RRBPORTAL Current Affairs Magazine Vol 12 December 2016

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National Issue
Capitals air quality slipped to hazardous levels
Facing its worst spell of persistent smog in nearly two decades, the Capitals air quality slipped to
hazardous levels. Low wind speed and high moisture content ensured that the city remained
blanketed in thick smog through the day.
Pollution levels were the worst in the season so far. PM10 in the range of 900-1700 microgram per
cubic metre: standard level is 100 and benzene which is cancer causing agent, were recorded across
the city.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the high levels of smog had turned the Capital into a gas
chamber and blamed stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana for the problem.
For the first time perhaps, the three municipal corporations of Delhi closed schools under their
jurisdiction, numbering around 1,700, due to the high levels of pollution.
While 200-300 microgram per cubic metre is considered very unhealthy, 300+ is considered
hazardous.
Many people in the city complained of irritation in the eyes and breathing problems because of the
smog.
Meanwhile, doctors have caution that particulate matter can cause respiratory diseases if one is
exposed to unsafe levels for prolonged periods. They have advised people to avoid outdoor physical
activities.
People with heart or lung diseases, older adults and children have also been advised to remain indoors
and keep activity levels low.
Govt agreed to use retired judges

Union government has agreed to a resolution passed by the judiciary in the Chief Justices and Chief
Ministers Conference to use the services of retired High Court judges with proven integrity and track
record to tackle pendency of cases.
The provision to use the services of retired judges is open to the Chief Justices of High Courts under
Article 224A of the Constitution with the previous consent of the President as an extraordinary
measure to tide over case pile-ups.]
Chief Justices will actively have regard to the provision of Article 224A of the Constitution as a
source for enhancing the strength of judges to deal with the backlog of cases for a period of two years
or the age of sixty five years, whichever is later until a five plus zero pendency is achieved.
Five plus zero is an initiative by which cases pending over five years are taken up on priority basis
and their numbers are brought down to zero.
Accordingly, it was resolved that all High Courts shall assign top-most priority for disposal of cases
which are pending for more than five years.
In High Courts, where arrears of cases pending for more than five years are concentrated shall
facilitate their disposal in a mission mode.
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The agreement on the minutes comes at a time when the Executive and the Judiciary are trying to
find a common ground on the memorandum of procedure for judicial appointments in High Courts
and Supreme Court.
The 24 High Courts face a shortage of nearly 450 judges. Nearly three crore cases are pending in
courts across India.
Border talks between India and China to happen next year

National Security Adviser of India and China agreed to hold the next round of border talks in India
next year at a daylong meeting held in Hyderabad.
The meeting came against the backdrop of a series of dampeners appearing prominently in the
bilateral ties, including the recent stand-off between the two Armies at the border.
However, his statement did not carry any reference to the two key issues of Indias concern vis-a-vis
China Indias entry to the NSG and the U.N. ban on Masood Azhar. Both are held up because of
Chinas tough positioning.
The two sides appreciated that 2016 is an important year for bilateral engagement, with President Xi
Jinpings visit to India for the BRICS Summit and PMModis visit to China for the G-20 Summit.
Both sides agreed to hold the 20th round of Special Representatives talks on the border question in
India next year.
British PM to come to India for 1st bilateral mission outside EU

British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to head for New Delhi on her first trade mission, and her
first bilateral visit outside the European Union.
The visitis taking place under a cloud of uncertainty, with Parliament set to get a say in the process
of exiting the EU, and toughening immigration rules governing Indian temporary workers and
students.
Ms. May is set to arrive in New Delhi on Sunday evening, leading a 40-member business
delegation.She is set to hold bilateral talks with the Prime Minister later that day, following meetings
with business and investors.
She will head for Bengaluru, where a tech summit is also being held. Its worth noting that the size
of delegation is considerably smaller than the over 100 initially expected.
Nevertheless, from the Indian perspective a couple of issues cloud the visit.
Firstly, there is the issue of Britains stance on Pakistan which is notably different from that of
the U.S., which issued a strong statement condemning cross-border terrorism.
Whether Ms. May will follow former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron in issuing a strong
statement during her visit remains to be seen though for the moment it looks unlikely.
Another issue haunting the visit will be visas. Earlier this week, the government announced that a
planned tightening of immigration rules including the raising of salary thresholds for those on an
intra-company transfer visa.
While these issues will undoubtedly be factored in during the trip, India will also be eager to stress
its willingness to work with a post-Brexit Britain, as it attempts to strengthen bilateral relations with
nations outside the EU.
Government demonetised currency with 500 and 1000 rupee notes

Five hundred and 1,000 rupee notes will cease to be legal tender, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
announced in a surprise address to the nation. He said the decision was taken to root out the menace
of black money and corruption.
Notes of 100, 50, 20, 10, five, two and one rupee remain legal tender and will be unaffected by the
decision, the Prime Minister said, adding that all banks and ATMs will be closed on 9th and ATMs
in some places on 10th as well.
Mr. Modi announced that existing Rs. 500 or Rs. 1,000 notes can be deposited in an individuals
bank or post office accounts between November 10 and December 30.
Currency value of up to Rs. 4,000 can be exchanged from any bank or post office per day till
November 24 by showing a government identity card.
However, for 72 hours, government hospitals, railway, air and government bus ticket booking
counters will continue to accept the old notes.
Old notes will also be accepted till November 11 at petrol, diesel and gas stations authorised by public
sector oil companies, consumer co-operative stores authorised by State or Central government, milk
booths authorised by States.
The Reserve Bank of India will issue new Rs. 500 and Rs. 2,000 notes starting from November 10.
The new Rs. 500 note will feature the Red Fort and the new Rs. 2,000 note will feature Mangalyaan,
Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said. These notes will become available from November
10.
Once the ATMs start functioning, there will be a withdrawal limit of Rs. 2,000 per debit card, which
will be increased to Rs. 4,000 later, Mr. Modi said in a 40-minute televised address to the nation.
There will, however, be an overall limit on withdrawal from banks of Rs. 10,000 per day and Rs.
20,000 per week, which will be increased in the coming days.
Mr. Modi said there will be no restriction of any kind on non-cash payments by cheques, demand
drafts, debit or credit cards and electronic fund transfer.
PM made a pointed reference to cross-border terror which was being funded by forged currency
notes. In the countrys history of development, there comes a moment where powerful and decisive
decisions are needed, Mr. Modi said.
Till March 2016, Rs. 14 lakh crore out of Rs. 16 lakh crore worth currency issued by RBI were in
denominations of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000, as per the central banks official data.
Justice M.B. Shah, (retired) who heads the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team on
black money, said there was no other alternative to curb black money than to scrap the Rs. 500 and
Rs. 1,000 currency notes.
Welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modis pronouncement Justice Shah, a former Supreme Court
judge, said this would spell the end of circulation of unaccounted wealth inside the country.
Earlier this year, the SIT had called for a complete ban on cash transactions above Rs. three lakh as
well as setting a Rs. 15-lakh cap on cash holdings by individuals to prevent holding of unaccounted
wealth in cash.
It had also recommended the government to frame a new law to make transactions above this
threshold illegal if the amount was not paid by cheque, bank draft, or electronic clearing system
through a bank account.
The SIT recommendation had followed a Finance Ministry statement that large amounts of
unaccounted wealth was stored and used in the form of cash.
SC directed BCCI to bear the expenses for India- England test series
The Supreme Court directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to bear the expenses
for all the matches to be played in the India-England Test series till December 3.
Ordering BCCI to foot the bill of Rs. 58.66 lakh for the first match in Rajkot scheduled for November
9, Bench said that the payments should be made directly to the parties the board has entered into
contracts with for the series.
The Bench made it clear that the BCCI should not pay a farthing to the boards member cricket
associations in the States where the series matches are going to be held, including the
Rajkot/Saurashtra Cricket Association.
According to a October 21 judgment, disbursal of funds from the BCCI to the State member
associations is conditional on the latter filing undertakings to implement the Justice R.M. Lodha
Committee recommendations in letter and spirit.
The BCCI moved the Supreme Court saying there are no funds for the India-England Test series
scheduled to start on November 9.
The board sought a judicial order to the Lodha panel to clear the funds required for the match.
To check air pollution NGT bans construction activities

The National Green Tribunal banned all construction activities in Delhi city for a week to check the
alarming air pollution levels. It said stone crushers and brick kilns should not operate in the region
during this period.
Not stopping at this, the green court asked the Delhi government what the basis was for its decision
to close schools and why it was sprinkling water using cranes.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar took the secretaries of Delhi, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to task for not implementing its orders against burning crops
and to contain air pollution.
What did you do when all this smog was building up and particulate matter had increased beyond
prescribed limits? What steps did you take till yesterday, the bench asked.
For the first five days, nobody did anything, be it the States or the Centre. Show us one thing visible
to the common man.
Centre extends AFSPA to three Arunachal Pradesh districts

The Centre has decided to extend the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in three districts
of Arunachal Pradesh.
One of the primary reasons cited by the Centre is extortion and intimidation by the cadres of
National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), who are contriving to dominate areas
hitherto occupied by NSCN (Khaplang).
The notification has been issued even after the NDA government signed a framework agreement
with NSCN-IM in September 2015 to find a final solution to the six-decade-old Naga issue.
After decades of violence, the NSCN-IM had entered into a ceasefire agreement with India in 1997.
The largest group representing the Nagas has demanded a Greater Nagalim or a contiguous land
for the Nagas, across the States of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram.
The ceasefire signed with NSCN-IM is only for Nagaland; it does not include Arunachal Pradesh and
Manipur. This notification has been issued after much consultation between the security agencies.
NSCN-K had unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire in March 2015 but NSCN-IM continues to be in a
ceasefire pact with the Government of India.
LPG distributors, railway caterers etc added to accept 500 and 1000 notes
LPG distributors, railway caterers, chemists, and ticket counters at Archaeological Survey of India
monuments will be allowed to receive payments in the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes, the
government announced.
It said those depositing over Rs. 10 lakh of unaccounted income in their accounts would face tax and
a penalty of 200 per cent under the Income Tax Act.
Banks, which are scheduled to open on Thursday, will remain open on Saturday and Sunday as well
for the convenience of people who need to exchange their high-value currency notes.
If an amount of above Rs. 10 lakh is deposited in a bank account, not matching with the declared
income, the same will be treated as tax evasion, the Finance Ministry said.
In such a case, the tax amount plus a penalty of 200 per cent of the tax payable would be levied as
per Section 270(A) of the Income Tax Act.
The RBI has dispensed Rs. 2,000 denomination currency notes to banks in large boxes and asked
them to ration the distribution of those from their branches.
For at least two weeks, notes of such a denomination will be only made available from branches and
not from ATMs.
ATMs, which will resume operations on Friday, will dispense notes only in the denomination of Rs.
100 and Rs. 50 for the next few days.
Large lenders like State Bank of India and ICICI Bank have decided to extend branch banking hours.
In some locations, ICICI Bank branches will remain open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 10th and 11th.
The government has extended the exemption list for payment with old Rs. 500, Rs. 1,000 notes to
metro tickets, toll plaza payments, LPG gas cylinders, railway catering, ASI monuments, and
chemists.
President Donald Trump could be good news for India

The election of Donald Trump as U.S. President could be positive news for India on a bilateral level,
but it is his administrations China policy that will be key to Indias interests, say foreign policy
watchers here.
PM Modi was among the first world leaders to tweet his greetings to the U.S. President-elect shortly
after he made his victory speech, and Mr. Trump famously said I love Hindu, referring to Indians
at a campaign rally last month.
In contrast to India ties, Mr. Trump has made it clear that he sees Pakistans semi-unstable state,
radical Islamists and nuclear weapons as a major problem.
In April this year, at a townhall meeting in Indianapolis, Mr. Trump had said: The problem with
Pakistan, where they have nuclear weapons, is a real problem.
However, some suggest that India may be more affected by Mr. Trumps foreign policy shifts on
China, Russia and West Asia.
Uttarakhand has highest number of tigers outside reserves

While tiger reserves contain the majority of the countrys tiger population, a study reveals that
Uttarakhand forest departments western circle has 119 tigers.
This is one-third of the total tiger population found outside the 49 tiger reserves across the country.
The study was carried out as Phase IV monitoring, which, according to the National Tiger
Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, involves monitoring of tiger and its prey on an annual
basis.
The study was undertaken in an area of 2,573.6 sq.km. spread across Uttarakhands Shivalik, Bhabar
and Terai regions.
The survey found that the States western circle has more tigers than states such as Andhra Pradesh,
Odisha, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, all of
which have less than 119 tigers each.
A similar study on tiger population is currently being undertaken in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
Demonetisation will reduce fake currency as well as terror financing

The government has said one of the reasons to demonetise currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000
was to curb the circulation of fake currency notes, but there seems to be no definite account of the
amount of such notes in circulation.
As per a study done by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, in 2015, the only concrete work done
on the subject, at any given point of time Rs. 400 crore worth of fake currency notes were in
circulation in the economy.
This is merely 0.025 per cent of the total budget outlay of Rs. 19.7 lakh crore as announced this
fiscal.Different agencies have their own estimates based on the recoveries made by them.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in 2015, various law enforcement
agencies seized 1,78,022 pieces of fake Rs. 1,000 currency notes.
This means Rs. 17 crore fake notes which were in circulation could be calculated as they could be
seized.
Similarly, in 2015 as many as 2,99,524 pieces of Rs. 500 fake notes were seized by the agencies.
The Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata study was done on the behalf of the National Investigation
Agency (NIA) and it also said that Rs. 70 crore fake notes were pumped into the economy every year.
The supplier of raw currency notes, the ink and the silver thread is same for India and Pakistan and
we have been asking the the countries like the U.K, the U.S. and Germany, where these are
manufactured to stop the sale to Pakistan.
Demonetisation would impact the terror financing, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. He said
terrorist outfits like Hizbul Mujahideen collect donations in Pakistan and then route the money into
the State through hawala operators.
Many of their operators and sleeper cells here have fake currency. It will be a severe blow and for a
few years we will get relief from this.
India to host a special event during Climate Change Conference

India will host a special side event during the UN Climate Change Conference opening at Marrakech,
Morocco, on the 12 Himalayan States that face the impact of a changing climate.
The Himalayas provide water to 1.3 billion people in Asia, but have been inadequately represented
over the past three decades in climate change discussions, an expert said.
Currently, the Himalayas are not spoken about even at discussions in international forums on
mountain countries.
Centre has asked the G.B. Pant Institute to represent the 12 Himalayan States at the Conference of
the Parties (CoP 22) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change being held.
The Hindu Kush region was represented at UNFCCC by the Nepal-based International Centre for
Integrated Mountain Development.
At the CoP on November 17, the impact of climate change on disasters, biodiversity, livelihood, and
agriculture will be highlighted.
Freedom is not above nations interest says Govt

Freedom is not above nations interest and views cannot be promoted as news, said Union
Information and Broadcasting Minister.
Mr Naidu asked the mediapersons to remember that they are citizens first and journalists next. News
should not promote hatred between groups and religions or anti-nationalism.
Confine your views to the editorial and the edit page articles and report the news as it is, he said
expressing regret at the growing tendency of mixing views and news.
At the same time he said the Government was committed to the Freedom of the Press. There are more
restrictions from the managements of the media than the Government, he added.
Criticising the sensationalism in the electronic media, he advised them to be close to the truth and
not solely depend on sensationalism. In a lighter vein he compared electronic media to a film heroine
and print media to a housewife.
Mr Naidu said time has arrived to promote regional languages and Government was committed to
promote Urdu.Doordarshan has dedicated Urdu news bulletins and the duration of the bulletin is
likely to be increased soon.
Laws on conservation of agro-biodiversity should be protected says PM

Laws on conservation of agro-biodiversity should not hamper growth of agriculture in developing
nations like India, PM Modi said while saying that use of technologies for crop enhancement must
not be at the cost of sustainable development.
Mr. Modi cautioned against growing threat to plant and animal species and said there was a need to
adopt a shared vision for conserving them through focussed research and proper management of
genetic resources.
World over, crores of poor people are fighting hunger, malnutrition and poverty. To address these
issues, science and technology is very important.
While finding solution to these problems, we should not ignore sustainable development and
conservation of biodiversity.
There is a need to assess the negative impact of use of the technology in agriculture, the Prime
Minister said, citing the example of pesticide usage affecting honeybee in pollination process.
U.S.s partnership with India will continue to deepen
The U.S.s partnership with India will continue to deepen regardless of who the next President is,
said Nisha Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.
Ms. Biswal said: I do think that the U.S.India relationship will not suffer in terms of a partisan take
on the relationship. It is a solid relationship that will continue to grow, the partnership will continue
to deepen.
The priorities for the next U.S administration will be to work with India in maintaining the rules-
based world order and enhancing infrastructure and trade connectivity in Asia.
The negotiations on the first nuclear commercial contract between the two countries were on track
and would be concluded in June 2017 as scheduled.
civil nuclear agreement was negotiated under President George Bush; you have seen major
advancements under Democratic Presidents. Certainly, President Clintons historic visit put us on the
path where we could be in a position for President Bush to conclude the nuclear deal.
She said the tenure of the Obama administration had been a period of incredible dynamism and
incredible ambition in India-U.S. relations.
PM Modis personal commitment and leadership were absolutely critical in achieving the climate
agreement in Paris last year.
IT department conducted raids across country

The Income Tax Department conducted searches in Mumbai and Delhi on hawala operators and
bullion traders found accepting demonetised currency.
The IT searches followed specific and definite information against at least a dozen hawala
operators and jewellers suspected to be dealing in demonetised currency in return for gold, sources
said.
The monitoring in the cooperative banks is loose, and chances of manipulation and back-dated entries
is high. But mainly, the searches were restricted to hawala operators in the Mumbai region.
SC asks Central and State govt to work in removing pollution

The Supreme Court asked the government and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) whether it
intends to just sit back and watch people gasping for breath finally die in a polluted national Capital.
The courts are trying to monitor, the National Green Tribunal is trying to monitor the pollution...
and there you are, just sitting there and waiting for people to die, Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur
said.
You must have plans. How will you have spread of stations (to monitor air quality) that will clear the
picture? You need to immediately plan as to how many stations will be reasonable, looking into the
importance of the situation, the Bench said
The Centre had promised to inform the court about its comprehensive plan to grade pollution and
warn the public about the air toxicity levels.
However, instead of a plan, the Bench found that Delhi had just three air ambience monitoring
stations Dwarka, Dilshad Gardens and Shaadipur with no central monitoring system to collate
real-time pollution data and inform the public.
Mr. Kumar complained that though the government is willing to do what is necessary to help, the
implementing agencies are not doing what they should do to curb pollution.
In response, the Chief Justice called the government sluggish.
All Govt transactions to be made cashless

The NDA government's demonetisation gambit is being backed up by an effort to move all
government transactions to the cashless mode.
Centre working on a new single window e-payment system that individuals or businesses can use to
make payments to any central or State department.
Govt will be issuing a request for proposal (RFP) by December to set up a common e-governance
platform for end-to-end transactional experience for a citizen, businesses as well as internal
government functions.
An RFP is issued by an agency to invite bids for a particular project from interested parties.
While some government departments have introduced electronic payments system, a lot of PSUs,
schools and courts have said they lack mechanisms to introduce such a system.
While it will not be mandatory for the government bodies to be part of the platform, the IT ministry
will continue to encourage and push all departments to go cashless.
Last year, the Prime Ministers Office had also set an ambitious target to shift at least 90 per cent of
all government transactions that involve payments or receipts from citizens and businesses to
electronic or paperless mode by the end of 2016.
The implications of such a platform on corruption will be huge, the official said, adding, If cash
isnt involved anywherethere can be no deniability. If someone has taken money, it will be easily
traceable.
The official pointed out that for payments happening out of Central government, over 97 per cent are
already electronic.
India signs nuclear deal with Japan

India signed a historic civilian nuclear deal with Japan during the annual bilateral summit held in
Tokyo.
Sealing of the deal marked the high point of the ongoing visit to Japan by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi who issued a media statement describing it as a historic step.
The nuclear deal which will help India access Japans nuclear market, had been under negotiation for
six years and was firmed up during the 2015 visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to India when the
principles of the agreement were frozen.
However, the final seal on the text had to wait legislative clearance from Japan, which has 13 civil
nuclear agreements with countries such as France and the U.S.
India is the first non-member of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) to have signed such a deal with
Japan.
Negotiations which began in 2010 during the UPA government were stuck on Indias non-NPT status
as Japan sought assurances that the deal would be used for peaceful purposes.
The last stage of negotiations was keenly watched due to a nullification clause which seeks
automatic cancellation of the deal if India resorts to nuclear testing.
NITI Aayog vice chairman says demonetisation will reduce inflation

The Centres demonetisation drive will help lower inflation, NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind
Panagariya said.
All these makes me believe that their could be some moderation in inflation in the short-term, Mr.
Panagariya said.
Yields on sovereign bonds softened after the government announced that the present Rs. 500 and Rs.
1,000 currency notes will not be a legal tender from November 9.
He also said that eradication of black money from circulation will have some impact on money
supply.
As the black money goes out of the system, the money supply will shrink to some degree. This will
reduce the inflation rate in the absence of any open market operations by the RBI, Mr. Panagariya
said.
Banks will see healthy growth in savings account deposits due to this exercise, he said.
Savings that were kept in different forms particularly in the form of currency notes, they will now
move into bank deposits. So we will see some surge in bank deposits, Mr. Panagariya added.
Separately, Bibek Debroy, member of NITI Aayog dismissed that the demonetisation will have any
impact on economic growth.
He said black money was never in the calculation of GDP figures, hence the present demonetisation
drive will not impact growth.
PM says there will be more actions on black money

Hinting at more action to unearth black money, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that those
holding unaccounted money would not be spared.
He also said there was no guarantee that no further steps would be taken after December 30, the
deadline for depositing the demonetised currency notes.
Mr. Modi assured the honest people that they would not face any trouble. I would like to announce
once again that after the end of this scheme, there is no guarantee that something new will not be
introduced to punish you, he said.
Mr. Modi termed the demonetisation a Swachhata Abhiyan and hailed the undaunting spirit of the
people, despite the hardship following the November 8 announcement.
I salute my countrymen. I thought long and hard about the possible difficulties, and it was also
important to keep it a secret. It had to be done suddenly, but I never thought I would receive blessings
for this, he said.
Kerala commission for protection of child rights to look into low conviction
in POCSO cases
Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has decided to look into the reasons behind
the low conviction under POCSO, 2012.
Data provided by the commission on the basis of figures from special courts on cases from November
2012 to December 2015 revealed that only 7 per cent of the 3,711 cases registered under the Act in
the State were disposed of.
The conviction rate stood at a mere 20 per cent, that is, the accused were convicted in only 53 of the
261 cases disposed of.
The number of cases in which compensation was awarded was 23. There were acquittals in as many
as 197 cases.
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Commission chairperson said that the low rates of conviction and disposal of cases were matters of
serious concern. The commission said the courts were yet to become child-friendly as per the
directions of the POCSO Act.
An analysis of 999 cases registered between July and December last year found that 32 per cent of
the accused in cases registered under the Act were neighbours of relatives of the children, and 31 per
cent teachers.
Unknown persons were the accused in 13 per cent of such cases, and van, bus, and autorickshaw
drivers 5 per cent.
Most of such cases occurred in the house of the children (304) or the accused (185). Public places
accounted for 331 such cases. Schools too were not safe, with 33 cases occurring there.
Most of the affected children were in the 16-18 age-group (36 per cent). As many as 34 per cent of
them were in the 13-15 age group.
As many as 50 per cent of the affected children belonged to the OBC category. As much as 16 per
cent of them belonged to the Scheduled Castes, and seven per cent to the Scheduled Tribes.
Ninety-seven per cent of the accused were men.As many as 593 of them were in the 19-40 age group,
and 210 in the 41 to 60 age group. There were 76 accused who were below the age of 18.
India faces highest number of Child death due to pneumonia

It is World Pneumonia Day 2016, and India stands pretty much where it stood last year right on
top of the charts with a total of 2,96,279 deaths from pneumonia and diarrhoea.
The tally being just short of last years figure of 2,97,114 deaths, and the nation desperately needs to
reduce those numbers.
The Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report published annually by the International Vaccine
Access Center (IVAC), puts India at the top of the list of 15 nations, as it did last year, and the years
before.
The report, however, does indicate some consolation can be found in the fact that India is among the
12 nations that have improved their Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia
and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) score this year.
The report says: The rate of all-cause mortality in this age group has been cut by more than half
worldwide since 1990, from 91 deaths per 1,000 live births to 43 in 2015.
Although this is an enormous achievement, pneumonia and diarrhoeas contribution to under-5
deaths remains stubbornly high.
In 2015, these two diseases together were responsible for nearly one of every four deaths that
occurred in children under five.
Nearly 15 years after the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in 2000, five countries
among those with the highest pneumonia burden India, Indonesia, Chad, China and Somalia
are still not using the vaccine in their routine immunisation programmes, the report noted.
India recently announced a partial introduction of the vaccine in five states (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh) from 2017.
India introduced rotavirus vaccines in four States in 2015. In addition to thinking of vaccines, the
report points out other simple proven interventions in order to prevent these deaths, including
antibiotics, exclusive breastfeeding.
Also urging nations to go beyond business as usual, it chronicles innovations that help speed up the
process and better chase the goal of cutting down the number of preventable child deaths.
Panna tiger reserve to take hit of Ken-Betwa river-linking project

The Rs. 9,000-crore Ken-Betwa river-interlinking project, which will partly submerge the Panna tiger
reserve, may be delayed after a key Environment Ministry body tasked with giving it forest clearance
has deferred it at least until January.
The project will submerge 6,221 hectares of land 4,141 hectares of it is core forest inside the
reserve. The Forest Advisory Committees clearance is required for this diversion of forest land.
Depending on whether a project takes over land in wildlife sanctuaries or notified forest land, it
requires separate wildlife, forest and environment clearances.
The main feature of the project is a 230-km canal and a series of barrages and dams connecting the
Ken and the Betwa to irrigate 3.5 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 14,000 hectares in the
Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.
The key components are the Makodia and the Dhaudhan dams, the latter expected to be 77 metres
high, which will submerge 5,803 hectares of tiger habitat in the tiger reserve.
On the other hand, 6,388 people will be affected as water from the Daudhan reservoir will submerge
10 villages and 13,499 in 28 villages will be affected by submergence caused by the Makodia
reservoir.
Seventeen lakh residents of nearby towns and villages in both States will benefit from improved
drinking water supply and irrigation, the report added.
Confusion over India and Japan Nuclear deal

Indian and Japanese officials continued to wrangle over the legality of a document signed as part of
the nuclear deal during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Tokyo.
The document indicates a link between nuclear testing and the cancellation of the deal.
While government say the document is not legally binding, a Japanese official insisted the
document had been signed by the nuclear negotiators in the presence of Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe
and Narendra Modi, and hence legally binding.
The Note on Views and Understanding contains contentious clauses that effectively allow Japan to
invoke an emergency suspension of supplies if India were to test a nuclear weapon, and to contest
any compensation claims from India in court.
India has traditionally refused to link its nuclear trade with pre-conditions on testing, holding it is a
matter of nuclear sovereignty, and instead giving a voluntary moratorium on tests.
In response to questions about the differences, government sources said the note is simply a record
by the negotiators of respective views on certain issues, given Japans special sensitivities as the
only nation to have suffered a nuclear attack.
UN asks for patience from India regarding Masood Azhar

India must show patience on its counter-terrorism concerns, says the U.N.s senior most official on
the issue of designating JeM chief Masood Azhar and implementing U.N. sanctions against LeT
leaders Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rahman in Pakistan.
India and all member states should understand that [the U.N. processes] take time and they must
continue to cooperate, said Jean Paul Laborde.
He is the Executive Director of the Security Councils counter-terrorism body, CTED, that was
formed under resolution 1373 after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. to help countries work together on
prosecuting terrorists.
Mr. Laborde was in Delhi to address the concerns over the slow processing of Indias applications
with the U.N. on terror.
Chief among those is the early ratification of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terror
(CCIT) that India introduced in 1996. The CCIT has been held up at the U.N. by several countries,
mainly the U.S. and France.
For public convenience govt announced new measures

The exemption deadline for all those services eligible to accept the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes
has been extended till the midnight of November 24, the government announced.
The waiver of toll tax at 365 plazas on national highways will continue till the midnight of November
18. Car parking charges at all airports will remain suspended till the midnight of November 21.
Economic Affairs Secretary said the services exempted include petrol pumps, pharmacies, and utility
services among others, and would encompass the private sector as well.
The withdrawal limit from ATMs has been increased to Rs. 2,500 but this will apply only to the
recalibrated ATMs, Mr. Das said.
In this regard, the government has instructed banks to increase the cash holding limit of banking
correspondents (BCs) to at least Rs. 50,000 each and to replenish the cash with the BCs multiple
times in a day, if needed.
The Transport Department has offered a reprieve for vehicle owners who are hard-pressed to pay the
motor vehicle tax in the wake of the demonetisation move. The department has agreed to extend the
deadline for payment till November 30.
India decided to drop reference to Uri attack in UN regarding Azhar

India has decided to drop any reference to the Uri attack from its proposal to be placed before a
United Nations sanctions committee to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar as an international
terrorist.
China had put a technical hold on this proposal in April this year, which was extended on October 1.
Within hours of the attack on the Uri Army camp on September 18, where 18 soldiers were killed,
the Director-General of Military Operations Lt. General Ranbir Singh told that the attack was carried
out by two terrorists belonging to the JeM.
The investigations were then handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is yet
to conclude its probe.
Intelligence officials, however, have said the modus operandi of the Uri attack had tell tale signs that
it was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, another Pakistan-based terrorist outfit.
Azhar, a resident of Bahawalpur in Pakistan, has been accused by Indian agencies of orchestrating
several terror attacks here including the attack at the Pathankot airbase on January 2.
Indian Carbon emissions grew at 5.2%
While global carbon emission saw almost no growth last year, Indias emission grew by 5.2 per
cent in 2015, says a study.
Global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are projected to rise only slightly in 2016, marking
three years of slowdown, said the study published in the journal Earth System Science Data .
The researchers identified decreased use of coal in China and the U.S. as the main reason behind the
three-year slowdown.
China, the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) at 29 per cent, saw emissions decrease by only
0.7 per cent in 2015, compared to growth of more than five per cent per year the previous decade.
The U.S., the second biggest emitter of CO2 at 15 per cent, also reduced its coal use while increasing
its oil and gas consumption and saw emissions decrease 2.6 per cent last year. The U.S. emissions
are projected to decrease by 1.7 per cent in 2016.
India contributed 6.3 per cent of all global CO2 emissions in 2015, the study said.
Global carbon emissions did not grow last year and the projected rise of only 0.2 per cent for 2016
marks a clear break from the rapid emissions growth of 2.3 per cent per year in the decade to 2013,
with just 0.7 per cent growth seen in 2014.
The study, however, pointed out that although the break in emissions rise ties in with the pledges by
countries to decrease emissions until 2030, it falls short of the reductions needed to limit climate
change well below two degrees Celsius.
Delhis Air quality improved

This week started off with better air quality compared to the last, when toxic levels of particulate
matter were recorded across New Delhi.
The levels of particulate matter were on average two times over the safe limits. While still very
harmful, the levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were down from the peaks of up to 16 times the standards in
the first week of November.
According to SAFAR-India, an air quality monitoring service under the Earth Science Ministry, the
average concentration of PM2.5 in the past 24 hours as of 8 p.m. on Monday was 152 micrograms
per cubic metre.
While this was over two times the standard of 60 micrograms PCM, the advisory was very poor,
down from severe last week.
China criticised India-Japan nuclear agreement

China obliquely criticised the India-Japan agreement on nuclear energy, pointing out that all
countries were entitled to peaceful use of atomic energy so long as they followed the international
nuclear non-proliferation regime.
China maintains the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which India has not signed, is essential
to prevent the spread of atomic weapons.
In a separate statement, the Foreign Ministry commented on the November 11 meeting of the Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG) in Vienna.
The meeting, which discussed the two-step intergovernmental process to address the issue of non-
NPT states participation, follows Indias bid to become a full member of the 48-nation NSG.
China has so far opposed Indias membership, citing the need for common criteria for all non-
members, including Pakistan.
The statement said the Vienna meeting was held to discuss the technical, legal and political aspects
of non-NPT states participation in the NSG, in accordance with the mandate adopted in June during
the groupings meeting in Seoul.
The meeting was a maiden attempt since the NSGs inception in 1975 to formally take up non-NPT
states participation in an open and transparent manner.
India has underscored that NPT membership is not essential for joining the NSG, as was the case
with France. Therefore, Indias NSG bid should be de-linked from the criterion of NPT membership.
SC refused to stay demonetising Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes

The Supreme Court refused to stay government notification demonetising Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000
currency notes.
However SC asked the Centre to take immediate measures to alleviate the sufferings of the
traumatised common man who is forced to stand in queues to withdraw a little bit of his own hard-
earned money.
Court did not want to interfere with the governments economic policy, Chief Justice Thakur said the
objective of demonetisation might be a surgical strike on black money, but it should not cause
hardship to the common man.
Carpenters, masons, daily wage earners, maids, vegetable sellers are dependent on cash; we are only
wondering if you are capable of doing anything to reduce the trauma of ordinary man, Chief Justice
Thakur asked
The Bench asked the Centre to file an affidavit by November 25, detailing the various measures it
could take to lessen the hardship and inconvenience caused to people without hindering the larger
objective of the government notification to get rid of black money and cross-border terror financing.
After demonetisation, the black money hoarders do not even have the money they once used to have
in their pyjamas, Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi Rohatgi submitted in the Supreme Court
He said 3.25 lakh crore in Rs. 500/1000 notes was deposited out of 15 or 16 lakh crore in circulation.
At least, Rs. 10 to 11 lakh crore is expected to come in.
The government asked banks to start using indelible ink to identify persons
The government asked banks to start using indelible ink to mark and identify persons who exchange
old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes upto Rs 4,500 to ensure that the facility isnt used multiple times.
A small mark of indelible ink, used during elections to prevent multiple voting, will be put on the
right hand finger of persons exchanging the recalled currency notes.
Freshly minted notes of Rs. 100 denomination will start reaching banks soon to ease the lack of
change for the new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes that is impeding day-to-day transactions.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, meanwhile, asserted that the Centre was fully prepared for the impact
of the exercise and was working for effective currency management even as officials sought to
manage the fallout.
There are enough currency notes with banks and in the system. The situation will be continuously
monitored both the supply of cash and of essential commodities.
The government has also asked religious institutions, which receive donations in smaller
denomination notes, to deposit these notes in bank accounts to increase their supply in circulation,
Mr. Das added.
Both the RBI and govt emphasised that the facility to exchange Rs. 4,500 worth of notes was a one-
time opportunity and not a daily limit to clear any confusion that may have arisen in the matter owing
to the language of the notification.
Zakir Naiks NGO banned by Govt

The Union Cabinet gave a go-ahead to declare the NGO run by Islamic preacher Zakir Naik as an
unlawful association which disturbed social and communal harmony and placed it under a ban for
five years with immediate effect.
Banning any organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) requires an
approval by the Cabinet, and a Gazette notification will follow soon.
The NGO, Islamic Research Foundation, was declared an unlawful association under the UAPA
primarily on the basis of four key points: criminal cases against Dr. Naik, provocative speeches by
the preacher, its dubious relationship with the banned Peace TV and transfer of money to the channel
A tribunal will be set up where Dr. Naik can challenge the ban.
Centre increased its minimum support price by up to Rs. 550 per quintal
In a bid to boost production of pulses, the Centre increased its MSP by up to Rs. 550 per quintal,
including the bonus, while increasing the MSP for wheat by Rs. 100 to Rs. 1,625 per quintal for the
rabi 2016-17 season.
The decision to increase the MSP for rabi crops was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
The CCEA approved the MSP increase for pulses, such as masoor (lentil), to Rs. 3,950 per quintal
from Rs. 3,400/q last season while the MSP for gram has been fixed at Rs. 4,000 per quintal against
Rs. 3,500/q last year.
The MSP for wheat has been raised by Rs.100 to Rs.1,625 a quintal for the rabi season against Rs.
1,525 a quintal for the previous season.
Similarly, the MSP for barley has also been increased to Rs. 1,325 per quintal against Rs.1,225/q last
season.
The support price for rapeseed-mustard seed, including bonus, has been fixed at Rs. 3,700 per quintal
against Rs. 3,350/q last year, while that of sunflower has been increased to Rs. 3,700 per quintal from
Rs. 3,300/q last season.
SC crack down on online pre-natal sex determination advertisements

The Supreme Court directed the Central government to constitute a nodal agency to monitor and
trigger search engines to crack down on online pre-natal sex determination advertisements.
A Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra ordered that the nodal agency should receive complaints about
illegal online advertisements under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act of
1994.
It should communicate the tip-offs to online search engines like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, which
would delete these advertisements within 36 hours of getting the information.
We direct the Union of India to constitute a nodal agency which would give advertisements on TV,
radio and in newspapers, that if anybody comes across anything which identifies a girl or a boy.
Once it is brought to the notice of the nodal agency, it shall inform the search engines and they, after
receiving the information, are obliged to delete it within 36 hours and inform the nodal agency, the
court said.
It said this interim arrangement would continue till it took a final decision on the continued existence
of online sex selection ads.
The court was hearing a petition filed in 2008 by Dr. Sabu Mathew George in the background of
increasing instances of female foeticide.
The petition contended that pre-natal sex determination tests continue with impunity despite being
made illegal in 1994.
Advisor to Pak PM will travel to India for Heart of Asia conference

Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said he will travel to India to
attend the Heart of Asia Conference on Afghanistan in December.
He said the trip could be a good opportunity to defuse the tension. The conference will be held
in Amritsar on December 3.
Mr. Aziz would be the first senior Pakistani official to visit India since the September 10 Uri attack,
blamed on Pakistan-based militants. The attack led India to pull out of the SAARC Summit planned
in Pakistan in November.
Mr. Azizi, however, said it was not yet confirmed whether or not he would meet his Indian
counterpart on the sidelines of the conference.
He said the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would deserve the Nobel prize if he resolved the
Kashmir issue.
Sharp fall reported in property prices

Registration authorities report a sharp fall in revenue in leading real estate markets in Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu in the first week after demonetisation.
Some small developers in Bengaluru, a segment that makes up an estimated 12 per cent of the market,
have reportedly cashed in on the Centres decision, making sales in old currency, to be regularised
using loans later.
The real estate sector expects a drop in land price by up to 30 per cent in bigger cities and cheaper
housing loans in the coming months.
In the hot property market of Haryanas Gurugram, the governments decision on removing Rs.
1,000 and Rs. 500 notes has adversely hit transactions. The number of conveyance and sale deeds
dropped by over 50 per cent.
In all, 723 documents were registered from November 1, but the number dropped to 332 over the
past one week.
Before the currency removal, over 90 per cent registrations involved cash for stamp duty. Few
people used Real Time Gross Settlement or demand draft, he added.
Apartment prices in Mumbai have not dropped since November 8, but land prices could fall by 30
per cent. Luxury apartments could also cost 30-35 per cent less. In the long term, medium and
affordable housing is expected to get cheaper.
Bengalurus massive real estate sector has seen a churn. The normal volume of property registrations
at 1,800 a day is now a low 200, a senior revenue official says.
Govt come up with measures

All new bank accounts, except those opened under the Jan Dhan Yojana, and time deposits in banks,
post offices and co-operative banks will now require a PAN card.
Even as the Centre eased its demonetisation norms to facilitate cash flows for farmers and families
of couples about to get married.
Up to Rs. 2.5 lakh each can be withdrawn by the prospective bride and grooms family for their
wedding expenses and farmers can withdraw up to Rs. 25,000 a week, even as the Centre reduced
the exchange limit for old notes to Rs. 2,000 from the Rs. 4,500 earlier.
Debit card holders can now withdraw up to Rs. 2,000 from their accounts by swiping their cards at
select petrol pumps with SBI POS devices, following a tie-up between public sector oil marketing
companies and the bank.
People are already allowed to pay for their fuel using old notes till the midnight of November 24.
The Finance Ministry allowed traders registered with agricultural produce markets to withdraw up to
Rs. 50,000 a week from banks, while farmers were given 15 more days to pay crop insurance
premium.
Process of demonetisation started in May

The process of changing the currency notes had been long overdue. It had been pending since 2011.
When the NDA government came to power, the discussions began.
But the entire process started moving in a decisive direction since May this year, when Prime Minister
Narendra Modi gave the go-ahead.
There is rationing of cash as printing started only two months ago as the machines had to be attuned
to the new plates and security features.
Magenta Rs. 2,000 notes contain the same covert security features as the old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000
notes.
Changing the security features is a huge exercise and takes anywhere between five and six years. The
last time such an exercise was done was in 2005 when currency notes of all denominations with new
security features were introduced.
There are three types of security features in a note: overt, which can de detected by the naked eye;
semi-covert, detected by a hand-held machine; and covert, visible only in big machines installed at
banks.
The government has said that the introduction of new notes would check counterfeiting.
According to investigations done by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), much of the fake
currency in circulation in India was printed in the government press of Pakistan.
It would take years to counterfeit the new notes. Any country changes its notes every 7-8 years with
additional security features to check counterfeiting.
There was no major change in the Rs. 1,000 notes introduced in 2000, while changes in the Rs. 500
note, were done over a decade ago.
Illegal drugs takes huge hit after demonetisation

The ganja smugglers in the Visakha Agency area of are in a fix after Prime Minister Narendra Modis
announcement of demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes.
It is learnt that huge stock of dry ganja piled up in interior villages of the Agency area, and they are
unable to move the stock, as the Adivasi farmers are not accepting the notes of higher denomination.
In Balapam village in Chintapalli mandal, the village, there is stock worth of about Rs. 3 crore rotting.
The Visakha Agency area has gained notoriety in the last few years after middlemen and smugglers
turned the Adivasis, who lived by growing family-sustainable paddy and horticulture, to potent ganja
cultivators.
It is revenue spinner for most of the Adivasis in the interior parts of the Agency area where the
Maoists hold sway and as per an estimate over 150 villages in the nine out of 11 agency mandals
have switched over to cultivation of the hemp.
Though there is no accurate estimate of how many acres in the hilly terrain is under ganja cultivation,
Excise Departments rough estimate is around 5,000 to 7,000 acres.
The yield per acre is around 1,000 to 1,200 kgs and the rate paid to the farmers is around Rs. 2,000
per kg. This suggests that the ganja business at the cultivation point exceeds Rs. 1,000 crore annually.
In the entire supply chain, from the farmers to the end users, the mode of payment is cash and ever
since Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 have been demonetised, the smugglers neither have been able to legalise
the bulk cash that they possess nor they have been able to pay the farmers and move the stock.
Supreme Court took stock of the situation for demonetisation

Apprehending riots, the SC refused the governments plea to stay cases filed against
inconveniences caused by demonetisation in High Courts and lower courts across the country.
Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur observed that the very fact that cases are being filed
in courts all over is a signal that the problem is serious and of magnitude.
They are going to the courts for relief. We cannot shut our doors to the people, Chief Justice Thakur
said, refusing the governments plea.
This is very serious. This will require great consideration. People have become frantic, people are
affected... There may be riots, the Bench, also comprising Justice Anil R. Dave, told Attorney-
General Mukul Rohatgi.
That is completely wrong. People are patiently standing, Mr. Rohatgi protested.
Tussle between Govt and SCregarding appointments

The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur, refused to accept the
governments rejection of 43 names it handpicked for judicial appointments in various High Courts.
The battle lines were drawn when the Supreme Court informed the government that it had reiterated
every one of the 43 names that was sent back by the Centre to the Collegium for re-consideration.
The Collegium had met on November 15.
The government is now on a sticky wicket as the new Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) is yet to be
finalised.
The prevalent procedure is that once the Collegium has reiterated its recommendations, as in this
case, the government is bound to clear the names for appointment as judges.
The government had returned the 43, out of a total 77 names, recommended by the Collegium. The
appointments of the remaining 34 names have already been completed by the government.
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Govt may clear the scheme for grading CSIR scientists

A controversial proposal to grade the performance of CSIR scientists is expected to be soon cleared
by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who is also the president of The CSIR, which is Indias largest
chain of publicly-funded research laboratories.
It just needs to be signed by the PM and cleared by the governing body and will soon be
implemented, Girish Sahni, Director-General.
The new appraisal system will reduce the importance to research publications and gives greater
weight to developing products as also scientists who have successfully collaborated with industry
and been part of teams to develop marketable products.
The new system proposes to encapsulate a scientists performance into a single equation and is a
departure from the existing format of having scientists internally evaluated by their peers.
The 75-year-old CSIR has a large network of 38 laboratories spread across the country that are
involved in a wide range of research from battery technology and genomics to glass-making.
Over the years, the Council has emerged as Indias biggest publisher of research papers as well as
the largest patentee, though only a fraction of these have been become commercial products.
That was because different CSIR labs had different mandates: some were focussed at looking for
drugs, some for testing if potential drugs were safe or could be made more efficient.
SC wants steps in the direction of NRI voting

The Supreme Court asked the government to detail the steps taken by it to amend the Representation
of People Act to give Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) the status of special voters.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur emphasised that NRIs cannot participate in the
voting process unless there is an amendment in the law. The Bench asked the government to file its
status report by November 28.
Election Commission's counsel and senior advocate Meenakshi Arora submitted that the poll body
has already recommended that the government take necessary steps to amend the law for NRI voters.
In this context, in October 2014, the Election Commission had prepared a report titled 'Exploring
Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors' and presented it in court.
Ms. Arora said the Representation of People Act was amended to include service personnel abroad
in the electoral process. We send ballot papers and they will be returned after vote is cast, the
counsel submitted.
The court was hearing separate petitions filed by V.P. Shamsheer, a UAE-based doctor, and
NagenderChindam, chairman of Pravasi Bharat in London, on the issue of giving voting rights to
NRIs.
After Govt initiatives queues reduced in the bank

Bank branches saw orderly queues following restrictions imposed by the government, but chaos at
ATMs continues with most of them running out of money .
Despite the government announcement allowing withdrawals of Rs 2.5 lakhs for weddings, hapless
people were running from pillar to post to avail of the scheme.
Bank branches are unable to dispense this amount in absence of operational guidelines from RBI.
Similarly people are visiting their branches with the gazette notification allowing relaxation of limits
being provided to farmers but to no avail.
This being the marriage season, people thronged the bank branches with all possible evidence for
marriage and their identity proof to get the much-needed cash.
There were reports of heated exchange from various parts of the country while lining up for the cash.
All banks today served only their respective customers and did not exchange old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000
notes from customers of other banks.
However, this restriction was not applicable on senior citizens as they are allowed to visit any bank
branches to exchange the defunct notes.
There was no let-up in the queues outside ATMs in Mumbai while those opting for bank withdrawal
had a smoother run as banks offered exchange service of scrapped currencies only to their respective
customers.
Centre govt sent teams across the country for assessment

The Union Government announced that a team of officials from the Centre was being rushed to
different States for a spot assessment of the situation arising out of the demonetisation.
Respective teams from each assigned State would submit a report to the government on how exactly
the decision of the Prime Minister is being implemented.
They would, of course, identify the bottlenecks in the system so that whatever course correction is
required from New Delhi can be applied.
The official said that the Centre is ready to look at demands from various quarters, be it the State
governments or the industry and commerce circles to see how best the pain could be minimised.
PM says times are changing, don't come in its way

Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted from Nobel Laureate Bob Dylans iconic The times they are
a-Changin in a veiled reference to the political situation in the country as he addressed the Global
Citizen Festival.
Back in 2014, I had enjoyed attending the Global Citizen Festival in the beautiful Central Park of
New York. However, this time, my schedule did not permit me to come in person, Mr. Modi said
in a video address.
So to quote from one of Dylans transformative anthems which holds as much meaning today as it
did when it was first sung in the 1960.
Come mothers and fathers, throughout the land, and dont criticise, what you cant understand. Your
sons and your daughters, are beyond your command.
Your old road is rapidly agin Please get out of the new one if you cant lend your hand, for the times
they are a-changin, Mr. Modi said.
Elders must learn from these words of wisdom, he said. We better get out of the way as indeed
the times they are a-changing, added the Prime Minister.
The Global Citizen Festival is focused on creating an impact in areas of education, equality, and
clean water and sanitation.
The festival, launched in 2012, partners with the Global Poverty Project, a movement aiming to end
extreme poverty by 2030.
NITI Aayog vice-chairman believes by 2018-19 India will certainly reach 8%

growth
By 2019, we should certainly touch 8 per cent. I dont know if for the full year of 2018-19, we will
get 8 per cent or not, but I know by the end of it, third or fourth quarter, we should be touching 8 per
cent, the NITI Aayog vice-chairman said.
Mr. Panagariya explained that the Goods and Services Tax regime that the government hopes to roll
out from April 1, 2017 will lead to some disruption in the beginning.
Since its a new system that will be put in place, many companies which are not in the tax base
would come into it. So there will be learning for both the government, who is implementing it and
for firms, he said.
Indias gross domestic product was estimated to have grown at 7.6 per cent in 2015-16, then the
fastest in five years.
However, the first quarter of this fiscal year recorded 7.1 per cent growth as against 7.5 per cent for
the same quarter of the previous year.
The Finance Ministry had attributed the lower growth in Q1 of 2016-17 to an increase in subsidies
by 53 per cent which has resulted in lower growth of net indirect taxes.
In September, the NITI Aayog deputy chief had expressed optimism that a good monsoon could prop
up growth and make it possible to cross the 8 per cent growth mark in this financial year itself.
For getting admission into NITs, 75% in class 12th is a must

Students in the general category who score below 75 per cent in the Class-12 board examinations
will no longer be able to join NITs irrespective of their JEE (Mains) performance. The changes will
be applicable from the next academic session itself.
Ninety-nine percent of students getting admission in the NITs score above 75 per cent in board
exams. So, it is not going to adversely affect candidates. There is a very small chunk that will be
affected.
With this change, the NITs will follow the eligibility criteria followed by the IITs. The eligibility
criterion for admission to the IITs is 75 % in Class-12 for general candidates.
The 31 NITs offer admission to about 18,000 students each year at present, which is higher than the
10,000 students the IITs admit at present.
About 12-13 lakh students appear for the JEE Mains at present, of which just 2 lakh are eligible to
appear for the JEE Advanced, which determines admission to the IITs. The admission to NITs is
done on the basis of performance in JEE Mains.
The online application process will start from December 1, 2016 and the last date for application is
January 2, 2017.
Govt proposing new policy so that All India services people chose N-E states
The Centre has proposed a new policy to tackle the problem of IAS and IPS officers reluctance to
accept a posting in the north-eastern States. Successive governments have battled with the problem
with little success so far.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modis NDA government appears to have succeeded in coming
to grips with the situation and has decided to modify the existing policy for inter-cadre
transfer/deputation for north east cadres.
In February, the Centre had finalised a draft policy to tackle the problem of shortage of officers in
the northeastern region by deciding to post officers from other services to the region. But that does
not seem to have solved the problem.
Under the existing policy if an officer borne on a cadre other than a north-east cadre opts to go on
inter-cadre deputation to the north-east, the condition of completion of nine years of service in his/her
own cadre and of his/her not having been promoted to the super time scale may be relaxed. Under
new policy such deputation may be allowed after seven years.
PM says demonetisation will help common man

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that the current demonetisation exercise would benefit the
common man.
Some people hijacked the entire economy and this war is against them. Every common person wants
to lead their lives with honesty but they are exploited by black money people.
Is not this the responsibility of the government to safeguard the common people? This step of mine
will ensure that middle class and poor people are saved from black marketeers and middlemen, Mr.
Modi said.
On the one hand the sponsored terrorism from across the border kills our soldiers, on the other hand
the financial terrorism from across the border targets our youngsters through drugs.
It seeks to destroys our economy by printing fake currency. Entire business of drugs sustains in cash.
Crores and crores of fake currency was smuggled in the country.
Making the notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 illegal, the entire business of fake currency got a big jolt.
By using that money and buying drugs and arms, terrorists sought to destroy our country and kill our
youngsters.
I had asked for 50 days. In just ten days now over 5,000 crore rupees have already been deposited
in banks. That banks will invest that money in the market and give people loans with that money,
he added.
The Prime Minister also formally launched the Housing for All in rural areas under which the
government proposes to provide an environmentally safe and secure pucca house to every rural
household by 2022.
Named the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) or PMAY-G, in its first phase the target is to
complete one crore houses by March 2019.
Govt to focus on rural India

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley directed commercial bank chiefs to focus their attention on rural
Indias cash crunch over the next 40 days, with a war chest of Rs. 35,000 crore for providing credit
to farmers by December.
The Centre also relaxed its demonetisation policy for high-value currency notes further by allowing
farmers to buy seeds for the rabi sowing season using the old Rs. 500 notes.
Mr. Jaitley, who held a video conference, also asked banks to provide Rs. 5,000 crore to the currency
chests of district central co-operative banks to ensure farmers face no cash shortages for the rabi
season.
Separately, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) eased asset classification norms for loans less than Rs.
1 crore to allow businesses, home loan borrowers.
RBI also gave farmers 60 more days to pay instalments for November and December, to prevent
them from being classified as non-performing assets owing to the ongoing cash crisis.
The RBI issued a notification to operationalise the Centres announcement that farmers will be
allowed to withdraw up to Rs. 25,000 a week from their loan or deposit accounts, including kisan
credit card limits.
It allowed firms to withdraw up to Rs. 50,000 a week from their cash credit accounts to continue
operations, in line with the limit set for current accounts and traders registered with agriculture
produce marketing committees (APMCs).
However, the RBI is yet to notify another relaxation announced for farmers, allowing withdrawal of
Rs. 25,000 a week from payments received in bank accounts against sale of kharif produce in
APMCmandis.
After Indias response Pakistan asked UN to act

Alarmed by the escalation of tension with India along the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan asked the
U.N. to act before the situation be-came a full-fledged crisis.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.N., Ms Lodhi, met Deputy Secretary-General and Chef de Cabinet
of the Secretary-General, and alleged that the situation posed a grave threat to international peace
and security.
Ms. Lodhi alleged that escalating tension was a deliberate attempt by India to divert the attention
of the international community from the gross human right violations being committed by it in
Kashmir.
U.N. Department of Peace Keeping Operations was separately asked to mobilise the UN Military
Observer Group in India and Pakistan to effectively monitor the LoC and the working boundary as a
step to help ease the tension, a statement said.
Govt pushing for digitalisation of transactions in the banking system

In a push for digitisation of transactions in the banking system, Finance Minister told chief executives
of public sector and private banks that a task force under the Additional Secretary in the Finance
Ministry will be set up to oversee the process.
The committee, comprising government officials and bankers, will periodically re-view the progress
by individual banks. Ministry also set targets for individual banks on how many transactions they
should convert into digital before December 30.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had directed banks to waive the merchant discount rates (MDR) at
the shops etc. till the end of December.
MDR is the charge paid by a merchant for every swipe at his PoS terminal. Bankers said this move
will encourage more mer-chants to accept card payments.
Banks will now be focussing on significantly stepping-up transactions in mission mode through
alternate banking channels. Apart from urban areas, banks will increase and sustain their focus on
semi-urban and rural areas.
This outreach would be backed-up by an advertising campaign from Indian Bankers Association
(IBA), including demonstration videos, on how to use cards and other modes for cash less trans-
actions, the Finance Ministry statement said.
PM reignited Indus water treaty issue

Prime Minister said the water that right-fully belonged to India under the Indus Water Treaty cannot
be allowed to go to Pakistan.
He also said that the government was working towards using every single drop of water of the Sutlej,
Ravi and Beas rivers for the country's farmers.
Mr. Modi said at a rally at Bathinda in Punjab, wherehe laid the foundation stone for an All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
But now every single drop of water, which is rightfully ours under the Indus water Treaty, will be
stopped and I'll give that tothe farmers in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.
I have set up a task force for this purpose and I'm committed towards it, he said.
SC says right to breath above religious and wedding celebrations

SC sent a message that religious and wedding celebrations take second place to the basic fundamental
right to breathe clean air, by ordering an immediate and blanket ban on the sale of fire-crackers in
Delhi and the National Capital Region.
Moved by the everyday despair of children, women and the elderly in a city choked by smog, the
SC said the situation was indeed grave for drastic action to check the rising pollution graph.
Having once compared the bursting of firecrackers to theburning of money, SC upheld the
government's authority to intervene in people's right to celebrate weddings and festivals if the cause
was urgent and entailed the larger public good.
The ban was imposed on the basis of a petition filed last year by three children of Delhi immediately
after Deepavali.
Children suffered the most and their battle tobreathe got tougher with the poisonous tang of Deepavali
firecrackers remaining in the air even days after the festivities were over.
Supreme Court, as the guardian of the right to live with dignity, should help them immediately.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur and Justices A.K. Sikri and S.A. Bobde ordered a ban
on the issuance of fresh licences to firecracker sellers and suspended the existing ones till further
orders.
This would mean that any sale, purchase or stocking of firecrackers here would be rendered illegal.
Community has apprehensions about HIV/AIDS Bill in current form

The HIV community in India rejected the long awaited HIV / AIDS Bill in its current form and
demanded the removal of the phrase as far as possible from the proposed legislation.
The crucial public health legislation is first on the list of legislative business of the Rajya Sabha with
Health Minister J.P. Nadda set to move the Bill for consideration and passing.
The current version of the HIV Bill has shocked the HIV community as it dilutes rights to access
treatment. The Bill was approved by the Cabinet in October and was expected to guarantee the rights
of India's 2.4 million HIV positive community.
In-stead, the version that has been put in the public do-main reveals that the Bill has been amended
to state that governments are required to focus on prevention and not on treatment that too, as
far as possible.
The activists stated that Clause 14(1) of the Bill pertaining to prevention of spread of the virus
included a phrase as far as possible.'
The loophole renders theBill especially the right to access life-saving anti-retro-viral therapy
weak and subject to interpretation. It is unacceptable that the government is seeking to limit our
right to treatment.
An earlier version clarified the need to strengthen injection safety programme as IDUs can reduce
their risk of getting and transmitting HIV , viral hepatitis and other blood borne infections by using
a sterile needle for every injection.
However, Clause 22 of the current Bill simply states injection safety requirements' without
specifying the rules.
Home minister says demonetisation helping in reducing Naxalite activity

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said demonetisation had badly hit the Naxalites and they were
using local contractors, businessmen and sympathisers to ex-change their currency in older
demonetised notes.
Mr. Singh, who addressed the top police officers at the annual DGPs conference, also said that though
govt was promoting e-commerce, it also had the potential to expose consumers to "cyber fraud" and
police agencies should be alert to this.
He also said that insurgent groups based in the north-east were exploiting tax exemptions in those
States to convert their black money to white and the concerned DGsP should take concrete action to
prevent this.
Misuse of IT exemptions I have also directed the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to prepare a
comprehensive report on the impact of demonetisation on terror funding.
The NE insurgent groups are misusing the Income Tax ex-emption available to tribals in these States
and I have asked the DGP from North East to take immediate ac-tion, Mr. Singh said.
Mr. Singh also asked police officers in poll-bound states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur to
maintain strict vigil.
In the context of the forth-coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Singh said there could
be attempts to vitiate the law and order situation through bitter political statements.
Khalistani leader escaped prison

At least five armed men in police uniform stormed the high-security NabhaJail in Punjab and escaped
with six prisoners, including Harminder Singh Mintoo, chief of Khalistan Liberation Force.
Punjab Director-General of Police said five men were suspected to be involved, but there could have
been more. Mr. Arora said they gained entry pre-tending that they had cometo hand over a prisoner.
The incident comes at a time when maximum security is in force on the eve of the Heart of Asia
Summit tobe held in Amritsar from December 3 to 5.
Mintoo, who formed a new outfit after breaking away from Babbar Khalsa International in 2009, was
held in November 2014 after he was deported from Thailand. He waslinked to 10 terror cases.
However, hours later, the mastermind of the jail-break, Parminder Singh, was arrested from
Kairana in Ut-tar Pradesh's Shamli district when his getaway vehicle was stopped at a police picket.
PM says India should move towards cashless society

In his first monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broad-cast after his decision to de-monetise currency of de-
nominations Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000, Prime Minister Modi called for a movement to turn India into a
cashless society.
PM asked young people to teach mobile banking and other ecommerce technology to at least 10
families a day. Mr. Modi termed the decision to demonetise as tough but said he had been aware of
the difficulties involved.
Be soldiers of change' A major part of his address was to the youth of the country, whom he asked
to be-come soldiers of change in turning India into a cashless economy or at least a less cash
economy.
There are many people in your families or neighbourhoods who may not know how to use
technologies such as e-wallets and payments through mobiles.
I urge you to spend some time, an hour or more,every single day, to teach this technology to at least
10 families who may not know it, he said.
Supreme Court says dying declaration can't be dismissed due to extensive

injuries
In a significant ruling in criminal law, the Supreme Court held that the dying declaration of a burn
victim against her attackers should not be dismissed simply because her burn in-juries are extensive,
even a 100 per cent.
The Supreme Court said trial courts cannot brush aside the last words of a victim on the presumption
that the burns are so grave that it would have affected the mind and consciousness.
Defence casts doubts A dying declaration has great sanctity in criminal law as it is believed that a
dying person will not lie.
Justice Sikri, who wrote the judgment for the Bench, observed that there is no hard and fast rule of
universal application as to whether percentage of burns suffered is a determinative factor to affect
credibility of dying declaration.
SC was upholding the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to the husband and three in-laws on
the basis of the last words of a woman who suffered 100 per cent burns after she was set on fire by
them at Jhajjar district in Haryana in 1999.
GST Council inconclusive regarding issue of authority to assess tax

The fourth round of meetings of the GST Council was inconclusive regarding the key issue of how
to divide the authority to assess tax between the Centre and the States, although differences were
narrowed down.
The next GST Council meeting has been postponed from November 9-10 to November 24-25, Mr.
Jaitley said, adding that the Ministers will meet for an informal session on November 20 to discuss
the tax assessment issue further.
The Finance Minister said that the preparation of the drafts of the Central GST, State GST, Inter-
state GST, and Compensation Law will be completed by November 14-15.
The draft laws will then be sent to the States, which will have one week to respond with any
recommendations. The Finance Minister added that the Council has narrowed down its options.
One option is to divide assessees horizontally, where those with a turnover of less than Rs. 1.5 crore
a year will be assessed by the States and those with more than that will be shared by the States and
the Centre.
Amnesty International condemned destruction of schools in J&K

Even as rights body Amnesty International condemned the burning of schools in the Valley, three
more educational institutions were set on fire by unidentified persons.
Government decided to hold the annual examinations of Classes 10 and 12 this month itself.
Schools should be safe spaces under all circumstances. The vicious arson attacks on schools end up
denying children their right to education. This disturbing trend must stop. The government should
bring to justice those responsible, said Amnesty.
It also asked the government to shift some of examination centres away from schools occupied by
security forces.
Since July 8, when militant commander BurhanWani was killed, 27 schools have been torched by
miscreants. Militants, separatists, political parties and civil society groups have condemned these
acts.
IUCN team to do field assessment of the Bhitarkanika park

A two-member technical evaluation mission team of International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN), deputed by UNESCO, visited the Bhitarkanika National Park.
The visit is to perform field assessment of the unique mangrove ecosystem of the park, which figured
on the tentative list of future heritage sites of UNESCO in 2009 and made its way to the final list in
2014.
The national park presently figures in the listed of protected wetlands under the Ramsar Convention.
The Odisha government had submitted a dossier, compiled by Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of
India, recommending to UNESCO that the park be declared a World Heritage Site.
In 1984, UNESCO had declared the Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha as a World Heritage Site. Local
economy would receive a boost if the park was declared a heritage site.
The team interacted with local residents living on the fringes of the forest area. The team plans to
tour the core area of the national park and the surrounding water bodies.
Wheelers Island and the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary are also on the itinerary.The biodiversity,
ecosystem and local human habitation and socio-economic condition of locals and their dependence
on forest produce will be assessed.
Bhitarkanika is a unique ecosystem, highly dynamic and at the same time fragile. The delta, the river
mouth, the sea, mangrove forest, avian fauna, reptiles, amphibians and fauna and flora contribute to
the parks biological diversity.
In 1974, the Ministry of Forests, in collaboration with UNDP, had started a crocodile hatchery project
at Dangmal in the park.
The crocodile population in the park has increased from 96 in 1974 to 1,665 this January.
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NGT questions government over pollution

The air pollution that the city [New Delhi] is facing is unfair to its people. What future are we giving
to our children, asked the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday while castigating the Centre
and the AAP government.
NGT also government for shifting blame and not taking steps to tackle the alarming air pollution
level, which has been dubbed the worst in 17 years.
A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar said: Just look at what we are giving to our
children for future. This is terrible.
The Bench issued notices to the secretaries of Environment and Urban Development of Punjab,
Haryana and Rajasthan and directed them to be present before it on the next date of hearing on
November 8.
US will elect their President on 8th Nov

In whirlwind campaigning across battleground states, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and
Republican Donald Trump have the same message to their supporters in the last hours ahead of
polling in the U.S.
Country is at a crossroads, and their opponent is the worst presidential candidate in history.
Hillary Clinton is the most corrupt person ever to seek the presidency of the United States, and if she
were to win, it would create a constitutional crisis like no other, Mr. Trump said in Virginia.
Thirty-seven million Americans have already voted, and between 70 and 80 million are expected to
vote.
FBI stood by its earlier decision not to press charges against Ms. Clinton for mishandling classified
information have given a boost to the Democrats in the final hours.
Multiple opinion polls that appeared also indicate that Ms. Clinton holds a modest but steady lead
over Mr. Trump nationally.
Wind helped in lifting the smog cover

Sunlight and wind helped lift the smog cover over Delhi slightly during the day, though average
pollution levels remained severe.
After days of consistently hazardous levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), concentration levels
across the city dipped considerably during the afternoon.
As per data from the Central Pollution Control Board for R.K. Puram, Anand Vihar, Mandir Marg
and Punjabi Bagh monitoring stations, the average PM2.5 level at 5 p.m. was 131 micrograms per
cubic metre, or twice the standard of 60.
As per SAFAR index, PM levels are expected to decrease after 9th of November.
Delhi government announces measures for pollution control

LG chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the situation and directed government agencies to
implement immediate steps aimed at mitigating air pollution.
In addition to measures such as a week-long lockdown on polluting industries and prohibition of
construction and demolition activities in Delhi.
Immediate de-registration of diesel vehicles older than 15 years in addition to bans on overloaded
and transiting trucks and the use of fire crackers, except during religious functions.
The LG emphasized the need to take extraordinary measures and immediate steps to control air
pollution in Delhi, which has got compounded because of several factors such as prevailing
meteorological conditions, recent use of fire crackers and agricultural crop burning.
LG issued directions to all registering authorities and Motor Licencing Officers to start the
deregistration of diesel vehicles more than 15 years old in a phased manner aimed at bringing about
a reduction of two lakh diesel vehicles.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi was asked to take all measures to control fires at landfill sites,
particularly Bhalswa by utilising PWD construction and demolition malba and sludge generated by
Delhi Jal Board water treatment plants.
International Issue
Donald Trump became 45th President of USA
Donald Trumps jaw-dropping White House win is a slap in the face for Barack Obama, elected eight
years ago as the countrys first black President on the promise of a nation united.
At the political level, Hillary Clintons defeat is certainly a setback for Mr. Obama, who campaigned
hard for his former Secretary of State, travelling across the country and employing the charisma and
charm that she sorely lacks.
But, aside from being the loss of a typical battle between the two major American political parties,
Mr. Trumps success is also a stinging personal blow to Mr. Obama.
Indeed, it would seem Mr. Obama has failed to take the pulse of this other America, a world of
working class whites who felt they have been left in the lurch amid rapid fire change from
globalisation and an increasingly multicultural society.
Mr. Trump has promised to scrap or overhaul many of Mr. Obamas signature initiatives, such as the
health care plan that bears his name, the battle against climate change and the Paris accord of 2015.
Just over five years later, Mr. Obama is getting ready to give up the White House to his former foil.
Country stay divided after US elections

A day after Republican Donald J. Trump was elected the 45th President of the U.S., it dawned on
America that divisions are easy to create but difficult to heal.
The three protagonists of this election season President Barack Obama, President-elect Trump
and his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton appealed for unity and calm, but protests broke out
in many parts of the country.
In at least 25 cities across the country, protesters chanted not my President and lit candles while
numerous social media initiatives sought support to ensure that Mr. Trump is a one-term President.
The protesters marched on Trump buildings in several cities. College campuses in California,
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania also witnessed students protests.
Muslims, Hispanics and Blacks, three communities that felt particularly at the receiving end of Mr.
Trumps campaign, are more anxious.
The most unsettling prospect for minority communities is the potential repealing of Obamacare,
which Mr. Trump has promised to do. The programme ensured health insurance for 20 million people
who were not previously covered.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hailed Israel as a beacon of hope to

countless people
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hailed Israel as a beacon of hope to countless people in his first
public message to the country since his upset victory.
Israel and America share so many of the same values, such as freedom of speech, freedom of
worship and the importance of creating opportunities for all citizens to pursue their dreams, Mr.
Trump said
Israel is the one true democracy and defender of human rights in the Middle East and a beacon of
hope to countless people.
He added that he hoped his administration would play a significant role in helping the parties to
achieve a just, lasting peace, saying that any deal would have to be directly negotiated between the
two sides.
France is currently pushing for an international conference to discuss peace in the Middle East, but
Israel says any talks should be bilateral ones between the two sides.
The Palestinians have called for international involvement, accusing Israel of reneging on past
agreements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the first leaders Mr. Trump spoke to after his
election victory.
U.S. President-elect says he hopes to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve just, lasting peace.
US President-elect says some aspects of Obamacare would be protected

Pushing Vice-President-elect Mike Pence to the foreground of his transition efforts and signalling
that some defining components of Obamacare will be protected when it is overhauled.
Mr. Pence is close to Republicans of all hues, particularly the conservatives. Having spent 13 years
in Washington DC as a member of Congress, he is well-networked in the capital and, most important
of all, is a friend of House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Mr. Pence has replaced New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as the head of the transition team.
Extreme positions on issues and personal attacks on President Barack Obama and his opponent
Hillary Clinton had fired up the campaign that catapulted Mr. Trump to the most powerful office in
the world.
But the self-proclaimed deal-maker now says he could consult the Clintons and Mr. Obama, and
signals more moderate views on issues.
Adding that he would definitely think about that consulting both of them, Mr. Trump said: Hes
a very talented guy, both of them I mean, this is a very talented family.
Mr. Trump has to rework the existing political alignments in DC if he were to push his agenda of
scrapping trade deals and investing in infrastructure and defence that will create domestic jobs in
America.
While congressional conservatives might resist deficit spending by the government, Mr. Trump could
find support from progressive Democrats.
On other crucial questions, like climate change and nominating a Supreme Court judge, Mr. Trump
could align more with his own party while resisting the combined Democratic pressure.
Altogether, the political divides as they exist in the national capital will undergo some radical changes
as Mr. Trump pushes ahead with his platform and will put to test his deal-making skills.
Trumps victory puts doubts over Paris Agreement

As Donald Trumps victory in the U.S. presidential polls was confirmed, delegations at the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference (COP 22) in Marrakech considered
the prospect American pull out of the Paris Agreement.
Mr. Trumps presidency could freeze progress on the climate pact that entered into force on
November 4. The U.S. could also ignore its voluntary climate action commitments under the Paris
Agreement and cut funding for climate finance.
U.S. special envoy for climate change, denied the likelihood of his country withdrawing from the
Paris Agreement at a pre-COP22 briefing session.
He said because of domestic advantages in staying in the agreement, the U.S. may not exercise the
provisions for withdrawal in Article 28 of the Agreement.
Mr. Pershing also said investment opportunities opened up by the Agreement in renewables were
significant.
Domestic circumstances such as flooding in Florida, superstorm Sandy and drought were real
consequences, and required the U.S. to continue with its promise.
On a Kyoto Protocol-like situation, he said unlike that Protocol, the Paris Agreement was not a top-
down international treaty.
Fight in Syria shows no sign of ending

Syrian government and Russian warplanes pounded rebel-held parts of northern Syria, including
battered second city Aleppo, where food aid rations were near-depleted after months of regime siege.
The renewed bombardment killed at least 35 people in Aleppo city in 24 hours, and sparked anger
from Washington and the United Nations.
It came as President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump
could be a natural ally if he fights terrorists.
Damascus considers all those who oppose Mr. Assads government to be terrorists like the Islamic
State jihadist group, which Mr. Trump has said should be the focus of U.S. involvement in Syria.
The regime and its ally Russia launched a wide-ranging assault on rebels on Tuesday, shattering a
month of relative calm in the rebel-held east of devastated Aleppo. But Moscow denied carrying out
air strikes on east Aleppo.
Indias CAD to remain at a low level

Indias current account deficit is expected to stay comfortable at $10.1 billion in this financial year,
largely on account of likely demand moderation post the demonetisation move, says a Citigroup
report.
According to the global financial services major, the countrys current account could likely widen in
fiscal year 2017-18 to $30 billion or 1.2 per cent of GDP.
As per the report, the current account could likely widen in financial year 2018 as average crude
prices are expected to rise, along with the gold demand in the next fiscal year.
Moreover, higher exports growth and non-oil, non gold imports are likely to widen the countrys
current account situation as well.
Govt says total solar power capacity reached 8.7 MW

An addition of 1,964.76 MW in the first seven months of the current fiscal has taken the total solar
power generation capacity in the country to 8,727.62 MW, the Parliament was informed.
As on October 31, 2016, solar energy projects with an aggregate capacity of over 8727.62 MW have
been installed in the country, New and Renewable Energy Minister said in written reply to Lok
Sabha.
He stated that 1,964.76 MW of solar power generation capacity has been added in the country till
October-end of this financial year. During last fiscal, 3,018.88 MW of solar power generation
capacity was added.
He said the World Bank had approved a total amount of $625 million, including a Clean Technology
Fund (CTF) loan of $120 million and a CTF grant of $5 million for grid-connected rooftop solar
programme.
World is united on Paris climate deal

For a U.N. climate summit that began under the shadows of the U.S. presidential election results,
which ended with the ascent of Donald Trump, a climate change denier.
11-day meeting concluded with all participating member nations coming together to reaffirm their
commitment to climate action under the Paris Agreement adopted last year.
The nearly 200 nations attending the COP22 summit adopted the Marrakech Action Proclamation
late on Thursday evening, sending out a strong signal to the world on climate action.
Responding to an invitation by the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, heads of state from close to 90
countries, and, delegations from other U.N. member countries issued the proclamation to signal a
shift towards a new era of implementation and action on climate and sustainable development.
The nations demanded solidarity with those countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate
change, highlighting the need to support efforts aimed at enhancing their adaptive capacity, to
strengthen resilience and to reduce vulnerability.
Climate Vulnerable Forum, comprising a group of over 45 most vulnerable countries, was launched,
which adopted an agenda for maintaining the target of limiting warming to 1.5 C above pre-
industrial levels.
The countries also called for an increase in the volume, flow and access to finance for climate
projects, alongside improved capacity and technology.
The nations, who are parties to the Kyoto Protocol (which does not include the U.S.), also encouraged
the speedy ratification of the Doha Amendment, with its focus on pre-2020 action.
Given the gaps in emissions reduction has to stay on course for keeping global warming levels under
2 degrees C, the nations also called for urgently raising ambition.
Strengthening cooperation among the countries to close the gap between current emissions
trajectories and the pathway needed to meet the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement.
Environment Minister Anil M. Dave said the greatest achievement of the summit was that it managed
to carry forward the momentum on climate action gained in Paris.
However, he refused to comment on what might happen if the Trump administration in the U.S pulled
the plug on the deal.
Since the U.S. was not the sole actor in the case, the efforts that began in Paris will continue, no
matter what, Mr. Dave said.
US president limits oil exploration in Arctic
U.S. President Barack Obama declared portions of the Arctic off-limits for oil exploration for the
next five years, dealing a blow to Republican efforts to expand fossil fuel extraction.
The decision means new oil and gas exploration leasing in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea will
not be considered until after 2022.
The U.S. government made a similar announcement in March, when it removed the Atlantic Ocean
from the five-year road map.
Environmental groups hailed decision as historic and coming at a key moment, as President-elect
Donald Trump has promised to expand drilling for oil and to revive the American coal industry.
The decision will protect wildlife migration routes, crucial feeding grounds, seafloor habitats and the
larger Arctic marine ecosystem, said the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Business & Economy

Foreign secretary says South Asia will block Pak if it continues like this
South Asian nations will begin to look at other alternatives if Pakistan continues to block
SAARC initiatives, Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar warned.
In comments just ahead of a regional conference in India that Pakistan will attend, Mr. Jaishankar
said Pakistan risks relations with other SAARC countries if it doesnt follow basic standards of
regional cooperation.
South Asian nations will begin to look at other alternatives if Pakistan continues to block
SAARC initiatives, Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar warned here on Monday.
If you (Pakistan) say that you will be a member of a regional grouping but wont allow regional
trade, wont allow regional connectivity, wont allow regional motor ways or railways, than what is
it about? You cannot be a member of a region and block every possible regional initiative and still
say I am good member.
Mr. Jaishankar said, referring to Pakistans decision to reject MFN status for India as well as Indias
proposal for a SAARC motor vehicle agreement.
However, he said SAARC countries could opt for sub-regional initiatives and will look at other
initiatives like Bimstec that India hosted in October instead of SAARC, and that could be heavily
damaging to the region.
Mr. Jaishankars comments are significant as they come after Pakistan that they will visit India to
attend the Heart of Asia regional conference of 14 nations, due to be held in Amritsar on December
3 and 4.
No bilateral meeting has been planned as yet, say officials, even as tensions at the LoC have increased
with a sharp increase in artillery fire causing casualties on both sides.
Dr. Jaishankar had visited Washington to meet with U.S. Administration officials and Congressmen
in a visit seen as an early reach out to the team of President-elect Trump.
Fidel Castro, communist revolutionary, died at the age of 90

Fidel Castro, the fiery apostle of revolution who brought the Cold War to the Western Hemisphere
in 1959 and then defied the United States for nearly half a century as Cuba's maximum leader,
bedevilling 11 U.S. Presidents, died on 26th.
In declining health for several years, Castro had orchestrated what he hoped would be the
continuation of his Communist revolution, stepping aside in 2006 when he was felled by a serious
ill-ness.
Ral Castro, who had fought alongside Fidel from the earliest days of the insurrection and remained
Minister of Defence and his brother's closest confidant, has ruled Cuba since then.
Fidel Castro had held onto power longer than any other living national leader, except Queen Elizabeth
II. He became a towering international figure whose importance in the 20th century far exceeded
what might have been expected from the head of state of a Caribbean island nation of 11 million
people.
Indias core sector grew by 5 per cent

Indias core sector grew by 5 per cent overall in September driven mainly by strong growth in steel
and petroleum products sectors, data released by the government showed.
Growth in the Index of Eight Core Industries in September was much stronger than the 3.2 per cent
growth seen in August.
Growth seen in these two sectors can be linked to the governments push in roads and railways. With
steel, earlier there was dumping by China that was affecting the sector.
Steel sector grew by 16.3 per cent in September, down from the 17 per cent seen in August which
was the highest growth rate it saw in more than three years.
The refinery products sector also contributed strongly to the overall growth of the index, growing at
a robust 9.3 per cent in September compared with 3.5 per cent in August.
The cement sector grew by 5.5 per cent in September, faster than the 3.1 per cent seen in August.
Similarly, the electricity sector grew by 2.2 per cent in September compared with 0.1 per cent in
August.
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership worried about China

The concerns of 15 Asia-Pacific nations including India, over agreeing to give greater market access
to Chinese goods without gaining in return, may take centre-stage in the forthcoming ministerial
meeting on the RCEP.
RCEP is the proposed mega-regional Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between 16 Asia-Pacific
countries including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10-member
ASEAN bloc.
Trade ministers of these countries are slated to meet on November 3-4 at Cebu, Philippines to take
forward the FTA negotiations.
The proposed FTA, which aims to open up trade in goods and services as well as liberalise investment
policies, will cover a market of over three billion people in these countries whose total GDP is
more than $17 trillion and account for 40 per cent of world trade.
Indian government sources said it was not just India, but all the other countries in the RCEP grouping
are also worried about agreeing to eliminate tariffs altogether a move that will mainly help China.
The RCEP negotiation process, which had begun three years ago, is unlikely to be concluded by this
year-end.
India to hold talks with Nepal for new civil aviation policy
India is set to hold bilateral talks with its neighbouring Nepal under its new civil aviation policy to
allow unlimited flight services with SAARC countries.
As a part of our new civil aviation policy, the Centre had written to all countries with which India
has a bilateral air services agreement informing them about the plans to open up our skies.
Airlines from India and Nepal are allowed to operate 30,000 seats from each side at present.
While airlines from Nepal have utilised only eight per cent of the seat entitlements as of June this
year, Indian counterparts have used 23 per cent of the seat entitlements.
Besides Nepal, India will also hold bilateral negotiations to open up the skies with two European
countries Netherlands and Sweden.
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Under the new National Civil Aviation Policy, India has plans to enter into open sky air service
agreements (ASA) with SAARC countries and with countries beyond the 5,000-km radius from
Delhi.
Recently, India had inked a memorandum of understanding with Greece for open skies, allowing
airlines from Greece to operate unlimited flights to six Indian metropolitan airports.
Countries sign ASAs through bilateral negotiations to decide on the number of flights that airlines
can fly into each others countries.
States yet to come up with options for cess on GST

Multiple slabs, ranging from zero to 26 per cent, with a cess on ultra luxury and demerit goods in the
top-most slab, is the only rate structure for consideration in the GST Council.
States that had objected to the imposition of cess on GST, leading the last Council meeting to end
inconclusively, have not put up any alternative proposals for inclusion in the agenda for the two-day
meeting.
The States main grouse was that the Centres proposal regarding the imposition of a cess on the GST
for generating the revenues.
it will need to fund compensation to states for losses arising out of the transition to the new indirect
tax regime would amount to the use of GST revenues for compensating GST losses.
The option of fixing the top-most slab higher than 26 per cent as an alternative to cess is not feasible.
On the other hand, the revenues from the cess would go into a separate escrow account from where
direct disbursements will be made to those states eligible for compensations from the Centre in line
with pre-determined formulae.
Govt working to expedite the grant of security clearances for foreign investors
The Industry and Home Affairs Ministries are working to expedite the grant of security clearances
for foreign investors that often delay or even scuttle inflows of foreign direct investment as well as
mergers and acquisitions.
There is a need for everything to be time-bound with a reasonable time period and we face this
challenge too as we administer industrial licences for explosives manufacturing.
In an ideal scenario such taxes shouldnt be collected at all instead of being collected and then
refunded after two or three years.
The Union government is also working with state administrations to deal with incentives and refunds
promised to investors under the proposed Goods and Services Tax Regime.
Improving the ease of doing business in the country has not been easy for the past two years and
wont be easy in the coming years as it requires dismantling of several legacy systems including
physical touch points for clearances.
GST will be levied at multiple rates

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be levied at multiple rates ranging from 0 per cent to 28 per
cent.
Ultra luxuries, demerit and sin goods, will attract a cess for a period of five years on top of the 28 per
cent GST.
Overcoming opposition from some States, the GST Council finalised a multiple-slab rate structure,
including the cess, for the new indirect tax. The quantum of cess on each of these will depend on the
current incidence of tax.
On nearly half of the consumer inflation basket, including food grains, the GST will be at 0 per cent,
Council Chairman and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told a media conference after the
meeting.
The approved slabs vary slightly from the proposal the Centre had moved at the Councils last
meeting. The lowest slab of 5 per cent will be for items of common consumption.
There would be two standard rates of 12 per cent and 18 per cent, which would fall on the bulk of
the goods and services. This includes fast-moving consumer goods.
The highest slab of 28 per cent will include white goods and all those items on which the current rate
of incidence varies from 30-31 per cent.
Visibility really low in capital

Delhi faces the worst smog in 17 years as visibility in the Capital morning remained poor and the
city choked its way through a haze.
Environment experts said the Delhi government must issue health alerts and warn children and other
vulnerable sections to stay indoors.
As per the India Meteorological Department, the smog on November 2 was the worst in 17 years.
This demands emergency response to protect the vulnerable those who are suffering from
respiratory and heart diseases and children.
The CSE analysis also found that post-Diwali peak of pollution is higher than the Diwali peak.
Analysis of data from Delhi Pollution Control Committee shows that the levels of PM 2.5 have
increased by 62.7 per cent on November 2 as compared to that on Diwali.
According to SAFAR, PM 2.5 levels are in severe category and are expected to remain in this
category for more than three days.
Satellite images of NASAs fire mapper have showed that incidences of paddy burning in Punjab,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have increased after Diwali.
The images clearly revealed that after October 30, crop burning in Punjab, Haryana and UP became
more aggressive which would have contributed to the severe smog in the national capital.
Centre has imposed anti-dumping duty on steel wire rods from China
Centre has imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of steel wire rods from China to protect domestic
manufacturers from cheap in-bound shipments.
The Department of Revenue in a notification said anti-dumping duty is being imposed for six months
on import of wire road of alloy or non-alloy steel from China.
The measure follows recommendation by the DGAD that steel wire road was being exported by
China below the normal value and the domestic industry has suffered material injury because of
such imports.
Services sector activity in the country gathered pace
Services sector activity in the country gathered pace in October, driven by sharper increase in new
business orders amid strong demand and improved market conditions.
The Nikkei India Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), which tracks services sector
companies on a monthly basis, stood at 54.5 in October as against 52.0 in September.
The Services PMI recorded above the no-change mark of 50.0 for the 16th straight month,
highlighting sustained growth in the sector. A reading above 50 means the sector is expanding while
below that points to contraction.
On the prices front, the survey noted that input costs of providers rose but at a softer rate.
Turkey wants talks with India for FTA

Turkey wants India to start talks on a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) soon and said the
ongoing political turmoil will not impact foreign investment flows.
Though there is an India-Turkey Joint Study Group report on the feasibility and possibility of
concluding a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA or, in other words, a FTA),
no dates have been fixed for starting FTA negotiations.
Turkish companies want to make India a gateway for improving business ties in South Asia. Indian
companies can use Turkey as a hub to expand operations in the European Union, the Middle East
and Africa.
In FY16, India-Turkey trade had shrunk nearly 28 per cent year-on-year to $4.91 billion of which
Indias exports to Turkey were $4.14 billion (contraction of 22.7 per cent) while Turkeys exports to
India fell 47 per cent to $776 million.
However, he said while there was a standardised general incentive policy for investors, Turkey now
had tailor-made incentives for investments that help Turkey meet its economic development plans.
CSO will give advance estimates by GDP by first week of Jan

The Central Statistical Organisation will provide its advance estimates of GDP growth by the first
week of January to facilitate the presentation of the Union Budget earlier than February 28.
The expenditure numbers are not linked to the GDP figure, so this year we are adopting the
extrapolation approach and next year, the CSO has taken steps to advance the data collection so we
can get it by the first week of January.
Das expressed confidence that the economy will clock higher growth this year than the 7.6 per cent
GDP growth in 2015-16 on the back of improved farm sector output.
He said there was nothing unusual about the high fiscal deficit recorded in the first half of the year,
a two-decade high of 84 per cent of Budget estimates.
Typically the fiscal deficit looks high in the first half of the year because the bulk of the revenues
comes in the second half of the year, whereas expenditure is evenly paced.
In the second half, the revenue will come in and the target of 3.5 per cent of GDP will be achieved.
Govt wants $1.55 billion from Reliance

The Centre has sought $1.55 billion from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its partners for
drawing natural gas belonging to state-owned ONGC in the KG basin over the last seven years.
The Oil Ministry has sent a notice to RIL seeking $1.55 billion compensation, sources privy to the
development said.
The Justice A.P. Shah Committee had opined that RIL should pay the government for the natural gas
it has drawn from an adjacent block of ONGC in the KG basin of the Bay of Bengal in the past seven
years.
In its report, the one-member Shah Panel said the Mukesh Ambani-run firm should pay for the gas
that had migrated or seeped from ONGC blocks into its gas fields.
The panel, however, said the compensation should go to the government and not ONGC.
FM says domestic investment still needs to pick up

Domestic investment is the only growth engine that still needs to pick up and banks must recover
their loans to help boost private investment, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
He said that a large part of the delay in recovery of loans was due to deliberate steps taken by creditors
not to pay their debts on time.
In the bulk of the cases where banks dues have to be returned, the defences are frivolous, if not a
sham, Mr Jaitley said.
They are a time-gaining device and therefore the more we are able to delay the procedures, the more
we are preventing the recovery, and the more we are preventing that investment from going into more
fruitful hands.
In terms of domestic investment, the situation is still challenging. It is clear the Indian private sector
needs to invest. And that is when all engines of the economy will start firing.
The private sector, either impacted by large unutilised capacities, global slowdown, and sectoral
stresses caused either by domestic or international factors, slowed down significantly.
Their balance sheets got very badly disturbed. And the stressed balance sheets of these companies
started impacting the balance sheets of the banks because they were unable to service their loans.
New projects worth Rs.44,607 crore were announced in 2015-16, down from the Rs.54, 235 crore
worth of announcements seen in the previous year, according to CMIE data.
The first half of this financial year, however, has witnessed an improvement, with a 43 per cent
increase in the value of new project announcements as compared to the same period in 2015-16.
Against this background, there is a dire need to introduce efficiency in the loan recovery process,
since litigation, if allowed to continue endlessly, would be to the detriment of the entire economy,
the Union Finance Minister said.
Finance Minister says India is relatively well protected from outside

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that India may still be a developing country but is no longer
influenced by the rising clamour for protectionism around the world, and is instead looking to further
open up its economy to spur investment and trade.
Normally, it is the least developed and developing economies that cry for protectionism and that is a
voice which is now almost not heard in India. We are looking to open up and thats been the direction
of our economy.
And an aspirational nation does not want to let go of any opportunities for the future, Mr. Jaitley
said, adding that though India is now the fastest growing major economy, there is a great amount of
impatience to grow even faster.
To reform more, open up further, attract more investment, expand more in manufacturing, fill up
the infrastructure deficit faster than we have been doing, there is a growing impatience in India, and
rightly so, the Finance Minister said
If industry has been investing outside, we welcome that, we encourage that, he said. He referred to
the fact that India is now one of the largest investors in the United Kingdom. We (also) seek a lot
of investment into India.
And therefore, we have liberalised our policy, created more instruments and our FDI policy is
amongst the most open the world over, the Finance Minister said.
India-UK to look for deeper trade and investment ties

India and the U.K. have begun to look at ways to deepen trade & investment ties even without a Free
Trade Agreement (FTA), Commerce Secretary said.
However, India will seek greater market access in the U.K. for goods including generic drugs and
services such as IT/ITeS and healthcare through a bilateral FTA as well.
Negotiations on the proposed India-U.K. FTA will begin only after Britain completes the formalities
for withdrawal from the European Union (EU) by around 2019, the secretary said.
In the absence of an FTA, India and the U.K. will have to address constraints inhibiting the
development of bilateral trade and investment relations, she said.
In the meantime, India will attempt to conclude talks for an FTA with the EU, she said while speaking
at a seminar titled Brexit: Prospects for an India-UK FTA organised by the Centre for WTO studies
at the IIFT, and industry bodies FICCI and FISME. \
Both the nations will gain if the U.K. National Health System procures generic drugs from India and
if British insurance companies recognise the relatively low-cost treatment in India's globally
accredited hospitals.
Negotiations on the proposed India-EU FTA have been stuck on issues including the EU's demand
for greater market access in India for its automobiles and wines and spirits as well as on India's
demand for data security status for its IT sector.
Indian companies are the second largest creator of employment in the U.K., Ms. Teaotia said. There
are huge complementarities between both the countries, she said.
President says Govt should encourage exports from small and medium
enterprises
President Pranab Mukherjee said the Centre needed to ensure that Indias exporters, particularly those
in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) segment, are adequately supported through appropriate
policy interventions to help them tide over the present downturn.
Indias exports had contracted in 20 of the 21 months till August this year except in June 2016, when
it expanded 1.27 per cent.
Mr. Mukherjee said the Centre will have to consider strengthening Indias institutional credit
guarantee framework in the trade sector to put the country back on a high export growth path.
The framework includes the state-owned ECGC that promotes the countrys exports by improving
the competitiveness of the Indian exporters through credit risk insurance covers and related services.
Export credit insurance and guarantees in the spectrum of trade financing are of critical importance
in todays scenario of continuing high systemic risk, Mr. Mukherjee said.
India must cut import tariffs on cars, improve ports and logistics to increase
export
India must frame policies to reduce farm subsidies and cut import tariffs on cars and take steps to
improve ports and logistics to emerge as an export powerhouse, according to the World Bank.
The Bank released a report titled South Asias Turn: Policies to Boost Competitiveness and Create
the Next Export Powerhouse and suggested a set of policy actions in four sectors agribusiness,
apparel, electronics and automotive.
With the right set of productivity-enhancing policies, South Asia, led by India, could more than triple
its share in global markets of electronics and motor vehicles and come close to doubling its already
goodmarket share in wearing apparel by 2030.
In the farm sector, passive and non-targeted subsidies have encouraged farmers to continue to
produce low value crops using low productivity and unsustainable techniques while restrictions on
agricultural markets have constrained productive private investments in higher value food products.
In order to enhance the business environment in the sector, the government needs to bring out reforms
including reducing subsidies and promoting competition, according to the World Bank.
The government should also consider gradually reducing tariffs on final cars, as the prevailing high
import tariffs on the completely built units are slowing down diffusion of good practices.
The electronics sector, according to the Bank, faced constraints such as underdeveloped clusters and
poor trade logistics, while the apparel sector is facing difficulties to import man-made fibre,
preventing upgrading and diversification.
India needs to reform the duty drawback scheme to facilitate the import of fabrics for exports.
The current system imposes delays that are unacceptable to global buyers, cutting Indian exporters
from the increasingly important manmade fibre segment, according to the report.
India remains behind on global value chain capabilities including physical capital, human capital,
institutions and logistics, it said.
Demonetisation has precedents in other countries as well

India is not the only country to have opted for currency demonetisation. There are similar examples
from other countries as well.
On demonetisation of higher denomination banknotes, the RBI said, Rs.1,000 and Rs.10,000
banknotes, which were then in circulation were demonetised in January 1946.
The higher denomination banknotes in Rs.1,000, Rs.5,000 and Rs.10,000 were reintroduced in the
year 1954, and these banknotes were again demonetised in January 1978.
Zimbabwe is another example, which went through hyper-inflation in 2008 following which its
currency lost value. In
June 2015, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe said the country had adopted the multiple currency
system or dollarisation in 2009 and it is therefore necessary to demonetise the Zimbabwe $ unit to
replace it with the multiple currency system.
In Zimbabwes case, demonetisation was critical for policy consistency and for enhancing consumer
and business confidence, its central bank had said.
In Singapore, though Japanese Banana notes had been in circulation during the Japanese
occupation, after the Japanese surrendered, the note was demonetised in 1945, the Singapore Mint
said.
In Fiji, its Reserve Bank said, demonetisation of the pounds and shillings was necessary as Fiji
transitioned to the new decimal currency structure from January 13, 1969.
It added, Due to limited quantities remaining in circulation, these notes and coins now have
collectors.
The central bank of the Philippines, decided to demonetise the New Design Series banknotes issued
on 12 June 1985, to align with the practice of other central banks around the world which change
the design of their currency that has been in circulation for over 10 years.
GST regime to start from April 1

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that major issues on the GST have been resolved and the new
regime will be implemented from April 1, 2017.
A lot of distance has been covered as far as GST is concerned, Mr. Jaitley said at the Economics
Editors Conference.
It is the consensus approach that we have been following. And one of the objects has been that since
the GST Council is a federal decision-making process, the manner in which it functions in the initial
years will lay down a precedent for the future.
Rather than resorting to voting and divisions on every issue, we have been trying to discuss, re-
discuss and then reach a consensus and so far we have been able to resolve most of the major issues
through a consensus, he said.
If you look at some of the important directional decisions, I think one of the most obvious ones
pending for a long time was that the different sectors of the economy needed to be opened up, Mr.
Jaitley said.
India hopes for fair resolution on U.S. work visa issue

India will take up the IT industrys concerns regarding curbs on the non-immigrant temporary work
visas as well as the absence of a bilateral social security pact, once U.S. President Donald Trump
takes charge, Commerce Minister said.
We will continue our negotiations At the earliest available moment, we will brief about the Indian
(IT) industrys contribution to the U.S. economy. We hope the new President will deal with the issues
in a fair manner, Ms. Sitharamansaid.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) in a statement said the Trump administration
must expedite talks on the proposed India-US Bilateral Investment Treaty.
The USIBC said the U.S. should also take up market access barriers faced by American companies
in India.
This includes tariff increases on the importation of Information & Communications Technology
products, foreign direct investment (FDI) barriers in insurance.
This is especially with respect to ownership and control, inequitable FDI restriction in tobacco, and
price controls in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.
The USIBC said about five lakh U.S.-based Indian workers pay the 6.2 per cent Federal Insurance
Contributions Act payroll tax on an ongoing basis.
Despite their contributions, which add up to $1 billion per year, they will never receive the benefits
because they return to India before having worked for at least 40 quarters (approximately 10 years).
Following the Obama administrations move to increase the fees for H1-B and L-1 visas, industry
body Nasscom had said the move will result in the IT sector taking a hit of over $400 million
annually.
Centre announced measures to increase cyber security

The Centre announced a slew of measures, including one that requires all organisations having a
significant IT infrastructure to appoint cyber security officers, in an attempt to strengthen
cybersecurity in India.
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The Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad, speaking at the Economic Editors
conference here, also said that efforts are being made to strengthen CERT-In, the governments
cybersecurity arm.
CERT-In is being strengthened. The ministry has approved 26 new posts, he said.
State Certs are being planned by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Jharkhand. Also,
three sectoral Certs in power sector generation, transmission and distribution, have been set up,
in addition to the banking one.
IMF supports India's demonetisation drive

The IMF said it supports Indias efforts to fight corruption through demonetisation, but noted that
the transition needs to be managed prudently to minimise any disruption.
We support the measures to fight corruption and illicit financial flows in India.
Of course, given the large role of cash in every day transaction in Indias economy the currency
transition would have to be managed prudently to minimise possible disruption, IMF spokesman
told correspondents.
Industrial output grew at 0.7 percent

Industrial output grew 0.7 per cent in September compared with the same period a year ago, snapping
a two-month contraction, government data showed.
The Index of Industrial Production contracted 0.7 per cent in August, and shrank 2.5 per cent in July.
The move back into growth territory was driven mainly by consumer goods, with consumer durables
especially seeing a strong turnaround.
A healthy contribution by consumer durables is likely to be short-lived, with experts saying that the
governments demonetisation move will dampen consumption in the remaining two quarters of the
year.
Growth has come in at 0.7 per cent for the month, which is much lower than our expectation of 3.1
per cent which was based on the better performance of infra industries and retail sales in October.
The consumer durables category in the IIP grew a robust 14 per cent in September, up from the 2.2
per cent seen in August.
This pushed the growth of the overall consumer goods category up to 6 per cent in September from
the 0.7 per cent in August.
The capital goods category extended its run of poor performance with 11 consecutive months of
contraction. The category contracted 21.6 per cent in September compared with 22 per cent in
August.
The manufacturing sector recovered marginally, growing 0.9 per cent following two consecutive
months of contraction. The electricity sector grew 2.4 per cent in September, much faster than the
0.1 per cent growth rate seen in August.
RBI urged public to switch to alternate modes of payment

Amid long queues at bank branches to trade in old Rs. 500 and Rs.1,000 notes and as automated
teller machines ran out of cash, RBI urged citizens to switch to alternative modes of payment such
as pre-paid, mobile banking, and Internet banking.
The government had on November 8 cancelled the legal tender status of existing currency notes of
Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 denomination and said at the time that such notes could be exchanged at bank
branches and post offices till December 30.
Following the announcement, ATMs were closed for two days. Each and every ATM in the country
(estimated to number more than two lakhs) had to be recalibrated in those 2 days so that they did not
dispense any Rs.500 or Rs.1,000 notes.
ATMs were only disbursing Rs.100 notes. A few of them, however, were also disbursing Rs.50 notes.
A new Rs.2,000 denomination note has been issued but that is only available in bank branches.
Further, each ATM needs to be recalibrated so that the new Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes, which are of
smaller size, can be processed by the cash dispensing machines.
RBI admitted that it was a huge responsibility for the banking system to swiftly withdraw those notes
in a smooth and non-disruptive way.
The central bank maintained that adequate stocks of notes were kept ready in currency chests located
at more than 4,000 places across the country.
Even as efforts are on for a smoother exchange of currencies, the RBI asserted that a detailed
reporting system for banks had been put in place to track the exchange of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000
currency notes.
The RBI said it was also closely monitoring the situation to prevent any misuse of the facility.
Annual survey of industries to collect data on assets and liabilities

The Centre on November 7 notified the holding of annual survey of industries for 2015-16, which
will collect data on assets and liabilities, employment and labour cost, receipts and expenses of
companies, among other information.
The exercise is expected to be completed by June 2017.
While the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) is a regular feature since 1959, the latest edition which
might be released towards the end of next year would feature these new elements.
It would be conducted nationwide except the State of Jammu & Kashmir where it will be undertaken
under the J&K Collection of Statistics Act, 2010 and J&K Collection of Statistics Rules, 2012.
Information is required to be furnished for the Financial Year commencing from April 2015 and
ending on March 31 2016 or for the Accounting Year of a unit ending on any date between April
2015 and March 2016.
The part one of the 2015-16 survey , would throw light on assets and liabilities, employment and
labour cost, receipts, expenses, input items indigenous and imported, products and by-products,
distributive expenses of the registered industries.
The second part would focus on different aspects of labour statistics, namely, working days, man-
days worked, absenteeism, labour turnover, man-hours worked, earning and social security benefits.
The inspectors would have access to business records of a unit, or any other legal document in support
of the information furnished by the unit may be inspected by the statistics officer.
In the wake of demonetisation Unions have called off strike

Trade unions have postponed their strike plans to help Centres demonetisation process proceed
without any hindrance.
Representatives of the All India Grameen Bank Workers Organisation and the All India Grameen
Bank Officers Organisation on Sunday met officials of the Department of Financial Services to
discuss the strike.
The Grameen Bank workers were threatening to go on strike due to issues with the Government on
payment parity, lack of pension, and gratuity and overtime issues.
The Grameen unions had earlier on October 29 called for a nation-wide dharna on November 21 and
December 5-7. All such agitations have been deferred to the first week of January 2017.
Additionally, the Federation of LPG Distributors of India wrote to Petroleum and Natural Gas
Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stating that they too would be deferring their agitation in light of the
demonetisation move.
The LPG distributors were set to launch a nation-wide strike on December 1 and an indefinite strike
starting December 15 if Mr Pradhans office failed to hold talks regarding safety concerns they had
raised about the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
Micro finance sector worst hit by the demonetisation

The countrys micro finance sector (MFI), which essentially extends small loans to the poor and
weaker section of the society, is one of the worst hit by the demonetisation move of the Centre.
The micro finance sector extends loans and well as accepts repayments in cash. With Rs.500 and
Rs.1,000 notes being demonetised, both business and recovery of loans have been impacted badly.
Repayments have fallen to below 10 per cent since the demonetisation drive, which is typically 100
per cent for micro lenders. Loans worth Rs.650 crore has become over due and the numbers will go
up.
Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) the self regulatory body of micro lenders has
written to both the Finance Ministry as well as the banking regulator for allowing them to accept
Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 bank notes.
The micro finance institutions which are a part of MFIN, has 3.5 crore customers from low income
households across India, of which 99.9 per cent is women, Ms. Viswanathan said.
Centres demonetisation move has led to a spike in the usage of debit and credit cards, especially in
the small ticket size segment as currency notes are increasingly becoming scarce in banks and ATMs.
The usage of cards for transactions less than Rs.500 has more than doubled since November 8, when
the government announced that Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes would no longer be accepted as legal
tender.
Consumers have been mostly using cards to pay for everyday essential things like grocery and
medicines apart from categories like entertainment and restaurants.
A further analysis of the data shows that the number of online transactions of less than Rs.250
increased by 177 per cent post demonetisation. Further, transactions in the range of Rs.250-500 rose
135 per cent.
The surge in the Rs.500-750 bracket has been only 75 per cent while there has been no notable spike
in transactions worth over Rs.750.
Industry participants agree that the Centres move would lead to an increase in the usage of credit
and debit cards leading to the twin objectives of financial inclusion and making India a cashless
society.
Interestingly, overall increase in transactions is more skewed towards debit cards with over 70 per
cent surge when compared to the 40 per cent rise in credit card usage.
Categories like entertainment, restaurant and liquor saw a jump in the range of 160-190 per cent
suggesting that consumers are not postponing their spending but just migrating from cash to cards.
Demonetisation to help in removing fake notes as well as Economy will

become cashless
The withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes may have come as a bolt from the blue. But it appears
to be a part of a calculated process set in motion way back in January 2014.
The fulcrum of that larger process revolves around addressing the twin menace afflicting the
decision-making exercise of the economy managers.
The unaccounted pockets of the economy and illegal notes together combine to render policy
initiatives ineffective and redundant.
Reserve Bank of India had sought to crack the whip on this way back in January 2014 by deciding
to withdraw completely from circulation all bank notes issued prior to 2005.
The idea then was to replace the older notes with new ones with hugely beefed-up security features.
By withdrawing these notes, the RBI, it was pointed out, wanted to weed out fake notes in the system
if any and also ensure that faking becomes difficult and costly by introducing new notes with tighter
security features.
A series efforts to have a connected web by linking Aadhar number, PAN number and bank account
and the like have all been carefully calibrated to push a steady movement towards an organized
system.
The prevalence of a vast space outside the organised sector, it is pointed out, is making things difficult
for the policy planners to offer precisely workable prescriptions.
On many an occasion, the RBI bosses have stressed this limiting factor.Given all these, the de-
monetisation cannot be treated as an isolated exercise but must be viewed as a larger effort to push
the society into a cashless one.
Viewed from a holistic perspective, the latest move should be judged by the efficacy or otherwise of
the system to capture all sorts of financial transactions small and big ones alike.
Hopefully, this could help bring in a sense of fairness and equity in the economy. At the same time,
one expects this to facilitate policy formulators arriving at reasonably accurate diagnosis for the ills
of the economy in a dynamic situation.
Short-term pains in the transition process have already thrown up a host of logistical imponderables,
pushing the BJP Government at the Centre in a tight corner.
Notwithstanding the transitory political risks in the move, the long-term gains are bound to bring
about a major metamorphosis in the way the financial affairs are managed in India.
Banks to gain the most from demonetisation

Banks stand to gain the most from the demonetisation efforts due to the impetus it provides for people
to enter the formal banking system, according to Moodys Investors Service.
The demonetisation scheme could result in bank deposits increasing by about 1-2 per cent once the
volatility subsides.
Moodys points out that studies have shown that first-time users of banking systems tend to keep
using them once they start.
Therefore, we expect a material proportion of the first-time or very infrequent users to become more
sticky customers of the banks.
This could benefit banks through an increase in low-cost deposits, although this benefit may not be
apparent in the short-term, the note added.
Although banks have seen a sharp increase in their deposit levels over the last few days, this is likely
to reverse once cash availability increases and restrictions on cash withdrawals go back to normal.
Once this volatility subsides and stability is achieved, possibly around three months from now, we
estimate that bank deposits will increase by around 1-2 per cent compared to what they would have
been without the demonetisation scheme.
The government move has meant that a large proportion of the population will have to access
banking channels at least once, so as to convert their existing holdings into the new legal tender, the
note added.
Moodys Investors Service has retained its positive outlook on India

Moodys Investors Service has retained its positive outlook on India, the company said, predicting a
continued reform push and lowering of debt levels.
The positive outlook denotes Moodys expectation that, over time, Indias credit metrics will likely
shift to levels consistent with a Baa2 rating, Moodys Investors Service said in a note.
In particular, the outlook reflects our expectation that continued policy reform implementation will
allow balanced growth to support a reduction in the government debt burden, currently a constraint
on India's rating.
Moodys further said that a number of policies have already been put in place to moderate inflation
and limit the current account deficit.
However, Moodys said that private investment had still not picked up, despite the governments
efforts, which shows the limited effectiveness of government policy in this regard.
Moodys pointed out that there are several factors bolstering Indias up-gradation to a higher rating,
including its size, growth potential, and increase in income levels.
GDP per capita in India was 11 per cent of the U.S. levels on a Purchasing Power Parity basis in
2015 - still well below the level in other Baa-rated sovereigns, the note said.
But this level marks an increase from 6.6 per cent of U.S. levels in 2005 and 9.2 per cent in 2010.
Moodys also pointed out that India had several constraints that could keep its credit rating where it
was, such as income and consumption levels remaining vulnerable to external shocks like a poor
monsoon, for example.
The high debt levels of the government also play a part in weakening Indias position, the note added.
Govt starts the process of recalibration

The uphill task to physically recalibrate each and every one of the almost 2.5 lakh automated teller
machines (ATM) in the country to enable them to dispense the new Rs.500 and Rs.2,000
denomination currency notes started.
It signalled customers may have to contend with a longer wait to withdraw cash as banks shut many
of the ATMs to complete the recalibration.
The task force for reactivation of ATMs headed by Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor S.S.
Mundra, met on Tuesday and instructed banks on how to go about the ATM recalibration process.
According to officials present at the meeting, banks have been asked to recalibrate 12,500 ATMs
every day.
The ATM maintenance companies have been asked to follow a specific route that has been decided
by the task force so that they can cover different banks ATMs that are in close vicinity.
While the task of completing the entire process of recalibrating almost 2.5 lakh ATMs may take some
time, banks have been told to focus on completing the task in the top 30 cities by the end of this
month.
ATMs have been dispensing only Rs.100 notes since the ban on the old series of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000
was imposed, and were running out of cash in 2-3 hours.
The government has also said that the pain behind non-functional ATMs could continue for some
time to come. The government is now focussing on restocking offsite ATMs as well, he added.
Demonetisation could lead to reduction in GDP

The shortage of cash due to demonetisation could result in a drastic slowdown in GDP growth for
2016-17 to 3.5 per cent from an earlier projection of 6.8 per cent, according to an Ambit Capital
report.
The report predicted that the second half of this financial year will see a GDP growth of only 0.5 per
cent, down from the 6.4 per cent forecast by Ambit in the first half of the year.
Official estimates for the first quarter of the year pegged the GDP growth at 7.1 per cent, the slowest
in six quarters.
However, the government has been optimistic of clocking higher growth in 2016-17 than the 7.6 per
cent recorded in 2015-16.
The report predicts that GDP growth in 2017-18 will also be affected by demonetisation, slowing to
5.8 per cent from an earlier estimate of 7.3 per cent.
Ambit also said that demonetisation could result in small businesses in the informal sector becoming
unviable.
It added that the effect on the real estate sector could also be severe based on its estimate that 30-40
per cent of the value of purchases take place using black money.
There could also be a detrimental effect on the Sensex, Ambit said, adding that it had scrapped its
March 2017 Sensex target of 29,500 and was instead predicting a target of 29,000 for March 2018.
One positive effect of demonetisation could be on interest rates. Ambit predicts the RBI will cut
interest rates by 25-50 basis points in the second half of this year.
India and Cyprus signed the revised bilateral tax treaty

India and Cyprus signed the revised bilateral tax treaty under which capital gains tax will be levied
on sale of shares on investments made after April 1, 2017, bringing the island nation on a par with
Mauritius in terms of tax treatment.
The new agreement also provides for exchange of banking details and allows the use of such
information for purposes other than taxation with prior approval of competent authorities of the
country.
The new DTAA provides for source-based taxation of capital gains arising from alienation of shares,
instead of residence-based taxation provided under the existing DTAA.
However, a grandfathering clause has been provided for investments made prior to April 1, 2017, in
respect of which capital gains would continue to be taxed in the country of which taxpayer is a
resident.
Rupee weakens further

The rupee weakened past the psychologically important 68 to a U.S. dollar level for the first time
since June as expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next .
The rupee is likely to touch 69 per U.S. dollar by January-February, said K. N. Dey, Executive
Director, Mecklai Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
After the announcement of demonetisation, coupled with the victory of Trump, the rupee has come
under pressure. The rupee touched its lowest on February 25, 2016 at about 68.89 per U.S. dollar.
While the RBI stepped in to ease volatility in the foreign exchange market by selling dollars through
select state-run banks.
Ambit Capital in a report on Friday almost halved its forecast for GDP growth for the current fiscal
year ending March 31, 2017, to 3.5 per cent, from an earlier projection of 6.8 per cent.
After demonetisation, CASA (current account, savings account) has increased and the banks are flush
with funds. This may also help credit offtake at reduced interest rates.
Dividends of public sector banks is down due to NPAs

Saddled with mounting bad loans, as many as 16 public sector banks, including PNB, BoB and
Canara Bank, skipped paying dividends in 2015-16, leading to a 67 per cent decline in government
receipts to Rs.1,444.6 crore.
Only six state-owned banks declared dividends, though at a lower rate for the fiscal ended March
2016.
Under the existing guidelines, profit-making banks have to pay a minimum dividend of 20 per cent
of their equity or 20 per cent of their post-tax profit, whichever is higher.
The government, which is the majority shareholder in all the public sector banks, witnessed a 67 per
cent decline in dividend receipts from PSU banks at Rs.1,444.6 crore.
Balance sheet of most of the banks have been under stress due to the clean-up exercise targeted at
non-performing assets. Due to heavy provisioning for bad loans, many banks posted losses in the last
quarter of the previous fiscal.
Gross NPAs of the PSU banks had surged from 5.43 per cent (Rs 2.67 lakh crore) in 2014-15 to 9.32
per cent (Rs 4.76 lakh crore) in 2015-16 of the total advances. Banks have been given time till March
2017 to clean up their balance sheet.
China plans to put more curbs on internet

Chinas ambitions to tighten regulation of the Internet have found a second wind in old fears -
terrorism and fake news.
Chinese officials and business leaders, speaking at the third World Internet Conference, called for
more rigid cyber governance.
They pointed to the ability of militants to organise online and the spread of false news items during
the recent U.S. election as signs cyberspace had become dangerous and unwieldy.
China, recommended using identification systems for netizens who post fake news and rumours, so
they could reward and punish them.
RBI proposes interest free banking in the country

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed the opening of Islamic window in conventional
banks for gradual introduction of Sharia-compliant or interest-free banking in the country.
Both the Centre and the RBI have been exploring the possibility of introduction of Islamic banking
for a while now to ensure financial inclusion of those sections of society that remain excluded due to
religious reasons.
Given the complexities of Islamic finance and various regulatory and supervisory challenges
involved in the matter and also due to the fact that Indian banks have no experience in this field,
Islamic banking may be introduced in India in a gradual manner, the RBI has told Finance Ministry
Initially, a few simple products similar to conventional banking products may be considered for
introduction through the Islamic window of conventional banks after necessary notification by the
government.
Introduction of full-fledged Islamic banking with profit-loss sharing complex products may be
considered at a later stage on the basis of experience gained in course of time, it said.
Islamic or Sharia banking is a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest. The
charging of interest is prohibited under Islam.
The central bank has also prepared a technical analysis report. This report has already been sent to
the Finance Ministry for its consideration.
RBI relaxed norms for repayment of loans

Realising that small borrowers may fall behind on repayment of their loan dues following the cash
crunch triggered by demonetisation of 500 and 1,000 notes.
The Reserve Bank of India has temporarily relaxed prudential norms for banks and non-banking
finance companies, allowing short-term deferment of classification of such loans as sub-standard.
By allowing regulated entities (REs), such as banks and NBFCs, an additional 60 days beyond what
is applicable to them for recognition of a loan account as sub-standard, the central bank has saved
them the burden of provisioning.
Once the loan is classified as sub-standard, the lenders have to make a general provision of 15 per
cent on the total outstanding; this could have adverse implications for their bottomline.
The RBI said the relaxation in income recognition and asset classification norms is applicable in the
cases of working capital accounts with any bank, where the sanctioned limit is 1 crore or less.
Further, the norm is applicable to term loans, whether business or personal, secured or otherwise, the
original sanctioned amount whereof is 1 crore or less, on the books of any bank or any NBFC,
including NBFC (Micro Finance Institution).
REs have been asked to ensure that this is a short-term deferment of classification as sub-standard
due to delay in payment of dues arising during the specified period and does not result in restructuring
of the loans.
The additional time will only apply for the deferment of the classification of an existing standard
asset as sub-standard and not for delaying the migration of an account across sub-categories of NPA.
NITI Aayog proposes tax break for digital payments

Niti Aayog has proposed giving tax breaks to consumers and merchants for debit or credit card
payments.
The government think-tank has also suggested levying surcharge for cash transactions beyond a set
limit to encourage electronic transactions.
Niti Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant pitched for encouraging e-payments for driving
online commerce as well as bringing in greater transparency and higher tax collection for the
government.
At the same time, Niti Aayog has suggested discouraging use of cash by levying a surcharge on cash
transactions beyond a certain threshold.
It has also been recommended that mobile wallets be allowed to participate in one of the
governments key reforms Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme for subsidies, minimum wage
payments for various government schemes and other payments, using JanDhan, Aadhaar and Mobile
(JAM),.
In the meeting, Mr. Kant had pointed out that while there was a sharp uptick (50 per cent rise) in e-
payments in the past few years, 78 per cent of transactions were still cash-based.
The number of transactions in digital channels increased from 1.1 billion in 2012-13 to 1.7 billion in
2013-14 and 2.3 billion in 2014-15.
Stating that e-commerce was a growth driver for the economy, Mr.Kant, during the meeting,
observed it contributed about only one per cent to the total retail market as compared to 14 per cent
in China, the official said.
The government think-tank has also pitched for stronger policy for protection of interests of online
shoppers.
For example, in China, on one hand, online shoppers can return goods within seven days without
assigning any reason and on the other, it is mandatory for sellers to be registered and compensate
users in case of fraud, among other things.
Report suggests unusual spike in deposits due to IDS

The unusual increase in bank deposits in September is mainly due to the Income Disclosure Scheme
(IDS) of the government apart from seventh pay commission arrears, said a research report by Chief
Economist, State Bank of India.
The average increase in deposits in September in the last 12 years had been about Rs.1 lakh crore. In
the month of September 2016, there was a substantial increase in deposits by Rs.2.87 lakh crore
which is remarkably different from the trend.
The report said about Rs.45,000 crore came in the form of arrears from the seventh pay commission
recommendations which were deposited in the bank accounts in the first week of September.
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It assumed Rs. 1.56 lakh crore was incrementally added in September if the average of last three
years were considered.
He said given that the disclosure scheme attracted a penalty of 45 per cent, people may prefer to
disclose the income as deposits/advance tax payments so as to pay a tax of 30 per cent and not 45 per
cent.
Interestingly, a report by the same author in April hinted at demonetisation which could have been a
reason for a deposit surge in March.
Rupee howlers near 69 per dollar

The rupee slumped to a record low of 68.87 to a dollar in intraday trading as foreign funds continued
to sell local stocks and debt amid a broader flight of capital from emerging market assets.
Firming expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month, combined
with projections that growth in the world's largest economy will gather momentum have helped the
dollar post gains against all major currencies.
The rupee's slide tantalisingly close to the 69 a dollar level prompted the Reserve Bank of India to
intervene, helping the currency to pare some of its losses and close at 68.73.
The rupee's previous record low of 68.85 was touched on August 28, 2013. Currency dealers said
state-run banks sold dollars on behalf of the RBI.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) have dumped a combined $4.2 billion of In-dian equity and debt
so far this month, according to data on the NSDL website.
This is the highest monthly sales of local assets by FIIs since June 2013 and almost three times the
$1.5 billion they sold last month.
The rupee is also expected to come under further pressure due to the redemptions of FCNR (B)
deposits. Estimates suggest more than half the expected $25 billion of FNCR redemptions are
scheduled for the second half of November.
Increased transactions through E-wallet

E-wallet companies are seeing a sudden surge in customer base and trans-actions following the
Centre's demonetisation move, according to netCORE Solutions, whose clients include Citrus Pay,
Mobikwik and Ola Money
Paytm, the market leader, has seen transactions going up by over 300 per cent in the past days.
E-wallet companies have increased their market-ing spends both online and offline as cashless
transactions is the best choice till the new currency circulates in adequate numbers.
The primary objective of the advertising campaigns by e-wallet brands post-de-monetisation has been
to get on top of the mind of their consumers with easy money transfer solutions and transaction
facilities.
E-wallet companies are not just using print as a medium but also have used email, sms and push
notifications as channels extensively for installation of their apps for small payments.
Currently, approximately 100 million consumers in India are using e-wallets as an option to make
transaction.
E-wallet transactions are convenient as these are con-ducted through mobile phones with internet
connection. In India there are about 25-30 e-wallet companies which are in addition to e-wallets of
commercial banks.
Moodys say demonetisation can boost revenues in the long run

Moody's Investors Service said ban on high-denomination currency notes will in the near term
significantly disrupt economic activity and lead to weaker growth, but in the long run can boost tax
revenues and translate into faster fiscal consolidation.
With 86 per cent of the currency in circulation being swept away with the ban on Rs. 500 and
Rs.1,000 denomination, households and businesses will experience liquidity shortages for a few
months.
It also said de-monetisation will weigh on GDP growth for a few quarters, dampening government
revenues.
Committee under Amitabh Kant to look for cashless transactions

The Centre announced a new committee, headed by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, to form a
strategy to expedite the process of transforming India into a cashless economy.
The panel is tasked with identifying various bottle-necks affecting access of Digital payments. The
committee was set up following a directive from the Prime Minister's Office to back up the
demonetisation move.
The committee will identify and operationalise in the earliest possible time frame user-friendly digital
payment options in all sec-tors of the economy.
This is an integral part of the governments strategy to trans-form India into a cashless economy.
The aim was to identify various digital payment systems appropriate to different sectors of the
economy and coordinate efforts to make them accessible.
The panel will engage regularly with Central ministries, regulators, state governments, district
administration, local bodies, trade and industry associations to promote adoption of digital payment
systems.
The committee will also attempt to estimate costs involved in various digital payments options and
oversee implementation of measures to make such transactions be-tween the government and citizens
cheaper than cash transactions.
The Centre is working to-wards moving all government transactions to the cashless mode, through a
new single window e-payment system that individuals or businesses can use to make payments to
any central or state department.
The government said the committee would also implement an action plan on advocacy, awareness
and hand-hold-ing efforts among public-, micro-enterprises and other stakeholders.
Centre will provide a higher subsidy support to airlines operating smaller

aircraft
The Centre will provide a higher subsidy support to airlines operating smaller aircraft in a bid to
make its regional connectivity scheme more attractive.
For the same distance Govt will provide significantly higher subsidy to an airline operating a 20-
seater aircraft than to a 40-seater or a 70-seater aircraft.
The government will provide three-year subsidy to fund the losses of airlines so that they offer
airfares at Rs.2,500 for an hour's flight on half the number of seats.
For providing subsidies, the Centre has set up a regional connectivity fund, 80 per cent of which will
be financed by levying a cess on other domestic routes, except for those in the N-E states and regional
sectors and the rest will flow from the states.
The Centre aims to collect about Rs.400 crore for the regional connectivity fund every year, to be
used to pro-mote regional air connectivity.
The national civil aviation policy, along with RCS, is expected to increase thenumber of functional
air-ports to 150-200 in the next few years. At present, 69 air-ports across the country receive
commercial flights.
The Centre launched an Air Sewa' portal for registering complaints of air passengers against air-
lines and airports.
Passengers will be able to check flight status, register com-plaints and check complaint status on the
Air Sewa website and mobile application.
Complaints related to flight delays, baggage loss and unusually long periods for refunds along with
long queues at airports can be registered by passengers in this portal.
O.P. Bhatt to be interim chairman of Tata steel

Tata Steel's board passed a resolution replacing Cyrus Mistry as chairman and named independent
director O.P. Bhatt as interim replacement.
Mr. Bhatt, a former State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman, was appointed as an independent director
of Tata Steel in June 2013.
Mr. Bhatt will serve as chairman till the outcome of the company's Extraordinary General Meeting
(EGM), which has been convened on December 21.
Tata Steel's board had on November 11 decided to convene an EGM and place a resolution for the
removal of Mr. Mistry as a director of the company at the advice of Tata Sons, which had ousted Mr.
Mistry as chairman on October 24.
New low' Reacting to the development, Mr. Mistry's camp said corporate governance at the group
under interim chairman Ratan Tata had hit a new low.
Mr. Mistry's removal has been initiated by Tata Sons, which holds 28.01 per cent stake in IHCL.
Other Tata Group companies which have called EGMs to remove Mr. Mistry include Tata Motors
and Tata Chemicals.
RBI wants to absorb excess liquidity in banks due to demonetisation

RBI has taken steps to absorb excess liquidity in the banking system following demonetisation and
said banks have to maintain 100 per cent CRR for the incremental deposits they received between
September 16 and November 11.
The central bank clarified that the overall CRR requirement would stay at 4 per cent and the move
would come into effect from the fortnight beginning November 26.
CRR is the proportion of deposits that banks have to keep as cash with the central bank. Banks do
not earn any interest on CRR balances kept with the RBI.
The RBI withdrew the prevailing Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes on November 8 and banks started
depositing and exchanging those notes from November 10.
The central bank said the incremental CRR requirement is intended to be a temporary measure and
within its liquidity management framework', and will be re-viewed on December 9 2016 or even
earlier.
According to latest RBI data, deposits in banks swelled by Rs.3.24 lakh crore between September 16
and November 11. The last fortnight of September saw deposit mobilisation jump by Rs.3.5 lakh
crore.
According to bankers, the move was likely to have only a marginal impact on bank's cost of funds
since it was a temporary measure.
Industry concerned about centre keeping penalties with themselves

The Centre has empowered itself to impose penalties on businesses that fail to pass on the benefits
of the GST to consumers in the form of lower prices, triggering concerns in industry about a re-turn
to the era of socialist controls and harassment.
It will achieve this through an enabling provision introduced in the model Goods and Services Tax
(GST) law, unveiled by the Centre on November, 26.
The revised drafts of the model GST law, as well as the Integrated GST Act and GST (Compensation
to the States for loss of revenue) Act which the government hopes to introduce and pass in this
session of Parliament.
The new proposed GST bills, seeks to allay some industry concerns about its implementation by
exempting free goods from GST unless they are being supplied to related parties, and treating
supplies to special economic zones as zero-rated.'
Securities will be exempted from GST as well as subsidies paid by the Centre and states, while credits
will bepermitted against payments of excise and counter-veiling duties.
However, the new anti-profiteering measure is being seen as a potential dampener as it could lead to
more discretion in the hands of the tax authorities.
A similar caveat has also been imposed on the credit of excise and countervailingduties paid on
transition stock and such input credits would only be allowed if the benefit is passed on to the
recipient.
While the proposal to treat intangibles' as services in the earlier draft model GST law has been
removed, several concerns of the services sector, particularly with respect to single
centralisedregistration and clarity in terms of place of supply rules, have not been adequately
addressed.=
Amitabh Kant says demonetisation will lower taxes and interest rates
Demonetisation will bring the Indian economy to a new equilibrium with low tax regime and lower
interest rates, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said.
Bank deposits will go up and the move will address the structural weaknesses in the banking system.
But the biggest achievement would be the end of a parallel economy, he said.
Mr. Kant urged traders to facilitate cashless trans-actions through various modes such as debit and
credit cards, bank transfers and e-wallets.
Around 86 per cent trans-actions in India are through cash which is the highest globally. This leads
to corruption and leakages. Demonetisation will take India towards a cashless economy.
CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India called traders to adopt Aadhaar-en-abled payment
system to go cashless.
Aadhaar number and fingerprint will be sufficient for customers to make transactions. They will not
be required to carry their debit or credit cards once their bank details are linked with the Aadhaar
number.
Industry wants stimulus to deal with negative impact due to demonetisation

The Centre's de-monetisation of high-value currency notes had triggered a sharp drop in demand with
several sectors recording more than 30 per cent fall in sales since November 8, industry captains told
Finance Minister.
Urging the government to remonetize the economy as soon as possible by bringing new Rs.500 notes
into circulation, industry mooted a stimulus package to offset the negative impact on job creation and
economic growth in the coming quarters.
Though demand would return over time, it depended on how quickly the new Rs.500 notes were
brought into circulation.
Mr. Jaitley, in turn, told India Inc. that this was the new normal' in the use of cash in the economy
and that industry ought to get used to the idea of cheque and epayment transactions and push for new
payment platforms.
This would, in one stroke, bring in 500 million people into the electronic payment mode, the minister
is learnt to have said.
Paying wages to workers had become a challenge as many were mi-grants who didn't have bank
accounts in places where they worked.
RBI Governor says demonetisation once in a lifetime event

Terming demonetisation a once in a lifetime event that requires mam-moth logistics, Governor
Urjit Patel said RBI is taking all necessary actions to ease the genuine pain of citizens who are
honest and who have been hurt.
Both RBI and government have been getting the printing presses to work at capacity to get the new
notes available to meet demand. RBI is interacting with the banks daily. They are telling us that the
situation is gradually easing.
The queues in branches and ATMs are shorter and the markets are starting to function, and there are
no reported short-ages of daily items of consumption, he said.
Also, about 40-50,000 people were deployed to re-fit the ATMs. Currency is available and banks are
working in a mission mode to lift currency and take them to their branches and ATMs.
Cash substitutes Dr. Patel said the RBI has announced an incremental CRR of 100 per cent because
of the large increase in deposits of banks on account of the return of Rs.1,000 and Rs.500 notes.
Decision would be reviewed once the Centre issues adequate quantum of Market Stabilisation
Scheme bonds which they have promised to do.
He urged people to start using cash substitutes like debit cards and digital wallets, saying it will make
transactions cheaper and easier and in the long term and it will help India leapfrog into a less cash-
use economy at par with more developed nations.
RBI allowed currency chests to keep old notes

To decongest storage facility of banks for old Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes, the RBI on Sunday allowed
lenders to park such currencies at currency chests at the district-level in view of mounting deposits
due to demonetisation.
In a notification, the RBI said a currency chest operating at the point to be called Designated Chest
(DC) will be required to operate a separate vault to be named Chest Guarantee Vault (CGV)
as an extended arm of it.
Banks, preferably those not having any currency chest, will deposit such notes in sealed boxes and
will get the value of the notes to the credit of their current account with the chest branch, it said.
The facility will also be available at post offices if they maintain a current ac-count with the chest
branchmanaging CGV , it said.
Expenses relating to round-the-clock guarding will be borne by the RBI, if necessary. Also, expenses
relating to remittance of old currency notes to RBI will be borne by the central bank.
The regional office of the RBI will arrange evacuation of notes from the district chest on priority
basis.
Thereafter, the notes will be subjected to detailed examination and the detection of deficiencies
namely shortage, counterfeit notes and mutilated notes during processing will be re-covered from the
chest which in turn will recover the same from the tendering bank.
Chinese Economy faces several challenges

China's economic achievements are unparalleled in economic his-tory. The country has achieved a
10 per cent annual growth rate over the last 35 years, quadrupled per capita real GDP and lifted more
than 600 million people from poverty.
The per capita income currently is $8,300 and in purchasing power parity terms, it is close to $14,200.
The one lingering issue is whether growth has been driven by ever-rising inputs of cheap labour and
capital or by that elixir of growth, which economists term as total factor productivity growth.
China's productivity growth has been falling, especially post the Global Financial Crisis of 2008,
when the government had em-barked on a massive stimulus and avoided structural reform.
The eight dragons identified in the accompanying chart are potential triggers for a crisis in China.
The first dragon is over-investment.
The world has been impressed with the infrastructure investments and the rapid transformation of
physical infrastructure in China during the last two decades.
The second dragon is total debt to GDP. It is worth noting that between 2006 and 2015, the corporate
debt has zoomed from $3.4 trillion to $17.8 trillion - a five-fold increase in 9 years.
While state-owned enter-prises (SOEs) in China have accounted for bulk of the debt taken, private
property developers have also borrowed heavily.
The third dragon is the inefficiency of the SOEs. There are about 150,000 SOEs with aggregate assets
of about RMB 100 trillion ($15 trillion), whose return on assets was only 2.4 per cent compared to
6.4 per cent in the U.S. More importantly.
The fourth dragon is represented by the non-performing loans of the banking sector.
The fifth dragon is the shadow credit products estimated at RMB 40 trillion ($6 trillion). These are
high risk products that offer yields of 11-14 per cent compared to 6 per cent on loans and 3-4 per cent
on bonds.
Almost 50 per cent of the shadow credit products are of low quality and are risky. The shadow credit
products ac-count for 8 per cent of banks' assets concentrated in listed banks (out-side of the big four)
and unlisted banks and the aggregate exposure is several times their capital.
The sixth dragon is the overvalued currency and net capital out-flows. In the post global financial
crisis period, the current account surplus of China has significantly declined, the overvalued currency
led to fears of abrupt devaluation prompting capital outflows.
The seventh dragon is rebalancing. When Premier Wen Jiabao made the comment in 2010,
investment and private consumption as a share of GDP were 40 per cent and 38.3 per cent
respectively.
By 2015, investment increased to 45 per cent of GDP and private consumption was 38.2 per cent of
GDP. So rebalancing is still awaited.
The eighth dragon is demographics, the old age dependency which is measured as the ratio of the
population that is 65 years or above to the working age population (15-64 years) will increase from
0.13 currently to 0.47 by 2050.
S.S.Mundra committee to look for faster recalibration of ATMs

Automated teller machines (ATM) are still unable to cope with the huge demand for cash and
consequently running dry.
A Special Task Force has been formed under the chairmanship of S.S. Mundra, Deputy Governor,
Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to speed up the process of recalibration of these machines to dispense
the new denomination notes.
The move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation evening with top
central bank and government officials.
Representatives from the Finance and Home ministries, RBI, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Axis
Bank and HDFC Bank and the National Payments Corporation of India, will be its members.
Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs said in New Delhi that the Task Force will draw up an
action plan and ensure its implementation for quick recalibration of the ATMs to enable them to
dispense the new Rs.500 and Rs.2,000 notes.
The new series of Rs.2,000 and Rs.500 notes has already been issued by the central bank.
However, each and every ATM machine in the country needs to be physically visited by the ATM
operators for recalibration of the new notes which are of a smaller size.
Economic growth could reach double digit by demonetisation

While the governments demonetisation drive will likely negatively impact the economy in the short
term, it could help over the longer term propel economic growth into double-digit levels as more of
the informal economy becomes formal.
Another benefit from the drastic currency step could be a reduction of banks non-performing assets,
a critical constraint that is holding up the flow of bank credit for private sector investment in the
country.
It will lead to a contraction of output as well in the short run, so there will be an impact on GDP.
However, in the long run, say within two years, this move combined with the Goods & Services
Tax legislation will help in a pick-up, and take the country's growth to double-digit levels, said
Girish Vanvari, Partner and Head, Tax, KPMG in India.
The NPAs of banks will go down as the cash coming in will lead to higher CASA (current account,
savings account), in turn declogging the system. Foreign investors have welcomed this as a bold
move, and in the right direction.
Looking a little deeper at the sectoral impact, the view is that the demonetisation move will hurt
growth in cash-heavy sectors like real estate, gold and jewellery.
Kotak Institutional Equities was of the view that the consumption of high-value items like jewellery
or real estate will get impacted as these have been popular with those having unaccounted income or
wealth.
The overall economic impact would include a likely appreciation of the rupee, a sharp slowing in
inflation, the banking system getting a boost and real estate prices falling about 20-25 per cent before
stabilising.
Stocks would benefit the most due to the gradual shift from physical assets to financial assets, it
added.
Wholesale inflation slowed in October due to lower food prices

Retail and wholesale inflation slowed in October due to lower food prices with analysts predicting a
further declining trend due to a demonetisation move, leading the central bank to cut rates in its next
review meeting.
Growth in the Wholesale Price Index slowed to 3.4 per cent and in the Consumer Price Index dipped
to a 14-month low of 4.2 per cent.
The Consumer Price Index registered a growth of 4.4 per cent in September, and the slowdown of
retail inflation since then can be attributed almost entirely to easing food inflation.
The food and beverages category grew 3.7 per cent in October compared with 4.1 per cent in
September.
The easing of inflation across both indices lends hope of a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India,
according to analysts.
Inflation in the pan, tobacco and intoxicants category of the CPI accelerated to 7.1 per cent in October
from 6.8 per cent in September.
Similarly, inflation quickened marginally in the clothing and footwear category to 5.24 per cent in
October from 5.2 per cent in September.
Inflation in the fuel and light segment slowed to 2.8 per cent in October down from 3.07 per cent in
September.
On the other hand, the housing segment saw inflation slowing marginally to 5.15 per cent in October
from 5.18 in September.
In the wholesale price index, the primary articles category saw inflation slowing to 3.3 per cent in
Within this, inflation in the food articles category slowed to 4.3 per cent from 5.75 per cent over the
same period. The non-food category saw inflation slowing even more drastically to 1.13 per cent in
The fuel and power segment, however, saw inflation accelerating to 6.2 per cent in October compared
with 5.6 per cent in September.
Notably, inflation in the manufactured products segment accelerated to 2.7 per cent compared with
2.5 per cent over the same period.
The countrys trade deficit widened to $10.16 billion in October

The countrys trade deficit widened to $10.16 billion in October, compared with $9.69 billion in the
same month a year earlier, as gold imports more than doubled, government data showed.
Exports of goods grew 9.59 per cent to $23.51 billion compared with the same month a year earlier
due to an increase in exports of gems & jewellery, engineering goods and readymade garments.
Imports expanded 8.11 per cent to $33.67 billion.
Owing to poor global demand, goods exports had fallen for 20 of the 23 months since December
2014 the three months that the shipments registered positive growth this year were in June (1.27
per cent), September (4.62 per cent) and October.
Indias exports could touch $280 billion during the current fiscal, adding that the support given by
the Centre will further be seen in exports figures in the coming months as well.
Working capital requirement hurdles in the refund process for exports in the proposed Goods &
Services Tax regime along with infrastructural bottlenecks and further reduction in logistics cost
should also be looked into by the Centre.
Oil imports grew by 3.98 per cent to $7.14 billion, while exports of petroleum products recorded a
7.24 per cent growth to $2.71 billion.
Non-petroleum exports in October grew 9.9 per cent to $20.79 billion, the ministry said.
Transport equipment was an item that witnessed a major jump in imports registering a 15.77 per
cent growth to $1.88 billion, while machinery imports grew by 0.55 per cent to $2.25 billion.
Non-banking finance companies takes the hit after demonetisation

Stocks of non-banking finance companies fell as a government bid to replace high denomination
currencies from the system affected small businesses, which are mostly financed by the NBFCs.
While the broader indices fell by about two per cent, the fall in NBFC shares was much sharper.
A substantial number of NBFC customers are from semi-urban and rural areas, and the borrowers
are transport operators, farmers, equipment hirers, small and medium enterprises and small traders,
among others who mostly deal in cash.
Last week, the Centre banned Rs.500 and Rs.1000 denomination bank notes in a move to curb black
money and said such notes can be exchanged at bank branches and post officer before December 30.
The process of exchange and withdrawal of legal tenders have been slow with automated teller
machines requiring re-calibration.
NBFCs have also requested the Centre to allow them to accept such notes will December 30. The
benchmark Sensex fell 514.19 points, or 1.92 per cent, to 26,304.63.
Market participants attribute the fall to global cues along with concerns of an interim domestic
slowdown on account of the Centres demonetisation move.
The overall market was in the red with 2,354 declines as against only 346 gainers on BSE. All the
sectoral indices - barring BSE IT - ended the day in negative territory.
India & The World

China says it's stand on NSG intact
China said there was no change in its stand on Indias membership bid which, it has indicated,
would be considered only after rules for the entry of non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty countries are
finalised by the elite group.
Referring to the November 4 meeting of the NSAs of India and China in Hyderabad, Mr. Lu said
China was in close contact with the relevant parties, including India, and has been having constructive
dialogue and coordination on this issue.
Indias NSA Ajit Doval had held talks with his Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi
in Hyderabad, during which the issue had reportedly figured.
The talks were held ahead of the meeting of the 48-member NSG in Vienna on November 11-12,
where the group could discuss the two-stage process to admit new members who have not signed the
nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
India and Pakistan, which have applied for NSG membership, have not signed the NPT.
The issue had also been discussed between Joint Secretary (Disarmament and International Security)
Amandeep Singh Gill and his Chinese counterpart Wang Qun on October 31.
India and UK agreed for cooperation in counter terrorism operations

The bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his U.K. counterpart Theresa May
focused on greater cooperation to counter illegal activities and terrorism.
Our two countries understand the increasingly transnational challenge of terrorism which demands
multilateral as well as bilateral cooperation, said a joint statement issued at the end of bilateral
discussion.
India and Britain also agreed to hold annual strategic dialogue at the level of Union Home Secretary
to jointly deal with issues like terrorism, organised crimes, visa and immigration matters.
The security and extradition-related issues came up for discussion during the summit-level meeting
in Hyderabad House, where both the delegations signed two MoUs on ease of doing business and
intellectual property related issue.
However a major difference remained unresolved as Ms May refused to commit on increasing visas
for Indian professionals unconditionally.
Indias entry into NSG will again take the centre-stage

Indias bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group will be centre-stage again this week as
the group meets for the Consultative Group technical meeting on September 9-10, followed by the
Plenary session in Vienna.
The government hopes its application will be considered again, five months after the last unsuccessful
round.A flurry of diplomatic activity since then has focused on all the countries, including China,
that didnt back Indias bid.
While a slew of leaders from New Zealand, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa, all NSG countries that
have hardline positions, have been invited to India in the past month.
Indias nuclear negotiators have travelled to other countries, who are still unconvinced about the
issue of non-signatories to the Non Proliferations Treaty(NPT) like India being made members
of the nuclear club.
However, with China making it clear that its position hasnt changed, and little movement in the
objections of other countries on the issue of the NPT, officials are calling it a long haul, given that
the NSG works by consensus.
At best, India will hope that a process will be set into motion to define criteria for non signatories to
the NPT, but that the criteria will broadly fit Indias credentials as a non-proliferator.
India, Pakistan, Israel and South Sudan are all non-signatories of NPT, of which India and Pakistan
have both applied for NSG membership this year.
Meanwhile, India has been working with its support base that includes the U.S., Japan, Australia and
South Korea, that has been exerting its influence as the new Chairperson of the NSG to push for
Indias case.
India also hopes Prime Minister Modis visit to Tokyo on November 11, that coincides with the NSG
Plenary session, will boost Indias non-proliferation image, as India and Japan are expected to
announce their civil nuclear accord.
The U.S., that has backed India, said it remained optimistic about Indias chances of NSG
membership by the year-end.
China-Pak to set up joint counter-terrorism system

China and Pakistan planned to set up a joint counter-terrorism command system even as they held a
bilateral anti-terrorism exercise, state media reported.
Their joint military exercise was carried out in a border region and involved elite commandos from
both special forces, state-run China Radio International (CRI) reported.
The report quoted Rehang Aiming, a senior officer with the Chinese special forces, as saying that the
troops also held in-depth discussion on a joint counter-terrorism command system.
The Chinese and Pakistani forces have conducted in-depth and detailed communication regarding
the subjects of construction of a counter-terrorism command system and use of tactics, he said.
Prime Minister Modi on Japan visit

As PMModi and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe prepare to discuss the conclusion of the civil nuclear
cooperation agreement after their talks, all eyes will be on whether India will accept a nullification
or termination clause.
The deal, which will open up access for India to cutting edge nuclear energy technology, reactors
and critical parts, has been held up for years over the clause, which stipulates that it would be
cancelled if India were to conduct a nuclear test.
Along with the $1.5-billion deal for U-2 amphibious aircraft, the civil nuclear agreement will be the
highlight of the talks between Mr. Modi and Mr. Abe, which will follow business meetings and a call
on Emperor Akihito.
India maintains a voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing, but has thus far refused to sign on to the
NPT, the CTBT or given any other undertaking outside of its commitments at the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
However, analysts concede that Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, has special
sensitivities that India may need to make an exception for, despite Indias insistence on nuclear
sovereignty.
MEA officials refused to comment on the report, saying only that the text will speak for itself.
India lashed out World Bank on Indus water treaty

India lashed out at the World Bank over its decision to favour Pakistan on the Indus Water Treaty
dispute process over the Kishenganga and Ratle dam and hydropower projects.
While India had asked for a neutral expert to be appointed over Pakistans objections to the projects
first, Pakistan appealed directly for a Court of Arbitration (CoA) to be set up as it claims India has
violated the 1960 treaty.
Inexplicably, the World Bank has decided to continue to proceed with these two parallel
mechanisms simultaneously. India cannot be party to actions which are not in accordance with the
Indus Waters Treaty, said a statement issued by the MEA spokesperson from Tokyo, shortly after
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed there.
The MEA statement came just hours before the World Bank was due to draw lots by which it selects
umpires for the Court of Arbitration.
World Banks action of going ahead with Pakistans claim had escalated the differences into an
international dispute.
PM Modi held a high level meeting on the issue, where several senior officials proposed that India
should pull out of the arbitration entirely unless the World Bank changes.
Both India and Japan made exceptions before signing Nuclear deal
In signing the civil nuclear agreement with India, Japan made a major exception for a non-signatory
to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), based on Indias impeccable nuclear record.
India, too, may have given exceptional commitments on its nuclear sovereignty and right to conduct
nuclear tests in order to bag the deal.
Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) signed in the presence of PM Modi and PM Shinzo Abe
followed the template set in the India-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement of 2008, a text signed in
addition to it is a departure from the past.
In the additional document, called the Note on Views and Understanding signed by Indian and
Japanese nuclear negotiators after the meeting.
Article I (iii) says: The representative of the Japanese delegation stated that an Indian action in
violation of the September 5 statement could be viewed as a serious departure from the prevailing
situation.
In that situation, reprocessing of nuclear material subject to the Agreement will be suspended in
accordance with paragraph 9 of Article 14 of the Agreement, invoking a section on emergency
suspension of nuclear parts or fuel supply.
India also understands this, which is confirmed in the official document, Note on Views and
Understanding, attached to the Treaty, he said.
However, former nuclear envoys say the text signifies India has gone much further in commitments
to Japan than ever before.
In the past, India had rejected direct references to nuclear tests as a trigger for cancelling the deal
from the U.S., Canada, and Australia, amongst a dozen countries India has signed nuclear agreements
with.
Next, India has allowed Japan to include the emergency suspension clause, which could mean a
major shutdown of its nuclear power capabilities given that Japanese companies and spare parts are
expected to be a crucial part of all future reactors in India.
With the exception of Russian reactors, all the suppliers in negotiation with India at present: GE,
Westinghouse and Areva have considerable ownership by Japanese companies Hitachi, Toshiba and
Mitsubishi.
Finally, the additional note states that Japan can contest the claims by India for compensation if it
suspends its nuclear cooperation with India.
The difference in perceptions between the MEA and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan will be
significant, given that the Japanese Parliament, Diet, is yet to approve the Nuclear cooperation
Agreement.
In India, the debate over nuclear sovereignty will be key.
India gets strong support from U.K. And France for UNSC
Indias bid for a permanent seat in a reformed U.N. Security Council has received a strong support
from many U.N. member-states, including the U.K. and France.
More than 50 speakers shared their suggestions and concerns over reform of the 15-nation UNSC
during a General Assembly session.
Among the large number of nations supporting a permanent seat for India and other emerging powers
like Brazil and Germany were two veto-wielding permanent members of the Council, the United
Kingdom and France.
German Ambassador to the U.N. Harald Braun said the Council reform was an urgent matter.
Indias Ambassador to the U.N. Syed Akbaruddin lamented the never-ending carousel of
discussions on UNSC reforms saying it is time to break the impasse to urgently reform the U.N.
body that is unresponsive to the current global situation.
India and Israel agreed to intensify counter-terror efforts

India and Israel agreed to intensify counter-terror efforts to deal with constant security threats
posed by terrorism.
Welcoming visiting Israeli President, PM Modi said that both sides would work to counter terrorism,
radicalism and extremism even as they agreed to work together in areas such as agriculture and water
resource management.
Our people are constantly threatened by forces of terrorism and extremism. We recognise that
terrorism is a global challenge, knows no boundaries, Mr. Modi said.
Mr Rivlin recollected the 26/11 attacks which claimed the lives of Israeli citizens.
We recognise that terrorism is a global challenge, knows no boundaries and has extensive links with
other forms of organised crime. We stand together defending our people.
The declarations came even as both leaders referred to the twenty-fifth anniversary of formal
diplomatic ties between two countries that have turned out to be broad-based.
Mr. Modi also thanked Israel for supporting India in multilateral diplomacy and said: India is also
grateful to Israel for its clear support to Indias permanent candidature in a reformed UN Security
Council.
Both sides agreed to take practical and specific measures such as cyber-security cooperation and
agreed to expand defence ties.
The Israeli President is accompanied by a delegation of representatives of the countrys defence
sector, leading academics and technology solution providers.
Chief of Army Staff of India and China reiterate call to maintain peace
The Chief of Army Staff, and top Chinese military officials have reiterated their call to maintain
peace and tranquillity along the India-China border, and to keep up the momentum of high-level
military exchanges between the two countries.
General Singh called on General Xu Qiliang, Vice-Chairman of the powerful Central Military
Commission (CMC).
General Singh called on General Xu Qiliang, Vice-Chairman of the powerful Central Military
Commission (CMC).
During talks with Gen. Li, both sides welcomed the ongoing sixth India-China Joint Training
Exercise Hand-in-Hand 2016, in India. They also agreed to further expand defence exchanges
between the two armies.
China has revamped the CMC on the watch of President Xi Jinping, who also heads the organisation.
Fan Changlong, who had invited Gen. Singh and Gen. Xu are Vice Chairmen of the CMC.
Chinas military reforms have also included formation of combat-focused theatre commands, capable
of projecting force over longer distances, using integrated assets on land, sea, air and space.
Qamar Javed Bajwa will replace Raheel sharif as Pak army chief
Lt. Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, who has extensive experience of handling affairs in Pakistan-Occupied
Kashmir and the northern areas, was appointed Pakistan's new army chief. He will succeed Gen.
Raheel Sharif.
Lt. Gen. Bajwa will take charge of the world's sixth-largest army by troop numbers in a formal
handover, when General Raheel formally retires. Gen. Raheel in January declared he would not seek
ex-tension.
There were speculation that the PML-N government would give him extension at the eleventh hour
citing reasons that he was needed by the country to lead war on terror.
The post of Army chief is the most powerful in Pakistan. Lt. Gen. Bajwa was serving as Inspector
General of the Training and Evaluation be-fore being promoted to the top post.
India is scaling up military assistance to Afghanistan

After supplying four attack helicopters to Afghanistan, India is quietly moving to qualitatively scale
up military assistance in terms of long-term spares and support. This involves a trilateral framework
with Russia.
Two Indian Air Force technical teams visitedAfghanistan last month to assess the requirements for
spares and maintenance to restore the Soviet-era helicopters and transport air-craft lying there.
The teams were tasked to assess the requirements and submit a report on what can be provided by
India from its existing inventory and what needs to be procured from Russia which is the
originalmanufacture of the hard-ware.
This effectively formalises the trilateral mechanism which was mooted in 2014 in the backdrop of
withdrawal of troops by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation but did not make progress at that
time due to reluctance of the then UPA government.
Kabul had long been requesting India for offensivemilitary hardware and has several times presented
a wish list of urgent military hardware.
Priority items on the list include utility and attack helicopters, tanks, artillery, ammunition and spares,
in addition to help in reviving some of the Soviet-era equipment and factories in Afghanistan.
India has supplied three Cheetal utility helicopters, and in a major policy shift, agreed to transfer four
Mi-25 attack helicopters from its inventory last year.
While In-dia seems to be open to sup-plying lethal hardware, in-volving Moscow is inevitable as
most of the equipment is manufactured in Russia.
This was evident in the case of an Mi-25 helicopter that was grounded due to lack of spares which
had to be procured from Russia.
Science & Technology

Largest Mirror Telescope developed by NASA
NASA has successfully completed building the mirror of the largest space telescope, which will be
100 times more powerful than the Hubble probe and may find the first galaxies that formed in the
early universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be the successor to NASAs 26-year-old Hubble Space
Telescope. The Webb telescopes infrared cameras are so sensitive that it needs to be shielded from
the rays of the Sun.
A five-layer sunshield of the size of a tennis court will prevent the background heat from the Sun
from interfering with the telescopes infrared sensors.
The five layers of membrance are each as thin as a human hair.
It will go into space on a European Ariane rocket from French Guiana, but before that is possible the
delicate hardware must be tested to ensure it will survive the ride.
Supermoon on 14th will be biggest in 60 years

On 14th, the moon will be the biggest and brightest it has been in more than 60 years. So long as the
sky is clear of clouds, it should be a great time to get outside and gaze at it or take some photos.
Its what is commonly called a supermoon, or technically a perigee full moon a phenomenon
that occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon being the closest it gets to the Earth on its
orbit.
What makes this one special is that the moon is going to be even closer to the Earth than it normally
gets, making it a tiny bit bigger than even your average supermoon.
But, despite a lot of hyperbolic news written about the event in the past few days, dont be too
surprised if it looks much like any other full moon.
How much bigger will it be? At 8:09PM GMT, the moon will pass by the Earth at a distance of
356,511km the closest it has passed the Earth since 1948. As it does so, it will be a full moon,
making it a particularly big supermoon.
Supermooons are roughly 30% larger in area and 30% brighter than the smallest full moons full
moons that happen when the moon is at its furthest distance from Earth: at apogee. In terms of
diametre the width of the moon it will be about 14% wider than the smallest full moons.
The difference between this unusually big supermoon and other supermoons is negligible.
While a supermoon is 30% brighter than the smallest full moons, its only about 15% brighter than
an average full moon.
Thats nothing to sneeze at on a clear night, away from city lights, it will provide more moonlight
than youd usually get from a full moon.
When it comes to the size, the difference in width (diameter) between a supermoon and an average
moon is about 7%.
When the moon is high in the sky, that difference is something youre unlikely to notice, because the
sky is big and theres nothing to measure it against.
But if you could compare it to a moon at apogee (when its farthest) you would probably be able to
see the difference.
Whats more, the boost in actual size of the moons image from a supermoon is totally swamped by
whats known as the moon illusion, which affects your perception of the size of the moon.
That moon illusion (as the name suggests) is a complete illusion the image of the moon does not
change significantly at all as it moves from the horizon up into the sky.
But, when it is close to the horizon, observers think it looks bigger. Exactly what causes the moon
illusion is still a matter of debate. But there are lots of possible explanations .
What causes a supermoon? The moons orbit around the Earth is not quite a circle but an ellipse
a kind of squashed circle.
Ellipses are described mathematically with two foci, one at either side of the centre. When an orbit
is elliptical, the big body in the middle (the Earth in this case) sits at one of those two foci.
Since the Earth is sitting off to one side of the ellipse, the moon is inevitably closer to the Earth when
it passes that side, and further away as it passes the other side.
When it is at the close side (called perigee), and it is a full moon, its called a supermoon. (That
name was actually made up in the pseudoscience field of astrology but it has entered the common
lexicon.)
Why are supermoons not all the same size? In short, the reason is that the shape of the ellipse that
the moon draws around the Earth is changing all the time as it is pushed and pulled by other
gravitational forces.
World could cross 1.2C warming above pre-industrial levels in 2016

The world is likely to cross 1.2C of global warming above pre-industrial levels in 2016, coming
dangerously close to breaching the 1.5C warming level, which is an ambitious target to stay safe
from the worst impacts of climate change.
In a preliminary assessment provided by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in its
Status of the Global Climate in 2016 report, the global UN weather agency warned that 2016 will
be the hottest year on record.
The Paris Agreement last year had adopted 2C as the absolute threshold for staying within safe
global warming levels.
However, 1.5C was set as an ambitious target, especially bearing in mind the fate of small island
countries such as Haiti or Maldives that are threatened with submergence due to sea-level rise and
extreme weather events.
Global temperatures for January to September 2016 have been about 0.88C above the average
(14C) for the 1961-1990 reference period, which WMO uses as a baseline.
The WMO report outlined the major weather events associated with increasing global warming levels
in 2016.
The most significant, in terms of casualties, was Hurricane Matthew affecting Haiti and parts of the
U.S. Typhoon Lionrock caused destructive flooding and heavy casualties in the Democratic Peoples
Republic of Korea.
In total, there have been 78 tropical cyclones globally in 2016 as of October 31, close to the long-
term average, the report said. The Yangtze basin in China had its most significant summer floods
since 1999.
Sri Lanka experienced flooding and landslides in Sri Lanka in mid-May leaving many dead or
displaced.
Above-normal seasonal rainfall in the Sahel led to significant flooding in the Niger River basin, with
the river reaching its highest levels in about 50 years in Mali.
Closest super moon to Earth seen in decades

Skygazers headed to high-rise buildings, ancient forts and beaches to witness the closest
supermoon to Earth in almost seven decades, hoping for dramatic photos and spectacular surf.
The unusually big and bright Moon appeared at its most impressive just as night fell over Asia, but
astronomy enthusiasts were able to see Earths satellite loom large anywhere in the world shortly
after sunset, depending on the weather.
The phenomenon happens when the Moon is full at the same time as, or very near, perigee its
closest point to Earth on an elliptical, monthly orbit. It appeared at its most impressive at 7.22 p.m.
(IST).
It will be the closest to Earth since 1948 at a distance of 356,509 km, creating what NASA described
as an extra-supermoon.
From India to Australia, skygazers and photographers sought the best viewing spots in the region
where the phenomenon was visible first, hoping that cloudy skies and the perennial pollution that
blight many Asian cities would not spoil the fun.
Indigenously developed drone, Ruston-2 had a successful flight

Rustom-2, indigenously developed drone for surveillance and attack, had a successful first flight.
The first prototype of the pilotless or unmanned combat air vehicle was flown for about 10 minutes
in the morning at the new second test range of the Defence Research & Development Organisation
at Challakere, about 200 km from here.
It met the necessary test specifications, according to sources. This is part of a series of routine tests
being conducted on the UAV over the past few months.
Ostensibly more tests on more prototypes of Rustom-2 would be conducted before its production
mode and users are known.
NASA has renewed its search for Antarctic meteorites

NASA has renewed its search for Antarctic meteorites to help learn more about the primitive building
blocks of the solar system and answer questions about Earths neighbours like the Moon and Mars.
NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Smithsonian Institution (SI) recently renewed
their agreement to search for, collect and curate Antarctic meteorites in a partnership known as
Antarctic Search for Meteorites Programme (ANSMET).
The signing of this new joint agreement advances the programme for an additional decade, replacing
an earlier agreement signed in 1980, NASA said.
Since the U.S. began searching for meteorites in Antarctica in 1976, the ANSMET programme has
collected more than 23,000 specimens, dramatically increasing the number of samples available for
study from the Moon, Mars and asteroids.
Among them are the first meteorites discovered to come from the Moon and Mars, and the well-
known ALH 84001 Martian meteorite, which helped renew interest in Mars exploration in the 1990s.
Meteorites are natural objects that fall to Earth from space and survive intact so they can be collected
on the ground or on ice. Antarctica provides a unique environment for the collection of meteorites,
because the cold desert climate preserves meteorites for long periods of time.
India-Norway began project to understand global warming response on

Antarctic
An Indo-Norwegian project to understand the response of Antarctic ice shelves to the global warming
has begun in the less-studied areas of East Antarctica, especially theDronning Maud Land (DML).
This area is characterised by loosely-connected ice shelves along the 2000-km-long coast. Ice shelves
of East Antarctica are poorly understood when compared to the West Antarctica region.
Climatologists are increasingly worried about the large uncertainties in the future Antarctic
contribution to the global sea-level rise since the Antarctic contribution to the climate changes has
increased significantly during the past two decades.
Under the project, mass-balance, dynamics, and climate of the DML coast, MADICE, geophysical
field measurements, ice core drilling, ice-sheet modelling and satellite remote sensing-based studies
will be conducted to understand the future Antarctic contribution to the global sea-level rise.
Under the MADICE, research will be conducted during 2016-17 and 2017-18 Antarctic field seasons.
The scientific programme, jointly funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, India and the Research
Council, Norway, has NCAOR and the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) as the partnering research
institutions.
The researchers will try to better understand the current status and dynamics of ice shelves in
Dronning Maud Land to decipher its response to the future climate change.
Studies on the mass balance and long-term evolution of the Antarctic ice rises and assessment of its
impact on the Antarctic ice-shelf stability and ice-sheet loss too will be carried out.
Attempts will also be made to reconstruct the recent changes in Antarctic climate using ice cores and
its possible teleconnections to global climate.
Each field campaign will include over-snow traverse and camping over ice shelves for nearly two
months. Maitri, Indias Antarctic research station, will serve as the logistic support base.
Who says Zika virus has been curtailed to a large extent

The World Health Organization announced that the Zika virus outbreak, linked to deformations in
babies heads and brains, no longer poses a world public health emergency, though it warned that the
epidemic remains a challenge.
Brazil, the epicentre of the outbreak, has however refused to downgrade the risk, while experts swiftly
lashed out against the world health bodys decision.
While Zika causes only mild symptoms in most people, pregnant women with the virus risk giving
birth to babies with microcephaly a deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads.
It can also cause rare adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS),
which can result in paralysis and even death.
In the outbreak that began in mid-2015, more than 1.5 million people have been infected with Zika,
mainly in Brazil, and more than 1,600 babies have been born with microcephaly since last year,
according to the WHO.
The UNs global health agency declared the Zika epidemic a global health emergency in February
2016.
Earlier this year, researchers warned that at least 2.6 billion people, over a third of the global
population, live in parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific where Zika could gain a new foothold, with
1.2 billion at risk in India alone.
In most cases worldwide, people have been infected with the virus by mosquitoes, though some have
contracted the disease through sexual contact.
The WHO was careful yesterday not to dismiss the risk still posed by the virus, which has been
detected in 73 countries worldwide, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Prithvi-II test-fired in salvo mode

Two Prithvi-II missiles were successfully test-fired in salvo mode on Monday morning from the
launch complex-III of the Integrated Test Range near Balasore in Odisha.
A gap of 35 seconds separated the launch of the two surface-to-surface missiles. The Strategic Forces
Command (SFC) fired the missiles from a road-mobile launcher.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) designed and developed the Prithvi-
II.
The missile, capable of reaching targets 350 km away, can carry a 500-kg nuclear warhead.
Preparations are under way for the launch of the Agni-I strategic missile from Balasore. Agni-I has
a range of 750 km and carries a nuclear warhead.
Sports
Justice R.M. Lodha Committee advised BCCI to comply with the SC
Justice R.M. Lodha Committee has advised the BCCI to comply with the Supreme Court orders to
avoid any hindrance to the cricketing calendar and to ensure the continued enjoyment of the sport
by its aficionados.
The Supreme Court has asked the BCCI and its full members to adopt the Justice Lodha Committee
recommended Memorandum of Association, Rules and Regulations.
The Lodha Committee has also told the BCCI that The proposed MOU between the BCCI and ECB
concerns bilateral cricketing policy, the formulation of which is not a part of the mandate of the
Committee.
The BCCI has asked the five staging associations Saurashtra, Andhra, Punjab, Mumbai and Tamil
Nadu if they can host the Test matches without facing financial crunch.
Andy Murray becomes top ranking tennis player

Andy Murray celebrated his new world No. 1 ranking with a first Paris Masters title after defeating
American John Isner 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 in the final.
Murray, 29, will replace Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings on Monday and claimed his eighth
title of a remarkable season after extending his winning run to 19 matches.
It is the Britons fourth title in succession after wins in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna and his 14th
career Masters 1000 triumph.
Murray entered his Tour-leading 12th final of the year having won all seven previous meetings with
Isner, including straight-sets wins at Roland Garros in May and last week in Vienna.
Study Kit for Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) "Tier -2" Exam
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Online Coaching for RRB Exam:

Govt agreed to use retired judges

Border talks between India and China to happen next year

British PM to come to India for 1st bilateral mission outside EU

Government demonetised currency with 500 and 1000 rupee notes

To check air pollution NGT bans construction activities

Centre extends AFSPA to three Arunachal Pradesh districts

President Donald Trump could be good news for India

Uttarakhand has highest number of tigers outside reserves

Demonetisation will reduce fake currency as well as terror financing

India to host a special event during Climate Change Conference

Freedom is not above nations interest says Govt

Laws on conservation of agro-biodiversity should be protected says PM

U.S.s partnership with India will continue to deepen

IT department conducted raids across country

SC asks Central and State govt to work in removing pollution

All Govt transactions to be made cashless

India signs nuclear deal with Japan

NITI Aayog vice chairman says demonetisation will reduce inflation

PM says there will be more actions on black money

What you will get:

One Year Current Affairs (PDF Copy)

For More Information Click Given below link:

India faces highest number of Child death due to pneumonia

Panna tiger reserve to take hit of Ken-Betwa river-linking project

Confusion over India and Japan Nuclear deal

UN asks for patience from India regarding Masood Azhar

For public convenience govt announced new measures

India decided to drop reference to Uri attack in UN regarding Azhar

Indian Carbon emissions grew at 5.2%

Delhis Air quality improved

China criticised India-Japan nuclear agreement

SC refused to stay demonetising Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes

Zakir Naiks NGO banned by Govt

SC crack down on online pre-natal sex determination advertisements

Advisor to Pak PM will travel to India for Heart of Asia conference

Sharp fall reported in property prices

Govt come up with measures

Process of demonetisation started in May

Illegal drugs takes huge hit after demonetisation

Supreme Court took stock of the situation for demonetisation

Tussle between Govt and SCregarding appointments

100% RRB Exam Syllabus Covered with MCQs.

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Govt may clear the scheme for grading CSIR scientists

SC wants steps in the direction of NRI voting

After Govt initiatives queues reduced in the bank

Centre govt sent teams across the country for assessment

PM says times are changing, don't come in its way

NITI Aayog vice-chairman believes by 2018-19 India will certainly reach 8%

For getting admission into NITs, 75% in class 12th is a must

PM says demonetisation will help common man

Govt to focus on rural India

After Indias response Pakistan asked UN to act

Govt pushing for digitalisation of transactions in the banking system

PM reignited Indus water treaty issue

SC says right to breath above religious and wedding celebrations

Community has apprehensions about HIV/AIDS Bill in current form

Home minister says demonetisation helping in reducing Naxalite activity

Khalistani leader escaped prison

PM says India should move towards cashless society

Supreme Court says dying declaration can't be dismissed due to extensive