Vol 99 22nd October 2015 TO 29th October 2015 - 0

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First-ever Hindi Atlas book on Mars Mission released
The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern
Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and
Space, Dr Jitendra Singh released the first-ever Hindi Atlas Book on Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) in New Delhi today. He released this book on the occasion of the first meeting of reconstituted Joint Hindi Salahkar Samiti of the Department of Space and Department of Atomic Energy.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that during the last 18 months, as a
result of active impetus and encouragement from Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,
Indias Space Programme has registered some of the unprecedented and landmark achievements which have placed India as a frontline nation in the world. Incidentally however,
he said, even though Indias achievements in Space missions are being appreciated the
world over, Hindi language can serve as a medium for spreading further awareness within
the country about recent Space missions, particularly the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM.
MOM is totally indigenous, living up to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modis Make in
India initiative and has also, at the same time, provided useful information which is
being shared by even the most advanced nations of the world.
Dr. Jitendra Singh appreciated the efforts of both the Department of Space as well as
Department of Atomic Energy for coming up with literature including periodicals and
booklets in Hindi for popularizing various projects and programmes undertaken by them.
He suggested that in future, the Hindi scholars, who are non-official members of Hindi
Salahkar Samiti, will be more closely associated with the day to day activities of both the
departments, so that use of Hindi becomes a natural style of working in these departments.
In the years to come, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, as Indias Space technology and Atomic
Energy programmes attract more and more scientific researchers from other parts of the
world, the use of Hindi language among the native scientists will also become a motivation for foreign scientists to pick up working Hindi for easier communication with their
Indian counterparts. In addition, he said, promotion of Hindi as a medium of instruction
in scientific departments like Space technology and Atomic Energy, will also provide the
best of the young scientific minds in India, an opportunity to contribute their talent even
if they do not possess the knowledge of English language.
Shri A.S. Kiran Kumar, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission and Chairman, ISRO and Dr Sekhar Basu, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy and Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and senior scientists from both the departments and learned scholars of Hindi were also present on the occasion.
Increase of Financial Assistance under the Rashtriya

Arogya Nidhi (RAN)
To further ease access to financial assistance under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN),
the Government has decided to enhance the financial powers delegated to designated
Central Government hospitals/institutes from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh for providing financial assistance in cases where emergency surgery is to be conducted.
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The RAN was set up in 1997 to provide financial assistance to patients, living below
poverty line prescribed from time to time and who are suffering from major life threatening diseases related to heart, liver, kidney and cancer cases, etc., to receive medical treatment at any of the super specialty Government hospitals / institutes or other Government hospitals. Revolving Funds have been set up in 12 Central Government hospitals/
institutes and amount up to Rs. 50 lakh is placed at their disposal for providing financial
assistance. Details are available in the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Accordingly only cases for financial assistance beyond Rs. 5 lakh would now be
required to be referred to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
For patients suffering from life threatening diseases, where time is a premium, this
would facilitate commencement of treatment of poor patients found prima facie eligible
for assistance under the Scheme by these hospitals/institutions. This would also enable
to curtail the procedural delay for treatment, which would bring relief to thousands of
patients annually.
The Government also provides financial assistance through the Health Ministers
Cancer Patient Fund (HMCPF) set up for providing financial assistance to the poor patients suffering from cancer having treatment in 27 Regional Cancer Centres (RCC). Financial assistance is also available under the Health Ministers Discretionary Grant
(HMDG) to patients having family annual income up to Rs.1,00,000/- and below to defray a part of the expenditure on hospitalization/treatment in Government Hospitals, in
cases where free medical facilities are not available.
BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa Science and Technology Ministers Meet in Russia for Strengthening Mutual Cooperation
The Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan is leading an Indian delegation to the 3rd BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology
and Innovation (STI) being held at Moscow, Russia on 27-28 October, 2015.
The Conference will discuss sharing and exchange of information on STI polices &
strategies. Issues relating to formulation of joint long term problem- focused programmes
and central modalities for cooperation will come up during the two day meeting.
BRICS R&D priorities, Innovation cooperation within BRICS, a Work Plan for next
three years (2015-2018) on Science, Technology and Innovation for cooperation among
BRICS countries were discussed today. Discussions also took place on Moscow Ministerial Declaration to be made at the meeting.
Earlier the five (5) BRICS countries have identified thematic areas and leadership to
be taken by each of these countries in an area as: (i) climate change and natural disaster
mitigation led by Brazil; (b) water resources and pollution led by Russia; (iii) geospatial
technologies and its applications lead by India; (iv) new and renewable energy and energy efficiency led by China; and (v) astronomy led by South Africa.
Each country has given a brief report on activities on these five thematic leadership
areas at the meeting today.
Indias proposal on geospatial technologies envisages development of Geo-spatial
Technologies and Applications for operationalising, maintaining and utilising National
Level Geographical Information Systems. Potential areas of collaboration could be National Mapping and National GIS Applications, Earth Observation Applications, Land
Information System, Institutional Mechanism and Capacity Building, and Industry Engagements. Further, it aims at leveraging BRICS countries competencies such as Chinas

Cloud Computing expertise in data sharing during disaster management, Russias Spatial data processing and standardization capability; Brazil Model of Regional SDI platform for data sharing among South American countries.
Under their thematic leadership Brazil has organized a BRICS Workshop on Climate Change Prediction, and mitigation of Natural Disasters on May 7-8, 2014 and provided a statement of recommendations in the field.
China organised the Solid State Lighting workshop and the SSL- Working Group
meeting on Nov 8-9, 2014 in Guangzhou, China. India participated in the meeting where
the BRICS countries shared the status of Solid State Lighting (SSL) in their countries and
India showed interest to be part of the SSL project.
Earlier, a BRICS MoU on STI Cooperation was also signed during the 2nd BRICS STI
Ministerial Meeting at Brasilia, Brazil during March 2015. The MoU seeks to institutionalize the BRICS STI cooperation and to (i) Strengthen cooperation in STI, (ii) address common global and regional socio-economic challenges utilizing shared experiences and
complementarities (iii) co-generate new knowledge and products, services and processes
utilizing appropriate funding and investment instruments and (iv) promote joint BRICS
partnership with other strategic actors in the developing world.
A new initiative A BRICS Young Scientists Forum has also been conceived to create
a platform for young bright talented students of science and engineering. India will host
1st BRICS Young Scientist Conclave in 2016 and it made a presentation on this issue today.
Government to set up National Tribal Advisory

Council
Government has decided to set up a National Tribal Advisory Council for effecting
monitoring and implementation of various tribal welfare schemes. This was announced
by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Jual Oram while addressing the conference of Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of Tribal Welfare from States/UTs held in New Delhi today
to discuss and evolve strategies for the overall development of tribal communities. The
council will be chaired by the Prime Minister and will meet once or twice in a year.
The Minister stressed the need for more effective community participation for the
success of various tribal welfare schemes. He said We can not achieve significant results
unless we involve members of the society in the implementation process of various
schemes. The conference should have special focus on this issue. He said though there
has been significant improvement in terms of infrastructure in education sector for tribals
but the quality of education has not improved in the same way. Shri Oram said the same
is true with reference to primary health care for tribals. He said these issues require urgent attention. Referring to the problems of sixth scheduled states of northeast, Shri Oram
said their problems are quite different in nature and we should hold a regional conference for them in Guwahati. The Minister directed his Ministry officials to release 50 per
cent of the tribal welfare funds to the states in the first quarter of the next financial year.
He said by third quarter of the financial year 80 per cent of the funds should be released
to the states. The Minister urged the state governments to release the funds received from
the centre in the same way for various tribal welfare schemes.
The daylong conference had detailed deliberations including power point presentations by the state representatives on various issues concerning the tribal welfare
schemes.

National News
Sedition charge Arun Jaitley for slamming SCs NJAC
ruling
A UP court has slapped sedition charges on finance minister Arun Jaitley for criticizing the
Supreme Courts recent decision striking down the National Judicial Appointments
Commission (NJAC) for selection of judges to the higher judiciary.
Taking suo motu cognizance of Jaitleys criticism of the verdict, civil judge of Mahoba in
Jhansi district Ankit Goel summoned him to be present before him on November 19.
Goel had earlier issued summons against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for his purported
comment that allegations of gang rape could often be fabricated.
The judge in his order said the finance ministers blog Indian democracy cannot be a tyranny
of the unelected prima facie amounted to sedition under Section 124A as well as causing
public mischief under Section 505 of Indian Penal Code.
The court said under Section 190 of Criminal Procedure Code, it was entitled to take cognizance
of the statements which were published in various newspapers.
Several people, including constitutional experts, have criticized the verdict of the apex court
which on October 16 quashed the NJAC Act and revived the two-decade-old collegium system
for appointment of judges.
The finance minister, writing in his personal capacity, had held that the SCs verdict striking
down the 99th constitutional amendment to turn the appointment of judges into an exclusive
prerogative of judiciary was tantamount to rewriting the Constitution.
Andhra Pradeshs new capital Amaravati

The foundation stone laying ceremony for the new Amaravati city, the greenfield capital of
Andhra Pradesh, was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with AP chief minister N
Chandrababu Naidu and other dignitaries.
Uddandararayunipalem of Thullur mandal in Guntur district is the home of
Navyandhrapradesh, built across a green belt which is claimed to be the largest fertile land in
the country.
Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Nirmala Sitaraman, AP and
Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao
were among those present on the occasion.
The Singapore government has prepared the master plans for the three-layered capital
seed capital, capital city and capital region.
Modi also promised support for the development of new state as promised in the AP
Reorganisation Act which includes special assistance.
The city boasts a 17-km-long waterfront and is strategically placed between Guntur and
Vijayawada.
The village is located about 40 kms from Vijayawada which is the commercial hub of the
state.
Amidst mixed feelings of ownership and wailings by farmers who gave up their land for the
capital formation, Amaravati is expected to have over 3.5 million jobs for 11 million people
by 2035.

The greenfield capital region is expected to cater to population of about 14 million by 2050.
In the next one decade, the new capital is expected to host over four million population and
1.8 million jobs.
It is expected to become a smart, green city on about 54,000 acres of 217.23 sqkm of land
assembled, which is also a first time in the country such a large extent of land is pooled in a
span of 60 days.
Post bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh has signed memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with
industries for over Rs 1.2 lakh crore investments with 1.2 lakh jobs.
These include 18 MoUs for investing Rs 79034 crore in all sectors such as oil refinery, electronic,
automobile, cements, textile, among other industrial hub.
Niti Aayog panel suggests reforms to promote

innovation
A government panel has recommended revisiting the Companies Act, granting more bank
licences and ushering in labour reforms to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
A report of a high-powered expert committee under Niti Aayog said the Companies Act
should be so amended to ensure that regulation of listed companies is left in the hands of
stock exchanges and market regulator Sebi.
To improve access to capital for entrepreneurs, the panel has favoured granting more bank
licences, deepening the corporate bond market, giving a level playing field for offshore and
onshore private equity and venture capital, and a stable and transparent regulatory and
taxation regime.
India Moves Up in World Banks Ease of Doing

Business List
Prime Minister Narendra Modis aspiration to turn the country into a top investment
destination has got off to a positive start, with India now ranked by the World Bank at 130
of 189 countries on Ease of Doing Business. That is up 12 places from its original ranking
last year and four places from its rank on a revised list.
India was ranked 142 by the World Bank in 2015 on ease of doing business and later its rank
was revised to 134 based on a new methodology.
PM Modi has said that he wants India to be among the top 50 countries on the list compiled
each year by the World Bank in its report on doing business.
China is now ranked 84, moving up six spots. Singapore, New Zealand and Denmark occupied
the first three spots in the list while South Sudan, Libya and Eritrea were ranked at the
bottom three.
Terming the improvement in Indias ranking a remarkable achievement, World Bank Chief
Economist Kaushik Basu said, Going from 142 in the world to 130, as India has done, is very
good sign. It gives a good signal about the way things are moving in India.
The rankings are based on 10 indicators such as how easy it is to start a business and sometimes
form the basis of foreign investments in a country.
According to the new report, it takes 29 days to start a business in India now; it took 127
days in 2004.
In May 2015, the government eliminated the minimum capital requirement to start a business
and also ended the requirement to obtain a certificate to commence business operations,
which helped it improve its rankings, the World Bank said.
The biggest improvement was seen in the area of providing power to businesses, where

Indias ranking improved from 99 in 2015 to 70 in 2016, the World Bank said. Now companies
can get connected to the grid, and get on with their business, 14 days sooner than before,
the report said.
The World Bank noted that India recorded the biggest increase in the distance to frontier (a
measure of a countrys absolute performance) score in South Asia since 2004. More reforms
are ongoing - in starting a business and other areas measured by Doing Business - though the
full effects have yet to be felt, it said.
India is ranked 8th in terms of protecting minority investors, 42nd in getting credit, 70th in
getting electricity, but scores poorly in dealing with construction permit with a rank of 183
out of 189 countries. Enforcing contract (rank 178), paying taxes (rank 157), resolving
insolvency (rank 136) are other areas where India ranks poorly.
The World Bank signaled that Indias ranking could improve further as a number of initiatives
taken by the government have not been factored in the current years report. Several other
initiatives to simplify the start-up process were still ongoing on June 1, 2015, the cutoff date
for this years data collection. These include developing a single application form for new
firms and introducing online registration for tax identification numbers, the report said

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International News
Arab proposal over Western Wall stirs new concern
Senior U.N. officials have objected to a proposal by some Arab states to classify the Western
Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, as part of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalems Old
City, following angry denunciations by Israel and many Jewish-American groups.
The proposal is contained in a draft resolution to the executive board of UNESCO, the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The agency formally designates
cultural treasures around the world.
The proposal to UNESCO has emerged at a time when deadly violence between Israelis and
Palestinians has been flaring over the holy site, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and
Noble Sanctuary to Muslims.
New clashes erupted on Tuesday that left at least four Palestinians fatally shot.
The UNESCO Director General, Irina Bokova, expressed her objection to the resolution on
Tuesday in a stern statement, saying it could be seen to alter the status of the Old City of
Jerusalem and its Walls.
The Western Wall, as part of the Old City of Jerusalem, is a UNESCO World Heritage site
adjacent to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, and its protection is central to the UNESCO
mandate.
A U.N. diplomat said the draft, which is being discussed by UNESCOs executive board, made
up of envoys from 58 countries, had been proposed by six of the agencys Arab members:
Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia and the UAE.
Russia to station military unit in the Arctic by 2018

A Russian military unit will be permanently stationed in the Arctic by 2018, the defense
minister said on Thursday.
Sergei Shoigu told Russian news agencies on Thursday that the creation and arming of the
Arctic military unit should be completed by 2018. Shoigu also said Russia is building several
new bases in the Arctic as well as rebuilding six Soviet-era air bases there.
We are not hiding this from anyone: we are have practically finished building bases on the
Novosibirsk Archipelago and on Kotelny island, Shoigu said, adding that modern military
technology was necessary for guarding borders in the Arctic.
The Kremlin announced its intentions to bring its military to the Arctic in 2008 but has yet
to station troops there.
In tandem with the military expansion, Russia is building the Yamal LNG plant in the Ob
River estuary in collaboration with the French energy company Total. It will produce gas,
liquefy it and ship it to European and Asian markets.
70 years of United Nations

More than 100 countries on Friday challenged Security Council powers to restrict their use of
the veto as the United Nations turned 70, with a joint pledge not to oppose resolutions on
mass atrocities.
The initiative is aimed at avoiding the kind of gridlock that has paralyzed the Security Council
on Syria, with Russia and China vetoing any attempt to sanction the regime of Bashar alAssad.

With 104 countries on board including Security Council permanent members France and
Britain, the code of conduct won backing from a majority of the UNs 193 member states.
Supporters of the drive have lobbied countries for months to sign on to the pledge and
pointedly announced the outcome on the 70th anniversary of the United Nations.
Under the measure, countries commit not to vote against a credible draft resolution that
seeks to end or prevent genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.
The code of conduct leaves it to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to determine when an
outbreak of violence could lead to mass atrocities.
Other than the five permanent members, the Security Council has 10 non-permanent
members elected for two-year terms who vote on resolutions but have no veto power.
Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain and Mexico were also among the pledge signatories, as well
as three of the countries set to take up non-permanent seats in January: Japan, Ukraine and
Uruguay.
The code was drafted by a group of countries known as the Accountability, Coherence and
Transparency group, led by Liechtenstein.
Their campaign chimes with a separate French proposal to restrict the use of the Security
Council veto in cases of mass atrocities.
Frances idea has won support from 73 countries, but is rejected outright by Russia while
China and the United States have reacted coolly.
Germany toughens rules for asylum seekers

Germany is set to toughen up its asylum rules, a week ahead of schedule, as it faces an
unprecedented number of refugees arriving from Syria and elsewhere.
The new bill, adopted by parliament at exceptional speed, had been expected to take effect
on November 1.
But it was published in the countrys legal gazette on Friday, which means it will become
operational on Saturday.
Peter Altmaier, the minister coordinating the governments asylum policy, told ARD television
the move was a signal to would-be asylum seekers.
Germany has become Europes top destination for refugees, most of whom travel through
Turkey and the Balkans.
It is expecting to receive up to a million migrants this year, after about 200,000 in 2014.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has attempted to rally Germans to the task of welcoming hundreds
of thousands of people fleeing war and persecution.
However, she now faces a backlash for her open-door policy and has seen her approval rating
fall in the process.
Hurricane Patricia, one of strongest storms ever,

slams into Mexico
Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful storms on record, struck Mexicos Pacific coast
on Friday, threatening to inflict catastrophic damage as emergency teams scrambled to
evacuate thousands of people from homes and popular beach resorts.
Blowing winds of almost 165 miles per hour (266 km/h), the Category 5 hurricane had western
Mexico on high alert, including Puerto Vallarta and smaller resorts along the coast.
Pamela Garcia, a spokeswoman for Mexicos meteorological service, said Patricia hit near
Punta Perula between Puerto Vallarta and the major cargo port of Manzanillo.
US weather experts said Patricia was the strongest storm yet registered in the Western

Hemisphere, and the World Meteorogical Organization (WMO) compared it to Typhoon
Haiyan, which killed thousands in the Philippines in 2013.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said it was hard to predict what damage would be
done by the massive storm, which could be seen barreling into Mexico from outer space.
China, ROK and Japan set date for key summit

A summit between government leaders from China, the Republic of Korea and Japan will be
held in Seoul on Sunday-the latest sign of thawing ties between Beijing and Tokyo.
Discussions on a long-awaited free trade agreement and strategies for deeper economic
integration will be on the agenda.
The summit will be the first of its kind between leaders from the three countries for three
years after such meetings were halted due to disputes over wartime history and territorial
issues.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that Premier Li Keqiang will make an
official three-day visit to the ROK from Saturday and will attend the summit.
But it did not say if Li is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the
summit sidelines.
Liu Zhenmin, deputy minister of foreign affairs, said Beijing and Tokyo are still in contact at
working-level on this issue.
The trilateral meeting is aimed at boosting exchanges among the three nations and maintaining
stability in the region, Liu said.
South Korean President Park Geun-hyes office told Reuters that Park will meet with Li in
Seoul on Saturday.
Tong Daochi, assistant minister of commerce, said China will push for substantive progress
in the free trade talks with Japan and the ROK, now in the eighth round of negotiations
after being started in 2012.

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India & The World

Indo-Canadians win big as Liberals sweep to power
Newly elected Canadian MP Chandra Arya is a newbie in more ways than one. Not only is
he a new MP, this tech-entrepreneur joined politics recently, and moved to Canada only 12
years ago. Mr. Arya has been elected from Ottawa along with 19 other Indo-Canadians in the
parliamentary elections, one of 18 Liberal candidates who swept to power on Prime Minister
Justin Trudeaus wave.
My constituency has never elected a south Asian before, and Liberals havent won it for
years, he told The Hindu over telephone from Ottawa shortly after his win, adding, It
shows how everyone has a chance here.
When asked if he had ever considered politics while he lived in India, Mr. Arya, who grew up
in Bengaluru and was educated at Karnatak University and Bangalore University, before
heading several ventures, demurs from answering.
Japan offers soft loan for bullet trains

In a bid to surpass competition from China and other countries keen to be part of the first
bullet train project, Japan has offered financial support besides technology for Indias ambitious
rail project.
Japan has offered to finance Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor estimated to cost
about Rs 90,000 crore at an interest rate of less than one per cent, sources in Railway Ministry
said.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in its report submitted to the Railway
Ministry has envisaged a reduction in the travel time on the 505-km long corridor between
the two western cities to two hours from the existing period of over seven hours.
The bullet train is expected to run at speeds of around 300-350 km/hour.
Though there are many countries offering the high-speed technology for the bullet train
project, it is Japan which is offering both technology and funding together, they said.
India-Africa summit
As Moroccos King Mohammed VI became the first Head of State to arrive on Sunday for the
four-day India-Africa Forum Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was for the first
time that India was hosting an event of such huge scale.
From Oct 26 to 29, India Africa Forum Summit is being held here. On Indian soil, it is for
the first time that an event of such a big scale is being held.
Leaders of 54 African countries have been invited. Outside Africa, this is the biggest
convention, he said during his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.
Taking about the historic ties between India and Africa, he said: It is said that thousands of
years ago, this (India and Africa) was a single land mass.
Later, due to the Indian Ocean, it split into two There are a lot of similarities between us
Around 27 lakh Indians have been living in Africa for a long time.
He said while India and Africa had economic and political ties, the most notable factor of the
relationship was education provided by India to African youth. Over 25,000 African students
have got education in India, he said.

India, Australia to Hold Talks on Cyber-Security

Australia and India will hold talks on counter-terrorism, cyber-security and international
crime cooperation in New Delhi during the ongoing official visit of Trade Minister and
Attorney General.
The discussions will be held during the official visit of Australian Attorney-General George
Brandis who is in India along with Trade Minister Andrew Robb.
Brandis is on official visit to India from October 25 to 29. He will be meeting key government
counterparts besides participating in the Australia-India Leadership Dialogue.
I will use the visit to engage on matters of national security and to encourage greater security
and legal cooperation between Australia and India, Brandis said Sunday.
India is a key international partner for Australia on counter-terrorism, cyber-security and
international crime cooperation, he said, adding that he will be discussing these issues with
Indian side where the two sides will share experiences and responses to the evolving threats.
Brandis is also participating in the inaugural Australia-India Leadership Dialogue, a forum
which will provide a platform for leaders from a range of sectors, including government,
corporate and academia to come together to further develop the Australia-India bilateral
relationship and to enhance the links between the two countries.


Business and Economy

Petronet pays hefty
demurrage as PSUs refuse costly gas import
Petronet LNG Ltd, Indias biggest liquefied natural gas importer, is shelling out Rs 400 crore
every quarter in demurrage charges for ships idling because of its PSU buyers refusing to buy
expensive imported gas.
The company is taking only 68 per cent of the volumes it agreed to in 25-year contracts with
RasGas of Qatar after a slump in global energy prices led to gas being available in spot or
current market a roughly half that rate.
State-owned GAIL India Ltd, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL)
have committed to buy all of the 7.5 million tonne a year of LNG Petronet is to import from
Qatar.
But with slump in global prices, they have opted to buy gas from spot market rather than use
the long-term LNG, senior officials said.
The reduced offtake by the buyers forced Petronet to cut its purchase from RasGas. This
resulted in idling of three cryogenic ships it had chartered hired for ferrying gas in its liquid
form at sub-zero temperatures from Qatar to its import terminal at Dahej in Gujarat.
RBI issues gold deposit norms

The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday issued guidelines for the Gold Monetisation Scheme
that allow banks to fix their own interest rates on gold deposits.
The RBI notification in this regard comes ahead of the formal launch of the scheme by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 5 November.
The gold deposit scheme is aimed at mobilising part of an estimated 20,000 tonnes of idle
precious metal with households and institutions.
As per the guidelines, banks will be free to set interest rate on such deposit, and principal and
interest of the deposit will be denominated in gold.
The interest will be credited in the deposit accounts on the respective due dates and will be
withdrawable periodically or at maturity as per the terms of the deposit, it said.
The designated banks will accept gold deposits under the Short Term (1-3 years) Bank Deposit
(STBD) as well as Medium (5-7 years) and Long (12-15 years) Term Government Deposit
Schemes.
While the former will be accepted by banks on their own account, the latter will be on behalf
of Government of India, it said.
The short term bank deposits will attract applicable cash reserve ratio (CRR) and statutory
liquidity ratio (SLR), it said.
However, it said, the stock of gold mobilised under the scheme by banks will count towards
the general SLR requirement, a move that will provide additional capital to banks for lending
towards productive sectors.
The CRR is the portion of the total deposits, which has to be kept with RBI in cash, while
SLR is the portion of deposit compulsorily parked in government securities.


Sensex Poised for

Strong Start as ECB Hints At More Stimulus
BSE Sensex and Nifty are set for strong start , tracking a global rally after European Central
Bank said that it is studying new stimulus measures that could be unveiled as soon as
December. The SGX CNX Nifty traded 89 points higher at 8,335.
Here are the latest developments:
1) The European Central Bank on Thursday signalled its readiness to inject more stimulus,
spurring a global rally.
2) Analysts say the stimulus measures, if announced, will benefit risk assets like equities and
commodities. Emerging markets like India could be a big beneficiary, they add.
3) After European Central Banks hint of further stimulus measures the dollar today scaled a
fresh two-month peak against the euro.
4) However, the global strength of the dollar could put some pressure on the rupee which
closed at 65.12 against the greenback on Wednesday.
5) Asian markets were firm today with Japans Nikkei stock index surging over 2 per cent.
6) Wipros shares will be in focus after the outsourcer announced in-line Q2 earnings. But its
outlook for the third quarter has disappointed the Street.
7) Commodity-based metal and oil & gas stocks are also likely to be in focus after gain in
global crude prices.
8) Among Nifty stocks, Cairn India and Idea Cellular will also be in focus after they announced
results after market hours on Wednesday.
9) Analysts say that 8,400 levels on the upside remain a strong hurdle for Nifty.
10) Foreign investors have been strong buyers of Indian equities so far this month, supporting
sentiments.
They have bought Indian shares worth over Rs 4,000 crore (net) in the cash market so far
this month. Domestic investors, however, resorted to profit booking and sold shares worth
over Rs 2000 crore (net) so far this month.
RBI retains dominant role in Monetary Policy

Committee
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has retained its authority and dominant role in deciding
interest rates and setting inflation targets for the country.
The proposed Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will have three nominees from the central
bank, including the governor, three independent nominees, and one government nominee,
as per the Cabinet note moved on Friday by the finance ministry.
The announcement of the MPC was made by finance minister Arun Jaitley in the Budget
early this year. The RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was in favour of such an arrangement
that is followed by several leading central banks around the world, including the US Federal
Reserve.
However, the government recently faced flak for a proposal that called for a seven-member
MPC containing four government nominees and did not allow for a veto for the RBI chief.
Experts had criticised the proposal, claiming a government-dominated monetary committee
would undermine the central banks ability to keep inflation under control.
The finance ministry on Friday said it has moved a Cabinet note on setting up the MPC,

which will retain dominant role of the RBI in the proposed interest-rate setting panel,
according to PTI.
The revised draft of the Indian Financial Code (IFC), released by the ministry in July, had
suggested doing away with RBI governors veto power and proposed a seven-member
committee to take decisions by a majority vote.
Under the current system, RBI governor is appointed by the government, but controls
monetary policy and has veto power over the existing advisory committee of RBI members
and outside appointees that sets rates.
The formal objective of the MPC is to maintain price stability along with growth, said a
ministry official. The MPC will also set inflation targets.
Apart from the RBI governor, the central bank can nominate two members - one deputy RBI
governor and an officer - and one non-voting member from the government.
Centre unveils policy for capital goods industry

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on Friday released the draft of a National
Capital Goods Policy that envisages increasing the share of capital goods from 12% to 20% of
total value manufacturing by 2025.
The government wants to double production of capital goodswhich include equipment
and machinery used to produce other goodsto more than Rs.5 trillion from Rs.2.2 trillion
now. A significant part of the increased production will be exported to overseas markets.
The policy is aimed at turning India into one of the top capital goods producing nations of
the world, the policy draft said.
In the draft policy, released by department of heavy industries, the government said that it
plans to increase exports to 40% of total production, from Rs.62,000 crore to Rs.2 trillion by
2025, which will enable Indias share of global exports in capital goods to increase to 2.5%
from less than 1% now.
It also aims to increase the share of domestic production in Indias capital goods demand
from 56% to 80% by 2025 and, in the process, improve domestic capacity utilization to 8090%.
The policy aims to create 3.5 million more jobs by 2025.
It will also play an important role in improving Indias trade balance. India currently has an
overall trade deficit of $138 billion.
The country imports $20 billion worth of capital goods every year.
In recent years, production of capital goods sector has vastly lagged behind targets. The
former Planning Commission targeted a growth rate of 16.8% every year in the production
of capital goods in the 12th Five-year Plan period (2012-17), but the sectors compounded
annual growth has only been 0.3%.
The policy is an offshoot of Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious Make In India
campaign that seeks to attract foreign investment into manufacturing and accelerate economic
growth..
India beats China to regain biggest gold consumer

tag
India regained its top position from China as the biggest overall consumer of gold in the first
nine months this year with a total consumption of 642 tonnes, a survey said.
China is trailing by just 63 tonnes at total consumption of 579 tonnes in the first nine
months, according to GFMS Gold Survey Q3 2015 Review and Outlook.

In India, jewellery consumption increased by 5% year-on-year to an estimated 193 tonnes in
Q3 2015, the highest quarterly consumption since Q1 2011 and the highest third quarter
demand since 2008, the report published by Thomson Reuters stated.
Retail investment rose 30% year-on-year to 55 tonnes, the highest since Q4 2013. The increase
in demand in the third quarter is primarily attributed to the fall in local gold prices to the
lowest since August 2011.
The total official gold imports to India in the third quarter increased by 23% to 263%, which
is the highest quarterly volume year-to date.
In China, after a lack lustre second quarter this year, which was the lowest second quarter
recorded since 2011, gold demand rebounded in the third quarter.
Total gold demand amounted to 196 tonnes for the period, a modest 3% year on-year
improvement.
The improvement in gold demand during the third quarter was driven by factors like the
yellow metal regaining its attractiveness as an alternative investment vehicle as investors
turned cautious of the equity markets.
Demand for the precious metal, both in the form of jewellery and investment bars, picked
up immediately after gold price breached $1,100 in mid-July, also helped by rise in seasonal
demand, lead by Chinese Valentines Day in August and the Autumn festival in September.
The official depreciation of the yuan, which was announced on August 11, also boosted gold
demand.


Sports
Kohlis 23rd: A century very different
A bitter run out and a 50 in a lost cause, Virat Kohli was not in great ODI space against South
Africa with the calendar year 2015 proving to be his leanest year ever.
His last century had come eight months back and the criticism that his bat was falling silent
was quietly growing on him.
On Thursday afternoon, Virat played an uncharacteristic knock, deliberately and decidedly
different from many of his specials.
His 138 on a sultry afternoon was a knock full of conscious calls, super safe approach and a
runners delight.
Virat exhibited two shades of his batsmanship: one part dealt in playing smart cricket without
really being boundary-hungry, the other part in the style he generally exhibits.
Pak may refrain team from participating in ICC World

T20 2016 in India,
Pakistan cricket chief Shaharyar Khan said today that if India turn down a proposed series in
December-January then it would be possible that Islamabad would prevent Pakistan from
featuring in next years World Twenty20.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called on India to honour a Memorandum of
Understanding under which the arch-rivals agreed to play six series from 2015-2023
pending clearance from both governments the first of which is this year in the United
Arab Emirates
But the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to give a final response on the
series comprising of two Tests, five one-dayers and two Twenty20 internationals.
Talks between the two Boards failed to get going on Monday after Shiv Sena activists attacked
the BCCI office in Mumbai, protesting any cricket with Pakistan
India and Pakistan have not played a full bilateral cricket series since 2007 after New Delhi
stalled the ties in the aftermath of terrorists attacks on Mumbai in 2008, blamed on militants
based across the border.
WI Women On Top In ICC Championship

West Indies Women trounced Pakistan Women by six wickets in the final one-day international
cricket match on Saturday night to clinch the four-match series 3-1 and join Australia at the
top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Womens Championship.
Chasing a modest 183 for victory at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium, the hosts cantered
home in the 43rd over with their inspirational captain, Stafanie Taylor, stroking an attractive
unbeaten 87 from 107 deliveries, to pick up the Player-of-the-Match award.
The win was the Windies Womens third on the trot after losing the opening game two
Fridays ago and more importantly, saw them sweep the contests designated as ICC
Championship games and grab the six vital points required to move to the top of the points
table alongside the Aussies on 16 points.
A qualifying tournament for the 2017 Womens World Cup, the top four sides from the
Championship will gain automatic qualification for the event scheduled for England.

Dhoni wasnt flexible enough in handling bowlers:

Gavaskar
Critical of the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni rotated Indian bowlers during the crushing loss to
South Africa in the ODI series-decider, former skipper Sunil Gavaskar said the captain was
just not flexible enough in his approach.
The home side lost the match by a massive 214 runs in Mumbai last night, giving South
Africa their first bilateral series win on Indian soil.
The Indians crumbled while chasing a mammoth target of 439 after the visiting team rode
on swashbuckling hundreds by opener Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and captain AB de
Villiers.
The home bowlers cut a sorry figure in the face of the Proteas assault and all of them conceded
over 6 runs an over.
Englands Joe Root leapfrogs Steve Smith at top of

ICC batting rankings
Roots 159 runs in his two innings in Dubai were not enough to stop England going 1-0 down
with one to play after the second Test against Pakistan.
But the prolific No4, who with 1,278 has made more Test runs than anyone this year, is back
at the top of the table by just three ranking points from Smith.
The Yorkshiremans seesaw battle with the new Australia captain for the ICCs No1 spot has
lasted throughout 2015.
It will be Root too who has the next opportunity to further enhance his standing when
England face Pakistan again in Sharjah in the final Test on Sunday. The all-time Pakistan Test
leading run-scorer, Younus Khan, is also back up in the table, to fifth, after his hundred and
half-century in Dubai.
The Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah took eight wickets in the second Test, a driving force in
the hosts 178-run win and also a performance which has taken him above the England
seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad into second place in the bowlers rankings behind
only South Africas Dale Steyn.


Science & Tech

Ozone Depletion by Refrigerators, Automobile ACs
Small but Measurable:
A class of chemical coolants used in refrigerators and in home and automobile air conditioners
contributes to ozone depletion by a small but measurable amount, says a new Nasa study.
The ozone layer comprises a belt of ozone molecules located primarily in the lower
stratosphere.
It is responsible for absorbing most of the suns harmful ultraviolet radiation before it reaches
Earths surface.
The researchers estimated that the common chemical coolants known as hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs) will cause a 0.035 percent decrease in ozone by 2050.
The study, which focused on the five types of HFCs expected to contribute the most to global
warming in 2050, found that the gases indirectly contribute to ozone depletion.
HFC emissions cause increased warming of the stratosphere, speeding up the chemical reactions
that destroy ozone molecules, and they also decrease ozone levels in the tropics by accelerating
the upward movement of ozone-poor air, the findings showed.
HFCs have been adopted as replacements for chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and
hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) in refrigerators and in home and automobile air
conditioners.
CFCs were largely responsible for the ozone depletion first observed by scientists in the
1980s, most notably the ozone hole above Antarctica, which continues today.
But the scientists also found that HFCs have a nearly linear impact on stratospheric
temperature and ozone change.
For example, reducing HFC emissions by 50 percent would decrease the ozone change by a
comparable amount.

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