Civil Services Mentor June 2015

Index
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Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana
JUNE, 2015
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CURRENT AFFAIRS
PRAGATI Platform
SEC 66(A), IT Act
National Issues
International Issues
India & the World
Economy
Science and Technology
Sports
Awards & Prizes
In The News
Selected Articles from
Various Newspapers & Journals
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86
Make in India
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The Asian Infrastructure

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BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO YOJANA

The girl childs discrimination is
rampant in India, it runs acros all caste,
creeds and religion etc. It manifests
itself in various forms. Discrimination
with the girl begins even before her
birth in the form of female foeticide
and continues afte the birth. The
adult sex ratio fell from 972 females
for every 1000 males in 1901 to 927
in 1991. It has increased in last two
decades. It has increased to 933 in
2001 and 940 in 2011, but the child
sex ratio (ages 0-6) have dropped
from 945 in 1991 to 914 in 2011. Child
sex ratio has declined sharply since
1991. Sex selective abortions are
mostly blamed on technology, but
technology alone is not responsible
for this problem. Along with
technology mindset and male
dominated society are also
responsible. According to Amartya
Sen there are two main inequalities
which are present against Girls. They
are educational inequality and health
inequality. There is a proverb saying
Educate a man, you will educate one
but educate a women, you will
educate a nation. By the age of 18
girl children have received on average
4.4 years less education than boys. In
India, the Ministry of Human Resource
Development showed the average
enrolment rate of girls, ages 6-14 and
2
14-18, as 93.47% and 36.77%. But

they also show the 61.5% of girls drop
out of school before completely class
XII. Amartya Sen also says that there
are more than a hundred million
women missing in the world of which
India has 37 million missing women
by 1986. According to UNICEF, in
1984 in Bombay out of the 8,000
abortions that took place, 7,999 of
them were girls.
Government has recently
launched Beti bachao Beti padhao
yojana for survival, protection &
education of the girl child. It aims to
address the issue of declining Child
Sex Ratio (CSR) through a mass
campaign across the country
targeted at changing societal
mindsets & creating awareness about
the criticality of the issue. Haryana has
the worst sex ratio among all states in
the country standing at 879. Looking
into this Government launched the
scheme from panipat district of
Haryana. The Scheme will have
focussed intervention & multisectoral action in 100 districts with
low Child Sex Ratio. It is a joint
initiative of Ministry of Women and
Child Development, Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare and Ministry of
Human Resource Development.
Focus points of the scheme are:
100 districts with low sex ratio

will be selected and atleast
one district in every state.
In 100 critical districts, improve
sex ratio by 10 points in a year.
Prevention of gender based
sex selective abortion by
strengthening the PC & PNDT
Act
with
stringent
punishments for violations of
the law.
Appropriate initiatives which
will encourage girls to express
their views and to be heard
and participate effectively.
Reduce gender difference in
under-5 child mortality by 4
points by 2017.
Increase girls enrolment in
secondary schools to 79% by
2017.
Fifty new Kasturba Gandhi bal
vidhyalay by 2015.
Monitoring of this policy will be
at three levels. At the central
level monitoring would be
done by secretary, MWCD by
a task force. At state level
monitoring task force will be
headed by state secretary and
finally at the district level
monitoring will be done
through district action plan.
Since independence several
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policies and programmes are

launched to end the
discrimination of girl child.
Important amongst them
include:
Dowry prohibition act 1961;
The National Policy for
Children, 1974;
The National Plan of Action for
Children, 2005;
The Pre-natal Diagnostic
Techniques (Regulation and
Prevention of Misuse) Act,
1994;
The Juvenile Justice Act of
2000.
Even constitution of India
provides Articles for welfare of
females. Article 15, Article 24
in part III of the constitution

provides provision for the
welfare of child in general and
female child in particular.
But due to some fundamental
reasons most of the schemes
did not fare as well as they
should have. Important reasons
among them are given below:
Conditional cash transfer
schemes work on the
assumption that poverty is the
main reason for gender
discrimination. But studies
have shown that economically
well off population are worst
in gender discrimination then
economically poor.
Less awareness generation

about the benefits of those
schemes
Bureaucracy and corruption
are other important reasons
why schemes did not gave
desired results.
In order to make Beti bachao
Beti padhao yojana successful
government needs to look into the
problems which have restricted the
success of previous schemes and
rectify those problems. There are
provisions in the schemes which
especially provide for awareness
generation, these provisions will help
in changing the mindset of people
towards girl child.

Pragati Platform
PRAGATI PLATFORM
Grievance has been defined as
indignation or resentment arising out
of a feeling of being wronged.
Grievance is an expression of
dissatisfaction made to an
organization related to its products,
services, processes, etc. where a
response or resolution is explicitly or
implicitly expected. Government of
India, State Governments as well as
various organizations under them
have set up grievance redressal
mechanisms to look into the
complaints of citizens. Besides, there
are other institutional mechanisms
like the CVC, and the Lokayuktas
which have the mandate to look into
the complaints of corruption and
abuse of offi ce by public servants.
India has an elaborate legal and
institutional structure which povide
for the welfare state and also for the
grievance redressal mechanisms for
the citizens. But there is a wide gap
between the legal and institutional
mechanisms and what is experienced
at the ground level. Citizen of 21st
century are demanding and
governance should respond to
grievances and demands of the
citizen smoothly and in timely
manner. Citizen centracity is
4
necessary for any scheme to be

successful at every level, whether
central, state or local. Timely and
proper grievance redressal is
necessary for good governance
which aims to provide citizen centric
governance. The internal public
grievance mechanism is deficient in
terms of its reach as well as its
functions. Second ARC suggests that
reach and functions of public
grievance mechanism can be
improved in the following maner:
The Union and the State
Governments should issue
directions asking all public
authorities to designate public
grievance officers on the lines
of the Public Information
Officers specified under the
RTI Act. These officers should
be of adequate seniority and
be delegated commensurate
authority.
All grievance petitions should
be satisfactorily disposed of by
these officers within thirty
days. Non-adherence to the
time limit should invite financial
penalties.
Each organization should also
designate an appellate
authority and devolve

adequate powers upon them
including the power to impose
fi nes on the defaulting
officers. Citizen Centric
Administration The Heart of
Governance
In light of the deficiencies
present in the present grievance
Redressal system The PRAGATI
platform has been launched by the
government. This program uniquely
bundles three latest technologies:
Digital data management, videoconferencing and geo-spatial
technology. This platform also helps
in increasing the cooperation
between the different layers of
governance; Centre and State. The
Prime Minister with the help of this
platform will be able to look at the
ground situation while interacting
with the officials. Immediately after
assuming office, the Prime Minister
had shown his keenness to design a
credible mechanism for redressal of
Public Grievances. He was equally
keen to see that programmes and
projects launched by the Central and
State Government(s) are monitored
properly for timely implementation
and desired outcome. With that spirit

Pragati Platform
and for holistic development of the
country, it was also felt necessary to
facilitate from the Union Government
level the projects of the States.
Accordingly, with the three
objectives of: Grievance Redressal,
Programme Implementation and
Project Monitoring, an IT-based
redressal and monitoring system has
been designed. It will combine Data
Management and Analysis, Geospatial Applications as well as Videoconferencing. The application will be
accessible to the Secretaries of the
Government of India and the State
Chief Secretaries.
Key features of the PRAGATI
application are as follows:
It is a three-tier system (PMO,
Union
Government
Secretaries, and Chief
Secretaries of the States);
Prime Minister will hold a
monthly programme where he
will interact with the
Government
of
India
Secretaries, and Chief
Secretaries through Videoconferencing enabled by data
and geo-informatics visuals;
It will be held once in every
month on Fourth Wednesday
at 3.30 PM-to be known as
PRAGATI Day.
Issues to be flagged before the

PM are picked up from the
available database regarding
Public Grievances, on-going
Programmes and pending
Projects;
The system will ride on,
strengthen and re-engineer the
data bases of the CPGRAMS for
grievances, Project Monitoring
Group (PMG) and the Ministry
of Statistics and Programme
Implementation. PRAGATI
provides an interface and
platform for all these three
aspects.
The issues flagged are
uploaded seven days prior to
the PRAGATI day (i.e. on third
Wednesday
of
every
month). These issues can be
viewed by the Union
Government Secretaries and
Chief Secretaries after entering
into the application;
Union Government Secretaries
and Chief Secretaries have to
put their comments and
updates about the flagged
issues within three days (i.e. by
next Monday). One day Tuesday is available to the
PMO team to review the data
entered by the Union
Government Secretaries and
Chief Secretaries.
The system has been designed
in-house by the PMO team with the
help of National Informatics Center
(NIC). Pragati is a system to bring the
transparency and accountability in
the processes with the help of
technology. Citizen grievance does
not only remain with public sector.
Citizens mostly rely on the open
market for most of their purchases like
products for daily use etc.
Relationship between the companies
in open market and the customer is
not on equal footing, this unequal
relationship necessitates State
intervention. Cunsomer protection
courts have been setup for the
purpose of protecting consumers
from wrong acts of retailers,
companies etc. The Consumer
Protection Act was passed in 1986
to protect the interests of the
consumers. The Act envisages threetier quasi-judicial machinery at the
National, State and District levels. The
Act also provides for establishment
of Consumer Protection Councils at
the Union, State and District levels,
whose main objectives are to
promote and protect the rights of
consumers. However the functioning
of consumer protection act desires a
lot of changes.
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Sec 66(A), IT Act
SEC 66(A), IT ACT

The Information Technology
(IT) passed in 2000 to provide the
legal validity to the transactions in
electronic form. This act also helps
in reducing the modern phenomena
of cyber-crime. After working for
nearly nine years legislature amended
the act and inserted the section
66(A). This amendment was
considered necessary to overcome
the challenges of technology and
internet. Section 66(A) of the Act
criminalizes the sending of offensive
messages through a computer or
other communication devices.
Under this section any person who
sends the message in electronic form
through communication device is
committing a criminal offence if the
message is:
grossly offensive;
false and meant for the
purpose
of
causing
annoyance, inconvenience,
danger, obstruction, insult,
injury, criminal intimidation,
enmity, hatred or ill will;
meant to deceive or mislead
the recipient about the origin
of such messages, etc, shall be
6
punishable with imprisonment

up to three years and with fine.
Since its insertion this section
has attracted many cases
related to offensive messages
using social media. Frequent
use of this section has led to
the debate of where the
section is valid or not. In the
recent past, a few arrests were
made under Section 66(A) on
the basis of social media posts
directed
at
notable
personalities, including
politicians. Lot of changes has
happened in the working of
the section since its insertion
in 2009. Central government in
a guideline mentioned that
prior approval of the Deputy
Commissioner or Inspector
General of Police was required
before a police officer or
police station could register a
complaint under Section
66(A). Supreme court also
said that said provision of prior
approval is necessary for
proper functioning of this
section. Most of the offences
that Section 66(A) dealt with

were already covered by the
Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860.
Also there was inconsistensies
between the two laws with
respect to the ammount of
punishment, for example same
offence of threatening
someone with injury through
email attracts imprisonment of
two years under the IPC and
three years under the IT Act.
Present case started with filling
of a PIL by Shreya Singhal in
November 2012, after the
arrest of two Maharastra girls for
posting on social media.
Various reports have termed
punishment under this section
as highly disproportionate to
the level of offence. Public
Interest Litigation (PIL)
challenged the section 66(A)
on
grounds
of
unconstitutionality.
In
judgement of present case
bench of Justices J.
Chelameswar and Rohinton F.
Nariman held that It is clear
that Section 66A arbitrarily,

Sec 66(A), IT Act

excessively
and
disproportionately invades the
right of free speech and upsets
the balance between such
right and the reasonable
restrictions that may be
imposed on such right. Bench
of Justices J. Chelameswar and
Rohinton F. Nariman held that
the definition of offences
under the provision was
open-ended and undefined.
However SC did no strike down
sections 69A and 79 of
Information Technology Act,
these sections provide for the
procedure and safeguards to
block certain websites and
they also provide liabilities for
the intermediaries of content
like youtube, facebook etc.
While giving the judgement
court observed following
issues:
liberty of thought and
expression was a cardinal
value
of
paramount
significance under the
Constitution.
Three concepts fundamental

in understanding the reach of
this right were discussion,
advocacy and incitement.
Discussion, or even advocacy,
of a particular cause, no matter
how unpopular it was, was at
the heart of the right to free
speech and it was only when
such discussion or advocacy
reached the level of incitement
that it could be curbed on the
ground of causing public
disorder.
Section 66A actually had no
proximate connection with
public order or with
incitement to commit an
offence. The information
disseminated over the Internet
need not be information which
incites anybody at all. Written
words may be sent that may be
purely in the realm of
discussion or advocacy of a
particular point of view.
Further, the mere causing of
annoyance, inconvenience,
danger, etc., or being grossly
offensive or having a menacing

character are not offences
under the [Indian] Penal Code
at all, the court held.
Court also held that countours
of the section areopenended, undefined and
vague, the court said: Every
expression used is nebulous in
meaning. What may be
offensive to one may not be
offensive to another. What may
cause
annoyance
or
inconvenience to one may not
cause
annoyance
or
inconvenience to another.
The court pointed out that a
penal law would be void on the
grounds of vagueness if it failed to
define the criminal offence with
sufficient definiteness. Ordinary
people should be able to understand
what conduct is prohibited and what
is permitted. Also, those who
administer the law must know what
offence has been committed so that
arbitrary and discriminatory
enforcement of the law does not take
place, the court said.

National Issues
NATIONAL ISSUES
Foreign Airlines Come Under
Sexual Harassment Act:
Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court has said

that any foreign airline having
even one office in the country
is bound by the Sexual
Harassment of Women at
Workplace
(Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act,
2013.
The Court has made this verdict
while it was hearing public
interest litigation on seeking the
implementation of the Vishakha
guidelines on sexual harassment
against women at the
workplace in the aviation
industry.
This issue came to light when
an Indian woman who was
employed with Sri Lankan
Airlines had sought action
against the carrier and its
officials for sexual harassment
and thus this matter was
transferred as a PIL to the bench
by another court which was
dealing with the plea. This
application was moved by the
womans advocate Ajay Verma
to enquire into the complaint of
the petitioner and has pleaded
the court to constitute the
committee in the SriLankan
8
Airlines as per Vishaka

guidelines.
High Court stated that as Sexual
Harassment of Women at
Workplace
(Prevention,
Prohibition and Redressal) Act
2013, is in force there is no need
for the court to issue any
direction to comply with the
law. Court said that when the
law has come into force, every
airlines including foreign airlines
who are having a place of work
in India and to all such airlines
Indian law may be applicable
should and are required to
comply with the law and there
is no need for the court to issue
any direction to any airlines to
abide by the law.
High Court further stated that the
present public interest litigation
which was brought before it was
being pursued without regard
to the law which is in existence
already and its provision thereof
and so court does not feel it
necessary to entertain this
petition and thus dismissed it.
Union Government extended
prepaid mobile service for
two years in J&K, North-East
Pre-paid mobile services in

Jammu and Kashmir and the
northeastern States will be

allowed to continue for two
more years. The licence of the
telecom operators for providing
pre-paid services in these areas
expires. The existing service
license was about to expire on
March 31st.
The decision came after, a highlevel committee headed by
Union Home Secretary L.C.
Goyal discussed the matter and
decided to give the nod for
continuance of these pre-paid
services. The Home Ministry also
directed to the service
providers that they have to
maintain utmost precaution in
issuing SIM cards and ensure
proper verification.
Committee sets up by EC
to allow migrants to vote
Election Commission of India
has set up a committee of senior
officers to consider whether
electoral laws can be changed
to empower voters who have
migrated to other States within
the country.
The motive behind the
constitution of this committee
is to know whether inter-State
migrant voters could retain their
names on the electoral rolls of
their native places, and also, if
they could cast their votes
through mechanisms such as
postal ballot.
Under the present law, a person
can be enrolled only at the
place he is residing. A migrant
has to get himself enrolled in the
new place.

National Issues
The commission said a person
who migrated can be
considered ordinarily resident
in his new place even without
owning or possessing a house
there. It said the law was
reasonable as it is now.
In an affidavit filed before the
Supreme Court, the poll body
said the committee was set up
despite scepticism about the
need
to
amend
the
Representation of the People
Act. The poll body was
responding to a notice issued
by the Supreme Court on
January 12, 2015, on a plea
made by UAE-based doctor
Shamsheer V.P., represented by
senior advocate Dushyant Dave
and advocate Haris Beeran,
demanding electoral reforms to
allow inter-State migrants the
voting privileges like postal
ballot, which is accorded to
government servants.
The application filed by Dr.
Shamsheer sought the same
voting privileges accorded to
government servants under
Section 20(8) (d) of the
Representation of the People
Act, 1950, read with Section
60(b) of the Representation of
the People Act 1951, which
allowed them to vote via postal
ballot upon the consent of the
Election Commission.
MHA Renamed Visa Scheme
The Tourist Visa on ArrivalElectronic Travel Authorisation

(TVoA-ETA) scheme, which
was launched last year to

facilitate short-duration visits by
travellers from as many as 44
countries, has now been
renamed e-Tourist Visa to
make it clear that it is not an onarrival scheme.
The government has issued 1.1
lakh visas under the new scheme
that was launched on November
27 last year. According to the
MHA, it will be extended to

more countries and airports in a
phased manner.
After some Indian embassies
raised the issue with the Home
Ministry seeking change of
name, a committee comprising
officials of the Bureau of
Immigration, Home and External
Affairs Ministries was formed to
suggest a new name.
Indias first of Scorpene Submarines-Kalvari Undocked
Kalvari, first of the Indian Navys

Scorpene class stealth
submarines being built under
the Project 75, under
collaboration with M/s DCNS,
France, has been undocked at
the Mazagon Dock Limited
(MDL).
Kalvari,
its
scheduled
commissioning in 2016, would
lend an enormous fillip to the
Indian Navys underwater
capability. The remaining five
boats of the Project 75 would
be delivered by the yard to the
Navy by 2020 and would form
the core of the Navys
submarine arm for the next two
decades.
The Scorpene submarines
would pack a potent punch.
She would be equipped with
anti-ship missiles and long range
guided torpedoes alongwith
modern sensor suite.

Features about Scorpene
submarine Has superior
stealth capability.
Can undertake various operations including multifarious
warfare, Anti-submarine warfare, Intelligence gathering,
mine laying, area surveillance
etc.
Ability to launch attack on the
enemy using precision
guided weapons.
The attack can be launched
from underwater or on surface.
Designed to operate in all
theatres including the tropics.
Built using special steel that
can withstand high yield
stress that can withstand high
hydrostatic force and enabling to dive deeper.

National Issues
Equipped with Weapons
Launching tubes (WLT) that can
carry weapons on board and
can be easily reloaded at sea.
Vivid Bharti now on FM
Union Minister of Finance,

Corporate Affairs and I&B, Shri
Arun Jaitley has introduced the
popular Vividh Bharati service
of the All India Radio from Delhi
on the FM platform. The service
would enable listeners to
access rich content across the
AIR range from their mobile
phones, car stereos and the
Internet.
The transmission within the
minimum radius of 60 kms would
enable the people to enjoy high
quality rich content programs
with utmost clarity transmitted
by the given platform.
Technological advancement
and availability on FM Mode
would make Vividh Bharati and
other channels of AIR available
on mobile phones, car stereos
and internet. This initiative
would also mainstream the
platform with audiences
proactively offering them
different program segments and
keeping
pace
with
contemporary themes on the
entertainment segment.
The audience of Vividh Bharati
Service in Delhi was
hithertofore being beamed
through MW only. Now the
signal shall be available through
Frequency Modulation (FM),
which has stereophonic sound
10
quality and has the inbuilt

feature of becoming available
on mobile phones and car
stereos. A dedicated 10 KW
transmitter has been installed for
the VB Service Delhi.
Vividh Bharati on FM will be
available in Delhi on 100.1 MHz.
This is in addition to its
availability on MW 1368 kHz.
Two other existing FM services
of AIR are FM Gold(106.4MHz)
and FM Rainbow(102.6 MHz).
AIR also has its Local Radio
Station Network in Frequency
Modulation.
BHEL commissioned 600 MW
Thermal Unit in Chhattisgarh
State-owned
power
equipment-maker Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (BHEL) has
commissioned a second 600
MW
thermal
unit
in
Chhattisgarhs Janjgir Champa
District for the Dainik Bhaskar
Power Limited.
BHEL is partner in the power
development programme of the
state of Chhattisgarh. With this
commissioning of second unit,
BHELs cumulative installed
capacity has increased at
11,400MW in Chhattisgarh and
accounts for 68 per cent share
of the total installed capacity in
the state.
National Judicial Appointments
Commission comes into force
Union Government has brought
into force the National Judicial
Appointments Commission
(NJAC) Act, 2014 along with
the 99th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 2014. In this
regard, notification to effect
from 13 April 2015 was issued
by the Union Law Ministry. With
this new law the collegium
system to appoint members to

the higher judiciary has come
to an end. Now President will
appoint judges in the Supreme
Court (SC) and 24 High Courts
(HCs) in consultation with the
NJAC.
Key Facts of NJAC
The Acts provide for a transparent and broad-based process of selection of Judges of
the Supreme Court and High
Courts by the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
The NJAC would be chaired
by the Chief Justice of India
as in the earlier collegium system. The NJAC membership
would include two senior
most Judges of the Supreme
Court, the Union Minister of
Law and Justice.
Two eminent persons to be
nominated by a committee of
the Prime Minister of India,
the Chief Justice of India, and
the Leader of the Opposition
in the House of the People,
or if there is no Leader of the
Opposition, then the Leader
of the single largest Opposition Party in the House of the
People.
With a view to ensuring that
the composition of the Na-

National Issues
tional Judicial Appointments
Commission is inclusive, the
Act provides that one of the
eminent persons shall be
nominated from amongst
persons belonging to the
Scheduled Caste, the
Scheduled Tribes, Other
Backward Classes, Minorities
or Women. The NJAC will
frame its own regulations.
Century Old Indian
Sculpture to Fly Back Home
Indias Parrot Lady is to return

home, after Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper
handed over to his counterpart,
Narendra Modi, the 800-yearold Indian sandstone sculpture
of a woman holding a parrot.
The sculpture dates back to the
12th century.It was returned in
accordance with the 1970
UNESCO Convention. The
prized Indian statue was
returned at the Library of
Parliament in Ottawa. Mr. Modi
in exchange presented Mr.
Harper with a miniature painting
of Guru Nanak Dev with his
disciples.
The three-foot high statue of
Parrot Lady turned up in
Canada in 2011 in the
possession of an individual who
did not have proper
documentation; it was seized
under the Cultural Property
Export and Import which
controls antiquities and other
cultural objects being imported
from foreign states.
TRAI recommends 112 as single

emergency number for India
To facilitate establishment of an
efficient and robust Integrated
Emergency Communication &
Response System (IECRS) in
India, the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) has
suo-motu issued recommen
dations on implementation of
Single Number based
Integrated
Emergency
Communication
&
Response System (IECRS)
(IECRS).
These recommendations have
been finalized after wider
consultations with the
stakeholders.
The Authority had issued a
Consultation Paper titled
Universal Single Number based
Integrated
Emergency
Communication & Response
System dated 15 th March 2013
for seeking comments of
stakeholders. Since State
Governments are major
stakeholders in the entire
process of setting up IECRS,
meeting
with
the
representatives of State
Government, Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA) and National
Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA) was also held at New
Delhi.
The salient features of the
recommendation are given
below:
(i) Number 112 be adopted as
the single emergency number for India.
(ii) Calls made from a landline or

mobile phone/device to the
emergency number 112 will
be routed to a Public Safety
Answering Point (PSAP),
which are akin to a call centre. The number of PSAPs in
a State or Union Territory (UT)
to be decided by the State
Governments/UTs; however
there should be at least one
PSAP in each State/UT.
(iii) The existing emergency calling numbers 100, 101, 102,
and 108 help lines to be retained as secondary numbers. The calls made to the
secondary numbers should
be re-routed to 112 for termination with an announcement to the caller to call 112
as emergency number in future; Once call to secondary
numbers reduce significantly, these numbers can be
withdrawn gradually.
(iv) Access to IECRS to be permitted even from those mobile/landline phones where
the outgoing call facility has
been debarred or the services is suspended temporarily.
(v) Calls to the single emergency
number should be prioritized
in the cellular mobile networks.
(vi) SMS based access to IECRS
should also be provided.
(vii) All Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) will have to provide location information and
details or caller to the IECRS.
For this purpose four regional
database centers, one in each
metro city, to be set up in the
country. BSNL to setup and
maintain these regional database centers.
(viii) There should be a multisectoral agency having representations from MHA, Department of Telecommunications (Dot), Department of
Electronics and Information
11

National Issues
Technology (DEITY), Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare
(MHFW), Ministry of Women
and Child Development
(MWCD) and other concerned Centre and State
agencies which can coordinate and help in setting up of
IECRS in the country.
(ix) A trial version of PSAP based
IECRS should be put in place
as a prototype before full
scale implementation.
India Successfully Test Fired
Nuclear-Capable Agni-III
Ballistic Missile
India successfully test fired its

nuclear-capable Agni-III
ballistic missile with a strike
range of more than 3,000 km
from Wheeler Island off Odisha
coast.
The indigenously developed
surface-to-surface missile was
test fired from a mobile launcher
at launch complex-4 of the
Integrated Test Range (ITR) at
Wheeler Island by army.
Logistic support for the test was
provided by the Defence
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO). It was
the third user trial in the AgniIII series carried out to establish
the repeatability of the
missiles performance.
For data analyses, the entire
trajectory of todays trial was
monitored through various
telemetry stations, electro-optic
systems and sophisticated
radars located along the coast
12
and by naval ships anchored

near the impact point, the
sources said.
The Agni-III missile is powered
by a two-stage solid propellant
system. With a length of 17
metres, the missiles diameter is
2 metres and launch weight is
around 50 tonnes. It can carry a
warhead of 1.5 tonne which is
protected by carbon all
composite heat shield.
Vice President Releases a Book
India and the World Through
the Eyes of Indian Diplomats
The Vice President of India Shri

M. Hamid Ansari released a book
entitled India and the World
Through the eyes of Indian
Diplomats edited by Amb.
Surendra Kumar at a function
here today. Addressing on the
occasion, the Vice President
said that the book has been very
rightly described as a Bouquet
of 33 Flowers as it is a fair
description of experiences of
33 distinguished diplomats in a
book. These essays are perhaps
in 3 categories Narrative;
Analytical; and Argumented. He
commended the Editor of this
useful book and hoped that this
book will be read by the young
entrants in this service and the
public at large.
The book is a unique treasure of
thoughts and ideas of 33 Indian
Diplomats
who
have
collectively put in more than
1150 years in Indian Foreign
Service, representing three

generations; those who joined
in 1950s, in the 1960s and in the
1970s. All in all, it is a healthy
cocktail of reflections and
reminiscences, hardnosed
analysis and dispassionate
interpretation and, of course,
some crystal ball gazing. Amb.
Surendra Kumar founded IndoAmerican
Friendship
Association in 2010.
MHA Suspends
Registration of Greenpeace
Union government has

suspended the registration of
Greenpeace India, a non-profit
environmental organization for
six months with immediate
effect.
Citing various grounds for the
suspension of the FCRA
registration of Greenpeace
India and the freezing of its
accounts, the Union Home
Ministry
alleged
the
organisation did not inform the
authorities concerned about
transfer of foreign contributions
received in the designated
account to the FCRA utilisation
account and then to five other
accounts.
The MHA also charged the NGO
with incurring over 50 per cent
of foreign donations on
administrative expenditure
during 2011-12 and 2012-13
without prior approval.
Stating that acceptance of
foreign contributions by

National Issues
Greenpeace
India
has
prejudicially affected the
public and the economic
interest of the country in
violation of the Section 12
(4)(f)(iii)
and
Section
12(4)(f)(ii) of the FCRA, the
government said the act also
amounted to violation of the
conditions of grant of
registration certificate.
Accordingly, the Central
government has suspended the
registration of the organisation,
including its branches and
units, under the FCRA, for six
months. The organisation can
make a representation in this
regard within 30 days. If
Greenpeace India fails to make
a satisfactory presentation to the
Union government in this
regard, its licence may be
cancelled permanently.
India Successfully Test
Fired Dhanush Missile
India successfully test-fired

nuclear weapons-capable
Dhanush missile from a ship, off
the Odisha coast. The shipbased missile was launched by
personnel of the Strategic
Forces Command (SFC) from an
Offshore Patrolling Vessel
(OPV), which was deep inside
the sea, for its full range of 350
km.
Dhanush, a manoeuvring missile
is a naval variant of Prithvi-II, and
can carry a nuclear payload of
500 kg. It can target both land-
based and sea-based targets.

The missile has already been
inducted into the armed
services and the SFC personnel
randomly picked up the missile
from the production lot for,
which was carried out as part of
regular user training.
Dhanush was one of the five
missiles developed by the
DRDO under the Integrated
Guided Missile Development
Programme.
Automatic annual updation

of the norms by reference
with the movement of wholesale price index (WPI) is also
enabled.
Union Cabinet Approves
Amendment to Real Estate
(Regulation and Development)
Bill, 2013
MHA Issues Revise

Norms for Disaster Relief
Union Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) has issued orders on
revision norms with respect of
the Centrally notified disasters.
These disasters include
tsunami, earthquake, floods,
cyclones, drought, hailstorm,
etc.
Facts about revised norms
Norms related to various aspects of response and preparedness like ex-gratia to
the kins in case of loss of
lives, disability and livelihoods have been revised.
Permitted State governments
to use upto 10% of allocation
of the State Disaster Relief
Fund (SDRF) on equipment.
On capacity building, maximum of 5% of SDRF allocation can be spent.
State Governments also can
use upto 10% of their SDRF
allocation on local disasters.
In this case the State Executive Committees have to work
out the criteria and modalities.
Procedure for adjustment of
available balances under
SDRF is simplified while releasing assistance from the
National Disaster Relief Fund
(NDRF) in case of severe disasters.
The Union Cabinet chaired by

the Prime Minister has given its
approval to amendments to the
Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Bill, 2013
pending in the Rajya Sabha, and
approved
amendments
proposed in the Bill.
The Real Estate (Regulation and
Development) Bill is a
pioneering initiative to protect
the interest of consumers, to
promote fair play in real estate
transactions and to ensure
timely execution of projects.
The Bill provides for a uniform
regulatory environment, to
protect consumer interests,
help speedy adjudication of
disputes and ensure orderly
growth of the real estate sector.
The Bill contains provisions of
registration of real estate
projects and registration of real
estate agents with the Real
Estate Regulatory Authority;
functions and duties of
promoters and allottees;
establishment of Real Estate
Regulatory
Authority;
establishment of fast track
dispute resolution mechanism
13

National Issues
through
adjudication;
establishment of a Real Estate
Appellate Tribunal; offences
and penalties etc.
The Bill ensures mandatory
disclosure by promoters to
customers through registration
of real estate projects as well as
real estate agents with the Real
Estate Regulatory Authority. The
Bill aims at restoring confidence
of the general public in the real
estate sector; by instituting
transparency
and
accountability in real estate and
housing transactions. This in
turn will enable the sector to
access capital and financial
markets essential for its long term
growth. The Bill will promote
orderly growth through
consequent efficient project
execution, professionalism and
standardization.
The salient features
of the Bill are as under:
a. Applicability of the Bill: The
proposed initial Bill was applicable for residential real
estate. It is now proposed to
cover both residential and
commercial real estate;
b. Establishment of Real Estate
Regulatory Authority: Establishment of one or more Real
Estate Regulatory Authority
in each State/ Union Territory
(UT), or one Authority for two
or more States/UT, by the
Appropriate Government for
oversight of real estate transactions. To appoint one or
more adjudicating officers to
settle disputes and impose
compensation and interest;
c. Registration of Real Estate
Projects and Registration of
Real Estate Agents: Mandatory registration of real estate
projects and real estate
agents who intend to sell any
plot, apartment or building,
14
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority;

Mandatory Public Disclosure
of all project details: Mandatory public disclosure norms
for all registered projects
such as details of promoters,
project, layout plan, plan of
development works, land status, status of statutory approvals and disclosure of proforma agreements, names
and addresses of real estate
agents, contractors, architect,
structural engineer etc.;
Functions and Duties of Promoter: Disclosure of all relevant information of project;
Adherence to approved
plans and project specifications; Obligations regarding
veracity of the advertisement
for sale or prospectus; Rectify structural defects; Refund
money in cases of default;
Compulsory deposit of 50
percent: To compulsorily deposit 50 percent (or such
lesser percent as notified by
the Appropriate Government) of the amounts realized for the real estate project
from the allottees in a separate account in a scheduled
bank within a period of fifteen days to cover the cost
of construction to be used for
that purpose;
Adherence to declared
plans: To bar the promoter
from altering plans, structural
designs and specifications of
the plot, apartment or building without the consent of
two-third allottees after disclosure; However, minor additions or alterations permissible due to architectural and
structural reasons;
Functions of Real Estate
Agents: Real estate agents to
sell properties registered with
the Authority; Maintain books
of accounts, records and
documents; Not to involve in
any unfair trade practices;
i. Rights and Duties of Allottees:

Right to obtain stage-wise
time schedule of project;
Claim possession as per promoter declaration; Refund
with interest and compensation for default by the promoter; Allottees to make payments and fulfill responsibilities as per agreement;
j. Functions of Real Estate Regulatory Authority: The Authority to act as the nodal agency
to co-ordinate efforts regarding development of the real
estate sector and render necessary advice to the appropriate Government to ensure
the growth and promotion of
a transparent, efficient and
competitive real estate sector;
k. Fast Track Dispute Settlement
Mechanism: Fast track dispute resolution through adjudicating officers (District
Judge); Appellate Tribunal
to hear appeals;
l. Establishment of Central Advisory Council: To advise the
Central Government on
implementation of the Act,
recommend policy, protection of consumer interest and
to foster growth and development of the real estate sector;
m. Establishment of Real Estate
Appellate Tribunal: Real Estate Appellate Tribunal to
hear appeals from orders of
the Authority and the adjudicating officer. The Appellate
Tribunal is to be headed by a
sitting or retired Judge of the
High Court, with one judicial
and one administrative/technical member;
n. Punitive Provisions: Punitive
provisions including de-registration of the project and
penalties in case of contravention of provisions of the
Bill or the orders of the Authority or Tribunal;

National Issues
o. Bar of Jurisdiction Courts:
Provision for barring jurisdiction of court and any authority from entertaining complaints in respect of matters
covered under the Bill;
p. Power to make Rules and
Regulations: Appropriate
Government to have powers
to make rules over subjects
specified in the Bill; Regulatory Authority to have powers to make regulations;
Navy Launches Stealth
Destroyer INS Visakhapatnam
INS Visakhapatnam, the Indian

Navys most powerful and lethal
destroyer was launched into
water for the first time on 20th
April at Mazgaon Dock in
Mumbai. The ship was
launched from Slip Way No. 2
in MDL, Mumbai. It is to be
commissioned in 2018, and has
indigenous component of over
70 per cent. It has been made
of Indian Steel manufactured
by the Steel Authority of India
Limited (SAIL). The warships
propulsion system will be from
Russia.
The four ships of Project 15B
ships
being
built
at
MDL,Mumbai have been
designed indigenously by the
Directorate of Naval Design,
Delhi and bear testimony to the
acclaimed legacy of Naval
designers. With a displacement
of 7300 tons, each ship will be
spanning 163 meters in length
and17.4 meters at the beam and
will be propelled by four gas

turbines to achieve speed in
excess of 30 knots. The P15B
destroyers incorporate new
designconcepts for improved
survivability, sea keeping,
stealth and maneuverability.
Enhanced stealth features have
been achieved through shaping
of hull and use of radar
transparent deck fittings which
make these ships difficult to
detect. These ships will be
equipped to carry and operate
two multiple role helicopters.
These ships are also packed
with anarray of state of the art
weapons and sensors, including
vertically launched missile
system for long distance
engagement of shore and seabased targets. With significant
indigenous content, these ships
are a true hallmark of
selfreliance attained by our
country in warship design and
ship building.
Kerala Government Launches
Subodham Project to end
alcohol abuse
Aimed at cleansing the state of
alcohol and drug abuse, the
Kerala government has
launched a project Subodham
which will help people
overcome substance addiction.
The project was launched by
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy
and Art of Living Foundation
founder Sri Sri Ravishankar in the
presence of religious leaders,
representatives of student
organisations and NGOs
working against drug abuse.
Key Facts
The Subodham campaign
aims to free one lakh people
from drug and alcohol addiction each year. Subodham
heralds the
first step towards Punarjani

2030 Project, a state government initiative to completely
eradicate the menace of substance abuse in Kerala
The Subodham is supported
by the UNICEF, as well as,
several religious leaders, nongovernmental organisations
and other stake holders.
The state education department, meanwhile, agreed to
include anti-drug and alcohol
awareness content in the
state curriculum from the
next academic year.
Rajasthan Government
Made Amendments in PRI
Rajasthan became the first State
in the country to fix a minimum
educational qualification for
contesting elections to the
Panchayati Raj Institutions.
The Assembly passed the
Rajasthan Panchayati Raj
(amendment) Bill, 2015, which
makes Class VIII pass mandatory
for the post of sarpanch
except in tribal reserved areas,
where
the
minimum
qualification is Class V and
Class X for Zila Parishad or
Panchayat Samiti elections.
The amendments to Section 19
of the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj
Act, 1994 also make a functional
toilet mandatory in the house of
a contestant.
Key provisions of the bill
Contestant for Zila Parishad or
Panchayat Samiti elections
should have the minimum
qualification of secondary
education i.e. Class 10 from
the state board or any approved institution or board.
Contestant for the Sarpanch
elections must have passed
Class VIII from any school in
case of general category.
In case of the scheduled area
15

National Issues
of Panchayat, the contestant
should have passed Class 5
from a school to become a
Sarpanch.
The provision of mandatory
functional toilet in the house
of a contestant also added in
the parent act by amending
section 19.
International Paralympic
Committee suspends PCI
International Paralympic
Committee has suspended
Indian Paralympic Committee
for indefinite period of time. The
IPC has taken this decision after
PCI had provided shoddy
treatment to athletes during the
National
Para-Athletics
Championships held in
Ghaziabad from March 20 to 22,
2015.
In a letter dated April 15, the
IPC said, the situation in the PCI
has been chaotic for several
years now, which is mostly due
to individual conflicts at the
national level between different
groups and persons.
Meanwhile the Union Sports
Ministry has also issued a show
cause notice over the alleged
poor conduct of the 15th
National para athletics
championship in Ghaziabad last
month.
The sports ministry said there
were various complaints
regarding the poor conduct of
the Ghaziabad meet, and the
Sports Authority of India (SAI)
found in its enquiry that besides
16
the lack of other provisions, the

venue did not have facilities for
the conduct of a national
championship and also lacked
allied facilities required for
differently-abled athletes such
as ramps, disabled-friendly
toilets and lodging.
Operation Rahat: Indian Navy
Efforts to Evacuate Indians from
Yemen
Consequent
upon
the
Government of India issuing an
advisory for Indian nationals to
leave Yemen, the Indian Navy
has deployed three ships in
support of the evacuation
operation. In a well coordinated
operation involving multiple
agencies, INS Sumitra, an
Offshore Patrol Vessel, which
has been deployed for antipiracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden
since 11 Mar 15 was the first to
undertake evacuation from
Yemen. The ship was redeployed off the Port of Aden
on 30 Mar 15 and, thereafter,
entered Aden Harbour in the
evening of 31 Mar 15. The ship
evacuated 349 Indians from
Aden and is currently on
passage to Djibouti. On
disembarkation of these
personnel at Djibouti, the ship
is scheduled to return to Aden
to undertake further evacuation,
if required.
IN Ships Mumbai and Tarkash
also sailed from Mumbai on 30
Mar 15. The ships will escort two
passenger vessels, Kavaratti and

Corals, through the piracy risk
area off the Coast of Somalia.
These passenger vessels had
sailed from Kochi on 30 Mar 15,
to Djibouti. The two warships
will, thereafter, be available for
evacuation of Indian nationals
from Yemeni ports, as required.
Coincidentally, the Indian Navy
had undertaken a large scale
HADR Exercise very recently in
Feb 2015. The alacrity and
flexibility of the current
operation
once
again
underscores the Navys
capability in terms of
Humanitarian Assistance and
Disaster Relief (HADR).
4th LCU of Mk IV
Project Launched
Adding yet another milestone

in Indias quest for self-reliance
in sophisticated shipbuilding,
the fourth ship in the series of
eight Landing Craft Utility (LCU)
Mk IV project - Yard 2095 - for
the Indian Navy was launched
at Garden Reach Shipbuilders
and Engineers Ltd (GRSE),
Kolkata, here today (23 Mar
2015).
The launching of Yard 2095,
designed and built by GRSE
was done in the presence of
Vice Admiral RK Patnaik, Deputy
Chief of the Naval Staff and Smt.
Seli Pattanaik.
Invocations from Atharva Veda
were recited and Smt. Pattanaik
named the ship LCU L54 and

National Issues
wished the ship good luck

before launch.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice
Admiral Pattanaik asserted that
Indian Navy has been the torchbearer in the drive for
indigenous construction of
warships and acknowledged
the role of GRSE as a reliable
partner in pursuing the national
goal of Make in India.
The DCNS also extended warm
felicitations to the entire team
of the GRSE for their significant
contribution towards meeting
the
Navys
growing
requirements of state-of-art
warships.
Two LCUs were earlier
launched on March 12 and
September 23, last year. The
third LCU was launched on
January 16, this year.
These ships will play significant
role in transportation of main
battle tanks, armoured vehicles
and troops of the Indian Army
during amphibious operations.
The ship can be deployed for
maritime roles like maritime
security, beaching and unbeaching
operations,
humanitarian relief operations
and evacuation from distant
islands, search and rescue
operations
besides
peacekeeping missions.
OIL Commissions 54 MW
Commercial Wind Energy
Project in Gujarat & Madhya
Pradesh
Oil India Limited (OIL), Indias
second largest National
Exploration & Production
Company, has completed
another vital milestone in its
quest to becoming a
Sustainability driven Energy
Company, committed to
exploring clean energy

solutions for the nation. In doing
so, OIL has successfully
commissioned its third
commercial Wind Energy
Project, viz. a 54 MW Project in
the states of Gujarat and Madhya
Pradesh.
Out of the total capacity of 54

MW, the project is split between
a 16 MW capacity operational
site at Patan in Gujarat and a 38
MW capacity operational site at
Chandgarh in Madhya Pradesh.
The Patan, Gujarat wing of the
project was commissioned on
26th March, 2015, while the
Chandgarh, M.P. site was
commissioned on 31st March,
2015. The Project, fully funded
by OIL, is being run by M/s
Gamesa Wind Turbines Pvt. Ltd.,
Chennai, who are the Project
developers. The Project
Management consultants are M/
s Power & Energy Consultants,
New Delhi. The total cost of the
project is Rs. 126.5 Crore for the
Gujarat side and Rs. 312.45
Crore for the M.P. location.
With this, OILs present installed
capacity under the Renewable
Energy domain (Commercial
Wind Energy and Solar Energy
projects) stands at an
impressive 126.60 MW.
RINL Builds 120 MW Pollution
Free Captive Power Plant
RINL, the corporate entity of
Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) crossed
another milestone by launching
a novel project to generate a

Completely pollution free 120
MW Power with 100% Blast
Furnace Gas and Coke Oven
Gas, the first of its kind in Indian
Steel Industry.
It is first of its kind green project
launched in Indian Steel
Industry that can generate
pollution free captive power
using 100 per cent Blast
Furnace Gas and Coke Oven
Gas. The plant consists of stateof-the-art Boiler Turbo
Generator (BTG) Power Plant
technology in order to
efficiently utilise the surplus
Blast Furnace Gas (BFG). This
Power Plant is designed for
firing 100 per cent BFG and
Coke Oven Gas for the new
captive power plant of 120 MWcapacity. The plant is built at a
cost of Rs 676 crore. It will help
VSP to move step towards
achieving self-sufficiency in
power generation and to
reduce dependency on the
State Grid in the process of steel
making.
RINL currently having 3 Turbo
Generators each 60 MW (180
MW) capacity and 2 Turbo
generators of 67.5 (135MW)
each taking the total captive
power generation capacity of
315 MW. In order to efficiently
utilize the surplus Blast Furnace
Gas (BFG), the state-of-the-art
technology Boiler Turbo
Generator(BTG) Power Plant
designed for firing 100% BFG
and Coke Oven Gas for the new
captive power plant of 120 MW
capacity.
Govt Amends Norms For
Financial Support to PPP in
Infra
The Government of India
approved amendments to the
17

National Issues
Public Private Partnership (PPP)
guidelines to enhance financial
support to projects in the
infrastructure sector.
The Cabinet Committee on

Economic Affairs (CCEA),
chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, has approved
the change in the definition of
a Private Sector Company in
the guidelines for financial
support to PPP in Infrastructure
under the Viability Gap
Funding Scheme (VGF
Scheme).
Amendments Approved
The definition of a Private
Sector Company means a
company which is not a
Government Company. In this
case Government company is
defined as any company in
which more than 51 per cent of
the paid-up share capital is held
by the Union Government or
State(s) Government or partly
by Union Government and
partly by State Government (s).
It also includes a company
which is a subsidiary company
of such a Government
company.
The Gujarat Control of Terrorism

and Organised Crime (GUJCO)
Bill 2015 makes only minor
changes in the controversial
Gujarat Control of Organised
Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, including
adding the word terrorism in
the name. However, it retains
clauses such as permitting
admissibility of evidence
collected through interception
of mobile calls of an accused or
through confessions made
before an investigating officer,
in a court of law.
Key facts
GCTOC Bill, 2015 is a modified version of the original
2003 Gujarat Control of Organized Crime Bill. It still contains the provisions that had
led to its rejection by Presidents in the past.
The bill aims to empower the
law enforcing authorities to
intercept and record phone
calls as evidence. It also puts
the onus of proving the innocence on an accused. Clause
14 of the Bill mentions that
evidence collected through
interception of wire, electronic or oral communication
shall be admissible as evidence against the accused in
the court.
Himachal Pradesh Government
Launched Indias First E-Vidhan
Mobile Apps
Gujarat Government
Passes GUJCO Bill 2015
The Gujarat Government has
passed a stringent anti-terror Bill
retaining
controversial
provisions that had twice earlier
led to a previous such Bill being
rejected by the President.
18
Himachal Pradesh Government

on 30 March 2015 launched
part one of E-Vidhan Mobile
apps. E-Vidhan Mobile apps

will enable all 68 members of
state assembly to get the entire
House business on their
smartphones and tablets, laid in
the House 45 minutes before
the beginning of the daily
proceedings. With this Himachal
Pradesh Vidhan Sabha became
the first state assembly in the
country to launch this app to
facilitate smart-working.
Key facts
The app will provide notifications of the Vidhan Sabhas
press releases, bulletins, budget speeches, documents
and the bills tabled in the
House to members.
The bills introduced or laid
for discussion in assembly will
be made available to the
members.
The reports laid in the house
by the committees, information about government notification, budget speech and
salary and perks drawn by
members will be viewed on
the apps.
The information provided on
the apps could be corrected
on line.
To access the apps, wi-fi service will be made available
to the members in side assembly complex during the session.
The hi-tech E-Vidhan system
will help state government to
save 8 crore rupees per annum
spent on the paper. Next phase
i.e. part two of E-Vidhan Mobile
apps will be launched later.
Part two of E-Vidhan Mobile
apps will facilitate MLAs in their
constituency management
works. It will also help to attend
grievances of the people online
and also interact with officials
of the constituency.

National Issues
Delhi Governemnt Bans
All For Chewable Tobacco
products in Delhi and takes

strict action against the violators.
But no such ban has been
enforced on cigarettes in Delhi.
Rajasthan Government Passes
Camel Slaughter Bill
Delhi Government has banned

sale, purchase, storage and
manufacturing of all forms of
chewable tobacco including
guktha and pan masala
containing tobacco. In this
regard, Delhi Government led
by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
has issued notification banning
all products of chewable
tobacco in all forms. The ban on
all such products will continue
for next one year owing to
public interest and thereafter,
government will extend the ban
all these products every year. To
implement the ban various
citizens monitoring committees
will be formed in every
constituency in order to
educate the masses.
Health Department officials said
that there was a Delhi
government notification in
September 2012 which was in
pursuance of series of
directions from the Supreme
Court to ban gutkha in New
Delhi.
But since the ban mentioned
the term gutkha, the tobacco
retailers started selling the
components of gutkha (betel
nut and raw tobacco) in
separate pouches. So, the
purpose of banning gutkha was
not served.
The new proposal bans all the
raw chewable tobacco
Legislative Assembly passed by

a voice vote a bill to stop camel
slaughter in the state. The
Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of
Slaughter and Regulation of
Temporary Migration or Export)
Bill, 2015 was passed after a
short debate.
The bill bans the slaughter,
trading and unauthorised
transportation of camels in the
state. It also prescribes rigorous
punishment for its violation
including five years of rigorous
imprisonment along with
monetary fine. Causing injury to
camel is also punishable as per
the bill.
Key Facts
The new arrangement would
cut down the delays in
preparation and delivery to
the beneficiaries.
As soon as an application for
providing food security is approved by the Food Supply
Officer concerned, a message will go to the cellphone
number of the beneficiary
informing him or her about
approval of application and
ration card.
The beneficiary can go to the
portal of the department,
http://nfs.delhi.gov.in, enter
the ration card number and
other basic information and
get a password on cellphone.
After entry of this password,
the e-ration card will be generated which can be stored
in the electronic form and
used to get the ration supplies. It can also be printed
by the beneficiary from anywhere.
Railway Ministry Constitutes a
Committee to Review PPP cell
in Railway
Delhi Government Launches eRation Card Service

Delhi Government has
launched first e-ration card
service in India to curb the
corruption and increase
transparency in the system. The
scheme was launched by the
Delhi Chief Minister Arivind
Kejriwal. The scheme for linking
ration and Aadhaar cards would
enable the beneficiaries of
Public Distribution System
(PDS) to get the cards online
from the governments web
portal without hassles.
The Ministry of Railways has

constituted a Committee
headed by Shri Ajay Shankar,
IAS (Retd.), former Secretary,
Department of Industrial Policy
& Promotion (Govt. of India) to
review the existing Public
Private Partnership (PPP) Cell in
the Railway Board.
The
Committee
will
recommend measures needed
to make the Cell more effective,
19

National Issues
customer friendly and result
oriented. The Infrastructure
Directorate of Railway Board
will be the Nodal Directorate for
functioning of the Committee
and Executive Director/Traffic
(PPP) Railway Board will be the
Secretary to the Committee.
Telangana State Industrial

Project Approval and Selfcertification System has been
set up for this purpose.
PM Launches PRAGATI
Platform for Redressal of
Grievances
Central Govt Constitutes a

Committee to Work out Single
Framework for Govt Clearances
The government plans to ease
the process of getting
clearances through a broad
legal framework across sectors.
A committee under former
industry secretary Ajay Shankar
has been set up to prepare a
draft of the proposed
legislation.
The committee, which has Airtel
vice-president Manoj Kohli and
Confederation of Indian
Industry secretary-general
Chandrajeet Banerjee as
members, would examine the
possibility of replacing multiple
prior permission with preexisting regulatory mechanism.
The committee has been asked
to submit its report in a month.
The 11-member committee will
study the requirement of various
prior permissions after
preparing an exhaustive
inventory of such clearances. It
will also recommend a
framework of the proposed
regulatory mechanism.
Telangana, the newest state, has
become the first state in the
country to make faster
clearances a statutory right.
While approving the industrial
policy for the state in November
2014, the state Assembly
adopted the Right to SingleWindow Clearance on the lines
of Right to Information.
20
Prime Minister of India, Shri

Narendra Modi launched his
ambitious multi-purpose and
multi-modal platform PRAGATI
(Pro-Active Governance And
Timely Implementation).
PRAGATI is a unique integrating
and interactive platform. The
platform is aimed at addressing
common mans grievances, and
simultaneously monitoring and
reviewing
important
programmes and projects of the
Government of India as well as
projects flagged by State
Governments.
The PRAGATI platform
uniquely bundles three latest
technologies: Digital data
management,
videoconferencing and geo-spatial
technology. It also offers a
unique combination in the
direction of cooperative
federalism since it brings on one
stage the Secretaries of
Government of India and the
Chief Secretaries of the States.
With this, the Prime Minister is
able to discuss the issues with
the concerned Central and
State officials with full
information and latest visuals of
the ground level situation. Such
an effort has never been made

in India. It is also an innovative
project in e-governance and
good governance.
Key features of the PRAGATI
application are as follows:
It is a three-tier system (PMO,
Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of
the States);
Prime Minister will hold a
monthly programme where
he will interact with the Government of India Secretaries,
and Chief Secretaries
through Video-conferencing
enabled by data and geoinformatics visuals;
The first such programme
was launched on 25th March,
2015 (Wednesday) at 3.30
PM;
Now onwards, it will be held
once in every month on
Fourth Wednesday at 3.30
PM-to be known as PRAGATI
Day.
Issues to be flagged before
the PM are picked up from
the available database regarding Public Grievances,
on-going Programmes and
pending Projects;
The system will ride on,
strengthen and re-engineer
the data bases of the
CPGRAMS for grievances,
Project Monitoring Group
(PMG) and the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme
Implementation. PRAGATI
provides an interface and
platform for all these three
aspects.
It will also take into consideration various correspondences to PMs office by the
common people or from high
dignitaries of States and/or
developers of public
projects;
The issues flagged are uploaded seven days prior to
the PRAGATI day (i.e. on

National Issues
third Wednesday of every
month).
These issues can be viewed
by the Union Government
Secretaries and Chief Secretaries after entering into the
application;
User ID and Password for
each of the Union Government Secretaries and Chief
Secretaries have been created and made available;
Union Government Secretaries and Chief Secretaries will
be able to see the issues pertaining to their Department /
State;
Union Government Secretaries and Chief Secretaries
have to put their comments
and updates about the
flagged issues within three
days (i.e. by next Monday);
One day - Tuesday is available to the PMO team to review the data entered by the
Union Government Secretaries and Chief Secretaries;
The design is such, that when
PM reviews the issue he
should have on his screen the
issue as well as the latest updates and visuals regarding
the same;
The system has been designed
in-house by the PMO team with
the help of National Informatics
Center (NIC). As the name
suggests, it is aimed at starting a
culture
of
Pro-Active
Governance and Timely
Implementation. It is also a
robust system for bringing etransparency
and
eaccountability with real-time
presence and exchange among
the key stakeholders.
Union Government
Launches Twitter Samvad
The Union government
launched a new platform, in
association with Twitter, for
direct communication among

leaders, government agencies
and citizens through tweets and
text messages, helping boost egovernance plans. To start with,
the service has 16 partners,
including Prime Minister
Narendra Modi; the Chief
Ministers of Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West
Bengal, Chandrababu Naidu,
Anandiben Patel, Akhilesh
Yadav and Mamata Banerjee,
respectively; the Railway
Ministry; and the Bengaluru City
Police.
Through Twitter Samvad, a set

of curated Tweets will be
delivered every day from the
accounts of the government
and the leaders to mobilephone users across the country
as text messages. The service
can come in handy during
emergencies as government
agencies can share live
updates, even time-sensitive
information on law and order or
rescue.
Twitter Samvad is based on a
platform provided by ZipDial,
an Indian company recently
acquired by Twitter, making this
its first Indian service launched
using indigenous technology.
Section 66A of the IT Act is
Unconstitutional: SC
Apex court of India of India has
declared Section 66A of the
Information Technology Act is
unconstitutional in its entirety.
In the judgment, the court said

the liberty of thought and
expression was a cardinal value
of paramount significance
under the Constitution. Three
concepts fundamental in
understanding the reach of this
right were discussion, advocacy
and incitement. Discussion, or
even advocacy, of a particular
cause, no matter how
unpopular it was, was at the
heart of the right to free speech
and it was only when such
discussion or advocacy reached
the level of incitement that it
could be curbed on the ground
of causing public disorder.
The court then went on to say
that Section 66A actually had
no proximate connection with
public order or with incitement
to commit an offence. The
information disseminated over
the Internet need not be
information which incites
anybody at all. Written words
may be sent that may be purely
in the realm of discussion or
advocacy of a particular point
of view. Further, the mere
causing of annoyance,
inconvenience, danger, etc., or
being grossly offensive or
having a menacing character are
not offences under the [Indian]
Penal Code at all, the court
held.
Striking down Section 66A of
the Information Technology Act
as unconstitutional, the
Supreme Court rejected the
Centres plea that it was
committed to free speech and
would ensure that the provision
was administered in a
reasonable manner.
The Bench turned down a plea
to strike down sections 69A and
79 of the Act, which deal with
21

National Issues
the procedure and safeguards
for blocking certain websites
and exemption from liability of
intermediaries in certain cases,
respectively.
About 66A of IT Act
66-A provides Punishment for
sending offensive messages
through
communication
service, etc. Any person who
sends, by means of a computer
resource or a communication
device,
(a) any information that is grossly
offensive or has menacing
character; or
(b) any information which he
knows to be false, but for the
purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury,
criminal intimidation, enmity,
hatred or ill will, persistently
by making use of such 2 computer resource or a communication device; or
(c) any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the
purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to
deceive or to mislead the
addressee or recipient about
the origin of such messages,
Asias Largest Tulip Garden
Thrown Open for Public
Asias largest Tulip garden on

the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar
was thrown open to visitors on
3rd April, even as the inclement
weather conditions have
delayed blooming of majority of
the bulbs.
22
The garden in the foothills of

Zabarwan Range has a total of
1.5 million tulips and its opening
marks the beginning of a new
tourism season in Kashmir Valley.
Formerly known as Siraj Bagh,
the Indira Gandhi Memorial
Tulip garden was opened in
2008 by the then Chief Minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad. The idea of
the garden was conceived to
advance the tourism season in
the Valley by two months.
Last year the garden was thrown
open to public on March 27. The
average life span of the tulip
flower is three to four weeks
but heavy rains or too much of
heat can destroy them.
Orissa Government
Launches Aahar Scheme
Odisha Government on 1 April

2015 launched Aahar- cheap
meal scheme for providing
subsidised food to urban poor.
It was launched by Odisha Chief
Minister Naveen Patnaik at the
Capital
Hospital
in
Bhubaneswar on the occasion
the foundation day of the state
i.e. Utkala Dibasa.
Facts about Aahar-cheap meal
scheme
It aims at providing meal at
Rs. five to the urban poor.
In the first phase scheme was
launched simultaneously in
five cities of state including
Bhubaneswar, Rourkela,
Cuttack, Berhampur and
Sambalpur.
The subsidised meals will be

provided at four crowded
places each in these five cities to people visiting urban
areas for various work
Following companies have
sponsored the scheme in
particular city
Odisha Mining Corporation
(OMC) in Cuttack and
Bhubaneswar.
Odisha Power Generation
Corporation (OPGC) in
Rourkela.
Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) in Sambalpur.
Tata Steel in Berhampur. in
States Current Affairs for PCS
Amravati to be New
Capital of Andhra Pradesh
The
Andhra
Pradesh
Government has decided to
name the new capital of the
state which is coming up in
Vijayawada-Guntur region as
Amaravathi, after the ancient
seat of power of the
Satavahanas. The resolution to
this effect was passed by the
state cabinet which met under
chief minister N Chandrababu
Naidu in Hyderabad.
The government would like to
develop the capital as a modern
city that is convenient to poor
people as well, the chief
minister said, adding it would
be a peoples capital. The
Singapore government is
preparing master plan for the
capital for free. The plan has
three components overall
capital region, capital city and
seed capital, Naidu said.
The Singapore government
submitted a report on capital
region during Naidus visit to the
city state yesterday, the capital
city master plan details would

National Issues
be submitted by May 15 and
that on seed capital would be
given by June.
The capital would be
connected by radial roads and
will have satellite townships.
There would be a ring road,
railway connectivity and a new
airport. Inland waterways and
growth corridors would be
developed around the capital
and its region.
The state cabinet has inprinciple accepted the broad
details of master plan for capital
city and capital region and any
new ideas would be
incorporated. Naidu thanked
the farmers and land owners in
the proposed capital region
who have handed over about
33,000 acres of land.
The cabinet meeting also
approved the states industrial
policy which would be in force
from 2015 to 2020. A sectoral
policy
for
textiles,
biotechnology an automobile
has also been announced.
Single desk clearance, 24x7
power supply, tax exemptions,
forming a land bank of 15-20
lakh acres, skill development for
local residents and emphasis on
promoting SC, ST, BC and
women entrepreneurs are some
of the main features of the
policies.
About Amaravathi
Amaravathi town is located in
Guntur district and the same
name is being adopted for the
capital in view of its historical,
spiritual and mythological
significance, Naidu told
reporters tonight. It is the city
of Lord Indra, the king of the
gods, the chief minister said
referring to mythology.
Amaravathi, located on the
banks of river Krishna, derives

its name from Lord Amareswara
temple in the village and it is
known as Dakshina Kashi
(Kashi of the south), he said,
adding it was the capital of
Satavahana rulers for 400 years.
Amaravathi has a lot of Buddhist
significance as well with Lord
Buddha believed to have
visited the village, besides King
Ashoka and famed Chinese
traveller Hsuan Tsang also
believed to have visited the
place.
It has been found in excavations
that certain relic of Gautam
Buddha were preserved in the
village. Buddhist spiritual guru
Dalai Lama had conducted
Kalachakra, a Buddhist event,
some years ago at Amaravathi
and the Centre has recently
identified it as a heritage city,
Naidu said.
Task Force on Interlinking of

Rivers Constituted
Ministry of Water Resources,

River Development & Ganga
Rejuvenation has constituted a
Task Force on Interlinking of
Rivers comprising experts and
senior officials to look into the
issues relating to Interlinking of
Rivers (ILR) in the country. The
Task Force would be chaired by
Shri. BN Navalawala.
Terms of References of Task
Force
The Task Force will take up
all issues for expediting the
work on interlinking of rivers

in the Country. Apart from examining the existing links that
are laid out as per the National Perspective Plan under
both Himalayan and Peninsular components, the task
force would also consider alternative plans in place of infeasible links in the present
plan.
The Task Force would facilitate interlinking of intra-state
and intra-basin Rivers also
along with that of inter-state
and inter-basin links.
The Task Force would recommend the time schedules
for completion of feasibility
studies and DPRs of all the
links, implementation schedule of all the links and also
suggest on various means of
funding mechanisms for the
Interlinking of Rivers.
The Task Force would also
provide guidance on norms
of appraisal of individual
projects in respect of economic viability, socio-economic, environmental impacts and preparation of resettlement plans.
It would also device suitable
mechanisms for bringing
about speedy consensus
amongst the states and also
proposes suitable organizational structure for implementing the Interlinking of
Rivers.
The Task Force would also try
to forge a consensus amongst
the states in order to take forward the speedy implementation of the Interlinking of
Rivers Program.
National Water
Development Agency
National Water Development
Agency (NWDA) was set up in
July, 1982 as Autonomous
Society under the Societies
23

National Issues
Registration Act, 1860, to carry
out the water balance and other
studies on a scientific and
realistic basis for optimum
utilisation of Water Resources of
the Peninsular rivers system for
preparation of feasibility reports
and thus to give concrete shape
to
Peninsular
Rivers
Development Component of
National Perspective. In 1990,
NWDA was also entrusted with
the task of Himalayan Rivers
Development Component of
National Perspectives. Recently,
the functions of NWDA have
been further modified and the
work of preparation of detailed
Project Reports (DPR) of various
link proposals and Pre-feasibility
Reports and feasibility reports
of intra-State links as proposed
by the States have been
24
included in the functions of

NWDA.
FUNCTIONS OF NWDA:
(a) To carry out detailed surveys
and investigations of possible
reservoir sites and interconnecting links in order to establish feasibility of the proposal of Peninsular Rivers Development and Himalayan
Rivers Development components forming part of National
Perspective for Water Resources Development prepared by the then Ministry of
Irrigation (now Ministry of
Water Resources) and Central Water Commission.
(b) To carry out detailed surveys
about the quantum of water
in various Peninsular River
Systems and Himalayan River
Systems which can be transferred to other basins/States
c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
after meeting the reasonable

needs of basin/states in the
foreseeable future.
To prepare feasibility report
of the various components of
the scheme relating to Peninsular Rivers development
and Himalayan Rivers development.
To prepare detailed project
report of river link proposals
under National Perspective
Plan for Water Resources Development after concurrence of the concerned
States.
To prepare pre-feasibility/
feasibility report of the intrastate links as may be proposed by the States.
To do all such other things the
Society may consider necessary, incidental, supplementary or conducive to the attainment of above objectives.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/test-series/online-ias-pre

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
China Releases
Details of Silk Road Plans
China has provided details

about its proposed Silk Road
initiatives, which would impact
4.4 billion people and, within a
decade, could generate trade
above 2.5 trillion dollars.
A vision document jointly
prepared by a composite team
from the Ministries of
Commerce, Foreign Affairs and
the National Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC)
a top organisation that steers the
Chinese economy has with
precision revealed the
geographic parameters of
Chinas One belt One Road
initiative.
The belt and road have two
components the Silk Road
Economic Belt (SREB) that
would be established along the
Eurasian land corridor from the
Pacific coast to the Baltic Sea,
and the 21st century Maritime
Silk Road (MSR).
The belt and road run through
the continents of Asia, Europe
and Africa, connecting the
vibrant East Asia economic
circle at one end and
developed
European
economic circle at the other,

says the government report.
Specifically, the SREB focuses
on bringing together China,
Central Asia, Russia and Europe
(the Baltic); linking China with
the Persian Gulf and the
Mediterranean Sea through
Central Asia and West Asia; and
connecting China with
Southeast Asia, South Asia and
the Indian Ocean.
Finland Opposition Party
Wins Parliamentary Election
Finlands opposition Centre

Party has won the General
Election 2015 by defeating the
left-right coalition National
Coalition party of incumbent
Prime Minister Alexander
Stubb. With this win, Centre
Partys leader Juha Sipila, an IT
millionaire and newcomer to
countrys politics, is set to
become Finlands next prime
minister. In this election, Juha
Sipilas Centre Party has won 42
seats in the 200 seats of
Parliament and Finns Party
(formerly known as True Finns)
was runner-up by winning 38
seats in parliament. While the
ruling Coalition Party has won 37
seats and the Social Democratic
Party got 34 seats
The Centre Party leader Juha

Sipla, who entered politics four
years ago, said the main problem
in conservative Prime Minister
Alexander Stubbs coalition
had been a lack of trust among
the ruling parties. He warned
that Finland, in the midst of a
three-year recession, was in a
difficult situation.
Saudi Arabia along with GCC
Launches Military Campaign
Against Houthi
Saudi Arabia and a coalition of

regional allies have launched a
military operation in Yemen
against the Houthi rebels, who
deposed the US-backed
Yemeni president last month.
The United Arab Emirates is
participating with 30 jets,
Bahrain with eight, Morocco
and Jordan both with six. Sudan
reportedly offered three war
planes to assist the operation,
Al Arabiya reported.
Kuwaits defence ministry
announced it was sending three
squadrons of its F18 Super
Hornet aircrafts to Saudis King
Abdulaziz airbase in Dhahran to
take part in the Yemen
offensive.
Pakistan,
which
has
25

longstanding ties to Saudi
Arabia, was examining a request
from Riyadh to join the coalition.
The security situation in Yemen
deteriorated after the Shia
Houthis rebels had seized
power by dissolving Yemens
government and parliament in
January 2015. Since then rebels
had taken control of key
government buildings in capital
Sanaa including Presidential
Palace. They also had taken
control and seized city of Taiz,
third largest city of Yemen.
Pakistan and Russia to Hold
Joint Military Exercise
agreement to deepen their

defence ties and vowed to
translate their relationship in
tangible terms during the firstever visit of a Russian defence
minister in 45 years.
Russian defence minister
Shoigus visit last November to
Pakistan came at a very critical
juncture as US-led NATO forces
drawdown from Afghanistan.
Russia lifted embargoes on
providing defence supplies to
Pakistan and currently the two
sides are working on different
options to increase the ties in
the defence field.
Philippine and U. S.
Begins Military Exercise
Pakistan and Russia have agreed

to hold first-ever joint military
exercises as part of their
enhanced
defence
cooperation, in a sign of
increasing bonhomie between
the Cold War-era adversaries.
The agreement was reached
during a meeting in Moscow
between Pakistan defence
minister Khawaja Asif and his
Russian counterpart Sergei
Shoigu,
The ministers also agreed that
conflicts should be resolved
through diplomatic means and
that use of force must be
discouraged and abandoned.
They also reached a consensus
that a multi-polar world would
ensure peace and balance in
international relations.
Pakistan and Russia last year
signed a military cooperation
26
Philippine and U.S. soldiers

began their biggest combined
military exercise in 15 years on
Monday, in a demonstration of
Washingtons commitment to its
long-time ally as it rebalances to
Asia in the face of Chinas
expansion in the South China
Sea.
The annual Balikatan
(shoulder-to-shoulder) war
games are part of a new U.S.
military initiative known as
Pacific Pathways, involving a
series of drills across the AsiaPacific as America deploys more
troops, ships and aircraft in the
region..
The exercise comes a few days
after the Philippines said it was
seeking more substantive
support from the United States
on how to counter Chinas rapid

expansion in the South China
Sea.
Chinas rapid reclamation
around seven reefs in the
Spratly archipelago of the South
China Sea has alarmed
claimants, including the
Philippines and Vietnam, and
drawn growing criticism from
U.S. government officials and
the military.
U.S. President Barack Obama
has said Washington is
concerned China is using its
sheer size and muscle to push
around smaller nations in the
disputed sea, drawing a swift
rebuke from Beijing.
More than 11,000 American
and Filipino troops are taking
part in the 10-day drill on the
islands of Luzon, Palawan and
Panay. The war games will see
U.S. fighters rehearse bombing
runs and troops involved in live
fire drills.
India Joins Group of
War Against Terrorism
India, as well as the five
permanent members of the
Security Council are among the
30 nations who have joined
hands for a group formed at the
UN against terrorism. The
Group of Friends against
terrorism was launched at the
initiative of Moroccoby the
United Nation.
In addition to China, France,
Russia, UK and the US, the group
has representation from the five
continents and is composed of
African countries (Morocco,
Ethiopia, Egypt, Chad, Kenya,
Senegal and South Africa),
Western Europe (Spain,
Germany, Norway and Turkey),
from Eastern Europe (Czech
Republic and Bulgaria), Asia

(India, Indonesia, Jordan,
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and
United Arab Emirates), Latin
America (Argentina, Brazil and
Colombia) and Oceania (New
Zealand and Australia).
The group would meet once a
year at the ministerial level on
the margins of the General
Assembly and every two
months at the level of
permanent representatives, the
report said.
The group aims to advance
initiatives in the framework of
the UN, organize events, round
tables and seminars on various
aspects of the problem of
terrorism and initiate interaction
with civil society, academia and
think tanks, he was quoted as
saying in the report.
Key Facts about Group of
Friends Against Terrorism
Group of Friends Against Terrorism is an United Nations
initiative launched to combat
terrorism. Created at the initiative of Morocco, the group
consists of thirty countries, including the five permanent
members of the UN Security
Council. Group of Friends
Against Terrorism will aim,
among others, to create synergies between all initiative
implemented within the UN,
promoting international cooperation in combating terrorism, share and exchange
good practices in the fight
against this scourge that
threatens international
peace and security. India is
one of the members of the
group.
Palestinian Becomes 123
Member of International
Criminal Court
The Palestinian Authority
completed its journey to formal
membership of international
criminal court following a lowkey ceremony at the Hague
headquarters of the global
institution of last resort. The
move could open the way for
Israelis to be prosecuted for war
crimes - despite Israel not being
a member - and it also allows
the prosecution of Palestinian
militants, including those from
Hamas, who now fall under the
courts jurisdiction.
International justice activists

hailed the occasion as an
opportunity
to
bring
accountability after years of
conflict
between
the
Palestinians and Israel, but
Palestinians backed away from
earlier threats to introduce a raft
of complaints on formally
becoming the courts 123rd
member.
Instead they will wait for the
outcome of a preliminary
investigation launched by the
courts chief prosecutor, Fatou
Bensouda, initiated when the
Palestinian Authority acceded
to the courts governing Rome
statute 90 days ago.
The decision not to press ahead
immediately with cases has
been seen by observers as a way
of avoiding an immediate
conflict with the US Congress,
which has the authority to
freeze US aid to the Palestinian
Authority should it pursue its
own cases.
Joining the court is part of a
broader effort by the

Palestinians to put international
pressure on Israel, and comes
at a time when the chances of
resuming negotiations on
Palestinian statehood are seen
as slim following the Israeli
prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahus recent election
victory and tough campaign
rhetoric.
About International Criminal
Court
The International Criminal Court
(ICC), governed by the Rome
Statute, is the first permanent,
treaty based, international
criminal court established to
help end impunity for the
perpetrators of the most serious
crimes of concern to the
international community.
The ICC is an independent
international organisation, and is
not part of the United Nations
system. Its seat is at The Hague
in the Netherlands. Although
the Courts expenses are
funded primarily by States
Parties, it also receives voluntary
contributions
from
governments, international
organisations, individuals,
corporations and other entities.
The international community
has long aspired to the creation
of a permanent international
court, and, in the 20th century,
it reached consensus on
definitions of genocide, crimes
against humanity and war
crimes. The Nuremberg and
Tokyo trials addressed war
crimes, crimes against peace,
and crimes against humanity
committed during the Second
World War.
In the 1990s after the end of the
Cold War, tribunals like the
International Criminal Tribunal
27

for the former Yugoslavia and
for Rwanda were the result of
consensus that impunity is
unacceptable. However,
because they were established
to try crimes committed only
within a specific time-frame and
during a specific conflict, there
was general agreement that an
independent, permanent
criminal court was needed.
On 17 July 1998, the
international community
reached an historic milestone
when 120 States adopted the
Rome Statute, the legal basis for
establishing the permanent
International Criminal Court.
Amnesty International Reports

on Death Sentences in 2014
World governments issued 500
more death sentences in 2014
than 2013, according to
Amnesty International. Amnesty
International recorded 607
executions around the world in
2014, a reduction of almost 22
percent compared to the
previous year. As usual, this
global figure excluded
numbers for China; Amnesty
believes that China executes
more people than the rest of the
world combined, but says there
is not enough reliable data to
provide figures.
However, the number of death
sentences climbed from 1,925
in 2013 to 2,466 last year, an
increase Amnesty attributed to
states seeking to tackle crime,
terrorism and internal stability.
Nigeria and Egypt were the
main climbers in terms of doling
out death sentences. Nigeria,
fighting a Boko Haram
insurgency, issued 659
compared to 141 in 2013.
Egypt, fighting an insurgency in
28
Sinai and still chasing

supporters of the now-outlawed
Muslim Brotherhood that briefly
held power, issued 509 death
sentences, 400 more than in the
previous year.
After China, Amnesty said that
the most prolific executioners
were Iran (249 known cases, at
least
454
more
not
acknowledged by authorities),
Saudi Arabia (at least 90), Iraq
(at least 61) and the USA (35).
Execution methods employed
around the world included
beheading, hanging, lethal
injection and shooting. Saudi
Arabia and Iran - two countries
highlighted by Amnesty as
having used the death penalty
as a tool to suppress political
dissent - both carried out
public executions.
The report also noted
executions for adultery,
blasphemy or sorcery, which
should not be considered
crimes at all.
The report lauded progress in
sub-Saharan Africa, where 46
executions were recorded in
three countries - as opposed to
64 in five countries in 2013.
Although Equatorial Guinea,
Somalia and Sudan were known
to have conducted executions,
Amnesty
noted
how
Madagascar had set legislation
in motion that would abolish the
death penalty, if signed into law
by the president.
In Europe, Belarus was the sole
country still using the death
penalty - which is rejected as a
criminal punishment by the EU.
According to Amnesty, at least
three people were put to
death in Belarus during 2014,
ending a 24-month hiatus.
Israel Develops Anti-Ballistic

Missile- Davids Sling
In an ongoing effort to boost its

missile defenses, Israel has
recently been testing its Davids
Sling anti-ballistic missile
system. The latest test
coincided with positive
developments in Iran nuclear
talk currently just meters from
the finishing line.
A number of recent Davids
Sling missile tests have been a
great success, the Homa
Directorate at the Defense
Ministry and the American
Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
announced.
Also known as the Magic
Wand, the short-range ballistic
missile defense system,
designed to intercept medium
range missiles from nearby Gaza,
Syria, and Lebanon, has been
jointly developed the between
the Pentagon contractor and by
Israels Rafael Advanced
Defense Systems.
Once fully operational it will be
deployed as part of a multilayered missile defense
initiative that already includes
the Arrow 1, 2, and 3 systems
and the Iron Dome. The system,
capable of intercepting
incoming projectiles from over
300 kilometers (180 miles) away
will also be used to detect, and
shoot down drones.
But unlike other components of
Israels missile defense, Davids
Sling can be deployed both in

a mobile and stationary
positions.
The announcement of the latest
tests, coincided with the visit of
John Boehner, speaker of the US
House of Representatives, to
Israel. It also coincides with the
timing of tense international
negotiations on Irans nuclear
issue, as the talks are extended
for another day.
Israel which sees Irans peaceful
nuclear program as covert
means for Tehran to obtain
nuclear weapons, have
persistently urged the
international community and P5
+1 not to strike a deal with
Tehran.
UNCTAD Report
on e-Commerce Biz
Small European countries top

the ranking of 130 economies
according to their readiness for
business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce, a new UNCTAD
study shows. According to a
new UNCTAD B2C Ecommerce Index included in
the study, the highest ecommerce readiness is found in
Luxembourg, Norway and
Finland.
Among developing and
emerging economies, the frontrunners are all in East Asia,
namely the Republic of Korea,
Hong Kong (China) and
Singapore. Meanwhile, in terms
of actual levels of online
shopping, countries with large
populations such as Brazil,

China and the Russian
Federation are performing
better than predicted,
suggesting that large markets
facilitate e-commerce.
Global e-commerce is
expanding and evolving
Global B2C e-commerce is
valued at about $1.2 trillion.
While considerably smaller
than business-to-business
(B2B) e-commerce, valued at
more than $15 trillion, this
segment is growing faster,
especially in Asia and Africa.
This area also offers high potential for growth of e-commerce in developing countries.
Developing and transition
economies are expected to
account for almost 40 per
cent of global B2C e commerce by 2018, while the
share of developed countries
is set to fall from more than
70 per cent to about 60 per
cent, according to market
estimates. China has emerged
as the largest global market
for B2C e-commerce, measured both by online buyers
and by revenue. Between
2013 and 2018, the share of
the Asia and Oceania region
in global B2C e-commerce is
expected to surge from 28
per cent to 37 per cent, while
that of the Middle East and
Africa is set to grow slightly
from 2.2 per cent to 2.5 per
cent.
The extent to which people
buy online still varies greatly.
The share of individuals who
have made an online purchase was for example only
2 per cent in Mexico and Thailand, and more than 60 per
cent in some developed
countries. Unlike social networking, where activity rates
are relatively high among de-
veloping countries, the share

of Internet users who buy
online is generally lower
there than in developed
countries (see figure). This
may reflect limited purchasing power and other mitigating factors such as a lack of
trust, limited shopping options and poor delivery services.
The report highlights that developing countries as a group
are assuming a more prominent role as both buyers and
sellers of goods and services
online. Meanwhile, increased
reliance on e-commerce
generates significant gains for
consumers and productivity
gains for enterprises selling
over the Internet.
Greater opportunities for
developing countries to
engage in e-commerce
The UNCTAD report notes
that the scope for developing countries to participate in
and benefit from e commerce is expanding. First,
connectivity has improved,
with widespread uptake of
mobile telephones, social
media and rising levels of
Internet use. Second, new ecommerce applications, platforms and payment solutions
are making it easier to engage
in e-commerce. Third, local
e companies with e-commerce services tailored to local demands are rapidly appearing in developing countries, including in least developed countries.
For example, in Bangladesh
and Cambodia, new e-commerce sites are targeting the
domestic market, enabling
consumers to browse and order products online. In subSaharan Africa, various solutions have been adapted to
facilitate commerce over fea-
29

ture phones, and many gateways have emerged that can
facilitate payment for e-commerce via mobile phones.
At the same time, asymmetric access to major market
places and e-commerce platforms may accentuate existing imbalances in e-commerce trade. Merchants in
many developing countries
do not enjoy equal access to
these market places. Data
from the Universal Postal
Union on cross-border postal
traffic of small packets, parcels and packages also show
that while developed countries, and Asia and Oceania,
30
run significant trade surpluses, Latin America and

transition economies import
much more than they export.
Unlocking the e-commerce
potential requires national
and international policy
responses
In order to unlock the potential of e-commerce, the
UNCTAD report calls for policies that can help to harness
e-commerce for sustainable
development. Key policy areas include the development
of information and communications technology infrastruc-
ture, logistics and trade facilitation, the legal and regulatory environment (UNCTAD/
PRESS/PR/2015/4), e-payments, and platform and skills
development in combination
with an enabling international
environment.
International dialogue and
cooperation are also crucial
to promote the smooth exchange of e commerce while
at the same time spreading
benefits of e-commerce
more widely. Special attention may need to be given to
international trade rules, taxation and capacity-building.
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India & The World
INDIA & THE WORLD

Bangladesh Government
Approves Trade Deal with India
Bangladeshs cabinet has

approved a revised trade
agreement with India allowing
for the trans-shipment of goods
through each others territories
across land and water routes
through a third country in the
neighbourhood in a bid to
remove a long-standing barrier
to smoothening regional trade.
Key facts of the deal
The revised agreement
will facilitate both countries to use each others
land and water routes for
trade with a third country
and remove long standing
barrier in regional trade.
With this Bangladesh will
be able to use Indian railways, roads and waterways in transshipment of
goods to Bhutan and
Nepal. While, India will be
able to send goods to
Myanmar
through
Bangladesh.
Under the modified deal
both countries will be
able to use transport networks for transporting the
goods for a fee. These
fees and charges for trans-
porting goods will be the

same for both the countries and will be fixed
through bilateral discussions.
The deal will be in force
for 5 years instead of the
existing tenure of 3 years,
and further can amended
through mutual agreement.
At present, India has similar
agreement with Nepal and
Bhutan but Bangladeshs trade
with Nepal and Bhutan was
hindered for want of such a
treaty with India. Previously,
trucks from Nepal and Bhutan
entering from Bangladesh along
the Indian border were required
to park at a specific point near
border. But under the revised
deal, trucks from Nepal and
Bhutan will enter Bangladesh
through the Indian corridors.
Dhaka and New Delhi signed
their original trade agreement in
1972 soon after the emergence
of an independent Bangladesh.
Under the terms of the deal,
which had crucial Indian
support but expired on March
31, trade could only be done
between the two neighbours
while India could transport
goods to its seven north-eastern
states.
PM Modi Visits to France
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has recently visited France, where
India and France have signed 20
agreements in various fields .Below
is the list of agreements/initiatives/
announcements signed/agreed
during Modis visit:
1. MoU between L&T and AREVA:

It is aimed at cost reduction by
increasing localization, to
improve the financial viability of
Jaitapur project. It will also
enable transfer of technology
and
development
of
indigenous nuclear energy
industry in India.
2. Pre-engineering agreements
between NPCIL and Areva: The
PEA studies intend to bring
clarity on all technical aspects
of the plant so that all parties
(AREVA, Alstom and NPCIL)
can firm up their price and
optimize all provisions for risks
still included at this stage in the
costs of the project.
3. MoU between ISRO and CNES
on Megha Tropiques: The IndoFrench Megha Tropiques
satellite was launched on board
the Indian launch vehicle, PSLV
on October 12, 2011. The MoU
shall extend by 2 more years,
the joint project for sharing and
use of data from the satellite.
4. MOU between ISRO, CNES
and ONERA for Ka-band
propagation experiment over
Indian tropical region: The MoU
envisages cooperation for
implementation of the project
31

India & The World

concerning
Kaband
propagation experiment over
Indian tropical region. The main
objective is to collect Ka-Band
attenuation data using available
Ka-Band transmission and
perform analysis along with
corresponding radio meter and
meteorological data.
5. Programme between ISRO and
French National Centre for
Space Studies (CNES): The
Agreement
proposes
cooperation in the areas of
Satellite Remote sensing,
satellite communications and
satellite meteorology; space
sciences and planetary
exploration; data collection and
location; operations of satellite
ground stations and spacecraft
mission management; space
research and applications. It
covers
the
potential
cooperation activities such as
joint earth observation mission,
hosted payload opportunities
and Mars exploration.
6. MoU on Cooperation between
the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports of India and French
Ministry of Sports, Youth Affairs,
Public
Education
and
Community Life The MoU
envisages cooperation and
exchange of experiences in the
fields of sports medicine,
institutional cooperation,
development of practice of
sports in the context of
proximity sports, support of
participation of women and the
disabled in sports, management
and coordination of sports
federations, training of
executives and establishment of
National Institute of Sports in
India based on French model
of INSEP.
7. Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on cooperation in the
32
field of renewable energy

between the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy
(MNRE), Government of India
and the Ministry of Ecology,
Sustainable Development and
Energy, Government of France
The understanding reached in
this MoU will help establish the
basis for cooperation and
relationship to encourage and
promote technical bilateral
cooperation on new and
renewable energy issues on the
basis of mutual benefits and
reciprocity through exchange
and training of technical
personnel, exchange of
information and data, joint
research and transfer of knowhow and technology. It would
cover solar, wind, bio-energy,
tidal and wave energy sectors.
8. Railway protocol between
Indian Ministry of Railways and
French National Railways
(SNCF): The Protocol seeks to
establish cooperation between
Indian and French Railways for
semi-high speed rail and station
renovation.
9. Guarantee Agreement with
AFD Financing of Energy
Efficiency Services Limited
(EESL): The Agreement seeks
to finance Energy Efficiency
Services Limited (EESL)
10. Administrative Arrangement in
the field of Cultural Heritage:
The
Administrative
Arrangement between the
Indian Ministry of Culture and
French Ministry of Culture and
Communication, envisages
cooperation in the field of
cultural heritage, through
training of Indian heritage
conservation professionals at
the Institute National du
Patrimoine (INP), a higher
education establishment of
training for curators and
restorers in the field of heritage
in France, as well as
Development of cultural and
scientific cooperation in the
fields of conservation and
restoration of the heritage, short
duration training sessions in
India by INP trainers in Indian
institutes and training of French
training in India etc.
11. Letter of Intent on Tourism: LoI
for increasing cooperation in
tourism sector signed between
India and France aims to
promote sustainable bilateral
tourism between the two
countries including through
mutual promotion of tourism,
ensuring safety of tourists and
encouraging sharing of
expertise and best practices.
The LoI also seeks to facilitate
twinning of sites having
historical, natural and cultural
significance in India and France
for promoting them as tourist
destinations.
12. Letter of Intent (LoI) between
the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) and National
Institute of Preventive
Archaeological Research
(INRAP): The LoI envisages
collaboration on preventive
archaeology projects, initiatives
to disseminate culture and
promote archaeology, training
programmes for specialists of
ASI and deployment of
expertise, in particular, in the
field
of
underwater
archaeology.
13. MOU between School of
Planning and Architecture,
Delhi and National Architecture
Institute: The MoU envisages
cooperation to undertake joint
planning and geographical

India & The World
14.
15.
16.
17.
studies in India and France and

training of local counterparts in
modern urban and regional
research as well as in
techniques of scientific
methods in Urban and regional
planning,
geography,
environment,
Building
engineering and management.
MoU between Indian Heritage
Cities Network Foundation
(IHCN) and Association
Nationale des Villes et Pays
dArt et dHistoire et villes a
secteurs sauvegards et
protgs (ANVPAH) This MoU
envisages
cooperation
between to cooperate in the
fields
of
sustainable
development, urban planning,
heritage conservation and upgradation of basic services.
Proposal for twinning of
historical monuments: Twinning
of historical monuments is
covered under the LoI on
Tourism Cooperation.
VIE scheme to allow Indian
students in France and French
students in India to stay for a
period of 24 months. The
Volontariat International en
Entreprise (VIE) scheme offers
Indian Visa for 12 months
renewable once for a period of
12 months for 250 French
students and a second
residence permit of 12 months
for the Indian students in
France following the 12 months
already granted.
Letter of Intent on Ayurveda
between Ministry of Ayush and
University of Strasbourg: LoI
allows both the parties to
strengthen their relationships
and cooperation in the area of
Ayurveda education and
research by undertaking
academic and research
activities, exploring feasibility of

collaborative research, and
drawing up strategies for
dissemination of results of
completed
studies,
Conducting joint workshops/
conferences on Ayurveda as
complimentary medicine in
France
18. MoU between National Skill
Development Agency (NSDA),
India and the National
Commission for Vocational
Qualifications: The agreement
will facilitate exchange of
information and knowledge
about
maintenance
of
qualification registers through
information exchanges, visits
and other suitable meetings.
19. MoU on cooperation in the field
of Science & Technology
between Department of
Science & Technology of India
and the French National Centre
for Scientific Research (CNRS):
The MoU is for cooperation
between the two countries in
the areas of applied
mathematics,
physics,
Information & communication
technology, water resources
and environment, life sciences,
astronomy, climate and energy
by exchange of information,
organization of meetings/
workshops/seminars, exchange
of research personnel; joint
projects; establishment of
Virtual Joint Laboratories, and
establishment of Joint Research
Centres.
20. MoU between Department of
Biotechnology of India and
CNRS
and
UPMC
on
Collaboration forestablishment
of a National Institute of Marine
Biology and Biotechnology in
India: The proposed MoU seeks
to establish a National Institute
of Marine Biology and

Biotechnology in India, with a
Hub and Spoke network of
laboratories
India Contributes US $ 100,000
to The International Trade
Centre Trust Fund
Ambassador and Permanent
Representative of India to UN
and other International
Organisations, Mr. Ajit Kumar
and Executive Director of ITC,
Ms. Arancha Gonzalez signed
an agreement on 15 March 2015
authorising ITC to use Indias
contribution of US $ 100,000 to
ITC Trust Fund for its Trade
Related Technical Assistance
(TARA) programme.
ITC is the technical cooperation
agency of UNCTAD and WTO
for operational and enterpriseoriented
aspects
of
international
trade
development. It was created in
1964 through a decision of
GATT contracting parties and in
1968 UNCTAD joined GATT as
co-sponsor. ITC supports
developing
countries,
particularly Least Developed
Countries (LDCs), Land Locked
Developing Countries (LLDCs),
Small Island Developing States
(SIDS), Sub- Saharan Africa,
fragile states, small and
vulnerable economies and
economies in transition to
develop Small and Medium
Enterprise
(SME)
competitiveness through trade
and international business
development.
India Elected to Four
Key Bodies of UN
India has been elected to four
key subsidiary bodies of the
United Nations agency on
33

India & The World

economic and social issues.
India was elected by
acclamation, a form of election
that does not use a ballot, to the
subsidiary bodies of the UN
Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC)
during
its
coordination and management
meeting on Wednesday.
2016. The CCPCJ provides

policy guidance to UN Member
States on crime prevention and
criminal justice and develop,
monitor
and
review
implementation of the UN crime
prevention programme.
United Nations Human
Settlements
Programme
(UN-Habitat): India also got
re-elected to the Governing

Council of the UN-Habitat for
the term 2016-2019. UNHabitat is mandated by the UN
General Assembly to promote
socially and environmentally
sustainable towns and cities
with the goal of providing
adequate shelter for all.
US and India Sign MoC on Transportation
With the election wins, India

maintained its 100 per cent
record of winning elections
held in the United Nations
Headquarters here.
Four Key Bodies are
United Nations Childrens
Fund (UNICEF): It was
elected, along with 13 other
nations, to the Executive Board
of the UNICEF for a three-year
term beginning January 2016.
UNICEF addresses the needs of
children with emphasis on
giving long-term benefits to
children
everywhere,
particularly those in developing
countries.
World Food Programme
(WFP): India was also reelected to the Executive Board
of the WFP for the 2016-2018
term along with five other
nations. WFP is the food
assistance arm of the UN which
provides food assistance to
around 90 million people in 80
countries in a year.
Prevention
and
Crime
Criminal Justice (CCPCJ): It
was among the 20 nations to be
elected to the CCPCJ for a threeyear term, beginning January
34
U.S. Transportation Department

has signed a Memorandum of
Cooperation (MoC) on
Transportation with Indias
Minister of Road Transport and
Highways, and of Shipping,
Nitin Gadkari. The MoC will
establish a Transportation
Partnership among the U.S.
Department of Transportation
and the Indian Ministries of
Railways; Road Transport and
Highways; Shipping; and Urban
Development.
The Departments National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has been
working with Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways on
road safety programs, including
drunk driving countermeasures
and motorcycle safety. The
MOC will deepen the
cooperation of our two
countries to include new
important activities relating to

the development of Smart Cities
and sustainability.
Cooperation
on
the
transportation elements of
Smart Cities will be coordinated
through an inter-ministerial
working group and include
areas such as intelligent
transportation systems, multimodal planning, livability,
safety, and infrastructure
financing. In addition, both
countries agree to cooperate on
vehicle fuel efficiency
standards and promotion of
dedicated freight corridors to
facilitate the movement of
goods from Indias ports to major
cities of the region.
India and Qatar
Sign Six Agreements
India and Qatar inked six
agreements, including on

India & The World

transfer of sentenced prisoners,
as visiting Emir of Qatar Tamim
Bin Hamad Al Thani held talks
with Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on energy, investment and
people-to-people ties.
List of Agreements /MoUs

signed between Both Nations
Agreement on Transfer of
Sentenced Persons- Under this agreement sentenced prisoners will be
transferred to home country. Indian prisoners convicted in Qatar will be
brought to India to serve
the remaining part of their
sentence. Similarly citizens of Qatar convicted
in India will be sent to
their home country to
serve their sentence.
MoU for Cooperation in
the field of Information
and Communication
Technology (ICT) It will
provide enhanced business opportunities for Indian ITC industry in Qatar.
With this MoU India will
play pivotal role in Qatars
ambitious programme of
Qatar 2030 vision for overall development. In this
regard Qatar has created
a dedicated Ministry of
Information and Communication Technology for
capacity building in ICT.
MoU between Union Ministry of Earth sciences
and Qatar Meteorological

Department for Scientific
and Technical cooperation- For scientific collaboration between India
and Qatar to improve atmospheric & Oceanic capacity in both the countries. In this regard Qatars
Meteorological Department will be tie up with
Indian Meteorological
Department.
MoU between Diplomatic Institute of Foreign
Service Institute, MEA
and MOFA, Qatar- Help
in exchange of students,
trainees, faculty members
and experts between
both nations to enhance
their skills and improve
the training programme.
MoU for cooperation in
the field of Television
and Radio- Encourage
regular exchange of TV
and radio programmes
and material between
Indias Prasar Bharati and
Qatar Media Cooperation.
Agreement for Mutual
Cooperation and Exchange of News- To enhance and develop bilateral cooperation in the
field of exchange of English-language news on
daily basis and free of
charge between two nations. In this regard Qatari
News Agency and United
News of India are the signatories.
India and Japan sign Rs 1800 cr
Loan for Rengali Irrigation
Project
The Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) has
signed an agreement with the

Government of India to provide
a 33,959 million yen loan to
increase irrigated area in Phase
2 of the Rengali Irrigation
Project in Odisha.
The agreement was signed by

Shinya
Ejima,
Chief
Representative, JICA India, and
Tarun Bajaj, Joint Secretary,
Department of Economic
Affairs, Finance Ministry.
The assistance will provide for
the extension of the canal from
Samal Barrage from 71.313 km
to 123.5 km on the left bank
while also aiding the
development of the distribution
system and ancillaries.
The JICA has extended nearly
647 crore in Official
Development (ODA) loans
across three tranches since
1997 to develop the canal to
help enhance agricultural
productivity in the area. The
loans have enabled irrigation of
27,200 hectares and benefited
37,000 farmer households.
Assistance also includes canal
designing and irrigation
management in which farmers
participate in the development
and subsequent operation and
maintenance.
Rengali Irrigation Project:
This is a barrage scheme constructed
across Brahmani River at Samal in
Angul district, 35 km downstream of
Rengali dam project. The project is
designed to pick up flood releases
and tail race water from Rangali dam
and divert the same as per
35

India & The World

requirements through two canal
systems. The CCA includes both flow
and lift irrigation. The salient features
of Rengali Irrigation Project are given
below:
Free catchment : 4,780 km2
36
at barrage site
(between
Dam &
barrage)
Total catchment : 30,030 km2
Mean Annual
: 570 mm
Rainfall
For this project, the Gross

Command Area is 3,364 km2 while
the culturable command area (CCA)
is 2,591 km2. The intensity of Kharif
Irrigation is 100% and that of Rabi is
90%. The Kharif cropped area is 2,591
km2 and Rabi cropped area is 2,332
km.
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Economy
ECONOMY
BHEL & INTMA Ink MoU to set
Up Power Plant in Kazakhstan
State-owned power equipment

maker Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited (BHEL) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with a Russian company
INTMA, to set up a gas-based
power project in Kazakhstan.
The MoU aims set combined
path to execute projects of
mutual interest in Russia and
Kazakhstan. In this regard,
BHELs competence in design
and manufacturing of power
plants will play important role
and INTMAs strength in
handling
engineering
procurement and construction
contractors (EPC) contracts will
implement the projects.
The MoU will further help BHEL
in consolidating its presence in
the
Commonwealth
Independent States countries.
INTMA is one of the leading
general
Engineering
Procurement and Construction
contractors (EPC) in Russia and
Kazakhstan, with wide
experience in industrial
construction, renovation of
facilities, automation and other
energy related sectors.
Nokia to Acquire Alcate-Lucent
Finland based telecom

equipment manufacturer Nokia
has announced that they will
acquire French based and
Alcatel-Lucent with the
intention to create an
innovation leader in next
generation technology and
services for an IP connected
world.
The two companies have
entered into a memorandum of
understanding under which
Nokia will make an offer for all
of the equity securities issued
by Alcatel-Lucent, through a
public exchange offer in France
and in the United States, on the
basis of 0.55 of a new Nokia
share for every Alcatel-Lucent
share.
This merger will create the
worlds largest supplier of
telecom equipments that
powers mobilephone networks
by surpassing Ericsson and
Huawei.
MUDRA Bank Scheme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched
Micro
Units
Development
Refinance
Agency (MUDRA) Bank with a
corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore and
credit guarantee of Rs. 3,000
crore. The Bank will provide

credit of up to Rs 10 lakh to
small entrepreneurs and act as
a regulator for Micro-Finance
Institutions (MFIs).
The bank will be responsible for

refinancing micro-finance
institutions in the business of
lending to small entities.
MUDRA will be set up through
a statutory enactment. The
Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana
will be the main support system
for the bank and will be the part
of
Small
Industries
Development Bank of India
(SIDBI).
The MUDRA bank was
proposed in Budget 2015-16
by Union Government with an
initial corpus of 20,000 crore
rupees. Apart from this, 3,000
crore rupees also has been
earmarked as credit guarantee
corpus.
The roles envisaged for
MUDRA include:
Laying down policy
guidelines for micro enterprise financing business
Registration of MFI entities
Accreditation /rating of
MFI entities
Laying down responsible
37

Economy
financing practices to
ward off over indebtedness and ensure proper
client protection principles and methods of recovery
Development
of
standardised set of covenants governing last mile
lending to micro enterprises
Promoting right technology solutions for the last
mile
Formulating and running
a Credit Guarantee
scheme for providing
guarantees to the loans/
portfolios which are being extended to micro
enterprises
Support development &
promotional activities in
the sector
Creating a good architecture of Last Mile Credit
Delivery to micro businesses under the scheme
of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA
Yojana
MUDRA Bank will provide
financing on three stagesShishu, Kishore and Tarun
Shishu: This will be the
first step when the business is just starting up. The
loan cover in this stage will
be upto Rs 50,000.
Kishor: In this stage, the
entreprenuer will be eligible for a loan ranging
from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5
lakh.
Tarun: This last and final
category will provide
loans for upto Rs 10 lakh.
Dena Bank & LIC sign MoU to
Provide Insurance Cover
State-run lender Dena Bank has
signed an agreement with LIC to
38
provide insurance cover to its savings

account holders under the Prime
Ministers Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti
Bima Yojana ( PMJBY) scheme.
Key Facts of MoU

Under the Memorandum
of Understanding, LIC will
give a life cover of Rs 2
lakh in case of death of the
insured person at a nominal premium of Rs 330 per
annum.
Account holders in the
age group of 18 to 50
years can avail of the
product.
People who join the
scheme before completing 50 years can continue
to have the risk of life
cover up to the age of 55
years subject to payment
of premium.
The scheme will come into
effect from June 1, 2015. The bank
customers can join the scheme from
June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016.
RBI Lowers Ceiling Rate
Concerned over the rising NPAs

(non-performing assets) in the
banking sector, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has
proposed to lower the ceiling
on how much a bank can lend

to a single corporate group.
Under the proposal, banks can
lend up to 25 per cent of their
core capital to a single corporate
group.
Currently, they have been given
flexibility, with riders though, to
lend up to 55 per cent of their
core capital to a single corporate
group.
The apex bank has proposed
that the revised lower ceiling
could come into effect from
January 1, 2019.
The proposal is came with the
announcement made by the RBI
in its fourth bi-monthly Monetary
Policy Statement 2014-15 on
September 20 to come out with
a discussion paper on the
subject.
RBI Tightens Takeover

Norms for Shadow Banking
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
plans tougher rules for
takeovers involving nonbanking financial companies
(NBFCs), according to draft
guidelines published on
Monday, outlining a demand
that all substantial deals seek its
prior approval.
In its latest effort to boost
transparency and strengthen its
grip on the alternative lenders
that account for a large part of
the domestic shadow-banking
sector, the RBI said any
purchase of a stake of 26 per
cent or more in a company, or a
change in more than 30 per
cent of its directors, would need
the central banks permission.
The RBI has been continuously
trying to strengthen this sector
so that this should not be a back
yard for people we dont know,
said Sanjay Agarwal, Managing

Economy
Director of Au Financiers
(India), an NBFC from
Rajasthan.
There are some 12,000 NBFCs
registered with the RBI, and they
largely offer loans. Some, like
traditional banks, also take
deposits.
The RBI also said in its circular
that the source of funds behind
new investors in any NBFC will
have to be disclosed. It also
asked for an undertaking that
the new proposed investors are
not associated with any existing
but unregistered body that
accepts public deposits.
NBFCs play a critical role in
extending credit to areas
where traditional finance
cannot reach in a country where
only just over half of the
population has access to the
mainstream banking system.
However, controlling these
NBFCs has been made a key
priority for the RBI, given their
size and reach.
India to Surpass Chinas
Economic Growth in 2015-16:
IMF
The International Monetary

Fund forecast Indias growth to
strengthen from 7.2 per cent in
2014 to 7.5 per cent in both
2015 and 2016, overtaking
Chinas growth for the first
time since 1999 that it
projected will slow down to 6.8
per cent.
The World Bank too projected
Indias growth to accelerate to

7.5 per cent in 2015, but added
that on the back of significant
acceleration of investment,
growth could even reach 8 per
cent in 2017-18. The country is
attempting to shift from
consumption to investment-led
growth, at a time when China is
undergoing the opposite
transition, the Bank said in its biannual South Asia Economic
Focus report.
NCTI inks MoU with
Paytm to Promote MSME
National Centre for Trade
Information (NCTI) has tied up
with Mobile commerce platform
Paytm to promote MSMEs scale
faster. The two organisations
have signed a memorandum of
understanding to offer a virtual
marketplace platform for NCTI
members and will extend its
services and to enable them to
sell online.
In this regard, Paytm will set up
payment gateways platform for
online
ticketing
and
membership fees for NCTI. This
tie-up will play a pivotal role in
the growth of MSMEs by
providing them with valueadded trade information
generally for the trading
community. It will also provide
platform to NCTI members that
will serve as an opportunity to
trade online and scale faster.
Snapdeal Acquires FreeCharge
Indias
largest
online
marketplace, Snapdeal has
acquired FreeCharge, Indias
fastest growing mobile
transactions platform. This is one
of the biggest acquisitions in the
history of the internet industry
in India and sets up Snapdeal
to build the most impactful

digital commerce ecosystem in
India.
FreeCharge is Indias leading

mobile commerce platform
where users can pay their
mobile, DTH and utility
payments across most major
operators. Every day 75 million
mobile recharges are done in
India by a section of Indias 800
million
mobile
phone
subscribers, out of which
currently only 3 million
recharges are done online.
FreeCharge offers a convenient
and
efficient
solution
applicable to hundreds of
millions of consumers for paying
utility bills, and especially doing
mobile recharges, which often
ends up being the first ecommerce transaction that a
consumer does online given the
ticket size, convenience and
instant gratification.
With this acquisition, Snapdeal
becomes the largest mobile
commerce company in India
offering the widest range of
products and services,
including financial services,
mobile recharge and utility
payments with an exponentially
growing user base of over 40
million.
Union Government
Approves Ten FDI Approval
Union Government has
approved 10 Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) proposals worth
39

Economy
2857.83 crore rupees. These FDI
proposals were approved by the
Foreign Investment Promotion Board
(FIPB).
Some of proposals approved are

Air Works India (Engineering)
Private Limiteds proposal to
increase foreign equity
investment at Rs 40 crore.
Ostro Energys proposal to
invest Rs. 1,400 crore over next
four-five years in wind energy
assets in India via downstream
investment.
IPCA Laboratories proposal for
FII investment up to 35 per cent
i.e. Rs 900 crore.
Reckitt Benckiser (India)
proposal to acquire 24.88 per
cent stake in Reckitt Benckiser
Healthcare India from its foreign
investor. This deal will result in
a foreign fund outflow of Rs 750
crore.
Syngene
Internationals
proposal to inject 380 crore
rupees through 10 per cent
foreign equity participation into
the company.
Ambuja Cements proposal for
acquisition of 24 per cent shares
in its holding company Holcim
(India) for a share swap worth
Rs 3,500 crore has been
referred to the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA). FIPB approves the FDI
proposals under approval route.
However, those proposals worth
above Rs 1,200 crore are given
final approval to the CCEA.
About FIPB
The Foreign Investment
40
Promotion Board (FIPB), housed in

the Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance, is an interministerial body, responsible for
processing of FDI proposals and
making recommendations for
Government approval. The extant FDI
Policy, Press Notes and other related
notified guidelines formulated by
Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry are the
bases of the FIPB decisions. In the
process of making recommendations,
the FIPB provides significant inputs
for FDI policy-making. Approvals
under PMO: The FIPB was initially
constituted under the Prime Ministers
Office (PMO) in the wake of the
economic liberalization drive of the
early 1990s. The recommendations of
the FIPB were approved through a
3-tier approval mechanism, viz. FIPB
as a committee of senior officials to
examine
and
make
recommendations; Empowered
Committee on Foreign Investment
(ECFI) chaired by the Finance
Minister for deciding on the
recommendations of the FIPB for
projects in which the total investment
in the project was up to Rs. 300 crore;
and the Cabinet Committee on
Foreign Investment (CCFI) for
deciding on the recommendations of
the FIPB for projects in which the total
investment was more than Rs. 300
crore. Transfer to DIPP in 1996: The
Board was reconstituted in 1996 with
transfer of the FIPB to DIPP and
approval levels were as under:
Recommendations of FIPB in
respect of the project proposals
each involving a total
investment of Rs. 600 Crore or
less would be considered and
approved by the Industry
Minister.
The recommendations in
respect of the projects each
with a total investment of above
Rs. 600 Crore would be
submitted to the Cabinet

Committee on Foreign
Investment (CCFI) for decision.
The CCFI would also consider
the proposals which may be
referred to it or which had been
rejected by the Industry
Minister.According to Press
Note 7 of 1999, there would be
no need for obtaining prior
approval of FIPB / Government
for increase in the amount of
foreign equity within the
percentage of foreign equity
already approved in all cases in
which the original project cost
was up to Rs. 600 crore. Any
company could infuse
additional funds by way of
foreign equity as a result of
financial
restructuring
(provided there is no change in
the percentage of foreign
equity) and notify the same to
the Secretariat of Industrial
Assistance (SIA) within thirty
days of receipt of funds as also
allotment of shares to non
resident shareholders. This
procedure, however, did not
apply in cases of increase in the
percentage of foreign equity as
also where initial approval was
granted by CCFI. Such cases
required prior approval of the
FIPB / Government as per the
existing procedure.
The FIPB was transferred to the
Department of Economic Affairs;
Ministry of Finance in terms of the
Presidential Order dated 30.01.2003.
The levels of approval, notified vide
Order dated 11.07.1996 were
essentially retained, except to the
extent that recommendations of FIPB
for project-proposals involving a total
investment of less than Rs. 600 Crore
would be considered and approved
by the Finance and Company Affairs
Minister and those with a total
investment beyond Rs. 600 Crore

Economy
would be submitted to the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs for
decision.
RuPay Card Holders of
all PSBs Enable on eComm
RuPay card holders of all public

sector banks are now
eCommerce enabled. They can
now conveniently purchase rail,
road and air tickets by logging
into the websites (IRCTC,
Cleartrip, Make My Trip, KSRTC
etc.) of travel companies or buy
goods and services from retail
chains like Amazon, Flipkart,
Snapdeal, Jabong etc.
RuPay
eCommerce
is
comparatively easy. For the first
time user, registration happens
as the transaction gets done.
The only additional step for first
time user is to choose a picture
password which the customer
has to identify in subsequent
transaction.
This gives an additional layer of
security. Since One Time
Password (OTP) is a part of the
security process, it is necessary
that a RuPay eCommerce
customer is also registered as a
Mobile banking user of the
bank. NPCI aims at making
every Indian with a RuPay card
and a mobile phone
eCommerce enabled.
The goal is make railway and bus
ticket booking also as much
electronic as air ticket booking
said Mr. A.P.Hota, MD & CEO,
NPCI. Payments system in India
is maturing faster than in rest of

the world added Mr Hota. Over
30,000 online merchants in the
country now accept RuPay
cards as on date including
Flipkart, IRCTC, Jet airways,
Snapdeal, LIC, bookmyshow,
Homeshop18 and others. Some
of the major issuing PSBs are SBI, BoI, BoB, UBI, PNB,
Andhra,
Dena,
Indian,
Allahabad, Syndicate, Canara,
Oriental Bank of Commerce,
among others live on RuPay ecomm.
Union Government
Fetched Rs. 1.10 Lakh crores
The Union government has
fetched about 1.10 lakh crore
rupees after the auctioning of a
telecom spectrum. The
spectrum auction concluded
on 25 March 2015 after 19 days
and 115 rounds of rigorous
bidding. However the 11
percent airwaves were not sold
in this auction.
The process of auction was
conducted for 800 MHz, 900
MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz
spectrum covering both mobile
telephony and broadband,
including 4th Generation (4G).
A total of 380.75 MHz of
spectrum was put on sale in the
premium 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz
and 800 MHz bands and 5 MHz
of spectrum was put for bidding
in the 2,100 MHz band which is
used for 3G mobile services
across 17 out of total 22
telecom circles.
The spectrum auction included
airwaves held by 9 licences of
Idea Cellular, 6 permits of Bharti
Airtel and 7 each of Reliance
Telecom and Vodafone that
were expiring in 2015-16.
These auctioned airwaves
mostly included frequencies in

900 MHz band and 1800 MHz
band.
The government also auctioned
airwaves in 1800 MHz band that
remained unsold in 2014, and
800 MHz i.e. CDMA band
frequencies that were left after
sale in 2013. The Department
of Telecommunication (DoT)
later will disclose details of the
result and names of successful
bidders after the Supreme
Courts permission as a case is
pending in the court.
RBI Signs $400 m Currency
Swap Deal with Sri Lanka
RBI signed a $400 million

currency swap agreement with
the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for
three years that will allow the
island nation to draw the
amount in dollars or euros in
multiple tranches.
The swap arrangement is
intended to provide a backstop
line of funding for the SAARC
member countries to meet any
balance of payments and
liquidity crises till long-term
arrangements are made.
Background
In May 2012, Reserve Bank of
India had announced in the
SAARCFINANCE Governors
meeting, held in Nepal, that it
would offer swap facilities
aggregating $2 billion, both in
foreign currency and rupee to
SAARC member countries.
41

Economy
The facility is available to all
South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
member countries. Besides
India, other members of SAARC

are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
All 56 Regional Rural Bank (RRBs) on RuPay Card & NACH System
National Payments Corporation

of India (NPCI), the umbrella
organization for all retail
payments system in the country,
has enabled all 56 regional rural
banks (RRBs) in the country
under its central payment
systems network with RuPay
cards and access to NACH
(National Automated Clearing
House) service. With this
engagement, 120 million
customers at 19,000 bank
branches of all 56 Regional Rural
Banks are now part of the
national network of electronic
payment systems.
Highlights
All 56 Regional Rural
Banks are now enabled
Comprises
19000
branches, 642 Districts
and 120 Million customers
Under PMJDY RRBs
opened 21.7 million A/Cs
churning Rs 1600 crore in
banks
42
More than 20 Million

RuPay cards issued
RRBs (Regional Rural
Banks) customer spends
Rs 3500 on an average on
PoS terminals
Providing modern banking
facilities in rural areas RRBs have
played a vital role in making the
ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme
a huge success with opening of
21.7 million accounts and
augmented deposits of Rs 1,600
crore in banks. More than 20
million customers have been
issued RuPay debit cards by
various RRBs (mostly under
PMJDY scheme) and are
performing
successful
transactions at ATMs and PoS.
As per NPCI research, every
second records one transaction
from any RRBs customer on
central payment or NFS
platform. However, the average
spend on PoS is estimated at Rs
3,500.
About NPCI
National Payments Corporation
of India (NPCI), which has been
set up in 2009 as the central
infrastructure for various retail
payment systems in India, was
envisaged by the Reserve Bank
of India as the payment utility
for all banks in the country.
During the last five years, the
organization has grown multifold from 2 million transactions
a day to 15 million transactions
now. From a single service of
switching of inter-bank ATM
transactions, the range of
services have grown to Cheque
Clearing, Immediate Payments
Service money transfer (24x7),
Automated Clearing House,
Electronic Benefit Transfer and
a domestic card payment
network named RuPay to
provide an alternative to
international card schemes.
IRCTC launches RuPay
Prepaid Debit Card Service
Indian Railway has launched

RuPay prepaid Debit Card
service for its customer. The
service was launched by the
IRCTC in collaboration with
Union Bank of India and the
National Payment Corporation
of India.
RuPay is Indias own card
payment gateway network like
Visa and Master Card, and
provides an alternative system
for banks to provide a debit
card service. Cards can be made

Economy
available from UBI offices or
through IRCTC online. Initially
the service will be available for
booking tickets and later on
shopping and bill payments will
be added.
Key Facts
One can have the card with a
loading limit of Rs.10,000 with
partial KYC detail or Rs.50,000
loading limit with full KYC.
The first five transactions per
card every month done on
IRCTC for purchase of train
tickets would be free and no
transaction charges would be
levied to customers for six
months only. For every
subsequent transaction post
the free usage, customer would
be charged Rs.10 per
transaction.
The transaction charge would
be Rs.10 per ticket for booking
a ticket through the card on the
portal.
SEBI Set Norms to Govern
International Financial Market
The Securities and Exchange

Board of India (SEBI)
approved guidelines to govern
international financial services
centres
(IFSC).
These
guidelines were approved by
SEBI board meeting on 22
March 2015.
The news guidelines relax the
norms for Stock exchanges and
clearing corporations to set up
IFSC. It also relaxes norms and
allows existing exchanges to
set up their subsidiaries in the

IFSC
Stock exchanges will be set up
with Rs. 25 crore capital. This
capital is against the previous
normal requirement of 100 crore
rupees. However, this initial
capital should be raised to 100
crore rupees within next 3 years.
Such exchanges will also be
given 3 years to complete demutualisation.
The initial capital requirement
will be 50 crore rupees for a
clearing corporation, against the
previous norm of Rs. 300 crore.
But it will have to be achieved
within 3 years period. IFSC will
be established under the
Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
Act of 2005 and the issue of
depository receipts and other
securities by foreign issuers
under the Foreign Currency
Depository Receipts Scheme,
2014, will also be allowed.
Union Government
Approves 17 Mega Food Park
17 new Mega Food Parks

(MFPs) has been sanctioned by
the
Government
with
investment of around Rs. 2330
crores. This will include grantin-aid for an amount of Rs.850
crores. The announcement
made by the Food Processing
Minister Smt. Harsimrat kaur
Badal. She said that these 17
new MFPs spread across 11
States would attract a total
investment of around Rs.4,000
crores and the annual turnover

of the Food Processing units in
these MFPs would be more than
Rs.8,000 crores.
About Mega Food Park
scheme
To give a major boost to the food
processing sector by adding
value and reducing food
wastage and loss at each stage
of the supply chain with
particular focus on perishables,
Ministry of Food Processing
Industries is implementing Food
Mega Food Parks Scheme in the
country since the year 2008.
Financial Assistance upto Rs.
50.00 Crore is provided for
setting up Mega Food Parks for
creation
of
modern
infrastructure facilities for food
processing along the value
chain from farm to market. A
Mega Food Park located in the
area of a minimum of 50 acres
work in a cluster based
approach based on a hub and
spokes model. Infrastructure is
created for primary processing
and storage near the farm in the
form of Primary Proces sing
Centres (PPCs), Collection
Centres (CCs) located in
production areas. Common
facilities and enabling
infrastructure at Central
Processing Centre like modern
warehousing, cold storage, IQF,
sorting, grading, packaging,
pulping, ripening chambers and
tetra packaging units roads,
electricity, water, ETP facilities
etc. This helps in reducing the
cost of individual units
significantly and makes them
more viable. Induction of latest
technology, quality assurance of
processed food products
through better process control
and meeting of environmental
43

Economy
and safety standards are other
major benefits of Mega Food
Parks.
Total 42 Mega Food Parks have
been sanctioned by the
Government for setting-up in
the country. Currently, 25
projects
are
under
implementation, Expression of
Interest (EoI) was invited on all
India basis on 10.02.2014 with
the last date of 31.07.2014 to
fill up vacancies. Ministry
received 72 proposals and after
going through a stringent and
transparent process of scrutiny,
17 suitable proposals from 11
States of the country have been
44
selected and approved for

implementation.
This step of the Government will
create
huge
modern
infrastructure for food
processing sector and provide
impetus to the growth of the
sector. These 17 newly
selected Mega Food Parks are
likely to attract investment of
around Rs. 2000 crore in modern
infrastructure, additional
collective investment of around
Rs. 4000 crore in 500 food
processing units in the Parks
and an annual turn-overof Rs.
8000 crore.These Parks,when
fully functional, will create
employment for about 80000

persons and benefit about 5
lakh farmers directly and
indirectly.
The timely completion of these
Mega Food Park will provide a
big boost to the growth of the
food processing sector in the
concerned state, help in
providing better price to
farmers, reduce wastage of
perishables, add value to the
agricultural produce and create
huge
employment
opportunities especially in rural
areas. These will also help in
stabilizing prices of food
products and contain inflation
in the country.
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Science & Technology
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

PSLV-C27 Successfully Launches
Indias Fourth Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1D
ISROs Polar Satellite Launch

Vehicle,
PSLV-C27,
successfully launched the 1425
kg IRNSS-1D, the fourth
satellite in the Indian Regional
Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS) from Satish Dhawan
Space
Centre
SHAR,
Sriharikota. This is the twenty
eighth
consecutively
successful mission of the PSLV.
The XL configuration of PSLV
was used for this mission.
Previously,
the
same
configuration of the vehicle
was successfully used seven
times.
IRNSS-1D is the fourth of the
seven satellites constituting the
space segment of the Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite
System. IRNSS-1A, 1B and 1C,
the first three satellites of the
constellation,
were
successfully launched by PSLV
on July 02, 2013, April 04, 2014
and October 16, 2014
respectively. All the three
satellites are functioning
satisfactorily from their

designated orbital positions.
IRNSS is an independent
regional navigation satellite
system designed to provide
position information in the
Indian region and 1500 km
around the Indian mainland.
IRNSS would provide two
types of services, namely,
Standard Positioning Services
(SPS) - provided to all users and Restricted Services (RS),
provided to authorised users.
In the coming months, the next
satellite of this constellation,
namely,IRNSS-1E,
is
scheduled to be launched by
PSLV. The entire IRNSS
constellation of seven satellites
is planned to be completed by
2016.
Researchers Discovers Rare
Huntsman and Jumping Spider
in the Western Ghats
Researchers have discovered
rare huntsman and jumping
spider in the Western Ghats

belong to the Sparassidae and
Salticidae families. They were
discovered by the research
team of arachnologists led by
Dr. P.A. Sebastian, Director of
the Division of Arachnology in
Sacred Heart College, Kochi in
Kerala.
Huntsman spider- It was

sighted
at
Ponmudi,
Thiruvananthapuram district of
Kerala. These spiders are
known for their speed and
unique hunting mode.
Sometimes they hide in the
ambush and surprise the prey.
Some of these spiders make a
substrate-borne sound when
they detect a chemical left by
a nearby female of their
species.
Jumping spider- It was sighted
at the Malayattoor and
Bhoothathankettu reserve
forest. These spiders jump from
one place to another like a
grasshopper. The jumping
spider was given the name
Stenaelurillus albus due to the
presence of a unique whitish
area on the copulatory organ of
the male spider. The discovery
is considered unique as only 17
species of jumping spider
having mating plugs have been
reported of the approximate
45


5,800 jumping
recorded.
spiders
Union Government
Give its nod to build AWACS
Union Government on 27 Mach

2015 gave its approval to build
crore strategic project of nextgeneration Airborne Warning
and Control Systems (AWACS).
Decision in this regard was
taken by Defence Acquisition
Council (DAC) headed by
Union Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar. DAC gave its
nod for two AWACS, which
includes buying two Airbus
A330s, worth 5,113 crore
rupees. Airbus was the lone
bidder for the programme.
Indian AEW&C System
The indigenous Airborne Early
Warning and Control (AEW&C)
is an effort to evolve a compact
state-of-the-art airborne
surveillance system for the
Indian Airforce to mark a
significant contribution to
Defence preparedness by the
DRDO with CABS (Bangalore)
spearheading the programme
as a nodal agency. The
indigenous AEW&C is a multisensor system on a executive
jet aircraft providing for all
aspects
of
airborne
surveillance.
Capabilities,
The
Operational
Role
&
Functional Requirements:
The Indian AEW&C system will
detect, identify and classify
46
threats present in the

surveillance area and act as a
Command and Control Centre
to support Air Defence
operations, like AWACS. The
system with its multiple
Communication and Data Links
can alert and direct fighters
against threats while providing
?Recognizable Air Surveillance
Picture?
(RASP)
to
commanders at the Ground
Exploitation Stations (GES)
that are strategically located.
The AEW&C system can thus
support Air Force in offensive
strike missions and assist Forces
in the tactical battle area.
Besides, the Electronic and
Communication Support
Measures of the system can
intercept and gather ELINT/
COMINT
from
radar
transmissions
and
communication signals. The
AEW&C is a multi-sensor
surveillance system that can
perform the following
operational roles as defined by
the IAF:
Air Space management
Detection of Air-Borne
and Surface targets
Electronic Intelligence
Detection, Identification,
Threat Assessment and
Interception of Airborne
threat
9th Edition of Earth Hour
To show their growing concern

over climate change, people all
over the globe observed the

ninth edition of Earth Hour on
(March 28, 2015) by switching
off their lights.
All the electrical appliances
were put off for one hour
between 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm
in order to increase awareness.
Earth Hour is an annual
campaign started by the WWF
(World Wide Fund for Nature/
World Wildlife Fund).
The campaign pushes for
households and business
establishments across the
world to turn off their nonessential lights and electrical
appliances for an hour at the
selected time to raise
awareness towards the need to
take action on climate change.
About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a worldwide
grassroots movement uniting people to protect the
planet, and is organised
by WWF. Earth Hour was
famously started as a
lights-off event in Sydney,
Australia in 2007.
Earth Hour aims to encourage an interconnected global community to share the opportunities and challenges of
creating a sustainable
world.
Earth Hour only asks
people to turn off the
non-essential lights for
one hour - not lights that
affect public safety. Earth
Hour is also a celebration
of the planet so its important to enjoy the moment
in a safe environment.
Earth Hour event always
held in late March, because last weekend of
March is around the time
of the Spring and Autumn


equinoxes in the northern
and southern hemispheres respectively,
which allows for near coincidental sunset times in
both
hemispheres,
thereby ensuring the
greatest visual impact for
a global lights out event.
Earth Hour came from a
think tank initiated by
Earth Hour CEO and CoFounder, Andy Ridley,
resulting in the formation
of a partnership between
WWF Australia, Leo
Burnett and Fairfax Media
to address the climate
change issue.
The standard Earth Hour
60 logo represents the
60 minutes of Earth Hour
where we focus on the
impact we are having on
our planet and take positive action to address the
environmental issues we
face. For Earth Hour 2011
the 60+ logo was introduced representing a
commitment to add to
Earth Hour a positive act
for the planet that goes
beyond the hour. Take up
the plus and get involved with Earth Hour
Blue.
WWF Uganda started the
worlds first Earth Hour
Forest
PROVe had been undergoing

trial in Antarctica for the past
two months since its
deployment by the NIOT in
Priyadarshini lake on the
Schirmacher Oasis, which is a
source of water for Mait Indias
second base in the icy
continent.
PROVe has been fitted with
sensors to measure various
parameters
including
temperature, conductivity,
depth and dissolved oxygen.
Apart from cameras, the vehicle
has sonar (a meter that
measures light penetration),
water sampler and bottom corer
to collect samples from the
seabed. Scientists involved in
the project said they would
also study the flora and fauna
in the ocean and measure the
thickness of the ice shelf and
other floating ice called ice
floes. An ice corer will be used
to collect samples of ice which
could be millions of years old.
World Health DayVector Borne diseases
Indias First Remotely Operated

Vehicle Operationalises in
Atlantic
After two months of successful
trials, Indias Polar Remotely
Operated Vehicle (PROVe),
indigenously built by National
Institute of Ocean Technology,
was operationalised for
research today in North
Antarctica.
April 7, 2014 marks World

Health Day and the 66th
anniversary of the World Health
Organization (WHO). This

years theme is vector-borne
diseases.
Over half the worlds
population is at risk from vectorborne diseases such as malaria
and dengue. Vectors like
mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas
transmit parasites, viruses, or
bacteria between people or
between animals and people.
Each World Health Day, the
World Health Organization
(WHO) selects a theme that
highlights a global public health
issue. This years theme is
vector-borne diseases, with a
first-time focus on dengue.
Vector-borne diseases account
for 17% of the estimated global
burden of all infectious
diseases. Global trade, rapid
international travel, and
environmental changes such as
climate
change
and
urbanization are causing
vectors and vector-borne
diseases to spread beyond
borders. Many neglected
tropical diseases, including
dengue, Chagas disease,
leishmaniasis, lymphatic
filariasis, and onchocerciasis are
vector-borne; other vectorborne diseases include typhus
and spotted fevers.
Forty percent of the worlds
population is at risk from
dengue virus; there are an
estimated 390 million dengue
infections each year in over 100
countries. Dengue is the worlds
fastest growing vector-borne
disease, with a 30-fold increase
in disease incidence over the
last 50 years. Southeast Asia and
Latin America are especially
affected but dengue also
occurs in Africa, where cases
are less-often diagnosed.
47


Malaria is a vector-borne
disease that is one of the most
severe public health problems
worldwide. It is a leading cause
of death and disease in many
developing countries, where
young children and pregnant
women are the groups most
affected. The WHO estimates
that in 2012, there were 207
million cases of malaria and
627,000 people died of
malaria. Most deaths were
among children in Africa.
ISRO Develop
Flood Hazard Atlas
The Indian Space Research
Organization has developed a
Flood Hazard Atlas by mapping
flood prone and vulnerable
areas in Assam.
Atlas have been divided into 3
categories and accordingly
district administrations will
prepare action plan on relief
and evacuation in advance.
Giving details on the Flood
Hazard
Atlas,
Deputy
Commissioner of Morigaon said
that it will help people know
the level of water flow through
early warning system.
He said that concerned
authority will get alert and
places of evacuation and relief
camps will be identified. Also,
people of a particular area will
be alerted based on rain and
waterfall. Lakhs of people are
rendered homeless in Assam
due to flood almost every year.
UNCTAD e-Waste Report 2014
As per recently released Global
E-Waste Monitor 2014 report
by United Nations, India is the
fifth biggest producer of ewaste in the world. The report
was compiled by UN think tank
48
United Nations University

(UNU).
Key facts from report
Top 5 e-waste producing
nations: US, China, Japan,
Germany and India.
In case of wealthy nations
top 5 e-waste producers
are Norway, Switzerland,
Iceland, Denmark, and
United Kingdom.
US and China have produced the most e-waste
in 2014. Both nations account for 32 percent of
total e-waste produced in
the world in 2014.
India has discarded
around 1.7 million tonnes
(Mt) of e-waste in 2014.
In 2014, around 41.8 Mt
of e-waste was produced
all over world and it is
expected to rise by 21
percent to 50 million Mt
in 2018.
In terms of continent
wise, Asia has produced
most e-waste per inhabitant in year 2014 by producing 16 Mt i.e. 3.7 kg
per inhabitant.
Top three Asian e-waste
producing nations areChina (6.0Mt), Japan
(2.2Mt) and India (1.7Mt).
While, Africa has generated lowest amount of ewaste per inhabitant by
producing 9 Mt i.e. 1.7 kg
per inhabitant.
About e-waste
E-waste is one of the fastest
growing waste streams in
developed as well as in
developing countries. Due to
the fact that the life span of
computers has dropped in
developed countries from six
years in 1997 to just two years
in 2005, and mobile phones
have a lifespan of even less than

two years, the amount of
generated e-waste per year
grows rapidly. This has a major
impact on developing
countries as loopholes in the
current Waste Electrical and
Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
Directives allow the export of
e-waste from developed to
developing countries (70% of
the collected WEEE ends up
in unreported and largely
unknown
destinations).
Inappropriate methods like
open burning, which are often
used by the informal sector in
developing countries to
recover valuable materials,
have heavy impacts on human
health and the environment.
Harmful emissions of hazardous
substances mainly come from:
1. The product itself (if
landfilled): Lead in circuit
boards or cathode ray
tube (CRT) glass, mercury
in liquid crystal display
(LCD) backlights.
2. Substandard processes:
Dioxin formation during
burning of halogenated
plastics or use of smelting
processes without suitable off-gas treatment
3. Reagents used in the recycling process: cyanide
and other strong leaching
acids, nitrogen oxides
(NOx) gas from leaching
processes and mercury
from amalgamation
To mainstream and disseminate
environmentally
sound
management of e-waste in
developing countries, the work
plan for the focal area on ewaste proposes to develop
sustainable business plans
which will include an effective
take-back system, a manual


dismantling facility, local preprocessing activities and sound
end-processing activities.
These activities will be
undertaken
in
close
cooperation with other
partners working in this field.
The focal area on e-waste is led
by the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization
(UNIDO).
Newly Discovered Spices
Named After Telangana
A new species of crab spiders,

has been named after the
Telangana state in India. Two
taxonomy and wildlife
scientists from the Zoology
Division at Osmania University

stumbled upon female crab
spiders during a scientific
expedition at Nagnur, located
in the district of Karimnagar.
In the newly published copy
of an international journal on
taxonomy and conservation
known as the Journal of
Threatened Taxa (JoTT), junior
researcher G.B. Pravalikha,
together with Assistant
Professor C. Srinivasulu,
described how the Telangana
crab spider is biologically
different from other crab
spiders by illustrating its female
genital structure along with
other distinguishing characters.
This type of spiders from the
Thomisidae family, resemble
crabs morphologically, and
thus, they are commonly known
as crab spiders. This Telangana
species has an affinity to move
sideways, similarly to crabs, but
they had been also called
flower crab spiders because

these creatures hunt their prey
on mostly flowering plants.
The species are closely related
to Thomisus labefactus, crab
spiders originating from Japan.
Both scientists are dedicating
this new line of species to honor
all the students and people
who had given up their own
lives for Telanganas cause.
The spiders of Thomisidae
family are not known to be
harmful to humans at least
the known ones. Both scientists
prove that it is still a big, big
world out there, and there are
more species yet to be
discovered, and hopefully,
more governments and
agencies will support their
endeavor and research.
The researchers also noted that
these crab spiders, as of the
moment, had been found
locally at Nagnur only.
49
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SPORTS
Australia Wins
ICC World Cup 2015
Australia on 29 March 2015

won the ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 for the record fifth time.
In the final match Australia
defeated co-hosts of the
tournament, New Zealand by 7
wickets played at the iconic
Melbourne Cricket Ground
(MCG), Australia.
In the final match, New Zealand
had won the toss and had
chosen to bat first. They had set
the target of 183 runs to
Australia after losing all wickets
in the 45th over. Australian team
easily overhauled the target in
the 34th over with 7 wickets in
hand.
In the final match, Australian
bowlers James Faulkner and
Mitchell Johnson had bagged
3 wickets each, while Mitchell
Starc had claimed two wickets.
Captain Michael Clarke had
scored 74 runs and Steve Smith
56 runs. Previously, Australia
had won the Cricket World Cup
in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007.
It was first time of New Zealand
to enter final of Cricket World
Cup. In the previous world
cups they were defeated for
six times in the semi-finals.
50
NZ Bags Sultan Azlan Shah

Hockey Tournament 2015
New Zealand has won the 24th

edition of Sultan Azlan Shah
Hockey Tournament 2015 for
second time. In the final match,
New Zealand defeated World
Champions Australia by 3-1
goals in the penalty shoot-out.
In regulation 60 minutes time,
both teams had tied at 2-2 goals.
Earlier, New Zealand had won
the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey
Tournament in 2012. It is third
time Australia came as runnerups position in tournament
(1999, 2006 and 2015). India
won the bronze i.e. finished
third by defeating South Korea
by 4-1 goals in the penalty
shoot-out after both the teams
were tied at 2-2 at regulation
time.
Sania Mirza Ranked World
Number One in Doubles
Sania Mirza created history by
achieving the feat of becoming
world No.1 in WTA tennis
rankings. She is the first woman
tennis player from India to do
so after winning the Family
Circle Cup final partnering with
Martina Hingis.
The
top-seeded
pair
overwhelmed Casey Dellacqua
and Darija Jurak in the lopsided final of the $731,000 clay
court event. Sania took 470
points from the win to take her
tally to 7965 as she jumped past
Italys Sara Errani (7640) and
Roberta Vinci (7640) to sit atop
the ranking table.
Before Sania, only Leander Paes
and Mahesh Bhuapthi had
achieved the top rank when
they dominated mens doubles
circuit in the late 90s.
Sania is also first female player
from the country to win Grand
Slam tournaments. It is Sanias
third successive title win with
Hingis and they have not lost as
a single match since joining
forces in March. They won
trophy in Indian Wells, which
was their first tournament
together and followed up that
with win in Miami.
Lewis Hamilton Wins Bahrain
Grand Prix of Formula One
Mercedes Formula 1 driver
Lewis Hamilton from Britain
won Bahrain Grand Prix of
Formula One on the the Sakhir
Grand Prix Circuit. This was his
third win of the season and his

Sports
second Bahrain Grand Prix win.
It was also Lewis Hamiltons
overall 36th Grand Prix win. In
Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton
was followed by Ferrari F1
driver Sebastian Vettel of
Germany to the second
position.
Earlier in the same month on 12

April 2015 he had won Chinese
Grand Prix of Formula One on
the Shanghai International
Circuit in China.
Jitu Rai Wins Bronze Medal
in ISSF Shooting World Cup
This is Jitus seventh medal in

international events, following
a run that started last June. Jitus
compatriots in the 10m air
pistol, Prakash Nanjappa and
Gurpreet Singh finished 18th
and 48th, respectively in the
qualification round.
Apurvi Chandela another
Indian shooter has also won
Bronze medal in the 10-metre
air rifle in the same event. She
won the bronze after she shot
score of 185.6 in the qualifying
fifth final round. With this win,
Apurvi Chandela has qualified
for the 2016 Olympics, which
will be held in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. She was placed at third
position in the list of eightstrong competitors. Among
these eight competitors six
were qualified for the
Olympics. It should be noted
that Apurvi Chandela is the
second Indian marksman after
pistol shooter Jitu Rai to qualify
for the Rio Olympics.
Gujarat Clinches Syed
Mushtaq Ali T-20 Cricket Trophy
Celebrated Indian shooter Jitu

Rai shot his way to a bronze
medal in the mens 10-metre air
pistol event in the ISSF
Shooting World Cup held in in
Changwon, South Korea.
An Asian and Commonwealth
Games gold-medallist, Jitu
aggregated a total of 181.1
points to finish third on the
podium, missing out on the
gold medal shoot-out by 0.4
points. Jin Jongoh of Korea won
the yellow metal with a score
of 206.0, beating Naung Ye Tun
of Myanmar (201.0) in the gold
medal shoot-out.
after famous Indian cricketer,

Syed Mushtaq Ali. Board of
Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI)
organizes
the
tournament and played among
the teams from Ranji Trophy.
Inaugural season of tournament
was 2008-09 and was won by
Maharashtra cricket team.
Y Pranjala Wins Asian
Junior Tennis Championship
Indias Y Pranjala clinched the

Asian
Junior
Tennis
championship title after a
come-from-behind victory over
top seed Chinese Zheng
Wushuang at New Delhi.
The second seeded Indian won
with a 5-7 6-2 7-5 scoreline in
the final against her formidable
rival, who happened to be her
doubles partner in the event.
It was double delight for the
16-year-old Pranjala as she had
won the doubles trophy.
Miami Open Title 2015
Gujarat won the Syed Mushtaq

Ali T-20 cricket trophy for the
tournament season 2014-15. In
the final match played at KIIT
Stadium, Odisha they defeated
Punjab by two wickets.
Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 Trophy
is a Twenty20 cricket domestic
championship in India named
Mens Singles Title: World No.

1 and Serbian ace tennis player
Novak Djokovic has won the
2015 Miami Open Mens Singles
Title. In the final match he
defeated Britains Andy Murray
51

Sports
by 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-0 score. This
was Djokovics fifth Miami
Open trophy.
Womens singles Title: World
No. 1 and American ace tennis
player Serena Williams has won
the 2015 Miami Open Womens
singles Title. In the final match
she defeated Spains Carla
Surez Navarro by 6-2, 6-0
score.
Mens doubles Title: American
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pair
has won the 2015 Miami Open
Mens doubles Title. In the final
match they defeated Vasek
Pospisil (Canada) and Jack
Sock (US) pair by 63, 16, 10
8 score.
Womens doubles Title: Indias
Sania Mirza and Switzerlands
Martina Hingis pair has won
2015 Miami Open Womens
doubles Title. In the final match
they defeated Russian pair of
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena
Vesnina by 75, 61 score.
NZ Cricketer Retires
from International Cricket
New Zealand cricketer Kyle
Mills on 1 April 2014
announced retirement from
international cricket. He made
this announcement after New
Zealand lost to Australia in ICC
World Cup 2015 final. Kyle Mills
52
cricket career spanned 14

years. In his entire cricket
career he had played 19 Tests
matches, 170 One Day
Internationals (ODIs) and 42
T20s. He had made his
international debut in a ODI
against Pakistan in 2001 and
test debut in 2004 against
England. In 170 ODI matches
he had taken 240 wickets,
second highest wicket taker
among New Zealand bowlers
after Daniel Vettori. In 19 tests
matches, he had taken 44
wickets and 43 wickets in his
42 Twenty20 internationals.
Indian Open Super Series 2015
World Number one ace shuttler

Saina Nehwal on 29 March
2015 won India Open Super
Series Badminton Womens
Singles 2015 Title. She
defeated Thailands Ratchanok
Intanon in the final match
played at Siri Fort Indoor
Complex in New Delhi in
straight sets 21-16, 21-14.
Mens Singles Title Indias

Srikanth Kidambi has won India
Open Super Series Badminton
Mens Singles 2015 Title. In the
final match he defeated
Denmarks Viktor Axelsen in
three games 18-21, 21-13 and
21-12.
Mens Doubles Title Chinas
Chai Biao and Hong Wei pair
has won India Open Super
Series Badminton Mens
Doubles 2015 Title. In the final
match Chinese pair defeated
Denmarks Conrad-Petersen
Mads and Pieler Kolding Mads
pair by 21-18, 21-14 score.
Womens Doubles Title
Number one ranked Japanese
pair of Misaki Matsutomo and
Ayaka Takahashi has won India
Open Super Series Badminton
Womens Doubles 2015 Title.
In the final match, Japanese
pair has defeated Chinese pair
Japanese pair by 21-19, 21-19
score.
Mixed Doubles Title Secondranked Chinese pair of Yixin
Bao and Cheng Liu has won
India Open Super Series
Badminton Mixed Doubles
2015 Title. In the final match,
Chinese pair defeated Number
one ranked Danish pair of
Christinna Pedersen and
Joachim Fischer Nielsen by
score 21-19 21-19.
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Awards & Prizes
AWARDS & PRIZES

Paris Based Poet Wins
Kumar Asan World Prize
Paris- based Syrian-Lebanese
Arab poet Adonis has been
chosen for this years Kumaran
Asan World Prize for poetry,
instituted by the Kumaran Asan
Memorial Association to honour
poets of international stature
and introduce them to Indian
readers. The award consists of
a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh,
memento and a citation.
Some of his important works
include If Only the Sea Could
Sleep, Pages of Day and Night,
Songs of Mihyar the
Damascene, Not A Star, A
Voice, A King is Miyhar, The
Adoring Rock, and Take me to
God.
and green chemistry.

The other person to also win
the award this year is Professor
Kattesh V. Katti of the Cedntre
for Radiological Research,
University of Missouri, Columia.
This premier international
award named after George de
HEVESY, the 1943- Chemistry
Nobel Laureate, is given to an
individual in recognition of
excellence
through
outstanding, sustained career
achievements in the fields of
pure as well as applied nuclear
and radiochemistry, in
particular applications to
nuclear analytical chemistry.
UP Government to
Honours Gopal Das Neeraj
Susanta Lahiri Wins

Hevesy Medal Award 2015
Professor Susanta Lahiri,

Chemical Sciences Division,
Saha Institute of Nuclear
Physics, Kolkata, won the
Hevesy Medal Award 2015, at
the Tenth International
Conference on Methods and
Applications of Radio-analytical
Chemistry for his outstanding
contributions to heavy ion
induced
radioisotope
production, tracer packet
technique, converter targets,
Uttar Pradesh government has

conferred its Sahitya Shiromani
Samman and a cash prize of 21
lakh Rupees upon noted Hindi
poet Gopal Das Neeraj. Along
with Gopal Das Neeraj, veteran
Hindi litterateur Uday Pratap
Singh was also conferred with
Sahitya Shiromani award and
cash prize of 21 lakh Rupees.
Champions of Change
Award to Satya Nadela
Indian-origin Microsofts CEO
Satya Nadella has been chosen
for the Champions of Change

award for bringing about
change within his company to
support working families. US
President Barack Obama will
honor this award to him.
Before being named CEO in

February 2014, 47-year-old
Nadella held leadership roles
in both enterprise and
consumer businesses across
the company. Joining Microsoft
in 1992, he quickly became
known as a leader who could
span a breadth of technologies
and businesses to transform
some of Microsofts biggest
product offerings.
Champions of Change award
is given to those who support
working families and have
helped to bring about change
within their companies,
communities or organizations
by
advocating
for
commonsense paid sick and
paid leave policies, equal pay
and an end to pregnancy
discrimination to support
families, businesses, and
economy.
Bishwaratna Dr Bhupen
Hazarika International
Solidarity Award 2015
The second Bishwaratna Dr
Bhupen Hazarika International
53

Awards & Prizes

Solidarity Award 2015 was
conferred on internationally
acclaimed filmmaker Adoor
Gopala-krishnan in a function
held at Rabindra Bhawan.
The biennial award, instituted

by the Asam Sahitya Sabha and
sponsored by the Numaligarh
Refinery Limited (NRL), carries
a memento, a citation, an eri
chador, a collection of books
and a cheque of Rs 5 lakh. The
first international solidarity
award instituted in the memory
of the cultural icon had been
given to eminent research
scholar and dance exponent
Lubna Marium of Bangladesh.
Sudakshina Sarma, eminent
singer and younger sister of Dr
Hazarika, offered her tributes
and captivated the audience
with the song Paneir ponati.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan, a
multifaceted personality, has
pioneered the film society
movement in Kerala. He is
regarded as one of the finest
filmmakers of India. As a film
director, producer and script
writer he had played a major
role in revolutionizing
Malayalam cinema. Adoors
debut film was Swayamvaram
(1972) which had pioneered
the new wave of cinema
movement in Kerala. For his
contribution to film industry, he
has won 16 National Film
Awards, 17 Kerala State Film
Awards
and
several
international film awards.
Adoor is also honoured with
Padma Shri (1984) and the
54
Padma Vibhushan (2006), he

had won the Dadasaheb
Phalke Award in 2004.
Femina Miss India 2015
Delhi girl Aditi Arya was

crowned fbb Femina Miss
India World 2015 at a glittering
ceremony at Yashraj Studios in
Mumbai. Aditi will represent
the country at Miss World
pageant and the runners-up
Afreen and Vartika will
compete
for
various
international titles.
Afreen Racheal Vaz was
adjudged first runner-up while
Vartika Singh second runner up
at the grand finale of 52nd year
of fbb Femina Miss India, which
took place on late Saturday
night.
About Femina Miss India
Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in
India that annually selects
three winners to compete
globally. The winner of
Femina Miss India World
vies in Miss World, Femina
Miss India Earth winner
competes in Miss Earth,
and the third winner,
Femina Miss India International goes to compete in
Miss International.
Major Dhyan Chand Life Time

Achievement Award to Balbir Singh Sr
A landmark occasion was

witnessed, as Hockey India
conferred the first ever Annual
Awards to recognise the
dedication and hard work of
hockey players, coaches and
administrators on the field to
build the sport on the national
and international arena.
Hockey India conferred the
awards in the categories of
Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime
Achievement Award to Balbir

Singh Sr. with a cash prize of Rs
30,00,000, the Dhruv Batra
Award for Player of the Year
(Men and Women) awarded to
Birendra Lakra and Vandana
Katariya taking home a cash
award of Rs 25,00,000 each.
Jaman Lal Sharma Award for
Invaluable Contribution (for
coaches and support staff)
awarded to Harendra Singh

Awards & Prizes

wherein he got a cheque Rs
5,00,000 and Hockey India
President
Award
for
Outstanding Achievement
conferred to One Thousand
Hockey Legs with a Rs 5,00,000
cheque for its exceptional
contribution towards the sport.
Six awards named after players
who represented India in the
past included, the Jugraj Singh
Award for Upcoming Player of
the Year (Men Under 21)
awarded to Harmanpreet Singh
with a cash prize of Rs
10,00,000, Asunta Lakra Award
for Upcoming Player of the Year
(Women Under 21) to Namita
Toppo with Rs 10,00,000.
Besides a cash prize of Rs
5,00,000, Baljit Singh Award
for Goalkeeper of the Year
awarded to PR Sreejesh, Pargat
Singh Award for Defender of
the Year to Deepika, Ajit Pal
Singh Award for Midfielder of
the Year given to Manpreet
Singh and Dhanraj Pillay Award
for Forward of the Year
awarded to Akashdeep Singh
for showcasing their efforts to
continue upholding a healthy
sports culture in the nation.
Shashi Kapoor to
Get Dadasaheb Phalke Award
Veteran Film Actor and

Producer Shri Shashi Kapoor
has
been
conferred
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for
the year 2014. He is the 46th
Dada Saheb Phalke Award
Winner. The award is conferred
by the Government of India for
outstanding contribution to the

growth and development of
Indian Cinema.
The award consists of a Swarn
Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash
prize of Rs. 10 lakhs and a shawl.
The award is given on the basis
of recommendations of a
Committee of eminent persons
set up by the Government for
this purpose.
Shashi Kapoor made his debut
as a leading man in the 1961
film Dharmputra and went on
to appear in more than 100
Hindi films. He was a very
popular actor in Bollywood
during the 60s, 70s and until
the mid 80s.
Shashi Kapoor was one of
Indias first actors to go
international. He is known
internationally for starring in
many British and American
films, notably Merchant Ivory
Proudctions run by Ismail
Merchant and James Ivory, such
as The Householder (1963),
Shakespeare Wallah (1965),
Bombay Talkie (1970) and Heat
and Dust (1982). He also
starred in other British and
American films such as
Siddhartha (1972) and Muhafiz
(1994).
In 1978, Shri Shashi Kapoor set
up his production house Film
Valas which produced critically
acclaimed films such as Junoon
(1978), Kalyug (1981), 36
Chowringhee Lane (1981),
Vijeta (1982) and Utsav (1984).
In 2011, Shri Shashi Kapoor was
honoured with Padma Bhushan
Award by the Government of
India. He is also a recipient of
three National Film Awards.
ISRO names for

Gandhi Peace Prize 2014
Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) has been
selected for the Gandhi Peace

Prize for 2014 for its
contribution to the countrys
development through space
technology and satellite-based
services.
The award, comprising Rs.one
crore and a citation, was
decided after the jury for the
prize met under the
chairmanship of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Friday.
Chief Justice of India H.L.
Dattu, Leader of the single
largest Opposition Party in Lok
Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge,
senior Member of Parliament
L.K. Advani and Gopalkrishna
Gandhi are other members of
the jury.
The Gandhi Peace Prize for
social, economic and political
transformation through nonviolence was instituted in 1995.
Previous winners
Some of its previous winners are Nelson Mandela,
Vaclav Havel, Julius K
Nyerere, Baba Amte,
Archbishop Desmond
Tutu, Grameen Bank of
Bangladesh, Bharatiya
Vidya Bhawan and
Ramkrishna Mission.
Akhil Sharmas Novel Family
Life Wins Folio Prize 2015
Indian-American novelist Akhil

Sharmas novel Family Life has
won the prestigious Folio Prize
2015. His novel was among the
eight shortlisted books from 80
fictional works and was chosen
55

Awards & Prizes

as the best fiction novel
published in the United
Kingdom in 2014. Family Life is
Sharmas second novel and
took him 13 years to write.
The Folio Prize 2015, worth
40,000, aims to recognise and
celebrate the best Englishlanguage fiction from around
the world, published in the UK
during a given year, regardless
of form, genre or the authors
country of origin. It is the first
major English-language book
prize open to writers from all
over the world.
Bangladesh Wins
Women in Parliament Award
Bangladesh has won the

prestigious Women in
Parliaments (WIP) Global Forum
Award for regional leadership
in reducing gender gap in
politics. Bangladesh won the
award for its outstanding
success in closing the gender
gap in the political sphere in
the regional category South
and Southeast Asia.
On behalf of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina, State Minister
for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar
Alam received the award today
at the Headquarters of African
Union in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, a foreign ministry
press said here this afternoon.
The World Economic Forum
study reveals that Bangladesh
is one of the top 10 countries
in the world in reducing gender
gaps and this leads the country
to win the prestigious WIP
56
Global Forum Award for

regional leadership in closing
the gender gap in politics.
Based on the rankings of the
World Economic Forums
Global Gender Gap Report,
WIP Awards were presented at
the WIP Summit 2015 to those
countries which were
recognized for their political
empowerment of women, and
to countries which showed
regional leadership in closing
the gender gap in politics.
National Kavi
Pradeep Samman Award
Noted Hindi poet Gopaldas
Neeraj has received the first
National Kavi Pradeep Samman
at a function held here.
The award has been instituted
by the Madhya Pradesh
government in the memory of
Kavi Pradeep, the renowned
poet and songwriter who is
best known for his patriotic
song Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo
written as a tribute to the
soldiers who had died
defending the country during
the Sino-Indian War.
62nd National Film Awards 2014
Best Direction-Srijit Mukherji,

Director of Chotushkone
(Bengali).
Best Film on Social IssuesChotoder Chobi (Bengali)
directed by Kaushik Ganguly.
Best Supporting Actor- Bobby
Simhaa for film Jigarthanda
(Tamil).
Best Supporting ActressBaljinder Kaur for film Pagdi
The Honour (Haryanavi).
Best Childrens Film- Kaakkaa
Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth
Ekadashi (Marathi).
Best Child Artist- Vignesh &
Ramesh for Kaakkaa Muttai
(Tamil). Special Jury AwardBhaurao Karhade, Director of
Khwada (Marathi).
Best Cinematography- Sudeep
Chatterjee for film Chotushkone
(Bengali).
Indira Gandhi Award for Best
Debut Film of a Director- Aditya
Vikram Sengupta for Asha Jaoar
Majhe (Bengali).
Nargis Dutt Award for Best
Feature Film on National
Integration Chotoder Chobi
(Bengali) directed by Kaushik
Ganguly.
Best Writing on Cinema- Silent
Cinema: (1895-1930) authored
by Pasupuleti Purnachandra
Rao.
Tyler Prize 2015
The 62nd National Film Awards

2014 has been announced by the
Chairpersons of the three juries on
Feature Films, Non Feature Films and
Best Writing on Cinema. The awards
in the various categories are as
follows:
Best Actor- Vijay for Nanu
Avanalla Avalu (Kannada).
Best Actress- Kangana Ranaut
for Queen (Hindi).
The
Tyler
Prize
for
Environmental Achievement
Executive Committee named
the
Honorable
Jane
Lubchenco, PhD, of Oregon
State University, and Madhav
Gadgil, PhD, of Goa University,
as the recipients of the 2015
Tyler Prize for their leadership
and engagement in the
development of conservation
and sustainability policies in the
United States, India and
internationally.

Awards & Prizes

Since its inception in 1973 as
one of the worlds first
international environmental
awards, the Tyler Prize has
been the premier award for
environmental
science,
environmental health and
energy.
As the winners of the Tyler
Prize, Lubchenco and Gadgil
will share the $200,000 cash
prize and each receive a gold
medallion. The Prize, awarded
by the international Tyler Prize
Executive Committee with the
administrative support of the
University of Southern
California, honors exceptional
foresight and dedication in the
environmental sciences and
policyqualities that mirror the
prescience of the Prizes
founders, John and Alice Tyler,
who established it while the
environmental debate was still
in its infancy.
Previous laureates include
Edward O. Wilson, Jane
Goodall, Jared Diamond and
Paul and Anne Ehrlich, M.S.

Swaminathan andThomas
Lovejoy.
Wisdom Cricket Almanack 2015
Sri Lanka great Kumar

Sangakkara has been named as
the Leading Cricketer in the
World in the 2015 Wisden
Cricketers
Almanack.
Meanwhile Australias Meg
Lanning has been chosen as
their inaugural Leading Woman
Cricketer in the World the
first time the England-based
annual has bestowed such an
award in 152 editions of
continuous publication dating
back to 1864.
Sangakkara joined Indias
Virender Sehwag as the only

two players to be named as
Wisdens Leading Cricketer in
the World for a second
occasion.
The 37-year-old left-handed
batsman and wicketkeeper
won the award after a stellar
2014 that saw Sangakkara score
an all-time record 2,868
international runs in the
calendar year, including a triple
century. His feats, which added
to an already brilliant career,
included a man-of-the-match
performance in Sri Lankas T20
WC final win over India last year.
Wisdens Five Cricketers of the
Year is an award dating back to
1889 and is generally based on
a players performances in the
preceding English season.
By tradition, it can only be won
once in a career and the 2015
list included Sri Lanka captain
Angelo Mathews, England
rising stars Moeen Ali and Gary
Ballance and two notable
county players in Adam Lyth
and Jeetan Patel.
57
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In the News
IN THE NEWS
Azhar Ali
Pakistans cricket chiefs named

batsman Azhar Ali as the
national sides new One-Day
International captain, despite
the fact that he has not made
the 50-over team in more than
two years. The 30-year-old
replaces Misbah-ul-Haq, who
retired from ODIs following
Pakistans
World
Cup
quarterfinal exit at the hands of
eventual champion Australia.
Ali has played just 14 ODIs, the
most recent in January 2013,
when he contributed two with
the bat as Pakistan beat archrival India by 85 runs at Kolkatas
Eden Gardens. Ali was also
named as vice-captain for the
Test side, which Misbah will
continue to lead, while bighitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi
stays on as T20 skipper.
Dr. Nasim Zaidi
Commissioner, Dr. Nasim Zaidi

as the Chief Election
Commissioner in the Election
Commission. Dr. Nasim Zaidi has
assume the charge of office of
the
Chief
Election
Commissioner on 19th April,
2015 vice Shri Harishankar
Brahma consequent upon his
demitting the office of the
Chief Election Commissioner
on the 18th April, 2015.
Dronavalli Harika
Indian chess Grandmaster

Dronavalli Harika on 6 April
2015 won the bronze medal in
the World Womens chess
championships along with
Swedish Grandmaster Pia
Cramling. In the semifinal
match played at Sochi in Russia,
Harika lost to Ukraines Mariya
Muzychuk and settled to
Bronze medal with US $ 20,000.
World Womens chess
championships winners are.
Tarique Rahman
The President has appointed

the senior-most Election
58
The Interpol has issued a red

corner notice for the arrest of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
leader Tarique Rahman, who
has been in exile in London for
more than six years.
The notice was issued for the

arrest of Tarique, senior vice
chairman of the party and son
of Khaleda Zia, on the charge
of murder and explosion of
hand grenade in an Awami
League rally on August 21,
2004. The Interpol most
wanted list has carried
Tariques picture with details,
saying Bangladesh is seeking
him to stand trial in the case.
Gunter Grass
Gunter Grass, the Nobelwinning German writer who

gave voice to the generation
that came of age during the
horrors of the Nazi era has died.
He was 87. Grass was lauded
by Germans for helping to
revive their culture in the
aftermath of World War II and
helping to give voice and
support to democratic
discourse in the post war
nation.
Yet he provoked the ire of
many in 2006 when he revealed
in his memoir Skinning the
Onion that, as a teenager, he
had served in the Waffen-SS,
the combat arm of Adolf Hitlers
notorious
paramilitary
organization.
In 2012, Grass drew sharp
criticism at home and was

In The News
declared persona non grata by
Israel after publishing a prose
poem, What Must Be Said, in
which he criticized what he
described as Western
hypocrisy over Israels nuclear
program and labelled the
country a threat to already
fragile world peace over its
belligerent stance on Iran.
Shamina Singh
Americans and Pacific

Islanders and the White House
Initiative on Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders from 1999
to 2001.
Baba Ramdev
The BJP government in
Haryana has decided to accord
the rank, equal to that of a
cabinet minister, to yoga guru
Ramdev; he had earlier been
named as the states brand
ambassador
with
the
government then explaining his
elevation as an attempt to
promote yoga and ayurveda in
the state.
Dr. Mohan Kumar

Union Governmnet has
appointed Dr. Mohan Singh
Indian Foreign Officer of 1981
batch as the next Ambassador
of India to France. Presently
Mohan Kumar is Ambassador of
India to Bahrain.
Meenakshi Madan Rai
Yuki Bhambri
President Barack Obama has

nominated Shamina Singh, an
Indian American as a member
of the Board of Directors of the
Corporation for National and
Community Service for a term
expiring in Oct. 2019.
Singh currently serves as the
Executive Director of the
MasterCard Center for Inclusive
Growth. She joined MasterCard
in 2013 as the Global Director
for Government Services and
Solutions,
where
she
expanded
MasterCards
business capabilities to digitize
social subsidy programs in over
40 countries, according to the
World Economic Forum.
Prior to joining MasterCard, she
has also spent 15 years in the
public sector holding senior
positions within the Clinton
Presidential Administration and
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives. Singh was
executive director for the
Presidents
Advisory
Commission
on
Asian
Yuki Bhambri clinched the ITF

Futures tournament with a
straight-set win over Dzmitry
Zhyrmont and ensured his berth
in the French Open qualifying
event. The 22-year-old player,
seeded second, overcame his
Belarusian third seed rival 6-2
6-4 in the final and pocketed
27 ranking points which will
take him to a rank between 215
and 220.
Malala Yousafzai
NASA has reportedly named an
asteroid in honour of 17-yearold Nobel Peace Prize winner
Malala Yousafzai. The asteroid,
located in the main belt
between Mars and Jupiter, was
discovered by Dr Amy Mainzer,
an astronomer at NASAs Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in
California, USA.
Mrs. Meenakshi Madan Rai was

sworn in as the first lady judge
of the Sikkim High Court.
Governor of Sikkim Srinivas Patil
administered the oath of office
to her at Raj Bhavan in Gangtok.
After taking oath of office, she
took charge as judge. With this
Sikkim High Court again got its
full strength of three judges
after a gap of about one year
Bidyut Chakraborty
Well-known
Assamese
filmmaker Bidyut Chakraborty,
who had bagged the Indira
Gandhi award for Best First Film
of a Director in 1996 for his film
Rag-Birag, passed away in a
private hospital. He was 55.
Surya Bahadur Thapa
Former Nepal Prime Minister
Surya Bahadur Thapa passed
away. Thapa served as Prime
Minister of Nepal for five terms,
under three different Kings, in
a politcal career spanning more
than 50 years.
59

In the News
Mr. Thapa started his political

career
by
executing
underground
student
movement in 1950. In 1958,
he was elected to the Assembly
and became Chairman of the
Advisory Council. In 1959, he
was elected to the Upper
House.
In 1966, he was appointed
Prime Minister under the
modified constitution of Nepal.
He was responsible for
expanding the coverage of the
Constitution of 1962 and
promulgated 2nd amendment
to make it people-oriented.
Stanislav Gross
Stanislav Gross, former and
youngest Prime Minister of
Czech Republic has passed
away at the age of 45. Gross
became premier at the age of
34 in July 2004 and took over
as chairman of the leftist Social
Democrats. But his career at the
top of politics was brief.
D Jayakanthan
written around 40 novels and

200 short stories and used his
pen effectively against social
injustices and economic
inequality.
His popular novel, Sila
Nerangalil Sila Manithargal,
which was later made into a
film, won him the Sahitya
Akademi Award in 1972. He
was also a recipient of the
Jnanpith Award in 2002.
EM Hanifa
Renowned Tamil Muslim
devotional singer EM Hanifa
passed away in Chennai, Tamil
Nadu. He was well-known for
his number of devotional songs
and
was
a
leading
propagandist of Dravida
Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK)
Party for more than five
decades.
Neeraj Kumar
Former
Delhi
Police
Commissioner Neeraj Kumar
was appointed as chief adviser
of the Board of Control for
Cricket in Indias (BCCI) AntiCorruption & Security Unit
(ACSU). Decision in this regard
was taken at the Governing
Council Meeting of the Indian
Premier League (IPL) chaired
by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla
in New Delhi,. He will succeed
Ravi Sawant as his term ended
and will have term of one year.
Venkadarath Saritha
Legendary Tamil writer D

Jayakanthan, who charted a
new course in Tamil literature
with his bold and progressive
works, has passed away. He has
60
Delhi Transport Corporation

(DTC) has appointed a 30-year-
old woman Venkadarath

Saritha from Telangana as its
first female driver. The driver,
Venkadarath Saritha, will be on
day-time duty on regular routes
in Central Delhi.
Ms. Saritha, who moved from
Hyderabad to New Delhi four
years ago, was selected from
among
seven
women
candidates who had applied
for the post in response to a
DTC advertisement. After
completion of formalities, she
attended a four-week training
programme at the DTC training
school.
Ashish Jakhar
Haryanas Ashish Jakhar set a
national youth record in boys
hammer throw on the second
day of the 12th National Youth
Athletics Championships held
in Goa.
Ashish hurled the 5kg ball-andchain to a new distance of
71.92m on his opening throw
and went on to improve it
further to 72.04m to stamp his
class with fine rotations on the
circle to set the first national
record of the meet.
The previous national record
had stood in the name of
Haryanas Sukhdev Singh
(70.35m) since 2009. Only
Chinese thrower Xu Wenjie has
a better mark than Ashish in the
Asian rankings, with a 72.35m
throw, so far this season.
Vivek Priyadarshi
The apex court of India has

appointed CBI officer Vivek

In The News
Priyadarshi to head a new
investigating team to further
probe the IPL-6 spot-fixing and
betting scandal.
Priyadarshi, currently a
superintendent of police in the
anti-corruption cell of the
agency, will replace 1983batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre
IPS officer BB Mishra as the
head of the probe team
following his retirement.
Jamal Benomar
United Nation (UN) peace
envoy to Yemen, Jamal
Benomar has resigned, after
losing support from Gulf
countries for his mission in the
conflict-riven nation. His
resignation comes after UN
Security Council adopted a
resolution calling for the swift
resumption of peace talks and
an end to violence in Yemen
on 14 April 2015. The adopted
resolution adopted calls on the
Huthis to withdraw from Sanaa
and all other areas they have
seized.
Surinder Pal Singh Cheema
Lee Kuan Yew

First Prime Minister (PM) of
Singapore Lee Kuan Yew
passed away on 23 March
2015. He was 91. Mr. Lee is
described as the founding
father and architect of
modern Singapore. He is also
considered as pioneer for
transforming the island country
from a small port city into a
wealthy global hub after its
independence from United
Kingdom and separation from
Malaysia.
KM Mani
Kerala finance minister KM
Mani has been appointed
chairman of the empowered
committee of state finance
ministers on Goods & Services
Tax (GST). The GST, a muchawaited reform to replace
multiple indirect taxes with one
levy, is proposed to be rolled
out from April 2016.
Poonam Mahajan
For the first time since it came
into existence in 1950, BFI got
a woman as its president when
Poonam
Mahajan
was
unanimously elected as the
head of this 65 year old
federation the governing and
controlling body of basketball
in India here today.
At the Annual General Meeting

of the Basketball Federation of
India (BFI), president of
Maharashtra State Basketball
Association (MSBA), who is
also the BJP national secretary
and MP from the Mumbai
North-Central Lok Sabha
constituency, Poonam was
unanimously elected as the
new president of BFI for a fouryear (2015-2019) term. The 34year-old Poonam is the
youngest president of any
national federation in India.
Malli Mastan Babu
Indian Mountaineer Malli
Mastan Babu was an
accomplished
Indian
mountaineer who held number
of records and achievements.
He had achieved the feat of
becoming the fastest seven
mountaineers in the world. He
was also the first Indian to
summit Mt Vinson Massif the
tallest peak in Antarctica. He
was the first person from
Andhra Pradesh to scale Mount
Everest.
Vice Admiral Surinder Pal Singh

Cheema took over the reins of
the Western Naval Command as
flag officer commanding-inchief from Vice Admiral Anil
Chopra at a ceremonial parade
held at INS Shikra. Cheema,
while serving in Mumbai earlier,
had commanded INS Nishank,
INS Trishul and INS Virat, a
Naval release said, adding
Chopra was accorded a send
off.
61

Selected Articles from Various Newspapers & Journals
SELECTED ARTICLES FROM VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS & JOURNALS
Looking Beyond Nuclear

Liability
A month has passed since U.S
President Barack Obama was in Delhi
as the chief guest at the Republic Day
and had his famous chai pe charcha
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An overview of the Indian
commentary about the Obama visit
would reveal that breaking the logjam
on nuclear liability is perceived as its
most significant outcome. Both
leaders focussed on it at their joint
press conference and Paragraph 43
of the Joint Statement states that the
Leaders
welcomed
the
understandings reached on the
issues of civil nuclear liability and
administrative arrangements for civil
nuclear cooperation, and looked
forward to U.S.-built nuclear reactors
contributing to Indias energy
security at the earliest. A lack of
details initially led to considerable
speculation about the nature of the
breakthrough and the assurances
provided. To clarify matters, the
Ministry of External Affairs took the
unusual step of putting out a seven
page Questions and Answers
explanatory paper which sparked yet
another round of debate on whether
this was really a breakthrough or not.
However, such a narrow focus on
nuclear liability misses the larger
picture; there is an underlying
broader political objective which has
driven the nuclear dialogue between
India and the United States since the
end of the Cold War, and when Mr.
Modi and Mr. Obama talked of
breaking the logjam, they clearly had
the larger political objective in view.
Following their meeting in
Washington last September, the two
leaders had reaffirmed their
commitment to implement fully the
India-U.S. civil nuclear cooperation
62
agreement. Both leaders realised

that the nuclear liability issue was a
hurdle that needed to be overcome
to take the relationship forward. A
contact group was established and
met thrice in the two months leading
up to the Republic Day summit. In
January, the officials had reached the
limits of their respective negotiating
mandates in the contact group. Mr.
Modi and Mr. Obama understood that
the issue was not whether
Westinghouse and GE would set up
nuclear power plants in India (that
process was bound to take many
months, even years, of complex
technical and financial negotiations)
but whether the two leaders could
lead from the front on this issue. There
were two principal sticking points in
the 2010 Civil Liability for Nuclear
Damage Act (CLNDA). The first was
Section 17 which enables the
operator of the nuclear installation
(under Indian system, the Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Ltd. or
NPCIL), after paying compensation to
the victims of nuclear damage, to
have the right of recourse against the
supplier, subject to certain
conditions. Two of these conditions,
namely when such a right is part of
the written contract between
supplier and operator, and second,
when the nuclear accident has
happened because of the intent to
cause damage, are accepted as part
of the international legal regime
pertaining to nuclear liability. The
third condition introduced in Section
17(b) was novel and gave the
operator a right of recourse against
the supplier if the incident had been
due to supply of equipment or
material with patent or latent defects
or substandard services. The
supplier community interpreted this
provision as ambiguous and one that
rendered it vulnerable to openended liability claims. The new

explanation seeks to address it by
relating Section 17(b) to actions and
matters such as product liability
stipulations/conditions or service
contracts between the operator and
the supplier and therefore to be
dealt with in the context of such
contractual terms. The attempt is to
remove the open-ended nature of
possible liability claims by limiting
these to the terms and conditions of
the contract.
The second sticking point was
Section 46 which stated that the
provisions of the CLNDA were in
addition to, and not in derogation of,
any other law for the time being in
force, leading to concerns among
the suppliers that they could be
subjected to multiple and
concurrent liability claims. This is
sought to be addressed by
explaining that all civil claims can
only be brought under the CLNDA
since that was the intention behind
this special legislation and further,
that these claims would come under
the jurisdiction of the specially
constituted Claims Commission,
thereby excluding any jurisdiction of
foreign courts.
The concept of risk
management behind the setting up
of the Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool
has been elaborated in the
explanatory paper to point out that
the premium costs will be modest.
For a policy of Rs.1500 crore, the
annual premium would be between
Rs.1.5 crore and Rs.3 crore
(calculated at 0.1 to 0.2 per cent as
per global practice), hardly a large
sum given that the capital cost of a
1000 MW reactor would be upwards


of Rs.10,000 crore. A Nuclear
Liability
Fund
can
be
operationalised by a nominal
surcharge of say 5 paise per unit of
nuclear power which at current
levels of installed nuclear power can
provide about Rs.200 crore annually,
thus enabling the government to
recover its original contribution to
the liability corpus fairly quickly.
Finally, 2015-16 provides a
suitable time window that must be
exploited to bring about Indias full
participation in the Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG). The
momentum generated in 2008 when
the NSG approved the waiver from
its guidelines to permit civilian
nuclear cooperation with India was
only possible with U.S. diplomatic
heavy lifting. Much of this
momentum has been lost in recent
years and needs to be revived. With
its newfound diplomatic activism,
India needs to step up its outreach
at multiple levels with NSG
members. This process needs to be
coordinated with the U.S. so that at
the 2016 NSG plenary, India formally
joins the Group. This will end the
isolation of Indias nuclear
establishment that began in 1974
and reintegrate India into legitimate
civilian nuclear trade and commerce
while acknowledging Indias
commitment to non-proliferation. At
a bilateral level, U.S. support in
bringing this process to its logical
conclusion would remove the
mistrust that has often cast a shadow
on the relationship. Mr. Modi and Mr.
Obamas recourse to political
pragmatism to get around the nuclear
liability hurdle reflects their
willingness to look beyond it at the
larger picture. What is now needed
is a plan with clear objectives which
helps in realising the goal of making
the India-U.S. relationship the
defining partnership of the 21st

century.
The promise of
insurance reform
With the Rajya Sabha passing the
Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill,
the Narendra Modi-led BJP
government must be feeling
strengthened. The Bill crossed the
final hurdle only because its principal
bte noire, the Congress, allowed its
passage. That it took over six years
for Parliament to give its assent to
such a widely-anticipated step on the
insurance front illustrates the sharp
divide not necessarily ideological
between the two principal players
in Indian politics. Convergence of
views very often does not lead to a
consensus for obvious political
reasons. Nonetheless, the shadowboxing between these two major
national parties has helped trigger a
high-voltage debate on the need for
reform in the insurance space. The
stakes go beyond the political and
business constituencies. Insurance
reform is only one of the measures
the Modi administration is banking on
as part of its growth strategy. But the
constant polarisation on political lines
on key issues is slowing the traction
on important fronts and causing
uncertainty, that tells on the economy.
Now that the way is clear for
49 per cent foreign holding in an
insurance company, will the country
see a flood of foreign direct
investment? At the moment, the field
is laid a lot easier for players. The
operating environment has been
redesigned to facilitate foreign
investors to engage in the long-haul
game. Insurance penetration in India,
life and non-life put together, was
just about 3.9 per cent in 2013, up
from 2.3 per cent in 2000, according
to Economic Survey 2014-15. This
reveals the extent of opportunities
available. Interestingly, according to
the Survey, private insurers saw a 1.4

per cent decline in their premium in
2013-14 even as the Life Insurance
Corporation recorded 13.5 per cent
growth. These numbers tell a tale of
their own. For long, insurance has
been viewed only as a tax-saving
tool. The protection element still has
not seeped into the mind of the
common person. Changing the
mindset and spreading the net will
involve much time and enormous
cost. Competition could invigorate
the field by providing greater access
and more products at fair prices.
Given the dynamics of the Indian
marketplace, foreign players could
bring to the table new dimensions.
The experience elsewhere as in
the automobile industry suggests
that competition makes the
consumer demanding. Surely, the
Indian insurance field requires a
more aggressive customer. The
passage of the Insurance Bill will
indeed go a long way in
reconfiguring Indias position in the
global marketplace.
Leaving beef
bans to the States
Even as some of its State units
within and outside government
have shown a zeal in seeking to
toughen laws on cow slaughter, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has
nationally been more guarded about
the issue. The BJP government in
Haryana announced that it is
instituting a law that provides for a
10-year prison sentence for those
caught slaughtering cattle. In doing
so, it has taken its cue from its
counterpart in Maharashtra which
extended the ban on cow slaughter
to all cattle, even as two other BJPruled States, Jharkhand and
Rajasthan, are considering similar
legislation. Reports also suggest that
63


in West Bengal a State that
permits cow slaughter with a fit for
slaughter certificate the BJP State
unit is seeking to deploy vigilante
groups to prevent the ferrying of
cows to Bangladesh for slaughter.
This activist zeal by the BJP in the
States contrasts with the partys
national position. While Prime
Minister Narendra Modi had attacked
the pink revolution the export
of cattle meat during last years
general election, his government has
not changed its meat export policy
since then. That policy prohibits the
export of the meat of cows, bulls,
calves, any milching bovine or calves
less than four months old. Only the
meat of non-milching buffaloes,
along with that of goats, is allowed to
be exported.
Even though most States,
except Kerala and parts of the
northeast, have laws of varying
degree banning cow slaughter, it is a
sensitive subject. Beef and buffalo
meat are sources of cheap protein
not just among sections of the
minorities, but also for poor Hindus.
The BJP has also not forgotten a
speech made in the Lok Sabha by
the late G.G. Swell, an MP from
Meghalaya, in 1996 during the
partys 13-day tenure in government.
On that occasion, Swell spoke about
the intolerance of the BJP and its
inability to accept that in parts of
India, including large swathes in the
northeast, beef is a cultural, culinary
preference. More recently, in Kerala,
leaders belonging to the Congress
and the Communist Party of India
(Marxist) have described the efforts
by BJP-ruled States as a sign of
increasing encroachment of
personal liberty and democratic
freedom. While Central ministers
have ruled out a Central law as
livestock is a State subject, even
64
hardline Hindutva-oriented BJP MPs

like Yogi Adityanath say that it is
important to let the government
focus on development for some
more time. The national executive of
the BJP has remained silent on the
issue since its government came to
power. Clearly, the party will
calibrate its position on the issue in
the long run, not letting it distract
attention from its reforms agenda.
Shaking up our
village culture
As Anna Hazare, the new age
Gandhi consolidates his flock to
protest against the governments antifarmer land ordinance, one is
reminded of the original Mahatma and
his love for village life and polity.
While Annas protest may be more
about the right to private property of
the farmers, Gandhi had a moral vision
that was larger and beyond just the
risk of farmers losing their land.
Gandhi saw village life as the ideal
form of intimate sacrifice and high
culture, where an anarchy based on
self-sacrificing morals would sustain
itself far from the mess of modern
industrial life and interest-driven
politics. Can the present debate
around the Land Ordinance Bill and
the sharp criticism from those
opposing it help us revisit the
relevance of modernity to Indian
villages?
During
a
lecture
on
modernisation
theories
of
development and the importance of
Adam Smith, I shared with my class
the history of progress in the United
States and how from only 15 per cent
of families having flush toilets in the
1900s, almost 99 per cent had them
by the 1970s. A student from a semiurban background was not
convinced. He asked me why rich
landlords in Uttar Pradesh dont have
toilets in their homes despite having
money. Was the U.S. experience
relevant in our context? What the

student was suggesting was that I find
a different logic of economic
progress for Indian villages. In casteruled villages, the management of
faeces is generally governed by
gendered rules of touch, purity and
pollution. Faeces is, therefore, kept
away from the home or removed by a
manual scavenger. Labour, caste and
purity are thus bound coherently and
peacefully in village culture, unlinked
to economics.
B.R. Ambedkar strongly
disagreed with Gandhis celebration
of village life and morals. He
considered the idea of a village
republic as one based on
undemocratic values. He said, What
is a village a sink of localism, a den
of ignorance, narrow mindedness
and communalism. How relevant are
Ambedkars observations today? As
relevant as they were in the late
1940s. Even now, close to 67 per
cent of Indias population live in
villages. In 2000, about two-thirds of
rural Dalits were landless or nearlandless and close to half depended
on farm labour for their livelihood
including in Left-ruled States. Much
of the minimalistic land reforms in
many States of India ended up
providing land to the tiller and not to
the labourer, which meant that the
Sudra castes became powerful,
landowning castes in rural India.
Our village culture and values
are intrinsically linked to a control of
land and agriculture. Land in present
times has turned out to be a major
economic resource it gives access
to institutional credit, subsidies on
fertilizers, power, farm equipment
and almost institutionalised, decadal
loan waivers. Some numerically
powerful landowning castes also
enrol themselves as Below Poverty
Line (BPL) families. Land, thus, is a
key form of private property that


yields persistent rent, which is not
necessarily based on its actual merit
and which is, of course, not taxed.
Above all, land signifies power
how much dowry one gets in
villages mostly depends on the
extent of land the grooms family
controls. The cultural value attached
to lands and its patrilineal ownership
has turned daughters into bad
debts.
Land makes certain castes
kingly in rural communities. The
control of such castes on local
politics aggravates masculine hubris.
Land and agriculture, thus, partially
construct the localised cultural
peace in rural India. City life is not
free of caste prejudices either but
the vulgarity of its form is minimised
in an uprooted context of
anonymity. Modernity and its key
economic
constituents
of
urbanisation and industrialisation
bring with them some basic norms of
civility. No landlord in a city or small
town can insist on tenants defecating
in the open. You cannot ask the
caste of a person serving you
chicken nuggets at a fast-food outlet,
or insist on knowing the caste of your
fellow commuter in a cramped local
train.
The illiberal aspects of rural
society are changing slowly due to
market pressures. Despite subsidies
and the absence of taxation, the
social power of farmers is rendered
mildly vulnerable by a budding
competitive market and non-farm
possibilities in rural India. Increasing
urbanisation, migration, and non-farm
employment have added some
degree of mobility and freedom to
the landless in general and to rural
Dalits in particular. Landless
labourers need not search for work
that provides respect and value in
the lands of dominant landowning
castes alone. Increasing urbanisation,

labour mobility and monetisation of
rural economy have had significant
poverty-reducing impacts on Dalits.
The prescription of classical
economics to decongest (landless)
labour from agriculture and farm
dependency still remains of utmost
relevance. Even now, close to 80
per cent of Dalits live in rural areas
providing cheap labour, with limited
productivity, to farms and farmers.
The present government is
enlarging the scope of the previous
governments economic policies by
aggressively pushing for industrial
modernisation. There was, however,
something peculiar about the
Congress/United
Progressive
Alliances politics of displacement
and land acquisition when
dominant castes lost their lands for
public and private purposes, they
were generally paid exorbitant
compensation whereas the colossal
loss of tribal lands with minimal
compensation was treated like
willing sacrifice for national
development.
The
present
government, on the other hand, has
rightly thrown the economics of
swadeshi back into the closet. The
BJP is working out a delicate
balance between free markets,
capitalism and Hindutva, with the last
limited to the cultural-political
sphere. In this new onslaught of the
market, Anna Hazare and his
supporters would do well to help
the rural dominant classes get the
best possible price for their land. If
successfully passed, an unintended
consequence of the Land
Ordinance Bill could also mean the
end of some of our long-celebrated
village morals, which Ambedkar
rightly considered as just plain
narrow-mindedness. It was the
freedom of Dalits and women that
was put at permanent risk by the

bigotry of the village polity and
economy.
Conspiracy as
an easy way out
There is something seriously
problematic about the state of affairs
in the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-run
West Bengal. Three days following
the gang rape of an elderly nun
belonging to the Convent of Jesus
and Mary school in Ranaghat in
Nadia district, by dacoits, arrests of
the culprits are yet to be made.
Rather than acknowledging the
seriousness of the problem of crimes
against women in the State, the State
government has yet again sought to
politicise the issue, initially
insinuating religious fanaticism to
be responsible for the crime. Later,
the Chief Minister blamed the
Opposition the Communist Party
of India (Marxist) and the Bharatiya
Janata Party for what turned out to
be spontaneous protests against the
incident in Ranaghat. This is not to
suggest that the robbery and rape
incident in Ranaghat could not have
been a hate crime, a number of
which have been reported in other
parts of the country recently. But for
the government to jump the gun
even before apprehending any of
the culprits just to score political
brownie points is unacceptable.
West Bengal, according to latest
statistics released by the National
Crime Records Bureau, ranked third
in absolute numbers of crimes against
women and among the high-ranking
States in incidences of rape in 2013.
However the State cannot be singled
out. The issue of rape and other crimes
against women is a national one and
protests against the Delhi rape
incident in 2012 have steadily turned
the gaze on law enforcement
agencies to effect better responses
65


to these crimes. What sets the TMC
government and Ms Banerjee in
particular apart is its refusal to
subject these issues to serious
scrutiny and escape into conspiracy
theories. Ms Banerjees response to
the incident in 2012 in Park Street,
Kolkata involving the gang rape of
Suzette Jordan who succumbed
to encephalitis recently was to term
it a made up incident against her
government. Her party colleagues
dismissed the rape allegation and
also cast aspersions on Ms Jordans
character. The police official in
charge of the investigation of the
incident was transferred after
affirming that it was indeed gang
rape. Meanwhile the main accused
in the rape case is yet to be
apprehended by the Kolkata police
nearly three years since the incident.
While crimes against women are
indeed a societal issue, there is much
that the State could do apart from
prevention. The State police should
not be encumbered by political
pressures as it sets out to bring
culprits to book. The Chief Ministers
continued reliance on conspiracy
theories lends to unnecessary
politicisation which leads to a
dangerous drift even as it renders law
enforcement agencies ineffective.
Crafting a
constitution for Nepal
Nepal is trying to write a
constitution for the second time, after
the first Constituent Assembly (CA)
of four years collapsed in May 2012.
The entire polity and economy of the
country have suffered a state of
suspension since 2006, when the
Peoples Movement and the end of
the decade-long internal conflict
promised peace and prosperity. For
a land richly endowed by nature,
Nepals lot has been poverty and
marginalisation since the unification
two-and-half centuries ago down to
the present, through oligarchy,
66
monarchy, and obstinately unstable

democracy. The ongoing attempt is
to erect the newborn republic on a
strong foundation of pluralism and
representative politics, and make
Nepal an exemplary democracy of
South Asia, which its size and
sensibility allow. But these are
precarious days. There are hurdles to
the constitution drafting that have to
be resolved urgently if the radical
leftists and the royalist (Hindutva)
right are not to rear up and blow away
hard-won freedoms. India has been
a player on the complex Nepal
chessboard, recently leaning towards
micromanagement of internal affairs,
and the best support it can provide
is staying outside the laxman rekha of
constitution writing.
There are three main pending
issues before the second CA, more
or less the same ones that brought
down the earlier one secularism,
electoral process and definition of
federalism. On secularism, there is a
rising undercurrent to redefine Nepal
as a Hindu state, and a whole phalanx
has taken energy from the Bharatiya
Janata Partys electoral success in
India. However, such a definition
would be incompatible with the
range and layers of Hindu belief and
practice in Nepal, plus the fact that
20 per cent of the population is nonHindu. The term secularism, on the
other hand, is imported from the
Indian Constitution (as amended)
and, translated as dharma
nirpekchhata,
carries
an
exclusionary denotation that rankles
many. All else remaining the same, the
framers can probably agree on
declaring Nepal dharma bahool
(with religious pluralism) or do away
with mention of religion altogether,
to respect all and injure none. On the
electoral scheme, the tussle is
between those favouring the firstpast-the post system for effective
governance and others who maintain
that only proportional representation
can reflect Nepals diversity of

marginalised communities. The effort
is on to find the acceptable
proportional-to-direct elections ratio,
and a compromise will probably be
reached between half-half and
70:30. It is the demarcation of federal
provinces that has the hackles up on
all sides, and it is here that communal
passions could flare up, particularly
on the hill-and-plain dimension. The
resulting polarisation would set the
country back by another decade,
and impact variously the
neighbouring States of India as well.
Nepal was officially declared a
federal democratic republic in 2008,
but the debate on federalism has yet
to mature to the level of allowing
demarcation. There is a bewildering
web of positions and demands that
the CA has failed to address; some
have not even made it to the table. t
its core, the argument is between
those who believe (as does this
writer) that provincial division should
follow the logic of economic
geography, to bring prosperity to all
communities in a country of mixed
habitation, and especially those of the
plains where there is a
disproportionate volume and density
of poverty. Others argue forcefully for
demarcation by identity, to make up
for historical wrongs committed by
the Kathmandu-centric state. The
heightened rancour of today has
mainly to do with the parcelling of
the Terai, with the Madhesi Morcha
combine of parties seeking exclusive
plains-only province or provinces.
In the CA, the Nepali Congress
(NC) and the Communist Party of
Nepal (Unified-Marxist-Leninist)UML can come up with the two-thirds
majority required for promulgation.
However, they have not been able to
generate momentum for constitution
drafting, laid low by the lacklustre
performance of their coalition
government. More importantly, the
two parties have not been able to


effectively counter the position of the
Maoist-Madhesi Morcha, which is that
the November 2013 election results
(mataadhesh) do not reflect the
peoples will (janaadhesh), an
argument that is anti-political as much
as it is anti-people.
With the arrival of the Narendra
Modi-led government in New Delhi,
there seems to be second thoughts,
at least in some quarters, about the
viability of the proposed plainsspecific provinces. Some strategists
in India are now wondering whether
this prescription is not geopolitically
fraught, with dangers of making Nepal
a stomping ground for international
adventurism. The best option for now
is to promulgate a constitution that
confirms a democratic, federal, nondenominational Republic of Nepal,
while leaving the matter of federal
arrangement to parliament or to a
credible, high-level commission. If
the country finds itself without a
constitution after eight years of trying,
the politicians and political parties of
Kathmandu will be the first to be held
accountable. But history will also ask
New Delhi about its role in the
debacle.
Determining backwardness
Sometimes
political
mobilisation and not socioeducational backwardness decides
the distribution of the benefits of
reservation for specific communities
in education and jobs. While striking
down the inclusion of Jats in the
Central list of Other Backward Classes
(OBC), the Supreme Court voiced its
opposition to the States tendency to
go by the perception of the selfproclaimed socially backward class
in deciding the beneficiaries of
reservation quotas. The Jats spread
across nine States are relatively more
prosperous than many other
communities in northern India but
they used their numerical superiority
to influence and pressure the
government into including them in the

OBC quota. The state should not be
influenced
by
political
considerations and it must exercise
great care in identifying emerging
forms of backwardness. Past mistakes
or wrong inclusions in the
reservation list, according to the
judgment, could not be the basis for
further additions. However, the court
was careful not to dismiss any change
to the list of OBCs. On the contrary,
Justice Ranjan Gogoi who wrote the
judgment directed the government
to recognise emerging socially and
educationally backward groups such
as transgenders, who are among the
most distressed, for the grant of
reservation benefits. The judgment is
thus important not only for its
articulation of the rationale for
identifying the groups that need to
be kept out of the reservation system
politically dominant and
economically prosperous caste
groups but also for its support for
the
inclusion
of
heavily
disadvantaged groups such as
transgenders, who cannot ordinarily
be classified as a social class.
Closely linked to the setting of
norms for identifying new groups for
reservation benefits is the courts
downplaying of the importance of
caste in deciding reservation
benefits. While caste was indeed a
prominent reason for historical
injustice in the country, it could not
be the sole decider of
backwardness of a class. Instead,
new practices, methods and
yardsticks would have to be
continuously evolved moving away
from the caste-centric definition of
backwardness, the court ruled.
Surely, the fact that the previous
United Progressive Alliance
government notified the reservation
for Jats despite advice to the
contrary from the National
Commission for Backward Classes
played no small part in counterposing historical injustice to

emerging forms of backwardness in
a changing society. But the question
that arises is about the exclusion of
castes and social groups already in
the reservation list in a continuously
evolving society. The court might
have left a small opening for
revisiting the whole list of reservation
beneficiaries in the light of new
socio-economic realities.
Perils abroad
The brutal murder of an Indian
national, Prabha Arun Kumar, in
Sydney on March 7 has reignited
debates around the safety of Indians
abroad. The spate of violent attacks
on Indians in Australia over the past
decade has persistently fuelled
nagging tensions in India-Australia
relations, puncturing the sense of
optimism that had emerged on that
front. Ruling out racial motivation
behind the attack, Australia has
promised that the perpetrators of the
crime would be brought to justice; a
special detective squad has been
assigned to investigate it. But given
Australias generally lackadaisical
response in such contexts in the past,
India has reason to be sceptical of
these promises. The series of attacks
on Indian students about half a
decade ago had been severely
condemned by India. The
government had questioned the
effectiveness of the steps taken then
by the Australian authorities, and
issued a restrained travel advisory,
asking Indian students to take basic
precautions in being alert to their
own security. The insensitivity shown
by Australian officials who were
often in denial mode in
responding to these attacks had
come to notice in India at that time.
So one can only hope that External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajs
recent call to her Australian
67


counterparts for complete
cooperation in resolving the issue is
met with the needed level of
seriousness at least this time.
The tragic event will, it is to be
hoped, lead to a broader debate
concerning the conditions of Indians
abroad. First, the government can
consider adopting smart means to
ensure the safety of Indians while
abroad, especially in times of crisis.
For instance, Britains Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (FCO) had, in
2008, set up a Locate system to act
as a people-tracking register. This has
now been replaced by a countryspecific alert system, via email,
Twitter and Facebook. Second, the
Indian government has often been
criticised for not doing enough about
the conditions Indian migrant
workers face abroad. For instance, a
2014 Amnesty International report
lays forth the human rights abuses
encountered by Indian migrant
workers in Saudi Arabia. By means of
diplomatic pressure and bilateral
agreements, the Indian government
has to ensure that these migrant
workers are not denied any of their
labour rights as provided under
international law. Third, an ethical
discourse on the conditions of
Indians abroad has to simultaneously
involve an inward gaze on how
Indians have been treating their own
guests from overseas. Just last week,
a mob in Bengaluru chased and
attacked Africans in their suburban
locality. With racial prejudices, delays
and inefficiencies at play, the criminal
justice system often proves unequal
to the task of coming to the aid of
many such foreign citizens while in
India.
The polluted air we breathe
In 2006, Al Gore broke down
the complicated issue of climate
change in An Inconvenient Truth
to make it understandable to the
public. In a similar manner, a month
68
back, Under the Dome a

documentary on air pollution in
China highlighted the known
linkages between pollutants and
human health. Even though the
documentary is in Chinese, the
message is global. It is especially
relevant for Indian cities where air
pollution is going from bad to worse,
and where there is a lack of
understanding of where this
pollution is coming from and what
we must to do about it.
According to the World
Health Organization, 25-30 cities in
the top 100 most polluted cities in
the world are from India. The Global
Burden of Disease assessments for
2010 estimated that 6,27,000
premature deaths in India can be
attributed to outdoor air pollution.
Of the pollution-related risks, a
substantial increase was observed in
the cases of ischemic heart disease
(which can lead to heart attacks),
cerebro-vascular disease (which can
lead to strokes), chronic obstructive
pulmonary diseases, lower
respiratory infections, and cancers
(in trachea, lungs, and bronchitis).
These estimates do not include
acute impacts such as asthma
attacks, eye irritations and other
respiratory ailments. We still do not
know and have not quantified the
long-term health impacts of air
pollution on vulnerable populations
such as children and the elderly. The
pollutant with the most impact on
health is Particulate Matter.
Particulate Matter with an
aerodynamic diameter of less than
2.5 micron-meter is especially
harmful as they are small enough to
settle inside our lungs and cause
long-term health problems. Other
pollutants are Sulfur dioxide,
Nitrogen oxides, Carbon monoxide,
and ozone.
According to the 2011 census,

by 2030, with a majority of the
population classified as urban, the
expected growth and demand in
industrial, transportation, and
domestic sectors will consequently
result in an increase in problems of
air pollution, which will spread from
the big cities to secondary and
tertiary cities. In the early 2000s,
Delhi mandated a policy to convert
auto-rickshaws, taxis and buses from
diesel to Compressed Natural Gas.
The benefits from this switch lasted
for 3-4 years, but as the number of
vehicles kept increasing, pollution
levels from the transport sector were
once again high. Such a large-scale
conversion or any such intervention
to target air pollution was not
attempted again in any other city.
Air pollution is a complicated
issue and is most often a symptom of
inadequate urban planning. Lack of
power supply leads to the use of
diesel generator sets; lack of buses
to support the public transport
demand leads to higher use of
personal vehicles; lack of
infrastructure to promote walking
and cycling leads to more motorised
transport; lack of road maintenance
and traffic management by allowing
on-road parking leads to congestion;
lack of a sufficient waste
management system leads to
garbage being left behind and often
burnt in residential areas; and lack of
paved or covered roads leads to resuspension of dust when vehicles
are passing by. The fact that air
pollution is an externality from
multiple sectors means that it needs
to be addressed by multiple
ministries that are willing to
coordinate with one another.
Technical solutions alone, like
introducing CNG or changing
standards for vehicles and industries,
will not be sufficient to control air


pollution in Indian cities. We need a
change in the institutional setup in
ways that will allow department and
ministries to work together.
As citizens, it is our right to know
the quality of air that we breathe, the
severity of pollution in the air, and
where this pollution is coming from.
There are multiple sources and there
is little that one can do as an
individual that would make an impact
on reducing emissions. Only when
the government takes the lead to
address this seriously, by mandating
policies in the context of wider social
and economic development, will we
have any real change towards
improving the quality of air. This will
not be easy as it is a complicated
issue, but we need to start
somewhere. Getting a sense of how
bad the air is through regular
monitoring, and allowing citizens to
demand action, is the first step. And
we must take that step.
National policy
for Upper Houses?
The desirability of a bicameral
legislature at the State level has been
debated since the days of the
Constituent Assembly, and recent
developments may revive the
debate. Assam and Rajasthan want to
join the small seven-member club of
States (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,
Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir,
Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar
Pradesh) with a Legislative Council in
the country and Odisha is also
examining the creation of one. A
second chamber has always been
attractive to those who believe in
widening
the
space
for
representative democracy. Its
advocates say wiser counsel from an
upper House of elders is needed to
temper the often fractious nature of
the debate in the Lower House. Also,
the second chamber helps in
accommodating more sections of

society in the process of legislation
and decision-making. Detractors,
however, contend that the Council
is nothing but a body to
accommodate various political
interests within a party, a backdoor
way into the legislature for those
who lose direct elections. Recent
experience suggests that even Chief
Ministers choose the Legislative
Council route when the option is
available. Does the fact that an upper
House exists in seven States, with
two or three more keen to join that
list, really indicate that there is merit
in having a Council?
There is little doubt that a
second chamber will be a useful
forum to play an advisory role in
legislative matters. However, the fact
remains that it can also be a tool in
the hands of those in power to
accommodate their favourites or
defeated party functionaries. Also,
there is no consensus even within
States on its necessity. In Tamil
Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam abolished the
Council in 1986, and strongly
opposes moves by its rival Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam to revive it.
Parliament has already passed
legislation to revive the chamber in
Tamil Nadu, but it is yet to be
implemented. In Andhra Pradesh,
the Telugu Desam Party government
abolished the Council in 1985, but a
Congress regime revived it in 2007.
This was why a senior member in the
UPA Cabinet cautioned the
government against supporting the
then DMK regimes proposal to
revive the Council in the absence of
a consensus. A parliamentary
committee, examining the Rajasthan
and Assam bills relating to creation
of the Legislative Council, suggested
that there should be a national policy
on having a permanent second

chamber so that a subsequent
government cannot abolish it at its
whim. This is a better way to address
the issue instead of relying on ad
hocism. While framing such a policy,
it will also have to be decided
whether the time and resources
involved in having a second
chamber is worth the while, and if
so, whether the present scheme of
giving representation to teachers and
graduates requires modification to
involve other sections.
Doubts notwithstanding
When Union Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley defended the Central
Statistical Office (CSO) strongly last
week in the Rajya Sabha, he was
essentially responding to the
incredulity with which politicians
and economists alike have in recent
times reacted to Indias reworked
growth numbers. A new
methodology, unveiled toward the
end of January by the CSO,
presented a rosier picture of the
Indian economy than previously
imagined. It, for instance, indicated
a growth in gross domestic product
of 6.9 per cent in 2013-14, quite a
jump from the 4.7 per cent
estimated earlier. Growth rates for
earlier years were upgraded too. To
be fair, a lot has changed from the
old framework, and it is no minor
tweak. One change made relates to
the base year, on which
comparisons are made. Two, there is
now an attempt to capture value
addition, rather than growth through
volumes, in the calculation of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Three, data from newer, more
sophisticated corporate databases
have been used. Four, GDP will be
measured at market prices, by
adding taxes to and reducing
69


subsidies from what used to be the
main measure till now, GDP at factor
cost. All these changes, many
experts acknowledge, are important
for Indian metrics to match
international ones. Still, there is
something discordant about the rosy
numbers, on the one hand, and the
economic lethargy on the ground, on
the other. The high growth
projection of 7.4 per cent for 201415 somehow seems out of sync with
low industrial production, poor
corporate performance and lessthan-expected tax collections.
Thats why even economists
were stumped by the extent of the
changes. In the Economic Survey,
preceding the Budget, Chief
Economic
Adviser
Arvind
Subramanian noted that the numbers
were puzzling. He cautioned
against interpreting it as evidence of
a surging economy. The controversy
also quickly acquired a political
colour, unsurprising because it did
now seem that the final years of the
government saw far healthier growth
than it was thought then. Also, the
campaign of Narendra Modi in the
run-up to the 2014 parliamentary
elections focussed a good deal on
what he called the mismanagement
of the economy. Then, there were
commentators who compared India
with China, not only on the point of
growth but also less generously on
the issue of disputed official data,
which the latter is so often accused
of fudging. It is in this context that
Mr. Jaitleys defence of the CSO
needs to be seen. Yes, it may do little
to ease the doubts of experts who
feel there are discrepancies in data.
But by calling the statistical body a
credible and independent
organisation, which needed to be
reiterated, the Finance Minister has,
at the least, sent the right political
message.
70
The nuts and bolts

of skill development
The Union Budget 2015 paved
way for the launch of a much-awaited
National Skills Mission to complement
Prime Minister Narendra Modis Skill
India and Make in India
exhortations. However, much work
needs to be done on the ground for
the government to prove that this
step is a departure from rhetoric lip
service. The magnitude of the
problem has been analysed by
numerous experts: for a country that
adds 12 million people to its
workforce every year, less than 4 per
cent have ever received any formal
training. Our workforce readiness is
one of the lowest in the world and a
large chunk of existing training
infrastructure is irrelevant to industry
needs. This is not as much due to lack
of monetary investment as it is a
predicament about grossly inefficient
execution. The government already
spends several thousand crores every
year on skill development schemes
through over 18 different Central
government Ministries and State
governments. The need of the hour
is to improve resource utilisation and
find solutions that can address the
systemic and institutional bottlenecks
constraining the sector. Keeping in
mind the revised National Skill
Development Policy due to be
announced in a few months that will
also outline the contours of the
National Skills Mission, we present an
analysis of three priority areas that the
government needs to address.
Currently, there are at least 20
different government bodies in India
running
skill
development
programmes with no synergies and
considerable duplication of work.
For instance, both the Ministry of
Labour and Employment (MoLE) and
the Ministry of Human Resource
Development (MHRD) created their
own sector skill councils last year to
identify skill development needs in

the country, even as the National Skill
Development Corporation (NSDC)
has been setting up Sector Skill
Councils since 2011. A Labour
Market Information System (LMIS)
that should have been one
centralised resource has been
developed in different forms by at
least five government agencies. The
presence of multiple stakeholders
coupled with a lack of coordinated
policies has resulted in no
standardisation of procedures or
outcomes. The government today
does not even have a unified
definition of skill. A 2013 paper of
the Institute of Applied Manpower
Research (IAMR) questioned the
basis of governments target of
skilling 500 million people by 2022
without this definition. Skill
development efforts today cover
everything from personality
development, 40-hour long
outreach
and
awareness
programmes conducted for farmers
by the Ministry of Agriculture, 3-6
month courses encouraged by the
NSDC and the National Skill
Development Agency (NSDA), as
well as two-year programmes in
Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
The Ministry of Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) was
created as the aggregator in the
sector, but the duplication of roles
and policy confusion has persisted.
Tasks allocated to MSDE in the
official gazette notification, such as
frame policies for soft skills,
computer education, and work
relating to Industrial Training
Institutes are ambiguously crafted,
and have large overlaps with the
work allocation of existing Central
ministries.
Skill development is a tricky
field for the government to channel


resources into. To justify investments,
policies must be grounded in hard
data. Scheme design parameters,
such as sector and beneficiary
targeting, curriculum, delivery
methods, etc., need to incorporate
authentic market signals. Existing skill
gap studies fail to provide agile,
actionable data and are rarely used
in scheme designs. A good first step
will be the development of a fully
functional LMIS that can provide an
accurate statistical base for
formulating and monitoring
vocational training policies and
programmes.
Technology can also play a great
role in ensuring quality of delivery at
scale. Business processes associated
with planning and delivery can be
managed better with the use of
technology, as the experience of MIS
portals developed by several
ministries show. In addition, scientific
monitoring and evaluation methods
need to be incorporated in every
programme to ensure just utilisation
of resources. While the government
itself is a large employer, the primary
focus of skill development is
essentially towards private sector
employment and entrepreneurship.
So far, private sector itself has not
geared up for the challenge. The
World Bank Enterprise Surveys 2014
reveal that the percentage of firms
offering formal training programmes
for its permanent, full-time
employees in India is just 35.9,
compared to Chinas 79.2. S.
Ramadorai, Chairman of NSDA and
NSDC, describes the situation as a
market failure where the employers
are not investing to skill employees,
and employees do not have the
ability and willingness to pay for
skilling.
It is necessary to catalyse
investments from the industry and
support candidates in raising
resources for training. This would
need a functioning credit market with
collateral guarantees for students, as

well as planned coordination with the
private sector. For any skill
development effort to succeed,
markets and industry need to play a
large role in determining courses,
curriculum and relevance. For this,
employers need to be put in the
driving seat, with the government
acting as a regulator and not the
implementer. The government has its
task cut out. What is needed is a
willingness to act, and to take the
difficult decisions that can help
realise the Skill India dream.
Afghanistan: new
entente in place?
Negotiations between the
Afghan unity government and the
Taliban appear likely, with the
Pakistan military prodding the Taliban
to agree to talks. This comes in the
wake of unprecedented concessions
by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to
Pakistan. He has, over the last few
months, acted against Tehreek-eTaliban (TTP) militants operating from
Afghan soil, provided Pakistan access
to TTP prisoners, agreed to send army
cadets to Pakistan for training, and
engaged directly with Pakistans
military. All these concessions have
come at great political risk with some
Afghan leaders expressing
disappointment with the overtures.
The relevant question to ask
then is what differentiates the current
efforts from previous ones? And what
are the chances that these talks will
even begin, leave alone succeed?
One factor is Chinas attitude. It is
increasingly wary of terrorism entering
into Xinjiang via Afghanistan and
wants Pakistan to calm the borders. It
is with this aim that China took a lead
in the Heart of Asia conference,
institutionalised the ChinaAfghanistan-Pakistan trilateral
dialogue, and played host to a twomember delegation from the
Talibans Qatar office that visited
Beijing in November 2014. The

Chinese government is also
comfortable working with President
Ghani.
Second, the Taliban position
has shifted, a change evident after
the U.S. helped establish a Taliban
presence in Qatar in January 2012.
The U.S. also gave in to some of the
Talibans demands and the UN
sanctions regime was recast. In
return, the Taliban made some
pronouncements, distancing itself
from al-Qaeda, and indicated that it
is open to a negotiated settlement.
Third, Pakistans stance has also
changed. On February 19, Pakistani
military officials revealed that the
Taliban had signalled its readiness
for talks. That this has Pakistans
backing is underscored by the news
that Akhtar Mansour, a Taliban
hardliner, who enjoys the Inter
Services Intelligences trust, will be
involved in the peace talks. For
Islamabad to allow Mansour to
negotiate marks a departure from its
earlier reluctance, given the fate of
Talibanleader Mullah Baradar, who
tried to negotiate with the Karzai
government in early 2010 and was
arrested. By the time they came
close to dialogue in 2013, Baradar
had been reduced to a near
comatose state. Uncertain road
However, the road ahead is
uncertain. A ceasefire will be the first
major hurdle and, unless the Taliban
can take all its factions on board, the
conflicting demands could be
challenging. To resolve this, it would
need to take into confidence its field
commanders and foot soldiers. A
second challenge will be to work
out a method to get past the
remaining sanctions on some of its
leading figures. A third would be
winning acceptance for powersharing. Combining the Talibans
vision of a Sharia state with the
71


existing constitution will be a
gargantuan task. The eventual test
would be to secure a signal from
Taliban leader Mullah Omar. At what
stage he will emerge, participate in a
dialogue, and be part of a powersharing arrangement are open
questions. There is even speculation
over whether he is, in fact, alive. The
ISI has succeeded in keeping the
Mullah Omar-led Quetta Shura on a
tight leash, and some reports say
Mullah Omar could be an ISI
prisoner. At the end of the day,
successful negotiations are
predicated on Pakistan being an
impartial mediator. However, this is
an uncertain premise given the
distrust over Pakistans role in earlier
talk attempts. There is also pessimism
whether Pakistan will be able to
develop a better relationship with
the new unity government in
Afghanistan, with distrust running
deep between both nations.
From an Indian perspective,
Pakistans increasing role in
Afghanistan is likely to impact Indias
economic commitments in
Afghanistan. Pakistan is likely to
block progress on the Chabahar Port
linking project in order to remain the
sole gateway to Afghanistan. Indias
plans of developing four iron-ore
blocks and building a steel plant in
Hajigak will also be threatened by
Pakistans presence. Indias limited
influence in Afghanistans political
realm means that it needs to join
hands with another major player in
the region. With the Chinese
backing Pakistan, Indias hopes lie
with Iran. The ongoing P5+1/Iran
talks and Irans integration with the
world economy hold the key to an
India-Iran joint effort in Afghanistan.
If that does not happen, Indias
options will be curtailed. India will
be keeping a close eye on the fate of
72
the dialogue between the Taliban

and Mr. Ghanis team, and Pakistans
role therein.
Disquieting injustice
The maxim justice delayed is
justice denied must seem like a
tired clich to the relatives of the 42
Muslim men who fell prey to bullets,
allegedly fired by members of the
Provincial Armed Constabulary
(PAC), and other survivors in
Hashimpura in Meerut sometime in
May 1987. The fact that it required
28 years to arrive at a court decision
in the Hashimpura massacre is itself
enough to suggest that justice has
been thoroughly denied to the
victims of the gruesome crime. On
May 22, 1987, the PAC allegedly
picked up dozens of Muslims,
mainly youth, after curfew was
imposed in Meerut city. Within days,
40 among them were found dead in
the Ganga Canal in Ghaziabad
district. It took nine years to file a
charge sheet against 19 PAC
personnel (the key individuals were
allegedly spared), four more to
arrest 16 of them in June 2000 when
they finally surrendered after years
spent in active service without being
apprehended for their alleged
crimes. In 2002, the case was
transferred to a Delhi court and it
took four years for charges to be filed
against the accused. Thirteen years
later, on March 21st, the 19 accused
were let free due to lack of sufficient
evidence and the inability of the
witnesses to identify the accused.
This travesty of justice to the
victims of the massacre is not
surprising considering the shoddiness
in the much delayed probe into it.
Lawyers appearing for the victims and
rights activists have, for a long time,
complained about the loss of
evidence that could have helped
frame the accused circumstantially.
Various police records, details

related to the arms and ammunition
used against the victims, logs, were
all reported to have been missing
after all these years since the
incident. With such a botched up
investigation by the police and a
series of apathetic governments in UP
regardless of political affiliations
doing little to secure a case for the
victims, the present outcome must
surely be a blot on the Indian judicial
process. The full judgement is not yet
out as we go to press, but the victims
have vowed to appeal to higher courts
to seek justice. The Hashimpura
massacre of Meeruts Muslims is an
example of Indias recent blighted
past when police action and
composition were known to be
communalised at least in States like
Uttar Pradesh. Since the late 1980s,
there have been many police reforms
but the record in handling communal
violence has been mixed. Clearly,
there need to be more substantive
changes in policing and the nature
of the judicial process if Indias
citizens from the minority community
are to be reassured of the secular
nature of the Indian state and the
justness of its judicial system.
Defying RTI,
undermining democracy
Six national parties in India, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the
Indian National Congress (INC), the
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the
Communist Party of India (CPI), the
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
CPM and the Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP), have refused to comply with
the Central Information Commission
(CIC) order of 2013 declaring them
as Public Authorities. On March 16,
2015, the CIC passed another order
which in effect said that it was
helpless in the matter and would not
impose penalty or enforce
compliance of its 2013 order. Earlier,
it had issued summons on three


occasions to the parties concerned
to present their arguments, all of
which were ignored. The new order
says that penalty can only be imposed
on the Public Information Officer
(PIO) and since the political parties
have not appointed them, no action
can be taken.
For two years, these national
parties have defied a law which they
themselves passed. Nor have they
sought legal remedy by appealing in
court against the earlier CIC Order
declaring them to be Public
Authorities. If such a situation is
allowed to continue, it raises
questions. For instance if a nongovernmental organisation (NGO),
company or individual defies the
law, there are legal consequences.
But if lawmakers and political parties
defy the law, what are the
consequences? Let us recall that
political parties come to power
based on the peoples mandate and
then run governments. They in turn
control peoples money, collected
in the form of taxes and natural
resources. Parties are a vital part of
democracy and are trustees of
peoples resources. Therefore, they
should be more responsible and
accountable if they break the law,
not less.
Coming to the specific issue,
there are at least two opposing
views. One says that the CIC is
indeed helpless to enforce
compliance of its order as there is a
lacuna in the law. The other point of
view is that the CIC can impose
penalties on party office-bearers in
the absence of a PIO. Earlier
Supreme Court judgments have said
that when legal powers are given, it
is implied that the power to enforce
it is also given. Else, the Act itself
ends up becoming meaningless. The
matter is very likely going to end up
in court and with a judgment that will

have far-reaching consequences.
There are a few possible
remedies. One is for political parties
to be more responsible and follow
the CIC order or have the courage to
challenge it in court. No individual
party is willing to challenge the order
since it would go against public
opinion. Another remedy is to amend
the Act to clarify the consequences
of defying a CIC order and arm the
CIC with explicit powers. A third is
for the court to give a judgment. It
will be very difficult for Parliament to
pass an amendment to exempt only
political parties from the RTI while
retaining other organisations under it.
It would be struck down as being
unconstitutional as an earlier
judgment in fact did to an
amendment to the Representation of
the People Act (RP) Act which
exempt candidates from disclosing
their assets.
If the CIC cannot enforce its
orders it means that the RTI Act is
effectively null and void. But the real
issue is not only about whether the
CIC can or cannot enforce its orders.
It is also about whether political
parties should be under the RTI.
People also ask whether companies
and NGOs should come under the
RTI. The spirit behind the Act is that
organisations that use or control
public resources need to be
accountable to the public and open
to scrutiny. The tortuous, legal red
herrings that parties use which
includes the fundamental right of
freedom of association do not in
anyway alter the fact that they control
crores of tax money when in power.
No other category of organisations has
that power. Applying this, the political
parties definitely need to be under
the RTI. Companies and NGOs do not
have the power that parties have and
often enough do not even use
taxpayer money. But they should also
accept being under the RTI in
keeping with the spirit of a modern,

open, democratic society.
If we dig deeper, the real
question is this: what are parties afraid
of? Their apparent objection that
minutes of internal meetings of a
political party that discuss party
strategy or suitability of candidates
for ticket distribution for example
cannot be made public, are excuses.
It can easily be dealt with by suitable
exemptions which are in any case
available under the existing RTI Act.
The real fear is exposure of their
finances, as some admit in private.
Their declared income does not
disclose the source of about 75 per
cent of their donations. Their
undisclosed sources of income is
anybodys guess. Parties are fighting
to keep this a secret, fighting for their
very survival as they see it. This is a
short-sighted view as the recent Delhi
elections have shown. Perhaps, voters
are changing and appreciate
transparency more than big money
campaigns. If party election
strategists can understand this or if
entrenched, vested interests within
parties can be removed, change is
possible. This can only do good to
the party in the long run. We are at a
critical point in our democracy.
Today, money plays an important role
in winning elections. If that changes,
then people become more important
than money. Let us make no mistake
about what is at stake here: real
democracy where political parties
are not mere vote gathering
machines, but are vibrant, democratic
organisations that are truly
representative of the people, by the
people and, most importantly, for the
people.
India flounders
as H1N1 spreads
The influenza A(H1N1) virus
continues to kill people in India,
although its spread is not at a
galloping pace. As on March 21, the
73


number of people affected was over
32,200, and the death toll in excess
of 1,900. The worst-affected States
are Gujarat and Rajasthan. In Gujarat,
the number of cases has crossed
6,300 and the death toll is 410. In
Rajasthan, the cases number over
6,400 and the death toll is 400. The
possibility of the actual numbers
being much more than government
data indicate cannot be ruled out.
The influenza virus circulating in the
country since last year has revealed
how ill-prepared India is in managing
and preventing the spread of an
infectious disease that could cripple
it. The Pune-based National Institute
of Virology had sequenced the
haemagglutinin (HA) protein. But it
is not known if it has completed the
sequencing of the whole genome of
the circulating virus strain; it had not
done so till the end of February 2015.
The Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare rubbished the results of a
study published on March 12 in Cell
Host & Microbe by a Massachusetts
Institute of Technology team that
claimed three mutations in the HA
protein in the 2009 pandemic virus
strain. The team found mutations in
two samples deposited last year by
India in a public database. While the
government continues to vehemently
deny new mutations in the circulating
virus, it has thus far failed to support
the claim convincingly.
A March 14, 2015 report in The
Lancet makes it abundantly clear that
India has not shared some critical
information with the World Health
Organization that would help
determine if the circulating strains
are the same as the two strains that
have shown resistance to the anti-viral
drug. We have not yet received
detailed information in regard to the
characteristics of the circulating
viruses [in India], Masato Tashiro,
Director of the WHO Collaborating
Centre for Reference and Research
on Influenza, Tokyo, told the journal.
74
The failure to share the full genome

sequence data with the WHO
reference laboratories and/or
deposit them in public databases,
severely hampers global efforts to
study the evolution of the virus. India
has no national influenza policy
either, to vaccinate doctors and
health-care workers who run the
highest risk of contracting the
infection; it only recommends
vaccination of health-care workers.
The time has come to take influenza
more seriously, especially since H1N1
and H3N1 have become seasonal
influenza. Though Indian drug
companies are capable of
manufacturing influenza vaccines to
make the country self-reliant on this
count, they have no real incentive to
do so in advance in the absence of
assured procurement by the
government. With its arsenals illequipped to prevent the spread,
India can only hope the summer heat
would rein in the infection.
Land swap: can
a deal be clinched?
While India-Bangladesh ties
have improved extensively in areas
such as trade and commerce, peopleto-people ties and security
cooperation after the Bangladesh
Awami League came to power in
Dhaka, they require more momentum.
One long-standing dispute between
the two countries is the Land
Boundary Agreement (LBA). The
contested Constitution (119th
Amendment) Bill, 2013 on resolving
the 4,096-km land boundary dispute
requires ratification from the Indian
Parliament to amend the Indian
Constitution. In December 2014, the
Bill was not tabled in Parliament due
to stiff opposition from various
quarters. The opposition had earlier
sent a notice to the Rajya Sabha
Secretariat, arguing that the Bill
would seek to change a basic
feature of the Indian Constitution
and thus go against an order by the

Supreme Court of India. The notice
pointed out that the Supreme Court
had, in a verdict 40 years ago, held
that Parliament could not make such
radical changes to the Constitution.
The Bill proposes to amend the First
Schedule of the Constitution to
exchange the disputed territories
occupied by both countries in
accordance with the 1974 bilateral
LBA, and the additional historic
agreement on demarcation of land
boundaries signed by former Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh in Dhaka
in 2011. Immediately after the LBA
was signed in 1974, the Bangladesh
Parliament ratified the agreement the
same year. Although ratification of the
LBA by the Indian Parliament could
prove to be a catalyst to improve
bilateral relations, the question is
whether Indias political leadership
is prepared to redraw the map of
India.
In 2013, the political leadership
was unable to garner the support of
many political parties, the North East
MPs forum and the West Bengal
government. In 2014, in a drastic Uturn that has paved the way for
implementation of the LBA, the ruling
Trinamool Congress in West Bengal
vouched its support for the solution
of the enclave problem and seal the
land swap deal. The notion of
cooperative and competitive
federalism is being discussed in the
context of bringing the interests of
the States on board with national
interests. The Parliamentary Standing
Committee on External Affairs tabled
its report, recommending a
Constitution Amendment Bill to
enable the LBA. Despite opposition
from various groups in Assam, the
current government is set to ratify the
LBA to help curb illegal migration.
The impending visit of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to Dhaka will bring
closure to the issue of the LBA as well
as the Teesta water sharing


agreement. The passage of the
amendment will give India an
unprecedented advantage of a
secure boundary and will enable it
to curb illegal migration, smuggling
and other criminal activities. Those
living in Bangladeshi enclaves in India
would be granted Indian citizenship
under Section 7 of the Indian
Citizenship Act, 1955 (as applicable
to populations residing in territories
incorporated into India). The
amendment will also help settle
border disputes at several points in
Tripura, Assam, Mizoram and
Meghalaya besides West Bengal. The
LBA concerns swapping of land from
Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and West
Bengal with land in Dhaka, Khulna,
Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet and
Chittagong in Bangladesh. Enclaves
on both sides of the border are
landlocked; hence, Indians living in
Bangladesh enclaves cannot travel to
India and vice versa. The LBA
envisages a notional transfer of 111
Indian enclaves to Bangladesh
whereas Dhaka will transfer 51
enclaves to India. According to the
agreement, the 37,334 residents of
Indias enclaves within Bangladesh
will become Bangladeshis after the
land swap, while the 14,215 people
in Bangladeshs enclaves will
become Indians. Residents of the
enclaves, who have so far remained
effectively stateless, will receive all
citizenship rights from their
respective countries. Despite these
positive outcomes that will arise from
the amendment, there has been stiff
opposition in Parliament. With
uncertainty looming over the transfer
of enclaves, its residents have
decided to approach the courts over
violation of their fundamental rights.
Apprehensions regarding the
Bill have also sprung up from various
quarters in the northeastern States
including the Coordination
Committee on International Border
and a conglomerate of organisations
including the Khasi Students Union,

Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo
People, the Hynniewtrep National
Youth Front and the village councils
falling under the Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
They allege that the major chunk of
tribal land from Meghalaya almost
559.7 acres would be swapped
to gain a mere 52.15 acres from
Bangladesh. In Assam, the Asom
Gana Parishad has been canvassing
support to prevent the Bill from
being tabled. Assams politics with
Bangladesh dates back to the 1985
Assam Accord, according to which
immigrants from Bangladesh are not
allowed to be deported from Assam.
Other States such as Tripura and
Mizoram face a similar problem. In the
82nd border conference held in
August 2013, both the Survey of
Indias Kolkata-based director (incharge of eastern Indian States), N.R.
Biswal, and the Director General of
Bangladesh land records and survey
directorate, Abdul Mannan, agreed
that it is vital to approve and ratify
this amendment to solve the longstanding land dispute. Bangladesh
and India have disputed areas at 25
locations along the boundary, with 23
of them having been resolved in the
last four years. The two unsettled
areas Muhurichar and Chandan
Nagar are in Tripura. Among
Indias priorities are improving access
to its underdeveloped and volatile
northeastern States, reaching
advantageous water sharing
agreements, and increasing
connectivity with South-East Asia as
part of New Delhis Look East Policy.
All these will be difficult to achieve
without Bangladeshs support.
Resolving the border crisis would
grease the wheels for future
cooperation, development, and
trade in the region.
Bangladesh and India have
been trying to solve the crisis
concerning land and water over the
past three decades. In addition to

opposing the LBA, India has not been
able to operationalise the Teesta
water sharing treaty with Bangladesh.
It has realised that these two setbacks
in relations with Bangladesh will have
ramifications for the Bangladesh
government and will damage Indias
short and long-term national and
security interests. Last year, policy
paralysis took a toll on the economic
front; the governments inability to
seal this landmark legislation also
damaged foreign policy/economic
diplomacy. The Indian government
needs to work at making bilateral ties
with countries such as Bangladesh
irreversible, else it will be unable to
solve this trust deficit.
Indias Oscars?
They may come with the
ecumenical name of National
Awards, but every time the
announcement arrives, it becomes an
occasion for parochial chestthumping. Tamil cinema gets 8
National Awards, say Tamil Nadubased newspapers and websites.
Publications based in the north,
meanwhile, trumpet the many wins
of Haider and Queen, adding almost
as an afterthought that one of the most
prestigious and major awards for
Best Actor has gone to Vijay for
the Kannada film Nanu Avanalla,
Avalu. What purpose, then, do these
awards serve, if not to alert us of the
best of Indian cinema, make us care
about not just what our State has
made and won but what other States
are making? What difference then
exists between the National Awards
and the awards routinely handed out
by the various States, for local films
and local talent? This question crops
up every year, and there are no easy
answers. Recognising the best in art
is in the best of circumstances a most
subjective endeavour. Imagine the
plight of the jury members then if they
have to ensure that these awards are
75


handed out equitably, with no
semblance of partiality. Even the
announcement of the Dadasaheb
Phalke award is not free from
controversy. As beloved as Shashi
Kapoor is, one wonders if there are
not others more worthy, who have
done more for the cause of Indian
cinema.
And yet, this imperfect
system, it must be said, is the only
one in the country that honours both
popular cinema and the more niche
cinema. Some directors have raised
objections over this, claiming that
popular cinema has its awards
anyway, and that the National
Awards being the nations
biggest honour for cinema should
only be for serious cinema. But
given the size of our popular cinema,
these recognitions matter. They spur
at least some film-makers to make
better-quality films for the masses,
and if the general film-viewing
culture is to improve, then it has to be
through films that are viewed by the
most numbers, not by a cine-literate
few. And thats why the recognitions
to popular films such as Queen,
Haider and Jigarthanda matter. In a
way, this is the principle the Oscars
adhere to, recognising not just the
art-house creations but also the
blockbusters. Even if one is making a
movie for the masses, theres
something about the imprimatur of a
prestigious awards body that makes
one want to make better movies for
the masses. That, really, may be the
lasting legacy of the National Awards.
An embarrassing stance
Earlier this week, India voted
alongside China, Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan in favour of a Russian
resolution limiting benefits to samesex couples. United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, an
outspoken defender of the rights of
76
sexual minorities, had extended

benefits available to spouses of UN
employees to same-sex couples.
Russia moved a resolution that would
allow national law to override this
extension, and India supported it; the
resolution was, however, defeated.
On this occasion officials have been
at pains to stress that the issue was
one of sovereignty, not of gay rights.
This is hard to believe; in September
2014, India was one of the few
countries to abstain from a historic
vote on violence and discrimination
against sexual minorities. Highlighting
Indias increasingly embarrassing
isolation on an issue on which there
is global consensus, that of the
universality of sexual rights, the
resolution was adopted. Globally,
India is now in the minority, one of
only 76 countries that criminalise
same-sex relationships. Indias votes
at the UN are in line with its domestic
laws, since the colonial-era Section
377 of the Indian Penal Code
criminalising unnatural sex which
has been interpreted to cover
consensual homosexual relationships
remains on Indias statute books.
A plea that detailed police
harassment of homosexuals and the
challenges to HIV prevention that the
ghettoisation of gay men posed
cleared the Delhi High Court hurdle
but not the Supreme Court. Review
petitions have failed; only a curative
petition is before the Supreme Court.
The apex court can and does
come to the rescue of citizens faced
with unconstitutional laws and
policies, but the ultimate blame for
Indias retrograde stand on
homosexuality must lie with its
elected representatives, who could
have acted to strike off Section 377
from the statute books. Gay rights are
human rights and India cannot
pretend to be a democracy when it
refuses to recognise the existence
and choices of a significant minority
of its population. Indian law has been
marked by its commitment to full

safeguards against the trampling by
majority groups of the rights of
minority social groups. The natural
progression of a democracys
expanding definition of freedoms
must be reflected in its recognition
of sexual minorities, as most of the
world has already done. That the
United Progressive Alliance could not
find the moral courage to set right this
historical wrong should not stop the
National Democratic Alliance from
writing a new future. The new
government appears to care deeply
about how it is perceived overseas.
It should then recognise that its
regressive stance on gay rights would
militate against its aspirations to be
seen as a modernising society.
Indias unrealised
maternity entitlement
The latest official figures
indicate that India is well short of
meeting
the
Millennium
Development Goals that pledged to
reduce the countrys maternal
mortality ratio (MMR) by three
quarters and the infant mortality rate
(IMR) by two-thirds. The Sample
Registration System (SRS), 2013,
records MMR at 167 per 1,00,000 live
births and IMR at 40 per 1,000 live
births with a majority of these infants
dying within seven days of birth.
Indias high MMR and IMR are
partly due to delayed diagnosis and
limited access to health care.
Additionally, rest during or after
pregnancy is not an option for most
women who are unorganised
workers. According to the District
Level Household Survey 3, nearly a
quarter of women in India do not
receive any antenatal care and over
50 per cent do not receive any
postnatal care for up to two weeks.
In 2010, the Ministry of Women and
Child Development (MWCD)
launched the Indira Gandhi Matritva


Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) to address
this critical situation. Leveraging the
Integrated Child Development
Schemes (ICDS) platform, the
programme was piloted in 53
districts across the country. The
IGMSY provides partial wage
compensation to pregnant and
lactating women in order to promote
rest and healthy feeding practices, as
well as increase utilisation of
healthcare services. Under the
scheme, all pregnant women of 19
years and above, except those
employed by the government
(Central or State) or Public Sector
Undertakings, for the first two live
births were entitled to Rs. 4,000 per
live birth, in three instalments. The
scheme is conditional on timely
registration, complete vaccination,
attending counselling sessions and
exclusive breastfeeding of the child.
In September 2013, the IGMSY cash
incentive was increased from Rs.
4,000 to Rs. 6,000 to comply with the
minimum maternity entitlement
provision of the National Food
Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
Additionally the payment timeline
was revised to two instalments of Rs.
3,000. However, the coverage and
conditions were unaltered.
Implementation of the IGMSY
has been neglected since its launch.
Official data show that between the
years 2010 and 2013, approximately
only 28 per cent of the targeted
beneficiaries were covered. At the
end of 2014, the MWCD announced
a proposed scale up of the IGMSY to
200 additional high burden districts
in 2015-16. Though this expansion
did not comply with the NFSAs
mandate of maternal entitlements for
the entire country, the willingness of
the government to increase coverage
of the IGMSY was seen by civil society
as a step in the right direction.
However, the governments lack of
commitment to expansion of the

IGMSY is betrayed through this years
budget allocation of Rs. 438 crore,
an increase of Rs. 80 crore from 201415. Given the absence of CentreState cost sharing, this increased
allocation of approximately one-fifth
of last years budget is
disproportionate to the proposed
expansion of nearly four times the
current coverage. This indicates the
governments decision to not scale
up the IGMSY, which is a clear
violation of the NFSA.
Under the IGMSY, cash is only
deposited into an account. Opening
and accessing accounts is often
expensive and time consuming
because banks and post offices are
often far from villages. In Madhya
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, banks and
post offices were situated as far as
17-30 kilometres a difficult terrain
to traverse in some areas and
some of them are inefficient. IGMSY
guidelines specify that the accounts
should have to be zero-balance nofrill accounts. However, no woman
reported having such an account.
Initial deposits demanded from
them ranged from Rs. 50-200 in post
offices and Rs. 500-1,000 in banks.
Such
costs
disincentivise
participation in the programme. The
IGMSY guidelines recommend
creation of State and district
implementation cells. These cells
were either absent or not fully
staffed at the time of the study. This
failure combined with no provisions
for block-level cells, and frequent
transfer of officials, negatively
impacts IGMSY implementation,
monitoring and quality recordkeeping. The study also revealed
that no system of IGMSY-related
complaint filing, time-bound
investigation or appeals system exists
in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Despite various issues
plaguing the IGMSY, there is

significant scope to improve
implementation and effectiveness of
the programme through compliance
with the guidelines. Instead of
focussing on the existing gaps, the
MWCD around September 2014
proposed limiting the IGMSY to
Antyodaya Anna Yojana and priority
households i.e., the eligibility criteria
for the Public Distribution System
(PDS) under the NFSA. This
proposal fails to account for the fact
that maternal and child health is not
merely an economic issue. It is as
much a matter of improper
practices, misinformation regarding
care and delayed diagnosis. For this
reason, having initial eligibility
criteria that are largely economic are
inadequate.
Additionally,
identification of beneficiaries for the
PDS has been shrouded in
conversations on digitisation and
delayed verification of the Socio
Economic and Caste Census,
resulting in only 11 States
implementing the NFSA till date.
There is a real danger of these delays
being extended to the IGMSY.
Towards safer skies
The Germanwings Airbus
A320 crash in the French Alps that
killed 150 people including the copilot who was responsible for it,
raises a difficult question for the
aviation industry: can it determine
with finality that a pilot is fit in all
respects before a flight? Despite the
rigorous physical and psychological
testing processes in place, that may
not be possible. Civil aviation is
among the most regulated sectors
because of the risks that flying entails
for everyone the passengers,
crew and people on the ground. The
revelation that Andreas Lubitz, the
co-pilot of the Germanwings aircraft,
77


had mental health issues that he
concealed from his employer raises
disturbing questions. It underscores
the fragility of the human factor
which is truly the critical element in
the rigorous processes required for
aviation. The Lubitz issue showed
that the annual medical examination
of pilots done under strict European
Union regulations can fail to identify
psychological problems such as
depression. Significantly, last years
mysterious Malaysia Airlines MH 370
disappearance also involved a
captain who may have been
disturbed. Had the EU a twoperson cockpit rule such as in the
U.S., which requires two crew
members to be present in the
cockpit always, this act of mass
murder could have been stopped.
The EU and the European Aviation
Safety Agency are now considering
the introduction of a similar rule.
Flight safety has so far
focussed on threats from the
passenger side, and the 9/11 terror
episode led to fortification of the
cockpit.
In
exceptional
circumstances, such as an
emergency affecting the pilot and
the cockpit area, the crew can use a
code that opens the cockpit door
briefly, or it even opens
automatically if the pilots are
immobilised due to depressurisation.
But if they are in a position to act,
pilots can override this mechanism.
The crash in the Alps has launched
the search for a solution to this
problem, of accessing the cockpit
from outside, if the plane has been
commandeered from within. The
quest now includes a technological
solution one that enhances
ground control of aircraft features,
including the cabin door, remotely.
On the human factor aspect that
cannot be overemphasised, the
78
solution lies partly in destigmatising

mental health issues. This is
particularly relevant to the presentday workplace, where the emphasis
is on productivity. Stress and aviation
do not go together, and pilot
recruitment tests are designed to
exclude those who crack under
pressure. Preliminary evidence
shows that Andreas Lubitz was
indeed stressed, and that in spite of
medical advice pursued his deadly
course. It is tragic that a failure to
factor in the possibility of human
errors has led to tragedies of this
proportion in the skies.
The war in Yemen
Yet another Arab nation faces
a humanitarian crisis following
military conflict, as the localised war
between various forces in Yemen
has taken on a regional dimension.
After the besieged Yemeni
government requested help, the Gulf
Cooperation Council, led by Saudi
Arabia, launched air attacks against
Houthi rebel positions in Yemen on
March 26. The Saudis have
deployed a large force with help
from Arab countries such as Egypt
and Jordan and others such as
Pakistan and Sudan. This military
action without UN sanction has
also involved logistical help from the
United States. The ostensible reason
for the Saudi intervention is to
temper the rising Iranian influence in
its immediate neighbourhood. The
U.S. involvement which seems to
have bipartisan support in the U.S.
polity is more of a reflexive
reaction to register support for its
Saudi allies and for the besieged
transitional government in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and its allies who have
joined the effort allege that the
Houthis are being funded and armed
by Iran.
The Houthis are a Zaidi Shia

group that had participated in
uprisings against former Yemeni
President and long-time ruler
Abdullah Saleh and who had felt left
out from the transitional government
that followed Salehs rule. It is the
failure of the transitional government
which was set up with help from
the Gulf Cooperation Council in
2012 to accommodate the
Houthis interests that fuelled the
insurgency. The Houthis have a large
degree of control over many areas of
northwestern Yemen, including over
the capital, Sanaa. The Houthi-led
insurgency is not the only military
conflict raging in Yemen. The alQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP) leads another insurgency in
the southeast along with the Ansar
al-Sharia; this one is a Sunni Islamist
rebellion. The regional intervention
against the Houthis is bound to
strengthen the AQAP. The inability of
the ineffectual transitional
government to effectively govern a
nation that has steadily been divided
on sectarian lines, and the
weakening of the economy, have
helped the various insurgent forces
strengthen themselves. The Houthi
forces consolidation in the south
could have presented an
opportunity for a new, more inclusive
and legitimate government following
a ceasefire, but that option is now
ruled out as the conflict has been
effectively regionalised with the
Saudi intervention. Yemen
increasingly appears to be heading
towards Syrias fate a nation torn
asunder into enclaves controlled by
sectarian and fundamentalist groups
and constantly at war among one
another. What started as yet another
promising chapter of the Arab
Spring has now taken a turn that
follows events elsewhere in the


region regression into a harsh
Arab Winter.
The West and its
flawed anti-IS strategy
For those who say this is a
justified attack to support a
legitimate ruler, stop, think and
rewind to 2012-2013, when the
Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad,
faced the most difficult pressure
from armed Free Syrian Army fighters
and Jabhat Al-Nasrah rebels (IS took
control later). What would have
been the Western reaction had Iran
sent jets into Aleppo, Homs and
Hama to back its ally, Mr. Assad?
Wouldnt these countries have set
up a counter-attack within 24 hours,
or at least convened the UN Security
Council for a Right to Protect (R2P)
mandate to do so?
The rank duality in dealing
with the situation in Yemen is not just
the subject of some hand-wringing;
it is the single largest reason why the
war against IS and even its successor
organisations will be unwinnable for
these countries. Despite 3,000 air
strikes by a United States-led
coalition of 62 countries that began
operations last August to counter IS,
IS continues to control more than an
estimated 55,000 square kilometres
of area in Iraq and Syria. That IS is an
evil terror group displaying
unprecedented brutality is
undoubtable. That it is a threat to
every country in the world should
be obvious from the way the group
has targeted every nationality:
beheading American, British,
Japanese and Egyptian citizens alike,
burning alive a Jordanian national,
and broadcasting its terror
worldwide in the most bestial way.
It poses the biggest threat to the
next generation as well, recruiting a
record number of child soldiers, and
training children as young as five to

kill. If the coalition, which represents
nearly a third of the world, which has
the resolve, the firepower, and the
experience of fighting terror groups
in every part of the world, is unable
to counter such a group, deep and
searching questions must be asked
about why that is.
To begin with, there is a basic
problem of logistics. Despite the
most sophisticated drones and
surveillance of the region, an air
strike on an IS target is ineffective
without an accompanying ground
force in place. Even if the U.S. and
its coalition are able to strengthen
Iraqi armed forces to conduct
ground operations, it is meaningless
until they are also able to enlist Syrian
armed forces to launch a pincer-like
action on the group that straddles
both countries. Without the ground
forces, all victories over IS territory
are, essentially, pyrrhic. This was
evident in the Syrian town of
Kobane along the Turkish border
where the U.S. Alliance drove IS out
in September 2014 after two weeks
of sustained bombing and 600
strikes. As journalists were allowed
into the city, their cameras bore out
the tragic truth: all that was left of IScontrolled areas was a vast
wasteland. The reason that the U.S.
coalition has been unable to engage
the Syrian regime for help on the
ground is of course the reason why it
ignored the rise of IS in the first
place. The Wests preoccupation
with the removal of Mr. Assad and
the funding and arming of the
groups that opposed him since
2011 led to complete surprise at the
rapidity with which IS fighters have
taken over Syrian and Iraqi towns. In
October last year, U.S. President
Barack Obama finally conceded that
underestimating ISs rise had been a
major intelligence failure. But it

was more than that. It was the
determined effort to ensure that
Assad must go that led the Western
and West Asian countries ranged
against Mr. Assad to ignore his
warnings about the nature of the
fighters his army was battling. As a
result, and in another example of the
double standard, the 62-member
coalition now routinely bombs areas
that it wanted to stop Mr. Assads
forces from bombing.
The other flaw with the Wests
strategy is the pursuance of regime
change, focussed on one leader as
the single purpose of its wars in West
Asia. Recent history should have
taught the U.S., the U.K. and others
that the removal of Saddam Hussein
and Muammar Qadhafi havent been
the end of the conflict; they have
merely marked the beginning of a
more diabolical and deadly version
of the conflict. Hanging Saddam and
lynching Qadhafi hasnt led to
peace in Iraq and Libya, nor would
the possible ouster of Mr. Assad do
that. Instead, it has led to an erosion
of what were once secular
regimes, where minorities and
women enjoyed a higher position
than they do in other countries of the
Arab world. Another blunder has
been the misreading of the Arab
Spring by the West. While many of
the crowds that poured into Arab
capitals, from Tunis to Damascus
and Sanaa, demanded democracy
and positive change, many just
wanted regime change. Democracy
is better effected through the ballot
box than it is through the crowding
of main squares, which is a powerful
image,
but
a
misleading
representation of the peoples will.
We no longer refer to it as the Arab
Spring, admitted a senior NATO
military official at the Brussels
79


Forum conference last week, where
trans-Atlantic discussions on IS were
held. It is now seen as the Arab
uprising instead, he concluded.
Interestingly, the countries in the
West that rejoiced at the thought of
democracy in the countries of the
so-called Spring missed the most
significant point: all the countries
that saw their leadership change
Egypt, Syria, Libya, Yemen were
republics, whereas none of the eight
monarchies Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, the Emirates,
Jordan and Morocco were
destabilised.
Finally, there is a need for
introspection inside Europe, the
U.S., and even Australia, which have
seen growing numbers of their
citizens get through Turkey to join IS.
While the brutality of the Assad
regime and economic distress in the
region have been blamed for the
thousands of Arab youth taking up
arms for IS, what explains the
hundreds of citizens joining it from
the U.K., France and the U.S.?
According to the U.S. National
Counterterrorism Center, 3,400 of the
20,000 IS foreign fighters are from
Western countries. Why are British
and French girls becoming jihadi
brides, schoolboys and young
doctors learning to kill, and teenage
Americans travelling all the way just
to join IS ranks? Could it be that in
the early years of a push for regime
change and sanctions against Syria,
Western governments themselves
promoted the propaganda against
Mr. Assads government, allowing
many of their Muslim citizens to think
they had not just religious but
national sanction to join the war?
Significantly, some of the Wests
actions are now being rethought.
While concluding another round of
P5+1 talks with Iran in the Swiss
80
town of Lausanne last week, the U.S.

Secretary of State, John Kerry,
suggested that the U.S. is now open
to talks with Mr. Assad if need be. If
he is ready to have a serious
negotiation
about
the
implementation of Geneva I (2012
agreement), of course, he said.
What were pushing for is to get him
to come and do that, he added, in
an interview to CBS. But talks will
only solve part of the problem in
West Asia. If the West genuinely
wants to fight terror and promote a
peaceful future for the region, it will
also have to confront its selective
silence and dual standard on the
serious challenges that threaten the
region today.
Governors and guidelines
In the initial rounds of
appointment of Governors, the
choices were largely unexceptional
and fell on persons who served the
country with distinction in one walk
of life or the other. Even so, a major
proportion of these appointments
went to veterans of the political
party in office at the Centre, thereby
inviting the sly comment that the
office of the Governor was being
used to put retiring politicians to
pasture. From the 1970s, the
selections became increasingly
vulnerable to criticism on grounds of
political partisanship, favouritism,
patronage and cronyism. The misuse
of the office of the Governor for
political purposes started as early as
in 1952, when the Governor of
Madras took it upon himself the task
of frustrating the prospect of a
government dominated by the
Communist Party of India. He
persuaded the Prime Minister to
agree to his proposal of nominating
the would-be Chief Minister to the
Legislative Council and proceeded
accordingly to install a Congress

government in office. Then came
1957, when the Communist
government in Kerala was deposed
by invoking Article 356 (Presidents
Rule).
In the absence of clearly laid
down criteria for selection, the
process of appointment of
Governors has been from the
beginning, political, and rightly so,
because of the political nature of the
office. The quest is not for the best
person available for the post. The
test is whether the person chosen
has a public record that is without
blemish and above reproach.
Necessarily, he or she has to be one
known to the powers who are
responsible for the choice, and
acceptable to them, as also the State
government which is in office in the
particular State. The recent Supreme
Court verdict on the appointment of
Governors does not impose any
restrictions on the governments
choice of Governors. It only cautions
that the pleasure of the President
cannot be withdrawn on grounds of
political incompatibility or any
arbitrary grounds. It does not
provide any pre-emptive relief, but
only asserts the jurisdiction of the
court to look into the matter postfacto if the aggrieved were to
approach the court.
The office of the Governor is not
employment under government.
Thus, the Constitution has no bar on
retired judges of High Courts or the
Supreme Court being appointed as
Governors. The only constitutional
restriction on them relates to their
practising law after retirement. As it
is, they are being appointed to
positions that have the character of
employment under the government.
By a 1969 Act of Parliament, the Chief
Justice of India is designated to act
as President of India in the event of


vacancies arising in both the offices
of the President and Vice-President
simultaneously. There has also been
the convention of Chief Justices of
High Courts filling casual vacancies
of Governors. Where it was intended
that constitutional functionaries
should not accept employment under
the government after retirement, the
Constitution stated so explicitly. It is
for Parliament to decide if superior
judges should be excluded from
consideration for appointment to any
office, as it is for individual judges to
decide if it is consistent with their
dignity and self-respect to occupy
such office.
Finally, a poser on the transfer
of Governors within the prescribed
five-year tenure. Article 156(3) of the
Constitution does not contemplate
such transfers unlike Article 217(1)
(proviso 3), which provides for
transfers of High Court judges
including Chief Justices. Therefore,
is it constitutional to transfer a
Governor from one State to another
for the remainder of the five-year term
instead of a fresh five-year tenure?
That is a legal conundrum.
Land Acquisition Bill:
Missing the big, bleak picture
Though farmers are anxious
about the Land Acquisition Bill, this
does not seem to be their biggest
worry, as only a very small proportion
of farmers in the survey (less than five
per cent) especially those who
want money to get their sons
educated or daughters married
buy and sell land. While the question
of farmers consent in land
acquisition by the government is an
important issue, there is little focus
today on the very state of agriculture.
It is therefore imperative to seek the
opinions of farmers on this. Most
conversations with farmers reveal
how income returns are very low,
irrigation facilities are inadequate
and supporting infrastructure is

largely absent or of poor quality.
What adds to the problem is the
unpredictable weather and the
dependence on monsoons even to
this day. Besides, crops also get
destroyed either by drought or by
floods. It is no wonder that the
survey indicates that more than onefifth (22 per cent) of the farmers
have begun to dislike farming.
The reasons for the farmers
increasing apathy towards their
profession are not too difficult to
understand. Close to half the
respondents in the survey (47 per
cent) believed that their overall
condition was bad. More than six
out of 10 farmers (62 per cent) were
willing to leave farming if they found
jobs in the city. More than one-third
(37 per cent) said they would not
like their children to be farmers. But
it is important to note that their
disillusionment is driven largely by
economic considerations, and not a
dislike for their occupation. The
need to reduce disguised
unemployment in the sector by
promoting alternative jobs or
businesses does not negate the need
for government action to revive
agriculture. The sector has and will
continue for many years to have the
highest share in the countrys
employment. A prosperous
agricultural sector is absolutely
essential for maintaining food
security, and the government needs
to actively address some of the
emerging problems. There is no lack
of schemes for the farmer the
National Food Security Mission, the
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and the
Gramin Bhandaran Yojana, to name
just a few. The need is to improve
the delivery of these rather than to
initiate new ones. Even Prime
Minister Narendra Modi recognised
this when he said in a recent speech

that farmers hardly benefit from
government schemes. The survey
indicates that most farmers dont
benefit from them. The proportion of
farmers who have benefited was less
than one-tenth for each of these
schemes.
The scarcity of financial
resources for farming is another major
issue. Unsurprisingly, the study
indicated that one-third of the
farmers had taken a loan in the last
five years for meeting personal or
farming needs. For non-farming
purposes, most of them had to
depend on either friends or
moneylenders. Although more than
half the farmers surveyed had heard
about the Kisan Credit Card and the
governments much-publicised loan
waiver project, its actual impact was
quite limited. Only 15 per cent had a
Kisan Credit Card, while one-tenth
had actually benefited from the loan
waiver. The proportion for the latter
was higher among the big farmers (21
per cent) and much lower among
marginal farmers (6 per cent.) We
know that access to cheap credit
from formal sources for both farming
and personal purposes is key to rural
development. The lack of expert
advice is another nagging issue. Even
as new kinds of seeds, fertilizers or
farming techniques become
common, large numbers of farmers
continue to rely on their own
knowledge and experience or what
they learn from word of mouth. Only
15 per cent said that they take
information or help from agriculture
department officers or other experts.
Thus, for instance, large numbers of
the farmers surveyed had never heard
of crop insurance, with 67 per cent
having never insured their crop. Thus,
in the event of a flood or drought,
they have no means to recover even
a portion of their losses. In the survey,
81


70 per cent of the farmers said that
crops were destroyed in their area at
least once in the last three years. The
main reasons were drought, floods or
unseasonal rains.
It is clear that adequate
irrigation facilities remain one of the
foremost concerns. Less than onethird (28 per cent) of those
surveyed said that public projects
such as canals and wells had been
undertaken by the government in
their area in the last 10 to 15 years.
One hopes that the newly launched
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana
will kick-start the process of
improving irrigation facilities. It is not
surprising that farmers blame both
the State and the Central
governments for the massive
systemic failure to address their
concerns. The high level of
dissatisfaction among farmers cannot
be considered as an excuse for
promoting other sectors at the cost
of agriculture. Reviving the rural
economy should be a major
challenge for the Modi government.
Mr. Modi spoke of some critical
concerns of farmers in his speech,
but the real test is whether his
government will walk the talk. If the
BJP hopes to retain the support it
received in rural India in 2014, the
government must ensure that it is
able to take the concerns of Bharat
on board even as he harps on the
India growth story.
Breakthrough on Iran
The joint comprehensive plan
of action (JCPOA) on Irans nuclear
programme announced by Iran and
the EU 3+3 (the United Kingdom,
France, Germany along with China,
Russia and the United States) in
Lausanne, Switzerland, is a significant
breakthrough that will have longlasting implications globally. The
possible reward for Irans promised
82
steps, namely ramping down its

uranium enrichment capabilities and
stockpiles of enriched uranium,
reducing the number of centrifuges,
allowing for thorough inspections by
the International Atomic Energy
Agency and giving up nuclear
reprocessing is the lifting of the tough
sanctions regime against the country.
That the 18-month-long negotiations
between the various parties finally
bore fruit had much to do with the
fact that Irans current regime is
headed by a pragmatist in President
Hassan Rouhani who was elected in
2013 on the premise of bringing
about an entente with the West,
among others. The determination of
U.S. President Barack Obama to
reverse the rigid stance of his more
conservative predecessor, George W.
Bush, over repairing ties with Iran and
bringing about an agreement over the
latters nuclear programme had also
helped. Mr. Obama managed to
overcome the stiff opposition to the
deal from the right-wing Republican
Party in the U.S., which had become
politically stronger over the past year.
Iran has always maintained that
its nuclear programme was meant
only for peaceful purposes and that
as a signatory to the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty, it was entitled to
enrichment of uranium for energy
generation. But the unrelenting
pressure from the West in the past
decade, including recurring talk of
open hostility from the U.S. and Israel,
had led to defiance from the
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad-led regime.
Iran went on to expand its nuclear
programme by furthering enrichment
capabilities and building clandestine
nuclear facilities. These actions had
invited sanctions from not only the
U.S. and the EU, but the UN as well,
which had hurt Iran economically
and also made it difficult for countries
such as India to engage in trade with
the country. Indias imports from Iran
particularly petroleum products
had been severely curtailed due to

the sanctions. The nuclear agreement
with Iran should also help ease the
long-standing hostile ties between
the U.S. and Iran eventually helping
to change at least some equations in
the conflict-ridden West Asian region.
Can Irans changed relationship with
the U.S. persuade Saudi Arabia and
other Arab countries to bring a halt
to the Sunni-Shia hostilities that have
threatened to destabilise the region?
The possibilities following this
breakthrough are indeed high.
The importance
of net neutrality
Should the Internet be
touched? Thats one way to
summarise the twenty questions the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (TRAI) has asked the public in
a recent consultation paper. Most
questions pertain to whether the
hitherto unregulated over-the-top
services, typically apps such as
Skype and Facebook that ride on
telecom networks, need regulation.
Views have also been sought
regarding net neutrality, the
principle of data equality that has
over the years ensured the Internet
remained a level playing ground.
TRAI will eventually take a call on
whether India has to change its
approach to Internet regulation. But
isnt the Internet perfect the way it
is? Apparently not. At least that is
what telecom companies believe.
After spending billions of dollars in
setting up infrastructure and
bringing themselves under
regulatory scrutiny, telecom
companies cant bear the fact that
numerous applications ride on their
networks for free. Some of the apps
have millions of subscribers and
command valuations of billions of
dollars. Some like Skype and
WhatsApp compete head on with


the voice and messaging offerings
of the telcos, who to be fair also
need money to invest in building
networks. Still, whats not to be
forgotten is that the telcos do
benefit from the apps that
piggyback on them. More app usage
means more data consumed and
more money inflow. Whether telcos
are really aggrieved or not is
debatable.
Even if they are, violating the
core principle governing the Internet
will be a disastrous way of delivering
justice. For, the licence to violate net
neutrality will mean telcos could now
be in a position to ensure some sites
are served faster than others. It could
also mean it becomes costlier to use
certain
applications.
Most
importantly, it could endanger the
very feature of the Internet that has
over the years made it possible for
countless start-ups, right from the
Googles to the Flipkarts, to dream
and act big. Its well acknowledged
that the Internet has disrupted the
world of business like no other
technology has in recent decades. It
has helped start-ups with hardly any
capital and clout to still make a mark.
So by rejecting net neutrality, which
will enable telcos to play the
gatekeeper to a valuable resource,
we will be shutting the door on the
entrepreneurial aspirations of
millions. Thats because the only way
for them to compete with the big
moneyed Internet players would be
to match their spends to make the
Internet work for them. The absence
of net neutrality will definitely
benefit the telcos while at the same
time harming the market by
unleashing monopolistic tendencies.
Telcos dont want to be dumb pipes
that agnostically transfer data. The
cost of their ambition will be the loss
of the Internets openness.
A Persian hand
shake with promise
The signing of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action
regarding Irans Nuclear Programme
last week, between Iran and P5+1, is
the first definitive step on a road that
will be long and tortuous but carries
profound implications for the West
Asian region as a whole. It initiates a
thaw in regional political equations
that have remained frozen since the
1979 Islamic Revolution when
relations between the United States
and Iran ruptured. During the last 18
months, it had become clear that
within the P5+1, the principal
negotiator was the U.S. and it
sometimes faced difficulties in
keeping its Western partners in line.
In 2003-04, the E-3 (the United
Kingdom, France and Germany) had
come close to a deal that would have
constrained
Irans
nuclear
programme earlier, but it could not
materialise because the U.S. was not
at the table. Both Saudi Arabia and
Israel, key U.S. allies in the region are
upset and tried to scuttle the deal,
but the Obama administration was
resolute in pursuing the negotiations.
On March 3, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the
U.S. Congress in an unprecedented
example of political theatre to
criticise the deal even as he faced an
uncertain re-election in his country a
fortnight later.
The U.S. kept the Saudi
leadership briefed about the
negotiations
but
Saudi
apprehensions remain. Hints have
been dropped that Saudi Arabia
and possibly other Sunni majority
states such as Egypt and Turkey
will demand the same rights of
accessing and retaining uranium
enrichment technology as provided
to Iran, a suggestion that makes the
Western non-proliferation lobby
highly nervous. It is no secret that the
Pakistani nuclear programme was
funded with generous Saudi support

and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharifs recent visit to that country
promptly led to speculation that
Pakistan was being told that the time
was coming when it may have to make
good on its nuclear debts.
Mr. Obamas consistent position
has been that the U.S. will do
whatever it takes (a euphemism that
covers military means) to prevent Iran
from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The
rationale for the talks is that in the last
decade, Iran has slowly built up its
capabilities and in the absence of any
deal, Iran can move rapidly to develop
a nuclear weapon capability. In
November 2013, when Iran agreed
to freeze its programme and engage
in negotiations, it was reported to
have a breakout time of three months
in three months, Iran would have
sufficient, high enriched uranium
(20-25 kg) to produce one bomb.
Further, the likelihood of a successful
air strike against the underground
facility at Fordow constructed during
the last decade was remote. The
Stuxnet cyber attack had slowed
Irans enrichment programme, but
since then Iran had strengthened its
cyber capabilities, both defensive
and offensive. The changing political
dynamics in Iraq and the emergence
of new jihadi forces in the aftermath
of the Arab Spring necessitated a
fresh regional approach. Political
support for sustaining enhanced
sanctions on Iran was eroding and
Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis
election offered a window of political
opportunity. The U.S. responded
with a new policy a freeze on an
Iranian nuclear build-up, an
elimination of certain capabilities
thereby increasing the breakout time
to a year or more, a tighter inspection
regime to detect any clandestine
activity, accompanied by a phased
removal of nuclear-related sanctions.
For Iran and Mr. Rouhani, the
stakes are high. Irans regional
83


influence has grown with the U.S.
exits from Iraq and Afghanistan but
the low oil prices coupled with the
economic sanctions are hurting. Mr.
Rouhani had handled the nuclear
negotiations a decade ago and
enjoys a degree of credibility but
space for any manoeuvre is limited
and timing is critical. The hardliners
have already ensured the election of
Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi as
Chairman of the Assembly of Experts
against former Iranian President
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, widely
seen as a moderate and a Rouhani
supporter. The Assembly is an
important body that guides the
Supreme Leader and also chooses
his successor. Its eight-year term
ends in 2016 and alignments are
under way for the new Assembly
because the Supreme Leader is over
75 and, reportedly, somewhat frail.
The framework announced on
April 2 limits Iran to operating only
5,060 centrifuges of the old variety
for 10 years, places a restriction of
3.67 per cent enrichment for 15 years
and reduces the 10,000 kg stockpile
of enriched uranium to 300 kg. No
fissile material can be introduced into
the secure facility at Fordow for the
next 15 years while the heavy water
research reactor at Arak will be
modified so that it does not produce
any weapons grade plutonium. Its
existing core as well as any
subsequent spent fuel will be
shipped out of the country. Most
significant is the opening up of the
supply chain that supports Irans
nuclear programme to international
accounting and inspection,
restrictions on centrifuge research,
development and manufacturing
units, and uranium mines and mills,
which will remain in place for 25 years.
There remain some problem areas to
be ironed out over the next three
months a dispute resolution
mechanism, measures to resolve
84
concerns about earlier military

aspects of its programme possibly at
Parchin which Iran has kept out of
bounds, establishing a dedicated
procurement channel and, finally, a
phasing out of the sanctions regime.
Only nuclear-related sanctions will be
eased while other sanctions
pertaining to ballistic missile activity,
terrorism and human rights issues will
remain in place. Mr. Obamas
authority to waive Congressionallymandated sanctions may face a
challenge at home, though his
authority for implementing an
Executive
Agreement
is
considerable.
The agreed framework meets
the test of a good deal. It closes
Irans route to nuclear weapons,
constrains elements of its programme
that generate concern for a decade
and more, deters breakout by
introducing stringent monitoring,
and helps build confidence by
phasing out sanctions. Most
importantly, diplomacy has achieved
more than what a military strike
could have achieved. U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry and Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarifs skills to manage a tricky
process despite the disbelievers, in
evidence over the 19 rounds of talks
spread over 18 months, and Mr.
Obama and Mr. Rouhanis sense of
conviction and political leadership
will be on test in the coming months
as they seek to embed the nuclear
deal in a broader regional strategy
against the backdrop of increasing
volatility and nervous allies.
Seeking reaction
by no action
In the face of virtual noncooperation from banks, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has decided to
maintain the status quo in policy rates,
in the first bimonthly Monetary Policy
Statement for 2015-16. The heads I
win, tails you lose attitude of the

banks has not really gone down well
with the RBI and also the fiscal bosses.
The Raghuram Rajan-led RBI appears
to have taken a tough stance. It has
every justification to do so. Since the
beginning of 2015, the RBI has cut
policy rates by 50 basis points in two
doses of 25 points each, and that too
outside the usual policy cycle. On
both occasions the banks had chosen
to look the other way without
effecting similar cuts in lending rates.
They refused to pass on the benefits
to customers. This time around when
the RBI kept the rate unchanged,
some leading banks such as SBI,
HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and others
have reluctantly come forward to cut
lending rates, albeit only marginally.
It is difficult to fathom the logic
behind their behaviour of the
blatant refusal to cut rates earlier and
opting for a voluntary reduction in
lending rates now. Governor Rajan has
time and again referred to the lag in
rate cut transmission. Often in the
past, banks acted with alacrity in
passing on rate hikes to borrowers.
When transmitting rate cuts, however,
they have taken their own sweet time.
Rather, they have used rate cuts to
shore up their bottom line. Thus, the
twin cuts in rates only served the
banks whose collective NPAs (nonperforming assets) were a cause for
considerable anxiety. With variable
loan rates becoming the norm in the
banking sphere, the refusal to reset
lending rates in line with the RBI
policy rate is indeed hurting the
cause of borrowers, especially of the
retail kind.
The recalcitrant attitude of
banks has, predictably, forced the
RBI to push for a marginal cost of
funds-based computation of their
base rate. At the moment, there is no
uniformity in the way banks calculate
their base rate. They use a
combination of average cost,
marginal cost and blended cost of


funds to arrive at their base rate.
The RBI feels that marginal cost of
funds which is pegged on the
incremental cost of deposits will
reflect the policy rate change better.
This is a key takeaway from the socalled no action statement of the
RBI on Tuesday. With the RBI taking
a no-nonsense stand and indicating
that any future rate cut will hinge on
the pace at which banks passed on
the benefits of rate cuts to
borrowers, the onus is now on the
banking industry to deliver. Banks
must do business and be profitable
and not strive to be profitable by
denying benefits to the borrowers.
Rekindling the
fight against leprosy
The diagnosis and treatment of
leprosy, or Hansens Disease, is now
considered easier and more
effective than ever before. Since
1983, the disease is curable with
multidrug therapy. MDT was
successfully assimilated into Indias
health programmes, leading to a
reduction in the overall rate of
leprosy incidence in the country. But
since 2005 the rate of decline has
slowed. As of 2014, India still
accounts for 58 per cent of all new
leprosy cases in the world. During
2013-14 alone, 1.27 lakh new cases

were detected in India. It is in this
context that one hopes the Law
Commission of Indias 256th Report,
Eliminating Discrimination against
Persons Affected by Leprosy, will
initiate a new chapter in Indias fight
against leprosy. The report is critical
of the failures of our health
programme, especially since 2005, in
dealing with leprosy eradication. Its
recommendations clearly draw from
the constitutional values of dignity,
equality and freedoms. The Law
Commission recognises Indias
international obligations arising out of
the UN General Assembly
Resolution on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Persons
affected by Leprosy, 2010, as well as
its obligations under the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, 2007. Sensitivity to
social stigma against persons
suffering from leprosy is a theme
underlying the document.
The focus of the report is on
how several of the laws are
themselves discriminatory, needing
amendment or repeal. For instance,
the Life Insurance Corporation Act,
1956 contains discriminatory
provisions wherein higher premium
rates are charged from persons
affected by leprosy due to a

supposedly higher risk to their lives.
There are several personal laws such
as the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and
the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages
Act, 1939 that are also discriminatory,
mistaking leprosy as an incurable and
virulent disease. Even the Persons
with Disabilities Act, 1995 does not
include all categories of persons
affected by leprosy within its
purview, denying them special
privileges under the law. The report
recommends non-discriminatory laws
and affirmative action, for their
greater integration into employment
and educational institutions. But
some recommendations may be
termed controversial. The report
suggests that persons living in
colonies for leprosy patients need to
be granted ownership title to
property in their possession. But
these colonies are also sites of
discrimination that leave its residents
segregated and isolated from the rest
of the community. Ensuring the
assimilation of the 850 colonies for
leprosy patients in India will be a
complex task involving an
engagement that goes beyond
acknowledging ownership rights. But
overall,
the
Commissions
recommendations are forwardlooking and progressive. They must
be implemented soonest.
85
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Make in India
MAKE IN INDIA
Manufacturing in India
accounts for around 16 percent of
GDP, which is persistent since 1990s
and is relatively low when compared
to the 20-percent plus share in
countries like Brazil, China,
Indonesia, Korea and Malaysia. The
manufacturing sector is critical for the
economys growth as it employs 12.0
per cent of the countrys labour force
as well as provides a transitional
opportunity to the labour force in
agriculture. In addition, the sector
has a multiplier effect for job creation
in the services sector. According to
National Manufacturing Policy (NMP)
2011, every job created in the
manufacturing sector creates twothree additional jobs in related
activities. The NMP provides for
promotion of clusters and
aggregation, especially through the
creation of national investment and
manufacturing zones (NIMZ). Till
2013-14, 16 NIMZs had been
announced. Of these, eight are along
the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
(DMIC). Eight other NIMZs have been
given in-principle approval: (i)
Nagpur in Maharashtra, (ii) Chittoor
in Andhra Pradesh, (iii) Medak in
86
Andhra Pradesh (now Telengana),

(iv) Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh, (v)
Tumkur in Karnataka, (vi) Kolar in
Karnataka, (vii) Bidar in Karnataka,
and (viii) Gulbarga in Karnataka.
If Indias growth has to accelerate
towards its correct potential,
manufacturing sector growth is a
must. Country faces lot of structural
constraints for manufacturing sector
to grow properly. Constraints related
to roads, ports, other infrastructure
reduce the productivity. If basic
infrastructure can be improved
Indias manufacturing sector will
become more competitive, which will
help India to go on a higher growth
path and enabling large scale job
creation. According to the Update, a
twice yearly report on the Indian
economy and its prospects, Indias
economic growth is expected to rise
to 5.6 percent in FY15, followed by
further acceleration to 6.4 percent
and 7.0 percent in FY 2016 and FY
2017. The projections could,
however, face risks from external
shocks, including financial market
disruptions arising out of changes in
monetary policy in high income
countries, slower global growth,
higher oil prices, and adverse investor

sentiment arising out of geo-political
tensions in the Middle East and
Eastern Europe. Domestically, the
risks include challenges to energy
supply and fiscal pressures from weak
revenue collection in the short term,
the Update said. However, risks
could be mitigated to a large extent
by focusing on reforms that help the
manufacturing sector.
The Government has launched
the Make in India Programme to
promote manufacturing in the
country.
The
Make
in
India initiative is based on four
pillars, which have been identified
to give boost to entrepreneurship in
India,not only in manufacturing but
also other sectors. The four pillars
are:
Make in India recognizes ease
of doing business as the single
most important factor to
promote entrepreneurship.
Government intends to
develop industrial corridors
and smart cities, create world
class infrastructure with stateof-the-art technology and highspeed communication.

Make in India
FDI has been opened up for
new sectors like Defence
production,Insurance, Medical
Devices, and Construction
and Railway infrastructure in a
big way.
In order to partner with industry
in economic development of
the country Government shall
act as a facilitator and not a
regulator.
There are twenty five sectors
that have been included in the Make
in India programme, important
among those are:
Auto Components;
Automobiles;
Aviation;
Biotechnology;
Construction;
Defence Manufacturing;
Food Processing;
IT and BPM;
Mining;
Oil and Gas;
Ports;
Railways;
Roads and Highways;
Renewable Energy;
Thermal Power.
Along with make in India policy
GOI is also taking lot of other
initiatives to boost the economy and
particularly manufacturing sector.
These initiatives include integration
ofservices with online single window
under e-Biz portal, Creation of

Investor Facilitation Cell in Invest
India to assist, guide and handhold
investors, Ordinance to make land
acquisition easier for important
projects, number of items have been
taken off the licensing requirement,
unified Web Portal Shram Suvidha
to remove problems related to labour
laws. Along with above mentioned
measures other measures such as a
national Goods and Services Tax
(GST) can transform and also help in
significantly improving the Indias
competitiveness for manufacturing
sector. This will help in providing jobs
and security to vast majority of
population.
87

Make in India
THE ASIAN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT BANK

The Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB) is a
multilateral development banks
(MDBs) started by the China. The
purpose of the multilateral
development bank is to provide
finance to infrastructure projects in
the Asia region. Almost all Asian
countries have joined the bank and
major economies except the US,
Japan have also joined AIIB. The
Banks foundation is built on the
lessons of experience of existing
multilateral development banks such
as IMF, WB etc. and also from the
experiences of private sector.
AIIB website says its mode of
operating would be lean, clean and
green: lean, with a small efficient
management team and highly skilled
staff; clean, an ethical organization
with zero tolerance for corruption;
and green, an institution built on
respect for the environment. The
AIIB will focus on the development
of infrastructure and other productive
sectors in Asia, including energy and
power,
transportation
and
telecommunications,
rural
infrastructure and agriculture
88
development, water supply and

sanitation, environmental protection,
urban development and logistics, etc.
Some details related to AIIB:

AIIB will have an authorized
capital of 100 billion USD
Shareholding in the AIIB will be
decided based upon GDP
adjusted for Purchasing Power
parity (PPP).
China will provide 50 percent
of the authorized capital.
India will be the second largest
subscriber in the bank.
Existing multilateral banks fear
that AIIB might work contrary to the
efforts of existing multilateral banks.
But according to China there is
daunting infrastructure deficit in Asia
and both existing MDBs and AIIB
can work together and in fact AIIB
will complement the efforts of
existing MDBs.
AIIB would also compete with
a similar loan-provider, Asian
Development Bank (ADB) which
used to serve as a major donor for the
nations in Asia. According to ADB
Asian region needs around $8 billion
between 2010 and 2020 for

infrastructural projects. Existing
institutions does not have the
capability to fill this large gap: the
ADB has a capital base of just over
$160 billion and the World Bank has
$223 billion.
AIIB also provides various
benefits to India like:
India needs $1 trillion dollar
investment in infrastructure in
12th five year plan. AIIB can fill
the gaps present in that.
India is the 2nd largest
subscriber to AII and along with
we also have good relations
with other AIIB members.
Asian development is in the
larger interest of India, it will
reduce the terrorism act and
increase Indias export within
the region.
The AIIB is also a part of the
wider new Silk Road initiative by
China to deepen trade and
investment both in the rest of Asia
and the wider world. The bank is
open to all regional and non-regional
countries,
developing
and
developed countries. As of 15 April
2015, there are 57 Prospective

Make in India
Founding Members (PFM). Hong
Kong joins the delegation of China
in the negotiations. Other countries
are also considering joining the AIIB
such as Belgium, Canada, Czech
Republic and Ukraine etc. North

Korea and Taiwan were rejected
by China to join as a PFM. It has been
made possible by new flexible and
inclusive approach by the China.
USA has resisted its allies from joining

the AIIB, It reflects the logic of the
zero-sum approach.
89
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Medieval Indian History
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MEDIEVAL INDIAN HISTORY

EARLY
Shailodbhava
In the mid-seventh century Orissa
was ruled by Sainyabhita
Madhavavarman (also called
Srinivasa), a powerful king of the
Shailodbhava dynasty who
performed the asvamedha
sacrifice.
Though the family went into
decline after him, Shailodbhava
rule continued till the mid-eighth
century.
Kesaris and Gangas
Of
the
dynasties
that
subsequently ruled over parts of
Orissa were the Kesaris of
Bhuvaneshwar and the Eastern
Gangas of Kalinganagara. The
former were followers of Shiva and
built magnificent temples at
Bhuvaneshwar. including the
famous Lingaraja temple.
The Eastern Gangas who had
established themselves in
Kalinga, were originally-a branch
of the Gangas of Mysore. They
had their main capital at
Kalinganagara (Ganjam district),
with a subsidiary one at Dantapura
(Palur).
Their charters begin with homage
to Gokarnesvara Shiva on
Mahendra Mountain.
In the eleventh century. another
Ganga family came into
prominence in the region. It was
called the Later Eastern Gangas
90
MEDIEVAL
INDIA
to differentiate it from the earlier

rulers of the same name.
The dynasty reached its apogee
under
Anantavarman
Chodaganaaa, so-called because
his mother was the daughter of
Rajendra Chola.
Anantavarman succeeded his
father in A.D. 1078 and he is said
to have built the famous temple
of Jagannath at Puri.
By uniting Utkal and Kalinga. he
is credited with laying the
foundation of modern Orissa.
Anantavarman Chodagangas
records describe his kingdom as
stretching, from Ganga to
Godavari, a feat revived by the
Gajapati Kings.
Another distinguished ruler of the
dynasty was Narasimha I (12381264). he builder of the Sun temple
at Konark.
In the mid-fifteenth century, a new
royal family, the Suryavamsas,
came to power in Kalinga
Political History of South

India (750-1200 AD)
Cholas Empire
The Cholas were rulers of great
antiquity, and are mentioned in the
rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka.
Their power revived in the midninth century under Vijayalaya
whose links with the earlier
Cholas remain unknown. He
probably began his career as a
vassal of the Pallavas.
Vijayalaya (846-71 AD) capture of

Tanjore from an ally of the
Pandyas around 850 AD was the
first step in the rise of the Cholas.
Aditya (871-907 AD) was
Responsible for overthrowing the
Pallavas and occupying their
territory completely.
Parantaka I (907-55 AD) reign
ended in disaster and gloom
brought about the hostility of the
Rashtrakutas. After Paranta-ka I
there was confusion and disorder
for about 30 years. His
successors were Ganaradiya (95556). Arinjaya (956-57), ParantakaII (957-73) and Uttamachola (97385).
Raja Raja I (985-1014 AD)
His original name was
Arumolivarman. The real
greatness of the Cholas begins
with him.
Defeat of the confederation of the
three kingdoms of Pandya, Kerala
and Ceylon and their occupation,
and establishment of a Chola
province in north Ceylon.
Annexation of a few parts of
modern Mysore (Gangas).
Invasion of the Chalukya kingdom
inorder to force the Chalukyas to
retreat from Vengi.
Annexation of Maldives.
He subjugated the Cheras, took
Madura and captured the
Pandyan king, annexed the
northern part of Sri Lanka, overran
the Eastern Chalukya kingdom of
Vengi, Kalinga, and also the


Laccadives and the Maldives, the
last being a testimony to the
strength of the Chola navy.
Rajendra I (1014-44 AD)
Rajaraja was succeeded by his
son Rajendra I (1014-44), under
whom Chola power reached its
pinnacle. The Tiruvalangadu
copper plate inscription and the
Tirumalai rock inscription provide
details of his conquests and his
skills as a commander.
Soon after ascending the throne,
he annexed the whole of Sri Lanka
and reasserted Chola sovereignty
over the Kerala and Pandyan
country.
Rajendra I also utilised his
powerful fleet to notch up
victories across the Bay of
Bengal. The king of Cambodia,
threatened by the Shailendra kings
of Malaya and Sumatra, had
sought the help of Rajendra Chola.
One of his daughters was married
to the Eastern Chalukya king, and
her son, Kulottunga, became the
first Chola-Chalukyan monarch.
Invasion and completion of the
conquest of Ceylon. Defeated the
Western Chalukya who were
trying to meddle in the
succession dispute of Vengi.
Naval expedition to Sri Vijaya
which was successful and the
kingdom was restored to its ruler.
Two embassies to China for
political as well as commercial
purposes.
Rajendra I was succeeded by his
eldest son, Rajadhiraja (1044-54)
and he, by his brother, Rajendra
II. Both were capable generals.
The last important Chola ruler was
Kulottunga I (1070-1 122). He
united the kingdoms of the
Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi and
the Cholas.
His accession practically
synchronised with the loss of Sri
Lanka. He lost Vengi and faced a

Hoysala invasion. which resulted
in the loss of the Gangavadi
province.
Kulottunga is credited with
introducing a number of
administrative reforms in the
kingdom, the most important
being the land surveys in the
sixteenth and forty-eighth years
of his reign.
Chola Administration
The most striking feature of the
administrative system of the
Cholas was their autonomous
village and town administration,
there being no significant
difference between the central and
provincial administration of the
Cholas and that of any other
dynasty of early medieval India
Central Administration: Emperor
at the apex of administration,
worship of the deceased rulers,
and construction of temples as
tributes to dead kings (a special
feature of the Chola period).
Provincial Administration:
Division of the empire into
principalities (under vassal chiefs)
and Mandalams (provinces under
viceroys who were mostly royal
princes); Further division of the
provinces into Valanadus
(divisions), Nadus (districts) and
Kurmas (villages).
Town and Village Administration:
Autonomous administration for
towns and townships, known as
Tankurmas; Town autonomy was
quite similar to village autonomy
and both were alike administered
by assemblies.
Three Types of Villages
Villages with an inter-caste
population, paying taxes to the
king.
Brahmadeya or agrahara villages
granted to brahmins and inhabited
entirely by them.
Devadana villages granted to

God; they functioned more or less
in the same manner as the first
type except that the revenues
from these villages were donated
to temple.
Three Types of General
Assemblies
Ur consisted of the tax-paying
residents of an ordinary village.
Sabhas membership was
restricted to the brahmins of the
village, or it was found exclusively
in villages gifted to brahmins.
Nagaram was found more
commonly in trade centres such
as cities and towns.
Constitution of Assemblies
The Ur was open to all the taxpaying male adults of the village,
but in effect the older members
played a more prominent role. The
Sabha had the same system.
Both usually constituted smaller
committees of different sizes from
among their members for
specialised work.
Election to the executive body and
other committees of the Ur or
Sabha appears to have been by
lot from among those who are
eligible.
Two inscriptions belonging to the
early tenth century (A.D. 919 and
921). the Uttaramerur inscriptions,
are regarded as a watershed in the
history of Chola village
assemblies. They lay down the
procedure for appointing
committees (variyam) of six to
twelve members to oversee local
administration. The assembly
generally met in the precincts of
the temple.
Fuctions of Assemblies
Collection of the assessed land
revenue for the government or
temple.
91


Additional tax for a particular
purpose such as the construction
of a water tank.
Settlement of agrarian disputes.
Maintenance of records.
The larger assemblies kept a small
staff of paid officials, but most of
the work was done on a voluntary
basis in the smaller assemblies.
Feudalism
Marxists envisaged feudal
formation in India in two stages:
feudalism from above and
feudalism from below. The first
stage was the primary phase with
direct relationship between an
overlord and his tributary/
autonomous vassals without the
prevalence of an intermediary
land-owning class. The second
stage was a more complex later
phase witnessing the rise of rural
land-owners as powerful
intermediaries between the ruler
and the peasantry. The second
phase from the 4th to the 17th
century, according to them, saw
the rise of the samantas as the
feudatories
leading
to
administrative decentralization
and the conversion of communal
property into feudal property.
Chalukyas of Kalyani
The Rashtrakutas of the Deccan
made way for the Chalukyas. Also
known as the Western Chalukyas,
the new ruling house set up its
capital at Kalyani (Karnataka).
The founder of the dynasty, Taila
II (A.D. 973-997) made extensive
conquests and defeated a number
of neighbouring powers.
Somesvara Is accession ushered
in a brilliant period in their history.
He transferred the capital from
Manyakheta to Kalyani.
Though Somesvara III was a weak
92
ruler, he was the author of an

encyclopaedic work called the
Abhilashitartha-chintamani or the
Manasollasa.
But the most momentous
development of his reign was the
beginning of a prolonged contest
with the Cholas, who, under
Rajaraja the Great, had also
embarked upon a similar
expansionist drive.
The most distinguished Chalukya
ruler was Vikramaditya VI (A.D.
1076-1126), who introduced the
Chalukya-Vikram era in place of
the Saka era.
Vikramaditya VIs court was
graced by scholars like Bilhana,
composer
of
the
Vikramanankadevacharita and
Vijnaneshvara, author of the
Mitakshara, a commentary on the
Yajnavalkya Smriti.
By the mid-twelfth century the
Chalukya kingdom had almost
ceased to exist, and its place was
taken by the Kakatiyas of
Warangal, the Hoysalas of
Dwarasamudra, and the Yadavas
of Devagiri.
The Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi
served as protectorates of the
Cholas for long periods till finally
with the accession of Koluttunga.
Vengi was united with the Chola
Empire.
Eastern Chalukyas
Vishnuvardhana was the founder
of a dynasty known as the
Chalukyas of Vengi.
Vijayaditya Gunaga defeated the
Rashtrakutas and proclaimed
himself the lord of the entire
Dakshinapatha.
Chola king, Rajaraja I, helped the
Chalukya prince Saktivarman I to
capture the throne from Jata
Choda, an usurper.
Saktivarmans son, Vimaladitya,
married Kundavai, the daughter of
Rajaraja Chola I.
The process of Chola-Chalukya
matrimonial alliance ultimately
ended in the merger of the two
dynasties under Kulottunga I.
Kakatiyas of Warangal
The Kakatiyas were an old family
of Telengana who had served as
feudatories of the Western
Chalukyas in the early eleventh
century.
Their earliest known chief, Beta I,
availed of the confusion caused
by the invasion of Rajendra Chola
and carved out a small kingdom
in the Nalgonda district
(Hyderabad).
Among the prominent rulers of
this dynasty was Ganapati, who
ruled for more than sixty years and
brought the entire Teluguspeaking area under his way.
He erected an efficient
administrative machinery and took
steps to improve trade and
agriculture. .
He completed the construction of
the city of Warangal and shifted
his capital there.
He was succeeded by his
daughter Rudramadevi, who
assumed the name of Rudradeva
Maharaja, and ruled for almost
thirty-five years (1261-1295).
Like her father, she was a patron
of the Pasupata Saiva monasteries
established by her fathers
preceptor, Viveshvara Sambhu.
She was succeeded by her
grandson, Pratap Rudra (12951323), who was to be the last king
of this dynasty.
Yadavas of Devagiri
Seunachandra secured feudatory
status for his family from the
Rashtrakutas. Hence the territory
ruled by the Yadavas came to be
known as Seuna-desa.


They became prominent in the
twelfth century under Bhillama V.
who established the Yadava
kingdom and assumed imperial
titles.
He established his capital at
Devagiri (later renamed
Daultabad), hence his dynasty is
known as the Yadavas of
Devagiri.
Simhana (Singhana) was the most
powerful ruler of the family.
Sangitaratnakara of Sarangadeva,
an important work on music, was
written in his court.
Sankaradeva was killed by Malik
Kafur, who annexed the kingdom.
Hoysalas of Dvarasamudra
The history of the Hoysalas
properly begins with Nrpakama
(1022-1047) who together with his
son occupied the Hasan and
Kadur districts and parts of
Nagamangala taluk in Mysore.
Among the outstanding rulers of
this dynasty were Vishnuvardhan,
Ballala II and Ballala III.
Ballala III had to face the armies
of the Delhi Sultanate. Though
defeated in 1310, he sustained a
fierce resistance against the Khilji
and Tughlaq armies for over three
decades. He also battled the
Sultan of Madurai.
The
Hoysalas
made
Dwarasamudra their capital.
Located near it was Belur, which
also served as a royal residence
and is famous for the magnificent
Hoysala monuments.
The Hoyasalesvara temple at
Halebid has been described as the
highest achievement of the
Chalukya-Hoysala style of
architecture. characterised by its
low pyramidal shikhar and
profusely decorated carved
plinth.
Pandyas
Despite being defeated by a
number of Chola kings, the
Pandyas managed to begin a
process of recovery under
Jatavarman Kulasekhara. The
second Pandya empire appears to
have been inaugurated by his
brother Maravarman Sundara
Pandya.
Among the greatest rulers of this
dynasty was Jatavarman Sundara
Pandya I (1251-1268). He
vanquished the Cheras, Hoysalas
and Cholas. besides conquering
northern Sri Lanka.
Other important rulers include
Jatavarman Vira Pandya (12531275)
and
Maravarman
Kulasekhara. During the latters
reign, the Pandyas also
subjugated Sri Lanka.
Marco Polo, who visited the
Pandyan kingdom around A.D.
1293, has left a vivid account of
the splendour of the kingdom. He
wrote, The great, province of
Mabar.... is best of all the
Indies...
A succession dispute between
two Pandyan princes. Sundara
and Vira Pandya, provided the
Khilji forces an opportunity to
invade the kingdom in 1310.
ADVENT
OF
ISLAM
Muhammad (570-632 A.D.)

Muhammad was born in Mecca
in A.D.- 570, in the Banu Hashim
clan of the Quraysh. An orphan,
he was raised by his relatives.
At the age of twenty-five, on the
recommendation of his uncle he
entered the service of Khadija, a
rich widow whom he later married.
Entrusted with the supervision of
her merchandise, he travelled to
Syria. There he encountered
communities of Jews and

Christians and acquired some
knowledge of their faith.
Around the age of forty.
Muhammad grew increasingly
contemplative. He was also
disturbed by the idolatrous
practices of the Meccans. He
began to seclude himself in a cave
at Hire, where he spent much time
in reflection.
During one of these retreats, he
believed that an Angel appeared
to him in a dream and gave him
what later became known as the
First Revelation. After some time,
the Angel again addressed
Muhemmed, who was now
convinced that he was the chosen
Messenger of God.
The Revelations received by
Muhemmed were subsequently
compiled in a book called the
Quran, which along with the
Hedith (Sayings of the Prophet)
is venerated as the supreme
source of authority in Islam.
Muhammads first followers
included Khadija, his cousin Ali,
and Abu Bekr. But as Muhammad
became more vocal against the
prevailing religious practices in
Mecca, resistance to him grew
among the Quraysh.
Informed about Quraysh plans to
slay him, Muhammad left for
Mount Saur near Mecca, from
where he reached Medina in A.D.
622. Muhammads migration is
known as the hijra and the Muslim
calendar commences from this
year.
The Battle of Badr is regarded as
the most momentous in Islamic
history. The victory at Badr was
followed by attacks on the Jews
and later the Christians, who were
charged with falsifying their
scriptures to conceal prophesies
about Muhammads advent.
93


Tensions with the Quraysh
continued and in A.D. 627, the
Meccans prepared to lay siege on
Medina. Muhammad won by the
simple expedient of having a ditch
dug around the city.
In A.D. 630. Muhammed made a
triumphal entry into Mecca. He
circumambulated Kaaba seven
times and ordered the removal of
360 idols installed there. The
people of Mecca submitted to
Muhammad.
The polity that Muhammad
created was based on the twin
concepts of ummah (the Muslim
community of believers) and
Jihad. It had a religious
foundation and all its members had
to be Muslims.
The Prophets subsequent
treaties with the Jews and
Christians became the basis of the
dhimmi system, and reflected the
eternal frontier between believers
and non-believers.
Islam incorporated the most
revered symbols of the Arabs.
Friday was, substituted for
Sabbath, azaan (call to prayer) for
trumpets and gongs. Ramzan
designated the holy month, and
the qibla (direction to be faced
during prayer) changed from
Jerusalem to Mecca. The ancient
practice of pilgrimage to Kaaba
was incorporated in the Islamic
ritual.
The famous five pillars of Islam
reinforced the new sense of
community. They included
acknowle-dgement
of
Muhammad as the final
Messenger of Allah and
acceptance of the Quran as the
ultimate and unalterable word of
God; namaz five times a day with
the face turned towards Kaaba:
zakat or charity for the benefit of
the Muslim community; fasting
during the month of Ramzan, and
Haj or pilgrimage to Mecca.
94
Caliphs
After the death of Muhammad in
A.D. 632. the leadership of the
Muslim community devolved in
succession, on the four
Patriarchal Caliphs (A.D. 633-61),
all close companions of the
Prophet.
The first major schism within
Islam developed in this period
over the question of the rightful
claimant to the leadership of the
community. The Prophets son-inlaw, Ali, was regarded by some as
the lawful immediate successor,
but could prevail only after Abu
Bakr, Umar and Uthman.
Ali was subsequently murdered,
and his family members and
followers perished in the battle of
Karbala. Alis followers are called
Shia, is, while Muslims who
accept the correctness of the
order of succession and
constitute the majority, are known
as Sunnis.
The Arabs dominated the
Umayyad Caliphate (A.D. 661750) that succeeded the
Patriarchal Caliphs. It was
followed by the Abbasid
Caliphate (750-1258). under which
a new class of specially trained
white slaves, the Mamluks (mostly
Central Asians Turks), came to
dominate the polity.
First Successful Invasion
(Arab Invasion)
It was only in A.D. 712, after over
seven decades of dogged
resistance, that the Arabs under
Muhammad Bin Qasim finally
succeeded in establishing their
rule in Sind.
In 711 an Arab general named
Muhammad Qasim conquered
Sind, which became part of the
Caliphs
domain.
Later.
(Thirteenth Century) the Turks

and Afghans established the
Delhi Sultanate. This was
followed by the formation of
Sultanates in the Deccan and other
parts of the subcontinent; Islam
was an acknowledged religion of
rulers in several areas.
Sinds collapse after a valourous
struggle, has been attributed to
several
internal
causes,
particularly domestic strife and
meagre resources. The Arab
forces were vastly superior to
those of King Dahir, in numbers
and equipment. Even so heavily
outnumbered, it was the
information supplied by a traitor
that finally tilted the scales against
Sind.
The presence of Buddhism in
Bamiyan. Kabul and Zabul along
the main trade routes is verified
by Chinese pilgrims till the
seventh century. There is also
evidence of Devi cults and the
worship of the Saivite god. Zun.
The Chachnama says that the
King of Kashmir had established
suzerainty over Zabul.
After Yaqubs seizure of Kabul,
the Hindushahis shifted the
capital to Udabhandapura, a small
village on the right bank of the
Sindhu. (According to Al-Beruni,
Lalliya was succeeded by Samand,
Kamala, Bhim, Jaipal and other
descendants).
Alptigin, a Turkish adventurer
who established himself at Ghazni
launched the third phase of the
conflict in A.D. 963 with his raids
on the Indian frontiers.
A successor, Pirai, attacked the
territory of the Hindushahi king
of Punjab, a policy continued by
Subuktigin who became ruler of
Ghazni in A.D. 997.
The Hindushahi ruler Jaipal led a


counterattack on Ghazni, but
retreated on account of a storm.
Jaipal then formed a confederacy
with the Gurjara Pratihara King of
Kanuaj and his vassals, the
Chahamanas and Chandellas. He
was defeated by Subuktigin, who
became master of the region upto
the Sindhu.
Second Phase (Mahmud of

Ghazni - Turkish Invasion)
Subuktigins son, Mahmud of
Ghazni, finally brought Punjab
under control.
Thus, from the first Arab foray into
Sind to the Turkish conquest of
Lahore, it took the invaders nearly
four hundred years to establish a
foothold in she subcontinent.
Mahmud Ghazni invaded India
seventeen times. As a reward for
his services to Islam. he received
the title Yamin al-Dawla (Right
Hand of the State) from the
Abbasid Caliph. His dynasty thus
also came to be known as the
Yaminis.
Mahmud Ghazni first encountered
me Hindushahi ruler, JaipaI, in A.
D. 1001. This was followed by a
more decisive battle in 1008-09 at
Waihind near Peshawar. Many
Rajput rulers aided the
Hindushahis, then led by Jaipals
son. Anandpal.
In their long contest with the
Turks, the intrepid Hindushahi
often shifted their capital (from
Udbhandapara to Nandanah)
according to the exigencies of the
military situation. They expended
four generations (Jaipal.
Anandpal. Trilochanpal, Bhimpal)
in the struggle.
Punjab now passed into the hands
of the Ghaznavids. Mahmuds
cavalry of mounted archers
possibly played a role in tilting the
scales in his favour. In the
following years, Mahmud

attacked Nagarkot, Thanesar,
Mathura and Kanauj. Everywhere
he ravaged temples, pillaged
cities, and collected untold
wealth.
The attack against Nagarkot in
A.D. 1008 has been described as
his first great triumph against
idolatry. Thanesar, mentioned in
the Tarikh-i-Ferishta as an
important religious centre, came
next. Its chief icon was a nearly
life-size bronze of Chakrasvamin,
which was sent to Ghazni and
placed in the hippodrome.
Kanauj was the next to suffer
Mahmuds onslaught. At the
sudden approach of his army, the
Pratihara king Rajyapala was
taken by surprise and could not
offer any resistance.
In 1025, Mahmud embarked on his
most memorable Indian campaign,
the attack on the Somnath temple
in Saurashtra.
Mahmud captured the city after a
grim struggle in which more than
fifty thousand defenders lost their
lives. According to AI-Beruni,
the image was destroyed by the
Prince Mahmud... He ordered the
upper part to be broken and the
remainder to be transported to his
residence. Ghaznin, with all its
coverings and trappings of gold,
jewels, and embroidered
garments. Another part of the idol
from Somnath lies before the door
of the mosque of Ghaznin...
Mahmud left Somnath after a
fortnight, when he learned that the
Gujarat King, Bhima I had
completed preparations to
confront him.
Mahmud returned to India one last
time to settle scores with the Jats.
He died in A.D. 1030.
Third Phase (Muhammad

Ghori - Turkish invasion)
Alter Mahmuds death, the
Ghaznavid Empire was confined
to Ghazni and Punjab. His

successors were soon overthrown
by their vassals, the Ghurids, who
came from Ghur, the mountainous
region east of Herat.
Muhammad Ghoris first invasion
was directed against Multan, then
ruled by the Ismailis. Both Multan
and Uch fell in A.D. 1175 and the
subjugation of the whole of Sind
was completed in 1182 with the
annexation of Lower Sindh.
Muhammads invasion of Gujarat,
however, ended in a crushing
defeat at the hands of the
Chalukyan forces in 1178-79, near
Mount Abu.
Muhammad was badly routed at
Tarain by Prithviraj and his ally,
the ruler of Delhi, and barely
escaped with his life.
Back home, he made furious
preparations to avenge his defeat.
In 1192, he led a mighty army into
the same field of Tarain, in which
he got the better of his Chauhan
adversary and even captured
Prithviraj. The Ghurid forces
occupied Hansi, Kuhram, and
Sursuti, though Ajmer was left in
possession of Prithviraj.
After his execution, on charges of
conspiracy a short while later,
Ajmer was conferred on his son.
The famous college of Ajmer built
by Vigraharaja IV Visaladeva was
converted into a mosque by the
invading Turks, and became
known as the Adhai din ka
jhompra.
Prithvirajs son now relocated
himself at Ranthambor, where he
founded a strong Chauhan
kingdom.
In 1194 Muhammad Ghori
marched against Jaichandra, the
Gahadavala king of Kanauj.
Jaichandras vigorous defence
perplexed the invading army, till
an arrow hit him, leading to his
death.
Immediately after the victory at
95

Chandawar, Muhammad Ghori

looted the Gahadavala treasury
occupied the holy city of Banaras
and desecrated its temples.
Subsequently, he won the fortress
of Thangir from the Chandellas
and accepted tribute from the
ruler of Gwalior.
Qutbuddin Aibak, his premier
slave, was responsible for a string
of Ghurid conquests- Apart from
thwarting an attempt at Chauhan
revival by Prithvirajs brother.
Hariraj, Aibak occupied Delhi and
defeated the Chalukyas at Mount
Abu. thus avenging Muhammad
Ghoris humiliation , two decades
earlier.
Aibak also took advantage of the
declining power of the
Gahadavalas to occupy Meerut.
Aligarh, Badaun, and Kanauj.
Gwalior surrendered to him and he
took possession of Kalinjar, the
Chandella capital after fierce
resistance by the chief minister of
the kingdom.
Meanwhile, another slave,
Bakhtiyar, Khilji began raiding-the
province of Bihar. In one such
expedition he reached as far as
Uddandapur Vihara, a university
town inhabited by Buddhist
monks.
Encouraged, he planned the
conquest of Bengal. then ruled by
the aged Lakshmanasena.
Disguised as a horse dealer, he
burst upon the unsuspecting ruler
at Nadia. Bakhtiyar Khilji
established himself at Lakhnauti
while Lakshmanasena continued
to rule in, eastern Bengal.
Muhammad Ghori died in 1206
without a mate heir and his
relatives and slaves fought over
his vast territories. His senior
slave, Tajuddin Yalduz, occupied
Ghazni while Aiabk took charge
of the Indian possessions.
Some modern historians attribute
the Turkish success to the
96
internal weaknesses of Hindu

society. They depict the caste
system as having played a crucial
role in this regard. It is said to have
restricted participation in warfare
to the Kshatriyas, and thereby
militarily enfeebled the Hindus and
inhibited unity among them.
The argument fails to note that
recruitment to Hindu armies was
never the preserve of Kshatriyas.
Peasants routinely served as
soldiers, especially during nonharvest seasons. a practice which
continued till the colonial period
when the British for the first time
disarmed the Hindu peasantry.
The Kshatriya varna moreover
had always been an open-ended
category; any enterprising leader
who acquired political power
could claim Kshatriya rank.
Throughout Indian history,
several powerful agricultural and
tribal groups took this route to
Kshatriya status.
Modern research has explained
the Turkish success to some
possible advantage in military
technology. Ghur was rich in metal
deposits and famous for its
manufacture of weapons.
Contemporary chroniclers refer to
the Turkish armies, use of the
crossbow (nawak) and its ability
to pierce armour. The effective use
of cavalry, coupled with swift,
surprise attacks. seems to have
contributed to the, Turkish
victories.
Superior military tactics could also
have played a role in the Turkish
OBJECTIVE
1. The new socio-economic system
that emerged in Western Europe
after the breakup of the Roman
Empire was
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Slave mode of production

Capitalism
Primitive communism
Feudalism
triumph. The Indian princes, on

the other hand, were still wedded
to age-old techniques of pitched
warfare and the formation of the
four-fold army, and were no match
for the ferocity and determination
of the invaders.
The Ghurids also enhanced their
strength by recruiting warriors
from Khurasan, Ghuzz and Khalaj,
all of whom participated in
significant numbers in the battle
of Tarain.
Causes for Defeat by Muslims
Political Weaknesses: The
ceaseless internal fighting growth
of local and clan loyalties.
Social Weaknesses: The
increasing privileges to the higher
castes. It was responsible for the
growing apathy of the large
section of the Indian Society to
the political events in India.
Backwardness in Science and
Technology: The growing
insularity of India, the rigid attitude
of the intellectual classes, and also
the contempt in which the artisans
and the working population were
held.
Military Advantages of Turks: (i)
High quality horses were bred in
Central Asia, Iran and Arabia,
whereas the Indian states had to
import them. (ii) Turks had already
become experts in the new style
of warfare of the armoured
horseman and the mounted archer,
whereas the Indians were still
dependent heavily on the
elephant and infantry.
QUESTIONS
2. India, during the early medieval
period was not characterised by
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Serfdom
Intermediaries
Paucity of coins
Manor system
Codes:
(a) 1 and 2


9. Periya Puranam, the 12th poem of
Tirumurai was composed by
poet____at the request of.
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1 and 4
3. TheArabic work Kalila wa Dimna

is a translation of the Sanskrit
work.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Bhagavad Gita
Abhijnana Shakuntalam
Panchatantra
Meghadutam
4. During the early medieval period,

India had close commercial and
cultural contacts with which of the
countries or regions. Which of the
following is correct ?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
South East Asia

West Asia
China
Eastern coast of Africa
5. Who was the ruler of Kanauj in

the initial years of the 8th century
A.D.?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Yashodharman
Yasovar man
Yasovardhan
Yashpala
6. Vakpatis
famous
poem
Gaudavaho: (Saying of the King
of Gauda) was written in which
language?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Sanskrit
Ardha-magadhi
Pali
Prakrit
7. Who founded the Vikramasila

University ?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Devapala
Narayanpala
Dharmapala
Madanpala
8. Sankaracharya established
spiritual centres at
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
Badrinath
Puri
Mathura
Dwarka
Ujjain
Sringeri
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
1,
2,
1,
1,
2,
3,
3,
2,
3
4
5
4
and
and
and
and
(a) Appar, Mahendravarman

(b) S a m b a n d a r ,
Nandivarman
(c) Shekkilar, Kullottunga I
(d) Kamban, Rajaraja
16. Sulaiman calls the Pala kingdom

by the name of
10. Nanniah, the Telugu scholar

translated the___ & ___Parvas of
Mahabharata.
17. How many villages were set apart

for the maintenance of the
Nalanda University?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Adi
Shanti
Sabha
Bhagavad Gita
Codes:
(a) 1 and 2
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 2 and 4
(b) 4 only
11. Who wrote about Saurashutra,

the men all derive their live-lihood
from the sea and engage in
commerce and exchange of
commodities?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
I-tsing
Marco Polo
Fa-Hien
Hieun-tsang
12. The Tirumurai is a collection of

writings of
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Appar
Shekkilar
Sambandar
Manikkavasagar
Codes:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
1, 2 and 3
2, 3 and 4
1, 3 and 4
l, 2 and 4
13. Who was the author of Tabaqate-Nasiri ?

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Hasan Nizami
Minhaj Siraj
Ziauddin Barani
Afif
14. Tariqh-i-Firuzshahi and Fatwah-iJahandari were works of:
Codes:
4
5
6
6
(a) Dhruva
(b) Gopal III
(c) Indra III (d) Krishna I
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Isami
Afif
Hasan Nizami
Barani
15. The Rashtrakuta ruler who

decisively defeated Dharmapala
was
(a) Al-Juzr
(b) Ruhma
(c) Gaur
(a) 100
(c) 500
(d) Al-Hind
(b) 200
(d) 1000
18. Which South East Asian dynasty

sought permission to build a
monastery at Nalanda?
(a) Sri Vijaya(b) Kambuj
(c) Funan
(d) Sailendra
19. The Rashtrakuta rulers to check

early Pratihara thrust towards
upper Ganga Valley and Malwa
were:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Dhruva, Gopal III

Gopal III, Indra III
Indra III, Amoghavarsha
Krishna I, Govinda II
20. According to the Arab merchants,

which of the Indian kingdoms had
the best cavalry in India ?
(a) Palas
(b) Chalukyas
(c) Pratiharas(d)
Rashtrakutas
21. Which of the Pratihara rulers

fought a war with Kashmir ?
(a) Mahendrapala I
(b) Bhoja
(c) Mahipala (d)
Madanpala
22. Rajshekhar, the Sanskrit poet lived

at the court of
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Mahendrapala I
Bhoja
Mahipala
Nagabhatta II
23. Which of the Rashtrakuta rulers

terrified the Kerala, Pandya and
Chola Kings and caused the
Pallayas to whither?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Dantidurga
Govinda III
Krishna III
Dhruv
97


24. According to al-Masudi, the
Rashtrakuta king ____ was the
greatest king of India
(a) Krishna III
(b) Vallabharaja
(c) Indra III
(d) Amoghavarsha
25. Who annexed northern Chola

Empire to the Rashtrakuta
kingdom?
(a) Krishna III(b) Indra III
(c) Amoghavarsha
(d) Govinda III
26. Which of the religions was not

patronised by the Rashtrakutas?
(a) Buddhism(b) Jainism
(c) Shaivism (d)
Vaishnavism
27. Which of the following did not

have a Navy?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Pratiharas
Cholas
Palas
Rashtrakutas
28. Who were the nad-gavundas or

desagramuktas in the Deccan?
(a) Revenue officers
(b) Hereditary
intermediaries
(c) Hereditary revenue
officers
(d) Administrators
29. Which according to Medhatithi

did not form source of kings
authority?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Dharmashastra
Vedas
Arthashastra
Upanishads
30. Which was the early seat of power

of the Pratiharas before Kanauj
became the imperial capital?
(a) Bhilmal (b) Ujjain
(c) Banaras (d) Mathura
31. When Nagabhatta II attacked

Kanauj Dharmapala sought help
from?
(a) Dhruv
(b) Krishna I
(c) Dantidurga
(d) Govinda III
32. Which of the dynasties is

mentioned as malik al-muluk
(king of kings) by the Arab
travellers?
98
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Palas
Rashtrakutas
Pratiharas
Chauhans
33. Krishna III, to commemorate his

victory over Parantaka I, planted,
a pillar of victory at
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Tanjore
Rameshwaram
Vengi
Kanchi
34. The Hallmark of the polity of

Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas
was
(a) increase in number of
Intermediaries
(b) Increase in number of
samantas
(c) Increase
in
centralization
(d) Increase in landgrants
35. The Gahadavala ruler to die in the

battle of Chandawar was
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Vijaychandra
Jaichandra
Harishchandra
Chandradeva
36. The
Chandellas
became
independent
from
the
Gurjaia-Pratiharas under
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Dhanga
Nannuka
Yasovar man
Ganda
37. Who was the Chandella ruler who

aided the Shahi ruler, Jaipal
against Subuktgin?
(a) Dhanga (b) Ganda
(c) Vidyadhara
(d) Paramardi
38. Whom did Vidyadhara kill, for

surrendering to Mahmud of
Ghazni without a fight?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Pratihara ruler
Paramara ruler
Solanki ruler
Chauhan ruler
39. Who was the Chandella ruler who

agreed to pay tribute to Aibak and
was killed by his own ministers,
Ajaydeva?
(a) Vidyadhara
(b) Parmardi
(c) Ganda (d) Dhanga
40. Which of the Paranmara rulers

was the patron of poets like
Dhananjaya,
Halayuddha,
Dhanika and Padmagupta; and
excavated a number of tanks?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Vakpati Munja
Bhoja
Harsha Siyaka
Govinda
41. The Paramara ruler who assisted

Anandpal and later gave shelter
to his son Trilochanpal against
Mahmud Ghazni, was
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Munja
Govinda
Harsha
Bhoja
42. Who was the Rajput ruler who

was author of books on medicine
astronomy,
religion
and
architectures; established a
Sanskrit college, patronised
scholars like Dhanapala and
Uvrata?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Jaichandra
Bhoja Paramara
Mihir Bhoja
Prithviraj Chauhan
43. Who built the city of Ajaymeru

(Ajmer) which replaced Sambhar
as the Chauhan capital?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Arnoraja
Vighraraja
Prithyiraj III
Ajayraja
44. Who was the Chauhan ruler said

to have freed Aryavarta from
invaders and conquered Delhi and
Hansi?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Prithviraj II
Vigraharaja IVVisaladeva
Arnoraja
Prithviraj III
45. Himself a composer of the drama.

Harakeli ; Visaladeva patronised
Somadeva. his court poet. Name
Somadevas drama.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Lalitvigraharaja
Karpuramanjari
Gathasaptsati
Pavandutam
46. Which of the following dynasties

was also known as Katasuris,
Haihayas and Chedis?


(a) Chauhans
(b) Chandellas
(c) Pratiharas(d)
Kalachuris
47. The Kalachuri ruler during -whose

rule Bananas and Allahabad
formed part of the Kalachuri
kingdom was
(a) Karna
(b) Kokalta
(c) Gangeyadeva
(d) Pratiharas
48. Who was the Chalukya king of

Gujarat when Mahmud Ghazni
invaded Gujarat?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Bhima I
Bhima II
Jayasimha Siddharaja
Kumarapala
49. Who was the Chalukyan ruler to

patronise the Jain scholar
Hemachandra and set up
institutions for the study of
Jyotisha, Nyaya and the Puranas?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Bhima II
Kumarapala
Jayasimha
Karna
50. The person who undertook the

work of drainage and irrigation of
the Kashmir valley during
Avantivarmans rule was
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Surya
Chandra
Vastupala
Jayank
51. Diddas the famous queen of

Kashmir in the mid 10th century
came from dynasty
(a) Shahi
(c) Utpala
(b) Lohara
(d) Karkota
52. Which of the dynasties claimed

itself as Brahma-Kshatriyas and
claimed descent from the kings of
Dakshinapatha?
(a) Vardhanas(b) Palas
(c) Varmans (d) Senas
53. Lakshmana Sena, when attacked

by Bhaktiyar Khilji, left his capital:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Radha
Gaur
Nadia
Sonargaon
54. Who was the Sena ruler whose
court was adorned by literary

celebrities such as Jayadeva,
Halayudha, Sridharadasa?
(a) Lakshmana(b) Ballala
(c) Hemanta (d) Vijaya
55. The Deva dynasty, who

Sub-planted the Senas from
eastern Bengal, ruled from their
capital at
(a) Nadia
(c) Vanga
(b) Radha
(d) Gaur
56. The Orissan ruler in the mid

seventh century, Sainyashita
Madhava Varman who performed
the asvamedha sacrifice belonged
to the ____ dynasty.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Kesari
Eastern Ganga
Later Eastern Ganga
Shailodhbhava
57. Who among the following were a

branch of the Gangas of Mysore?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Kesari
Eastern Ganga
Later Eastern Ganga
Shailodhbhava
58. Who is, credited with uniting

Utkal and Kalinga and describ-ing
his kingdom as stretching from
Ganga to Godavari?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Anantavarman Choda
Narasimha I
Narasimha II
Kapilendra
59. Who revived the feat of

stretching their kingdom from
Ganga to Godavari?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Suryavamsis
Ahoms
Gajapatis
Wester n Ganeas
60. Among the conquests of Rajaraja

were:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Sri Lanka
Maldive Islands
Coromandal coast
Malabar
Codes:
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 1, 2 and 3
(c) 2, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
61. Why did Rajendra I send a naval

expedition against the Shailendra
dynasty?
(a) For conquest
(b) To teach a lesson
(c) To expand trade with
China
(d) For the spread of
Buddhism
62. Why did the Cholas clash with the

later Chalukyas?
(1) Overlordship of Vengi
(2) Tungabhadra doab
(3) Ganga country in
north-west Karnataka
(4) Gujarat
(a) 1, 3 and 4(b) 2 and 4
(c) 1, 2 and 3(d) 2, 3 and 4
63. Which
foreign
traveller
commented that in Kerala, all
soldiers in the bodyguard burnt
themselves in the funeral pyre of
the monarch when he died?
(a) Ibn Battuta(b) Al-Biruni
(c) Marco Polo(d) Sulaiman
64. What was the style of architecture

that came into vogue during the
Chola period?
(a) Vesara
(b) Nagara
(c) Dravida (d) Vimana
65. Pampa, Ponna and Ranna are

regarded as the___of Kannada
poetry
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Three diamonds
Three jewels
Three stars
Three gems
66. Bilhana, compose of Vikramana

kadevacharita and Vijnaneshvara,
author of Mitakshara graced the
court of:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Java Simha I
Vikramaditya VI
Taila II
Satyasraya
67. The earliest known Kakatiya

chief, Beta I was a contemporary
of___Chola
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Rajaraja
Parantaka I
Rajendra
Virarajendra
68. Rudramadevi, daughter of Ganpati

was a patron of the __ sect.
99


(a) Vaishnava (b) Kapalika
(c) Aghori (d) Pasupata
69. Tiruvalangadu copper plate

inscription and the Tirumalai rock
inscription reflect upon the
conquests of
(a) Rajaraja I(b) Rajendra I
(c) Rajendra II(d)
Kulottunga
70. Which South-east Asian kingdom

was conquered by Rajendra I
Chola?
(a) Malaya
(c) Funan
(b) Kamboja
(d) Sumatra
71. Which temple has been described

as the highest achievement of
the Chalukya-Hoyasala style of
architecture?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Chidambaram
Rajarajeshvara
Choleshvara
Hoyshalesvara
72. Who inaugurated the second

Pandyan Empire?
(a) Jatavarman
Kulashekhara
(b) Maravarma Sundara
Pandya
(c) Jatavarman Sundara
Pandya I
(d) Jatavarman Virapandya
73. Which foreign traveller to India

remarked. The great proyince of
Mabar is best of all the Indies?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Ibn Battuta
Marco Polo
Sulaiman
Al-Masudi
74. Who were the rulers of

Transoxiana. Khurasan and parts
of Iran during the end of the 9th
century?
(a) Samanids
(b) Abbasids
(c) Mongols (d) Turks
75. Who was the patron of Vastupala,

the builder of the Jain temple at
Mt. Abu?
(a) Bhima (b) Mularaja
(c) Jayasimha(d) Prithviraj
76. What was the bone of contention

100
between the Khwarizmis and the

Ghorids?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Qandahar
Khorasan
Kabul
Samarqand
77. Who was the ruler of Gujarat who

defeated Muhammad Ghori in
1178?
(a) Bhima I (b) Bhima II
(c) Mularaja (d) Karna
78. Who was the general of

Prithviraja who led the victorious
campaign of 1191?
(a) Tilak
(b) Udal
(c) Jayapala (d) Skanda
79. Where did Prithviraja move to and

find a new kingdom after the
second battle of Tarai?
(a) Ranthambhor
(b) Chittor
(c) Jalor
(d) Bundi
80. Who attacked and destroyed the

famous Buddhist monasteries of
Nalanda and Vikramashila?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Qutbuddin Aibak
Yalduz
Bakhtiyar Khilji
Qubacha
81. Who were the rulers of Assam

who defeated Bakhtiyar Khilji?
(a) Magh
(c) Senas
(b) Ahoms
(d) Kamatas
82. Which was the battle, which

brought the Arab armies to the
frontiers of al-Hind?
(a) Qadisiya (b) Karbala
(c) Uhud
(d) Badr
83. Who was the founder of the

Ghaznavid dynasty?
(a) Subuktgin(b) Alaptgin
(c) Mahmud of Ghazni
(d) Alauddin
84. Who among the following was

given the title of Yamin AlDawla?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Subuktgin
Alaptgin
Mahmud of Ghazni
Muhammad Ghori
85. Which of Mahmud of Ghaznis

conquests have been termed as
his first great triumph against

idolatry?
(a) Multan (b) Peshawar
(c) Nagarkot (d) Somnath
86. Which city has been described by

Utbi as full of extraordinary
buildings?
(a) Thanesar (b) Mathura
(c) Somnath (d) Nagarkot
87. Which city suffered Mahmuds

onslaguht after Nagarkot,
Thanesar and Mathura?
(a) Kanauj (b) Somnath
(c) Ujjain
(d)
Anhilwara
88. Who commented : Hindus

became like atoms of dust
scattered in all directions?
(a) Al-Beruni(b) Firdausi
(c) Al-Mansur(d) Utbi
89. Who were installed in Delhi as

tributaries of the Ghorids, after the
fall of Prithviraj?
(a) Chandellas(b) Tomars
(c) Chauhans(d)
Gahadavalas
90. Who occupied Ghazni after

Muhammad Ghoris death?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Qubacha
Bakhtiyar Khilji
Yalduz
Qutbuddin Aibak
91. Brihatkatha kosha, a book which

mentioned peculiar features of
languages dresses etc. was
written by
(a) Rajashekhar (b)
Dhoyi
(c) Medhatithi(d)Harisena
92. The common feature of a ___

society is that the dominant
position in society is held by
those who draw sustenance from
land without working on it.
(a) Agriculture(b)Slave
(c) Feudal (d) Stagnant
93. Which of the law givers held that

eating a Shudras food,
association with a Shudra, sitting
on the same seat with a Shudra
and taking lessons from a Shudra
are acts which drag down even
the noblest person?


(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
no exception?
Narada
Katyayana
Gautam
Parasara
94. Which of the writers describe the

burning of queens on the funeral
pyre of their husbands?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Sulaiman
Al-Masudi
Ibn-Battuta
Al-Beruni
95. Who was the traveller who says

that in Malabar men and women
wore a loin cloth, the king being
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
and wrote in___
Chau Ju Kua
Al-Masudi
Sulaiman
Marco Polo
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
96. Regarding whom did Al-Biruni

remark: They are haughty,
foolish, vain, self-conceited.
Stolid?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Only Tamil
Tamil and Kannada
Kannada and Telugu
Tamil and Telugu
98. Which of the following is true

about the Lingayats?
Brahmins
Rajputs
Vaishyas
Kayasthas
97. The Nayanars and Alvars spoke
(a) Supported the caste

system
(b) Allowed
widow
remarriage
(c) Supported
child
marriage
(d) Worshipped Basava
ANSWERS
1. (d)
11. (a)
21. (a)
31. (d)
41. (d)
51. (a)
61. (c)
71. (d)
81. (a)
91. (d)
2. (d)
12. (c)
22. (c)
32. (b)
42. (b)
52. (d)
62. (c)
72. (b)
82. (a)
92. (c)
3. (c)
13. (b)
23. (b)
33. (b)
43. (d)
53. (c)
63.(*)
73. (b)
83. (a)
93. (d)
4. (c)
14. (d)
24. (b)
34. (b)
44. (b)
54. (a)
64. (c)
74. (a)
84. (c)
94. (a)
5. (b)
15. (a)
25. (a)
35. (b)
45. (a)
55. (c)
65. (d)
75. (a)
85. (c)
95. (d)
6. (d)
16. (b)
26. (a)
36. (c)
46. (d)
56. (d)
66. (b)
76. (b)
86. (b)
96. (a)
7. (c)
17. (b)
27. (a)
37. (a)
47. (a)
57. (b)
67. (c)
77. (b)
87. (a)
97. (d)
8. (d)
18. (d)
28. (c)
38. (a)
48. (a)
58. (a)
68. (d)
78. (d)
88. (a)
98. (b)
9. (c)
19. (a)
29. (d)
39. (b)
49. (a)
59. (c)
69. (b)
79. (a)
89. (b)
10. (c)
20. (b)
30. (a)
40. (a)
50. (a)
60. (d)
70. (d)
80. (c)
90. (c)
101

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Mock Paper For GS Paper-II Preliminary Examination 2015
MOCK PAPER
For CSAT Paper-II
Preliminary Examination 2015
Direction: Instruction for questionread the following passage and
answer the questions that follow.
Your answers to the questions should
be based on the passage only.
Passage 1
As soon as I saw the elephant I
knew with perfect certainty that I
ought not to shoot him. It is serious
matter to shoot a working elephantit is comparable to destroying a huge
and costly price of machinery- and
obviously one ought not to do it if it
can possibly be avoided. And at the
distance , peacefully eating, the
elephant looked no more dangerous
that a cow.
1. The elephant looked no more
dangerous than a cow
because.
(a) Cows can be dangerous
at times
(b) It was quietly doing its
work
(c) It tusks resemble the
cows horns
(d) Unlike lions, it is a
vegetarian animal
2. The writer was against
102
shooting the elephant

because.
(a) He was certain that the
elephant was innocent
(b) He suspected it to be a
wild one and was afraid
of it
(c) His heart was full of
compassion for animals
(d) It would amount to
avoidable waste of useful
property.
3. The author compares the
elephant to a costly machine
because;
(a) Ivory is very expensive
(b) It can do as much work
as an expensive machine
(c) Elephants look like big
machines
(d) Elephants and machines
have similar prices
Passage 2
Shaken by the resolve shown buy
the hazara Shia community of Quetta
who have been picketing out in subzero temperature and rain for justicePakistan broke out in protest against
the states silence on unrelenting
terrorism .
Besides the end of the genocide, the

Hazara shias want military operation
against banned outfits like the Sipahe-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-jangvi.
Accusing the state of a policy of
apartheid aginst the hazara shias who have been victims of relentless
sectarian attacks for several years
now- some in the community are
demanding Army takeover of the
province while others are openly
critical of the security establishment
for allowing its pro refers is to carry
out such a genocide
4. In the above passage
sectarian attacks
(a) Discrimination or hatred
arising due to dispute in
different families
(b) Discrimination or bared
arising due to difference
in counties
(c) Discrimination or hatred
arising from attaching
importance to perceived
differences between
subdivisions within a
group
(d) All of the above
5. End of the genocide infers
to


(a) Ending the deliberate
killing of a group of
people, except those of a
particular ethnic group or
nation
(b) Ending the disputes of
countries
(c) Ending the casteism
(d) None of the above
6. In the passage, sipah-esahab lashkar-e-jangvi are:
(a) Pakistans
Sunni
organization
(b) Pakistans
shias
organization
(c) Afghanistans sunnis
organization
(d) Afghanistans shias
organization
Passage 3
For achieving inclusive growth there
is a critical need to rethink the role
of the state. The early debate among
economist about the size of the
government can be misleading. The
need of the hour is to have an
enabling government. India is too
large and complier and nation for the
state to be able to deliver all that is
need. Asking the government to
produce all the essential goods,
create all the necessary jobs, and
keep a curb on the prices of all goods
is to lead to a large cumbersome
bureaucracy and widespread
computation, the aim must be to stay
with the objective of inclusive
growth hat was laid down by the
founding fathers of the nations and
also to take a more modern view of
what the state can realistically
deliver.
This is what leads to the idea of an
enabling sate, that is a government
that does not try to directly deliver
to the citizen everything that they
need. Instead it
1. Creates an enabling ethos for

the market so that individual
enterprise can flourish and
citizens can, for the most
part, provide for the needs of
one another and
2. Steps in to help those who do
not manage to do well for
themselves, for there will
always be individuals no
matter what the system, who
need support and help
Hence we need a government that,
when it come to the market, sets
effective, incentive compatible rules
and remains on the sidelines with
minimal interference, and at the
same time plays an important role
in directly helping the poor by
ensuring that they get basic education
and health services and receive
adequate nutrition and food.
7. According to passage:
1. The objective of inclusive
growth was laid down by
the founding fighters of
the nation
2. Need of the house is to
have an enabling
Government
3. The government should
engage with maximum
interference in market
process.
4. There is a need to change
the size
of the
government
Which of the statements
given above are correct ?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
8. According to the passage,
the strategy of inclusion
growth can be effected by
focusing on
(a) Meeting all the needs of

every citizen in the
country
(b) Increasing
the
regulations over the
manufacturing sector
(c) Controlling
the
distribution
of
manufacturing goods
(d) Delivery of the basic
services to the deprived
sections of the society
9. What constitutes and
enabling government?
1. A large bureaucracy
2. Implementation
of
welfare programmes
though representative
3. Creating an ethos that
helps
individual
enterprise
4. Providing resources to
those
who
are
underprivileged
5. Offering direct help to the
poor regarding basic
services.
Select the correct answer
form the codes given below:
(a) 1,2 and 3 only
(b) 4 and 5 only
(c) 3, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1,2,3,4 and 5
10. Why is the state unable to
deliver all that is need?
1. It does not have
sufficient bureaucracy
2. It does not promote
inclusive growth
form the codes given below;
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
11. What is essential message
being converged by the
author of the passage?
103


(a) The objectives of
inclusive growth laid
down by the founding
fathers of the nations
should be remembered
(b) The government need to
make available more
school and health
services.
(c) The government needs
establish markets and
industries to meet the
needs of the poor strata
of the society.
(d) There is a need to rethink
the role of the state in
achieving inclusive
growth
Passage 4
The concept of creative society
refers to a phase of development of
a society in which a large number
of potential contradiction become
articulate and active. This is most
evident which oppressed social
groups get politically mobilized and
demand their rights. The upsurge of
the peasants and tribal, the
movement for regional autonomy
and self-determination, the
environmental movement, and the
womens movement in the
developing countries are signs of
emergence of creative society in
contemporary times.
The forms of social movement and
their intensity may vary from
country to country and place to
place within to country and place to
place within a country. But they
very presence of movement for
social transformation in various
shapes of a society indicates the
emergence of a creative society in a
country.
12. What does the author imply
by creative society?
104
1. A society where diverse

art and forms and literary
writing seek incentive
2. A society where social
inequalities are accepted
as the norm.
3. A society where a large
number of contradiction
are recognized
4. A society where the
exploited and the
oppressed groups grow
conscious of their human
rights and upliftment
using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 4 only (c) 3 and 4
(d) 2 and 4
13. What according to the
passage
are
the
manifestations of social
movements.?
1. Aggressiveness and being
incendensy
2. Instigation by external
forces
3. Quest for social equality
and individual freedom
4. Urge for granting
privileges and self
respect to disparaged
section of the society
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4.
14. With reference to the
passage, consider the
following statements.
1. To be a creative society,
it is essential to have a
variety
of
social
movements
2. To be a creative society,
it is imperative to have
potential contradictions
and conflicts
given above is the correct
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 not 2
Passage 5
Third World is not a term much
used today. Most developing
countries, as they were once
euphemistically know, really are
now developing- and doing so fast,
so it is not surprising their disease
patterns are changing too, just as
happened in the rich world. Deaths
from infections disease are down .
Rates of non-transmissible
illness often chrome and frequently
the result of obesity are rising the
panjandrums of global health are
struggling to keep up.
15. In the passage above the
word panjandrums refers
too
(a) Importance of global
health
(b) Weakness of global health
(c) None of these
(d) A & B
16. The author used the term
third world for
(a) Developing countries of
Asia, Africa and Latin
America.
(b) All developing countries
(c) Can not be determined
(d) None of these
Passage 6
Bribery is voluntary. The bribe grew
chooses to give money or favors to
influence a choice, steal a march
over rival, or hasten ( sometimes
delay) a decision. Bribery harms the
economy and society cumulatively


over a period of time. But it has
limited political impact because it is
a voluntary transaction between
consenting adults and the injustice
it does is confined to a small circle
of rivals.
17. What would be the
appropriate title for the
passage
(a) Bribery
(b) Effects of bribe on
society
(c) Economic
injustice
through brave
(d) None
18. bribery is voluntary, by
this statements the author
infers
(a) Bribery is self-willed
(b) To give bribe by others
will
(c) Both a & b
(d) None
Passage 7
Religion and culture play an
important role in social cohesion.
The religious attitude of tolerance
and peace and culture values of
pluralism and conducive to good
governance. And yet there is no
casual relationship between religion
and democracy. For democracy does
not belong to any faith, equally, no
particular faith is synonymous with
democracy. Indian democracy is a
product of freedom movement
which gave primary to values of
pluralism and equal treatment to
people of different faiths and ethnic
backgrounds. The constitution
guarantees, the judiciary upholds it
and the leader ship believes in this
values system.
19. What does the term social
cohesion refers to
(a) Brining people together
in a specific society
(b) Separating people into

groups in a specfic
society
(c) None of these
(d) a & b
20. Good Governance stand
for governance which serves
the citizens by
A Safe guarding territorial
integrity of the state
B Securing individual
security
C Applying rule of law
D Delivering services
ranging from education,
health to livelihood and
food security
(a) A, B (b) B ,C, D
(c) B, C (d) All
21. In the passage the religious
attitude of tolerance infers
to
A Acceptance of the
concept that two or
more religions with
mutually exclusive truth
claims are equally valid
B Acceptance of the
concept that two or
more religions with
mutually exclusive truth
claims are invalid
C Synonym
for
ecumenism
D As term for the condition
of harmonious coexistence
between
adherents of different
religions or religious
denominations
(a) A, B , C(b) B, C, D
(c) A, C, D (d) A , B, D
Passage 8
Democracy is at the heart of
governance in India. However, in its
working, democracy has revealed
several inadequacies. The chain of
accountability from the civil service

to legislature and political authority
is weak; follow-through at higher
levels of administration is poor sand
limited oversight by Parliamentary
committees is part of the problem.
Criminalization of politics and
increasing role of caste and religion
in elector politics are major concern.
22. Criminalization of politics can
be prevented by
(a) Debarring criminals from
contesting elections
(b) Preventing criminals
facing
prosecution
getting out on bail
(c) Amending the Acts.
(d) All of them
23. governance refers to
A Safeguarding territorial
integrity of the state
B Securing individual
security
C Applying rule of law
D Delivering services
ranging from education
health to livelihood and
food security
(a) A, B (b) B, C, D
(c) B, C (d) All
24. What could be the
appropriate title of the
passage
(a) Good Governance
(b) Democracy
(c) Democracy
and
governance
(d) None
Passage 9
Mycorrhizal fungi infect more plants
that do any other fungi and are
necessary for many plant to thrive,
but they have escaped widespread
investigation until recently for two
reasons. First, the symbiotic
association is so well-balanced that
105


the roots of host plants show no
damage even when densely infected,
second, the fungi cannot as yet be
cultivated in the absence of a living
root, despite their difficulties, there
has been important new work that
suggests that this symbiotic
association can be harnessed to
achieve more economical use of
costly superphosphate fertilizer of
cheaper, less soluble rock phosphate.
27. To indulge in their favorite

pastime our ancestors
(a) Exercised
some
intelligence and individual
initiative
(b) Enjoyed nonsensical
work
(c) Never moved out of their
familiar environment
(d) Formed recreational
clubs
25. Which of the following most

accurately describes the
passage
(a) Report (b) Summary
(c) Regulation of earlier
hypotheses
(d) A recommendation
28. The author thinks that the

bane of modern times is that
(a) Physical exercise has
been given a go-by
(b) The trash travels very
fast
(c) People are taking active
interest in mindless
pleasures
(d) The cheap ready made
distractions
have
become more and more
pervasive
Passage 10
In older times, the pleasures demand
intelligence and personal initiative,
now a days, we have vast companies
that provide as with readymade
distractions, which demands from
audience, no personal participation
and no intellectual effort of any sort.
To the interminable democracies of
the world, a million enemas bring
the same state balderdash. There are
always been fourth-rate writers and
drama writers; whose work are not
been appreciated. Today, the
inventions of the scenario-writer go
out from Los Angles across the
whole would countless audiences
soak passively in the tepid bath of
nonsense. No mental effort is
demanded of them.
26. According to the passage, the
modern audience
(a) Is cosmopolitan in its
outlook
(b) Is very discriminating
(c) Looks individual initiative
and refuses to exercise
the mind
(d) None
106
29. According to this passage,

most cinemas
(a) Deal with the familiar
uninteresting family
dramas
(b) Tend to be didactic and
moralistic
(c) Bring the images of the
same old adventure
activities
(d) Bring nothing but some
dull, nonsensical talk
Passage 11
Employees therein decide their own
working hours set quotas for their
production, improve products and
process, are responsible for their
own quality and for approval of a
leadership appointment. Everyone
has the right to vote on major
companys decision and split the
profit. As Vimal gains confidence in
this approach, it happily abolished a
lot more of the conventions by

which business are usually run.
No secretaries, receptionist or
spaces and dining room , dress codes
and almost all rules have gone,
including those for travel and
expenses.
30. The term leadership
appointments signify
(a) Appointing company
directors
(b) Appoint meting political
leaders
(c) Selecting trade union
leaders
(d) Appoint officers in
charge of various
sections
31. In the given passage,
Vimal is the name of ;
(a) A brand of the product
(b) A novel approach to
things and affairs
(c) A business establishment
(d) The leader of secretaries,
receptionists
and
personal assistants
32. From the passage it is clear
that the novel approach
referred to is
(a) Democratize
(b) Bureaucratic
(c) Aristocratic
(d) Autocratic
33. The employees referred to
are:
(a) Employee of essential
services
(b) Government employees
(c) Employees of a public
sector undertaking
(d) Employees of a private
company
Passage 12
Ecosystem provide people with a
variety of goods and services; food,


clean water, clean air, Flood control,
Soil stabilization, Pollutions, Climate
regulation, spiritual fulfillment and
aesthetic enjoyment, to name just a
few. Most of these benefits either
are irreplaceable or the technology
necessary to replace them is
prohibitively expensive. For
example, potable fresh water can be
provided by desalinating sea-water,
but only at a great cost. The rapidly
expanding human population has
greatly modifies the earths
ecosystems to meet their increased
requirements of some of the goods
and services, particularly food, fresh
water, timber, fiber and fuel. These
modifications have contributed
substantially to human well being
and economic development., the
benefits have not been equally
distributed some people have actually
been harmed by these changes.
Moreover, short-term increases in
some ecosystem goods and services
have come at the cost of the long
term degradation of other. For
example, efforts to increase the
production of food and fiber have
decreased the ability of some
ecosystems to provide clean water,
regulate flooding and support
biodiversity
34. With reference to the
passage, considered the
following
statements:
expanding human population
has as adverse effect on:
1. Spiritual fulfillment
2. Aesthetic enjoyment
3. Potable fresh water
4. Production of food and
fiber
5. Biodiversity
given above are correct
(a) 1, 2 and 3only
(b) 2, 4 and 5 only

(c) 3 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 only
35. The passage mentions that
some people have actually
been harmed by these
changes. What does it
imply?
1. The rapid expansion of
population has adversely
affected some people
2. Sufficient efforts, have
not been made to increase
the production of food
and fiber
3. In the short term some
people may be harmed,
but in the long term
everyone will benefit
from modifications in the
earths ecosystems
Which of the statements give
above is /are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 2
(c) 1 and 3
36. A team is performing
extremely good and is a
paramount example of team
work. When of the following
may be the primary force in
the success of the team?
(a) Cohesiveness among
members.
(b) Collective responsibility
(c) The team leader
(d) Both (a) and (b).
37. An officer has decided to
survey his district identify the
problems in the area and
important a few policies to
benefit the people. But the
policies did not succeed the
Reason for this failure could
be.
(a) He was unexperienced
and hence could not
identify the problems

correctly
(b) He had no knowledge
about the district.
(c) He had sufficient
resources for the
implementation of his
policies.
(d) His implementation way
was good.
38. You are a supervisor in an
organization which of the
following do you think
correct
for
effective
supervision
(a) Concern for employees
and mutual trust.
(b) Supremacy
over
employees.
(c) Comments on other
employees.
(d) No informal interaction
39. To ensure effective formal
communication one must
rely on.
(a) Ruler and policies of the
organization
(b) Deep relation between the
employees.
(c) Organization structure.
(d) Positive attitude.
40. During the peak time too
much work load exists. How
do you tackle with it?
(a) You will make your
subordinates work and
give them overtime.
(b) You will appreciate the
subordinates,
who
performed will and use
are willing to work hard.
(c) You will demand
additional work force.
(d) Both (a) and (b)
41. If R means X, S means , T
means +, and U means , than
what is the value of
107


13
4
4 10
>
4
T5 S
R1 U1 ?
7
9 7
11
7
(a) 12
(b) 13
(c) 14
(d) 11
42. Rajesh is facing west. He

turns 45 in the clockwise
direction, and in the same
direction he turns again 180
and then 270 in the
anticlockwise direction. Now
he is facing in
(a) South
(b) North-west
(c) West
(d) South-west
43. Six friends- K, L, M, N, O
and P are sitting in such a
circular way that they face
towards the centre. K, and L
makes an angle of 180 at the
centre of the circle by the
straight line; from L and M
makes 120, again 180 from
M and N. O does not sit on
the immediate left of M while
M is not on the immediate
right of K. Which statement
is definitely true accordingly?
(a) M is sitting between K
and N.
(b) O is sitting between K
and P.
(c) L is sitting between N
and P.
(d) O and M sit opposite to
each other.
Direcion: Study the information
given below and answer the
questions:(i) There are two couples in
a family. There are 6
members.
(ii) Mrs. Kavita and her
mother-in-law both are
Lawyers.
(iii) The lawyer is the head of
the family and has only
108
two sons- Suresh and

Naresh
both
are
Teachers.
(iv) Sureshs wife is a doctor
and have a son named
Vijay.
44. What is the profession of
Nareshswife.
(a) Teacher(b) Doctor
(c) Lawyer (d) None
45. How many male members are
there in the family?
(a) Two (b) Three
(c) Four (d) One
46. What is Vijays occupation?
(a) Teacher(b) Lawyer
(c) Doctor
(d) cant be determined
47. Which of the following is
definitely a couple?
(a) Lawyer- Teacher
(b) Doctor- Lawyer
(c) Teacher-Teacher
(d)cant be determined
48. What is Vijays Grandfathers
occupation?
(a) Teacher(b) Lawyer
(c) Doctor
(d) cant be determined
49. In a certain code BLEAR is
written as MCVSB and
BLARE is written as
MCZFS. How is REBEL
written in that code?
(a) FSRYF (b) FSMYF
(c) FSYMF(d) BSYMF
50. If accident is related to
Precautions, in the same
way- Sanitation is related to:(a) Medicine(b) Diseases
(c) Doctor (d) Diet
51. Four of the following five
pairs are alike in a certain way
and so form a group, which
One is not alike?
(a) SMART : RTSMA
(b) BRAKE : AKRFB

(c) WINGS : SGNIW
(d) COUSIN : SINCOU
52. Find the unlike pair from the
four pairs which forms a
group(a) illyngophobia : Vertigo
(b) Kakorrhaphiophobia :
Defeat
(c) Insectophohia : Termite
(d) Kainolophobia : Novelty
53. If in a code language
FORTNIGHT is written as
C P N O S X U Q G ,
TOMMORROW is written as
EVXWSPQU, then how is
YESTERDAY written in that
language?
(a) OPDKSTMNR
(b) HIKXJXVGZ
(c) QGQSONPCQ
(d) HKXJIVGZX
Direction: Eight friends STUVWXY
and Z, are sitting in two opposite
rows facing each other. There are
four persons in each row. S is
between X and Y, and faces north.
Z is opposite to W, who is on the
immediate left of T. U is between V
and T. Z is to the immediate right
of Y. Answer the question as per the
instructions given54. Who is sitting opposite to U?
(a) W
(b) S
(c) Y
(d) V
55. Who lies immediate right of
U?
(a) V
(b) S
(c) Y
(d) Z
56. Find the height of the lift if
the angle of elevation of the
top of a lift is 30 and it is
450 m from ground level?
(a) 158.8m (b) 230 m
(c) 259.8 m(d) 265.08 m
57. Find the number of way in


which 8 different pearls can
be arranged to form a
bracelet?
8!
(a)
2
(b)
7!
2
9!
6!
(d)
2
2
58. From 6 boys and 10 girls, in
how many ways can 5 be
chosen to include exactly one
monitor?
(a) 1160 (b) 1260
(c) 1290 (d) 1250
(c)
4
5
Find the value- 45 1 = ?
3
3
(a) 56
(b) 54
(c) 58
(d) 59
A person covers a distance in
42 minutes, if he runs at a
speed of 25km/hr on an
average, find the speed at
which he must run to reduce
the time of the journey to 35
minutes?
(a) 50 km/hr(b) 40 km/hr
(c) 30 km/hr(d) 35 km/hr
Ram and Radha together can
do a piece of work in 7 days.
If Ram does twice as much
work as Radha in given time,
how long will Ram take alone
to complete the work?
(a) 21 days (b) 20days
(c) 10 days (d) 10/2 days
A bag contains an equal
number of 1 rupee, fifty paisa
and twenty-five paisa coin
respectively. If the total value
is Rs 56, how many coins of
each type are there?
(a) 52
(b) 22
(c) 32
(d) 62
Find the value of:1
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
216
2
3
27
4
3
(a)
2
9
(b)
4
9
1
3
(d)
6
7
64. Find the value of x:3
3x 8 4 = 0
(c)
(a) 12
(b) 24
(c) 36
(d) 7
65. Which fraction is the greatest
?
12 9 6 3
,
, ,
31 23 15 7
(a)
12
31
(b)
9
23
(c)
6
15
(d)
3
7
66. You were passing through a

jungle it was getting dark and
you heard some noise in the
bus her behind you
(a) Walk back and start
running
(b) Keep silence for some
time and then carry on.
(c) Walk back find nothing
suspicious and so
carryon
(d) Hide for sometime in a
near by place and wait till
the noise ceases.
67. While playing a cricket
match. You husited your ankle
very badly you
(a) Stop playing and walk
back.
(b) Take first aid and
continue playing
(c) Leave the match and go
Home
(d) Keep on playing without
giving any concentration
on your pain
68. Jast before reaching the
mountain peak you found
your feet were slipping due

to sand kept underneath your
feet you
(a) Balance your body and
change steps to move up
to the top.
(b) Start screaming for help.
(c) Start praying to god to
keep you safe.
(d) Start abusing your trainer
69. During a train journey you
found some passengers
arguing
unnecessarily
disturbing other people .
you
(a) Do not play any heed to
them
(b) Start doing you work
(c) Persuade them factually
not to do so
(d) Fell them to leave that
place.
70. while going to a place on an
urgent mission you found that
the only bus left was full and
no other public transport was
available you
(a) Use your power to get
seats.
(b) Take your ticket by
persuading conductor by
giving him extra money.
(c) Use your money illegally
and get a seat
(d) Somehow manage your
entry into the bus and
travel the distance
standing.
71. Being the eldest of the family
you found your family was
uprooted due to undone
you
(a) Tell your other brothers
to
contribute
for
rehabilitation
(b) Rehatriectate your family
by arranging necessary
things
109


(c) Wait for the government
to help your family
(d) Wait for the god to
smoothen the situation
72. You found a few members
were going back out from
joining a government
policyyou.
(a) Persuade them to join the
police by highlighting the
importance of the police
(b) Try to persuade them and
if they do not agree then
you start threatening
them.
(c) Do not pay any attention
to this
(d) Keep on doing your duty
without taking any
interest in those who
were going to back out.
73. You saw people crowding
outside ticket counter, trying
to buy tickets, resulting into
quarrel you
(a) Do not pay any attention
to it and keep on doing
your work.
(b) Persuade them to form a
queue.
(c) Like money other, you
too become a spectator
and keep on waiting for
the quarrel to stop.
(d) Go from behind the
queue and arrange your
tickets
74. While Traveling is a crowded
bus, you saw a person
picking the pocket of a
passenger you.
(a) Do nothing; just keep on
doing your work.
(b) Start giving attention to
other things
(c) Beat the man blue with
the help of other
passengers.
110
(d) Caught the man red

handed and handed him
over to the police.
75. Although you were a first
division you failed to get first
division in English exam.
You
(a) Start blaming the
situations and cursing
your luck
(b) Feel jealousy with the
students, who got first
division and start
behaving badly with
them.
(c) Work hard to get first
division in the next exam.
(d) Stop doing anything and
start to lighten your
mood.
76. You with your friends, while
in the morning walk, find that
an old man is laying
unconscious on the road.
You
(a) Will not do anythings as
you have other important
work to do
(b) Will inform the police.
(c) Will give first aid and take
to hospital at the earliest.
(d) Will give first aid and then
complete your morning
walk.
77. There is a flood noticed in the
morning when you woke up
the whole locality is about to
sink. Lot many things are
seen as spoiled you
(a) Call
the
disaster
management people.
(b) Try to save the vulnerable
people.
(c) Will create force to
evacuate
essentials
immediately.
(d) Pray to the almighty.
78. While sitting in examination

hall, you noticed that your
best friend had expired.
You
(a) Will leave the exam and
become much tensed.
(b) Will complete the exam
and then rush to your
friends house.
(c) Will start informing
others about it
(d) Will inform the police
first before completing
the papers.
79. You received an urgent
message from your superior.
But you feel that the massage
is wrong you
(a) Will show the massage to
your best friend and then
after seeing his reaction
will decide to follow it or
not
(b) Will obey first
(c) Ask the superior for
classification
(d) Will not do anything and
wait for the response of
superior.
80. Some terrorists kidnapped a
girl. You, while passing
through that area, were
approached by a person to
help to rescue the girl you
(a) Will not listen to the
person as it may
endanger your own life
(b) Will inform the police by
calling on helpline
number.
(c) Will involve yourself to
make the Terrorist
surrender.
(d) Ask help of some more
people and then involve
yourself.

Answers with Explanations

1. (b)
2. (d)
3. (b)
4. (c)
5. (a)
6. (a)
7. (a)
8. (d)
9. (c)
10. (d)
11. (d)
12. (c)
13. (c)
14. (c)
15. (a)
16. (a)
17. (b)
18. (a)
19. (a)
20. (d)
21. (c)
22. (d)
23. (d)
24. (c)
25. (b)
26. (c)
27. (a)
28. (d)
29. (d)
30. (d)
31. (c)
32. (a)
33. (d)
34. (c)
35. (a)
36. (d)
37. (a)
38. (a)
39. (c) [the structure of an arganisation plays the foremost role in ensuring efficient formal communication
rest things come later]
40. (d) [work will be accomplished with minimal expenditure]
41. (b)
42. (b)
45. (c)
46. (b)
43. (a)
44. (a)
47. (b) Difference of 6 digits from 42, as 15+6 = 21, 27 + 6 = 33, 42 + 6 = 48.
48. (a) 6 +11 = 17, 17 6 = 11 in same way 11 +11 = 22, 22 6 =16
49. (b) 3 - 1, 4 - 2, 5-3
50. (c) 2 + 2, 2 + 2 .
51. (a) + 1, +3, +5, +7
52. (d) we do not have information about the number of persons between Ramesh and Krishna.
53. (b) As the last rang 45 minutes before 7:45 am, at 7.00, but it happened five minutes before the teacher gave
the information to the students. So the information was given 7.05 am.
54. (c) Todays date Monday
Abhis birthday = Monday + 2 = Wednesday
wed = Independences Day
Required Answer= Wednesday +1 = Thursday
55. (a) the pattern is +20, +40, +80.
56. (c)
57. (b)
58. (a)
59. (b)
60. (c)
61. (d)
62. (c)
63. (b)
64. (b)
65. (d)
66. (d)
67. (b)
68. (a)
69. (c)
70. (d)
71. (c)
72. (a)
73. (b)
74. (d)
75. (c)
76. (c)
77. (b)
78. (b)
79. (b)
80. (d)
111

MOCK PAPER
For GS Paper-I
Preliminary Examination 2015

1. Consider the following
statements:
1. He introduced guerilla
warfare against Mughals.
2. He killed Afzal Khan, a
general of the dolcunda
Kingdom.
3. Jai Singh persuaded Shivaji to
have friendship with
Aurangzeb
but
was
imprisoned by Aurangzeb.
4. He declared himself the
independent ruler of the
Maratha Kingdom and was
crowned in 1674.
Which of the above
statements are true about
Shivaji?
(a) Only l, 2 and 3
(b) Only 2, 3 and 4
(c) Only 1, 3 and 4
(d) All the above
2. Match the List-I (Goods) with
List-II (Procurement are
(a) and select, the correct answer
using the codes.given below
the lists:
List-I
A. Malmals
B. Silks
C. Cotton
textiles
D. Pepper
112
List-II
1. Surat, Ahmedabad
and Madurai
2. Malabar
3. Dacca (in East
Bengal)
4. Banaras
Code:
A B C
D
(a) 3 4 1
2
(b) 1 3 4
2
(c) 4 2 1
3
(d) 2 1 3
4
statements:
1. Dara Sikoh was the son of
Shah Jahan and brother of
Aurangzeb.
2. His best known work was
a.study of Sufi and Vedanta
Philosophy.
3. He also translated the
Upnishads into Persian in
1657.
4. He was killed in the fight for
the throne between him and
his brother Aurangzeb.
Which of the above statements
about prince Dara Sikoh is/are
correct?
(a) Only 1, 2 and 3
(b) Only 2, 3 and 4
(c) Only 1, 3 and 4
(d) All the above
4. Which of the following
statements about Akbar is/are
correct?
1. Akbar was proclaimed king in
1565 when he was only
thirteen years of age.
2. Akbar was looked after by
Bairam Khan.
3. He fought his first battle with
Hemu at Panipat.
4. He had marriage alliance with
many Rajput royal families.
Code:
(a) Only 1, 2 and 3
(b) Only 2, 3 and 4
(c) Only 1, 3 and 4
(d) All the above
statements:
1. Zaziya was. abolished during
the reign-of Jahandar Shah
2. Several semi-independent
kingdoms emerged in Bengal,
Awadh and Hyderabad
during the period of Ahmad
Shah
Code:
(a) Only 1 is correct
(b) Only 2 is correct
(c) Both are correct
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct
6. Arrange the following Later
Mughal rulers in chronological
order:
1. Alamgir II
2. Mohammad Shah
3. Shah Alam II
4. Ahmad Shah
Code:
(a) 3, 2, 4, 1 (b) 1,3, 2, 4
(c) 1, 2, 3, 4 (d) 2, 4, 1, 3


7. Match the following List-I with
List-II and answer as per the code
given below:
List-I
A. Mahabalipuram1.
B. Halebid
2.
Temple
C. Thanjavur
3.
D. Hampi
4.
List II
Vithaldeo Temple
Brihadeswara
Hoyasala Temple
Shore Temple
Code:
A B C
D
(a) 4 3 2
1
(b) 3 4 2
1
(c) 4 3 1
2
(d) 3 4 1
2
8. Match the following List-I
(Monument) with List-II
(Builders) and answer as per the
code given below:
List-I
A. Nalanda
1.
University
B. Konark Temple2.
C. Shore Temple 3.
D. Hawa Mahal 4.
5.
List-II
Narsinghadeva I
Kumargupta I
Narsimha II
Raja Udai Singh
Raja Sawai Man
Singh
Code:
A B C
D
(a) 1 2 3
4
(b) 3 4 2
1
(c) 2 1 3
5
(d) l 2 3
5
9. Ellora
in
Aurangabad
(Maharashtra) is famous for
ancient caves representing
Buddhism, Hinduism and
Jainism. Of these, the largest
number pertains to:
(a) Buddhism(b)Hinduism
(c) Jainism (d) None of the
above
statements:
1. The Rigveda consists of 1028
Suktas or hymns, which are
distributed in ten book called
mandalas
2. Panini is considered as the
author of one of the first long
poems in Sanskrit.
Codes:
(c) Both are correct

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct
given below:
List-I
A. Khajuraho
Temples
B. Ellora Caves
C. Jaganath
Temple
D. Meenakshi
Temple
List-II
1. Rashtrakutas
List-I
A. Tower of
silehce
B. Tower of
victory
C. Anand
Bhavan
D. Matri
Mandir
List-II
1. Chittorgarh
2. Gangas
3. Chandelas
4. Nayakas
Code:
A B C
D
(a) 3 1 2
4
(b) 1 2 3
4
(c) 3 2 1
4
(d) 2 4 1
3
12. The Vivekananda Rock memorial
is located at:
(a) Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
(b) Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
(c) Dakshineshwar, West Bengal
(d) Ajmer, Rajasthan
13. Which of the following dance is
performed by women in Punjab?
(a) Garba
(b) Gidda
(c) Ghero
(d) Goncha
14. Badami which is known in
ancient times as Vatapi is. a
town located in the Bijapur
district of Karnataka and is
famous. for its rock-cut temples
constructed by the Chalukyas.
These are mainly:
(a) Hindu temples
(b) Hindu and Buddhist temple
(c) Hindu, Buddhist and Jain
temple
(d) Buddhist and Jain temple
given-below:
2. Allahabad
3. Mumbai
4. Pondicherry
Code:
A B C
D
(a) 1 2 3
4
(b) 2 1 4
3
(c) 4 3 2
1
(d) 3 1 2
4
statements is/are correct?
1. Bharatas Natya Shastra
contains several chapter on
painting.
2. One of the strongest
influences on !he Indian music
has perhaps been that of the
Persian music.
3. The Dhrupad which evolved
in the medieval period was
devotional in character.
Code:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) All the above
17. The earliest coins called the
Punch-marked coins belonged
to the period:
(a) 6th century BE
(b) 6th century AD
(c) 10th century BC
(d) 10th century AD
statements:
1. Painting as an art form has
flourished in India from
ancient times.
2. The Guptas period is often
described as the Golden Age
of Indian Arts.
3. The Pallavas also left behind
excellent examples of
paintings in temples.
Code:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) I and 3 only
(d) All the above
19. Match the following List-I
(Temples/Images of the Gupta
period with List-II and answer as
per the code given below:
List-I
A. Bhitargaon
B. Bhitari
List-II
1. Bhagalpur
2. Kanpur
113


C. Deogarh
D. Sultanganj
3. Ghazipur
4. Jhansi
Code:
A B C
D
(a) 3 2 4
1
(b) 2 3 4
1
(c) 2 3 1
4
(d) 3 2 1
4
statements regarding Harappan
civilization:
Assertion (a): The seals and
images were manufactured with
great skill but the terracotta pieces
represent unsophisticated artistic
works.
Reason (R): The contrast
between the two sets indicates the
gap between the classes which
used them.
21. Which of the following causes
have been attributed to the
eclipse of the Iradusvalley
civilization?
1. Frequency of floods
2. Foreign invasions
3. Onset of the drought
conditions.
Select the correct answer using
the codes given below:
Code:
(a) Only 2 and 3
(b) Only 1 and 2
(c) Only 1 and 3
(d) All the above
22. Indus Valley civilization is called
Harappan civilization because:
(a) Harappa was six times larger
than Mohenjodaro
(b) Harappa has more features
(c) Harappa was excavated first
(d) Indus valley civilization was
believed to be early Vedic
civilization; hence it is named
after mythological word
Harappa
23. According to ancient Indian ideas
the sequential order of the cycle
of four ages/Yugas is:
(a) Dvapara, Krita, Treta and
Kali
(b) Krita, Dvapara, Treta and Kali
(c) Krita, Treta, Kali and Dvapara
114
(d) Krita, Treta, Dvapara and Kali

24. Which of the following is correct
with respect to Harappan
Civilization?
1. The remarkable thing about
the arrangement of the
houses in the cities is that they
followed the grid system.
2. The Indus people were not
the earliest people to produce
cotton.
3. The inhabitants of the Indus
region worshipped gods in the
form of trees, animals a d
human beings and the gods
were placed it temples.
4. The Harappans were great
experts in theq use of the
potters wheel.
Code:
(a) 1, 2 and 3(b) 2 and 4
(c) 1 and 3 (d) 1 and 4
25. Indicate the correct chronological
order of dynasties in the order in
which they came to India?
(a) Indo Greeks - Shakas Kushans - Parthians
(b) Indo Greeks - Shakas Parthians - Kushans
(c) Shakas - Indo Greeks Parthians - Kushans
(d) Shakas - Parthians - Indo
Greeks - Kushans
statements:
1. The Harappan people did not
know the art of writing.
2. The period when man began
to use metal is called the
Neolithic Age.
Code:
(c) Both 1 and 2 are correct
(d) Neither 1 nor 2 are correct
List-II and answer as per. the code
given below:
List-I
A. Bhimbetka
B. Chirand
C. Burzaliontt
Kashmir
D. Bagor
List-II
1. Rajasthan
2. Bihar
3. Jammu and
4. Madhya Pradesh
Code:
A B C
D
(a) 4 2 3
1
(b) 1 3 2
4
(c) 4 1 3
2
(d) 3 4 1
2
28. Arrange the following Buddhist
councils in chronological order:
1. Vaishali 2. Rajagriha
3. Pataliputra4. Srinagar
Code:
(a) 1, 4, 3, 2 (b) 3, 2, 1, 4
(c) 3, 1, 2, 4 (d) 2, 1, 3, 4
29. Which of the following is wrong
in the context. of decline of
Mauryan Empire?
(a) The successors of Ashoka
were weak and could not
control the Empire properly.
(b) The various regions of the
empire were cut off from one
another by great distances.
(c) A
large
army
and
administrative structure
became aburden.
(d) The policy of Ahimsa (or nonviolence) led to the decline of
Mauryan Empire.
statements correctly describes,
the difference between a Chaitya
and Stupa?
(a) Chaitya is a resting place,
while Stupa is a funeral
monument.
(b) Chaitya is a place of worship
while Stupa is n architectural
term for a mound containing
the relic of Buddha and other
leading Buddhist saints.
(c) Chaityas were constructed by
monasteries while Stupas
were constructed by kings and
rich merchants.
(d) Chaityas
represents
Mahayanism while Stupas
represent Himayanism.
31. Direction: The following
question consists of two
statements; one labelled as the
Assertion (a) and the other as
Reason (R). You are to examine
these statements carefully and


select the answers to these items
Assertion (A): The mechanism
of rainfall in coastal areas of
Kerala in winters differs from mid
plains.
Reason (R):
Retreating
monsoons cause rainfall in
coastal areas of Kerala in winters
in place of westerly disturbance.
Code:
(a) Both A and R are individually
true and R is the correct
explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are individually
true but R is not the correct
explanation.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
statements.
(i) Precambrian period has
foremost place in the land
history of India because it was
the time when the outline of
present shape of India
formed.
(ii) In the vast plains of India, the
depth of false the Alluvium is
higher in South in
comparison to North.
Identify the false statements
from the above.
(a) Only (i)
(b) Only (ii)
(c) Both (i) and (ii)
(d) Neither (i) nor (ii)
33. Which of the following has been

accepted as standard for determining Indian standard time?
(a) 82 North Latitude

(b) 82 West Latitude
(c) 82 East Latitude
(d) 23 East Latitude
statements.
(i) Grasslands like steppe,
pampas or savanna arent
evidently found in India.
(ii) The pine trees are used
mainly to produce tar or resin.
(iii) Per capita forest area average
in India is far below than the
world average.
Which of the above
statement(s) is/are true?
(a) (i) and (ii)
(b) (i) and (iii)
(c) (ii) and (iii)
(d) (i), (ii) and (iii)
statement(s) is/are incorrect?
(a) Ecology is primarily
concerned
with
the
interactions of organisms and
the environment.
(b) Succession
is
the
phenomenon whereby a
species will inhabit a hostile
environment, die and provide
nutrients; this in true allows a
greater variety of species to
inhabit and survive in the
area.
(c) Such species are usually
autotrophic (self feeding) by
means of photosynthesis.
(d) Microscophic organisms in
mud deposits at a rivers
mouth is not an example of
succession.
36. From which cluster of states the
Tropic of Cancer passes
through?
(a) Tripura, Manipur, U.P.
(b) Mizoram,
Meghalaya,
Jharkhand
(c) Mizoram,
Tripura,
Chhatisgarh
(d) Tripura, Nagaland, W. Bengal
37. Direction: The following
question consists of two
statements; one labelled as the
Assertion (a) and the other as
Reason (R). You are to examine
these statements carefully and
select the answers to these items
Assertion (A): The Eastern
coastal areas of peninsular India
have more rainfall in the months
of October-November.
Reason (R): In Eastern India, the
amount of rainfall is more in
June, July and August.
Code:

explanation of A.
true, but R is not the correct
explanation.
38. Which of the following is called
the Cottonpolis (Capital of
Cotton)?
(a) Kanpur
(b) Mumbai
(c) Ahmedabad
(d) Coimbatore
39. In which state Javadi hill is
situated?
(a) Tamilnadu
(b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Karnataka
(d) Kerala
40. Where is Kashmir Valley found?
(a) Between Shivalik and Lower
Himalaya
(b) Between Himadri and Lower
Himalaya
(c) Between Grand Himalaya
and Trans Himalaya
(d) Between Trans Himalaya and
Plateau of Tibet
statements in context with Black
Indian Soil.
(i) Nitrogen, Phosphorus and
Bio-substances are found
plenty in Black Soil.
(ii) The Black Soil is also called as
Tropical Chernozem and
Self ploughing soil.
(iii) In India the expanse of Black
Soil is in those regions where
it rains between 50-75 cms.
Which of the above
(a) (i) and (ii)
(b) (ii) and (iii)
(c) (i) and (iii)
(d) (i), (ii) and (iii)
42. What percent is the total
geograhical area of India of the
total area of the world?
(a) 2.4%
(b) 16.7%
(c) 0.57% (d) 0.87%
115


statements
on
Climax
Community
(i) Climax communities tend to
be very stable due to the
number and diversity of
species present.
(ii) All organisms must get their
energy from food and those
organisms who cant photo
synthesize must do so by
feeding on other organisms.
(iii) In stable climax habitats,
there are more complex food
webs such that if one species
of plant dies out there will be
less of an effect on organisms
who fed on that plant.
(iv) This is because they can feed
on many other plants.
Which of the following
(a) Only (i)
(b) (i), (ii) and (iii)
(c) (ii) and (iii)
(d) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)
44. Arrange the following mountain
hills from South to North and
select the correct code.
(i) Nilgiri mountain
(ii) Annamalai mountain
(iii) Bababudan mountain
(iv) Cardamom mountain
Code:
(a) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)
(b) (iv) (iii) (ii) (i)
(c) (iii) (i) (ii) (iv)
(d) (iii) (ii) (iv) (i)
statements.
(i) Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is
the lake situated in Himachal
Pradesh behind Bhakra dam
(ii) Govind Sagar is the lake
constructed on the river Sons
tributary, Rihand.
Which one/ones of the above
statements is/are true?
(a) Only (i)
(b) Only (ii)
(c) Both (i) and (ii)
(d) Neither (i) nor (ii)
46. The power to accept the cases of
116
enforcement of fundamental
rights of the supreme court
comes under
(a) Original jurisdiction.
(b) Appellate jurisdiction.
(c) Review jurisdiction.
(d) Writ jurisdiction.
47. Under article 137, the
circumstance under which the
Supreme Court has the power to
review its judgements are (a) Discovery of new important
matters of evidence.
(b) Mistake or error in
presentation of record.
(c) Any other sufficient reason.
(d) on Public interest litigation.
Code:
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
statements is incorrect?
(a) Articles 32 and 226 are the
soul of the Indian constitution.
(b) The parliamentary form of
government in India is based
on Westminster model.
(c) Judicial review is a part of the
basic structure of Indian
Constitution.
(d) Efforts to put water into
concurrent list of the
constitution are in process.
49. The 42nd constitutional
amendment is also called
rewriting of Indian constitution
because (a) The amendment done in the
preamble ignores the federal
parliamentary system.
(b) Fundamental rights were
reinterpreted in form of
natural rights.
(c) Around one fourth of the
constitution including the
preamble and 9th schedule
were amended.
(d) An attempt to control the
power of judicial review was
made.
50. Who has been allotted the powers in
relation to determine the term of

chief election commissioner?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
President
Parliament
Council of Ministers
President
under
parliamentary law.
committee recommended for
extention of Pachayati Raj
provisions in tribal belt of India
due to which this provision was
incorporated in 9th five year
plan?
(a) VK.R.V. Rao Committee
(b) Gadgil Committee
(c) Kantilal Bhuria Committee
(d) Dilip Sing Bhuria Committee
statements.
1. No discussion in legislature
on the conduct of the judges
(art. 121) and Judiciarys
power to punish for its
contempt (art. 129 and 215)
are indispensable for the
independence of judiciary.
2. The notion of independence
of judiciary was declared as
the basic structure of Indian
Constitution inBalmukund
Vs. state of Bihar case (2000).
Which of the above
statement(s) is/are correct?
(a) Only 1 (b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
53. Which of the following houses
does not have its chairman as its
member?
(a) Legislative Council
(b) Lok Sabha
(c) Rajya Sabha
(d) Legislative Assembly
54. There is a provision of the joint
session of the houses under
article 108, if
1. the bill is rejected the other
house.
2. the other house disagrees on
the amendments to be made
in the bill.
3. the other house does not pass


the bill and more than six
months have passed.
Code:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) 1 and 2
55. Which authority has been
allotted the power of
declaring any caste or tribe as
scheduled caste or tribe?
(a) Parliament
(b) President.
(c) National Commission for
scheduled castes/ schedule
tribes.
(d) Cabinet
56. Two statements are given below
Statement (A): Under article 75
(c) of the constitution, the council
of ministers is collectively
responsible to Lok Sabha.
Reason (R): Rajya Sabha does not
have any role in forming or
removing the government.
Code (a) (a) and (R) both are correct
and (R) is the clarification of
(a).
(b) (a) and (R) both are correct
but (R) is not the clarification
of (a).
(c) (a) is correct but (R) is
incorrect.
(d) (R) is correct but (a) is
incorrect.
57. Direction: The following question
consists of two statements; one
labelled as the Assertion (a) and
the other as Reason (R) You are
to examine these statements
carefully and select the answers
to these items using the codes
given below:
Assertion (A): In Menka
Gandhis case, the Supreme
Court had held that the
procedure depriving a person of
right to his life or personal liberty
must be just, fair and reasonable.
Reason (R): In India, to prefer
procedure established by law
over the due process of law has
been the intention of makers of

the constitution.
Code:
explanation of A.
true but R is not the correct
explanation of A.
statements.
1. If the president withholds his
assent on any bill then it will
amount to vetoing the bill.
2. To veto the bill by the
president is permitted by
Indian constitution.
3. The power to veto the bill is
not exercised by the president
on the advice of the council of
ministers.
Code:
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) 1, 2 and 3
59. If the bill of constitutional
amendment faces disagreement
in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
finally, then (a) The bill will come to an end
there itself.
(b) Its decision will be taken in
joint sitting.
(c) Lok Sabha can reject the
decision of Rajya Sabha by
passing it again by two third
majority.
(d) None of these.
60. With whose consent can the
president delegate such acts to
the state on which executive
power of union is extended?
(a) Parliament.
(b) Governor
(c) State government
(d) Rajya Sabha
statements.
1. Principal secretary to the
prime minister presides over
the meetings of PMO.
2. To provide secretarial
assistance to prime minister
is the main function of PMO.
Which of the above
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements.
1. Indian Constitution clearly
provides for the right of
judicial review for judiciary.
2. Supreme Court issues writs
under article 139 other than
the nature of the writs
enshrined in article 32.
Which of the above
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements.
1. In Pradeep Jain V/s Union of
India case (1984), the Supreme
Court held that only is single
citizenship and single domicile
is revognized in India.
2. Laxmi Mal
Singhvai
committee
had
recommended for dual
citizenship in India in the light
of globalization liberalization
and privatization as well as
importance of NRIs.
Which of the above
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
64. Which of the following elections
are based on proportional
representation through single
transferable voting system?
1. President and Vice President
2. Speaker of Lok Sabha.
3. Members of Rajya Sabha.
4. Chairman of state legislative
council.
The right option of the
following is
117


(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3
65. Who has been given the
authority in the constitution to
take decision in relationto
disqualification of members of
parliament?
(a) Election commission.
(b) President on the advice of
election commission.
(c) Parliament.
(d) Heads of both the houses.
statements:
(1) Scheme for setting up 6000
model school at block level
was launched in 2008-09.
(2) Provisions of Right to
Education are implemented
through Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyaan
given above is/are correct?
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements:
(1) The Energy and Resource
Institute (TERI) was
established in 1992.
(2) TERI has established world
sustainable development
forum (WSDF) for meeting
Millennium Development
Goals.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements:
(1) Capacity of ultra Mega Power
Plan is 4000 mw.
(2) 74% FDI is permitted under
automatic rate for generation,
transmission and distribution
and trade with no upper
ceiling on quantum of
investment in electricity.
118

(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
69. As per the latest government
data:
(1) India spends about 3% of
GDP on education.
(2) India spends about 1.25% of
GSP on health.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements:
(1) Market capitalization refers to
the account of capital raised
by a company through IPO.
(2) An increase in share price of
a company can lead to lower
market cap with the same
number of shares at stock
exchange.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements about funk bonds:
(1) They are used for short term
lending.
(2) They are usually risk-free
(3) It involves retail lending
(4) Low interest rate is a feature
associated with junk bonds.
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1 only
statements:
(1) Lower Incremental capital
output Ratio (ICOR) is better
for the economy.
(2) Higher savings Rate leads to
lower ICOR.

(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements:
(1) Justice B.N. Srikrishna heads
the financial sector legislative
Reforms commission.
(2) United kingdom holds the
current chair of G-20
(3) SEBI operationalise ECB
policy in India.
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1 only
statements:
(1) National Clean Energy Fund
(NCEF) was created in finance
Bill 2010-11.
(2) It will provide a maximum of
40% of funds to ventures
using
clean
energy
technologies.
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
statements.
(1) Plastic development council
has been established on the
recommendation of National
policy on Petrochemicals.
(2) Prime ministers National
council on skill Development
has a target of creating 500
million skilled people by 2020.
Which of the statement given
above is/are correct?
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
76. Complete etrophication of a lake
rendersit
(a) Nutrient rich and productive
(b) Nutrient
rich
and
unproductive


(c) Nutrient poor and productive
(d) Nutrient
poor
and
unproductive
77. What is green power?
1. Green power is electricity
produced
in
an
environmentally friendly
manner
2. Source of green power in
nuclear energy, pollution free.
Select the correct answer from
the code given below:
(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
78. With reference to the costal are a
ecosystem consider the following
statements:
1. It is an interface zone
2. It is dynamic and non-static
in its geo-physical and
chemical parameters.
3. It has the highest primary
productivity on the planet
Which of statements given
above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
79. Which one of the following
below is not cause of global
warming and climate change.
(a) CFC emission
(b) Carbon dioxide emission
(c) Deforestation
(d) Methane emission
80. Ozone of ozonosphere is formed
from
(a) O2 and O2
(b) NO2 and O2
(c) Chlorine, water and O2
81. The montreal protocal refers to:
(a) Persistant organic pollution
(b) Global warming and climate
change
(c) Substances that deplete the
ozone layer
(d) Organisms Biosatly of
genetically modified
82. Sound becomes hazardous noise
pollution at leve2above
(a) 40 DB (b) 80 DB
(c) 100 DB (d) 120 DB
83. Algal bloom in a lake
(a) Leads to O2 depletion
(b) Increases CO3 level
(c) Kill fishes and other organism
(d) All the above
84. What are biotic components?
(a) The all living components
(b) Non living components
(c) Both (a) and (b)
85. Consider the statements
regarding IUCN:
1. It is worlds largest and oldest
global
environmental
organisation
2. Its HQ is located at Montreal
3. Red List prepared by IUCN
is a critical indicator of the
health of worlds biodiversity
4. Membership is limited to state
(government) parties only.
(a) 1 and 2 are correct
(b) 1 and 3 are correct
(c) 1, 2 and 3 are correct
(d) 1, 3 and 4 are correct
86. (i) The Ministry of External
Affairs withdrew its proposal for
higher foreign allowances for
diplomats after the Devyani
Khobragade episode.
(ii) The Andhra Pradesh State
Minorities Commission has
strongly advocated that Imams
and Muezzins be paid salaries by
the Wakf Board, in tune with the
Supreme Court judgement of
1993.
Which of the above statement/
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
(d) neither i nor ii
87. i) The nuclear trade body
forbids
members
from
transferring technology to
countries that have not signed the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT).
ii) Indian-American Governor
and the rising star of the
Republican Party Bobby Jindal is

planning to run for the 2016 U.S.
presidential elections.
statements is/are false?
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
88. i) The 51 per cent FDI cap acts
as a disincentive for foreign
companies to invest in Indias
crucial defence sector.
ii) OVL owns 25 percent stake
in the Greater Nile Oil Project
which produces about 40,000
barrels of oil per day.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
89. i) GSLV-D5(the first flight to use
Indian cryogenic stage) is to be
launched at the Sriharikota spaceport.
ii) The spacecraft is supposed to
carry the GSAT-14 advanced
communication satellite into
orbit, to be used for telecasting,
among other things. Its mission
life is 12 years.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
90. (i) The socio-economic caste
census (SECC) undertaken by the
government in 2011 is aimed at
identifying BPL (below the
poverty line) households that can
benefit from the Centres welfare
schemes.
(ii) The aim of National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) is
to create best practice sites and
to develop them as local
immersion locations that
generate a pool of social capital
for catalysing social mobilisation
of the poor and building quality
institutions.
119


(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
91. i) Bangladesh will be sending an
infantry
battalion
with
helicopters and transport planes
to join the UN peacekeeping
mission in South Sudan, the
worlds youngest countr y
wracked by ethnic and political
violence.
ii) In a bid to relocate one of its
military base , U.S. is going to
move forward with plans to
consolidate its troops in the
Andaman and Nicobar islands.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
92. i) The largest economy of the
world at present is China .
ii) Maruti Suzuki runs its own
fossil-fuel power plants to avoid
disruptions caused by the nations
erratic electricity supply.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
93. i) Arvind Kejriwal is the sixth
Chief Minister of Delhi , who also
happens to be the second
youngest of all the CMs in the
city state till date.
ii) Maharashtra government
was asked to reconsider its
rejection of a judicial
commissions report on the
Adarsh housing scandal by
Congress Vice- President Rahul
Gandhi.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
94. i) Chinas top legislative
committee formally abolished
120
the countr ys re-education

through labour camps and
approved a loosening of its onechild policy recently.
ii) Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is
the worlds hottest chilli till date.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
95. i) Norwegian firm Telenor has
raised its stake in Telewings
Communications, which offers
telecom services under the brand
name Uninor, to 74 per cent .
ii) India is likely to overtake
Japan in 2028 to become the third
largest economy in the world
after China and United States,
according to London-based
economic consultancy Cebr.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
96. i) Terra Nova expedition was
led by Captain Rober Felcon
Scott that reached the South Pole
in the year 1912.
ii) The expedition also known
as British Antarctic Expedition
was the first team ever to reach
the south pole.
statements is/are NOT true?
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
97. i) P. Sathasivam is the first
person from Tamil Nadu to have
become Chief Justice of Supreme
Court post Indias independence
in 1947.
ii) The court this year allowed
the Election Commission to use
Viable Voter Verifiable Paper
Audit Trail in the EVMs in phases
to ensure transparency in the
voting process.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
98. i) Tropical Cyclone Christine
recently slammed into US
southern state of Oklahoma.
ii) The Iranians are of the view
that Joint Plan of Action (JPA) that
was signed, does not ban Iran
from developing a new
generation of sophisticated
centrifuges-spinning machines
that are used for enriching
uranium.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
99. i) The Reserve Bank of India
now allows banks to sanction
loans of up to Rs.1 lakh against
pledge of gold ornaments and
jewellery.
ii) VCES stands for Voluntary
Compliance and Encouragement
Scheme and it let declarants pay
half of the declared tax dues for
the five-year period October 1,
2001-December 31, 2012 by
December 31 and the balance in
another six months without
interest.
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii
100. i) Novak Djokovic became the
first man to win three
consecutive Australian Open
titles in the Open Era this year.
ii) Courage and Conviction is
the autobiography of General V.
K Singh.
statements is/are false?
(a) only i
(b) only ii
(c) both i and ii


ANSWERS WITH EXPLANTIONS
1. (c)
2.
(a)
3.
(d)
4. (b)
5.
(a)
6. (d)
7. (a)
8.
(c)
9.
(b)
10. (c)
11.
(a)
12. (a)
13. (b)
14.
(c)
15.
(d)
16. (b)
17.
(a)
18. (d)
19. (b)
20.
(a)
21.
(d)
22. (c)
23.
(d)
24. (d)
25. (b)
26.
(d)
27.
(a)
28. (d)
29.
(d)
30. (b)
31. (c)
32.
(c)
33.
(c)
34. (c)
35.
(c)
36. (c)
37. (b)
38.
(b)
39.
(a)
40. (b)
41.
(b)
42. (c)
43. (c)
44.
(b)
45.
(c)
46. (d)
47.
(c)
48. (a)
49. (c)
50.
(d)
51.
(d)
52. (c)
53.
(c)
54. (a)
55. (b)
56.
(a)
57.
(b)
58. (d)
59.
(a)
60. (c)
61. (c)
62.
(b)
63.
(c)
64. (c)
65.
(b)
66. (c) Right to Education was passed on 4 Aug., 2009.

67. (b)
68. (a) The FDI limit is 100%
69. (c)
70. (d) Market capitalization is the total value of the tradable shares of a publicly traded company.
71. (a)
72. (a) ICOR is the ratio of investment to growth which is equal to 1 divided by the marginal product of capital
73. (d)
74. (c) NCEF-for funding research and innovative project in clean energy technology.
75. (c)
76. (b)
77. (a)
78. (d) All three statements are true about costal area ecosystem.
79. (a)
80. (a)
81. (c)
82. (b)
83. (d) All the above.
84. (a)
85. (b) 1948 , HQ-Geneva; 200 + State parties ; 900 + NGOs
86. (c)
87.
(d)
88.
(b)
89. (b)
90.
(c)
91.
(a)
92. (b)
93.
(b)
94.
(a)
95. (c)
96.
(b)
97.
(b)
98. (b)
99.
(c)
100.
(d)
121
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Index

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana

SEC 66(A), IT Act

The Asian Infrastructure

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Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana

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14-18, as 93.47% and 36.77%. But

100 districts with low sex ratio

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Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana

policies and programmes are

in part III of the constitution

Less awareness generation

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necessary for any scheme to be

authority and devolve

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Issues to be flagged before the

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Sec 66(A), IT Act

SEC 66(A), IT ACT

punishable with imprisonment

that Section 66(A) dealt with

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Sec 66(A), IT Act

Three concepts fundamental

offensive or having a menacing

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The Delhi High Court has said

Airlines as per Vishaka

Pre-paid mobile services in

northeastern States will be

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The Tourist Visa on ArrivalElectronic Travel Authorisation

was launched last year to

MHA, it will be extended to

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Kalvari, first of the Indian Navys

modern sensor suite.

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Union Minister of Finance,

quality and has the inbuilt

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TRAI recommends 112 as single

(ii) Calls made from a landline or

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India successfully test fired its

and by naval ships anchored

The Vice President of India Shri

Service, representing three

Union government has

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India successfully test-fired

based and sea-based targets.

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