar Fort More than 1500 kg of 500- year old gunpowder was found on 20 December 2012 in five leather bags near Jain Temple in Sonar Fort, Jaisalmer. District administra- tion decided to seek help from Army for destroying the gunpowder. The secretary of Jaisalmer Vikas Samiti explained that gunpowder was lying in closed burj (tower) and was dis- covered by the labourers who were engrossed in repairing work. This burj had remained closed for several years, possibly centuries. Local authorities va- cated the area after getting this information. Historian Nand Kishore Sharma believed that gun- powder could possibly be from Maharaj Loonkaran Singhs time when the cannon use was just UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 98 98 98 98 98 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe started in 1550. Till today, five huge cannons were kept in Sonar Fort, Jaisalmer. Usually the explo- sives were kept in proximity to the cannons. It was possible that ex- plosives were kept in burj near cannons which were placed near Jain temple. IPv6 IPv6 IPv6 IPv6 IPv6 Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN) started issuing next version of Internet addresses IPv6, which is going to make it easy for security agencies to identify each Internet user. The present version of Internet that is IPv4 (Internet Pro- tocol version 4), is limited and ser- vice providers often assign single IP address to many users which makes it difficult to identify the end user. The number of IPv6 ad- dresses available is enormous. ISPs (Internet Service Providers) can allocate an IP address to their users. People can be easily identi- fied if they are using IPv6. Asia Pacific Network Information Cen- tre (APNIC), which is one of the five authorised bodies for issuing Internet addresses, has recognised Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN) for issuing IP addresses in India. IRINN has been set-up under the state-run NIXI. The new addresses are go- ing to be be multiple times cheaper for companies than IPv4 addresses. Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN) is issuing initial set-of IPv6 addresses in price range starting at 21999 rupees as compared to prevalent rate of around 66000 rupees in Asia Pacific region. Gangnam Style Gangnam Style Gangnam Style Gangnam Style Gangnam Style Gangnam Style, the most- watched video ever on Youtube now booked a place in popular culture with becoming Collins dictionarys word for November 2012. Gangnam Style, is pop sen- sation with a horse dance video by his Sotuh Korean singer Psy. It be- came the first video in the history of the Internet to be viewed more than a billion times. Gangnam Style was named among the Collins dictionarys words of the year al ong wi th mummy porn, fi scal cl i ff and Romneyshambles. Mummy porn became Aprils word of the year as the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey was published during that month and became an instant bestseller. Defeated presi- dential candidate Mitt Romney became word of the year for July after critics recognized his visit to London a Romneyshambles. Jubilympics was Junes word, whi l e Games Makers was Augusts due to the volunteers who made the Olympic event in UK a success. Each word was submitted by the public to the on- line dictionary www. col l i nsdi cti onary. com/ submission. However, the pub- lishers said not all 12 words had the staying power to make it to the print edition. Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Obama US President Barack Obama was named TIMEs Person of the Year for 2012, because of his his- toric win over the re-election in November 2012 which is being considered as symbol of the nations changing demographics amid the backdrop of high unem- ployment and other challenges. His name was announced by TIME editor Rick Stengel on NBCs To- day program on 19 December 2012. It is the second time Barack Obama is being accorded with this honour. He had also received the honour in 2008, when he was first elected as president. Obama had won re-election despite a higher unemployment rate than anybodys had to face in basically in 70 years. Hes the first Demo- crat to actually win two consecu- tive terms with over 50 percent of the vote. The short list for the honour included Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head for advocating for girls education, as well as Egyp- tian President Mohamed Morsi, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Italian physicist Fabiola Giannati. Times Person of the Year is the person or thing that has most influenced the culture and the news during the past year for good or for ill. Sale at Sothebys Sale at Sothebys Sale at Sothebys Sale at Sothebys Sale at Sothebys Anonymous bidder bought two letters of Mahatma Gandhi as well as rare copy of Indian consti- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 99 99 99 99 99 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe tution at Sothebys sale in London on 12 December 2012. The bidder bought letter which was written by Gandhi in 1922 to eldest brother of Rabindranath Tagore, Dwijendranath at 7 times the value of its pre-sale estimate. The rare copy of Indian constitution was sold at around 8 times the offer price to private collector. The constitution copy was bought by the private collector, while the two letters which were associated to Gandhi were bought by an anony- mous buyer. The letter which was written by Mahatma Gandhi to Dwijendranath from the Sabarmati jail brought back 49250 pounds (around 43 lakh Rupees) at Sothebys sale of Childrens Books, History, English Literature as well as Illustrations. There was an esti- mate of 5000-7000 pounds. In the letter, Mahatma Gandhi wrote that the calm and peace in India was important for his own strength. He had asked Dwijendranath to send this supporting message to Young. India journal in two pages letter which was written in pencil. There was another letter written by Gandhi to unknown friend in 1922 in which he had of- fered condolences after hearing about the death of his friends mother. This letter was sold for 5625 pounds. The estimated amount of this letter was 3000- 4000 pounds. It is important to note that in November 2012, the Gandhian author Giriraj Kishore had gone to UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi in order to put a halt to the auction of these two letters written by Gandhi. On the other hand, the first limited edition of constitution on the stiff Whatman paper having an estimate amount of 4000-5000 pounds was sold for 39650 pounds. This copy of con- stitution is signed by the President Rajendra Prasad in English as well as Devnagari, along with Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru on authentification page. Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II would be the first UK royal broadcasted in 3D while delivering the Christmas message. In order to watch this monarch, viewers will have to use special glasses as well as new 3D TV sets. After the 3D debut of royal Queen Elizabeth II, there would also be an on-screen per- formance of the Queen with Daniel Craig in James Bond se- quence which is primarily re- corded for opening ceremony of London Olympics. The special 3D Christmas message was filmed by BskyB. This message would be available on BBC and ITV. The re- cording of the special Christmas message took place on 7 Decem- ber 2012 at the Buckingham Pal- ace. However the speech would miss out on the pregnancy of The Duchess of Cambridge, news which broke out in the first week of December 2012. In the mes- sage, instead of the pregnancy of The Duchess of Cambridge, the 86-year old royal Queen Elizabeth II would speak about Diamond Jubilee celebrations as well as the Olympic Games. The opportunity of becoming the first Royal to be broadcasted in 3D was declined by Prince William at the wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011. The first Christmas message was given by the Queen in 1952. The first live TV broadcast on Christmas was in 1957. The tradition of Christmas message started with Queens grandfather George V in 1932. George V had delivered the radio broadcast which was written by Rudyard Kipling. First royal chan- nel to be set up on YouTube was back in the year 2007. Queen also has her account on social network- ing site- Twitter since 2009. Tirupati Tirupati Tirupati Tirupati Tirupati President Pranab Mukherjee on 27 December 2012 declared open the 4th World Telugu Con- ference in the presence of thou- sands of Telugu-speaking people from across the world in the temple town of Tirupati of Andhra Pradesh. Marking the occasion President released Teluguvari Charitra, a coffee table book brought out by EMESCO and an- other on gold coins of Srivari Hundi on Tirumala, while Gover- nor E.S.L. Narasimhan released Teluguvani, another book. The event was also marked with the felicitation of 14 eminent Telugus. People were asked to pass on the rich Telugu culture, heritage and tradition to the next generation with a resolve to preserve and pro- mote the honey-laced aura of the language. The inaugural also saw the laying of a foundation stone for an international convention cen- tre. The deliberations of the three- day conference should come out with recommendations on pre- serving and promoting the lan- guage. The purpose behind the conference is to give a new dimen- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 100 100 100 100 100 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe sion and vision for the upkeep of Telugu, tracing its history and while naming prominent persons and their contributions and vari- ous literary movements. Bhanu Athaiya Bhanu Athaiya Bhanu Athaiya Bhanu Athaiya Bhanu Athaiya Bhanu Athaiya, the first In- dian to win an Oscar for costume design in the movie Gandhidecided to return her award to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci- ences (AMPAS) in December 2012. Bhanu Athaiya fears that she might lose her trophy as the gov- ernment might not be able to pro- tect it. Bhanu Athaiya, 85 blamed that the central government had neglected her work and contribu- tions. She also blamed that there was no one or no museum that could protect these things. Athaiya had won the most prestigious Oscar award for cos- tume design for classic film Gandhi in 1982. Now, she has decided to return the award to AMPAS, for which she is also in negotiations with the academy. Athaiya had dressed Ben Kingsley i n the fi l m Gandhi . Bhanu Athaiya is also unsure that her fam- ily could take care of the presti- gious award after her dismissal. Athaiya was the first Indian star at Academy. She has designed vari- ous costumes for more than 100 films which include Guide, Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, CID, Pyaasa and Chaudhvin Ka Chand. New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi The 2nd meeting of the Work- ing Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was held in New Delhi on 29-30 November, 2012. The discussions took place in a cordial, constructive and coopera- tive atmosphere. The two delega- tions reviewed developments in the India-China border areas since the 1st meeting of the Mechanism and acknowledged with satisfac- tion that peace and tranquillity continued to be maintained due to the efforts of both sides. The two delegations also exchanged ideas on additional measures for maintaining peace and tranquillity as well as further steps to build greater trust and confidence be- tween the two sides. The two del- egations welcomed the recent lib- eralization of border trade across Nathu La, which has led to a sig- nificant increase in the volume of trade. They continued their discus- sions on introducing additional routes for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. The Indian delegation was lead by Gautam Bambawale, Joint Secretary (East Asia) and com- prised of representatives of the Ministries of External Affairs, De- fence and Home Affairs as well as members of the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The Chinese delegation was lead by Ambassador Wang Xiaodu, Special Representative, Depart- ment of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and comprised of representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defence of the Peoples Republic of China. The 3rd meeting of the Working Mechanism will be held in China at a mutually convenient time. Sonia Gandhi & Manmohan Sonia Gandhi & Manmohan Sonia Gandhi & Manmohan Sonia Gandhi & Manmohan Sonia Gandhi & Manmohan Singh Singh Singh Singh Singh Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were named in the list of top 20 most powerful people in the world by the Forbes Magazine in annual power rankings which were declared on 5 December 2012. Enjoying the first position for the second year consecutively is the US President Barrack Obama. Pri me Mi ni ster Manmohan Sign was ranked at number 19. Sonia Gandhi dropped from the rankings of 2011 to number 12 in 2012. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, the richest business tycoon of India as well as Arcelor Mittal CEO Lakshmi Mittal also appeared in this list. Ambani is ranked at num- ber 37 and he outranked Mittal by various positions. Forbes Magazine also noted that Rahul Gandhi was next to reign the most popular political dynasty of India. The magazine also described Ambanis Reliance Industries as the most valued com- pany of India and Mukesh Ambanis home called Antilia was described as the most expensive private residence of the world. Antilia is the 27-storeyed 400000 sqft private residence of Ambani in Mumbai. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 101 101 101 101 101 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Vladmir Putin Vladmir Putin Vladmir Putin Vladmir Putin Vladmir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the President of Russia visited In- dia on 24 December 2012 at the Invitation of Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India to attend 13th India-Russia Annual Summit. During the visit the Russian Presi- dent met the Prime Minister of In- dia - Manmohan Singh and the President of India Pranab Mukherjee. During this visit of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh re- viewed the progress made in all the important areas of mutual co- operation, comprising sectors like energy, trade, high technology and military-technical cooperation. Both these leaders discussed on extending the special and privi- leged strategic partnership be- tween the two countries. Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore Singapore Singapore Singapore Singapore The 23-year old para-medical student who was gangraped in New Delhi on 16 December 2012 passed away in Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on 29 De- cember 2012. The 23-year old Delhi gangrape victim passed away on 29 December 2012 at Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore at 2:15am (IST). The vic- tim died due to multiple organ fail- ure and severe injuries to her brain and body. Indias High Commis- sioner to Singapore TCA Raghavan announced that the body would be brought back to India on 29 December 2012. According to the Singapore doctors, the victim lost the battle of her life after two weeks of brutal sexual attack which horrified India. The chief executive of Singapores Mount Elizabeth Hospital announced on 28 December 2012 that she was suffering from severe organ failure because of injuries to her brain as well as body. She was raped on 16 December 2012 by six men who also assaulted her with iron rods. The victim was shifted to Singapore hospital on 27 Decem- ber 2012. Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai, the commercial capital of India was named one among the dirtiest cities of the world in the Trip Advisors Cities Survey. Trip Advisor s Cities Survey was the global survey in- cluding 40 main tourist cities. Mumbai ranked last in the category of cleanest streets. Tokyo got the first rank in this category. Mumbai was again ranked last in the cat- egory of ease of getting around. Zurich, on the other hand was ranked first. The survey also found out the cities that had rudest lo- cals, worst shopping as well as dirtiest streets. It was found that the least-friendly locals were found in Moscow. Cities of Russia ranked last in various categories which included friendliest locals. The highly decorated city of the world was Tokyo and it ranked at the top most position in terms of friendliest taxi drivers, cleanest streets, safety, best pub- lic transportation as well as best taxi services. The New York City was ranked at the top for the pur- pose of shopping. It already has the global reputation of shopping hub. The survey which was com- pleted by over 75000 people checked cities from various tour- ists point of view. The survey looked at how travellers noticed these cities and locals viewed them. They survey was conducted in the 40 important and popular tourist cities of the world. Ex| #r qoIqh#dw=#kwws=22z z z 1xsvf sr uwdo1f r p 2f IyIovhuyIf hv2er r nv Logical Reasoning & Analytical Reasoning MCQ Series KALINJAR PUBLICATIONS http://www.flipkart.com http://upscportal.com/civilservices/books UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 103 103 103 103 103 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe SELECTED ARTICLE FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPER & JOURNALS SELECTED ARTICLE FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPER & JOURNALS SELECTED ARTICLE FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPER & JOURNALS SELECTED ARTICLE FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPER & JOURNALS SELECTED ARTICLE FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPER & JOURNALS A step closer to Palestine A step closer to Palestine A step closer to Palestine A step closer to Palestine A step closer to Palestine The Palestinian bid to become a non-member Observer State at the United Nations has been, as expected, approved by an overwhelming vote of 138 to nine, with 41 abstentions in the General Assembly. The vote implies global recognition of the relevant ter- ritory as a sovereign state and is a major step towards a two-state solu- tion for historical Palestine. The new status amounts to less of an achieve- ment than full U.N. membership, which the Security Council declined to consider in September 2011 on the grounds that the members were un- able to make a unanimous recom- mendation, but the Palestinians can now participate in General Assembly debates. In sum, this is an important move towards Palestinian statehood, which 132 countries have already recognised. As for particular coun- tries, one former colonial power, France, voted in favour, and the other state with a previous imperial connec- tion to the region, the United King- dom, abstained, as did Germany. Pre- dictably, Israels biggest supporter, the United States, opposed the reso- lution, reconfirming its view that a negotiated settlement is the only way to establish a Palestinian state. The U.N. resolution, however, could well be the first of many mo- mentous changes for West Asia. The Palestinian Authority can now seek membership of several U.N. agencies and, above all, can apply to sign the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, with the clear impli- cation that Israel may finally be held accountable for crimes committed against the civilian population of Gaza. Secondly, differences have emerged between Washington and major Eu- ropean countries over Israel-Palestine, even if some European officials call criminal charges against Israel a red line. Thirdly, it is consistent with glo- bal public opinion; even U.S. opinion polls show majorities for a two-state formula. It also testifies to the increas- ing confidence of Palestinian repre- sentatives, who have said that contin- ued exclusion would strengthen sup- port for Hamas; the representatives, moreover, now know that the regions peoples demand justice for the Pal- estinians and can no longer be ig- nored. The vote will be truly mean- ingful if it marks the start of a new in- ternational resolve to ensure the people of Palestine are able to exer- cise their right to statehood and self- determination, just as the people of Israel have been doing for years. The first order of business has to be to stop the Israeli stranglehold over occupied Palestinian territory, including the monstrous policy of building settle- ments. As long as the international community gives Tel Aviv a free pass on these issues, peace and security in Israel-Palestine will always remain elu- sive. Courtesy-The Hindu Medias Leveson moment Medias Leveson moment Medias Leveson moment Medias Leveson moment Medias Leveson moment Ending months of feverish speculation, Lord Justice Leveson has finally given his verdict on the British press and it does not make com- fortable reading either for journalists or politicians. The Financial Times called it a damning indictment of the culture and practices of the newspaper industry. And The Times whose sister paper, the now defunct News of the World , caused the phone hacking scandal that led to the inquiry, credited Lord Leveson with correctly identifying the lapses in moral and professional standards UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 104 104 104 104 104 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe of the press. His 2000-page report longer than Harry Potter, shorter than Proust, denser than Tolstoy, as the Guardian put it lambasts the media for its reckless and outra- geous behaviour and accuses it of having wreaked havoc in the lives of innocent people for many decades. Politicians get a sharp rap on the knuckles for developing too close a relationship with the press in a way which has not been in the public in- terest. Yet, for all the apparent sound and fury, the report is more significant not so much for what it says but for what it does not say. During the hearings, Lord Leveson made some strong observa- tions about the need for a radically new regulatory regime. This sparked speculation that he was likely to rec- ommend a strong dose of statutory regulation. It was widely thought that he might bow to pressure from vic- tims campaign groups such as Hacked Off and go for the nuclear option a press law. In the end, though, he settled for a sensible middle course between the discred- ited current system of self-regulation and state regulation. He wants the cre- ation of a new regulatory body which would be truly independent of the newspaper industry and the govern- ment, but backed by legislation. He stressed that this did not imply state control. The proposed legislation was not meant to establish the new body but only to recognise an indepen- dent regulatory regime as the public had no confidence in the industry- controlled Press Complaints Commis- sion. While the Opposition Labour Party and the governments junior coa- lition partner, the Liberal Democrats, have enthusiastically embraced the proposal, Prime Minister David Cameron believes it has the poten- tial to infringe free speech and the free press, a view not shared by many of his own MPs. Eventually what will count is public opinion and it is over- whelmingly in favour of the Leveson proposal, leaving Mr. Cameron look- ing like the odd man out. The report will find resonance in India too, where calls for media regulation are grow- ing louder. Indeed, before it is beset with its own hacking scandal, the In- dian media should see what lessons it can draw from the Leveson report. Courtesy-The Hindu In the world of foreign policy, a In the world of foreign policy, a In the world of foreign policy, a In the world of foreign policy, a In the world of foreign policy, a rare idealist rare idealist rare idealist rare idealist rare idealist It was the small town of Baden- Baden in Germany that External Affairs Minister Inder Kumar Gujral chose as the venue for a meeting of Indian en- voys in Europe. As High Commis- sioner to the United Kingdom, I at- tended it. During the discussion, Gujral wanted our comments on the future of relations between India and Pakistan. I said the resolution of Kash- mir was important. Gujral snubbed me. Yet when he was the Prime Min- ister in 1997, he announced at Srinagar that India was willing to accept a so- lution outside the Constitution. There was so much pressure on him that he retracted the statement. But he re- mained steadfast in his proposal of a status for Kashmir outside the Consti- tution, though as part of the Indian Union. A fighter for lost causes A fighter for lost causes A fighter for lost causes A fighter for lost causes A fighter for lost causes Gujral constituted a Kashmir group and we visited Srinagar many times. There came a time when the Hurriyat leaders were willing to sit across the table with Indian leaders to settle the issue. But despite Gujrals efforts, New Delhi did not change the policy of a military solution. Sympathetic to all minorities, Gujral had also floated a Punjab group. The purpose was to bring round the Akalis, representing the Sikhs, to re- nounce their demand for the Anandpur Sahib resolution which sought Punjabs autonomy. Once again we were able to persuade the Akalis to give up the demand which had in it the seeds of separation. The government let us down at that time also. We were told to find a solution to all problems with the Sikhs at one go, while the government was prepar- ing for Operation Bluestar. Gujral felt betrayed. In fact, I know from my long as- sociation with Gujral that he fought for many lost causes and derived satisfac- tion just from the fight. People in Pa- kistan, Bangladesh and Kashmir recognise him as a friend. His tenure as Prime Minister, although only for one short year, shows how he went out of the way to accommodate neighbouring countries. Towards the end of his life, he was disillusioned with Pakistan. He said that he wasted his life pursuing the mirage of build- ing bridges with Islamabad and had realised rather late in the day that Pa- kistani leaders were anti-India to the core, never wanting to bury the hatchet. Bringing Moscow closer Bringing Moscow closer Bringing Moscow closer Bringing Moscow closer Bringing Moscow closer Gujral always took pride in hav- ing brought Russia and India closer. As the Indian envoy, he was in Mos- cow for a long time, first serving Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then Prime Minister Morarji Desai. That the non- Congress regime retained him in Mos- cow spoke volumes about his out- standing contribution in making So- viet leaders appreciate Indias prob- lems, although with no substantial re- sult. He was on first-name terms with all the top shots in the government and the Communist party. Gujral understood communism and its drawbacks well. As a young man in Lahore, he was a member of the Indian communist party. After Par- tition, he had strayed away from it to join the Congress. But he remained a leftist. Some said this was why he gave civil servants an abnormal pay hike when he was Prime Minister. The States vehemently criticised him but had to follow suit. When I conveyed to him the angry comments made by members of the government, he said: The bureaucracy is the backbone of the government and it should be kept happy. His finest hour His finest hour His finest hour His finest hour His finest hour Gujrals finest hour was prob- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 105 105 105 105 105 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ably when he refused to continue as minister of Information and Broadcast- ing during the Emergency. A spar with Sanjay Gandhi ended his agony. When Sanjay gave him instructions on the telephone on how to tackle the press, Gujral said he was his mothers minis- ter, and not his errand boy. Indira Gandhi sent him to the Planning Com- mission where he had P.N. Haksar, al- ready shifted from the Prime Ministers Office for his leftist views, to share his grief with. I recall travelling with Gujral to South Africa to pay homage to Ma- hatma Gandhis early days of struggle. Gujral had another purpose: meeting Nelson Mandela whose photo he had on his table. Mandela took Gujral to the dance floor and made him dance during a banquet in his honour. He travelled by car some 17 hours every day to touch all the places where Gandhiji had lived. He was particularly moved when he visited the railway station at Pietermaritzburg where Gandhiji was thrown out of the first- class compartment for being a non- white. His book His book His book His book His book Three years ago when he brought out his memoirs, I told him the book revealed no secrets from the time he occupied top positions in the government. His reply was: I am not a journalist. Still, I think he should have told at least two stories of the Congress split in 1969 because he was an insider then; and, the attitude of the Soviet leaders when they smelt defeat during the Cold War. But then Gujral was known for not treading on anybodys toes. Posterity will remem- ber him as a Prime Minister who was humble and who won the hearts of even his rivals through his humility. He was a gentleman in politics and this is imprinted on his work of more than six decades in the service of his na- tion and the people. The country has lost a great leader. And I have lost a close friend who shared his innermost thoughts with me. Together we visited Pakistan, Punjab and Kashmir many times. In the Kashmir and Punjab groups, his amiable temperament brought members closer together. There is nobody to pick up the thread from where he left off. The work is important, and his absence will be felt. Personally, his death has left me feel- ing lonely. I shall miss the voice at the other end of the telephone, offering advice when I needed it. Courtesy-The Hindu What Chinas transition means What Chinas transition means What Chinas transition means What Chinas transition means What Chinas transition means for India for India for India for India for India Continuity is a word that Na- tional Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon is likely to hear often from his Chinese interlocutors during his visit to Beijing, which begins today. Mr. Menon, who is also the Special Rep- resentative on the boundary question, will meet State Councillor Dai Bingguo, his counterpart on the bor- der talks, for what officials have de- scribed as informal talks on the bor- der and strategic issues of common concern. He is expected to hold talks with one of the seven members of the newly-selected Politburo Standing Committee likely to be second- ranked Li Keqiang, the anointed Pre- mier, subject to his availability marking Indias first real engagement with the fifth generation of the Chi- nese leadership following the Novem- ber 15 transition. The once-in-ten-year leadership change in China is likely to usher in a new chapter on how the country conducts its foreign policy, officials and strategic scholars in Beijing say. Over the next four months, both the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government that it leads will complete a sweeping change across all levels of its leadership. At the recently concluded Party Con- gress, the CPC selected a new 25- member Politburo and 371-member Central Committee, which will guide policy-making in all spheres for the next five years. The Parliament session of the National Peoples Congress in March will be of more relevance to Chinas diplomacy. The expected re- tirement of Dai Bingguo one of five State Councillors who function under the four Vice Premiers of the Cabinet, or the State Council in March has received much attention in India, as he has served as the Special Repre- sentative (SR) on the boundary talks since the current format was initiated a decade ago. Border talks Border talks Border talks Border talks Border talks Chinese officials and strategic scholars who focus on China-India relations say Mr. Dais retirement will not have much impact on the bound- ary talks. Mr. Dai himself, as the SR, was only tasked with the mandate of following strictly the guidelines put in place by the Politburo and Central Committee for the talks. That role will be continued by his successor as the SR the current Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Vice Foreign Minis- ters Fu Ying and Zhang Zhijun, who were all selected as members of the new Central Committee, have been mentioned as likely candidates. Among Chinese strategic scholars, there is little expectation that the boundary talks, of which 15 rounds have been held, will yield any major concrete outcomes in the near future. Since 2005, when the two countries completed the first of three stages of negotiations by signing an agreement on political parameters and guiding principles, perceptions in Beijing are that the crucial second stage of frame- work negotiations has been dead- locked. After 2005, there is nearly no significant progress on the boundary talks, said Hu Shisheng, a South Asia scholar at the China Institutes of Con- temporary International Relations (CICIR). If there [will] be any progress in the future, he said, it could be [be- cause of] accepting and respecting each others LAC [Line of Actual Con- trol] claim. Based upon this, he said, both sides could put aside the sov- ereignty issue and leave the bound- ary question for next generations to solve. Mr. Hus sentiment was echoed in a rare commentary on the bound- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 106 106 106 106 106 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe ary talks published last month in the Liberation Daily , a newspaper with ties to the CPC in Shanghai, which suggested that both sides put aside the dispute. The commentary said even the status quo that is, accept- ing the Line of Actual Control would not be acceptable to both countries, rendering a solution un- likely in the near future. Lack of progress on the border notwithstanding, relations with India will be much more stable under the new leadership because of Chinas current domestic and external priori- ties, according to Mr. Hu. As the Work Report of the Party Congress the policy blueprint for the next five years stressed, the internal focus will be on development. As for the external focus, addressing Chinas relations with West Pacific neighbours and Chinas relations with the U.S. would be the likely priority, Mr. Hu said. He agreed that India fared far below is- sues such as relations with the United States, current territorial disputes with Japan and the situation in the South China Sea in terms of Chinas press- ing priorities. In urgency, it is true that China-India relations are secondary to those more urgent issues, he said. [But] in Chinas present foreign policy, India is regarded as one coun- try that China has confidence in. In- dia-China relations are not a distur- bance. The Chinese government has to keep this kind of momentum. But as for issues such as the regional order in the Asia-Pacific region in par- ticular, climate change and trade re- gime talks, Chinas strong partner is still India. So, in whatever way, he concluded, China needs more stable Indo-China relations. Pivot concerns Pivot concerns Pivot concerns Pivot concerns Pivot concerns Chinas concerns on the United States pivot or rebalancing, which has emerged as Beijings primary for- eign policy focus in recent months, is likely to cast a shadow on ties with India. Obamas pivot offers a lens through which many Chinese analysts see Indias strategic intention toward China, said Han Hua, a leading South Asia scholar at Peking University. The two have to talk to each other on core interests and how to avoid challeng- ing those interests, she said. Small frictions will be still there, but in gen- eral, stable relations are the main theme in Chinas India policy. Ms Han was of the view that China under new General Secretary Xi Jinping will attach more importance on its relations with its neighbours than before. Chinese officials and scholars say the new leadership is acutely aware that the past year has been a difficult one for Chinas diplo- macy. There is renewed concern in the region particularly among Chinas neighbours about increasing Chi- nese assertiveness, in the wake of re- cent territorial disputes with Japan over the East China Sea islands and in the South China Sea. There is also a perception in Beijing that its diplo- macy has lacked creativity and nimbleness. To elevate the level of diplomatic decision-making, the CPC is considering appointing one of its 25 Politburo members as a new foreign policy czar who would also hold the title of Vice Premier a rank higher than the position held by the current top Chinese diplomat, Mr. Dai. Wang Huning, who joined the Politburo in November, has been mentioned as a candidate for the post. As an official working in the Secretariat of the Po- litburo, Mr. Wang regularly accompa- nied President Hu Jintao on almost all of his international trips, including to India for the BRICS Summit earlier this year. He speaks French fluently, and earlier worked as the Dean of the In- ternational Politics Department at Shanghais Fudan University. Two other areas where a new approach by the Chinese leadership is likely to be of relevance to India are with regard to Tibet and trade. The CPC has appointed a new head of the United Front Work Department, the leading organisation in charge of Ti- bet policy and talks with the Dalai Lama, which have been stalled after the Tibetan spiritual leaders represen- tatives resigned citing a hardening Chinese position. The around 90 self- immolation protests by Tibetans have brought fresh accusations aimed at Dharamsala of a separatist plot. The Tibet policy will be under the charge of Ling Jihua, a protg of Hu Jintao. Under Mr. Hu, China followed an ap- proach to Tibet that emphasised sta- bility and security, and stepped up pressure on the Dalai Lama interna- tionally. On the trade front, the past year has seen a more than 13 per cent de- cline in trade with India, as of Octo- ber. Bilateral trade has been driven by Indian exports of iron ore and imports of Chinese power and telecom equip- ment. Iron ore exports are unlikely to recover as a result of a prolonged slowdown in Chinas steel sector in the short-term and the governments long-term target of rebalancing the economy. China has suggested boost- ing mutual investments as a way to bridge the imbalance, but its officials have voiced concern most recently at the November 26 Strategic Eco- nomic Dialogue in New Delhi at the investment climate in India after du- ties on the import of power equip- ment and restrictions in the telecom sector were imposed. The CPCs Work Report highlighted health care reform and Information Technology as stra- tegic priorities for the next five years, which may open up new possibilities for Indian pharmaceutical and IT com- panies. In both sectors, India is push- ing for greater market access. But Chi- nese officials say Indian companies will, for their part, have to invest far more in the domestic market in terms of boosting both their expertise and commitment if they want to expand their presence in China as the countrys new leadership takes charge. Courtesy-The Hindu Neither effective nor equitable Neither effective nor equitable Neither effective nor equitable Neither effective nor equitable Neither effective nor equitable The nondescript town of Kotkasim in the Alwar district of Rajasthan had its Peepli Live moment UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 107 107 107 107 107 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe after it was chosen for a pilot experi- ment with direct cash transfers of kerosene subsidies. According to the district administration, the scheme led to net savings of 79 per cent in kero- sene subsidies after it was launched in December 2011, by weeding out fake users. The administration fur- ther claims that if this were replicated in Rajasthan as a whole, it would lead to annual savings of about Rs. 920 crore for the State government. How- ever, are these savings really driven by a reduction in the illegal diversion of subsidised kerosene? A quick investi- gation, based on discussions with resi- dents and Fair Price Shop (FPS) deal- ers in three gram panchayats of Kotkasim, reveals a different story. The scheme The scheme The scheme The scheme The scheme The direct cash transfer of kero- sene subsidies works as follows. In- stead of getting kerosene from the lo- cal FPS at a subsidised price of Rs. 15 a litre, as they used to do, households now pay the full market price (initially Rs. 45 a litre, later raised to Rs. 50). The subsidy, that is, the difference be- tween the market price and the subsidised rate of Rs 15 a litre, is de- posited into their bank accounts. The subsidy payments are supposed to be made every three months, with the first three-month instalment paid in advance when the scheme is launched. Clearly, this scheme requires careful recording of kerosene pur- chases and close coordination among the FPS, the administration and the banks. When people buy kerosene, the FPS dealer notes down their ac- count number in his sales register along the purchase details. This infor- mation is sent to the District Supply Officer (DSO). The relevant subsidies are then paid into bank accounts based on this information, every three months. The main purpose of the scheme is to reduce leakages: if FPS dealers get the same price from their legiti- mate customers as from the black market, there is no incentive to cheat. That, at any rate, is how things are sup- posed to work. Peoples perceptions Peoples perceptions Peoples perceptions Peoples perceptions Peoples perceptions Most of the consumers we talked to said they used kerosene for lighting lamps, and sometimes in cooking stoves. Further probing re- vealed that some people used to mix kerosene with diesel to run tubewell pumpsets as well, though this was from their own quota of three litres per month. Before the scheme was launched, households often bought extra kerosene by borrowing ration cards from others who did not pur- chase their full quota. These proxy purchases have more or less ceased under the new scheme, because the subsidy is credited directly to the cardholder. Many respondents com- plained bitterly about this. On the other hand, in the earlier system, kerosene supplies often ran out (possibly due to illegal diversion). For this reason, many people were also willing to go along with the new scheme provided the subsidies were paid on time. Old entries in the ration cards suggest that there was demand for kerosene from every household. Moreover, due to power cuts and a lack of alternative source of lighting, kerosene is a necessity in many house- holds. Then why did the purchase de- cline so dramatically after the new scheme was introduced? One major reason is the erratic payment (or even non-payment) of subsidies, due to lack of coordination with the banks. Even a year after the scheme was launched, many house- holds have not been able to open a bank account. Since the subsidy trans- fer requires Core Banking Solutions (CBS) enabled bank branches, the post office accounts of MGNREGA workers were not considered. Many households are yet to receive any sub- sidy, despite shelling out Rs 500 to open a (supposedly zero-balance) bank account for instance the SBI account holders of Bilahedi gram panchayat. Another major hurdle is the time and effort required to go to the bank and check whether the sub- sidy has been credited. Quite often, people have to visit the bank many times just to get this information. Even a single visit can take a full day be- cause of the distance, long queues, and uncooperative bank staff. This is a major hassle, particularly for poor households. Because of this erratic and cum- bersome transfer of subsidies, the ef- fective price of kerosene has actually shot up, leading to a dramatic decline in FPS purchases. Since the launch of the pilot in December 2011, some households have received two sub- sidy instalments (for three months each) and some have received one but many others are yet to get any sub- sidy. Without assured and timely sub- sidy payments, people are reluctant or unable to buy kerosene at the market rate. The worst-hit are the poorest households. For instance, Sumitra Devi of Kanhdka gram panchayat, a single woman, has been constrained to use her pension to purchase kero- sene from the FPS at the market rate without receiving any subsidy. Appar- ently, her account number is yet to reach the bank. The dealers story was consis- tent with what we heard from con- sumers. Kerosene sales dropped dras- tically in the very first month after the scheme was introduced. Subse- quently, kerosene offtake by dealers also plummeted due to a dramatic in- crease in the amounts they had to pay upfront to get kerosene supplies. When the FPS transaction price per litre tripled (from Rs 15 to Rs 45), so did the cash advance from about Rs 3,300 per 220-litre drum to Rs 9,900 per drum. Bad deal Bad deal Bad deal Bad deal Bad deal Dealers commissions, however, remained the same (per litre). Further, it takes much longer to recover the advance, because sales have crashed. Thus, the returns on investment are much lower, to the extent that many dealers have lost interest in supplying UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 108 108 108 108 108 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe kerosene. Some of them are literally being forced to continue, just to show that the scheme is a success. Even if many dealers were diverting kerosene earlier, maintaining a sound incentive structure for them is very important for the sustainability of the system. Forcing them to purchase kerosene at a loss to ensure that the scheme con- tinues is both unsustainable and un- ethical. Pilot or showpiece? Pilot or showpiece? Pilot or showpiece? Pilot or showpiece? Pilot or showpiece? Pilot surveys are initiated to learn lessons from ground realities. Before scaling up, the shortcomings need to be rectified. However, till now there has been no objective assess- ment whatsoever of the scheme by the government. On the contrary, the ad- ministration is projecting the scheme as a grand success on the sole basis of reduction in total subsidy, without analysing (or revealing) its cause. Our investigation suggests that the main reason for the reduction in subsidy is the involuntary dropping out of legiti- mate buyers. The whole experiment looks like a desperate top-down at- tempt to successfully execute a showpiece at any cost. One dealer told us that the DSO had scolded him saying: Ramjibhi to 14 saal ke vanwaas par gae the, aap teen mahine scheme nahi chala sakte? (even Lord Ram was exiled to the jungle for 14 years, cant you run the scheme for three months). Another dealer was told: Aapko scheme chalani hi padegi, Collector ko sammanit jo karwana hai (you will have to run the scheme since we have to get an award for the Collector). Of course, if the real purpose of the experiment was just to reduce the amount of subsidy (if need be by driv- ing legitimate beneficiaries out of the system), then, yes, it was a success. But if the purpose was to put in place a more effective and equitable system, the Kotkasim experiment is at best an opportunity to learn from failure. Courtesy-The Hindu Time to clean up our game Time to clean up our game Time to clean up our game Time to clean up our game Time to clean up our game The news about the Interna- tional Olympic Committee suspend- ing India has not been entirely unex- pected though the pace with which events unfolded on Tuesday might have stunned many. That both sides adopted uncompromising postures while handling a most sensitive mat- ter was unfortunate. The IOC did not wait for the Indian Olympics Associa- tion (IOA) elections to take place on Wednesday before suspending India, nor did it give a hearing to the Indian body, especially at a time when its representative in the country, Randhir Singh, happened to be an aspiring candidate in the elections. On its part, the IOA did not show the urgency or diplomacy that was warranted to deal with the situation. The IOA allowed things to drift even though contentious issues re- lated to government guidelines on ten- ure of office-bearers first enforced in 1975 had been brewing for more than two years. It was the former Sports Minister, M. S. Gill, who pulled out the old guidelines from cold stor- age in 2010, amended them and firmly told the IOA and the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to fall in line. Once the IOC warned the IOA that it should not go ahead with its elections under the National Sports Code as directed by the Delhi High Court, the suspen- sion was a foregone conclusion. If the IOC was on the IOAs side in 2010 and subsequently, when the National Sports Development Bill was mooted in February 2011, the situa- tion has changed completely with the IOC taking a rare stand against a Na- tional Olympic Committee because of what it perceives is the latters defi- ance. Factional fights within the Indian Olympic body have only helped di- vert the real issues that have plagued Indian sports administration for long, and delayed the reforms that are badly needed. Even as it has objected to government regulations dictating the IOAs elections, the IOC has all but made it plain that it would not be averse to the idea of tenure restrictions if the measure is voluntarily adopted rather than imposed by the govern- ment. The IOAs inability to sort things out with the government has led to this unprecedented suspension in its 88- year-old history. The Commonwealth Games scam that led to officials in- cluding IOA President Suresh Kalmadi and current Secretary-General-desig- nate, Lalit Bhanot, being charge- sheeted, has only strengthened the public perception that sports bodies need to be brought under government regulation, especially when govern- ment funds are being utilised for the development of sports. The courts have concurred with the government view. The IOCs sanction is not an in- tractable position but both the gov- ernment and the IOA will need to come on board to clean up the mess without harming the interests of the athletes. Courtesy-The Hindu No excuses for this error of No excuses for this error of No excuses for this error of No excuses for this error of No excuses for this error of judgment judgment judgment judgment judgment Only those condemned to await their own deaths will know what it is to be suddenly blessed with the elixir of life. On November 22, two Kashmiri men found themselves lifted out of the darkness of their death row cells into light, life and liberty after the Delhi High Court set aside their convictions in the 1996 Lajpat Nagar market bomb blasts. Grievously wronged Mirza Nissar Hussain and Mohammad Ali Bhatt were grievously wronged by the Delhi police and the prosecution which, in the words of the High Court, committed lapses so grave that they raised a question mark on the nature and truthfulness of the evidence produced. The case had fallen below the threshold of minimum proof required in a crimi- nal trial, the court said. Minimum proof and maximum punishment? Why were Hussain and Bhatt sentenced to death when there was no evidence even to convict them? The curious fact here is that the trial court itself was distressed by the quality of the police investigation, UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 109 109 109 109 109 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe which it described as highly defec- tive. Hussain and Bhatt eventually bridged the impossible gulf between death and freedom because a sen- sible, sensitive appellate court was able to see that the evidentiary dots simply did not connect in their case. This High Court judgment, and a Supreme Court judgment of Septem- ber 2012, have taken our understand- ing of terror investigations to a level where the usual excuses can no longer suffice to explain away acquittals. In- deed, if a pattern has emerged in re- cent years of terror trials leading to ac- quittals, it has equally become a pat- tern for the police to blame the ac- quittals on the nature of terrorism which made evidence gathering diffi- cult, more so in a system hamstrung by inadequate manpower and out- dated forensics. The implication is that the men are guilty but get away. The High Court rejected the po- lice-prosecution argument that the law and the courts demanded impossible standards of proof which was both- ersome in terror crimes. It said the weakness of the state could not jus- tify lowering of standards. Very sig- nificantly, the court also noted that the evidence appeared to be manufac- tured. Overturning the convictions of 11 persons under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), the apex court berated the prosecution: firstly for falsifying evi- dence regarding a key TADA safe- guard and then for arguing that the case did not turn on this piece of technical evidence. The plea was not good enough, the court said, dealing a blow to the spurious logic that sub- terfuge was a small aberration in the battle against terrorism. Adnan Bilal Mulla I record here the travails of Maharashtra resident Adnan Bilal Mulla. The case is not quite as dra- matic as the one illustrated above but it shows the lengths to which the state will go once it has judged a citizen to have made the transition to terror sus- pect. Adnan was to get married on May 24, 2003. The marriage took place instead on April 14, 2010 at that be- cause his fianc, now wife, mustered the will to wait for a man sent to jail under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). Through the seven years he was in jail, Adnan, who owned a fruit juice stall in Padgha in Bhiwandi, could not get bail, nor was he brought to trial. Nearly a decade after his ar- rest, trial has still to start in the case, and alert to the dark possibilities of the future, his family lives each day as if it were the last. Adnans lawyers went back and forth from trial court to High Court, filing applications, appeals and writ petitions, before securing his release on bail in February 2010. The prosecu- tion constructed a powerful story of terror and conspiracy. In actual fact, the evidence was thin and far from constituting grounds for believing Adnan was guilty as charged a le- gal requirement to justify persistent denial of bail. Quite to the contrary, startling evidence surfaced while Adnan was in jail to show that the police had kept him under illegal detention for over a month and charged him under POTA when he refused to implicate Saquib Nachan, his brother-in-law and the main accused in a series of three bomb blasts recorded between De- cember 2002 and March 2003. The trial court thrice refused Adnan bail, the last time in 2008, just months after a judicial enquiry confirmed his ille- gal and unauthorised detention. The enquiry report concluded: There is a clear probability that the investigating agency did not want to make Adnan an accused but it wanted to make him a witness. In other words, Adnan was summoned as a witness against Saquib, and when he did not oblige, he was made a co-accused with Saquib and charged similarly: con- spiracy to wage war against the state by committing terrorist acts. Two years earlier, in February 2006, a two judge-bench of the Bombay High Court had rejected Adnans bail plea, condemning him in harsh language and justifying his in- carceration through broad-brush theo- ries of larger conspiracy and guer- rilla war against the state. The rejec- tion prompted Adnans family to file an RTI application seeking his where- abouts between May 5, 2003, the day he went missing, and June 9, 2003, when he was shown as officially ar- rested. The reply nailed the police lie: Adnan was given over in custody to Mumbais DCB-CID on May 5, 2003. Armed with this proof, Adnans law- yers demanded a judicial enquiry into when and why he was arrested. The enquiry, conducted by Prin- cipal Sessions Judge T.V. Nalawade, established the following. On March 27, 2003, the Padgah police registered an FIR against Adnan and several oth- ers for obstructing the arrest of Saquib. It was a bailable offence, and since Adnan was shortly to get mar- ried, he surrendered to the Padgah police on May 5, 2003. He should have been released immediately. Instead he was handed over to DCB-CID which took him into illegal custody. When Adnan emerged from confinement 36 days later, it was as a co-accused in an omnibus terror conspiracy alleg- edly plotted by his brother-in-law. During the enquiry, the prosecu- tion argued that Adnan did not speak of his illegal detention when he was produced before the authorised court on June 9, 2003. Judge Nalwades an- swer to this was that long detentions and the fear of further harassment often forced suspects to withhold the truth. Four years after Adnan was lam- basted by a bench of the Bombay High Court, a second bench of the court, with one of the judges being common to both, commented on the injustice done to him and released him on bail. The judges took on record the enquiry report of Judge Talwande: The enquiry indicates that the appel- lant was initially picked up as a wit- ness, and when he refused to give a statement against the main accused, who is his brother-in-law, he was UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 110 110 110 110 110 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe shown as an accused and for doing so he was shown to have been ar- rested on 9/6/2003. The judges pulled up the trial court for refusing Adnan bail and for its failure to consider the changed circumstances arising from the contents of the enquiry report. The judges further said: the evidence [produced by the prosecution] can- not be, as of now, read as to hold that there is sufficient evidence to record a conviction against him [Adnan]. Adnans story is by no means unique: illegal detention, planted evi- dence and denial of bail have become so much the rule that not just the po- lice force but society at large has come to view these as legitimate weapons to be deployed in the fight against ter- rorism. A recent study of 16 terror crime acquittals by the Jamia Teach- ers Solidarity Association showed il- legal detention and trumped up charges in a majority of cases. More recently, it has been disclosed that a member of the R.D. Nimesh Commis- sion expressed serious doubts on the date, place and timing of the arrests of two bomb blast suspects in Uttar Pradesh. Worst bias Terror suspects suffer the worst attitudinal biases because the horror of terrorism tends to bring out the vigi- lante in the ordinary person. The state capitalises on this revulsion to such an extent that terror suspects are thought to have no rights at all. In 1996, the Supreme Court laid down a set of procedural safeguards, known as the D.K. Basu guidelines, to prevent ille- gal arrests and custodial torture. The charter gave an arrested person the right to inform his relatives of his ar- rest as soon as practicable. It also placed an obligation on the police to convey to the relatives the details of the time, place of arrest and venue of custody. Though the charter has since passed into law, it is not even followed in the breach. The pregnant wife of Fasih Mahmood an Indian engineer working in Saudi Arabia who went missing in May this year had to file a Habeas Corpus petition to establish his location when she was entitled to get this information from the Indian authorities. Fasih, who has been named a co-founder of the Indian Mujahideen, was formally arrested in India on Oc- tober 22. If he was illegally detained, his family should have been told about it not only because the law gives them this right but because illegal cus- tody is where forced confessions hap- pen, leading to vitiated trials and ver- dicts. Courtesy-The Hindu The promise of unconditional The promise of unconditional The promise of unconditional The promise of unconditional The promise of unconditional money money money money money Offering cash transfers before elections is an inspired move. Like birthday gifts, election promises must come brightly packaged, look good for the event even if they collapse in a heap afterwards. By then, another birthday, another election and another promise! In election campaigns, it is im- portant to get the best promise out first. Performance can catch up, if at all, much later. There are five full years for that and time enough to waffle, dawdle and put up false figures. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Em- ployment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was a great promise, so what if it failed to perform in most parts of the coun- try? Its success in a few showcase States like Kerala provided the juice for excuses elsewhere. Like all good gifts, an election promise must keep up with the times and cash transfer does just that. There is no point in presenting kirpans when Sikhs want economic opportunities. This is why when Akhilesh Yadav traded in his knuckledusters for laptops, it worked wonderfully for him in Uttar Pradesh. Caste and minority consciousness are yesterdays prom- ises and, as the Congress learnt in U.P., ready for the trash can. What kind of laptops and when, are issues for an- other day; it is the promise that must draw in the voters now. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) proposal for cash transfers comes in a see-through gift wrap. It allows a peek at what it looks like but not what it feels like. This is what makes the cash transfer promise so electorally compelling. What is visible is limited cash transfer, but what is ex- citing is that it promises much more. For now, cash transfers will concern payments related to pensions, schol- arships, and the like. These are low cost deliverables as they are already monetised. But the dream team for cash transfers, which includes money for food, fertilizer and fuels, will have to wait. Their prices are difficult to control for they have a mind of their own. Also, it is hard to predict how the market will behave once the Pub- lic Distribution System (PDS) is dis- mantled. Wisely then, the UPA is si- lent about them. Five years from now, the easy victories will be paraded, just as Kerala is put out as MGNREGAs success story. In this case, once again, those chapters that are not exactly bedtime reading will stay unopened and forgotten. It worked in Brazil Also, cash transfer has an inter- national gloss about it. It has worked in Brazil and how. Even the World Bank has certified it as an ace instru- ment for poverty alleviation. So what if only about 15 per cent of Brazilians live in villages while nearly 70 per cent do in ours? So what if only 6.1 per cent of Brazils population earns less than $1.25 a day compared to a crushing 32.6 per cent in India? These compli- cations should not come in the way of a good promise, especially when there is an election round the corner. The fact that in Brazil it is not cash transfer but conditional cash transfer is a little detail that can be ig- nored. For the record, conditional cash transfers are linked to several human development issues which is why they are more than simple anti- poverty programmes. In Brazil, poor families have to satisfy strict condi- tions before they qualify to receive cash transfers. They must make sure UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 111 111 111 111 111 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe that their children have a high 85 per cent attendance in school and that their nutrition and growth charts are climbing up the right slope. In addi- tion, all children under five must have the full complement of vaccines and no excuses. Mothers too must submit to pre- and post-natal checks. Failure on any of these counts, and the cheque will not be in the mail. For these conditions to be met, it is imperative that adequate medical and school facilities exist. Brazil has moved swiftly in that direc- tion as it devotes above four per cent of its GDP to health and another four per cent to education. In contrast, In- dia spends just one per cent of its GDP on health which is why cash transfers here had better not be conditional. Our existing educational and health infrastructures are too weak to bear the additional pressure of condi- tional cash transfers. Under these circumstances, if conditional cash transfers are in- sisted upon in India then that would drive people to private health and education providers. They would then be the new parasites. Fortunately, the UPA is playing within its limits and is not burning a hole in its pocket. As long as Brazil acts as a convenient metaphor, why step into the kitchen and spoil the party? Opening bank accounts Emaciated though our cash transfer scheme is, it nevertheless has a huge task ahead. So far, a little over 200 million Aadhar cards have been issued, but that is a long way from being translated into bank accounts. The Reserve Bank of India is yet to come out with guidelines on this mat- ter, though that might happen any day soon. Yet it will require a fair amount of rejigging as banks will now be re- quired to lower their guard when cus- tomers come in to open accounts. Nor is the report of the pilot Kotkasim project encouraging. Though it was near test tube incubated, it failed on practically every front; from the open- ing of accounts to getting cash in the bank. And there will be new accounts, millions of them, if the cash transfer scheme is to save face. So far, only about a third of our population has a bank account. In India, sadly, the poorer the State, the greater the pres- sure on banks. While in developed re- gions like Delhi, Chandigarh and Goa a bank serves between a manageable 3,500 to 6,500 people, the number jumps to over 21,000 in a place like Bihar. Not surprising then, after hos- pitals and courts, public sector banks scare people the most. Migration In the case of cash transfers it is necessary to factor in an added twist. Our people refuse to sit at home: they migrate everywhere in search of work or marital partners, though sometimes the two look alike. It is, therefore, not enough to have bank accounts at ones address; it is necessary to service people who are constantly on the move. As the Census figures show, upward of 90 million people, in the past decade alone, have changed their residence and the Indian Railways sells over six billion tickets annually. It is likely that some banks will manage to overcome these problems, and do well or passably well in places like Delhi and Goa even if they flop elsewhere. Delhi and Goa will then become the new Kerala as far as the banking sector is concerned. Like MGNREGA again, success in a limited sector will help cloud failure in large parts of the country. Crores and crores The stark truth in India is that roughly Rs.3.5 trillion is spent every year in subsidies and it is anybodys guess what proportion of this lines undeserving pockets. It cannot be denied either that the poor should have bank accounts or that our economy should be less cash driven than what it is today. Cheques are rarely issued, which is why the inter- mediaries with their scissor hands are ever ready to take their cut. So if the promise of cash transfers strikes a bell, remember it tolls for so many. Given the complications of a conditional cash transfer, it is a great election move for the government to promise cash transfers, but only in a limited fashion. Care must be taken that those in power are not overly persuaded by their own promises and begin to behave rashly. A hasty deci- sion to abandon the Public Distribu- tion System (PDS) or give money only to the women of the family, Brazilian style, would be extremely unwise. The PDS may not have the whit- est shirt, but its performance is not all bad. Different studies, such as those conducted by the National Fed- eration of Indian Women and the Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA), have come up with contra- dictory conclusions. While the former unilaterally support the PDS, the SEWA research is guarded in this re- gard as some women prefer cash transfers, but there are others who are not so sure. Nor would the UPA do itself a favour if cash transfers were made to the womans account, by- passing her husband. If it did that, cash transfers would meet with the same fate as the Womens Reservation Bill did in Parliament. In Brazil, the woman gets the cash and if the man wants a booze for the buck he has to take his missus to the liquor store. This takes away much of the sparkle from the boys night out. This is also why 85 per cent of cash subsidies are spent on food in Brazil. That the UPA has not spelt out any condition in its cash transfer scheme is a well plotted election strat- egy. If it delivers in a limited way to a limited population it can draw enough goodwill to shout down the many Kotkasims that are bound to occur. But by then its party time again: another election and another round of promises on the house. Courtesy-The Hindu Arming the law against gun Arming the law against gun Arming the law against gun Arming the law against gun Arming the law against gun trade trade trade trade trade An overwhelming majority of 157 countries, including the United UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 112 112 112 112 112 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe States and China, have voted to finalise next March a global treaty to regulate the billion-dollar trade in con- ventional weapons. Significantly, not a single country opposed the resolu- tion to combat the proliferation of il- licit arms in the United Nations Gen- eral Assemblys First Committee and Russia was the lone major exporting power to abstain from the vote. The development reflects an emerging consensus that despite the legitimate requirements of defence cooperation among countries, weapons transfers ought to be subject to greater multi- lateral supervision in view of their dev- astating consequences for human lives and livelihood. Needless controversy Under the proposed global con- vention, governments are expected to agree to cease transfers of arms and ammunition where there are risks that countries are likely to deploy them for human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law. This is Amnesty Internationals Golden Rule, requiring all states to carry out a rig- orous risk assessment of unauthorised use and potential rights violations. Pre- dictably, attempts to incorporate ba- sic principles of the rule of law was resisted both by the big arms export- ing countries such as the U.S., China, and Russia, as well as autocratic re- gimes in Africa and Asia. However, any attempt to harmonise a global law on the trade in lethal weapons with broad human rights principles is un- exceptionable. Such moves are in fact consistent with the spirit underlying established procedures that demo- cratic states have in place to not ex- tradite terror suspects to countries where torture is routinely applied dur- ing trials. The other controversy in the ne- gotiations relates to the nature and scope of arms that should be subject to controls. Civil society campaigns have strongly advocated coverage of the entire range of conventional weap- ons, including small arms and light weapons (SALW) and related ammu- nition under the treaty. Their claim that a much larger proportion of casualties in modern-day armed conflict are caused by SALW is too compelling to be overlooked. Although the Obama administration reversed the earlier U.S. position on the treaty, Washing- ton, with Moscow and Tehran, is not expected to strive hard for a strong law. One of the sticky points has been the inclusion of ammunition. Cross-sectoral support The first-ever comprehensive treaty for control of the commerce in conventional arms enjoys broad sup- port in view of the ethical, socio-eco- nomic and public health ramifications of armed conflict. Some 2,000 parlia- mentarians from over 114 countries have backed proposals to cover trans- fers of all conventional arms, includ- ing ammunition and equipment. Sig- nificantly, they have also committed to advocate early and effective ratifi- cation of such a treaty by their respec- tive governments. A World Health Organisation report on violence way back in 2002 singled out the need for a global re- sponse to arms trade as among the top priorities. Now, the International Phy- sicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War has underscored the importance of a robust treaty on arms trade for the protection of life and the promo- tion of health. Also significant is the call issued last year by a group of glo- bal investors who manage or own as- sets worth $1.2 trillion. Signatories to the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment, the group has underscored the need for greater transparency in international arms transfers as social, governance and environmental issues have implica- tions for investment portfolios. Hard realities Yet none of the stakeholders who engaged in deliberations for nearly a decade would seriously count on major weapons exporting coun- tries to cease arming Africas warlords or Latin Americas drug mafia in a hurry. The ink had barely dried on the document signed in New York when Britains Prime Minister David Cameron was busy negotiating weap- ons export deals with the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Ironically, the United Kingdom is one of the earliest champions of talks on the arms treaty. Western powers seldom miss an opportunity to express support for the momentous democratic churning wit- nessed in the Middle East. But the material support they extend to autoc- racies and warlords in Asia and Africa tells a different story. It is no secret that Mr. Camerons bid for the sale of Eurofighter Ty- phoons acquired urgency after the failed merger of BAE Systems, the U.K.s largest defence contractor, with the Franco-German giant, EADS (Eu- ropean Aeronautic Defence and Space Company). More broadly, clandestine arms supplies that sustain notorious dicta- torships and defend domestic jobs are not consistent with the declared policy of promotion of democracy and raising human rights violations abroad. Even less in the context of the severe fallout of the current global economic slowdown. Courtesy-The Hindu Whos afraid of moral defeat? Whos afraid of moral defeat? Whos afraid of moral defeat? Whos afraid of moral defeat? Whos afraid of moral defeat? Irrespective of how the Rajya Sabha votes on the resolution against Foreign Direct Investment in multi- brand retail, the United Progressive Alliance government has won where it matters most: in the Lok Sabha. Given that some of the constituents and supporting parties of the UPA were against FDI in multi-brand retail, the government did well to tide over this mini-crisis, defeating the Opposi- tion-sponsored resolution comfort- ably enough in the end. A loss in the Lok Sabha would have raised ques- tions about the legitimacy of the gov- ernment, and of the continuance of the pro-reforms push. However, the walkout by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, both op- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 113 113 113 113 113 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe posed to FDI in multi-brand retail but supportive of the government, en- sured the defeat of the resolution moved by the principal opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party. The fact that the numbers in support of the UPA did not add up to 272 or more, which is the absolute majority in the House, is the only consolation for the BJP, the Left parties and the Trinamool Con- gress, who were in the forefront of the battle against the government on this issue. But the Congress will have no problem in dealing with this moral defeat that means nothing at all in real terms. The way the vote went is a pointer to emergence of key political fault-lines in the run up to the 2014 general election. Both the SP and the BSP were content to register their opposition on FDI and walk out with- out actually voting against the govern- ment. Obviously, in their calculations, the survival of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is much more im- portant than the debate over multina- tional giants, kirana stores and farm- ers. After all, the government had left it to the States to decide whether or not to allow FDI. Despite the best ef- forts of the BJP, the resolution was seen by the two Uttar Pradesh-based parties in the context of the survival of a secular government at the Cen- tre. The BJP was hoping to keep the focus on FDI, and away from the com- munal-secular divide, but for the SP and the BSP, as for the UPA, too much hinged on the FDI vote. Clearly the BJP is finding its communally divisive agenda difficult to live down. No mat- ter what it professes in the immediate context, all its actions are viewed by other secular parties in the larger con- text of its communal politics. Fear of the BJPs sectarian politics is enough to drive parties such as the SP and the BSP into the arms of the Congress. To the credit of Congress political man- agers, the FDI vote turned not just on the economy, but on the countrys social-democratic fabric too. While the BJPs past wrongdoings are still helping the Congress, the Congresss present wrongdoings are not coming to the aid of the BJP. Courtesy-The Hindu Dealing with Pakistans Dealing with Pakistans Dealing with Pakistans Dealing with Pakistans Dealing with Pakistans brinkmanship brinkmanship brinkmanship brinkmanship brinkmanship During the past decade, there have been notable shifts in Pakistans nuclear doctrine, away from minimum deterrence to second strike capabil- ity and towards expanding its nuclear weapons arsenal to include both stra- tegic and tactical weapons. Islamabad has described these developments as consolidating Pakistans deterrence capability at all levels of the threat spectrum. These shifts are apparent from the following developments: (1) There is a deliberate shift from the earlier generation of en- riched uranium nuclear weap- ons to a newer generation of plutonium weapons. (2) This shift has enabled Pakistan to significantly increase the number of weapons, which now appears to have over- taken Indias nuclear weapon inventory and, in a decade, may well surpass those held by Britain and France. (3) Progress has been made in the miniaturisation of weapons, enabling their use with cruise missiles, both air and surface- based (Raad or Hatf VIII and Babur or Hatf-VII respectively) as also with a new generation of short range and tactical mis- siles (Abdali or Hatf II with a range of 180 km and Nasr or Hatf-IX with a range of 60 km). (4) Pakistan has steadily im- proved the range and accu- racy of its delivery vehicles, building upon the earlier Chi- nese models (the Hatf series) and the later North Korean models (the No-dong series). The newer missiles, including the Nasr, are solid-fuelled, which are quicker to launch than the older liquid-fuelled versions. Not under safeguards This rapid development of its nuclear weapon arsenal has been en- abled by the setting up of two pluto- nium production reactors at Khusab with a third and fourth under construc- tion. These have been built with Chi- nese assistance and are not under safe- guards. The spent fuel from these re- actors is reprocessed at the Rawalpindi New Labs facility, where there are reportedly two plants each with a capacity to reprocess 10 to 20 tonnes annually. Olli Heinonen, a former Direc- tor of Safeguards at the IAEA has ob- served: Commissioning of additional plutonium production reactors and further construction of reprocessing capabilities signify that Pakistan may even be developing second-strike ca- pabilities. These developments are driven by a mix of old and new set of threat perceptions and, equally, political ambitions. The so-called existential threat from India continues to be cited as the main driver of Pakistans nuclear compulsions. The rapid increase in the number of weapons is justified by pointing to India having a larger stock of fissile material available for a much more numerous weapons inventory, thanks to the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear agreement. Tactical nuclear weapons are said to be a response to Indias so- called Cold Start doctrine or its sus- pected intention to launch quick re- sponse punitive thrusts across the border in case of another major cross- border terrorist strike. Pakistans strategic objective has been expanded to the acquisition of a full-spectrum capability compris- ing a land, air and sea-based triad of nuclear forces, to put it on a par with India. However, the focus on India has tended to obscure an important change in Pakistans threat perception which has significant implications. The Pakistani military and civilian elite is UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 114 114 114 114 114 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe convinced that the United States has also become a dangerous adversary, which seeks to disable, disarm or take forcible possession of Pakistans nuclear weapons. This threat perception may be traced to the aftermath of 9/11, when Pakistan, for the first time in its his- tory, faced the real prospect of a mili- tary assault on its territory by U.S. forces and the loss of its strategic as- sets. In his address to the nation on September 15, 2001, President Pervez Musharraf justified his acquiescence to the U.S. ultimatum to abandon the Taliban and support U.S. military op- erations in Afghanistan, on account of four over-riding and critical concerns our sovereignty, second our economy, third our strategic assets and fourth our Kashmir cause. Paki- stan once again became a front-line state, this time in the U.S. war on ter- rorism in Afghanistan in contrast to the U.S.-led war against the Soviet forces in that country in the 1980s. But this time round, Pakistan became an ally by compulsion rather than by choice. While the immediate threat to its strategic assets passed, Pakistans sus- picions of U.S. intentions in this regard did not diminish and have now risen to the level of paranoia. The Ameri- can drone attacks against targets within Pakistani territory and, in par- ticular, the brazenness with which the Abbotabad raid was carried out by U.S. Navy Seals in May 2011 to kill Osama bin Laden, have only height- ened Pakistans concerns over U.S. intentions. These have overtaken fears of India, precisely because the U.S. has demonstrated both its capability and willingness to undertake such op- erations. India has not. Recent shifts Thus the recent shifts in Pakistans nuclear strategy cannot be ascribed solely to the traditional con- struct of India-Pakistan hostility. They appear driven mainly by the fear of U.S. assault on its strategic assets. The more numerous and compact the weapons, the wider their dispersal and the greater their sophistication, the more deterred the U.S. would be from undertaking any operations to disable them or to take them into its custody. The U.S. finds it as difficult to acknowledge this reality as it has, until recently, Pakistans complicity in terrorism directed against its forces in Afghanistan. This permits putting the onus on India to reassure Pakistan through concessions rather than ad- mitting that the problem lies else- where. There is also a strong non-pro- liferation lobby in the U.S. which be- lieves it could leverage the threat of an India-Pakistan nuclear exchange to reverse some of the concessions made to India in the civil nuclear deal. More recently, it is being argued that since the U.S. is finding it difficult to get its promised share of the civil nuclear business in India due to concerns over the countrys Nuclear Liability legisla- tion, a major rationale behind the agreement no longer exists. And meanwhile, it is further claimed, the civil nuclear agreement has only heightened the danger of India-Paki- stan nuclear war by feeding into Paki- stani fears of Indias enhanced nuclear capabilities. In this context, I wish to recall an exchange over dinner hosted by President George Bush for Prime Min- ister Manmohan Singh in November 2008 in Washington. The then Secre- tary of State Condoleezza Rice re- marked that after the heavy lifting the U.S. had done to get the nuclear deal through, she hoped India would en- sure that U.S. companies got a share of the orders for new reactors. Before our Prime Minister could reply, Mr. Bush stated categorically that he was not bothered if India did not buy even a single reactor from the U.S., since he regarded the agreement as con- firming India as a long-term strategic partner rather than a mere customer for U.S. reactors. Pakistan encourages the arguments of the U.S. non-prolif- eration lobby since this keeps the pressure on India and enables the camouflage of Pakistans real motiva- tions. It would not wish to project, as an adversary, a much more powerful U.S., and lose out on the economic and military support it receives, how- ever transactional these deals may have become. The implications What are the implications of these recent developments? One, it is not through strategic restraint or security assurances by India that Pakistan would be per- suaded to change its behaviour and revise its strategy. India and Pakistan have some nuclear CBMs in place and India would be prepared to go further. The main levers for such persuasion lie in Washington and in Beijing, not in New Delhi. Two, whatever sophistry Paki- stan may indulge in to justify its aug- mented arsenal and threatened re- course to tactical nuclear weapons, for India, the label on the weapon, tactical or strategic, is irrelevant since the use of either would constitute a nuclear attack against India. In terms of Indias stated nuclear doctrine, this would invite a massive retaliatory strike. For Pakistan to think that a counter-force nuclear strike against military targets would enable it to es- cape a counter-value strike against its cities and population centres, is a dan- gerous illusion. The U.S. could ac- quaint Pakistan with NATOs own Cold War experience when tactical nuclear weapons were abandoned once it was realised that use of such weapons in any conflict would swiftly and inexo- rably escalate to the strategic level. Instead of urging India to respond to Pakistani nuclear escalation through offering mutual restraint, the U.S. should convince Islamabad that a lim- ited nuclear war is a contradiction in terms and that it should abandon such reckless brinkmanship. The U.S. knows that Indias nuclear deterrence is not Pakistan-specific. Any mis- guided attempt to constrain Indian ca- pabilities would undermine, for both, the value of Indo-U.S. strategic part- nership in an increasingly uncertain and challenging regional and global security environment. UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 115 115 115 115 115 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Three, Pakistan is no longer Indias problem. Its toxic mix of jihadi terrorism and nuclear brinkmanship poses a threat to the region and to the world. Even China, whose culpability in continuing to assist Pakistan in de- veloping its nuclear and delivery ca- pabilities is well documented, is not exempt. It needs to reassess its own policies. An apparently low-cost and proxy effort to contain India may well become Chinas nightmare, too, in the days to come. Courtesy-The Hindu For a moratorium on death For a moratorium on death For a moratorium on death For a moratorium on death For a moratorium on death sentence sentence sentence sentence sentence The Supreme Courts five-judge Constitution Bench judgment in Bachan Singh (1980) is the source of contemporary death penalty juris- prudence in India. Its major contribu- tion was to limit the imposition of death penalty to the rarest of rare crimes, and for laying down the prin- ciple that the courts must impose the death sentence on a convict only if the alternative sentence of life imprison- ment is unquestionably foreclosed. For achieving these twin objectives, the court held that judges must con- sider the aggravating features of the crime, as well as the mitigating fac- tors of the criminal. However, the application of its principles by the courts to various cases before them has been very un- even, and inconsistent. This has natu- rally led to the criticism that the juris- prudence suffers from a judge-centric approach, rather than a principles- centric approach. Matter of concern It is a matter of concern when this criticism emanates from the judi- ciary itself, as it smacks of its helpless- ness. The frequency of such criticism from the judiciary may appear to be exercises in genuine introspection but to the litigants, the very credibility of the courts death penalty decisions is at stake. The execution of death row pris- oners in India might have come to a near standstill, with only one in the last decade, and another recently. Yet, the frequency of confirmation of death sentences by the Supreme Court has created a large pool of death row pris- oners in the country, who may be liv- ing between life and death constantly for many years, till the executive de- cides on their mercy petitions. When the Supreme Court time and again admits that many of these prisoners might have been sentenced on the basis of erroneous legal precedents set by itself, the executive cannot pre- tend to be unconcerned. The latest admission of such er- ror is to be found in the judgment delivered by Justice Madan B. Lokur for himself and on behalf of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan, in Sangeet & ANR vs. State of Haryana , on November 20. The genesis of Sangeet can be traced to another Supreme Court judg- ment delivered in 2009. InSantosh Kumar Satishbhushan Bariyar v. State of Maharashtra , a two-judge Bench admitted to error in the sentencing to death of seven convicts by the previ- ous benches of the court. Similar er- ror was immediately noticed in the sentencing to death of six more con- victs, after the delivery of judgment inBariyar , taking their total to 13. The error was the reliance by the court on a legal precedent, which Bariyar declared as per incu- riam . The term, per incuriam , refers to a decision which a subsequent court finds to be a mistake, occurring through ignorance of a relevant au- thority, and therefore not a binding precedent. Erroneous precedent The erroneous legal precedent was Ravji v. State of Rajasthan , de- cided in 1996 by a two-judge Bench. In Ravji , the court had found only characteristics relating to the crime, to the exclusion of the criminal, as rel- evant to sentencing. Bariyar noted with disapproval that the court had re- lied on Ravji as an authority on the point that in heinous crimes, circum- stances relating to the criminal are not pertinent, in six cases. This was incon- sistent with the Bachan Singh ruling by the five-Judge Constitution Bench in 1980, which had shifted the focus of sentencing from the crime to the crime and the criminal. In Sangeet , the Radhakrishnan- Lokur Bench has continued the judi- cial scrutiny started by Bariyar of post- Bachan Singh death penalty cases, to see if they have complied with the requirements of the law. Thanks to this scrutiny, five other cases which resulted in the wrongful sen- tencing to death of six more convicts have come to light. They are Shivu, Jadeswamy, B.A. Umesh, Rajendra Pralhadrao Wasnik, Mohd. Mannan, and Sushil Murmu. The former Presi- dent, Pratibha Patil, has already com- muted Murmus death sentence to life imprisonment. Back to 13 Five of the 13 convicts identified in and after Bariyar have already got their sentences commuted to life im- prisonment by competent authorities. With Sangeet pointing to five more such convicts, the total number of prisoners to be taken off the death row is back to 13 again. Unl i ke Bari yar , however, Sangeet has not declared the five er- roneous judgments per incuriam . But the result of the scrutiny in both the cases is the same: no future Bench can cite these cases on a point of law, without inviting the Ravji taint. The recent appeal by 14 former judges to the President to spare the lives of the eight convicts, who have been wrongly sentenced to death by the Su- preme Court must, therefore, apply equally to these five convicts identi- fied in Sangeet . It is not unusual to come across observations by the courts while jus- tifying the death sentence, that there is extreme indignation of the commu- nity over the nature of the crime, and that collective conscience of the com- munity is petrified by the extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolical, revolting or dastardly manner of the commis- sion of the crime. After making these UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 116 116 116 116 116 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe observations, it is easy for the courts to jump to the conclusion that the criminal is a menace to society and shall continue to be so and he cannot be reformed. These are empty clichs repeated ad nauseam without any basis. Sangeet , therefore, gently re- minds the courts about the need to back such observations with some material. The nature of the crime alone cannot form such material, it has held. Sangeet has pointed out a grave infirmity with regard to the sentenc- ing of Umesh and Sushil Murmu, to death. The Supreme Court found both Umesh and Sushil Murmu incapable of rehabilitation and, therefore, de- serving of the death sentence because of their alleged involvement in crimes other than those for which they were convicted turning upside down the doctrine of presumption of inno- cence, the cornerstone of our crimi- nal jurisprudence. Bachan Singh, delivered by a five-judge Constitution Bench, clearly discarded the proposition that the court must balance aggravating and mitigating circumstances through a balance sheet theory. The theory re- quires weighing aggravating factors of the crime against the mitigating fac- tors of the criminal. In Machhi Singh (1983), however, a three-judge Supreme Court Bench, brought the balance sheet theory back, and gave it legitimacy. The theory has held the field post-Machhi Singh . Sangeet has sought to revive the Bachan Singh dictum that the aggravating circumstances of the crime and the mitigating circum- stances of the criminal are completely distinct and different elements, and cannot be compared with one an- other. Therefore, it has held that a bal- ance sheet cannot be drawn up of two distinct and different constituents of an incident, as required by Machhi Singh . Sangeet holds the balance sheet theory responsible for much of the arbitrariness in judging whether a case falls under the rarest of rare cat- egory, a test enunciated in Bachan Singh . It also endorses the proposi- tion that by standardising and categorising crimes, Machhi Singh considerably enlarged the scope for imposing the death penalty, that was greatly restricted by Bachan Singh . The Radhakrishnan-Lokur Bench, being a two-judge Bench, could not have overruled Machhi Singh , despite its obvious flaws, and the source of much of the inconsis- tency in our death penalty jurispru- dence. A three-judge bench in Swami Shraddhanand II in 2008 had raised similar doubts about Machhi Singh ; but the courts continue to invoke it. In its judgment delivered on August 29, among other things, the Supreme Court relied on the flawedMachhi Singh for its reasoning, and used the balance sheet theory, arraigned by Sangeet , to sentence Ajmal Kasab. The serious issues raised in Sangeet are incapable of being resolved by the judiciary itself. Any delay in their resolution will inexora- bly create more death row convicts, than what is justified legally. There is indeed a case for the government to immediately announce a moratorium on executing death sentences and set up a Commission to identify the cases in which any of the courts trial courts, high courts and the Supreme Court might have erred in correctly applying the Bachan Singh principles, while sentencing. The findings of the Commission will be useful for decid- ing the future of death sentence in the country. Courtesy-The Hindu Lose-lose deal Lose-lose deal Lose-lose deal Lose-lose deal Lose-lose deal Resisting the seductive pull of jingoism, India has adopted a prudent approach to the Maldives government decision rescinding GMRs contract for operating and maintaining Male airport. In an era when diplomacy and business appear joined at the hip, some analysts have attempted to whip up nationalistic sentiments by describ- ing the Maldivian action against the Indian company as a slap on the In- dian governments face. Nothing can be further from the truth and it is just as well that New Delhi appears not to have been misled by this logic. What is at stake is a commercial contract and as External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid noted, If they [the Maldives] have to take a decision in the interest of their society and country and if that decision is taken properly as per laws there, what objections can anyone have? Yes, GMR had signed a legally valid and binding contract that has now been upended because the new administration considers it to be a bad deal. But if the expropriation of the airport is being done legally and Maldives is willing to compensate GMR for its investment and loss of business, what scope is there for the Indian government to intervene? India has to keep in mind its larger interests in the region, which are more impor- tant than the commercial contract of a single company. That said, it is rather unfortunate that the Maldives government chose to abrogate a contract which was al- lotted to GMR through a transparent process designed and supervised by the World Bank-affiliated International Finance Corporation. GMR appears to have become a pawn, a symbol of the apparent excesses of the earlier gov- ernment headed by Mohammed Nasheed, who was overthrown by Mohammed Waheed in February. Is- sues such as the Airport Development Charges sought to be levied by GMR based on the contract it signed with the Maldives government could have been negotiated and resolved across the table without taking recourse to the drastic action of annulment of the contract. Though GMR stands to suf- fer in terms of loss of business and profits, it is the Maldives that will be paying a bigger price over the long term. Not only will it now have to pay compensation running into a few hun- dred millions of dollars the precise sum will be determined by arbitration it will also have to find another pro- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 117 117 117 117 117 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe moter to develop and run the airport. While the compensation liability could be ruinous to the small economy of the island nation with an estimated GDP of $2.1 billion, it may be next to impossible to find a private investor willing to work with Maldives in any major project given the way it abro- gated the GMR deal. All in all, the en- tire episode has turned out to be a lose-lose proposition for all those in- volved. Courtesy-The Hindu An Indian grammar for An Indian grammar for An Indian grammar for An Indian grammar for An Indian grammar for International Studies International Studies International Studies International Studies International Studies A little over three years ago I wrote in The Hinduthat at a time when interest in India and Indias in- terest in the world are arguably at their highest, Indian scholarship on global issues is showing few signs of re- sponding to this challenge and that this could well stunt Indias ability to influence the international system. As we meet here now, at the first real convention of scholars (and prac- titioners) of International Studies from throughout India, we can take some comfort. A quick, albeit anecdotal, audit of the study of International Studies would suggest that the last three years have been unusually pro- ductive. So much so, that we are now, I believe, at a veritable tipping point in our emergence as an intellectual power in the discipline. Stanley Hoffman, Professor of International Relations (IR) at Harvard, once famously remarked that IR was an American social science. The blind- ing nexus between knowledge and power (particularly stark in the case of IR in the United States) perhaps made him forget that while the first modern IR departments were created in Aberystwyth and in Geneva, think- ing on international relations went back, in the case of the Indian, Chi- nese and other great civilizations, to well before the West even began to think of the world outside their living space. Having absorbed the grammar of Western international relations, and transited to a phase of greater self- confidence, it is now opportune for us to also use the vocabulary of our past as a guide to the future. 2011 survey Recovery of these Indian ideas should not be seen as part of a reviv- alist project or as an exercise that seeks to reify so-called Indian exceptionalism. Rather, interrogating our rich past with its deeply argumen- tative tradition is, as Amartya Sen put it, partly a celebration, partly an invi- tation to criticality, partly a reason for further exploration, and partly also an incitement to get more people into the argument. In the context of interna- tional relations it offers the intellec- tual promise of going beyond the Manichean opposition between power and principle; and between the world of ideas and norms on the one hand, and that of statecraft and even machtpolitik , on the other. In doing so we are not being particularly subversive. A 2011 survey of American IR scholars byForeign Policy found that 22 per cent adopted a Constructivist approach (with its privileging of ideas and identity in shaping state preferences and inter- national outcomes), 21 per cent adopted a Liberal approach, only 16 per cent a Realist approach, and a tiny two per cent a Marxist approach. When academics were asked to list their peers who have had the greatest influence on them and the discipline, the most influential was Alexander Wendt, the Constructivist, and neither the Liberal, Robert Koehane, nor the Realists, Kenneth Waltz or James Mearisheimer. Mohandas Gandhi once said that if all the Upanishads and all the other scriptures happened all of a sud- den to be reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse in the Ishopanishad were left in the memory of the Hindus, Hinduism would live forever. Let me make what may seem like another astounding claim, and which I hope, in the best argumentative tradition, will be heavily contested. If all the books on war and peace were to suddenly dis- appear from the world, and only the Mahabharata remained, it would be good enough to capture almost all the possible debates on order, justice, force and the moral dilemmas associ- ated with choices that are made on these issues within the realm of inter- national politics. Uncertainty in the region Beyond theory, we are faced with a period of extraordinary uncer- tainty in the international system and in our region. Multilateralism is in se- rious crisis. While the U.N. Security Council remains deadlocked on key issues, there is little progress on most other issues of global concern, be it trade, sustainable development or cli- mate change. As academics, we can- not remain unconcerned about these critical failures. Our continent is being defined and redefined over time. Regions are, after all, as much shaped by the pow- erful whose interests they seek to ad- vance as by any objective reality. Whatever nomenclature we adopt, and whatever definition we accept, we are faced with, what Evan Feigenbaum and Robert Manning de- scribed as two Asias: the Economic Asia whose $19 trillion regional economy drives global growth; the Security Asia, a dysfunctional re- gion of mistrustful powers, prone to nationalism and irredentism, escalat- ing their territorial disputes over tiny rocks and shoals, and arming for con- flict. The Asian Development Bank says that by nearly doubling its share of global GDP to 52 per cent by 2050, Asia could regain the dominant eco- nomic position it held 300 years ago. Yet, as several academics have pointed out it is beset by interstate rivalries that resemble 19th century Europe, as well the new challenges of the 21st century: environmental ca- tastrophes, natural disasters, climate change, terrorism, cyber security and maritime issues. An increasingly asser- tive China that has abandoned Deng Xiaopings 24-character strategy of UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 118 118 118 118 118 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe hiding its light and keeping its head low, adds to the uncertainty of the prevailing strategic environment. Indias military and economic prowess are greater than ever before, yet its ability to influence South Asian countries is less than what it was, say, 30 years ago. An unstable Nepal with widespread anti-India sentiment, a triumphalist Sri Lanka where Sinhalese chauvinism shows no signs of accom- modating legitimate Tamil aspirations, a chaotic Pakistan unwilling to even reassure New Delhi on future terrorist strikes, are symptomatic of a region being pulled in different directions. Can our thinking from the past help us navigate through this troubled present? Pankaj Mishra, in his brilliant book, From the Ruins of Empire: the Revolt Against the West and the Re- making of Asia , describes how three 19th century thinkers, the Persian Jamal-al Din al-Afghani, Liang Qichao from China and Indias Rabindranath Tagore, navigated through Eastern tra- dition and the Western onslaught to think of creative ways to strike a bal- ance and find harmony. In many ways, these ideas remain relevant today as well. For if Asia merely mimics the West in its quest for economic growth and conspicuous consumption, and the attendant conflict over economic resources and military prowess, the revenge of the East in the Asian cen- tury and all its victories will remain truly Pyrrhic. Courtesy-The Hindu Use visa card sensibly Use visa card sensibly Use visa card sensibly Use visa card sensibly Use visa card sensibly The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) took a long time to see the light, but it has finally done the right thing in removing, at least partially, the unreasonable re-entry restriction im- posed since 2009 on foreigners with long-term Indian visas. After it came to light that David Headley, a Pakistani- origin U.S national, had visited Mumbai on a long-term visa several times to scout sites for the November 2008 Lashkar-e-Taiba attacks, the MHA acted in a knee-jerk fashion to ban tourists with multiple entry visas from re-entering India within two months of leaving the country. That the restric- tion did not apply to multiple entry business visas the very visas Headley had used for his frequent trips was the first absurdity about the new rule. While the restriction did nothing to deter would-be terrorists, the two month rule affected thou- sands of tourists who would have wanted to use India as a base to travel through South Asia. Most importantly, it affected Indian-origin foreign nation- als who did not have a Person of In- dian Origin or Overseas Citizen of In- dia card. True, arrivals for 2010 were higher than for the previous year, when in-bound tourism in India was washed out under the combined ef- fects of the global economic down- turn and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. But for a country trying to get more tour- ists to come, the restrictive rule marked it out as one that did not fol- low global best practices in its visa policy. The government has now mer- cifully relaxed this unwarranted and ineffective restriction, while retaining it for citizens of some countries, namely Afghanistan, China, Iran, Paki- stan, Iraq, Sudan and Bangladesh. These are also countries whose nation- als need individual security clearance from the MHA before they can be given visas to attend conferences, seminars or academic meetings. North Block justifies this discrimination in the name of national security, the same alibi it invokes in order to insist that all academic conferences where foreign scholars are invited must be officially vetted before visa clearances are issued. This practice, which some- times leads to the denial of visas for scholars whose views the Indian state finds disagreeable, is at odds with the countrys image as a vibrant democ- racy and needs urgent review. Re- search visas for bona fide scholars are also hard to come by, and can be im- possible to obtain if the scholar wants to study a subject that the MHA con- siders sensitive. Unreasonable visa restrictions affect friends of India both current and potential more than those with evil designs against India. They can never be a substitute for an efficient intelligence-gathering system, which may be harder work but which would definitely prove more fail-safe in the long run. Courtesy-The Hindu Setting an example Setting an example Setting an example Setting an example Setting an example Convinced that the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) installation is safe, the French government recently granted the fu- sion project the necessary permission to start construction in Cadarache. There are many firsts to the project. Maintaining transparency has been one of ITERs most significant features and organising an enquiry to give the public an opportunity to formulate its opinion has set a new benchmark for openness. Independent experts as- sessed the safety of the fusion project and the public was not just taken into confidence but made an integral part of the project construction approval process. In effect, the two-and-a-half- year effort fully met the requirements set forth by Frances own 2006 Nuclear Transparency and Security legislation. If the French government took a bold decision to bring about more trans- parency and public engagement be- fore nuclear projects are cleared, the clearance given to ITER tells us that it is indeed possible to meet the strin- gent requirements laid down by the law. The ITER approval highlights the fact that the public is not unreason- able or obstinate. All people want is to be provided with facts, made fully aware of the benefits and risks, con- vinced that complete transparency is being maintained, and that their opin- ion is being taken into account on an important decision. Internationally, the nuclear industry is well known for maintaining opacity and for refusing to take the public into confidence. In India, the situation is compounded by the excessive secrecy surrounding all things nuclear, and by the lackadaisi- cal and hurried manner in which en- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 119 119 119 119 119 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe vironmental impact assessments are often carried out. As for the manda- tory public hearings for large projects, both nuclear and non-nuclear, these frequently descend into chaos if not farce. The sustained local opposition to the Kudankulam nuclear power plant continues unabated even days before the first two units are to be- come operational. While many valid questions concerning the safety as- pects of the plant have not been clearly answered, public apprehen- sion to a great extent has come from imagined fear, misconceptions and an improper understanding of the tech- nology-intensive project. It is time the Indian nuclear establishment realised that it can no longer bulldoze its way. Winning public approval is not only important but necessary for two rea- sons the Chernobyl catastrophe and the 2011 Fukushima disaster are fresh in peoples mind, and the gov- ernment has major plans to construct many power nuclear plants across the country. Courtesy-The Hindu No need for hype but certainly No need for hype but certainly No need for hype but certainly No need for hype but certainly No need for hype but certainly a hope a hope a hope a hope a hope We are grateful to Narendar Pani (Editorial page, Cashing in on schemes for poor, November 29, 2012) and Bharat Bhatti and Madhulika Khanna (Editorial page, Neither effec- tive nor equitable, December 4, 2012) for starting a useful debate on the United Progressive Alliance governments Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) initiative. At the outset, it must be emphasised categorically that this is not an initiative driven by electoral calculations, nor is it a further reduc- tion in the effectiveness of social wel- fare schemes, as Mr. Panis article suggests. On the contrary, this marks a paradigm shift, where the State is explicitly taking responsibility to en- sure that welfare schemes and basic entitlements reach the intended ben- eficiaries much more effectively than at present. In addition, the present proposal of the government clearly addresses the challenges observed by Bhatti and Khanna in the Kotkasim experiment for providing kerosene subsidies. What will DBT do? It is worth explaining briefly what the government is seeking to do. The DBT programme aims that entitle- ments and benefits to people can be transferred directly to them through biometric-based Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, thus reducing several layers of intermediaries and delays in the sys- tem. The last-mile of the initiative is the most important the system will allow actual disbursements to take place at the doorstep of the benefi- ciaries through a dense, interoperable network of business correspondents (BCs) using biometric microATM ma- chines. Thus, the yardstick of success is not going to be that the money has reached a bank account, but that it has reached the hands of the intended beneficiary a student, a pensioner, a widow, an elderly person, a disabled person, a poor family. Why is DBT a paradigm shift? There are several dimensions to this. First, the link to Aadhaar and the use of biometrics ensures that the problems of duplicates, i.e., the same person getting the benefit more than once, and ghosts, i.e., a non- existent person getting the benefit, are addressed. Second, it makes it pos- sible for money to reach the intended beneficiaries directly and on time so, for example, pensions, which reach the beneficiary once every four to six months in many parts of India, can now reach her bank account on the first of every month. Third, a dense BC network on the ground with microATMs will allow payments to happen at peoples doorsteps, ensur- ing that the poor get the same level of service that the rich and middle-class in India get. Fourth, as it is a platform based on an open architecture, State governments can use this platform as much as the Central government. This is important, because the government views this programme as a coopera- tive endeavour between the Centre and the States, and the States will have a critical role to play (in fact, many chief ministers, including of the Op- position-ruled States, are strong cham- pions of the programme). Fifth, the potential benefit to internal migrants who send remittances to their homes is huge. It is estimated that Rs.75,000 crore worth of within-country remit- tances are made in India every year many of these are lifelines for their families. Seventy per cent of these re- mittances are today channelled through informal (and illegal) chan- nels which impose high costs on them. The Aadhaar-based microATM network can ensure that remittances take place instantly and at much lower cost to migrants. Tackling the challenges of implementation Having said all this, we would be the first to admit that there are nu- merous challenges of implementation that lie ahead. That is why the govern- ment is proposing to move ahead only gradually and with caution. First, the programme proposes only a modest beginning in Phase I, covering 34 schemes largely scholarships, pen- sions, and other benefit payments in only 51 (of the over 600) districts. It will be ensured that at least 80 per cent residents in each district have an Aadhaar number and an Aadhaar- linked bank account before any pay- ments are started. And no one who does not have an Aadhaar number will be denied benefits. Only based on the learning from this phase, would the programme be expanded. Second, a system of independent concurrent evaluation is being embedded, to en- sure that we get objective feedback on the challenges of implementation. There already are useful lessons from five Aadhaar pilots in different parts of the country. Third, subsidies on food and fertilizer have not been in- cluded in the first phase, recognising that these are highly complex and re- quire considerable thought. Chief min- isters seem to have varying views on UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 120 120 120 120 120 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe this issue, with some supporting the linking of DBT with fertilizer and food (and other Public Distribution System commodities), while others oppose it. Such issues will best be left to the dis- cretion of the States. Fourth, the issue of mobile connectivity, a major chal- lenge in backward areas and essen- tial for online authentication, is being addressed in parallel, by adding more mobile towers (especially in back- ward districts) and through the ambi- tious government programme of tak- ing broadband internet connectivity to every panchayat within two years. Fifth, the existing discredited BC model is being fundamentally changed, with an open architecture replacing monopolies. This would en- abl e anyone ki rana shops, womens self-help groups, primary agricultural cooperative societies, post offices, Accredited Social Health Activists andanganwadi workers, etc. to become BCs. The business model for BCs is also being revamped to make it more lucrative. The post office network (a key payment chan- nel, especially for pensions and Ma- hatma Gandhi National Rural Employ- ment Guarantee Act payments) is also being reformed with the postal de- partment committing to upgrading to a core banking solution (CBS) system across all its post offices within the next 18 months. On the Kotkasim experiment, Bhatti and Khanna identified two main concerns from a user perspective erratic and delayed payments due to a lack of coordination, and the time and effort required to go to and deal with banks. They also noted the ab- sence of an objective assessment of the programme by the government. Each of these is being addressed in the governments proposal. Bank ac- counts are going to be Aadhaar-linked that will ensure duplicates and ghosts are eliminated. Beneficiary accounts are going to be linked to Aadhaar and bank account numbers before any payments are made, and payments will be made instantly using the Aadhaar Payment Bridge this will ensure that payment delays dont hap- pen. An interoperable BC network with microATMs is going to be put in place so that beneficiaries have access to banking at their doorstep, which will reduce the hassle and delays in- volved in dealing with bank branches. And as mentioned, a concurrent evalu- ation system is being embedded to en- sure that we get objective feedback. Conclusion The DBT initiative is not a or the silver bullet for the malaise that plagues our delivery system. It is, more realistically, a first step in re-engineer- ing its very foundations. We are nei- ther evangelical or dogmatic about DBT. Instead, we believe that rather than having endless ideological dis- cussions for or against DBT, it is better to be pragmatic and try it out seriously and systematically, albeit in a cautious and phased manner. Courtesy-The Hindu End of the road for BJP in End of the road for BJP in End of the road for BJP in End of the road for BJP in End of the road for BJP in Karnataka Karnataka Karnataka Karnataka Karnataka B.S. Yeddyurappas political gamble in launching the Karnataka Janata Party at a massive rally on De- cember 9 in Haveri has hit the Bharatiya Janata Party hard. In the run- up to the launch of the KJP, Mr. Yeddyurappa declared that he had the loyalty of 50 to 60 legislators of the BJP who would walk over at his bid- ding. The State BJP first scoffed, and then with ill-placed confidence threat- ened expulsion of those who attended the launch of the KJP and the break- fast meet preceding it. The rebel group defied the party on both counts. Fourteen BJP legislators participated in the rally, six BJP legislative council members were present on the dais, while 23 MLAs (including several min- isters) broke bread with Mr. Yeddyurappa. The BJP, its bluster and confidence gone, has quietly capitu- lated and deferred and diluted its threat of disciplinary action against 20 of the rebels. It will now merely issue show-cause notices to the rebel fac- tion, buying itself time to re-strategise. This elaborate shadow-boxing has given rise to a paradoxical situation in the Assembly. In a House that has a current strength of 223, and where the BJPs formal strength is 118 (exclud- ing the Speaker), there are 14 MLAs who have openly declared allegiance to Mr. Yeddyurappas KJP and yet choose not to resign as MLAs. On the other hand, the governments continu- ance in office depends on these rebels. This establishes that the BJP is playing by the letter and not the spirit of democratic norms. Neither the rul- ing party nor the KJP faction would like to be seen as pulling down the government, as the State nears elec- tions in May 2013. The launch in Haveri a mas- sive show of popular mobilisation, and a demonstration of Mr. Yeddyurappas continuing hold over the BJP is an ominous signal for the ruling dispensation. The chances that the KJP will trigger a broad re-align- ment of political forces, attracting el- ements from disgruntled groups within the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), appear unlikely. Mr. Yeddyurappas secular protestations ring hollow, as do his attempts to project a clean image. In fact, the former Chief Minister, who was re- sponsible for subverting the BJPs promise of providing stability and good governance, has managed to deftly shift the onus of his failure on to the party. For the BJP, its first ex- periment with governance on its own in Karnataka has been a disappoint- ment from the start. After promising an alternative to the Congress and the JD(S), the BJP has a record even more dismal than that of the previous gov- ernments. It is with this track-record of non-performance, instability and corruption that both the BJP and its doppelganger, the KJP, must go be- fore the people. Courtesy-The Hindu Look out for the overseas Look out for the overseas Look out for the overseas Look out for the overseas Look out for the overseas worker worker worker worker worker The two-month-long offer of amnesty and regularisation for emi- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 121 121 121 121 121 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe grant workers that the United Arab Emirates launched on December 4 constitutes a legitimate clean-up ef- fort. It will let those who have over- stayed their visas or lack proper docu- mentation, to either leave without penalty or regularise their stay by pay- ing fines. The fact that more than 45,000 Indians are expected to seek amnesty in this round points to the scale of the problem. The UAE had offered similar amnesty schemes in 2007, 2002 and 1996, which led to a total of 8,42,000 people either legalising their stay or leaving without being penalised. On its part, India ought to handle the situation with sen- sitivity and understanding. One of the demands this time is for the waiver of, or reduction in, the fee for the issue of Emergency Exit Certificates. Fol- lowing hints from India that this might indeed be done, the response to the amnesty process has so far been slow. The Central and State govern- ments should take steps to encourage people to come forward and legitimise their status. The authorities should decide on the fee liability, and whether free air passage could be pro- vided to the returnees, many of them low-paid workers. Minister for Over- seas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi has favoured this in deserving cases. On a broader plane, the situa- tion highlights the need for well-regu- lated and orderly processes for those who seek to emigrate in search of live- lihood. It is well known that dodgy practices resorted to by recruiting agents, who work hand in glove with unregulated visa-providers, often hold out before prospective emigrants false promises in terms of the nature of work and the quantum of pay. Spon- sors and employers who illegally re- tain passports in order to keep mi- grants in thrall, and those who deny fair wages and reasonable working conditions, continue to have a field day as opportunities shrink. The Emi- gration Act should be tightened to ensure harsher punishment for mal- practices. The Indian consular corps need to provide a more accessible and enabling environment to emigrants in distress. Bilateral agreements that have been periodically announced, includ- ing one signed with the UAE in 2006 relating to labour and manpower, have not entirely succeeded in ensuring the welfare and protection of Indian work- ers, especially those at the lower end of the wage band. Also taking into account the economic dividend that accrues to the economy thanks to sig- nificant remittances from the Gulf countries, India should take a long- term view and work to safeguard the welfare of the diaspora. Once mi- grants return, the State governments ought to do more to help them find their feet and locate alternative means of livelihood. Courtesy-The Hindu On the art of creating fiction On the art of creating fiction On the art of creating fiction On the art of creating fiction On the art of creating fiction from reality from reality from reality from reality from reality The human condition is at the very heart of the work of this years winner of the Nobel Prize for Litera- ture, Chinese novelist Mo Yan. And his Nobel lecture on December 7 was no exception. Two hours ago, the wife of the general secretary of the Swed- ish Academy had a baby girl. It is the beginning of a beautiful story, began Mo Yan. And throughout his talk, en- titled Storyteller, his emphasis was on how he told stories, the craft of making a story come alive for the reader. Many Nobel Prize winners are tempted to go didactic, make gran- diloquent statements in the belief that that is what is expected of them. Not this modest man who has retained his peasant roots and forgotten none of his familys poverty or his own early struggles. It was his mother, he said, who did the most for him, showing him many kindnesses; and it was to repay her and make her life a little happier and liveable, that he began telling her stories. His mother, he said is the person most on my mind at this moment. Born into a family of poor farm- ers in Chinas eastern Shandong Prov- ince, Mo Yan was awarded the prize for his hallucinatory realism that mixes folk tales, history and contem- porary life. In his speech which was simple, direct and unpretentious qualities that mark his work the author discussed some of his best known works such as Frog , Big Breasts and Wide Hips , Life and Death are Wearing Me Outand of course The Transparent Carrot , in which the protagonist, a young boy, has to bear immense suffering. He said the essence of his soul was in that boy. I feel one should be humble in daily life but when it comes to literary cre- ation, then one should follow ones instinct and take control, he said. He alluded to authors like William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez who he said were early influences. The greatest challenge for any writer, Mo Yan said, was writing novels about difficult social realities. In writing about the darker aspects of society there is a danger that emotions and anger allow politics to suppress litera- ture, he said. Mo Yans English-lan- guage translator Howard Goldblatt said the speech had diverse elements but was essentially a message from the heart. It was very personal in that it dealt with many of his novels in de- tail, and all his work as a reflection of his values and ideals, while touching briefly on the controversies surround- ing his selection. Courtesy-The Hindu To pass biometric To pass biometric To pass biometric To pass biometric To pass biometric identification, apply Vaseline or identification, apply Vaseline or identification, apply Vaseline or identification, apply Vaseline or identification, apply Vaseline or Boroplus on fingers overnight Boroplus on fingers overnight Boroplus on fingers overnight Boroplus on fingers overnight Boroplus on fingers overnight Pilot cash transfer projects taken up in Jharkhand for MGNREGA wages have achieved little success due to a variety of logistical, human and tech- nological problems. A year after the launch of these projects, the problems remain unsolved. In Ramgarh district, a majority of the beneficiaries are in Dohakatu and Marar panchayats of Ramgarh block. Over 63,000 people enrolled for Aadhaar numbers in the two panchayats in Ramgarh block. Of these, only 2,312 were mapped, i.e., their Aadhaar numbers and their wel- UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 122 122 122 122 122 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe fare details were linked together. Of 4,791 active job-card holders in the two panchayats, only 469 received MGNREGA payments through Aadhar- Enabled Cash Transfers (AECTs). Fifty km away in Ratu block in Ranchi, of 8,231 active job-card holders in three panchayats, those paid through AECTs was even lower: 162. Under strain Ramgarh District Collector Amitabh Kaushal, who has been awarded the National Aadhaar Gov- ernance Award two years in a row, admits that the districts administra- tive capacity is under strain and banks are not able to cope with the volume of transactions. Of eight banks on the Aadhaar platform, five got added only last month. In Ramgarh and Ranchi, all accounts have so far been linked with the service area bank, Bank of India. Initially many people turned up to enrol without their MGNREGA job- cards. So now we have to physically go house to house to find every job- card holder. In some places there was high enrolment but no BoI branch, in other places a branch existed but little enrolment, says Mr. Kaushal. He rattles off a list of other concerns bank technology upgrading, Internet connectivity in hilly areas, and avail- ability, security and integrity of the cash-carrying Banking Correspon- dents (BCs). At the Panchayat Bhavan at Dohakatu where most of the MGNREGA payments recorded were made, the BC, Rajesh Kumar, tries to rush through filling beneficiaries bank forms online he has been asked to submit them by December 15 but runs into many interruptions. Disappointments Of the seven workers who take turns to scan their fingers, the micro- ATM Mr. Kumar operates recognises four. He pays them between Rs. 300- 200 from the cash he withdrew at the bank that morning. For two workers the micro-ATM lists errors repeatedly. One workers account has still not been mapped. Of four pension ben- eficiaries who turn up, three collect their payments within an hour. Dashay Bediya, a frail agricultural worker in a white shirt and dhoti, tries eight times, placing different fingers in the hope that one will work and then goes out- side the office and scrubs his hands. He returns and tries five times more getting more anxious and disap- pointed each time. Come after three to four days. Put Vaseline or Boroplus and rub your fingers before you go to sleep, Mr. Kumar instructs before sending him back. And so the ques- tion, can the ease of payments at the household or panchayat level not be better achieved through smart cards that require neither real-time Internet connectivity, nor the creation of a massive centralised database like UIDAIs that makes it harder to include those who missed enrolment the first time? Dohakatu has had such a bevy of bureaucrats, officials and journal- ists visiting for months that the sarpanch, Kalawati Devi, now keeps a stock of mineral water bottles at the Panchayat Bhavan. At the site of the second pilot in Ratu block, however, things have not gone so smoothly even during officials visits. A few days be- fore October 2 when the Chief Secre- tary of Jharkhand was to hand over pensions through AECTs at a function at Tigra panchayat, block officials and BCs tried frantically to make the fin- gerprints verification go through for 45 beneficiaries. It worked only in the case of nine. Since October 2, even these nine have not been paid through AECTs even once, their payments still going to their old post-office ac- counts. Half of MGNREGA workers fingerprints do not match. Maybe their fingerprints keep changing? In March I gave pension beneficiaries ID proofs to BoI so they open accounts and give passbooks. Then the bank manager changed in June and bank officials say they lost the documents. I gave the documents again in September but everyone is still waiting for pass- books, says Tulsi Koeri, the BC in Puriyo panchayat, Ranchi. The BC in nearby Tigra panchayat, Mahmood Alam, says of 383 whose MGNREGA accounts were mapped with Aadhaar since last December, only 102 have got passbooks, making it difficult for them to withdraw wages if they run into authentication or Internet connec- tivity problems. Missing wages Neither Mr. Koeri, nor Mr. Alam has been paid their monthly salary of Rs. 2,100 since they were hired as BCs last November by United Telecoms Limited (UTL) that BoI outsourced the work to. Mr. Kumar, Ramgarhs BC, got paid for four months after the Collec- tor, Mr. Kaushal, intervened in June. Even he has not been paid the last six months. I spend at least Rs. 400 per month on fuel for this work. In Octo- ber at the PMs video conference three of us were sent from Ratu, we paid over Rs. 2 lakh those three days. There have been 18-20 functions with offi- cials from Delhi, Bangalore, even America. But if I ask for wages, UTL says if you do not like the work you can quit. Could you ask them about our wages please? asks Mr Koeri. Courtesy-The Hindu UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 123 123 123 123 123 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe Japanese encephalitis (JE)- epidemics have been reported in many parts of the country. The in- cidence has been reported to be high among pediatric group with high mortality. The incidence of JE in recent times is showing an in- creasing trend. It appears that JE may become one of the major public health problems in India, considering the quantum of the vulnerable pediatric population, the proportion of JEV infections among the encephalitic children and wide scattering of JE-prone areas. JE burden can be estimated satisfactorily to some extend by strengthening diagnostic facilities for JE confirmation in hospitals and by maintenance of contact with the nearby referral hospitals to collect the particulars on JE cases. Vaccination proves to be the best to protect the individual against any disease. In the case of JE, it is essential to immunize the pigs (amplifying host) also to in- terrupt the transmission of the dis- ease. Japanese encephalitispre- viously known as Japanese B en- cephalitis to distinguish it from von Economos A encephalitis is a disease caused by the mos- quito-borne Japanese encephali- tis virus. The Japanese encephali- tis virus is a virus from the family Flaviviridae. Domestic pigs and wild birds (herons) are reservoirs of the virus; transmission to hu- mans may cause severe symp- toms. Amongst the most important vectors of this disease are the mosquitoes Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Culex vishnui. This disease is most preva- lent in Southeast Asia and the Far East. What is Japanese Encephalitis What is Japanese Encephalitis What is Japanese Encephalitis What is Japanese Encephalitis What is Japanese Encephalitis (JE)? (JE)? (JE)? (JE)? (JE)? JE is the mosquito-borne vi- rus which mainly affects the CNS or Central Nervous System. It can be transmitted to human beings if infected mosquito bites. Mosqui- toes in turn are affected when they feed on domestic pigs that carry this virus. JE usually affects chil- dren who are below 15 years of age. Around 25 percent affected children usually die and among those who survive, 30-40 percent suffers from mental and physical impairment. In 2011, it was re- ported that JE had occurred in 135 districts in 17 states of India. Japanese encephalitis has an incu- bation period of 5 to 15 days and the vast majority of infections are asymptomatic: only 1 in 250 infec- tions develop into encephalitis. Severe rigors mark the onset of this disease in humans. Fever, head- ache and malaise are other non- specific symptoms of this disease which may last for a period of be- tween 1 and 6 days. Signs which develop during the acute en- cephalitic stage include neck rigid- ity, cachexia, hemiparesis, convul- sions and a raised body tempera- ture between 38 and 41 degrees Celsius. Mental retardation devel- oped from this disease usually leads to coma. Mortality of this disease varies but is generally much higher in children. Transpla- JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN INDIA JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN INDIA JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN INDIA JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN INDIA JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IN INDIA UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 124 124 124 124 124 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe cental spread has been noted. Lifelong neurological defects such as deafness, emotional lability and hemiparesis may occur in those who have had central nervous sys- tem involvement. In known cases some effects also include nausea, headache, fever, vomiting and sometimes swelling of the tes- ticles. Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the leading cause of viral encepha- litis in Asia, with 30,00050,000 cases reported annually. Case-fa- tality rates range from 0.3% to 60% and depends on the population and on age. Rare outbreaks in U.S. territories in Western Pacific have occurred. Residents of rural areas in endemic locations are at high- est risk; Japanese encephalitis does not usually occur in urban areas. Countries which have had major epidemics in the past, but which have controlled the disease primarily by vaccination, include China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Other countries that still have periodic epidemics include Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, In- dia, Nepal, and Malaysia. Japanese encephalitis has been reported on the Torres Strait Islands and two fatal cases were reported in main- land northern Australia in 1998. The spread of the virus in Austra- lia is of particular concern to Aus- tralian health officials due to the unplanned introduction of Culex gelidus, a potential vector of the virus, from Asia. However, the cur- rent presence on mainland Austra- lia is minimal. Human, cattle and horses are dead-end hosts and disease mani- fests as fatal encephalitis. Swine acts as amplifying host and has very important role in epidemiol- ogy of the disease. Infection in swine is asymptomatic, except in pregnant sows, when abortion and fetal abnormalities are common sequelae. The most important vec- tor is Culex tritaeniorhynchus, which feeds on cattle in prefer- ence to humans, it has been pro- posed that moving swine away from human habitation can divert the mosquito away from humans and swine. The natural host of the Japanese encephalitis virus is bird, not human, and many believe the virus will therefore never be com- pletely eliminated. In November 2011, Japanese encephalitis virus was reported in Culex bitaeniorhynchus in the Republic of Korea. Increased microglial activa- tion following JEV infection has been found to influence the out- come of viral pathogenesis. Micro- glia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) and have a critical role in host defense against invading mi- croorganisms. Activated microglia secrete cytokines, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor ne- crosis factor alpha (TNF-), which can cause toxic effects in the brain. Additionally, other soluble factors such as neurotoxins, exci- tatory neurotransmitters, prostag- landin, reactive oxygen, and nitro- gen species are secreted by acti- vated microglia. In a murine model of JE, it was found that in the hippocam- pus and the striatum, the number of activated microglia was more than anywhere else in the brain closely followed by that in the thalamus. In the cortex, number of activated microglia was signifi- cantly less when compared with other regions of the mouse brain. An overall induction of differen- tial expression of pro-inflamma- tory cytokines and chemokines from different brain regions dur- ing a progressive JEV infection was also observed. Although the net effect of the pro-inflammatory mediators is to kill infectious or- ganisms and infected cells as well as to stimulate the production of molecules that amplify the mount- ing response to damage, it is also evident that in a non-regenerating organ such as brain, a deregulated innate immune response would be deleterious. In JE the tight regula- tion of microglia activation ap- pears to be disturbed, resulting in an auto toxic loop of microglia activation that possibly leads to bystander neuronal damage. In animals, key signs include infertil- ity and abortion in pigs, neurologi- cal disease in horses and systemic signs including fever, lethargy and anorexia. Evolution Evolution Evolution Evolution Evolution The virus appears to have originated from its ancestral virus in the mid 1500s in the Indonesia- Malaysia region and evolved there into five different genotypes and spread across Asia. The mean evo- lutionary rate has been estimated to be 4.35 10 (-4) (range: 3.4906 10 (-4) to 5.303 10 (-4)) nucle- otide substitutions per site per year. The causative agent Japanese encephalitis virus is an enveloped virus of the genus flavivirus and is closely related to the West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis vi- rus. The positive sense single stranded RNA genome is pack- aged in the capsid which is formed by the capsid protein. The outer envelope is formed by envelope (E) protein and is the protective antigen. It aids in entry of the vi- rus to the inside of the cell. The genome also encodes several nonstructural proteins also (NS1,NS2a,NS2b,NS3,N4a,NS4b,NS5). NS1 is produced as secretory form also. NS3 is a putative helicase, UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 125 125 125 125 125 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe and NS5 is the viral polymerase. It has been noted that the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infects the lumen of the endoplasmic reticu- lum (ER) and rapidly accumulates substantial amounts of viral pro- teins for the JEV. Japanese Encephalitis is di- agnosed by detection of antibod- ies in serum and CSF (cerebrospi- nal fluid) by IgM capture ELISA. Viral antigen can also be shown in tissues by indirect fluorescent an- tibody staining. Based on the en- velope gene (E) there are five genotypes (I - V). The Muar strain, isolated from patient in Malaya in 1952, is the prototype strain of genotype V. Genotype IV appears to be the ancestral strain and the virus appears to have evolved in the Indonesian-Malayasian region. The first clinical reports date from 1870 but the virus appears to have evolved in the mid 1500s. Over 60 complete genomes of this virus have been sequenced as of 2010. Prevention Prevention Prevention Prevention Prevention Infection with JEV confers lifelong immunity. All current vac- cines are based on the genotype III virus. A formalin-inactivated mouse-brain derived vaccine was first produced in Japan in the 1930s and was validated for use in Taiwan in the 1960s and in Thai- land in the 1980s. The widespread use of vaccine and urbanisation has led to control of the disease in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The high cost of the vaccine, which is grown in live mice, means that poorer countries have not been able to afford to give it as part of a routine immunisation programme. The most common adverse effects are redness and pain at the injection site. Uncommonly, an urticarial reaction can develop about four days after injection. Because the vaccine is produced from mouse brain, there is a risk of autoimmune neurological complications of around 1 per million vaccinations. However in the case of IXIARO where the vaccine is not produced in mouse brains but in vitro using cell culture there is little adverse effects compared to the Placebo, the main side effects are headache and myalgia. Neutralising antibody persists in the circulation for at least two to three years and per- haps longer. The total duration of protection is unknown, but be- cause there is no firm evidence for protection beyond three years, boosters are recommended every three years for people who remain at risk. Furthermore there is also no data available regarding the in- terchangeability of other JE vac- cines and IXIARO and recom- mended those previously immunised with other JE vaccines receive Green Cross or JE-Vax or a primary course of IXIARO. Treatment Treatment Treatment Treatment Treatment There is no specific treat- ment for Japanese encephalitis and treatment is supportive; with assistance given for feeding, breathing or seizure control as re- quired. Raised intracranial pres- sure may be managed with man- nitol. There is no transmission from person to person and there- fore patients do not need to be isolated. A breakthrough in the field of Japanese encephalitis therapeutics is the identification of macrophage receptor involvement in the disease severity. A recent report of an Indian group demon- strates the involvement of mono- cyte and macrophage receptor CLEC5A in severe inflammatory response in JEV infection of brain. This transcriptomic study provides a hypothesis of neuroinflammation and a new lead in development of appropriate therapeutic against Japanese encephalitis. First vaccine of the world was developed against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) using the Indian strain of virus. National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune offered the strain of JE virus to Bharat Biotech. This JE virus was gathered from Kolar in Karnataka. Bharat Biotech had submitted results from final human trials to Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) so that it could have marketing clearance. The vaccine is an injectable one and offers protection rate of more than 90 percent. It can be used for age group of 1-15 years. The ap- plication has been sent for market- ing approval to DCGI. Clinical data about the same would also be put forward to Indian Council of Medi- cal Research (ICMR) for reviewing which would take place in Janu- ary 2013. The scientific committee of ICMR would provide technical support to government in context of the effectiveness of this JE vac- cine, after which decision to intro- duce this in public health programme would be taken. Country Programme Leader of PATH (the organisation which plays a crucial role in conducting the vaccination of JE in India in 15 states as well as 118 districts since 2006), informed that apart from providing protection against In- dian strains of JE, the vaccine would also be effective against Nakayama strain (the strain from Japan) as well as Biken strain (which circulates in the Asian countries). Currently, India im- ports the stock of JE vaccine from National Biotech Group of China. The arrival of this indigenous In- dian vaccination will help in pro- tection of the Indian population against the disease which is largely growing in the country. S. K. Singh S. K. Singh S. K. Singh S. K. Singh S. K. Singh UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 126 126 126 126 126 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe India has enjoyed freedom over the last sixty four years, but has it actually savored it. It has come a long way since 1947. Po- litical, judicial and administrative systems have all undergone dras- tic transformations. However, the only difference is that these trans- formations were more of a step forward and two backwards, mak- ing the progress complicated. If good things happened, they came at some price and so did freedom. Freedom meant a sense of respon- sibility, which unfortunately could not be displayed by its inhabitants. Hence, the country gave us every- thing, but in return asked for its price. The country gave freedom to its citizens and constantly re- minded them of the price associ- ated with it. Freedom can be summa- rized as, the Sequence of Setting Free of Multiple Domains into Motion. Freedom means to excel and move on. But, unfortunately freedom is one of the most misin- terpreted, misunderstood and misused word in English language. Freedom in most of the cases is interpreted or compared with ir- regularities in lifestyle. People think freedom means Free from All, that is, free from work, cul- ture, tradition, nationality and in some instances enlightenment and total liberation from life. Above all what they never think of is that, freedom is nothing but ultimate responsibility in life. In some instances in Indian society, people often misinterpret freedom as women equality. Some also raise their voice stating that women are being treated as don- keys, working both at office as well as home. But, they often tend to forget that Indian society has pro- vided not equal, but higher rights to women than men. If one digs into the details, you can find that the responsibility of building a strong family and bond between its members have been placed on womens shoulders, which is a stepping stone towards building a strong society and nation. Women have given this responsi- bility because, they are more emo- tionally connected than men and their heart rules over the mind which is an essential ingredient to build a lovely family and society. For example, Mother Teresa was able work for the ailment for poor and diseased and thus with re- spect and love people called her Mother. There are many men who worked for ailment and better- ment of society, for freedom. But, none are associated with the ail- ment and betterment of the poor and diseased in such a large scale. There is a common thought in India that a girl goes to husbands house after marriage and servers her in-laws, but men do not have to come across this torture, share the burden or per- form daily chores. But, the answer is in the society itself. In some parts of Karnataka state, especially among Tulu speaking community, there is a custom wherein the boy goes to wifes house and looks af- ter his in-laws. This is popularly THE MISINTERPRETATION AND MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA THE MISINTERPRETATION AND MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA THE MISINTERPRETATION AND MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA THE MISINTERPRETATION AND MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA THE MISINTERPRETATION AND MISUSE OF FREEDOM IN INDIA UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://upscportal.com http://www.civilservicesmentor.com 127 127 127 127 127 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe known as Aliya Santana. There was also a matrilineal system fol- lowed in royal families of ancient Tulu Nadu. Rani Abbakka Devi of Ullala is an example provided by the history of India. She was the direct female heir to the throne of Ullala from where she ruled her kingdom and fought with the Por- tuguese for four decades. She is also regarded as the first woman freedom fighter of India. Freedom is neither in mis- conceptualizing equality nor in fighting for over-freeness to visit pub, bar or in the name of social- ization having free sex and cor- rupting the whole community or society by increasing the number of HIV AIDS infected population. Freedom is in understanding of duty and responsibility. The fundamental rights might be there, but its usage always car- ries at your own risk tag. If right to equality says no to discrimina- tion based on caste, creed, reli- gion and sex, then there are a few states which have gone ahead and ruined the sanctity of this state- ment. They proudly discriminated people based on native state and language. Hindi, officially our na- tional language is still looked down upon when spoken in a few states. People ranging from com- mon man to ministers are merci- lessly beaten by the self-pro- claimed local godfathers and their henchmen for either speaking in Hindi or from hailing from a dif- ferent state. Things do not end with just one fundamental right. It extends to the rest as well. A blue and blackened face, who might have tried to revoke it, may stare help- lessly hoping the right to freedom of speech and expression to re- vive. Likewise, right against exploi- tation, educational and cultural rights are also a farfetched dream for many. The country still boasts of child labor, going against the right at the first place. Poor unedu- cated children are often found subjected to the dastardly act. Apart from the former, slave trade and child prostitution are new additions into the ways of exploi- tation. In any country, people take freedom for granted and try to perform the act of their own. It can be legal or illegal. They often for- get that in a democratic republic freedom is directly controlled by constitution, as both are defined hand-in-hand and they structure the future of nation. Most often people get into dirty politics and tend to forget that freedom is there not only to enjoy, but to prove themselves in certain areas of life, and thus create a better atmo- sphere around them and a better society. Freedom is most often mis- used. For example, Osama-bin- Laden, an Al-Qaeda terrorist re- cently killed by US Navy Seals 6. Dint he had status in society, enough money to lead a luxurious life, knowledge to excel? He had it all and a strong business empire borrowed from his Father, yet he lost in life all because of misuse of freedom. Genghis Khan, Napo- leon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler and many more had power, riches and popularity yet they lost in race of life; because they tried to rule the whole world. Dawood Ibrahim, son of a respectable police con- stable became a notorious under- world don, all because of misuse of freedom. People forget that freedom is provided to achieve something in life which is helpful for society and the nation, not to cause problem. To keep a check on you, policing of mind and soul by self is essen- tial. It helps you to reach new heights in life, scale altitude which is untouched by others ever in his- tory of this beautiful world. People always condemn the nation and its government for all their social problems; but, once turn around and think what have done or given to this nation and society? When you ask for freedom then think of responsibility. Accept the respon- sibility, prove yourself and show the world how capable you are? Thus help the society, nation and the whole world to get benefited from it, in a positive way. Excessive amounts of free- dom led to its misuse, which has catapulted in broadening the crime domain. The irony is that that a bad event cannot be labeled as crime till it is proven. High crime rates constantly shake our con- science, but we fail to wake up. And even if we do, the scary road to freedom disintegrates the re- maining shred of courage. The very rigorous path of being exploited in the name of justice fills the heart with an unknown, indescribable fear. It tells that victims are well off with just one bad episode as seeking justice would be like en- countering many of them. Thats why half the people dont seek justice due to fear and the other half bears the brunt of seeking the same. Throughout the journey, they are constantly ex- ploited for being relieved with jus- tice. Physically, mentally and finan- cially, justice demands upfront payment at every step, tiring them thoroughly. By the time one reaches the doors of justice, one remains confused as to seek jus- tice for which particular crime. Every coin has two sides. Similarly, the progress also high- lights a darker, a much shunned UPSCPORTAL Current Affairs : http://upscportal.com/civilservices/current-affairs http://www.civilservicesmentor.com http://upscportal.com 128 128 128 128 128 Click Here to Subscribe PRINT COPY of Civil Services Mentor Magazine http://civilservicesmentor.com/mag/subscribe aspect. If the country has western- ized in terms of clothes, food hab- its, industrialization, medical and technological solutions, it is losing its well being. Clothes no more fulfill the purpose of hiding flesh, industrialization has killed natural flora and fauna, medical advance- ment has allowed us to realize that we are becoming sicker day by day. In terms of food, its an even pathetic situation cause if one half of the country diets then other half remains famished and under pov- erty line. This is sheer mockery and reflects the price we paid for put- ting our nation on the international map. Maybe we are not living in British era, whereby our choices are no longer conditioned by their power and rule. Take a closer look and you will know that only the sides of the coin have changed. Now instead of British raj, we have our own exploiting local goons and corrupt netas to superimpose their choices on us. Mere restric- tions from exercising our funda- mental rights have indeed helped them in handicapping us. They brainwash us, sometimes by hook or crook, to make their choices seem better. After sixty four years, maybe we have freed ourselves from the clutches of the English, but we still have a long way to go to taste independence and free- dom from the clutches of malprac- tice, exploitation, mental harass- ment, corruption and crime. It is high time we respect the very little amount of freedom bestowed on us, take suitable action before we remain nothing more than zom- bies. Gyanesh Pandey Gyanesh Pandey Gyanesh Pandey Gyanesh Pandey Gyanesh Pandey Civil Services Mentor OUR MAGAZINE OUR MAGAZINE May June July August September October November December Direct Download Free Digital Magazines by UPSCPORTAL.COM http://www.upscportal.com/civilservices/magazine Click Here
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