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- - -- - Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals (Tamil Nadu Amendment).
The governments Chief Economic Adviser said there was
a sense of anxiety about the economys prospects following
demonetisation and stressed the need to allay the fears of
an overzealous tax regime in its aftermath.
Mr. Subramanian termed the move to cancel the legal tender
nature of high-value currency notes a radical currency-cum-
governance-cum-social engineering measure to permanently
and punitively raise the cost of illicit and unaccounted
transactions or kala dhan (black money).
Bank credit growth has come down, two-wheeler sales have
come down. There will be an impact on GDP. But the
question is how much, he said.
The Survey pegs economic growth in 2016-17 at 7.1%, but
this is based mainly on information for months before the
November 8 demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes.
This is half a percentage point lower than the 7.6% growth
last year, but the CEA warned that comparisons attributing
the difference in growth numbers to demonetisation alone
would be foolhardy.
Mr. Subramanian declined comment on the design and
implementation of demonetisation, but did speak on the
costs, and long-term benefits of what was an unusual and
unique monetary experiment aimed at a structural break.
After a temporary slowdown in GDP growth, the Survey
expects the economy to return to normal, once the scrapped
currency is replaced by March.
In the long run, tax revenues and GDP growth would be
bolstered on account of greater tax compliance and a
reduction in real estate prices.
- - A new Bill introduced by Democrat Zoe Lofgren proposes
A few hours after the President gave his assent to the Tamil
Nadu amendments in the Prevention of Cruelty Act of 1960
to allow jallikattu, the Supreme Court refused to stay the new
State law.
Allowing the Central government to withdraw its January
7, 2016 notification permitting jallikattu, a Bench of Justices
declined the plea for an interim stay on the operation of the
It asked the organisation and other animal rights activists the
basis of their challenge to the new State law.
Referring to the amendments made by the Tamil Nadu
Assembly to the 1960 Central Act, Justice Misra pointed out
that the declared object of the new legislation is the
preservation of a particular breed of bulls.
Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court
that jallikattu was a matter of culture and that citizens had
the right to take measures to conserve their culture.
Mr. Rohatgi then referred to Section 11 (3) (e) of the 1960
Act which permits slaughtering of animals for food.
The State government and others supporting jallikattu in the
current litigation were given four weeks to file their counter-
affidavits.
-- -
The White House said it was working on changes in H-1B
and other guest worker visa programmes through legislative
and executive actions as part of immigration reform.
These visa programmes are mandated by the legislature and
are widely used by Indian IT companies to place skilled
workers in the U.S.
It also proposed to roll back the permission to work now
available to spouses of H-1B visa holders and to replace the
current lottery system that selects the 85,000 annual H-1B
visa beneficiaries.
This years selection process opens on April 1. According
to the draft published by Vox.com, the Trump administration
is also planning to have federal inspectors regularly visit the
sites where guest workers are employed.
changes in the H-1B programme, to make hiring of foreign
workers expensive.
IT stocks plunged over 4%, knocking off more than Rs.
33,000 crore in market valuation of the top five companies,
after a new H-1B Bill in the U.S. caused concerns that it
would affect the hiring plans of Indian technology firms.
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- -- India will join a select international league of 15 countries
- - - such as the US, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France,
After it was put on the Governments prior permission list
for donations, U.S.-based NGO Compassion International
(CI), the largest international donor in India, says it will shut
down India operations.
The Christian charity has been at the forefront of a clash
between the Modi government and the Obama
administration.
The Trump administrations Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
said in his Senate confirmation hearings that he would look
into the issue.
CI asked for strictures to be removed on the organisation that
has operated in India for over 30 years, bringing in
approximately Rs. 292 crore per year and funds 344 NGOs
here.
The adverse reports of two NGOs funded by CI
Chennai-based Caruna Bal Vikas Trust and Compassion East
India were instrumental in putting the foreign donor on
the Home Ministrys watch list.
Indian side had made it clear that CI, which had been
accused of funding NGOs unregistered for religious activity,
would get no exemption from the FCRA ruling for prior
permissions'.
Among other regulatory issues, CIs own mission statement
on its website, which says its aim is for children in poverty
to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults had
raised a red flag with the government.
- - - - -- Following the completion of Bhakta Ramdas Lift Irrigation
- Scheme much ahead of schedule, the Minister said, it was
All airlines flying to and from India will soon have to
compulsorily submit passenger records to the government
a few days in advance of every flight departure or arrival,
according to proposed in the Finance Bill of 2017.
Airlines will be fined Rs. 50,000 for not submitting the
information on time.
As proposals make it obligatory for airlines to give
passenger and crew arrival manifest and passenger name
record (PNR) information to the customs authority before
arrival or departure of the flight to, or from India.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs would be
authorised to decide the kind of passenger information that
needs to be submitted by the airlines.
At present, airlines are required to submit basic details of
passengers such as their name, date of birth, nationality,
among other things to customs authority.
The final passenger information has to be submitted 15
minutes before the flight takes off.
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Japan, the United Arab Emirates, which ask airlines to
submit PNR details of passengers to government authorities.
This is also a subject of a new European Union Regulation
and most EU states are planning to introduce PNR
requirements.
Even Indian airlines are required to submit the PNR data of
passengers to such countries typically three days before the
flight, up until the day of travel.
Global airline body International Air Transport Association
(IATA) has asked the government to hold consultations with
the airlines and follow United Nations International Civil
Aviation Organisation Standards and Guidelines on PNR
data.
- - -
Continuing with its penchant for redesigning projects, the
Telangana Government has decided to redesign several
irrigation projects and increase the capacity of some while
also planning new reservoirs.
Storage capacity of Mallannasagar, Konda Pochammasagar,
Gandhamalla and Baswapur reservoirs scheme will be
enhanced. The Cabinet also approved a loan of Rs. 7,860
crore from Andhra Bank for the Kaleshwaram project.
The Ministers said that Devadula project capacity will also
be enhanced to 60 TMCs from the original 38 TMCs and
Devadula Phase-III works would be taken up with Rs. 1100
crore.
decided to identify lift irrigation schemes, which can be
completed expeditiously.
- -- -
The Supreme Courts interim order for maintenance of status
quo on employment and admission to educational
institutions to Special Backward Classes (SBCs), including
Gujjars, has come as a setback to the government in
Rajasthan.
While refusing to stay High Courts judgment which struck
down 5% reservation to SBCs, the apex court has directed
the State government not to make any fresh admissions and
appointment till the final hearing of the matter.
Passing its interim order on SLP moved by the State
government against the High Court's judgment, a two-judge
Bench also said the admissions and appointments made so
far would not be disturbed pending final hearing.
A State Cabinet sub-committee, comprising three Ministers,
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had assured Gujjars on Thursday that the community's quota
would be safeguarded in all ongoing recruitments by the
different departments.
It said the State government would make efforts to grant
appointments to SBC candidates who had cleared the
recruitment process and protect the rights of those who were
at various stages of appointment.
--
The State government, which was earlier exploring legal
options and had sought time from Gujjar leaders to resolve
the issue, has now been left with no option other than
stopping the exercise for recruitment and admissions to
colleges.
- - - respect and dignity of women, he said the government
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who skipped India
on a visit to Bangladesh and Pakistan will visit New Delhi
later this year, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup highlighted Indias
commitment to the Palestinian cause and said President
Abbas had accepted the countrys invitation.
Our ties with Palestine are very robust and wide-ranging
and our commitment to the Palestinian cause is well known.
President Abbas has accepted our invitation to visit India and
the visit will take place sometime this year, said Mr.
Swarup.
The MEAs comment is significant as it came even as
President Abbas visited Islamabad and Dhaka during a week
which marks the 25th anniversary of normalisation of
diplomatic ties between India and Israel.
There has been speculation about whether PM Narendra
Modi would visit Palestine or have a stand alone visit to
Israel.
The Ministry of External Affairs, however, said it did not
expect every visitor to neighbouring countries to visit India.
The visit of Mr. Abbas has been expected since President
Pranab Mukherjee visited Palestine in October 2015.
Bilateral ties have been steady since then though a
reciprocating visit by Mr. Abbas could not take place in the
meanwhile.
-- - - No space agency has launched such a large number of
Despite overcast and cold conditions, the Assembly polls in
Punjab saw a voter turnout of 78.62%.
Voter turnout was 78.62% with Mansa district witnessing
the highest polling at 87.34%, while the least polling was
seen at 71.9% in SAS Nagar (Mohali). The State recorded
78.57% polling in 2012.
Reports suggested that EVMs with voter-verified paper audit
trail (VVPAT) developed technical snags at few polling
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booths in Majitha and Sangrur. These were later replaced
with regular EVMs.
VVPAT was being used for the first time and hence at a few
places we did face problems due to which polling was
hindered for a while. These machines were replaced, said
Chief Electoral Officer.
The Centre is likely to take a major step to ban triple talaq
after the ongoing Assembly polls, Union Law Minister said
and dared the, the other parties to make their stand clear on
the contentious issue.
Insisting that the issue is not related to religion but involves
respects faith but worship and social evil cannot coexist.
He said the tradition of triple talaq denies respect to women
and the central government was committed to ending the
evil social practice.
Asserting that every pernicious practice cannot be part of
a religion, the minister, who is a lawyer himself, said the
Centre would raise the issue in the Supreme Court on three
points -- justice, equality and dignity of women.
Referring to the SP-Congress alliance in Uttar Pradesh, he
said: This is an alliance of desperation between two
dynastic parties... and alliance of desperation between crime,
criminals and corruption.
Not a single big industry had been established in Uttar
Pradesh during the tenure of the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP
government, the BJP leader alleged, adding that funds
sanctioned by the Centre for development of the state had
not been used due to the feud within the Yadav family.
- -
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is on the
cusp of making history when it sends 104 satellites into orbit
on its PSLV-C37 rocket on February 15. Only three of them
are Indian satellites.
Notably, in ISROs first mission of 2017, a single U.S. Earth
imaging company, Planet, has made an eye-popping bulk
booking for 88 of its small cubesats.
satellites in a single flight so far. (While ISROs PSLV
launched 20 satellites last year, Russias Dnepr launcher
holds the record for lifting 37 satellites to orbit in June 2014.)
The PSLV will carry a main remote-sensing satellite in the
Cartosat-2 series and two small spacecraft, all for ISRO, and
101 small foreign commercial satellites.
The 88 cubesats are part of Planets earth observation
constellation of 100 satellites. They weigh around 5 kg each
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and are called Doves or Flock 3p. For California-based even as talks on the Teesta river sharing has been stalled due
Planet, too, it will be the record largest number of cubesats to differences between West Bengal chief minister Mamata
to be flown in a single launch. Banerjee and Prime Minister Modi.
Planet, an earth observation company formed in 2010 by - --
former NASA scientists, has chosen ISROs PSLV launch -
for the second time. It got its earlier set of 12 Doves
NGT has sought the response of the Centre, the Tamil Nadu
launched in June last year.
government and others on a plea seeking compensation for
The main passenger on PSLV-C37 will be the fourth in the
people affected by the recent oil spill off the coast of Tamil
Cartosat-2 series, a very high resolution Earth observation
Nadu and seizure of the vessels involved in a collision.
satellite of about 650 kg, and occupies roughly half the space
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatantar Kumar
in the launch vehicle.
issued notice to the Ministry of Environment and Forests
It will carry two more Indian nano satellites, INS-1A and
(MoEF), the Central and State pollution control boards, the
INS-1B, each weighing about 10 kg. They have a short
Ministry of Shipping and the Tamil Nadu government.
lifespan of six to 12 months.
On January 28, 2017, MV Maple Galaxy, carrying LPG, and
All the payloads will totally weigh around 1,500 kg,
MT Dawn Kanchipuram, carrying petroleum oil lubricants,
according to an ISRO official who did not want to be named.
collided near the Kamarajar Port in Ennore, Tamil Nadu.
The 88 Doves would be released in sets of four cubesats.
The petitioners have sought seizure of both the offending
The other co-riders are cubesats or small specialised
merchant vessels until their owners paid adequate
satellites of customers from Israel, the UAE, Kazakhstan,
compensation for the damage to the environment caused by
the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
them.
They will be released separately into their orbits at around
They have also sought constitution of a panel to oversee and
500 km from Earth. While ISRO has been cagey about
monitor the entire clean-up process and assess the damage
giving details of its customers,
caused to the environment.
The Planet series comes even as COMSTAC, is considering
if U.S. satellites can be sent to space on Indian launchers. - -- -
PSLVs U.S. clients were being approved on individual An experimental Japanese mission to clear space junk or
basis. rubbish from the Earths orbit has ended in failure, in an
- - embarrassment for Tokyo.
Over 100 million pieces of garbage are thought to be
Bangladesh and India have held talks on the Ganga basin
whizzing around the planet, including cast-off equipment
development project after dialogue on the Teesta water
from old satellites and bits of rocket, which experts say could
sharing agreement slowed down.
pose risks for future space exploration.
The project is expected to feature prominently on the agenda
Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas next visit to India which
(JAXA) were trying to test an electrodynamic tether
is yet to be finalised.
created with the help of a fishing net company to slow
Joint dredging and development activities in the basin area
down the orbiting rubbish and bring it into a lower orbit.
are also part of the project.
The hope was that the clutter, built up after more than five
The Ganga basin development project was first conceived
decades of human space exploration, would eventually enter
during the UPA rule and came up for discussion during Prime
the Earths atmosphere and burn up harmlessly before it had
Minister Dr Manmohan Singhs Dhaka visit in 2011.
a chance to crash into the planet.
Former Bangladeshi ambassador Mohammed Zamir who is
The 700-metre-long tether was made from thin wires of
a specialist on the issue said Bangladesh needs Indias
stainless steel and aluminium. It was due to be extended out
support to build a new Ganga barrage on its territory to
from a cargo ship launched in December carrying supplies
operationalise the scheme.
for astronauts at the International Space Station.
The proposed barrage would provide a solution to aridity in
Problems arose quickly, however, and technicians tried for
the Bangladeshi territory that Dhaka blames on the Farakka
days to remedy the situation but only had a one-week
barrage in India. Once completed, the Ganga barrage can
window to carry out the mission before the vessel re-entered
hold water for the lower riparian system in the lean season.
the Earths atmosphere.
Prime Minister Hasinas visit has not been finalised so far

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The latest disappointment comes just weeks after the agency
had to abort a mission that sought to use a mini-rocket to
send a satellite into orbit.
The agency also abandoned a pricey ultra-high-tech satellite
launched in February last year to search for X-rays
emanating from black holes and galaxy clusters after losing
contact with the spacecraft.
- - judiciary to put its house in order and send a strong message
- - -- that indiscipline would not be tolerated, comes on the very
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at critics, mounting
a strong defence of his governments decisions in the last
year, from demonetisation to surgical strikes across the Line
of Control (LoC).
He was responding to the debate on the Motion of Thanks
to the President for his address to the joint Houses of
Parliament that was passed in the Lower House.
Declaring that his government was working for the poor and
the downtrodden, Mr. Modi in his over 90-minute speech
justified the timing of the demonetisation and denied that it
had been done in hurry.
Just notice the change in the discourse after our
government came to power. Earlier it was about how much
money was lost due to scams and now it is about how much
black money has been recovered because of
demonetisation.
The Opposition, he charged, had denied his government a
chance in the Winter Session of Parliament to debate
demonetisation, fearing that its own fire would be weakened.
Some people have asked why was this [demonetisation]
decision taken when the economy was doing well. It was the
best time as the economy was strong. Had the economy been
weak, then we could not have done it successfully, he
claimed.
- - -
--
For the first time in the countrys history, seven seniormost
Supreme Court judges led by CJI J.S. Khehar are convening
in open court to initiate suomotu contempt action against
sitting Calcutta High Court judge.
Justice C.S. Karnan charged for scurrilous remarks made
against senior judges of the Supreme Court and the High
Courts and impeding the process of justice administration.
Justice Karnan, who was a judge of the Madras High Court,
was once summoned to the Supreme Court and warned in
person by then Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur for his
offensive behaviour towards the Chief Justice of the High
Court.
In February 2016, as a Madras High Court judge, he had
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turned judicial hierarchy upside down by staying his own
transfer to the Calcutta High Court, forcing the Supreme
Court to authorise a freeze on his functions as a judge.
Later, he wrote to the Chief Justice of India, acknowledging
that he had passed an erroneous order due to his mental
frustration resulting in loss of mental balance.
The contempt action, an unprecedented move by the highest
day Justice Karnan is to appear in person to argue his case
against his transfer to the Calcutta High Court.
In the past, Justice Karnan had frequently raised the issue
of his caste status, complaining to the National Commission
for Scheduled Castes and even threatening to file criminal
charges against Chief Justices and other judges.
--
Proof of possession of Aadhaar number will be mandatory
to avail oneself of the subsidised food grains or cash transfer
of food subsidy under the National Food Security Act
(NFSA).
The notification under the Aadhaar Act requires individual
beneficiaries having ration cards to furnish proof of
possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar
authentication to receive subsidies. This condition will also
be applicable for all new beneficiaries.
This notification shall come into effect from 08-2-2017 in
all States and Union territories, except the States of Assam,
Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir, said an official
statement.
Beneficiaries under NFSA who do not possess the Aadhaar
Number or are not yet enrolled for Aadhaar but are desirous
of availing [themselves of] subsidies under NFSA are
required to make application for Aadhaar enrolment by June
30, 2017.
-
The Development Commissioner for Handlooms, under the
Union Ministry of Textiles, has come forward to supply Asu
machine, for winding of yarn mechanically required for
weaving a Pochamapally Tie and Dye sari.
Under the HathkarghaSamvarthanSahayata scheme for
technical upgradation, cluster development programme of
National Handloom Development Programme, the Central
Government would provide 90 % subsidy and the
beneficiary would have to bear only 10 % for the purchase
of an Asu machine.
The manual Asu activity, a pre-weaving process. It is a time
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consuming and physically painful activity mostly done by
women.
The process requires the women to move their arms back
and forth several thousand times to process the yarn, which
is the raw material for weaving the Pochampalli sari in Ikat
tradition.
A release from the Development Commissioner of
Handlooms said that the machine was capable of providing
processed yarn material required for eight saris in a day
against one womans output of two saris after working for
10 hours a day.
The department in the past supplied 1,000 Asu machines to
the weaving sector in the districts of Nalgonda, Jangaon,
Yadadri and Warangal in Telangana State and to the
Naupatna area of Odisha.
- -- upto Rs. 500 crore, which has now gone up to Rs. 2,000 crore
- Jointly, the Finance Minister, the Defence Minister can
The National Women's Parliament (NWP), organised by AP
Legislative Assembly with the theme Empowering women
strengthening democracy, began at the Pavitra
Sangamam (confluence of Godvari and Krishna rivers).
Over 10,000 women delegates, including women MPs,
MLAs and those who have excelled in different walks of life
from across the country and abroad, are attending the
conclave.
The Women Reservation Bill occupied centre stage with
Union Urban Development Minister and AP Chief Minister
batting for reservation of one-third seats in Lok Sabha and
State Assemblies for women.
Recalling that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was a pioneer
in extending reservation to women in the political arena, Mr.
Chandrababu Naidu stressed on the need for passing the
Women Reservation Bill.
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but it lapsed
following the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha.
Emphasising on the role of women in the well -being of
society and mankind, Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama
said women had a special role in society.
There will be seven plenary sessions at the event, with
discussions on subjects such as socio-political challenges in
women empowerment, womens status and decision-
making, building own identity and vision for the future.
- -
- -- - - --
The government plans to set up a Defence Procurement
Organisation (DPO) to integrate and streamline the long and
arduous process of defence acquisitions.
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A government appointed committee, headed by former
Director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow,
Dr. Pritam Singh, has submitted a report on the modalities
of setting up the DPO to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
The aim is not to create another bureaucracy. The DPO will
be a vertical under the Defence Ministry and the philosophy
is to integrate the processes.
The Defence Procurement Process, which applies to all
defence capital procurements, has been modified several
times to bring in transparency and speed up acquisitions but
it continues to be lengthy and complicated.
In a related move to shorten the procurement cycle, the
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), has increased the
financial powers of the Defence Minister.
In the past, the Defence Minister was entitled to clear deals
approve projects up to Rs. 3,000 crore, up from the earlier
Rs. 1,000 crore.
The Defence Secretary too has now been given financial
powers upto Rs. 500 crore to clear deals. This ensures that
a major chunk of the procurements are approved within the
ministries.
About 70% of the deals by number are below Rs. 3,000
crore. So now only deals of Rs. 3,000 crore and above would
go to the CCS for approval.
-- --
The Union Minister for Statistics and Programme
Implementation, D.V. Sadananda Gowda said that
demonetisation was a step in the right direction to curb
corruption, black money and terrorism.
He was speaking at the Digi Dhan Mela, organised by the
Government of India through the National e-governance
Division, to promote digital transactions.
The Minister said the government was committed to
uprooting the scourge of black money and terrorism and it
was already paying rich dividends by way of reduced terror
incidents in Kashmir and violence in regions of naxal
influence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Another minister said India was aspiring to be an economic
power but the cash to GDP ration was 12% as against the
global average of 4% and this was to be reduced by opting
for cashless transactions.
An indigenously developed interceptor missile successfully
destroyed an incoming ballistic missile in a direct hit,
demonstrating the capability of Indias Ballistic Missile
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Shield (BMD), which is under development.
India successfully conducted a test wherein an incoming
ballistic missile target was intercepted by an exo-
atmospheric interceptor missile off the Bay of Bengal.
As part of the test, a target missile mimicking an enemy
ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 km was launched from
an Indian Navy ship stationed in the Bay of Bengal and the
missile travelled towards the coast, reaching a very high
altitude.
The BMD is being developed by the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) as a two layered system
to tackle incoming targets at endo and exo atmospheres.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the scientific
community on social media. I want to congratulate our
scientists for successful testing of missile that can destroy
other missiles in the air itself, he said.
India has crossed an important milestone and has entered an
exclusive club of four nations with developing capabilities
to secure its skies and cities against hostile threats.
- The government has already digitised records of 500
-- inmates. The project will digitise 25 district jails, two Central
The Bajaj Committee, for preparing a working manual along
with an operational protocol for sharing Krishna river water
between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, will hold a series
of meetings with officials of the two States.
Headed by former chairman of the Central Water
Commission (CWC) A.K. Bajaj, the committee would hold
a meeting with Irrigation Department officials of Telangana.
The State government was expected to argue for installation
of telemetry equipment at all points from where A.P. was
drawing (tapping) water fromthe river and also at Pattiseema
and Polaram project sites from where the Godavari water
was being diverted to the Krishna basin.
Besides Mr. Bajaj, the committee comprises Gopala
Krishnan, R.P. Pandey, Pradeep Kumar Shukla, and N.N.
Rai.
-- - in defence manufacturing.
The Minister said defence technology development fund had
Paving the way for the conduct of kambala, traditional
buffalo race, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment)
Bill, 2017.
The Bill seeks to exempt kambala and bullock-cart racing
from the ambit of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(PCA) Act, 1960. Kambala is currently stayed by the High
Court following a petition by the PETA.
Thousands in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and
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Udupi, where kambala is widely held, had protested the ban.
They argued that the annual kambala races in paddy fields
were part of their tradition.
The sport did not torture animals, they said. The movement
gathered momentum after the jallikattu agitation in the
neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
PETA said the inspection reports contained a scientific
assessment of the welfare of buffaloes that were forced to
participate in such events, including evidence of different
forms of cruelty inflicted on the animals.
The Jammu and Kashmir government launched the e-Prison
project
The Jammu and Kashmir government launched the e-Prison
project to enumerate jail inmates in the State, where numbers
of detainees keep swelling during unrest.
The information about jail inmates is currently being
maintained manually. To avoid delays in processing the
information and manage all the jails efficiently, the
automation of prison department has been started.
jails and one sub-jail in the State.
The second phase of the project will focus on
videoconferencing between jails and prison headquarters,
e-court, tele-medication in jails.
A rather low-pitch Aero India 2017 took off in Bengaluru
with Indian metal birds putting up a strong show over the
skies of nearby Yelahanka.
Defence Minister inaugurating the 11th edition of the two-
yearly air show and exhibition, reiterated the governments
policy and financial support to spur Indian defence
capabilities in design, development and manufacturing.
Mr. Parrikar said, I assure you that many more such
initiatives will be taken in the coming months. Additional
initiatives are also under way to support the private sector
got an initial contribution from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
and Bharat Electronics Ltd. It is learnt that the initial corpus
of Rs. 10 crore will be increased as per demand to encourage
defence startups.
He pointed out that while an enabling environment was
being created for defence public enterprises and the private
defence industry, FDI and tie-ups were also necessary to
raise local expertise to global standards.
Civil Aviation Minister noted that India was the fastest
growing aviation region and this called for synergy with
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defence segment, in tapping defence airports to strengthen
air traffic within the country.
- - The new judges are Chief Justice of the Madras High Court
There is no need to be on your feet inside a cinema hall when
the National Anthem is featured as a part of a film,
documentary or a newsreel.
The Supreme Court issued this second clarification on its
November 30 order, directing all to mandatorily stand up
when the National Anthem is sung or played in a cinema
theatre.
The courts clarification came after several applications were
filed on the question, including from the Conference for
Human Rights and the Kodungallur Film Society.
Supreme Court first modified its November 30 order by
exempting physically challenged or handicapped persons
fromstanding up when the National Anthem is played before
film screenings.
It also ordered cinema halls to display the national flag on
the screen when the anthem was played. The playing of the
anthem in cinema halls, it said, was to be conceived as an
opportunity for the public to express their love for the
motherland.
The petition, which referred to the Prevention of Insults to
National Honour Act of 1971, claimed that the National
Anthem is sung in various circumstances which are not
permissible and can never be countenanced in law.
- - -
India, a one-rocket fledgling in space transportation
compared to its European and U.S. counterparts, created
launch history by placing a record 104 spacecraft in their
desired orbits.
The feat was performed on the old reliable launch vehicle,
the PSLV, numbered C-37, which took off from the first
launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
C-37 was a largely commercial flight as all but three
passenger satellites, small nanosats, belonged to six other
countries.
The PSLV, in the category of launch vehicles that can lift
relatively light loads to space, now marks 38 successful
missions in a row out of a total of 39 flights.
The latest Cartosat is the fifth in the series of six Cartosat-2
spacecraft, starting from Cartosat 2 in 2007 and followed
by what were earlier marked A, B, C, D and E. The last one
is due.
- operations.
The President of India appointed five new judges to the
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Supreme Court, in a much-needed boost to the judicial
strength of the highest court.
Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court
Shantanagoudar Mohan Mallikarjunagouda.
Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court Navin Sinha,
Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court Deepak Gupta
and Karnataka High Court judge S. Abdul Nazeer.
The appointments come at a time when the judicial strength
had dipped to 23, an all-time low in recent years.
The appointments come at a time when the relations between
the two institutions are on the mend.
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Students in the desert State of Rajasthan may soon get
lessons in water conservation.
Rajasthan is the only State in the country to incorporate geo-
tagging and advanced scientific techniques for water
conservation works and now aims to include water
conservation lessons in the school syllabus.
After successful implementation of Jal Swavlamban Yojna
Phase-I, the State government has launched Phase-II of its
flagship scheme by selecting 4,200 villages by geo-tagging,
drone cameras and way-point scientific technique.
Vedire said that JSY model has been lauded by South Africa
and Australia and they plan to adopt the model.
The Centre has given up its proposal to build a wall along
the Pakistan border in Jammu, originally envisaged as a
barrier to cross-border terror.
The raised embankment, initiated by the UPA government
in 2013 after the twin attacks in the Hiranagar/Samba sector,
was to come up along 179 km of the International Border
in Jammu.
The wall proposal was opposed by Pakistan, which shot off
letters to the United Nations Security Council in 2015
accusing India of converting what it called a working
boundary into a quasi international boundary.
Plan for raising an embankment was not materialising and
that the government would instead depend on technological
solutions such as a smart fence, a seamless virtual fence
with sensors to identify any infiltration.
The Army too opposed the embankment, saying it would
pose hurdles for their forward movement during military
Since 2014, when the NDA government came to power,
there have been more than 900 ceasefire violations along the
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Pakistan border in Jammu.
At the LoC, which is under the operational control of the
Army, 541 violations were reported during the same period.
In these violations, 57 locals and 26 security personnel were
killed.
The proposed embankment would have been about 135 feet
(41 metres) wide and 10 metres high, and would have
accommodated bunkers and border outposts.
After the UPA governments decision in 2013, officials,
following the Israel model, wanted to seal the border. About
20 % of the land has been acquired for the project.
The Home Ministry is now working on a Comprehensive
Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) for 24X7
surveillance.
-
-- The DAC also gave approval for the setting up of a shore-
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, won the
confidence vote in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
after violence in the House that ended with the eviction of
all DMK members.
From the AIADMK, 122 members voted in favour and 11
dissidents voted against the motion.
The House, had to be adjourned twice due to pandemonium
as DMK members shouted slogans, demanding that voting
be deferred or that a secret ballot be conducted.
The 11 members who voted against the government
belonged to the rebel camp led by former Chief Minister O.
Panneerselvam.
Mr. Stalin said the MLAs had been lodged in a resort like
prisoners and hence they were not in a position to vote in a
free manner.
But the Speaker made it clear that he would abide by the
Assembly Rules 19(1) and conduct the voting as per his
powers, though Mr. Stalin argued that he could adjourn the
proceedings under Rule 122 of the House.
- - -
To strengthen surveillance of over 7,500-km coastline of the
country, the Defence Ministry gave the go-ahead to expand
the coastal radar surveillance network.
The decision was taken by the Defence Acquisition Council
(DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The
council reviewed the status of other procurements.
The DAC gave approval for issuing the Acceptance of
Necessity (AoN) for Phase II of the static sensor chain and
also an intermediate aircraft engine repair facility for the
Navy.
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Phase II involves setting up 38 additional radars and four
mobile surveillance stations as well as two vessel traffic
management systems (VTMS) in Kutch and Khambat in
Gujarat at a cost of approximately Rs. 800 crore.
In the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the
government decided to set up a chain of static sensors to fill
gaps in coastal surveillance and keep track of boats entering
Indian territorial waters.
Under Phase I, a chain of 46 coastal surveillance radar and
electro-optic sensors were set up, including 36 in the
mainland, six in the Lakshadweep islands and four in the
Andaman & Nicobar islands.
India is also setting up similar radar stations in friendly
Indian Ocean littoral nations, which are integrated into
Indias own radar network.
based intermediate engine repair facility for the Navys MiG-
29K fighter aircraft at the Naval aircraft yard in Goa.
The Navy currently operates as many as 45 MiG-29K carrier
aircraft procured from Russia. Some of them operate from
the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya .
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Noting that it wants prevention and not cure, the Supreme
Court asked Internet service providers if there was any
mechanism to identify those who upload obscene content
online and prevent it.
A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit referred
to the loss of reputation and dignity of women and children
who became victims of sexually abusive videos uploaded
on websites.
Google's council said the inflow of information online was
huge, and it was near impossible to filter and block content
before they were uploaded. He submitted that the
governments nodal agency could help Internet service
providers.
The court referred to the Information Technology Act, and
asked how the service providers abided by the guidelines to
regulate Web content.
The court observed that the time lapsed to remove
objectionable videos or material led to loss of reputation and
dignity of the victims. Will it or will it not be conducive to
prevent the uploading of such contents, the court asked.
- -- -
--
The United Kingdom has assured India of expeditious action
on its request for the custody of wanted persons, including
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businessman Vijay Mallya, during a two-day dialogue on
issues related to extradition and mutual legal assistance.
The Ministry of External Affairs, in an official statement,
said the meeting was held pursuant to the decision taken
during the visit of U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May to India
in November last year.
Indian agencies gave elaborate presentations on key legal
aspects of the cases for which they had sought help under
the 1993 Extradition Treaty and the 1995 Mutual Legal
Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with the U.K.
They also highlighted unexplored provisions which could
be invoked for expeditious action.
One of the prominent cases on the agenda was of Vijay
Mallya, who faces probe by the Central Bureau of
Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate for alleged
wilful default of over Rs. 9,000 crore bank loan.
He is currently in London and has refused to join legal
proceedings back home despite the courts intervention.
Several non-bailable warrants are pending against him
-- - institutions, said, Chair of the Committee on Foreign
Life expectancy will soon exceed 90 years for the first time,
scientists have predicted, overturning all the assumptions
about human longevity that prevailed at the beginning of the
20th century.
Women born in South Korea in 2030 are forecast to have a
life expectancy of 90, a study has found.
But other developed countries are not far behind, raising
serious questions about the health and social care that will
be needed by large numbers of the population living through
their 80s.
It is impossible to accurately forecast the natural disasters,
disease outbreaks or climate changes that may take a toll of
lives around the world.
But the study in medical journal Lancet shows a significant
rise in life expectancy in most of the 35 developed countries
studied.
A notable exception is the U.S., where a combination of
obesity, deaths of mothers and babies at birth, homicides and
lack of equal access to healthcare is predicted to cause life
expectancy to rise more slowly than in most comparable
countries.
The big winners are South Korea, some western European
countries, and some emerging economies.
France is second in the league table for women as it was
in 2010 at 88.6 years, and Japan is third on 88.4 years
after decades with the longest life expectancy in the world.
The study incorporates 21 different models of life
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expectancy to try to come to a definitive prediction of the
future, but the authors say there is still uncertainty.
There is a 97% probability that womens life expectancy at
birth in 2030 in South Korea will be higher than 86.7 years
and 57% probability that it will exceed 90 years.
South Koreas performance is due to improvements in its
economy and education. Deaths among children and adults
from infectious diseases have dropped and nutrition has
improved, which has also led to South Koreans growing
taller.
-- - -- -
Human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir must be
resolved internally in India, says a visiting delegation of
Members of European Parliament, accepting that the conflict
in the State is an internal Indian matter.
The conflict is a very sensitive issue, we know how sensitive
it is. Delegations of MEPs visited both sides of Kashmir in
2003-04. This has to be settled through domestic Indian
Affairs of the EU Parliament.
However, while giving India its full support on the human
rights issue, the delegation, however, will take up two other
thorny issues: Indias denial of a visa to a member of their
delegation, and recent Home Ministry action against NGOs
in India.
On the issue of NGOs operating in India, the EU delegation
said it was concerned about strictures on funding and the
functioning of rights organisations, that had also been
brought to the EU parliaments notice.
-
Nearly three lakh Indian-Americans are likely to be
impacted by the Trump administrations sweeping plans that
put the nations 11 million undocumented immigrants at risk
of deportation.
U.S. President Donald Trump has laid the groundwork for
potentially deporting millions of undocumented immigrants
by issuing new guidelines.
The Department no longer will exempt classes or categories
of removable aliens from potential enforcement, the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in an
enforcement memo.
Department personnel have full authority to arrest or
apprehend an alien whom an immigration officer has
probable cause to believe is in violation of the immigration
laws, it said.
The emphasis is on criminal aliens but opens up the door
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for others too. As per unofficial figures, Indian-Americans
account for nearly 3,00,000 illegal aliens.
-
Even as Punjab denied any liability on its part to share water
with Haryana, the Supreme Court stood firm by its decision
to construct the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal and urged the
neighbouring States to maintain law and order at any cost.
A Bench of Justices raised concern about violence after
reports that the Indian National Lok Dal, Haryanas main
opposition party, had asked its workers to gather at Ambala
and march inside Punjab to start digging the SYL canal.
The Supreme Courts call for status quo in the inter-State
water dispute came amidst Punjabs affidavit that the Punjab
Termination of Water Agreement Act of 2004 was still in
force.
It argued that a recent Supreme Court verdict that declared
the 2004 Act as unconstitutional was only an opinion given
by the court on a presidential reference and not a verdict as
such to be complied as law.
Haryana submitted that the verdict allowing the SYL canal
to be built has to be executed.
- - top in ease of doing business. Kerala would stick to the
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued its political
dominance in Maharashtra with resounding electoral
victories in key municipalities and zilla parishads across the
State.
It won eight of the 10 municipal elections that were held on
February 21. The Shiv Sena, its erstwhile ally, won in
Mumbai and Thane.
In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), it was
a close call, with the Sena winning 84 out of the 227 seats
and the BJP 82.
In Thane, the Sena won 67 of the 131 seats, while the BJP
won only 23, fewer than the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP), which bagged 34 seats.
In eight other municipal zones, the BJP swept the elections,
giving Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis a major image
boost as well as an upper hand against the Sena, a party that
is a part of the government.
In Pune, the BJP won 98 of the 162 seats, with the NCP
coming a distant second with 40 seats and the Sena bagging
a mere 10.
- - - - an 80% indigenous content. The DRDO would play a crucial
In a first in the country, Kerala will soon have a sex
offenders register and a comprehensive victim relief fund.
Announcing this in the course of his customary policy
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address to the Assembly, Governor P. Sathasivam said the
register, to be kept in the public domain, would contain all
identification details of sex offenders.
Interim relief would be provided to the survivors of sex
crimes, both children and adults, from the proposed relief
fund.
Although some of the survivors of sex crimes do receive
some amount of money, the relief due to them for the
damages they suffer are delayed for want of a comprehensive
victim relief fund, the Governor pointed out.
The State government would also set up all-women police
stations at the taluk level and would make visit of a woman
police officer to the panchayat on a pre-announced date and
time mandatory.
The Nirbhaya cells functioning under the Social Justice
Department would be modernised and upgraded to ensure
minimum standards of care.
The government, he said, would also soon come out with a
comprehensive law covering citizens charter, transparency,
accountability and social audit, the core of which would be
public service delivery.
Massive reforms would be initiated to put the State at the
Five Year Plan mode with special component plan and tribal
subplan components.
-
-- -
Ahead of the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Israel
later this year, India has approved a deal to develop jointly
a medium range surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM) system
for the Army in a Rs. 17,000-crore deal.
This is the latest in a series of other variants of SAM systems
for the Navy and the Air Force being jointly developed with
Israeli help under deals estimated at billions of dollars.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, which met on Wednesday, gave the
go-ahead for the deal to be executed by the DRDO and Israel
Aircraft Industries (IAI).
Mr. Modi is likely to visit Israel in June, and preparations
were currently under way in both countries. The deal is for
five regiments of the missile, which consists of 40 units and
200 missiles. It has a range of 50-70 km.
The systems will be manufactured in India and would have
role in developing the target homing system. Deliveries
would begin in 2023.
The two countries are also in an advanced stage of
negotiations for the purchase of two more long-range
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Phalcon AWACS. The CCS had approved the deal for
additional AWACS last year expected at a cost of Rs. 7,500
crore.
India currently operates three PhalconAWACS Israeli radars
mounted on Russian IL-76 transport aircraft, under a $1-
billion tripartite deal with Russia, signed in 2003.
- - -- - - - -
- --
All school buses should be fitted with speed governors that
limit their maximum speed to 40 km per hour, the Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has written to
affiliated schools.
The letter says global positioning system (GPS) and CCTV
must compulsorily be installed on all buses.
Apart from the driver with at least five years of driving
experience and the conductor, all school buses must have
a lady guard for the security of the children, it adds.
These buses must have first aid kits and provision for
drinking water, and must not have curtains or films on their
windows.
The letter says that violation of the guidelines could lead to
appropriate action, including disaffiliation of the school. It
underlines that the management and the head of the school
will be held responsible for any lapse.
- A 19-member Indian delegation, mainly comprising BSF
An apparent act of racial hatred left an Indian engineer dead
and another injured in Olathe city in Kansas in Midwestern
U.S.
Srinivas Kuchibhotla (32), along with his friend Alok
Madasani, had gone to a bar, where he was shot, allegedly
by a 51-year-old Navy veteran who shouted, get out of my
country, before the act.
Kuchibhotla died later, while Mr. Madasani who was also
hit, has recovered and has been discharged from hospital.
Ian Grillot, a 24-year-old white man, who took a bullet on
his chest trying to stop the shooter, has emerged the hero in
the tragic episode that snuffed out the dreams of the
Hyderabad-born Kuchibhotla.
Originally from Hyderabad, Kuchibhotla was a B. Tech in
electrical and electronics engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University. He had a masters degree from the
University of Texas El Paso.
Anecdotal evidence points to a sweeping sense of insecurity
among the three million plus Indian Americans, many of
whom are nervous about moving around freely in recent
weeks.
India reached out to the family, Spokesperson of the Ministry
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of External Affairs Vikas Swarup said the government will
provide all possible support to the family of the deceased
who was killed in an attack that left another Indian injured.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took to social
media soon after two Indians Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok
Madasani were shot at a bar in Olathe, Kansas.
In a rare gesture, India has decided to throw open its border
roads to help Bangladesh construct border outposts in
Chittagong hill tracts, known for its inhospitable terrain.
Some areas in Chittagong, bordering Tripura and Mizoram,
have no motorable roads and India has decided to allow the
Border Guard Bangladesh to construct 13 border outposts
using the road connectivity available in the two States.
The Border Security Force, deployed along the Bangladesh
border, will monitor the construction activities.
India has on multiple occasions handed over details of
insurgent camps operating from the Bangladesh soil,
particularly in the dense Chittagong Hill Tract area.
Following the leads, the neighbouring country has acted
against these camps and demolished them.
The proposal was first mooted during the annual Home
Secretary-level talks last year.
officials, which concluded its Dhaka visit last week informed
the BGB that the proposal had been approved.
- - -
-
Come June, India will likely unveil its most powerful
supercomputer. If its processors operate at the full capacity
of 10 petaflops.
A clock speed a million times faster than the fastest
consumer laptops, it could earn a place among the worlds
top 10 fastest supercomputers.
Though India has built or hosted supercomputers since the
1990s, it held a top 10 spot only once, in 2007, thanks to
the EKA built by the Computational Research Laboratories,
which is part of the Tata group.
This position was lost, though several ultra-fast machines
exist in Indian academic institutions: they feature in the 100s
or 200s in global rankings.
The as-yet-unnamed machine will be jointly hosted at the
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and the
National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting at
Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
For the first time, colleges and other research institutions can
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log in and harness its power to address problems, ranging
from weather modelling to understanding how proteins fold.
The government has sanctioned Rs. 400 crore for the project
this year. Most of the machines computing power will help
in monsoon forecasting, using a dynamical model.
This requires simulating the weather for a given month
say March and letting a custom-built model calculate how
the actual weather will play out over June, July, August and
September.
The processing speed of supercomputers is only one of the
factors that determine its worth, with power usage and
arrangement of processors, being other key metrics that
determine the worth of a system.
Top500, the global authority tracking the fastest 500
computers, said in its latest report that China and the U.S.
were pacing each other for supercomputing supremacy.
- - - - Mission 1 (EM-1) was scheduled for 2018 and was expected
- to be unmanned.
Astronomers have spotted an enormous, glowing blob of gas
in the distant universe, with no obvious source of power for
the light it is emitting.
Called an enormous Lyman-alpha nebula (ELAN), it is the
brightest and among the largest of these rare objects, only a
handful of which have been observed, the researchers said.
The newly discovered nebula was found at a distance of 10
billion light years in the middle of a region with an
extraordinary concentration of galaxies.
The newly discovered ELAN is known as MAMMOTH-1.
- --
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to reassure the people
of Manipur that there was nothing in the Naga Peace Accord
signed by his government with the NSCN-IM in 2015
that would go against the interests of the State.
Mr. Modis assurance follows Chief Minister Okram Ibobi
Singh's statement, asking why the precise terms of the
agreement have been kept secret by the Centre.
Mr. Modi said, Is it not the State government's duty to
maintain supply of essential commodities? As per the
Constitution, this is the responsibility of the Manipur
government and the police.
We will not let the blockade continue once our government
comes to power in the State, the Prime Minister said. He
accused the Congress of instigating people as well as paying
those who organise bandhs.
Mr. Modi added that a government that kept people hungry
to win polls did not have the right to rule even for a minute.
Mr. Modi defended the November demonetisation drive,
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saying his government was bringing out hidden money from
70 years of loot in the country and criticised Congress
leaders for speaking against him after the note ban.
Accusing the Congress of keeping the north-east
underdeveloped, Mr. Modi hailed the region for producing
talented sportsperons, who could be groomed well with
training.
-- - -
-
The U.S. space agency said it is considering putting
astronauts on an upcoming test flight of the deep space
capsule Orion as it aims to orbit the Moon.
Orion is being built with an eye to one day ferrying
astronauts to Earths neighboring planet, Mars, perhaps by
the 2030s.
Until now, the Orion test flight known as Exploration
But NASAs acting administrator Robert Lightfoot asked on
February 15 for the space agency to study the feasibility of
putting people on board, and the findings of that study are
expected in the coming months.
The capsule will be propelled to space atop a rocket called
the Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently being
developed. NASA has described it as the most powerful
rocket in the world.
The space capsule also aims to stay in space longer than
any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space
station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
The study is evaluating the pros and cons of adding two crew
members, and could possibly delay the EM-1 mission until
mid-2019.
The current plan is to send astronauts on Orions second
flight, EM-2, an eight-day mission in 2021.
- --
-
Buoyed by the elimination of polio six years ago and
maternal and neonatal tetanus and yaws in 2016, India has
set an ambitious target of eliminating measles and
controlling congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), caused by
the rubella virus, by 2020.
While two doses of measles vaccine given at 9-12 months
and 16-24 months have already been part of the national
immunisation programme, it is the first time that the rubella
vaccine has been included in the programme.
Since the rubella vaccine will piggy-back on the measles
elimination programme, there will be very little additional
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cost.
According to the WHO, a single dose of rubella vaccine
gives more than 95% long-lasting immunity. All children
aged nine months and 15 years will be administered a single
dose of the combination vaccine.
Measles is highly infectious and is one of the major
childhood killer diseases. Of the 1,34,000 measles deaths
globally in 2015, an estimated 47,000 occurred in India.
The introduction of the second dose of the measles vaccine
and an increase in vaccine coverage have led to a sharp
decline in deaths in India from an estimated 1,00,000
deaths in 2010 to 47,000 in 2015.
Unlike measles, rubella is a mild viral infection that mainly
occurs in children. But a woman infected with the rubella
virus during the early stage of pregnancy has a 90% chance
of transmitting it to the foetus.
The virus can cause hearing impairments, eye and heart
defects and brain damage in newborns, and even
spontaneous abortion and foetal deaths. Of the 1,10,000
children born with CRS every year globally, an estimated
40,000 cases occur in India alone.
With the target set for 2020 to eliminate measles and control
CRS, there is a compelling need to create a solid wall of
immunity in all children up to 15 years in one go at the
earliest.
That can be achieved only if immunisation is carried out in
a campaign mode by targeting 410 million children
nationwide within 18 months. About 465 million doses will
be required.
Since the Pune-based Serum Institute of India is the only
manufacturer of the vaccine, the measles-rubella vaccination
campaign is being introduced in phases. Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and Lakshadweep are covered in the
first phase.
The entire country will be covered in four phases in 18
months. Following the campaign, two doses of the
combination vaccine will become a part of the national
immunisation programme.
All children will receive the vaccine free at 9-12 months and
16-24 months of age.
According to the WHO, elimination of measles will help to
achieve Sustainable Development Goals target 3.2, which
aims to end preventable deaths of children under 5 years by
2030.
- - should work towards achieving the objective.
Indias only active volcano the Barren Island volcano
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is again spewing lava
and ash, according to a team of scientists from the Goa-based
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National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).
They chanced upon it as part of an ocean expedition in
January. While this may evoke apocalyptic images, scientists
who have seen the fulmination say its fairly benign.
During the daytime, they saw ash clouds, but after sundown,
red lava fountains spewed from the crater into the
atmosphere and hot lava streamed down the slopes.
The Barren Island, about 140 km from Port Blair, is a tourist
destination and surrounded by waters ideal for scuba diving
and is home to a wide variety of aquatic life.
The 354-metre-high island is the emergent summit of a
volcano that rises from a depth of 2,250 m. The small,
uninhabited 3-km-wide island contains a roughly 2-km wide
caldera (a volcanic crater) with walls 250-350 metres high.
Historically, the first record of the volcanos eruption dates
back to 1787. It was known to have erupted at least five times
over the next 100 years. Then there was silence for a century.
In 1991, it spewed so massively that smoke billowed out for
about six months. Ever since, there have been eruptions
every two-three years, the last in February 2016.
All of these recorded eruptions lie on the lowest end of the
so-called Volcanic Explosivity Index that ranks volcanoes
from 1-8 based on the quantity of volcanic material spewed
and the strength with which it does so. The latest eruption
was a mere 2 on the scale.
However, detailed studies have shown that the volcano first
erupted 1.6 million years ago and sits on a 106-million-year-
old crust.
However benign this may seem, the renewed volcanic
activity over the past few decades has some scientists
worried about the amount of unreleased pressure stored in
the continental plates that support the volcano.
An eruption in 2005 was linked to the previous years
Indonesia-Sumatra earthquake that triggered the destructive
tsunami that ravaged Indias southern coast.
- --- - -
Asserting that Indian scientific laboratories had state-of-the-
art facilities and were not inferior to any laboratory in the
world, Union Minister of Science and Technology has called
upon scientists to be more focussed on science for the
benefit of the people.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that
science should be for the benefit of the people and scientists
In the last two years, the ministry was trying to change the
overall perception and outlook of the scientists in CSIR and
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other departments and has been asking them to be more
people-centric, he said.
India has emerged second after China in the world in terms
of scientific research and exhorted the scientists to ensure
that their findings and innovations were translated into
action and converted into benefits for the people.
He said the cost-effective handheld soil testing kits for the
farmers would go a long way in revolutionising the
agriculture sector and improve the lifestyle of the farming
community.
The kit, which would be made available to the farmers for a
few hundred rupees, would help them obtain the results of
soil tests in a few minutes with the help of an app compared
to the existing waiting time of 15 days, he said.
Lots of good things were happening at CSIR-CECRI and
most of the things done here actually impacted the day-to-
day lives of the common man and that was the beauty of it,
he said.
He said India had scientific collaborations with more than
80 countries in the world and powerful collaborations with
44 countries such as the US, Canada, Germany, France,
Japan, South Korea and Israel on very important research
subjects.
In Nano technology, India has emerged number three in the
world and in space, ISRO has recently created a world record
by sending more than 100 satellites in one go, he said.
Some of the countries which had negative impression on
Indias space programme had sent more than 90 of their
satellites using Indian launch vehicles and this was the very
positive development, Mr. Vardhan said.
- coaches in June, 2015.
- -
Supreme Court Collegium is engaged in exhaustive
consultations to finalise the long-pending Memorandum of
Procedure for appointment of judges and draft clauses.
The MoP draft was handed over to the Collegium by the
government in August 2016. But no progress was made in
resolving the differences till J.S. Khehar took over as Chief
Justice of India.
Clauses in the draft MoP, like the executives prerogative
to reject judicial candidates recommended by the Collegium
on the ground of national security, are no longer a
roadblock.
Justice T.S. Thakur, Chief Justice Khehars immediate
predecessor, had time and again made strong observations
against perceived government inaction.
However, since Chief Justice Khehar took over, there has
been an improvement in relations strained since the
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Constitution Bench scrapped the National Judicial
Appointments Commission Act in 2015.
- - - -
--
The railways will soon manufacture its own train sets that
can run at a maximum speed of 160 kilometre per hour, after
its global bid in this regard failed to elicit positive response.
Aptly named Train-2018, the first train set a rake
without a separate locomotive is expected to be ready by
March next year and likely to be pressed into service in
Delhi-Lucknow or Delhi-Chandigarh sector.
A train set, much like a Delhi Metro rake, comprises of many
coaches that are individually powered by a propulsion
system, eliminating the need for locomotive.
Aiming to offer both comfort and pace to passengers, the
project will roll out semi-high speed, 16-coach train sets with
quicker acceleration and world-class passenger amenities.
For the first time in Indian Railways, these train sets will
have automatic plug type doors that will open and close at
stations, wide windows for panoramic view, and
ergonomically designed seating.
Equipped with bio-toilets, all coaches in the fully AC train
set will be inter-connected so that passengers can move from
one coach to other with ease.
As per the Rs. 200 crore project, two train sets will be
manufactured, in collaboration with foreign players on
transfer of technology basis, for which the ICF has floated
a fresh global tender.
The railways had floated a global tender for procurement-
cum-maintenance and manufacture of 15 train sets with 315
Though five bidders had qualified for the initial round, they
did not find the offer viable and asked for raising the tender
size to 1,000 coaches.
- - - - -
With Pakistan and China rapidly modernising their air
forces, India has intensified efforts to fill the gaps in its aerial
surveillance.
After handing over the first indigenously developed airborne
early warning and control system, Netra, to the Indian Air
Force, the DRDO has set its sights on a much larger and more
capable system.
India is also in negotiations with Israel to buy two more
Phalcon Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS)
mounted on Russian IL-76 aircraft to add to the three
systems in service.
India is hopeful of concluding the deal before Prime Minister
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Narendra Modi visits Tel Aviv possibly in June.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the gaps inAWACS
were being corrected. Various programmes were being
pursued simultaneously.
The DRDO has The DRDO has planned to develop a long-
range AWACS with a 360-degree coverage akin to the
Phalcon. He said it would take six years to get the system
totally functional.
The DRDO plans to develop two AWACS at first and then
another four. As the AWACS is much heavier, it needs a
bigger aircraft. They would be based on an Airbus A-330.
The Netra AEW&C system would join the three Phalcon A-
50 long-range AWACS mounted on Russian IL-76 transport
aircraft. These aerial radars, called eye-in-the-sky, are game-
changers in warfare.
The Netra AEW&C system has an indigenous radar mounted
on the Embraer Emb-145 aircraft and three systems are being
developed. The system handed over is in the initial
operational configuration (IOC).
The DRDO will carry out an advanced testing of the systems
and avionics on the Netra and the final operational
configuration is expected to be achieved by June. By then,
the second system will also be ready.
The present system gives a 240-degree coverage of airspace.
The three aircraft would be based at Bhatinda facing the
western border. The Emb-145 also has air-to-air refuelling
capability for longer surveillance time.
This capacity will be tested and certified in the next few
months. India had made similar attempts in the past, which
ended tragically.
The DRDO began a project in the 1980s to build anAWACS,
later renamed Project Airawat, but it was cancelled after a
prototype crashed in 1999, killing all eight persons on board.
- - --
Despite differences on a number of issues, India and China
have begun to look for a common ground on Afghanistan
during Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankars visit to Beijing.
Officials even discussed the possibility of joint
development projects that could be undertaken despite
economic rivalries between the two countries in other parts
of the subcontinent.
The Foreign Secretarys visit, which saw a restructured
Strategic Dialogue with Chinese official, also witnessed
an effort by both sides to stabilise India-China relations
at a time the world is experiencing a new volatility.
The overarching concern during the talks seemed to be that
China had grown economically, and India has been growing
because of a predictable international system so far.
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There was still little movement on issues that have been most
highlighted in the past year, mainly over Masood Azhar,
where China has put a technical hold at the U.N. that will
lapse in July, and the NSG, where Indias membership will
be taken up again at the plenary session in June.
While talks on Azhar and the NSG failed to see any
breakthrough, the fact that both the Indian and Chinese
delegations included officials dealing with Pakistan and
Afghanistan as well as the U.N. and multilateral ties showed
that China was open to finding solutions,.
On Afghanistan, it is learnt that the Chinese government,
which proposed a separate discussion, had expressed its
admiration for Indias work on developmental projects,
including the Salma Dam in Herat.
-
In an epic flub that drew gasps of horror and joy at
the Dolby Theater here, Faye Dunaway mistakenly named
La La Land the best picture at the 89th Academy Awards,
but in reality Moonlight won the top prize.
But it wasnt, and the La La Land people quickly exited the
stage as producers and stars of Moonlight , just as stunned
as everyone else, walked on.
Warren Beatty and Dunaway had presented the best picture
award. When Beatty opened the envelope, he took an
extended pause before showing the card to Dunaway, who
then announced La La Land as the winner.
Moonlight , the story of a young, gay, black man, won three
statuettes in total, including the best adapted screenplay and
the best supporting actor.
--
--
The Central Pollution Control Board an Environment
Ministry organisation that sets guidelines for monitoring and
controlling pollution says international studies linking air
quality in India to disease and death are flawed.
Bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) used
arbitrary conversion factors " to rank cities for air quality,
the CPCB alleged in an internal newsletter published in
November 2016 but not made public.
The publication, called Matter-Fine Particulate: An
Environmental Challenge, is a guide to understanding the
genesis, prevalence, sources and health effect of extremely
small particles of dust.
The size of these particles determines the ease with which
they can be lodged within the body. Those smaller than 2.5
micron (PM2.5) are generally implicated for respiratory and
cardiovascular ailments.
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While acknowledging that PM2.5 pollution was a problem,
no Indian agency has quantified death and disease due to air
pollution in India.
On the other hand, other than disavowing mortality figures,
the government has also never officially disputed any
international report on how they measured pollution
numbers for Indian cities.
In its most recent update in 2016, the WHO said that 10 of
the 20 most polluted cities in the world were in India, whose
air quality standards require that the daily PM 2.5 averages
not exceed 60 mg/cubic metre and 40 mg/cubic metre
annually.
WHO arrived at its figures by collecting 24-hour and annual
average of PM 10 and PM 2.5 of cities from government
websites and, when it didnt have figures for PM 2.5, used
a constant number to convert from PM 10 measurements.
Of the 124 Indian cities, whose pollution figures are
available in the WHO database, only 8 had direct PM 2.5
measurements.
According to publication by far the only available
government critique of this methodology this conversion
is problematic as air quality monitoring machines varied
widely in their measurements even within the same city.
In some cases PM2.5 was only 8% of PM 10 and other cases
86%, according to a 2014 assessment of air quality
parameters in Delhi by the CPCB.
India has the potential for a growth rate higher than what
Scientists have created a three-dimensional (3D) organ-on-
a-chip that can mimic the hearts amazing biomechanical
properties and could help in studying cardiac diseases,
screening and development of drugs.
The device faithfully reproduces the response of cardiac
cells to two different drugs that affect heart function in
humans, initial experiments have demonstrated.
The unique aspect of the new device, which represents about
two millionths of a human heart, is that it controls the
mechanical force applied to cardiac cells.
This allows the researchers to reproduce the mechanical
conditions of the living heart, which is continually stretching
and contracting, in addition to its electrical and biochemical
environment.
The I-Wire device consists of a thin thread of human cardiac
cells 0.014 inches thick stretched between two perpendicular
wire anchors.
The amount of tension on the fibre can be varied by moving
the anchors in and out, and the tension is measured with a
flexible probe that pushes against the side.
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The fibre is supported by wires and a frame in an optically
clear well that is filled with liquid medium like that which
surrounds cardiac cells in the body.
The apparatus is mounted on the stage of a powerful optical
microscope that records the fibres physical changes.
The microscope also acts as a spectroscope that can provide
information about the chemical changes taking place in the
fibre. A floating microelectrode also measures the cells
electrical activity.
I-Wire system can be used to characterise how cardiac cells
respond to electrical stimulation and mechanical loads and
can be implemented at low cost, small size and low fluid
volumes, which make it suitable for screening drugs and
toxins.
The heart cells in the fibre align themselves in alternating
dark and light bands, called sarcomeres, which are
characteristic of human muscle tissue.
- - - --
India is one of the most open economies in the world,
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said as he contrasted Indias
approach to reform to an increasingly inward-looking world.
When the world is turning increasingly protectionist, India
is opening up, he told investors, politicians and business
people gathered at a meeting hosted by the U.K. India
Business Council and ficci.
we are achieving today, he said. In the early days of
liberalisation, he added, there were dissenting voices but
those fears have receded to the background.
Mr. Jaitley has used his public appearances during the trip
to focus on Indias reform agenda, outlining the long-term
impact it hoped the implementation of GST.
And demonetisation would have in efforts to improve the
collection of taxes, enabling the government to increase
spending on infrastructure, and poverty reduction.
He acknowledged there could be teething problems in the
first few days after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is
introduced, but maintained confidence that it would come
into effect by July or September.
Asked about the health of the banking sector, and
particularly non-performing loans in the State banks, he said
that the current quarter was looking better and that it was
best to focus on the future, rather than panic.
- - - - -
NASA plans to send its first robotic spacecraft to the Sun
next year. The spacecraft is slated to get within six million
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kilometres of the blazing star to probe its atmosphere.
Humans have sent spacecraft to the Moon, Mars and even
distant interstellar space. Now, NASA plans to launch the
Solar Probe Plus mission to the Sun which is about 149
million kilometres from the Earth.
First, the mission will hopefully unveil why the surface of
the Sun, called the photosphere, is not as hot as its
atmosphere, called the corona.
According to NASA, the surface temperature of the Sun is
about 5,500 degrees Celsius. However, the atmosphere
above it is a sizzling two million degrees Celsius.
The scientists also want to know how solar wind gets its
speed, Live Science reported. The Sun blows a stream of
charged particles in all directions at a million miles an hour.
But we do not understand how that gets accelerated, he said.
- - Rs. 87,000 crore in 45 days post demonetisation, prompting
State Bank of India (SBI), the countrys largest lender, has
reduced its marginal cost of funds based lending rate
(MCLR) by a whopping 90 basis points.
Among the steepest interest rate cuts in a long time, the move
is aimed at boosting loan growth, which has fallen to a multi-
decade low.
MCLR is the benchmark rate to which all loans are linked.
A percentage point equals 100 basis points (bps).
According to a statement issued by the SBI, its one-year
MCLR would be 8 per cent as compared with 8.9 per cent
earlier. Home and auto loans of most banks, including SBI,
are linked to their respective one-year MCLRs.
Existing loans linked to the MCLR will be impacted when
they are re-priced. MCLR has been in effect from April 1
and had replaced the base rate.
- - - to be complied with, the Supreme Court stripped BCCI
- president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke of their
The Centre will deposit Rs. 2,000 crore into the bank
accounts of 36,000 Hindu refugees from Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir (PoK).
The compensation package for the Hindu refugees was
announced by PM Modi last year, and it got the clearance
from the Union Cabinet in December. These refugees
migrated to Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, 1965 and 1971.
Currently, violent protests have erupted in the Valley against
domicile certificates being issued by the State government
to 19,000 west Pakistan refugees, who came to India after
Partition, but are yet to be given any voting rights or financial
package.
The west Pakistan refugees have been demanding a similar
package, but the previous Omar Abdullah government had
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vehemently opposed the move.
However, packages for PoK refugees were cleared by the
Union Cabinet on November 30 and the resettlement fund
will be disbursed once the figures and data of refugees are
compiled.
The Home Ministry has sought bank account details of all
the families from the State government as it intends to
transfer the money directly into their accounts instead of
giving it to the State government.
This is for the first time that the Centre has allocated Rs.
2,000 crore for providing relief instead of setting up a State-
Centre committee first to examine their demands.
-- -
-
Deposits in Jan Dhan account have more than doubled to
the tax department to dissect information relating to such
deposits.
Besides, the tax department also has data on small cash
deposits between Rs. 30,000-50,000 made in 4.86 lakh
accounts totalling to Rs. 2,000 crore.
Between November 10 and December 23, 2016, the total
deposits reported is Rs. 41,523 crore in 48 lakh accounts.
This, together with the total deposits of Rs. 45,637 crore as
on November 9, takes the aggregate amount in Jan Dhan
accounts to over Rs. 87,100 crore.
Cash deposit between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 50,000 have been
reported in 4.86 lakh accounts till November 30, taking the
total deposits in such quantum to Rs. 2,022 crore.
-
Noting that its diktats are not written in sand and are meant
posts.
SC ordered them to forthwith cease and desist from
associating themselves with Indian crickets most powerful
body.
A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and
Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud declared
Mr. Thakur and Mr. Shirke unfit to continue at the helm
of the BCCI for their obstructionist attitude.
The BCCI bosses not only made unfortunate comments
about the Lodha panel in public but also ended up hurting
the dignity of the Supreme Court with their attitude, it noted.
Besides, the court found Mr. Thakur prima facie guilty of
both contempt of Supreme Court proceedings and perjury
(fabrication of false evidence), adding that such a person
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does not deserve to continue as BCCIpresident.
- - --
Consumer have the discretion to not pay service charge ad-
ded to your bill by any hotel/ restaurant.
Consumer Affairs Department asked the State to advise
hotels/restaurants to prominently display that the service
charges are discretionary/voluntary and a consumer
dissatisfied with the services can have it waived.
This follows several com- plaints that hotels and restaurants
are charging service charge in the range of 5-20per cent, in
lieu of tips, which a consumer is forced to pay irrespective
of the kind of service provided, the department said.
It said the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, provides that a
trade practice which, for the purpose of promoting the sale,
use or supply of any goods or for the provision of any
service, adopts any deceptive method is to be treated as
unfair.
The department said a consumer can make a com- plaint to
the appropriate forum established under the Act against such
unfair trade practices.
- -- - the problems of ease of access, maintenance, redundancy
and duplication of expensive equipments.
Terming religion a very private relationship between man
and his God, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court.
In a majority judgment, held that an appeal for votes during
elections on the basis of religion, caste, race, community or
language, even that of the electorate, will amount to a
corrupt practice and call for disqualification of the
candidate.
Election is a secular exercise and therefore a process should
be followed The relationship between man and God is an
individual choice and state should keep this in mind, the
Supreme Court held in a majority judgment of 4:3.
The court was interpreting the pronoun his used in Section
123 (3) of the Representation of the People Act.
The provision mandates that it would amount to acorrupt
practice if a candid- ate or his agent or any other person,
with his consent, appeals for votes on religious or such
grounds.
The question referred to the Constitution Bench led by CJI
T.S. Thakur on a batch of poll petitions was whether the word
his only meant a bar on appeals made in the name of the
candidate or his rival or his agent or others in his immediate
camp.
Or, does the word also extend to soliciting votes on the basis
of the religion, caste, community, race, language of the
electorate as a whole.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has underlined the need to
inculcate the concept of scientific social responsibility,akin
to corporate social responsibility, to connect the leading
institutions with all stakeholders, including schools and
colleges.
The idea is to create an environment for sharing of ideas and
resources by providing opportunity to the brightest and best
of brains in every corner of India to excel in science.
Delivering the 104th Indian Science Congress on Sri
Venkateswara University campus, on the theme Science and
Technology for national development, Mr. Modi announced
all form of support to the scientific and research
organisations.
He in turn, told scientists to leave no stone unturned in
ensuring that the fruits of science reached the marginalised
sections of society.
Pledging his government's support to building a strong S&T
infrastructure that is accessible to academia, start-ups,
industry and R&D labs, the Prime Minister sought to address
In this connection, he mooted the idea of establishing
professionally-managed centres in Public Private
Partnership (PPP) mode to house high-value scientific
equipment. Mr. Modi exhorted national laboratories to
establish a connect with schools and colleges to develop
appropriate training programmes.
Referring to the constraints involved in securing and
completing research projects, he indicated the need to ensure
ease of doing science as an empowering factor for scientific
delivery.
- -
A day after Mulayam Singh staked claim to the Samajwadi
Party symbol bicycle, the Akhilesh Yadav camp
representative Ramgopal Yadav met Election
Commissioners and maintained that a majority of the party
members supported him.
The Election Commission (EC) later received a written
representation on the Akhilesh camps claim, confirming that
it was contesting Mr. Mulayam Singhs assertions.
Mr. Yadav, submitted before the Commission that the real
Samajwadi Party was the one of which Akhilesh had been
elected national president.
However, the final test will be the numbers in the
organisational and legislative structures. In the Sadiq Ali
case, the Supreme Court has held that the test of majority
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applied by the EC to settle a dispute of this nature is valid
and relevant.
Defying his fathers directions, Mr. Akhilesh Yadav had
issued a separate list of candidates for the coming Assembly
elections.
- A separate committee that determines forest clearance to
Departing from convention, the Union Budget will be
presented in Parliament on Feb 1, a month earlier than the
usual, and the Economic Survey will be tabled on Jan 31,
the same day President addresses the joint Houses of
Parliament.
Presided over by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the Cabinet
Committee on Parliamentary Affairs met, and recommended
the decision to the President.
The first part of the Budget session will run from January
31 to February 9. The Union Cabinet had earlier decided to
end the practice of a separate Railway budget.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold an all-party
meeting just before the session to discuss poll reforms.
- - The eighth meeting of the GST Council failed yet again to
Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, the seniormost judge of the
Supreme Court, was sworn in as the 44th Chief Justice of
India by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Justice Khehar will have a tenure for over seven months till
August 28, 2017. He assumed office as a judge of the
Supreme Court on September 13, 2011.
On his first day in office, Justice Khehar presided over
courtroom one with Justices N.V. Ramana and D.Y.
Chandrachud flanking him.
Justice Khehar is known for his firm and decisive approach
to cases.
His appointment comes at a time when the relationship
between the government and the judiciary remains tense
over an unprecedented number of judicial vacancies (400)
in the HCs and eight in the SC.
- States.
One other issue raised by the States was the compensation,
A new hurdle has come in the way of the marquee Ken-
Betwa river interlink project in its terms of financing.
The NITI Aayog has recommended that Madhya Pradesh
contribute 40 per cent of the project cost, with the Centre
contributing 60 per cent.
The Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) has opposed this
and requested that 90 per cent of the funds be routed through
the Centre.
A lack of clarity on the funding pattern could mean more
delays to the Rs. 10,000-crore project that would be the first
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ever inter-State river interlinking project.
The project was given a go-ahead by the National Board for
Wildlife (NBWL) at a meeting chaired by Minister of State
for Environment and Forests, Anil Madhav Dave, last
August.
such projects, is yet to take a call.
This will be the first time that a river project will be located
within a tiger reserve.
The Rs. 10,000-crore Ken-Betwa project will irrigate the
drought-prone Bundelkhand region but, also submerge
about 10 per cent of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya
Pradesh, feted as a model tiger conservation reserve.
The main feature of the project is a 230-km long canal and
a series of barrages and dams connecting the Ken and Betwa
rivers that will irrigate 3.5 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh
and 14,000 hectares of Uttar Pradesh in Bundelkhand.
--- -- - --
reach a consensus on the critical issue of dual control, a
major roadblock in the finalisation of the draft GST laws.
Mr. Jaitley, briefing reporters on the two-day meeting, said
he expected both direct and indirect tax collections at the
end of the year to exceed the budget estimates.
After the first day of the meeting, several State Finance
Ministers said the April 1 deadline for the rollout of GST
looked unlikely, with the likelihood of a July or September
rollout increasing.
The gaps refer to two broad areas. The first is the definition
of the word territory, and the second has to do with the
issue of dual control and cross empowerment. T h e
territory issue is a complex one. The area of 12 nautical miles
from the India coast is Indian territory, he explained.
Service tax in this area has been levied by the Government
of India. But fishing in these areas has been taxed by the
and how this amount should be increased due to the hit to
State revenues caused by the demonetisation of high value
currency notes.
The Union Finance Minister also held a pre-Budget
consultative meeting with the State Finance Ministers
following the GST Council meeting.
-- -- -
In a bid to check money power from influencing elections,
the Election Commission (EC) suggests bringing under its
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scanner the sources of income of not only candidates but also
their family members.
The EC said the Representation of the People Act should be
amended so that disqualification for entering into
government contracts should not be limited to just the
candidates but also companies, trusts, firms, Hindu
Undivided Family.
The panel said the changes recommended in the law were
meant as an antidote to maladies caused by criminal
antecedents of candidates and misuse of money.
- -- - The IPCC summarises projections from such models,
- developed by scientists from around the world, to report on
President Pranab Mukherjee said that the demonetisation
aimed at fighting corruption may lead to a brief economic
slowdown.
Demonetisation, while immobilising black money and
fighting corruption, may lead to temporary slowdown of the
economy.
We all will have to be extra careful to alleviate the sufferings
of the poor, which might become unavoidable for the
expected progress in the long term, he said in his New Year
address to Governors and Lt. Governors.
The recent package announced by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi would provide some relief to the poor, he said.
Referring to the coming Assembly elections, Mr. Mukherjee
spoke about the ill-effects of competitive populism and vote
bank politics.
He said India was a country held together by strong but
invisible threads. Tolerance, he said, was a core civilisational
value for India.
In a pluralistic democracy like ours, tolerance, respect for
contrary views and patience are a must. These values have
to be preserved. Indias strength lies in her diversity.
The multiplicity in culture, faith and language is what
makes India special, he said.
There will always be divergent strands in public discourse.
We may argue. We may disagree. But we cannot deny the
prevalence of multiplicity of opinion.
You can, through your calm influence, inculcate amongst
the citizens of your state this fundamental ethos of our
civilisation, the President said.
Some of his best songs include: Main to har modh par , Na
The IITM is preparing its models for the IPCCs Sixth
Assessment Report that is expected to be ready by 2022.
There will, however, be an interim IPCC report, in 2018, on
the impact of global warming of 1.5C above pre-industrial
levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways.
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Scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
(IITM), Pune, are likely to unveil in December a
computerised model that can forecast the impact of climate
change on the Indian monsoon until 2100.
This model is significant because it is the first time India will
be submitting a home-grown assessment to the IPCC, and
hugely influential to policymakers and governments on the
risks posed by climate change.
A test version of the model is already available on websites
of research groups affiliated to the IPCC.
the level of consensus, among scientists, of the extent to
which specific pollutants and gases.
So far, IITM scientists have customised significant parts of
a model, called CFS 2 (Climate Forecast System version 2)
and used it to give three month forecasts of the Indian
monsoon, to project how the it will be altered by climate
change over the next century.
To be viable, the model has to first reasonably simulate land
and ocean temperatures that existed in the 1850s, or before
the carbon dioxide-spewing Industrial Revolution, and also
capture droughts and floods in the years up to the present.
- --
The Delhi International Airport (Private) Limited (DIAL)
has won the Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) in the transportation sector under the
Aviation category for the year 2016.
Delhi Airport has also been adjudged the worlds number
one airport in ACI ASQ survey in 25- 40 Million Passengers
Per Annum (MPPA) category for two consecutive years -
2014 and 2015.
- - -
Renowned Urdu poet and lyricist Jaswant Rai Sharma,
known to the world by his pen name Naqsh Lyallpuri,
died.He was 89.
Born in Lylallpur in the part of Punjab now in Pakistan, the
poet came to Mumbai in the late 1940s to make a career in
Hindi cinema.
Though he got his first break in 1952 as a song writer, real
success eluded him till the early 1970s.
jane kya hua , jo tune chhu liya , Ulfat me zamane ki har
rasm ko thukroa and Do deewane shaher mein .
- - -
Escalators at stations, and boundary walls along tracks have
cut the death rate on Mumbais railways, and it will now be
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the turn of drones.
The Western Railway is close to finalising a plan to deploy
small unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor its tracks, and cut
the number of train-hit deaths due to trespassing.
The death toll along Mumbai rail tracks was 3,304 in 2015,
and 3,349 persons were injured, according to official data.
The plan is unique and the firm Indian Eye Security will
provide the drone. It can cover nearly 30 km at a stretch.
Thus, the pilot project, which will be demonstrated on
January 25.
The drone is likely to cost the railways Rs. 10,000 to Rs.
15,000 per day to run. The images generated will enable
security staff to reach an accident spot within minutes.
Overhead traction wires are located about 15-20 metres
above the tracks and drones will fly at 50 metres, during peak
hours. Also, drone cameras can produce superior recordings.
- budget influence people to vote in a particular fashion.
Violence broke out early as police sought to remove
protesters occupying landmarks in many cities in Tamil
Nadu seeking a permanent solution to the holding of
jallikattu, the annual bull-taming festival.
As a large posse of policemen tried to clear the Marina beach
ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, the protest that was
hitherto apolitical and peaceful took an ugly turn with mobs
indulging in stone-throwing and arson.
Police said anti-social elements crept into the protests and
instigated vulnerable youth to indulge in violence. Even as
the State Assembly passed the Bill on jallikattu, some of the
protesters were in no mood to disperse.
Several police and public vehicles were torched or damaged
in Chennai and other cities.
At a special sitting, the Assembly unanimously passed the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment)
Bill, 2017.
The legislation seeks to amend certain Sections of the
Central Act to ensure that bulls are not barred from being
used for the rural sport. The Bill is to replace an ordinance.
-- - Mr. Modi is the fifth world leader President Trump has
- - spoken with after he assumed office.
Scientists have developed a novel psychological vaccine
to immunise the public against the damaging virus of fake
news and misinformation on websites and social media.
In medicine, vaccinating against a virus involves exposing
the body to a weakened version of the threat, enough to build
a tolerance.
Researchers believe that a similar logic can be applied
inoculate the public against misinformation, including the
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damaging influence of fake news websites propagating
myths about climate change.
The study found the inoculation technique shifted the
climate change opinions of people with various political
beliefs.
It is one of the first on inoculation theory to try and replicate
a real world scenario of conflicting information on a highly
politicised subject, researchers said.
-
Noting that there is nothing concrete to back that annual
budget can sway the minds of people during the State
Assembly polls, SC dismissed a petition seeking
postponement of the Central budget till the Assembly
elections in five States.
Mr. Sharma contended that policies like giving homes to the
economically-deprived in States introduced in the annual
They present schemes like these in the budget to control
the minds of the citizens. These schemes declared during
election time are against the Model Code of Conduct, the
lawyer argued.
At one point, the Chief Justice called the petitions
interpretation of constitutional law as absurd.
Take a situation where Party A is in power in the Centre
and people may think if we vote for that party in the State,
money for welfare schemes will come to the State. Is that
an excuse for a petition to be filed seeking the ban on the
party to contest the State polls? Chief Justice Khehar asked.
The Election Commission has asked the Centre to ensure that
no schemes specific to the five election-bound States were
announced in the Union Budget in the interest of fair polls.
It may be ensured that in the budget, the governments
achievements in respect of the five States... will not be
highlighted, the EC order said.
- - -
President Donald Trump spoke to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, the White House said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President
Pena Nieto, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel
and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were the first
four.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will be the first foreign
leader to visit the U.S under the new presidency.
Describing himself as a big fan of Hindu.a big fan of
India, he had then said that the Indian and Hindu
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community would have a true friend in the White House,
if he was elected President.
- -- above Rs. 2,000 be made public. Scrutiny of the political
The total income of national and regional political parties
between 2004-05 and 2014-15 stood at Rs. 11,367 crore,
with the highest of Rs. 3,982 crore being the Congresss
share.
However, 69% of the income of these parties was from
unknown sources, according to an analysis done by the
Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The income of national parties from unknown sources
increased by 313% during the decade; for the regional
parties, it went up by 652%.
The BSP is the only party which has got 100% of its income
through donations from unknown sources. Its total income
increased by 2,057%, from Rs. 5.19 crore during 2004-05
to Rs. 111.96 crore during 2014-15.
The income from other known sources, such as the sale of
assets, membership fees, bank interest, the sale of
publications and party levy, was Rs. 1,698.73 crore, about
15% of the total.
While about 43% of the total income of six national parties
was that of the Congress, the BJP stood second with Rs.
3,272.63 crore, just over 35%. The CPI(M) declared the third
highest income of about Rs. 893 crore.
Donations above Rs. 20,000 per entry, for which the national
parties are to declare the sources, was about Rs. 1405.19
crore and the BJP topped the list for declaring the maximum
of Rs. 918 crore voluntary contributions in the category.
The BSP has not reported any donation above Rs. 20,000
in the past 11 years, while the Nationalist Congress Party
has not submitted its donations report to the Election
Commission between 2004-05 and 2006-07.
According to the ADR, the Income-Tax returns of 42 of the
51 regional parties analysed were unavailable for at least one
financial year.
The total declared income of regional parties during the
period stood at Rs. 2,089 crore, the highest being that of the
Samajwadi Party at Rs. 819 crore, followed by the DMK
with Rs. 203 crore and the AIADMK with Rs. 165 crore.
"Some countries where this is done include Bhutan, Nepal,
Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria, the United States
and Japan. In none of these countries it it possible for almost
75% of the source of funds to be unknown, but at present it
is so in India, said the report.
Recently, the report mentioned that the Election Commission
had recommended that tax exemption be awarded only to
those political parties which contest and win seats in Lok
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Sabha or Assembly elections.
The EC also suggested that details of all donors who donate
partys financial documents should be conducted annually
by a body approved by the EC.
-
The Padma series of awards are conferred in three categories
Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
Padma Vibhushan is awarded for exceptional and
distinguished service; Padma Bhushan for distinguished
service of high order; and Padma Shri for distinguished
service in any field.
The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day
every year. They are presented by the President of India at
ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhavan
around March or April.
This year the President of India has approved conferment
of Padma Awards on 89 persons comprising seven Padma
Vibhushans, seven Padma Bhushans and 75 Padma Shri
awards; 19 awardees are women.
-
Sharad Pawar
Murli Manohar Joshi
K.J. Yesudas
Prof. Udipi Ramachandra Rao
P.A. Sangma (posthumous)
Sunder Lal Patwah (posthumous)
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
-
Thailands Princess- Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Cho Ramaswamy (posthumous)
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Prof. Devi Prasad Dwivedi
Tehemton Udwadia
Ratna Sundar Maharaj
Swami Nitanjana Nanda Saraswati
- -
A major international index of corruption and transparency
has placed India on the watch list for its inability to curb
mega corruption scandals and petty bribery.
The annual index of Transparency International issued for
2016 placed India with Brazil and China in the 40th position.
Indias condition showed growth with inequality.
Indias ongoing poor performance with a score of 40
reiterates the states inability to effectively deal with petty
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

corruption and large-scale corruption scandals.
The impact of corruption on poverty, illiteracy and policy
brutality showed that not only was the economy growing but
so was inequality.
Indias current ranking, putting it in the high corruption zone,
has drawn critical observations from transparency
campaigners.
South Asia had performed poorly. Bangladesh at 27th and
Nepal at 29th positions were slotted in the highly corrupt
section.
Pakistan, at 32, also came in the red zone. Afghanistan
ranked 15th was in the highly corrupt list with South
Sudan, North Korea and Libya.
-
The U.S. considered India a true friend and partner in
addressing challenges around the world, President Donald
Trump told Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two discussed opportunities to strengthen the
partnership between the U.S. and India in broad areas such
as the economy and defence.
Each leader invited the other to visit his country. Mr. Trump
looked forward to hosting Mr. Modi later this year.
They also discussed security in the region of South and
Central Asia. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi
resolved that the United States and India stand shoulder to
shoulder in the global fight against terrorism.
In 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first
leader hosted by President Barack Obama. Mr. Modi and Mr.
Trump would be expected to meet first at the G-20 summit
in Hamburg, Germany in early July.
And they could possibly meet on the sidelines of the U.N.
General Assembly, which Mr. Modi could attend this year.
Mr. Modi is the fifth world leader Mr. Trump spoke to after
he assumed office.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President
Pena Nieto, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel
and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were the first
four.
- - constructing homes or paying housing loan instalments.
India sealed 14 agreements, including a comprehensive
strategic partnership, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The summit-level talks, however, fell short of clinching a
major investment agreement for India, though the visiting
Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Apart from the strategic partnership, agreements on defence
industries, maritime transport, cybersecurity, shipping and
transport were also signed.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the UAE to partner
India in stabilising South Asia and fight security challenges.
He welcomed greater investment from the country for
Indias infrastructure sector.
However, a major agreement on engaging the massive
investment fund of the UAE for Indias infrastructure sector
remained unattained. UAE also has the largest sovereign
wealth fund that India is looking for investments.
There is an agreement that UAE will invest nearly $75
billion in India over the next couple of years.
Sheikh bin Zayed, is the chief guest at the Republic Day
celebrations. UAE considers its relationship with India a
priority and views India as a linchpin of stability and security
in the Asian continent.
The Gulf state will also showcase its growing military clout
at the Republic Day parade, where a marching contingent
of its armed forces will participate in a show of solidarity
with India.
The State Cabinet decided to establish a womens police
battalion, with its headquarters either in the State capital or
Kannur.
Another decision on special recruitment to the armed police
under the sports quota will benefit 74 sportspersons who
have made notable achievements in various sports and
games.
While 157 physically challenged persons working on
temporary basis will be eligible for re-employment in
unfilled supernumerary posts.
The decision to establish the womens battalion has been
taken in the context of the governments decision to increase
the strength of women police to 15 per cent in a phased
manner.
- -
--
EPFO has mooted a group housing scheme which will
enable members to form cooperative housing societies and
use their entire provident fund savings towards buying land,
In its recent proposal to the Labour Ministry, EPFO has
proposed addition of a new paragraph 68BD as a group
housing scheme so that Employees Provident Fund
members forming a cooperative society of 10 or more
employees may be given not only a one time Employees
Provident Fund withdrawal.
It also has an option to pay loan instalments towards housing
loan to banks from the monthly contributions received in
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Employees Provident Fund Scheme, 1952.
Employees with at least 3 years subscription to Employees
Provident Fund scheme will be allowed to withdraw their
savings for housing purposes, including repayment of loans
from their monthly contributions.
There will be no cap on the amount of Employees Provident
Fund savings that can be drawn for purchasing land,
constructing a house or repaying housing loans, under the
proposed scheme.
Members of an existing cooperative society formed under
any present law can avail this scheme, provided at least 10
members of the housing society were subscribers to the
Employees Provident Fund scheme.
At present, an employee who has completed five years of
service is allowed to withdraw Provident Fund savings
equivalent to 36 months of the members salary for
construction of a flat or 24 months of the salary for
purchasing land.
-- returned to the system by December 30.
Superseding two seniors in the running for the job, Amulya
Kumar Patnaik, a 1985-batch IPS officer, was appointed the
next Delhi Police Commissioner.
Mr. Patnaik will have one of the longest tenures till January
2020 when he is scheduled to retire. He replaces Alok Kumar
Verma, who was appointed as the CBI Director.
In 1995, Patnaik took the initiative to launch Pratidhi, a
Delhi Police programme to extend counselling and other
assistance to victims of traumatic crimes, an initiative that
is working successfully till date.
Mr. Patnaik, who is credited with steps like launching the
Anti-Obscene Call Cell and the Anti-Stalking Cell, will have
to look into this aspect.
- - upcoming elections.
- -
Indias international counter-terror campaign suffered a
setback with China again blocking its attempt to blacklist
Pakistan-based terror leader Masood Azhar at the U.N.
Chinas action stopped the counter terror committee of the
U.N. Security Council Taliban/al Qaeda Sanctions
Committee from designating the Jaish-e- Mohammad leader,
which India called a surprising move.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, said, when it
comes to the listing matter of the U.N. Security Council 1267
Committee, we believe it should conform with relevant
Security Council resolutions and the Committees rules of
procedure.
India began the campaign to blacklist Masood Azhar after
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the Pathankot attack on January 2.
Subsequently India highlighted the contradiction that the
UNSC 1267 Committee had banned Jaish-e-Mohammed in
2001 while leaving out Mr Azhar and therefore, should
proscribe him as well.
However, China blocked Indias attempts to list Masood
Azhar in the agenda of the 1267 Committee earlier this year,
neutralising Indias campaign.
Chinas blockade also cast a shadow on Indias plans to bring
an international convention against terrorism under the aegis
of the United Nations.
The attempt to blacklist Masood Azhar will remain part of
Indias multilateral agenda and India will continue to
campaign for the need to place him on the list of international
terrorists.
- -
The Reserve Bank of India, meanwhile, has asked banks to
put together data on how much of the demonetised currency
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the record number
of search and seizure operations carried out by the Income-
Tax department were ample proof that the decision to
demonetise the high-value currency notes was on the mark.
Mr. Jaitley also said the cash crunch faced by people due to
the lack of adequate currency in banks had eased as gauged
by thinner queues at banks.
Though he refused to commit to a time line for lifting the
withdrawal caps of Rs. 24,000 a week imposed on bank
account holders.
The Prime Ministers address to the nation on New Years
Eve could hold some goodies for the common man, days
before the Election Commission announces poll dates for
--
While the Centres move to scrap old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000
currency notes did not have an immediate impact on the
railway and aviation sectors, the toll collection on national
highways took a hit.
115 toll projects of the National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) operated by private players lost an estimated Rs.
1,100 crore over a 24-day period.
Following demonetisation, the Centre had withdrawn toll
collection at 365 toll plazas on the national highways from
November 9 to December 2 midnight. The move resulted in
significant liquidity stress for most of the road projects.
The NHAI plans to provide immediate relief to the
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 http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses

developers by covering 90 per cent of the interest cost and in the weeks and months to come than it was in the last six
operational and maintenance expenses for the period when weeks.
toll collection was suspended.

However, demonetisation helped the Indian Railways to
exceed its target of passenger bookings for November.
The Centre has constituted a high-level committee, led by
The number of passengers rose by seven per cent to 7.09
the former Supreme Court judge B.N. Srikrishna, to draw a
crore against the Railways target of 6.6 crore passengers in
road map to make India a global arbitration hub.
November.
The committee would comprise another former SC judge,
Railways passenger earnings grew 11 per cent to Rs. 3,802
R.V. Raveendran, Delhi High Court judge S. Ravindra Bhat,
crore in November against a six per cent dip in passenger
senior advocates K.K. Venugopal and Indu Malhotra along
revenues witnessed in the same month last year. However,
with others.
freight earnings reduced by 1 per cent to Rs. 9,014 crore.
The terms of reference included analysing the effectiveness
Domestic air traffic growth continued to be robust in
of the arbitration mechanism, identification of amendments
November and increased by 22.45 per cent to 89.66 lakh
in other laws.
compared to the previous month. In October, the passenger
They are needed to encourage International Commercial
traffic had risen by 23.20 per cent to 86.72 lakh.
Arbitration and devise an action plan for implementation of
Global aviation consultant CAPA said traffic growth
the law to ensure speedier arbitrations.
remained strong in December, and, although there was no
visible impact as yet of demonetisation, growth may be -
impacted in the next financial year. -
- - President has approved the Payment of Wages (Amendment)
Ordinance, 2016, to enable industries to pay wages by
Finance Minister cited an upward trend in revenue
cheque or credit into the bank accounts of workers earning
collections and green shoots in several sectors, such as life
up to Rs. 18,000 a month without their permission.
insurance, mutual funds, aviation, petroleum and agriculture,
However, the ordinance, promulgated on December 28,
since then.
doesnt make wage payments mandatory through the
Of course, there would be areas which would be adversely
banking system. Employers can still pay in cash.
impacted, but what was predicted by the critics has to have
The Payment of Wages Act of 1936 required employers to
a rationale with the revenue collection. Assessment can be
take the permission of employees before paying salaries
unreal but revenue is real, Mr. Jaitley said.
through cheque or bank credit.
Already a large part of benefits of this historic move are
The ordinance empowers the Centre and State governments
visible. A lot more money has come into the banking system.
to specify industries or establishments where wage payments
the ability of the banks to lend has now increased, the
can be made mandatory through banks.
Finance Minister said.
The Centre decided to take the ordinance route because its
The indirect tax figures are also available and
decision to scrap the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 banknotes in
notwithstanding what the critics had predicted in all the
November led to a cash crunch, and employers were finding
categories till November 30 there is a significant increase
it tough to pay workers in cash.
in indirect taxation, he said, citing a 26.2 per cent rise in
central indirect taxes collection till November 30. -
As per official data on tax collections released on December Former IAS officer Anil Baijal is set to be appointed as the
9, net direct taxes grew 15.12 per cent between April and next Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, replacing Najeeb Jung.
November this year, compared with the same period last Though there was no official communication about the
year. appointment from Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The growth of indirect tax collections between April and Mr. Baijal is currently associated with the Vivekananda
October was 26.7 per cent. Overall crop sowing in the rabi International Foundation (VIF), a New Delhi-based think
season was up 6.3 per cent compared with last year, he said. tank. He was also on the VIF executive council.
Many of these indicators, when taken together with the fact Some top level appointments in the current dispensation
that the critical part of remonetisation was already behind have been associated with the VIF, including National
us, suggested that things should certainly be much better Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

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A 1969 batch IAS officer of the Union Territory cadre, Mr
Baijal served as the Home Secretary in the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee government.
He retired in 2006 as the Secretary, Urban Development
Ministry. He also served as the vice chairman of the Delhi
Development Authority.
Mr. Baijal was associated with the designing and roll-out of
the UPAs flagship programme, the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission.
He will succeed Mr Jung, who resigned on December 22,
ending a three-and-a-half-year tenure, mostly marked by
bitter confrontation with the Aam Aadmi Party government.
-
- - underworld, Mr Modi said.
The Union Cabinet approved the promulgation of an
ordinance to help extinguish the Reserve Bank of Indias
liability towards currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000,
which were withdrawn on November 8.
The ordinance also includes a provision to penalise holders
of such notes above a certain threshold after March 31, 2017.
The government had set December 30, 2016 as the deadline
for depositing into banks these currency notes.
After that date, those still holding such notes would be able
to deposit them at the RBI up to March 31, along with an
explanation as to why they failed to deposit the notes earlier.
Under Section 26 of the RBI Act, there is an obligation of
payment of legal tender by the central bank. Now, old Rs.
500 and Rs. 1,000 have ceased to be legal tender but the legal
obligation on RBI also needs to be relieved. This ordinance
does that.
- In addition to this, 300 NGOs are currently under prior
permission category but are not registered under the FCRA,
The United Naga Council decided to intensify the ongoing
economic blockade in Manipur.
The UNC has imposed an indefinite blockade since
November 1 in protest against the State governments plan
to create two new districts.
The Naga outfit has ignored appeals from all sections,
including church leaders, to call off the agitation. The State
has been without petrol, diesel, cooking gas and consumer
items for days now.
Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has said talks
with the UNC can be held only if the group calls off the
blockade and gives an assurance that it will not be repeated.
-- - -
- women when compared to other social groups.
With the 50-day deadline for exchange of old Rs. 500 and
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Rs. 1,000 notes under demonetisation drawing near, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday said his fight against
black money and corruption would continue unabated.
Acknowledging that people had undergone immense
trouble due to the invalidation of the Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000
notes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was indebted
to the people for their support.
Mr Modi said his government had initiated schemes for the
poor, including rural electrification and the Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojana where cooking gas cylinders have been
distributed to rural women.
Through the note ban, in one stroke, we destroyed the world
of terrorism, drug mafia, human trafficking and
- - -
-
Since the NDA government came to power in May 2014, the
Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licenses of at
least 20,000 NGOs were cancelled by the Home Ministry.
Of these 20,000 NGOs, the FCRA licenses of over 9,500
NGOs were cancelled in 2015. Licenses of another 11,000
NGOs expired as they failed to apply for renewal in time.
Expiry technically meant cancellation and the NGOs
could no longer receive foreign funds but they have been
given time till February 2017 to send in fresh applications.
Despite the crackdown, in the past one year, the Home
Ministry received applications for fresh FCRA licenses from
3,000 NGOs.
Among the 13,000 valid NGOs, around 3,000 have
submitted applications for renewal.
which means they need the Ministrys nod whenever they
want to receive foreign funds.
Since the FCRA license is given for five years, this year all
the NGOs had to apply for a renewal and the last date was
March 31. The last time, such exercise was done in 2011
after the FCRA Act was amended in 2010.
- - -
The tribal population in India lags behind other social groups
on various social parameters, such as child mortality and
infant mortality and womens health, says the latest annual
report of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Tribal population, with a vast majority engaged in
agricultural labour, has a higher incidence of anaemia in
The community also registered the highest child mortality
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and infant mortality rates, when compared to other social
groups, the data indicates. While educational achievement
on the whole has improved, statistics cited elsewhere in the
report shows that the GER among tribal students in the
primary school level has declined from 113.2 in 2013-14 to
109.4 in 2015-16.
While the overall poverty rates among the tribal population
have fallen compared to previous years, they remain
relatively poor when weighed against other social groups.
Health infrastructure has also been found wanting in tribal
areas.
At an all-India level, there is a shortfall of 6,796 sub-centres,
- -
1,267 primary health centres and 309 community health
centres in the tribal areas as on March 31, 2015, the report
points out.
Of an estimated 85 lakh persons displaced due to
development projects and natural calamities, only 21 lakh
were shown to have been rehabilitated so far, the report
states.
- -- - local administration for maintaining law and order has gone
up to 17,500.
Finance Minister said India needs lower taxes to compete
globally and that voluntary tax compliance by citizens
should be encouraged by a friendly administration.
We have lived through the last seven decades in India under
the impression that if avoidance could be done of
government revenue, then there was nothing immoral about
this. That was considered commercial smartness, Mr.
Jaitley said.
Payment of legitimate taxes is part of a citizen's duty, and
non-payment is visited with severe con-sequences.
According to the Minister, extraordinarily high taxation
rates in the past have encouraged people to evade taxes.
Tax authorities are judged by the quality of what they write
or decide. The level of fairness followed by authorities will
define the quality of interpretation of tax laws by authorities.
The voluntary compliance by citizens by payment of due
taxes needs to be reciprocated by authorities through a tax-
friendly administration. Mr. Jaitley also told the trainees
that tax officers should have high integrity.
- -
The Centre released ?1,981.54 crore, through the National
Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (Nabard), for
Andhra Pradesh's ambitious ?16,000-crore Polavaram
irrigation project along the Godavari river.
Releasing the amount, FM said this should quell any sense
of distrust that the people of the State had developed towards
the Centre over funding for the project.
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Stressing that returns on investments in irrigation projects
for agriculture can be visible by next season as opposed to
investments in sectors such as manufacturing, where returns
take a reasonably long period' to register.
Using water resources to its optimal level is one of our prime
goals and it is import-ant that a very large part of funding
goes to this, Mr. Jaitley said.
Terming the issue of water in the State's dry regions as very
sensitive, he said that it took some time for the Centre to find
a way to fund the Polavaram project, but it had finally done
it.
The Union Home Ministry has rushed additional 4,000
Central police force personnel to Manipur in its efforts to
reopen a national highway, which continues to reel under
economic blockade called by the United Naga Council
(UNC).
With this, the total number of Central security personnel
deployed in the sensitive northeastern State for assisting the
Our top priority now is to reopen the National High-way-2
connecting Manipur [to Nagaland]. While the other highway
[NH-37] is re-opened, we want to reopen the NH-2 too as
early as possible, govt said.
- - - --
In a move that promises to reduce congestion on roads, six
cities along the river Ganga including Varanasi, Kolkata and
Patna are going to get passenger ferry services.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India, Ministry of
Shipping has recently entered into a contract with a joint
venture of Infrastructure
Architecture Lab of MIT, U.S. and Thompson Design
Group, Boston, U.S. for identifying suitable locations for
construction of 18 ferry terminals in six cities of Allahabad,
Varanasi, Patna, Munghyr, Kolkata and Haldia.
The consultants will prepare Detailed ProjectReport and
tender documents for the 18 terminals.
This venture has earlier worked on similar transport
solutions for Governors Island (172 acre island in the heart
of New York Harbour in U.S.), Navy Pier, Chicago, and
Bufalo Bayou, Texas.
The consultants will identify the best locations along the
river and carry out technical and financial feasibility of the
ferry services.
As many as 31 persons were injured, 12 of them seriously,
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

in a minor stampede at Malikappuram at Sabarimala
Sannidhanam on the eve of the annual Mandalam festival.
The stampede occurred immediately after the deep-aradhana
at the hill shrine around 6.40 p.m. when an iron railing
collapsed as a huge crowd of devotees on the northern side
of the Lower Tirumuttom near Malikappuram.
It had been waiting for about seven hours to enter the
Ayyappa Temple premises (Tirumuttom) through the
Northern Gate, surged forward.
-- - -- - -
- - -
The time has come for criminal justice system to mould a
survivor-centric approach in dealing with cases of sexual
violence, especially for victims of child abuse for whom the
trauma will scar them for life, the Supreme Court observed.
A Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and A.M. Sapre said the
criminal justice system needed significant reforms to
institutionalise a more sympathetic approach in which the
sexual abuse survivor was the focus.
The court was restoring the conviction of a man found guilty
of raping his nine-year old niece in 2009. He was sent to jail
for 12 years. The court found, in this case, positive proof and
a credible sequence of events linking the man to the crime.
The verdict, based on the appeal filed by the HP govt,
dismissed the defence's argument that there was a delay in
filing the FIR in the rape case, which they claimed was
fabricated.
Moreover, it added that a decision to lodge FIR be-comes
more difficult and harder when the accused happens to be a
family member.
Justices Sikri and Sapre also observed that in many cases
rape by family members was not reported to the police by
the victim or her immediate family, fearing social stigma.
- Section 377 In a ray of hope for the LGBT community, the
The year 2016 has been marked by the hostile interface
between the judiciary and the government like never before
over delay in judicial appointments.
The genesis of this often overt hostility between the two
constitutional branches of governance in the world's largest
democracy started towards the fag end of 2015 with the
Supreme Court striking down the NDA government's NJAC
laws.
The year started on a confident note for the judiciary with
Chief Justice Thakur declaring it to be the Year of
Appointments', thus making his intention clear to fill the
hundreds of judicial vacancies kept on freeze owing to the
NJAC litigation.
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But in April, the world saw an unprecedented sight when an
emotional Chief Justice Thakur, during a public function
attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accused the
government of stalling judicial appointments.
This was the first of the several abrasive and very public
encounters the judiciary and the government would have
inside and outside the courtroom.
The year also saw a number of important judgments and
timely interventions, especially when it had compelled the
Centre to conduct a floor test in the Uttarakhand Legislative
Assembly following the declaration of President's rule.
Its intervention had followed a Constitution Bench decision
upholding the independence of the Legislative Speaker by
quashing the Arunachal Pradesh Governor's decision to
advance the Assembly hearing.
Tax on goods A Constitution Bench, in a majority 7-2
verdict, also up-held the validity of States to tax goods
entering their territories, saying State governments are well
within their rights to design their fiscal legislation.
The interventions made by the court crossed all sections of
the society, from banning liquor vends on highways; to
ordering people to stand up for the National Anthem at
cinema halls to show respect; to whether on-line jokes about
Sikhs was a slur on the community; to questioning the
governments resolve to bring the Kohinoor diamond.
Sports also saw the impact of judicial intervention when the
apex court ruled in favour of millions of cricket lovers in
the sub-continent by supporting the Justice R.M. Lodha
Committee re-commendations to usher in transparency
within the BCCI.
Review petitions of the Board against the ruling were
dismissed. The court further revived the single-window
NEET exam for admissions to undergraduate medical and
dental courses.
Supreme Court agreed to have a back-to-roots and in-depth
hearing of their legal struggle against the criminalisation of
consensual sexual acts under Section 377 of the Indian Penal
Code.
The court took an unprecedented step to test whether
practices like nikahhalala, triple talaq and poly-gamy
amounted to discrimination against Muslim women.
While its intervention led to Mumbai's Haji Ali dar-gah
authorities to modify their rules and allow women devotees
equal access like men, the court is hearing the ban on women
of a certain age group from entering the famous Sabarimala
shrine in Kerala.
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 Gist of NCERT Study Kit For UPSC Exams
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750+ Pages
Total Booklets: 7
The Gist of NCERT History(Old)
The Gist of NCERT Indian Polity(Old)
The Gist of NCERT Geography(Old)
The Gist of NCERT General Science(Old)
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-- -- - Whether it is an individual, an organisation or a political
The Election Commission of India has given a mixed
response to the Supreme Court on providing absentee voting
rights, like electronic voting and proxy voting, to over 300
million domestic migrants in the country.
ECI says there is no foolproof mechanism to verify their
identity and block duplicity.
The top poll body had last year set up a committee to study
the possibility of amending the electoral law to empower
voters who have migrated to other States within the country.
It said there was no reliable information or documentation
on the number of domestic mi-grants in the country.
The last one on them is the 15-year-old 2001 Census data
of 314.5 million.
Any provision of absentee voting rights to the loosely
defined term domestic migrants would become a logistical
nightmare for the Commission, that is, for ex-ample, they
are so spread out that an election in one Assembly
constituency would mean electoral arrangements in 4,120
Assembly constituencies.
Besides, enforcement of Model Code of Conduct would
suffer and the concept of level playing field would get
defeated with national parties having an advantage over
State parties.
The Commission, how-ever, did not totally negate the idea
of providing domestic migrants with absentee voting rights.
Commission says it might be extended only to a small subset
of migrants who formed an identifiable and countable class
of electors not delinked from their present place of
registration and only temporarily ab-sent from their place
of ordinary residence.
-- - ---
--
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said there had
been a 200-300 per cent increase in cashless trade in the past
few days, and and promised in-come tax rebates for
businessmen who adopted Digital transactions.
In his monthly radio broadcast, Mann ki Baat, Mr. Modi
underlined that political parties were not above the law of
the land, saying he had wanted to discuss political parties
and political funding in Parliament.
Mr. Modi said: It was my earnest wish that the ongoing
campaign against corruption and black money, including the
realm of political parties and political funding, be discussed
extensively inParliament. Had the House functioned
properly, there would have been comprehensive
deliberation.
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party, everyone has to abide by law. People who cannot
endorse corruption and black money openly resort to
searching for faults of the government relentlessly.
Modi also talked about the Benami Property law that came
into being in 1988, but neither its rules were framed, nor was
it notified; it had remained dormant for years.
--- -
The government will not shy away from difficult decisions
such as demonetisation, PM said brushing aside criticism by
saying it was an acknowledgement of the rapid pace of
growth and development under the NDA 's watch.
The Prime Minister's re-marks assume significance
following a spurt in criticismof the Centre's demonetisation
policy, particularly from leading global publications such as
The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes.
Mr. Modi also assured the nation that the pain of the honest
Indian would ease at the end of the 50-day period after the
demonetisation drive and problems of the corrupt would
increase.
The Prime Minister said the country was ready and with him
to take the battle against corruption and black money to a
decisive end. Mr. Modi urged the corrupt to come back to
the fold of normal life and lead a life of peace and dignity.
Dismissing criticism, Mr. Modi said that while developed
as well as emerging markets were facing a slow-down, India
remains a bright spot and its growth is projected to remain
among the highest in the world.
- -
The Chief of the Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh, reviewed
the security situation in strife-torn Manipur during a visit to
North-east India.
Gen. Singh was informed about the volatile situation in the
State in the wake of a pro-longed economic blockade
enforced by the United Naga Council, throwing life out of
gear.
The blockade is in protest against the State governments
decision to create new districts.
Gen. Singh., who demits office at the end of December,
visited Assam to review the security situation.
Mr. Rijiju assured Chief Minister OkramIbobi Singh that all
possible assistance will be extended to Manipur.
The Minister said 150 companies of Central police forces
had been deployed in the State to maintain law and order
and another seven additional companies were be-ing sent.
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-- - - be-ing framed in legal language and placed before the States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dis-missed criticism of the
de-monetisation decision. Pointing to the progress made
under the present government, he said, To see how far we
have travelled, you should look back to 2012-13.
The fiscal deficit had reached alarming levels, the currency
was falling sharply, inflation was high as was the current
account deficit and confidence was low In less than three
years, this government has trans-formed the economy.
Record foreign direct in-vestment flows are being registered
as a result of policies pursued by the present government,
including the new legally backed monetary policy
framework with an inflation target and the GST.
Prime Minister said the previous governments for 70 years
ignored the politics of development, which only caused
distress and pain to crores of Indians.
Citing his government's decisions on giving speedy pension,
subsidised medicine, and power supply to lakhs of villages,
Mr. Modi said history of India will not forget those who
wasted time previous 70 years of In-dependence without
doing any anything.
- Rajya Sabha Select Committee on May 31. Since it was to
- expire on August 28,
The government think tank NITI Aayog rolled out a
Performance on Health Outcomes' index that will rank
various States on the basis of their performance on
measurable health indicators.
The index has been developed over several months, with
inputs from domestic and international experts, including
academicians and development partners as well as feedback
from States. The indicators in the index have been pre-tested
in two States.
This initiative is envisioned to bring about the much required
improvements in social sector out-comes, which have not
kept pace with the economic growth in this country.
The health index will assist in State-level monitoring of
performance, serve as an input for providing performance-
based incentives and improvement in health outcomes.
- - - These aspects have emerged as the authorities, belonging to
The Goods and Ser-vices Tax Council has moved a
significant step closer to finalising the draft CGST and SGST
laws that must be passed in Parliament along with two
other laws to bring the GST into implementation.
The Council will meet again on January 3 and 4 to discuss
the contentious issue of cross-empowerment, the only major
issue that is lack-ing consensus.
At the next meeting, the CGST and SGST laws would be
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Regarding the compensationlaw, a few issues were left to
be settled, such as the source of the compensation fund.
Compensation to States for the loss of revenue, if any, from
the GST rollout, would be paid every two months.
The most contentious issue of dual control' or cross
empowerment' is to be discussed in the next meeting in early
January. If there is an agreement on the issue, then GST laws
can be passed in the budget session.
- --
The ordinance to amend the 50-year-old Enemy Property Act
was promulgated for the fifth time, albeit with some
reservations being ex-pressed by President Pranab
Mukherjee on why the govt has been unable to clear the Bill
in Parliament.
The ordinance was pro-claimed, for the first time, on January
7 this year. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on March 9 but
was subsequently referred to the Select Committee of the
Rajya Sabha.
It was re-promulgated for the second time on April 2 and a
third time incorporat-ing the amendments sugges-ted by the
The Amendment Bill aims to make changes to the Enemy
Property Act to guard against claims of succession or transfer
of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan and
China after wars.
Enemy property refers to any property belonging to, held
or managed on behalf of an enemy, an enemy subject or an
enemy firm.
The government has vested these properties in the Custodian
of Enemy Property for India, under the Act in 1968, an office
instituted under the Central government.
- -
The much-awaited northeast monsoon, accounting for about
50 per cent of the annual rainfall of Tamil Nadu, is not likely
to set in early. Also, the State is likely to experience around
40 cm rainfall in the next three months.
both the Central and State governments, are making
preparations to face any contingency once the monsoon
arrives and the State starts feeling the full force of the season.
The normal date of onset of the monsoon is October 20, with
a deviation of plus or minus seven days. The withdrawal
process of the southwest monsoon is happening only now.
Field officials have been advised to take action against
encroachments, which are in the nature of permanent
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 http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses

structures, on water courses and bodies. - - -

- --
-
- The Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
suffered the worst damage in the recent surgical strikes on
India is getting ready to deploy an indigenously developed
terror launchpads carried out by the Indian Army. Radio
rover on the lunar surface for on-site analysis of various
intercepts indicate that nearly 20 militants of the banned
samples and relay them to the earth station.
outfit were killed.
Chandrayaan-II Mission includes launching of lunar
The assessment reports available fromthe Armys field units,
explorations by geosynchronous launch vehicles (GSLV
show that the most damage was inflicted on the LeT at the
Mk-II) with clinical precision.
Dudniyal launchpad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, opposite
The wheeled rover would be useful in using multiple
the Kupwara sector in north Kashmir.
applications by collecting soil and rock sediments for on-
The sources said that five teams chosen from the Army
site analysis and transmitting the findings to the earth station.
division in the area were tasked with destroying the launch
ISRO has also taken up ambitious programme to build
pads of terror groups located at Kail, also known as Kel, and
vehicles with cryogenic engines with bigger capacity than
Dudniyal.
GSLV, Mr. Ranganathan, who came here to take part along
In a well-calibrated operation, which started on the
with other scientists in World Space Week celebrations, said.
intervening night of September 28 and 29, the Army moved
India was ahead of other countries in space technology by
across the Line of Control and smashed four launch pads that
continuously test-firing and deploying satellites of various
were under the guard of a Pakistani post 700 metres from
types and configurations for use for communication and
the Line of Control.
other applications.
The sources said the terrorists were not expecting an action
LMV3, a full-fledged vehicle will be launched in the first
by the Indian Army and were taken by surprise. The
half of 2017. The heavy launch capability launcher would
terrorists, mainly of the LeT, were seen running towards the
enable ISROs self-reliance in launching of satellites. It will
Pakistani post, and they were killed by the Indian troops, the
send four tonne class geosynchronous satellites into the
assessment reports say.
orbit.
Pakistani Armys radio intercepts indicated that at least 10
- - - -- LeT terrorists were killed during the multiple and near-
- synchronised surgical strikes on four launchpads.
Defence Ministry has issued a Request For Information There was heavy movement of Pakistani Army vehicles till
(RFI) to global aircraft manufacturers, formally starting the the break of dawn, and all the bodies were taken away. As
process to select yet another fighter to be built in India under per the radio intercepts, there was a mass burial in the
technology transfer. Neelum valley.
RFI for a single-engine fighter to be manufactured in India A similar blow was dealt to the terror launchpads at Balnoi,
with extensive technology transfer was issued this week to opposite Poonch, in which nine LeT militants were killed,
countries involved in fighter aircraft manufacture. Based on the sources said. Two Pakistani soldiers belonging to 8
the responses, a detailed RFP (Request for Proposal) would Northern Light Infantry were also killed.
be issued later. There were intelligence reports that terrorists were planning
Last month, India and France concluded a government-to- to enter India through Kashmir and Jammu. The Army
government deal worth 7.87-billion deal for 36 Rafale waited for the terrorists to gather at one place before
multi-role jets in flyaway condition. launching the attack.
The selected aircraft is expected to replace the large number - - -
of MiG-21s in service, which will be phased out over the
next few years.
In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court has widened the
Boeing and Lockheed Martin of the U.S. and SAAB of
scope of the Domestic Violence Act by ordering deletion of
Sweden have already submitted detailed proposals to
the words adult male from it.
manufacture their F-18, F-16 and Gripen jets respectively
It paved the way for prosecution of women and even non-
in India under the Make in India initiative.
adults for subjecting a woman relative to violence and
harassment.

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The apex court has ordered striking down of the two words
fromSection 2(q) of the Domestic Violence Act, which deals
with respondents who can be sued and prosecuted under the
Act for harassing a married woman in her matrimonial home.
Apex court said the microscopic difference between male
and female, adult and non-adult, regard being had to the
object sought to be achieved by the 2005 Act, is neither real
or substantial, nor does it have any rational relation to the
object of the legislation.
The remaining part of the legislation had been kept
untouched and would remain operative.
- - alluding to the social evils and parochial practices in the
- -- country.
A new study brings in first conclusive evidence of the role
played by Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) in reducing
socioeconomic disparities existing in maternal care.
The JSY was launched in 2005 as part of the National Rural
Health Mission (NRHM) to improve maternal and neonatal
health by promotion of institutional deliveries.
According to a working paper JSY has led to an
enhancement in the utilisation of health services among all
groups especially among the poorer and underserved
sections in the rural areas, thereby reducing the prevalent
disparities in maternal care.
While previous studies had shown the impact of JSY in
reducing maternal mortality, it was not known if it had
reduced socioeconomic inequalities differences in access
to maternal care between individual people of higher or
lower socioeconomic status.
Three key services of maternal care were used for the
analysis: full antenatal care (full ANC), safe delivery, and
postnatal care.
There were three major findings. First, the increase in
utilisation of all three maternal healthcare services between
the two rounds was remarkably higher among illiterate or
less educated and poor women.
Secondly, the usage of all three maternal healthcare services
by the OBC, Dalit, Adivasis and Muslim women increased
between the surveys. The study found that after the
implementation of the JSY, there was generally a narrowing
of the gap between the less educated and more educated
women and between the poorer and richer women.
It was found in the survey that women in their early 20s were
more likely to avail of all three maternal health care services
as compared to their older women.
Also, the incidence of women availing maternal healthcare
decreases with the increase in the number of children. High
incidence of maternal mortality continue to plague India.
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As per the latest Lancet series on maternal health, India
accounted for 15 per cent of the total maternal deaths in the
world in 2015 second only to Nigeria with 45,000
women dying during pregnancy or childbirth.
- - -
Equating the fight against terrorism to the slaying of Ravan
by Ram in the epic Ramayana, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on the occasion of Vijayadashami urged all forces of
humanity to unite against terrorism, an enemy of
humanity.
He also urged people to annihilate the Ravan within us,
On every Dussehra, the nation and people must assess the
social evils they have eliminated, Mr. Modi said, addressing
the Ramlila function at Aishbagh.
There was a need to not just uproot terrorists but those
giving them refuge and support must also not be
forgiven, the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Modi became the first premier to celebrate Ramlila
outside Delhi, provoking opposition parties to accuse the
BJP of politicising the festival in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
War may be necessary in certain circumstances and time, but
this lands path is not of yudh but of Buddh, he said. He
stressed that Buddhas path remained the countrys
destination.
Mr. Modi also used motif of Sitas honour to push through
the idea of protecting the girl child.
He urged people to take inspiration from the message of
Vijayadashmi and end all social evils, which he said existed
as different forms and scattered pieces of Ravan in modern
life.
While burning Ravan we must also resolve to end all our
social evils in a similar fashion. The Ravan within us must
be destroyed.
We must eliminate our top 10 faults, all those things which
bring down our lives; bad thoughts and ideas, and
misconduct, Mr. Modi said, listing casteism, communalism,
illiteracy, corruption, illiteracy and superstition, as some of
the issues haunting the nation.
- - -- --
- -
Indias ties with Russia are likely to be affected if Moscow
continues to expand military relations with Islamabad.
Criticising Pakistan-Russia ties.
Indian Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran warned of
problems ahead in bilateral ties, even as both sides planned
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

a major summit on the sidelines of the upcoming Goa BRICS
summit.
Mr. Sarans comments mark the third occasion in less than
a month when India officially conveyed unhappiness over
the growing Pakistan-Russia ties after both countries held
the first ever joint military exercise in Pakistans northwest.
India had expressed concern over the exercise with Pakistan
during the 22nd India-Russia Inter-Governmental
Commission (IRGC) that was held on September 13.
India is likely to take up the issue of terrorism at the BRICS
summit, pushing the case for an international counter-terror
convention.
However, Russian government think tank sources indicated
that Russia may not be on the same page with India on
Pakistan.
-- - process.
Thousands of Amur falcons, small birds of prey that
undertake one of the longest migrations, started arriving on
October 7 in Wokha district in Nagaland and Tamenglong
district of Manipur.
Most bird catchers have turned bird lovers, and the species
is recognised as friends of the tribals. The falcons eat various
insects, thus helping farmers.
The turnaround is a radical change from the past, when
hundreds of trussed up Amur falcons would be on sale in
village markets and towns, while some would be sold fried
or smoked.
At just 150 grams, an Amur falcon, Falco amurensis is a
small bird, the male mostly grey in colour, and the females
having dark-streaked cream or orange underparts.
The species flies non-stop from Mongolia to northeast India
covering 5,600 km in five days and nights, a small part of
its 22,000 km circular migratory journey.
In Tamenglong, the tribals see the falcons as messengers of
god, their arrival indicating a good year and a bountiful
harvest.
China has also raised concerns over Washington and Seouls
decision this summer to install a THAAD missile defence
system in South Korea in response to growing worries about
its northern neighbour's nuclear programme.
-- - - -- -
The U.S. empathises with Indias position that it needs to
militarily respond to cross-border terrorism.
But given the history of wars between Indian and Pakistan
and the heavily militarised character of the region, both sides
must show restraint and caution, a senior White House
official said on Wednesday.
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Senior Director for South Asia at the National Security
Council said: It [Uri] was a clear case of cross-border
terrorism. We condemn this act of terrorism. It was a horrific
attack.
Every country has a right to self-defence. But in a heavily
militarised relationship that has also experienced three wars,
there is indeed a need for caution and restraint.
We share with India, the concern. for preventing any
future attack. We empathise with the Indian position that it
needs to respond militarily to cross border threat of
terrorism. But we also advise caution.
- -
Deterrence in terms of national cyber security is a big
challenge the world over, given that identification of the
sources from where the threats emanate is a time-consuming
It can be difficult to find an attribution to a cyber attack: was
it a foreign state, an individual or an activist group? It is a
tricky issue.
The perpetrators could be operating from different foreign
jurisdictions, hiding behind multiple levels of disguise in the
cyber space.
In the recent past, Indian government agencies and
corporates have come under cyber attacks on multiple
occasions.
This May, two cyber security firms claimed to have
identified espionage groups that targeted computer systems
in government agencies and e-commerce businesses.
There are largely three sources of cyber threats to corporates:
state-sponsored; criminals out to extort money; and activist
groups which believe that a particular corporates activities
undermine their cause.
Through ransomware, which is increasingly becoming
sophisticated in terms of technology, criminals block access
of corporates to their own data stored in servers and demand
ransom to release it.
The cyber expert said law enforcement agencies are often
able to identify the sources of such threats, which are usually
located abroad, but in many cases certain foreign
jurisdictions do not show much interest in taking action
against perpetrators.
Centre has brought final draft of the National Water
Framework Bill, 2016, that stresses managing water at basin-
level and right measurement of States contribution to river
system to resolve conflicts.
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The draft Bill pitches for establishing River Basin Authority
for each inter-State basin to ensure optimum and
sustainable development of rivers and valleys.
The Bill is expected to be placed before the Union Cabinet
for its approval in a month, before it is tabled in Parliament.
It suggests States to recognise the principle that the rivers
are not owned by the basin-States but are public trustees.
It says all basin States have equitable rights over a river
water provided such use does not violate the right to water
for life of any person in the river basin.
The draft Bill says every person has a right to sufficient
quantity of safe water for life within easy reach of the
household regardless of caste, creed, religion, age,
community, class, gender, disability, economic status, land
ownership and place of residence.
Describing the draft Bill as comprehensive one, he said
the model law also stresses on Centre and States working
in partnership for managing water.
It proposes establishing institutional arrangements at all
levels within a State and beyond up to an inter-State river
basin level to obviate disputes through negotiations,
conciliation or mediation before they become acute.
Water being a State subject, the Bill, however, will not be
binding on States for adoption.
- - government for allegedly trying to distract attention from its
failures by raising the issue of UCC.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB),
along with several other organisations associated with the
Muslim community, has opposed the Law Commissions
questionnaire on the possibility of a Uniform Civil Code
(UCC).
Announcing that they would boycott the entire exercise, the
organisations accused the NDA government of threatening
the pluralistic fabric of India.
AIMPLB general secretary Wali Rehmani, Jamiat Ulema-
e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani and
representatives of other bodies addressed a press conference
where the announcement was made.
The Board suggested the Centres affidavit in the Supreme
Court last week rejecting the validity of the triple talaq was
an underhand means to impose a UCC in India.
- - inauguration of the Shaurya Smarak (memorial to valour)
here, he hailed the role of the armed forces and their spirit
Singer and songwriter Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Literature for having created new poetic
expressions within the great American song tradition, in the
words of the Swedish Academy.
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He is the first American to win the prize since novelist Toni
Morrison, in 1993.
Dylan was born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, and
grew up in Hibbing.
Dylan joins a number of American Jews who have been
awarded the literature Nobel.
However, unlike him, they were all born abroad: Saul
Bellow, born in Canada, won in 1976; Isaac Bashevis Singer,
who was born in Poland and wrote in Yiddish, won in 1978;
Joseph Brodsky, born in the Soviet Union, won in 1987.
- - -
-
The government asked the All India Muslim Personal Law
Board (AIMPLB) and certain other Muslim organisations
to reconsider their decision to boycott the Law
Commissions consultation on triple talaq and the Uniform
Civil Code (UCC).
At the same time it sharply criticised the AIMPLB for
targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
Mr. Naidu asked that the case against triple talaq now under
way in the Supreme Court not be mixed up with the efforts
of the Law Commission for a UCC.
The AIMPLB, while announcing the decision to boycott the
Law Commissions consultation, had criticised the Modi
Minister for MinorityAffairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the
question of a UCC or even invalidation of triple talaq were
not matters pertaining to faith but rituals and customs.
- - -
-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Army would never
forgive the country if it was found sleeping when it
should be awake, in comments that come against the
backdrop of the recent surgical strikes.
He asserted that the Army did not believe in speaking but
in displaying its valour.
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. We have to keep
alert always. It will be injustice to the Army if we sleep away
when we have to be awake, he said without elaborating.
Addressing ex-servicemen and their families at the
of sacrifice in adverse situations.
Mr. Modi said the country had never waged a war to capture
another country. But if it comes to fighting for values and
ideals, India is never found wanting, he said.
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Lauding the valour and humanity of the armed forces, he
referred to their relief and rescue operations in Srinagar
during the floods two years ago despite the violence they
faced from the stone-pelting mobs.
-- - - reached new lows: with Chinas CPEC clinch with Pakistan
India and Russia put up an emphatic display of deep bilateral
ties, setting aside recent discord, and came out strongly
against terror.
Both sides signed 16 important deals including one on S-
400 missile systems, a game-changer in countering airborne
threats.
Defence production and acquisition agreements were
announced after the summit between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin.
Apart fromthe Inter Governmental Agreement on the missile
system worth nearly Rs 39,000 crore Russia also
agreed to sell Kamov 226T helicopters and four Krivak class
stealth frigates to India.
The Kamov 226T helicopters will be manufactured by
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Rostec State
Corporation of Russia under a joint production plan.
In his statement, President Vladimir Putin highlighted
Russias stable approach to ties with India and said his
government will ensure steady energy cooperation with
India to support the expanding Indian economy.
Sometimes differences appear in some projects over a
period due to currency devaluation. But we commit to
maintain a steady approach to bilateral projects with India,
said President Putin
He also added, we are working on joint development of
Sukhoi super jets and passenger aircraft.
but has floundered since then for lack of funding.
When leaders of countries that make up half the worlds
population and nearly a quarter of global GDP ($17 trillion
combined) gather, it is a display of muscle that the world is
bound to watch.
Yet, despite the power-packed photo opportunities at Goa
this year, there are several reasons to believe that the BRICS
forum, once comprising the worlds fastest growing
economies, is running out of steam.
The slump in oil prices has affected Russia and Brazils
growth stories, and Russia has paid heavily for western
sanctions over Ukraine.
Chinese manufacturing saw its weakest growth in years,
while India, the worlds fastest growing economy, has faced
a contraction in IIP figures.
The South African Finance Minister said his economy was
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in a crisis this year, with revised growth estimates falling
below 1 per cent, and 26 per cent unemployment, fuelling
violent protests.
Meanwhile, bilateral ties between India and China have
and Indias shift to the U.S. strategic corner on the South
China Sea.
Russias shift away from an exclusive relationship with
India, an ambivalence on defence ties with Pakistan
consistent with its new dependence on China is another
factor that is loosening some of the mortar between the
BRICS countries.
Brazil and South Africa are also known to have reservations
on Indias bid for the NSG membership.
The Modi government has made it clear that it wants to see
strong language on terrorism, with specific references to
cross-border terror, safe havens, funding and sponsorship of
terror groups, that China may seek to temper on behalf of
Pakistan.
Russia would like the full backing of BRICS for its actions
in Syria, which India and Brazils new pro-U.S. government
may resist.
And China would like all BRICS countries to express
support on the South China Sea, which India may find
difficult to do.
Given all the stresses and strains on the structure of BRICS,
the sunny spot for India as a host may come from the
BIMSTEC outreach instead.
The seven-nation grouping of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Sri Lanka, Thailand, was founded in 1997 as BISTEC, and
then refurbished as the Bay of Bengal initiative for multi-
sectoral technical and economic cooperation (BIMSTEC),
It did not even have an office, and meetings were held at the
Thai Foreign Ministry in Bangkok until it was given
headquarters in Dhaka in 2011 and a secretary-general, Sri
Lankan diplomat SumithNakandala, in 2014.
In the past few months, the grouping has shown a coherence
that is leading to projects on connectivity, infrastructure and
sharing resources, both inter-regionally and bilaterally.
Indias Act East policy is spurring the government to
extend the Trilateral highway project all the way to
Cambodia.
- --
-
Amid the spiralling prices of pulses, the Centre decided to
sell pigeon pea (tur) and black gram (urad) at Rs. 120 per
kg through the National Cooperative Consumers Federation
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of India (NCCF) via mobile vans in Delhi.
The decision to sell pulses through the NCCF was taken at
an inter-ministerial review meeting held here that reviewed
the prices of essential commodities and discussed measures
to ensure availability of these commodities at reasonable
prices.
The government said that as on June 13, 2016, the
procurement of Rabi pulses had reached 64,000 tonnes.
Together with the earlier procurement of 51,000 tonnes of
the Kharif season, the total domestic procurement by
government agencies had reached 1,15,000 tonnes.
The Centre has also ordered further import of 12,500 tonnes
of pulses for buffer stocks, which include 10,000 tonnes of
masur and 2,500 tonnes of urad.
- --
-- appointment of eight Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and
Barring the key Producer State of Tamil Nadu, virtually all
others have supported the Goods & Services Tax (GST),
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
Virtually all the States have supported the idea of GST today
barring Tamil Nadu which has expressed some reservations.
Tamil Nadu has offered a few suggestions which have been
noted by the committee.
Mr. Jaitley also said that the States had rejected the provision
for a constitutional cap on the GST rate, one of the three
demands of the Congress for supporting, in the Rajya Sabha.
As a constitutional body, it would impinge on the
legislative sovereignty of both Parliament and the State
Legislatures and jeopardise the fiscal autonomy of States.
Mr. Jaitley also said that there was no deadline for the
implementation of the GST.
Earlier, after the passage of the Constitutional
(122{+n}{+d}) Amendment Bill in May 2015 in the Lok
Sabha, the Government had said that it was trying to roll out
the single-tax regime from April 1, 2016.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa met Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and submitted a 29-point memorandum,
detailing several demands of the State.
Among the demands of Ms. Jayalalithaa were the formation
of a Cauvery Management Board and a Cauvery Water
Regulation Committee, restoration of water level at
Mullaperiyar to 152 feet and interlinking of rivers.
--
Delhi is not the only State where the post of Parliamentary
Secretary has been challenged.
Various High Court judgments in the past have deemed the
appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries unconstitutional
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and have ruled against such appointments.
Various petitions in the High Court have challenged the
appointment of Parliament Secretary.
Petition argue that the post is in contradiction to Article 164
(1A) of the Constitution which provides for limiting the
number of Ministers in the State Cabinets to 15 per cent of
the total number of members of the State Legislative
Assembly.
Because a Parliament Secretary often holds the rank of
Minister of State, the Calcutta High Court, in June 2015,
quashed the appointment of 24 Parliamentary Secretaries in
West Bengal dubbing it unconstitutional.
Similar action was taken by the Bombay High Court in 2009
for the appointment of two Parliamentary Secretaries in Goa
and by the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2005 for the
four Parliamentary Secretaries in the State.
The number of Cabinet Ministers in Delhi cannot exceed 10
per cent of the total 70 seats that is seven as per Article
239(A) of Constitution. As of now, only one Parliamentary
Secretary to the Chief Minister is authorised.
Office of profit is not defined in the Constitution. However,
in past judgments, the Election Commission has noted what
constitutes an office of profit under the Government is now
well established by a catena of judgments of the Supreme
Court.
Five tests have been laid down: (i) whether the government
makes the appointment; (ii) whether the government has the
right to remove or dismiss the holder; (iii) whether the
government pays remuneration; (iv) what the functions of
the holder are; and (v) does the government exercise any
control over the performance of these functions.
-
The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Central
Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue an Acertificate
to the movie Udta Punjab (Punjab on a High) with the
deletion of one scene and a modified disclaimer.
The Court ordered the CBFC to certify the movie within 48
hours, enabling its release on schedule on June 17.
A Division Bench of Justices said, We do not find anything
in the script that affects the sovereignty and integrity of the
Nation.
While dictating the strongly-worded order, the court said,
The power to exercise deletions and cuts should be
consistent and in consonance with provisions of the
Constitution and directions of the Supreme Court.
The court said, It is undisputed that the CBFC possesses
powers to call for cuts, changes, deletions in a movie while
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 http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses

certifying it. However, in the present case, the CBFC- comments.

imposed restrictions were not correct.
-- -
The movie has to be seen as a whole and it is not permissible
to take the characters, scenes and songs out of context. To bridge the demand-supply gap and maintain stability in
prices of pulses, the Union government is planning a
After dictating the order, the Bench said, There are so many
government-to-government contract, said Union Minister
litigants awaiting justice. This is hardly a cause to be brought
for Food and Public Distribution.
before the court, let alone the highest court of the State.
Addressing presspersons, Mr. Paswan said the Centre had
- --- - - worked out a strategy to import pulses to mitigate the
shortage and maintain price stability.
A fresh transgression by Chinese troops into Indian territory This year, there will be a demand supply gap of over 76 lakh
has come to light. The incident happened on June 9 at tonnes.
Yangtse which is located 25-30 km east of Bum La pass in While private importers will be able to import only 60 lakh,
western Arunachal Pradesh. the Centre is planning to have a government-to-government
According to official sources, about 250 Chinese troops had contract to procure the remaining quantity to meet the
crossed into the Indian side on the Line of Actual Control demand.
(LAC) and went back in a few hours.
-
This happens regularly due to differences in perception on -
the boundary and after claiming that the area belongs to
China, troops tend to go back. Back from his visits to Washington, Geneva and Mexico City
to lobby for Indias entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group,
The incident coincides with Indias efforts at securing
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now asking Russia for help
membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which
with the countries still holding out.
China has openly opposed citing Indias non-accession to
the Non-Proliferation Treaty. He is scheduled to meet with President Vladmir Putin and
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO summit later this
In March, Chinese troops had entered Indian territory in
month.
Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir.
The outreach is particularly important as China continues
On March 8, Chinese troops had entered almost 6 km deep
to maintain that NSG members remain divided on the issue
inside Indian territory near the Pangong lake in Ladakh.
of membership, claiming that many countries within the
- - -- - - group share Chinas stance.
- Officials expect a final decision may not come till the eve
President Pranab Mukherjee has refused to give assent to a of the NSG meeting in South Korea on June 24, when the
legislation that protects 21 party MLAs, who have been Prime Minister is expected to meet Mr. Xi at the SCO in
appointed Parliamentary Secretaries and face the prospect Tashkent.
of disqualification.
-
Petitions have been filed with the President seeking
disqualification of these MLAs on the ground that they
At least 50 people were killed by a gunman at a gay night
occupied office of profit, violating constitutional provisions.
club in Orlando, Florida, in the worst mass shooting incident
Acting as a quasi judicial body, the Election Commission,
in the U.S.
to whom the President referred the issue, had sought replies
The shooter, Omar Mateen, an American citizen of Afghan
of the MLAs.
origin, used to live in Ft. Pierce, Florida, and was killed in
The Delhi Government had sought an amendment to the
the police operation that followed.
Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of
The 29-year-old may have been a radicalised Islamist and
Disqualification) Act, 1997.
the investigation will probe that angle too, according to the
Through the Bill, the AAP government wanted
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
retrospective exemption for the parliamentary secretaries
President Barack Obama termed the shooting an act of
from disqualification provisions. terror and an act of hate. Speaking at the White House,
The Bill was forwarded by Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung to the Mr. Obama said its a sobering reminder that an attack
Centre which, in turn, sent it to the President with its on any American is an attack on all of us.

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According to a report quoting investigators, the shooter
called the emergency helpline number 911 and pledged
allegiance to Islamic State chief Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
before starting the carnage.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting, the
Amaq news agency tied to the group reported. But thus far
there is no indication of a direct connection with the IS in
terms of training or instruction to carry out the attacks.
Omar Mateen was earlier investigated by the FBI for
suspected terror links. The targeted club being a known
gathering place of the LGBT community, a homophobia
angle too is suspected.
- - - --- Travel would prove to be costlier for the common man. So
The portends of a stormy monsoon session of Parliament and
a renewed push from the government for the passage of the
Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill have become stronger
after the BJP gained three extra seats.
The treasury benches are still short of numbers in the Rajya
Sabha, where the Opposition has managed to hold its own.
The party had full numbers for only nine of the 12 seats that
it won, but gained three seats (one each from Rajasthan,
Jharkhand and Haryana) by working on Independents and
non-Congress parties.
Party leaders and union ministers in Allahabad for the BJPs
national executive justified its aggressive poll strategy for
these extra seats.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said on several public
occasions, including a meeting with Japanese investors in
Osaka this month, that he was reasonably confident of
getting the constitutional amendment on GST through, since
every political party, including the Congress, favours the
GST.
He had also said that every other political party, from the
Janata Dal (U) to the Trinamool to the Left in West Bengal
and Kerala and the RJD in Bihar was in favour of the GST.
- in the State was won by Union Minister of State for
Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Union government has agreed to form committees to
suggest measures to mitigate the environmental fallout of
vehicular pollution in the country.
The committees will help the States and the Centre strike a
balance between their transport and environmental
requirements.
The National Green Tribunal had banned diesal vehicles
over 10 years from Kerala.
The Tribunal had also banned the State from registering
diesel powered vehicles having more than 2-litre engine
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capacity in Kerala. The Kerala High Court has since stayed
the orders.
As per the motor vehicles rules, the government had
collected advance tax for 15 years on all diesel vehicles
registered in the State since 2007.
The implementation of the NGT order to ban those over 10
years would entail repaying the owners an estimated Rs. 300
crore.
Moreover, the order would cripple the States transport
sector. More than 4,000 KSRTC buses and lakhs of private
vehicles would go off the roads. Movement of people and
goods would be negatively impacted.
would transport of goods.
The Centre required Kerala to shift more to CNG, biofuel
and electric hybrid powered motor vehicles in the long run.
-- -
For Rajya Sabha polls the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) help
the Congress win two seats one in Madhya Pradesh and
another in Uttarakhand.
In Uttar Pradesh, where elections were held for 11 seats, the
BJP won just one seat.
The victors in U.P. included party supremo Mulayam Singh
Yadavs one time alter ego Amar Singh and Beni Prasad
Verma, both of whom returned to the party recently, and
senior leader Reoti Raman Singh.
The Congresss Kapil Sibal also trounced the BJP-backed
independent socialite Preeti Mahapatra with the help of the
BSP.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJPs M.J. Akbar and Anil Dave
sailed through.
Earlier, 30 of the total 57 seats in the current round of
biennial elections to the Upper House were decided without
a contest.
In Karnataka, the Congress won three seats. The fourth seat
Rajasthan saw the BJPs Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu,
party Vice President Om Prakash Mathur, former RBI
official Ram Kumar Sharma and Harsh Vardhan Singh
emerge victorious.
The raw footage of the February 9 JNU event, on which a
sedition case was registered against JNUSU president and
two others, has been found to be authentic by the CBI
forensic lab.
The raw footage , obtained from a Hindi news channel, was
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sent to the CBI forensic lab here for examination along with
camera, memory card, a CD containing the clip, wires and
other equipment.
Earlier, Delhi police had sent four clips to the Gandhinagar-
based Central Forensic Science Laboratory which in its
report, in May, had said that they were genuine.
Police maintained that the FIR was registered on the basis
of the raw video footage, obtained from a news channel on
a CD, and not on the clippings that were aired on TV
channels.
public or local authorities.
In M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India and others case had
After hearing arguments for a day-and-half, the Bombay
High Court reserved its order for June 13 on the censorship
of Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab
Among the many suggestions made by the review committee
of the body are the removal of the signboard of Punjab in
the beginning of the movie and the use of expletives.
The court had asked how the integrity of the State would be
hit by pulling down just one signboard.
On the constant use of expletives in the film, the court told
the producers that you may not rely on expletives to show
the frustration of your character.
To which senior counsel Ravi Kadam, appearing for
Phantom Films, producer of Udta Punjab , said 34 films
made in the past had used expletives explicitly.
The court then said that maybe the board felt that they had
gone too far.
Discussing a scene where a character is shown scratching a
body part, the court said it need not be shown at all and could
be deleted.
After the court talked about a scene where actor Shahid
Kapoor is shown urinating before a crowd, the producers
agreed to remove it.
When the board went on to justify all the 13 cuts saying that
the film was meant for public exhibition, the court said that
if people dont like something they have a remote and that
the CBFC should only certify a film and not censor it.
The court also said if the movie was glorifying the use of
drugs, then it should be banned.
The film is scheduled for release on June 17 and deals with
the drug abuse in Punjab and the review committee of the
board said that the theme, presentation, language and
visuals of the film are not suitable for non-adults.
Bombay High Court to pass order on producers plea on June
13.
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-
Providing a respite to the Kerala State Road Transport
Corporation, (KSRTC), private bus operators and owners of
diesel vehicles of 2,000 cc and above, the Kerala High Court
stayed the directive of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Kochi Special Circuit Bench of the NGT banned diesel
vehicles older than 10 years in six cities in the State.
Justice P.B. Suresh Kumar had earlier stayed the tribunals
directive restraining the State government from registering
new diesel vehicles of 2000 cc and above except that of the
prohibited use of diesel vehicles of more than 15 years in
Delhi after granting the bus operators reasonable time to
replace their vehicles.
The court observed that a perusal of the apex court judgment
would indicate that the decision was rendered having regard
to the air pollution level in the national capital region of
Delhi.
The court also referred to the arguments of the counsel that
the air quality level in the State was far superior to that in
Delhi.
That apart, no data was available with the tribunal regarding
the air quality level prevailing in the six cites.
- -
-
As the two-day extraordinary session of the Nuclear
Suppliers Group discussing membership applications came
to a close, Indian negotiators are sensing a chance at working
with China to convince it of New Delhis qualifications to
enter the group.
The final decision is expected at the NSG annual plenary in
Seoul on June 24-25, when the 48 members must decide by
consensus on applications by India and Pakistan.
Sources said the two-day session saw several questions
raised by diplomats that indicated which way the countries
will stand, giving India a sense of whom they should target
in the next two weeks.
Among the other unconvinced countries are Turkey,
Kazakhstan and Ireland, while Mexico and Switzerland have
switched over to support India after Prime Minister Narendra
Modis visit to these countries.
- -
An official report, released by Union Road Transport and
Highways Minister, said 1.46 lakh people were killed in road
accidents in India in 2015 an increase of five per cent
from 2014.
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Road accidents as a whole rose 2.5 per cent during 2015 to
5.01 lakh or 1,374 accidents every day, claiming 400 lives,
the report said.
The report said a majority (54.1 per cent) of those killed in
road accidents during 2015 were in the age group of 15-34.
Thirteen States, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh,
accounted for the highest number of accidents.
Among cities, while Mumbai had the highest number of
accidents (23,468), Delhi saw the most number of deaths
(1,622) in road accidents.
Also, drivers fault was responsible for 77.1 per cent of the
accidents, deaths and injuries, mainly because of over-
speeding, the report noted.
Alarmed by rising road accidents, the Union Road Transport
and Highways Ministry has sent a Cabinet note for setting
up a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board
to advise the government on road safety standards and
guidelines.
still holding out.
-- Though NSG negotiations are held behind closed doors and
A technical committee of the Defence Ministry, which
comprises officials from Indian Air Force, Military
Intelligence, Navy, Army and Intelligence Bureau, had
unanimously opposed the service.
The main concern was security of sensitive defence
installations. The Defence Ministry said it was not possible
to monitor the service once it was launched and it would be
detrimental to national security.
The proposal was rejected in February itself, primarily amid
security concerns after the terror attack at the Pathankot
airbase on January 1-2.
Investigating agencies suspect that terrorists used Google
maps as they were aware of the airbases topography.
The Home Ministry recently uploaded the draft Geospatial
Information Regulation Bill 2016 for comments from the
public.
The Bill proposes jail term of seven years and a fine upto
Rs. 100 crore for wrongly depicting the map of India, a move
that is likely to hit Google and Microsoft.
In April 2015, Google representatives made a presentation
on Street View for the MHA.
They had told the officials then that the platform would be
useful for tourism and disaster management.
A formal proposal was submitted in July same year to shoot
images through high-end cameras and upload them on
Street View.
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In 2011, Google launched Street View as a pilot project in
some of the tourist sites like Qutub Minar, the Thanjavur
temple, the Varanasi riverbank, the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort,
Nalanda University etc. in partnership with the Tourism
Ministry.\
The service was launched in 2007 in the U.S. and has since
expanded to other parts of the world.
The Street View imagery has run into trouble in Germany,
Greece, Switzerland, Poland and the United Kingdom amid
privacy concerns and data protection issues.
-
Given Chinas public opposition to Indias entry into the elite
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), India has been working on
garnering support of other countries in the group to isolate
China.
Ahead of the plenary session that began in Vienna to
consider membership application Govt hopes for a domino
effect, where countries that support India influence the ones
a final decision is expected by consensus at the plenary
session in Seoul on June 24 and 25.
Reports from Vienna say Austria, Ireland, New Zealand,
South Africa and Austria are among countries still holding
out on India.
In particular, Pakistans application for membership, which
will also be taken up, is expected to queer the pitch.
- -- ---
--
Prime Minister Narendra Modi combined poetry, humour
and rhetoric to outline his vision for Indias partnership with
the U.S in the 21st century, addressing a joint session of the
U.S. Congress.
This was Mr. Modis first address and he became the fifth
Indian Prime Minister to address a joint session of the
Congress.
Mr Modi called for deepening U.S.- India security
cooperation to tackle global terrorism, based on a policy that
delinks religion from terrorism.
Effusive in his enthusiasm for Indias partnership with the
U.S in every sector of Indias forward march, I see the U.S
as an indispensable partner.
As we deepen our partnership, there would be times when
we would have differing perspectives. But since our interests
and concerns converge, the autonomy in decision-making
and diversity in our perspectives can only add value to our
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partnership, Mr. Modi said even as a section in the U.S.
capital.
With Pakistan in mind, PM Modi said that terrorism was
being "incubated in Indias neighbourhood, and pressed for
action without against groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba who
share the same philosophy of hate, murder and killings".
Mr. Modi said terrorism has to be fought with one voice
as he commended the American lawmakers for sending out
a clear message in refusing to reward those who preach
and practice terrorism for political gains.
Mr. Modi said India and the U.S. had overcome the
hesitations of history, and called for ever-stronger
economic and defence ties between the two countries.
- - - - There were already several genes available in various labs
- and stages of development, but the aim was that India not
In line with the decision taken last year, India has further
liberalised the visa regime for Chinese citizens.
India has already rolled out electronic tourist visa-on-arrival
facility for Chinese and more recently, removed the need for
prior approval for conference visas.
Conference visas are issued for seminars, workshops and
conferences organised by government departments, Union
ministries, public sector undertakings, central educational
institutions or public funded universities.
Earlier, China was bracketed withAfghanistan, Pakistan and
Iraq, foreigners of Pakistani origin and stateless persons
under the restricted category, requiring prior security
clearance from the intelligence agencies for obtaining a visa.
However, Beijing is yet to reciprocate to New Delhi demand
for a similar arrangement for its citizens.
The timing of the move is being seen as an attempt to soften
the atmosphere in the run-up to the meetings of the NSG in
Vienna.
- - - - U.S. government handed over the Chola age Sripuranthan
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared that
the monsoon had arrived over Kerala, a day later than its
forecast date of June 7.
Though it has been raining heavily in Kerala for well over
a week prompting private weather forecasters such as
Skymet, to declare that the monsoon set in on May 30
these rains have only qualified as pre monsoon showers.
The meteorological department has an elaborate set of
criteria to be fulfilled before it declares the onset of the
monsoon over Kerala.
After May 10, at least eight of 14 stations across Kerala and
Karnataka have to register at least 2.5 mm of rain, and
monsoon-bearing winds have to be at least of 30-40 kmph
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velocity and below 600 hPa (approximately upto 4.5km)
over the south Arabian Sea.
Another key parameter, the Outgoing Longwave Radiation
an indicator of convection has to be below 200 W/m2.
- -
The Union government is working to develop a suite of Bt
cotton genes that can be integrated into traditional varieties
and be made available to farmers as a viable alternative to
the current technology.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has for many
years unsuccessfully tried to develop Bt cotton, which
contains insecticidal genes sourced from a soil bacterium
and targeted at key cotton pests.
be dependent on foreign technology, said a top official
privy to the project but who did not want to be identified.
Agriculture Ministry mooting a change in the way seed
companies and seed-technology companies such as the
MMB share royalty, technology and determine the price as
which farmers buy cotton seed.
Different arms of government are split over whether seed
tech companies have the right to, or are obliged to license,
their technology to seed companies on request.
Cotton is the only genetically-modified seed thats legally
allowed in India.
Gm food crops such as brinjal and mustard, which are in
advanced stages of regulatory clearances, are yet to become
available to farmers due to stringent opposition by anti-GM
activist groups.
Historically multinational companies research budgets far
outweighed that of Indian research agencies.
-
Ganesha idol and 200 other stolen Indian artefacts to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
It was in 2013 that, an accountant in the shipping sector,
matched the photograph of the idol taken by the French
Institute at Puducherry (IFP) with that of an idol housed in
the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) in Ohio, U.S.
In the case of the Ganesha idol, Mr. Sundaresans tip off and
painstaking matching of pictures (showing at least 19
similarities between the idol in Toledo and the picture kept
by the IFP) were decisive in terms of establishing that the
art work was stolen.
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- - Clause 58 A empowers the Election Commission to cancel
polls only if there is an evidence of booth-capturing or use
The Union government is planning big for developing
Sabarimala into an international pilgrim centre.
The Centre will set up a joint committee comprising
representatives of the Union Ministries of Forest,
Environment and Climate Change, Water Resources,
Tourism, Railways, Road Transport, and Highways and
Shipping soon to study various aspects of the development,
The sacred grove of Sabarimala is situated in the buffer zone
of the Periyar Tiger Reserve and the Ministry will have to
take a key role in initiating any development programme
there.
High security for the temple as well as the pilgrims, full
insurance cover for pilgrims, and foolproof pilgrim facilities
would be major attractions of the Centres proposal, he said.
The administrative body of the temple is the Travancore
Devaswom Board (TDB), a constitutional body headed by
nominees of the State government.
The Centre will have to constitute a statutory board chaired
by a high-ranking civil servant for Sabarimala administration
once it is declared a national pilgrim centre.
Mr. Rajasekharan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was
keen on Sabarimala development and funds would never be
a problem for it. Mr. Modi is likely to assign the task of
Centre-State coordination on Sabarimala to a senior Union
Minister.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu expressed his willingness
to make additional fund allocation for the Sabari Rail project
if the State promised its active cooperation for the project.
- - India and Qatar agreed to share intelligence to combat
The Election Commission of India has written to the Centre
seeking amendment to the Representation of the People Act
to confer specific powers on the election watchdog to
postpone or countermand polls based on evidence that
money power was used to influence voters.
In a letter to the Legislative Secretary in the Law Ministry,
the Commission said a new clause 58 B be inserted in the
Act to allow adjournment or countermanding of election in
the affected polling areas on the grounds of use of money
power.
The provision would also empower the Commission to re-
schedule the elections in such areas.
The Commission said in Clause 58 A and the proposed
provision 58 B, the expression countermand the election
would mean ab initio rescinding of the entire electoral
process in the constituency.
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of muscle power to influence the outcome of elections.
- -
In a major boost to its diplomatic push for Nuclear Suppliers
Group (NSG) membership, Indiamanaged to win crucial
support from Switzerland ahead of a key meeting of the 48-
nation bloc.
Two countries also agreed to step up cooperation in
unearthing black money stashed by Indians in banks in that
country.
Swiss President announced his countrys support for Indias
membership to the elite NSG after holding comprehensive
talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of
bilateral and global issues.
Switzerland is a key member of the NSG and its support for
Indias bid for membership is seen as crucial in the backdrop
of China harping on the need for consensus as India was not
a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
In his remarks, the Prime Minister thanked the Swiss
President for Switzerlands understanding and support for
Indias membership of the NSG.
The U.S. and many other NSG member countries have
supported Indias inclusion, based on its non-proliferation
track record.
The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even
one countrys vote against India will scuttle its bid.
- - -
hawala transactions and terror financing as the two
countries signed seven agreements.
The two sides highlighted the need to isolate the sponsors
and supporters of terrorism and agreed that urgent action
against all such entities which support terrorism and use it
as an instrument of policy, must be taken.
Two sides decided to constitute an inter-ministerial high-
level joint committee to regularly review all bilateral matters,
as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.
An MoU was signed between the Finance Intelligence Unit-
India (FIU) and Qatar Financial Information Unit to share
intelligence on illegal movement of money, termed hawala
There is a lot of money flow and investment from Qatar. A
number of black money investigations have taken Indian
authorities to Qatars shores and the MoU is seen as a move
to help combat money offences.
Under this pact, the two sides also agreed to exchange
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financial intelligence to combat terrorism financing and
other economic offences.
They asserted that acts of violence and extremism cannot
be justified, regardless of their motivation.
-- - -
All India Civil Services topper Tina Dabi opines newspaper
reading is a must for all the aspirants of all India services.
Ms. Tina said that there were no short-cuts to the
examination.
A packed Hari Hara Kala Bhavan listened to her at the
felicitation function for achieving the unique feat of first SC/
ST candidate to secure first rank in first attempt in the Civil
Services examination.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Srihari and former judge
Chandraiah said Ms. Tinas achievement once again proved
that given an opportunity anyone can come up trumps.
- --
The death of Col. Santosh Yashwant Mahadik while battling
militants in the forests of Kupwara in Kashmir instilled in
his 32-year-old widow a single-minded determination to take
forward his work by joining the Army.
Swati Mahadik is set to don the olive green uniform after
clearing the gruelling Service Selection Board (SSB)
examination.
She will undergo training at the Officers Training Academy
in Chennai.
To realise her aim stated so plainly with such a powerful
directness at her husbands funeral, Ms. Mahadik displayed
the rare quality of moral courage to sublimate her personal
pain for an ideal her husband had passionately fought.
"Her daughter Kartiki is in Std. VI and she has been sent to
a boarding school at Dehradun and son Swarajya is studying
in a boarding school at Panchgani.
- - -
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Amir
Amanullah Khan Award, Afghanistans highest civilian
honour.
He was bestowed the honour by President Ashraf Ghani after
the inauguration of the landmark Afghan-India Friendship
Dam.
During his speech, Mr. Modi invoked Chisht-born Sufi saint
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti who settled down in Ajmer and
is venerated by thousands of people visiting his shrine.
PM Modi inaugurated the Rs. 1,700-crore dam in the
strategically vital Herat province.
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Resolving to stand by Afghanistan, the Prime Minister said
Indias cooperation will extend to every part of the war-
torn country and that the partnership will benefit every
section of Afghan society.
Unfazed by terror attacks on its missions, India will continue
to extend cooperation in war-torn Afghanistan, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said
- --
Telangana and coastal Andhra received above normal
rainfall during the pre-monsoon season from March to May,
raising expectations that the states will receive bountiful
monsoon rains.
According to India Meteorological Department, Telangana
received 7.6 cm rain averaged over the entire State during
the three months, about 24 per cent more than the seasonal
normal of 5.6 cm.
Much of this rain was recorded during May with March and
April recording lower than normal rainfall.
Similarly, coastal Andhra recorded 13.3 cm against 9.7 cm
normal. Rayalseema, like northern Karnataka, received
normal rainfall.
Telangana witnessed formation of a low pressure trough
lasting nearly three weeks starting end of April.
This upper air trough, according to weather observations
made during end of April and May, extended from Vidarbha
to coastal Tamil Nadu. Vidarbha, like Telangana, also
received excess rainfall.
- - -
Gaumukh, the snout of the Gangotri glacier, named after its
shape like the mouth of a cow, has retreated by over 3
kilometres since 1817
It was nearly two centuries ago that the retreat of the glacier
was first documented by John Hodgson, a Survey of India
geologist.
With 10 Indian States reeling under drought and the country
facing a severe water crisis after two weak monsoons, the
story of retreating freshwater sources such as the Himalayan
glaciers is worrying.
And though a three-kilometre retreat over a period of two
centuries might seem insignificant at first glance, data shows
that the rate of retreat has increased sharply since 1971. The
rate of retreat is 22 metres per year.
The retreat points to lesser ice formation each year than its
current rate of melting, a process that is continuing.
Winter precipitation is when the glacier receives adequate
snow and ice for maintaining itself. About 10-15 spells of
winter snow as part of western disturbances feed the glacier.
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In summer, the melting of the glacier feeds the Bhagirathi
River, the source stream of the Ganga. Dwindling snowfall
levels have also affected the volume of water discharged
during summer into the river, compared to peak levels.
Earlier the Gangotri glacier appeared as a convex shape
structure from atop Tapovan, the meadow at the base of
Shivling peak beyond Gaumukh, but now the glacier appears
to be caving in and is concave in shape.
- - - mechanism but lays down broad principles.
Passengers who report on time before the scheduled
departure of the flight and are denied boarding by airlines
may get double the amount of the original ticket price or the
cost of the ticket on that particular date, whichever is less.
The compensation for flight delays and cancellations would
also be enhanced.
This is part of a slew of passenger-centric measures likely
to be announced soon by the Ministry.
Aggrieved air passengers would also be able to register
complaints with and redress grievances from the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) via an online platform.
- --- -- - - power to panchayats and gram sabhas to decide how water
can be better used.
Illegal use of state power to rob a person of her liberty is an
assault on the citizens identity and constitutional right to
dignity, the Supreme Court held.
In a scathing verdict against police excesses, the apex court
details the conduct of a Madhya Pradesh police team which
went from Bhopal to Pune to arrest a woman lawyer in her
seventies and her doctor daughter.
A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and S.K. Singh narrated
the womens story, in which they were denied food and
water, medical help for the mother, who was made to sleep
on the cold floor of an unreserved train compartment
during their transit from Pune to Bhopal.
Quashing the criminal case against the women, Justice
Misra, who authored the judgment for the Bench, ordered
Madhya Pradesh to pay Rs. 5 lakh each as compensation to
the mother.
We are inclined to think that the dignity of the petitioners,
a doctor and a practising advocate has been seriously
jeopardised. Dignity is the quintessential quality of a
personality for, it is a highly cherished value. It is also clear
that liberty of the petitioner was curtailed in violation of
law, the judgment observed.
- -- - - ones to study Moon and Sun.
The government has for the first time said that citizens had
a right to safe water and laid out stringent rules on how
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
corporations and large entities can extract groundwater in
two separate pieces of draft legislation.
The Bills in a first also propose fines ranging from
Rs.5,000 to Rs. 5,00,000 depending on the level of infraction
and who the perpetrators were.
Groundwater wouldnt also be a free resource and those who
could pay for it ought to be doing so while ensuring that it
was equitably available to all. The Bill doesnt detail a
To be sure, previous governments have also tried to enact
legislation to ensure that groundwater a fragile resource
and 80% of Indias irrigation supply is used judiciously.
However, these didnt account for the 73rd and 74th
amendments to the Constitution vesting powers to
panchayats and municipalities in the management of water
that includes groundwater and was rarely adopted by States.
The draft bills the National Water Framework Bill and
the Model Bill for the Conservation, Protection, Regulation
and Management of Groundwater will be open for public
comment until the month end.
Bill aim to decentralise water management and give more
The most fundamental reform that the Bill sought to make
was to do away with the British Common Law concept
as Mr. Shah described it that he who owned the land
could extract unlimited groundwater.
According to the provisions of the proposed Bill,
corporations and industries extracting groundwater now had
to submit plans to ensure that water was used responsibly
and that any possible contamination was remedied.
The Bills also say that the top priority in the use of
groundwater ought to be in meeting drinking, sanitation,
food security, sustenance agriculture, the needs of women
and only after that for industry.
- - -- -
National space agency ISRO has called a meeting of
suppliers later this month to raise the levels of their
contribution to the countrys satellite programme.
The June 23 conference of spacecraft industry suppliers is
aimed at helping them to evolve from suppliers of small
components to providers of bigger and whole sub-systems
and systems.
ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) estimates a demand for 71
satellites in the next five years, including the exploratory
The launch vehicle industry contributes in a much larger
way, may be to around 90 percent. The conference will check
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the pulse of the industry and come out with some solutions.
Currently 30-odd Indian spacecraft are in orbit. They belong
to communication, Earth observation and navigation genres
orbit in space and supporting uses such as broadcasting,
communication, Internet, mapping, estimation of natural
resources, search and rescue, crop and weather forecasting
and location-based services.
ISRO hopes to get entire systems supplied in areas such as
telemetry, power systems and satellite control systems;
currently vendors supply smaller components of each of
these systems.
-- - In recent years, the HCoC has been focused on West Asia,
Five protesters and two policemen, including an SP-rank
officer, were killed and over 40 injured in clashes during an
eviction drive in Mathura district.
The clashes broke out when the police were trying to evict
illegal occupants of a land in Jawahar Bagh, believed to be
activists of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi,
on the directions of the Allahabad High Court.
SP (City) Mukul Dwivedi and SHO Farah police station
Santosh Kumar were killed in firing by the encroachers.
- - global terror database maintained by the Terrorist Screening
Have an opinion about the NDA government that you would
like to share with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself?
More than 15,000 people have already done so on
MyGov.in, a portal run by the government of India, and
much like your Friday matinee, ratings have been solicited
by the PM on 15 of his pet projects.
At the end of these responses, (and they are there for anyone
who logs on to MyGov.in to see), the scores on just what
and whose work makes the cut in the government is telling.
Ranking right there at the top, with an average of 4.6 stars
are the initiatives taken by the government on rail
connectivity and modernisation, so hurray for Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu.
Following closely in the list of above average work are the
initiatives on roads and highways; they score an average of
4.55 stars.
Number three is the work of a Minister who was conspicuous
by her absence (due to ill-health) from the second
anniversary: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Her
Ministrys work gets an average of 4.5 star rating.
Make in India, and initiatives in the power sector are the next
two popular areas of government work. Each scored an
average of 4.2 stars.
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- - ---
Strengthening worldwide attempt to contain the spread of
ballistic missiles, India has joined The Hague Code of
Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC).
It is a voluntary legally non-binding multilateral body aimed
at preventing the spread of ballistic missiles that can deliver
weapons of mass destruction.
"Indias joining the Code signals our readiness to further
strengthen the global non-proliferation regimes, Vikas
Swarup, Spokesperson of the Ministry told journalists.
South Asia and the East Asia due to the rising missile and
nuclear arms race among rival powers.
In the latest meeting of the HCoC which concluded on May
29, a special mention was made of the increased number of
missile launches by North Korea in 2015.
- - -
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the United
States, the Home Ministry signed an agreementto join the
Center (TSC) of the U.S.
An arrangement between the authorised governmental
agencies of the Government of India and the Government
of the United States of America for exchange of terrorist
screening information was signed.
The U.S. has already finalised such agreements with 30
countries and the Terrorist Screening Center has details of
11,000 terror suspects on its database, including nationality,
date of birth, photos, finger prints (if any) and passport
number.
Under this arrangement, both sides will give each other
access to terrorism screening information through
designated contact points, subject to domestic laws and
regulations.
The proposal was initially made by the U.S. in 2012, but had
made little progress due to objections raised by security
agencies.
The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and Intelligence
Bureau (IB) had opposed giving the United States
unhindered access to the database of terror suspects in India.
--
In a bid to boost the domestic production of pulses during
the kharif season, the Centre announced a hike by up to Rs.
425 per quintal in the minimum support price (MSP) for
pulses.
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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA),
which met here gave approval to the MSP for kharif crops
of the 2016-17 season.
It increased the MSP for the common paddy (rice) variety
by Rs. 60 to Rs. 1,470 per quintal and Grade A variety to
Rs. 1,510 per quintal.
The CCEA approved the MSP, inclusive of bonus, for tur
(arhar) dal at Rs. 5,050 per quintal for this year as against
Rs. 4,625 last year, moong dal at Rs. 5,225 against Rs. 4,850
and urad dal at Rs. 5,000 from Rs. 4,625.
In the oilseeds category, the MSP for groundnut has been
increased by Rs. 190 per quintal to Rs. 4,220, while for
soyabean and nigerseed it has been hiked by Rs. 175 per
quintal each to Rs. 2,775 and Rs. 3,825, respectively.
- - - abusing the animals, accusations the temple has denied.
Tiger parts, while illegal to sell, are in high demand in Asia,
The Agriculture Ministry would have a wider consultation
with seed companies, seed technology companies and
farmers before introducing a new policy for technology
agreements between seed technology companies and private
seed companies.
On May 18, the Ministry issued and retracted in less than
a week a new set of terms that would govern contracts
between licensors and licensees of genetically modified
cotton seeds.
The short-lived notification, called the Licensing and
Formats for GM Technology Agreement Guidelines, 2016,
specified that companies that licensed GM technology could
charge seed companies royalty no more than 10% of the
government-specified maximum sale price of a packet of
cotton for 5 years.
Moreover, they would have to reduce this value by 10%
every year from the sixth year and were it proved that the
potency of the technology was waning, the company could
no longer claim this royalty.
Finally, technology firms also could not refuse any eligible
seed company wanting genes and any request not followed
upon within 30 days would be deemed to have been granted.
Genetically modified seeds are only permitted in cotton and
the dominant player in the business of licensing seed
technology is Monsanto Mahyco Biotech Ltd (MMBL).
It licenses technology to several seed companies and
underlies at least 95% of commercially grown cotton in the
country.
Earlier this year, the Central government capped the sale
price of cotton seeds and the royalty that companies like
MMBL could charge.
The government caps have been challenged in the courts
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and separately MMBL is also fighting a legal battle to
recover royalty payments from the Andhra Pradesh-based
Nuziveedu Seeds.
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the
government order was to ensure that cotton seeds were
cheaply and readily available to farmers.
- -
Thai wildlife authorities found 40 dead tiger cubs in a freezer
at the Tiger Temple, a controversial tourist attraction in
western Thailand.
The temple, a Buddhist monastery that offered paying
tourists close contact with tigers, has long been accused by
conservationists and animal rights activists of exploiting and
particularly China, for use in traditional medicine. There is
even a market for frozen tiger cubs, as the arrest last month
of a Vietnamese man carrying four of them attests.
The wildlife agency has been trying for months to shut down
the Tiger Temples zoo.
The temple has promoted itself as a spiritual centre where
people and tigers lived in harmony, and it has charged
tourists as much as $140 apiece for the chance to bathe,
hand-feed and play with the tigers.
The temple was already under investigation on suspicion of
illegally trading in tigers after a former veterinarian reported
that three live adult tigers had vanished.
While adult tigers have more value, particularly for their
pelts, teeth and claws, the cubs can be sold for their meat
and for their bones, which are said to have medicinal value.
--
The Army recovered at least three more bodies from the
debris in the Armys Central Ammunition Depot (CAD) at
Pulgaon in Maharashtra taking the death toll in Tuesdays
fire to 19
The war preparedness of the Army could have been
dramatically affected had the fire spread to other storage
facilities in the vicinity.
At least one more firefighter is suspected to be missing in
the fire and blasts. About 130 tonnes of mines and other
ammunition blew up in the fire, which luckily did not spread.
In such explosions much of the ammunition usually goes
down into the earth, while the shards fly in all directions.
The unexploded bombs make the cleaning-up process
particularly dangerous.
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The bigger task now is to sanitise the whole area, locate and
defuse the ordnance.
-- - failed and 7.8 lakh have failed in mathematics alone.
The pass percentage of boys at 54.44% was almost 17%
Sixteen men, including two Army officers, were killed in a
massive fire at the Armys Central Ammunition Depot
(CAD) in Pulgaon town of Maharashtras Wardha district.
CAD is the most crucial ammunition depot of the Army and
among the largest in the world.
Mr. Parrikar did not rule out sabotage. But according to
the Army officers and the experts, the possibility of
sabotage seems less, he said.
Residents of villages such as Agargaon, Pipary and
Nagjhari, situated within 5 km of the depot, moved to safer
locations. Some houses were damaged when the
ammunition exploded but no one was injured.
- - officials and policemen deployed at the exam centres. The
- - government also decided to slap a fine of up to Rs. 10,000
Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the retirement age
of 65 years for doctors of central services, in an aim to
strengthen the healthcare sector in the country.
It said the move would enable the government to retain
experienced doctors for a longer period, and to provide better
services in its public health facilities, particularly to the
poorest, who are entirely dependent on public facilities.
The decision comes after Prime Minister Modis
announcement at his Saharanpur rally recently that the
retirement age of government doctors would be raised to 65
years.
- including honey, which they trade with outsiders for
The Indian Navy saw a major change of guard in its top
leadership when it got a new Chief and Vice-Chief.
Admiral Sunil Lanba assumed command as the 23rd Chief
of the Naval Staff. Later in the day Vice-Admiral Karambir
Singh assumed charge as Vice-Chief of Naval Staff.
A Navigation and Direction specialist, Admiral Lanba has
served as the Navigation and Operations Officer on board
numerous ships in both the Eastern and Western Fleets in
his nearly four decades-long career.
Admiral Lanba served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-
Chief of the Southern and Western Naval Commands, when
he provided impetus to skill development, synergising
combat operations, coastal security and safety and
infrastructure development.
He said this while addressing the Seventh Annual Heads of
The results of lass 10 Bihar Board exams , showed only 46.
66% students passed, a dip of 28% compared to last year
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when 75.17 % had cleared the exam.
Out of 15.47 lakh students, as many as 8.21 lakh (53%) have
more than that of girls at 37.61%. Only 10.86 per cent
students were able to attain first division as compared to
21.45 per cent students of last year.
Significantly, all top 10 students are from a government
residential school, Simultala Awasia Vidyalaya of Jamui
district, which was opened a few years back on the pattern
of Jharkhands famous Netarhat School.
Last year, when the photograph went viral, the then
Education Minister said: Over 14 lakh students are taking
the examination, what can the government do to prevent
copying if parents and relatives are not ready to cooperate?"
But this year, Govt had CCTV cameras installed and 70,000
on those caught using unfair means.
-
The new Kerala governments want to go head with the 163-
megawatt Athirappally hydel power project across the
Chalakudy river
Project may run into trouble with the vulnerable tribal group
of Kadar, who believe it will wipe out their livelihood, they
are preparing to oppose it.
he tribe, estimated to have around 2,000-odd people, seldom
farm and mostly subsist on collecting minor forest produce,
essentials. Many work as labourers too.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Power Minister
Kadakampally Surendran had announced that the project
would be pushed, while factoring in objections and opinions.
- - -
President Pranab Mukherjee said attacks on African
nationals are painful to him personally given that as a
student, political activist and Member of Parliament he had
seen first-hand how India andAfrica have always been close
partners.
It would be most unfortunate if the people of India were to
dilute our long tradition of friendship with the people of
Africa and the welcome we have always extended to them
in our country, Mr. Mukherjee cautioned
Missions Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
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-- - - - - -
The most stunning and close-up images of Plutos surface
have been beamed back to Earth by NASAs New Horizons
space probe.
The mosaic extending across the hemisphere that faced
the New Horizons spacecraft as it flew past Pluto on July
14, last year includes all of the highest-resolution images
taken by the NASA probe.
NASA has also released a video that moves down the mosaic
from top to bottom, offering new views of many of Plutos
distinct landscapes all along the way.
The images were obtained by New Horizons Long Range
Reconnaissance Imager about 15,850 kilometres from Pluto,
about 23 minutes before the probes closest approach.
- - - -- Only 55 took part last year and it was postponed until
October after a massive earthquake hit the Himalayan nation
Patients undergoing breast cancer surgery need less
painkilling medication post-surgery if they have anaesthesia
that is free of opioid drugs, researchers have found.
While opioid drugs provide an excellent painkilling effect
throughout operations, they also have side-effects,
researchers said.
Post-operative complications, such as respiratory
depression, post-operative nausea and vomiting, itching and
bowel obstruction are well-known examples of such side-
effects, the researchers said.
Such patients require less analgesics about 24 hours after a
non-opiate anaesthesia than after an opiate anaesthesia.
- - - - combining vascularised composite allotransplantation
Indias diplomatic downturn with Africa intensified as the
Ministry of External Affairs sent mixed signals on
responding to the series of attacks on African nationals.
Though the Delhi police arrested five men for the series of
attacks on African nationals, the African Students
Association in India announced that it would take out a
March for Justice rally in the national capital.
Responding to the announcement, External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj said, I have asked Gen V.K. Singh MoS and
Secretary (ER) Amar Sinha to meet African students who
have announced demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Had detailed discussion with Delhi Police and media is
blowing out of proportion minor scuffle as attack on African
nationals in Rajpur Khurd, Mr Singh said in a tweet.
Gen. Singhs tweets prompted sharp criticism with
opposition parties and the Broadcast Editors Association
calling it absurd and irresponsible, while African
students said they disagreed with his comments.
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The annual Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon, which began
in 2003, is meant to mark the anniversary of the first summit
of the peak by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on May
29, 1953.
About 130 foreign runners, including from Britain, United
States, China and Australia, joined another 30 from Nepal.
The air at base camp contains only half as much oxygen as
at sea-level, leaving many runners gasping for breath on
even the slightest incline along the narrow, rocky mountain
paths.
The event organisers hailed the large number of participants
as a further sign of the recovery of Nepals mountaineering
industry after two years of tragedy on the 8,848-metre peak.
in April, killing nearly 9,000 people and triggering a deadly
avalanche on Everest base camp.
An avalanche on Everest in 2014 also claimed the lives of
16 Nepali guides and forced a shutdown of the mountain.
-- -
In a first-of-its-kind procedure, doctors in the U.S. have
successfully transplanted a composite skull and scalp flap,
along with kidney and pancreas all from the same donor.
The patient was suffering from a non-healing scalp defect
and declining organ kidney and pancreas function,
researchers said.
The experience may open the way to further procedures
(VCA) with organ transplants, in patients who have already
accepted the need for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy.
VCA refers to transplant procedures combining different
types of tissues, such as skin, muscle, blood vessels, nerves,
and bone.
However, they also have a major drawback the need for
immunosuppressive drugs to prevent the recipients immune
system from rejecting the transplant.
-
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented his report card
of two years at the helm of the NDA government in a five-
and-a-half-hour television talkathon over the national
broadcaster, Doordarshan.
He said his governments work as a the beginning of a new
dawn, and the result of keeping the interests of the
common man front and centre.
Prime Minister Modi spoke about the general direction of
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his government and his strong measures to tackle graft across
the board in the governmental system.
We have managed to save more Rs 36,000 crore in pilferage
within the system. We caught more than 1.62 crore fake
ration cards, fake schools with teachers on their rolls
receiving salaries, Mr. Modi said.
Facts like these, and the use of subsidised LED bulbs
leading to a saving of over 20,000 MW of power every year
do not make for headlines, but we must not allow a spirit of
despondency to grip the nation, he said.
My target is to provide five crore gas connections to those
households which still rely on wood fired ovens for
cooking, Mr. Modi said.
We have three years of this term left; I promise to work hard
to justify the confidence placed on me by the people. I will
not stint when it comes to hard work, the Prime Minister
said.
carry waitlisted ticket-holders like you.
The no detention policy in schools should be applicable till
Class V and exams be held from Class VI onwards, the
Subramanian committee formed by the government to
formulate a New Education Policy (NEP) has recommended.
Panel has suggested that foreign institutions be allowed to
come to India to improve the quality of higher education.
The panel has also given specific suggestions to raise the
standard of education which are found wanting in many
respects from primary to higher level.
One of the key suggestions is to focus on remedial
coaching and hand-holding to ensure the learning
outcome of children does not suffer.
It has recommended that the No detention policy be
reviewed and exams be held from Class VI. The Right To
Education law prescribes the no detention policy for students
till Class VIII.
However, in case a child does not pass in the first instance,
he or she should be given two more chances to appear in the
exam.
- - aircraft on which early studies have been taken up at two
- aeronautical labs based in Bengaluru.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried his hand at beating the
traditional Khasi drum as he wound up his two-day visit to
Meghalaya.
Mr. Modi expressed keenness about rhythm and beat a
drum together with Khasi tribal musicians.
The Prime Minister tried his hand at beating our Ka Bom
and also interacted with leaders from at least 10 Himas, The
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chief priest of HimaMawphlang, said.
Mr. Modi also expressed interest on sacred groves and forest
fragments with religious connotation for the protectors and
sought to know details of how they were managed by the
local community.
Hunting and logging are usually strictly prohibited within
these sacred groves.
Mr. Modis visit to the sacred forest of Mawphlang, however,
could not take place due to inclement weather. However, he
was briefed on how the highly-regarded grove was managed,
controlled and administered.
- -
You arrive at the railway station armed with a waitlisted
ticket for, say, Rajdhani Express, hoping for a miracle to find
a berth.
The train, however, leaves without you, but minutes later
another Rajdhani Express pulls into the station just to
Such a dream scenario could turn into a reality starting June,
when the Indian Railways plans to launch clone trains on
high-demand routes that will be run within an hour of a
scheduled trains departure to accommodate those on the
waiting list.
The idea behind such real-time demand-driven trains is to
ensure that they reach their destination around the same time
originally scheduled.
Moreover, passengers will be informed about their berths in
the clone train soon after the reservation charts for the
original scheduled train are firmed up four hours before
departure.
- - -
New efforts, tweaks and hopefully a Rs. 2,600-crore grant
are being explored to salvage 25 years of work and resources
of over Rs. 2,000 crore spent on the Kaveri and use the
engines derivatives in unmanned strategic projects of the
future - probably with a different name.
Already its spinoff version has been identified as the engine
for Ghatak, a tentatively named future unmanned combat
The military research establishment has not given up the
quest for a potential Indian powerplant for future military
systems, he indicated.
Dr. Tamilmani said that the development of aero engine
technology and product was long identified as a critical need
in defence research.
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2
- - surveillance and obliging migrants granted the right to stay
- to sign an integration contract and a statement of values.
Bangladesh will push ahead with a controversial plan to
relocate tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from
Myanmar to a remote island despite warnings it is
uninhabitable and prone to flooding.
The government has set up a committee comprising state
officials in the coastal districts, ordering authorities to help
identify and relocate undocumented Myanmar nationals to
Thengar Char in the Bay of Bengal.
The committee will assist transferring both registered and
unregistered refugees from Myanmar to Thengar Char near
Hatiya island in Noakhali district.
Hatiya is situated on the estuary of the River Meghna and
is a nine-hour journey away from the camps where the
Rohingya have taken shelter.
Some 232,000 Rohingya Muslims both registered and
unregistered were already living in Bangladesh before
more than 65,000 stateless Rohingya fleeing violence in
Myanmars western state of Rakhine began entering the
country.
Most of those who fled to Bangladesh live in squalid
conditions in refugee camps in Coxs Bazar district, which
borders Rakhine State and is home to the countrys biggest
tourist resort.
Austrias governing coalition has agreed to prohibit full-face
veils
Austrias governing coalition has agreed to prohibit full-face
veils in courts, schools and other public places as part of
a package of reforms drawn up after more than a week of
negotiations.
Govt also agrred to ban police officers, judges and
magistrates and public prosecutors from wearing head
scarves in the interest of appearing ideologically and
religiously neutral.
Austrias Chancellor said that the ban was part of a wide-
ranging programme aimed at fending off the challenge of
the far-right.
The 35-page programme also includes beefing up
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Those who are not prepared to accept Enlightenment values
will have to leave our country and society, says the text.
- - --
Pakistani authorities have placed on Exit Control List the
name of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, along
with that of 37 members of Lashkar e Taiba.
The Interior Ministry has forwarded a letter to all provincial
governments and the Federal Investigation Agency, which
includes names of the 38 individuals placed on the list,
preventing them from leaving the country.
The international travel ban on the JuD chief came days after
Saeed was put on house arrest, along with four other
members of JuD, at his Lahore residence.
This followed reports that Islamabad was under immense
pressure from the new U.S. administration to take action
against Saeed and his organisations.
Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks,
had also been put under house arrest following 26/11 but was
later freed by a court in 2009.
- - -
-
British PM has defended her governments decision to invite
U.S. President on a state visit, despite public pressure to
rescind the invitation until the U.S. administrations travel
ban on nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries is
withdrawn.
Describing Mr. Trump as the democratically elected head
of state of our most important ally, she insisted that the
partnership was necessary to ensure the protection of British
citizens and significant commitments from the President.
About 1.8 million U.K. residents and citizens have so far
signed a petition calling for Mr. Trump not to be invited on
a state visit.
The issue will be debated in Parliament on February 20,
alongside another petition calling for the state visit to take
place, which has received over 200,000 signatures.
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It was only when repeatedly pressed, following the travel
ban and the temporary halting of the U.S. refugee
programme, that Ms. May described the move as divisive
and wrong.
-- - - The paper also outlines plans to forge ambitious free trade
-- -
The U.S. said it was putting Iran on notice for conducting
a ballistic missile test that it described as a violation of a UN
resolution. Blaming Iran for a range of other destabilising
activities in the region.
Trump administration would put its entire weight behind
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while upending the breakthrough
with Iran, a key foreign policy achievement of the previous
Obama administration.
Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a
ballistic missile. Should have been thankful for the terrible
deal the U.S. made with them! tweeted President Donald
Trump.
Pursuing a collision course with Iran will have a spiralling
effect on the U.S.s relations or plans with several other
countries, such as Mr. Trumps attempt to reset ties with
Russia and to arrive at some settlement for the crisis in Syria.
Significantly for India, a renewed conflict with Iran will pre-
empt the possibility of a fresh U.S. strategy in Afghanistan
that is less dependent on Pakistan.
While Mr. Trump appears eager to overturn Mr. Obamas
Iran rapprochement, he has abandoned his own criticism of
the Gulf states during campaign and embraced Saudi Arabia,
particularly its bombing of Yemen which is a continuation
of the Obama policy.
Israel and SaudiArabia have been critical of the nuclear deal
with Iran, and the U.S. hostility towards Iran is renewed days
ahead of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit
to Washington on February 15.
Meanwhile, Iran termed Mr. Trumps warning
provocative. Claims made by the U.S. arebaseless,
repetitive and provocative, Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said, quoted by state news
agency IRNA.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had welcomed
The British government has published a white paper setting
out the 12 principles that will govern its negotiations with
the EU as it prepares to leave the union.
The paper was published the day after MPs voted by a large
majority to triggering Brexit talks. The legislation will
continue to progress through the House of Commons and
the Lords.
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The 75-page document elaborates on 12 principles that Ms.
May pointed out in her January speech, including providing
certainty and clarity by pledging a white paper that will
convert the body of EU law into domestic law.
relationships across the world, including with India, with
discussions had already begun.
It also covers issues such as the transitional arrangements
and a phased process of implementation for exiting
the union.
It reiterates plans to leave the EU customs union and single
market, and reach new agreements that would ensure as free
and frictionless trade in goods as possible.
The Labours position, which has been to support the
legislation but push for reforms to ensure single market
access and protections for workers, at later stages of the bill,
has drawn criticism from across the parties.
The legislation will now pass to the committee stage where
amendments will be considered and then voted on. The bill
will also have to make its way through the House of Lords,
where it is expected to face considerable opposition.
Still, the development is a victory for the government and
Leave campaigners, eager to instil certainty into the Brexit
process and to ease a jittery market, and global audience.
- - - -
Israel discovered that settlement construction may not be as
simple as it thought under U.S. President Donald Trump,
implying it would tone down activity ahead of crucial
Washington talks.
Palestinians, however, were worried by the Trump
administrations first direct statements on the issue made
since the January 20 inauguration.
The White House issued a statement seeming to tone down
Mr. Trumps full-throated support of settlement construction
after a series of Israeli announcements on thousands of new
homes in settlements.
But the remarks did not criticise the very existence of Jewish
settlements in Palestinian territories as previous U.S.
administrations had consistently done.
Mr. Trumps presidency as bearing significant
opportunities after eight years of often strained relations
with Barack Obama.
Mr. Netanyahu, who is due to meet with Mr. Trump in
Washington on February 15, did not comment on the
remarks, but lower ranking officials played down their
significance and noted their upside.
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Israel has now approved more than 6,000 homes for settlers
since Mr. Trump took office, having signalled a softer stance
on settlement construction than his predecessor Obama.
-- - Hours after the new U.S. sanctions were announced,
Over 1,00,000 visas have been revoked as a result of
President U.S. Donald Trumps ban on travel from seven
Muslim-majority countries, an attorney for the government
said.
The number came out during a hearing in a lawsuit filed by
attorneys for two Yemeni brothers who arrived at Dulles
International Airport and were quickly put on a return flight
to Ethiopia in response to Presidents executive order.
The government attorney could not say how many people
with visas were sent back to their home countries from
Dulles in response to the travel ban, The Washington Post
reported.
An executive order signed by Mr. Trump over the weekend
had halted the U.S. refugee programme for 120 days and
indefinitely banned all Syrian refugees.
A separate order also suspended all entry from Iraq, Iran,
Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Syria on national
security grounds.
- -
Rohingyas are currently living in different camps in Coxs
The UN Security Council has lifted sanctions on the
notorious Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, previously
branded a global terrorist and accused of war crimes.
The move follows a peace deal between Hekmatyars
insurgent group Hezb-i-Islami and the Afghan government
in September that granted him legal immunity from past
offences, sparking outrage from rights groups.
Although Hekmatyar is accused of killing thousands in
Kabul during the 1992-1996 civil war, many foreign
governments, including the U.S., praised the landmark
accord as a step towards peace in Afghanistan.
A statement on the UNSCs website said an assets freeze,
travel ban and arms embargo targeting Hekmatyar no longer
applied.
It theoretically opens the way for Hekmatyars return to
Kabul after two decades of exile in Iran and then in Pakistan.
--
Iran was to deploy missiles for a Revolutionary Guards
exercise on Saturday in a show of defiance, a day after the
United States imposed sanctions over a ballistic missile test
launch.
Relations between Washington and Tehran have deteriorated
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sharply since Donald Trump took office last month
promising a tough line on what he sees as Iranian
belligerency towards U.S. interests and allies.
Pentagon chief James Mattis charged that Iran was the
single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
The new sanctions are a response to Irans test launch of a
medium-range ballistic missile as well as its support for
Yemeni rebels who attacked a Saudi frigate.
Irans Vice-President urged calm heads to prevail. These
are worn-out accusations against Iran and even the [accuser]
himself is ashamed of saying it, state news agency IRNA
quoted Eshagh Jahangiri as saying.
- -
-
Bangladeshi authorities have decided to relocate thousands
of refugees from Myanmar to a thinly populated island in
the Bay of Bengal to avoid adverse socioeconomic impacts
in the mainland.
Rohingya refugees, including those who have moved in from
Myanmar in the recent months, would be relocated from the
Coxs Bazar district to Thengar Char, an island in the Bay
of Bengal about 30,000 hectares in area.
Bazar including Nayapara, Leda and Kutupalang apart
from other parts of the country.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister told the diplomatic
community based in Dhaka, that the country needs
international support to provide assistance in developing
the island and in transporting the refugees to the new place.
According to the government, over 4,00,000 Myanmar
nationals, including the 69,000 people who recently arrived,
are now living in Coxs Bazar after fleeing military
persecution in Myanmars Rakhine State.
The relocation would be a temporary arrangement,
government have stressed. Bangladesh has requested the
international community to take meaningful measures for
repatriation of the refugee population to Myanmar.
- - -
China has opposed a U.S.-led proposal in the UN Security
Council to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammads
founder Masood Azhar a global terrorist, more than a month
after it vetoed an earlier proposal for the same.
The technical hold put by China on the proposal jointly
moved by the U.S., the U.K. and France indicates its
continued eagerness to shield Pakistan.
Pakistan had recently said the JeM leader had been put under
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house arrest, even as it became clear that the outgoing
Obama administration had renewed the proposal to
designate Azhar terrorist, immediately after the Chinese veto
in December.
When the UNSC meets as al-Qaeda, Taliban & IS Sanctions
Committees, it works on the principle of unanimity and
anonymity a single members opposition amounts to a
veto, and the deliberations and the voting will remain secret.
India had last year opposed this practice which it called the
hidden veto. Last year, China put the proposal on hold,
first for six months, and then extended it for three months
before finally blocking it altogether. Once it is blocked, a
new proposal can be moved.
The JeM is already a UN-designated terrorist organisation
and China has so far refused to explain how it distinguishes
the leader from the organisation.
The question of Azhar who was among the terrorists
released by India following the hijacking of IC-814 in 1999
came to the foreground last year after India held him
responsible for the Pathankot attack.
India hopes that the Trump administration policy at the UN
will signal continuity with the Obama administration on the
issue.
--- requested that the court consider reconsidering the travel ban
The endorsement by U.S. President Donald Trump of the
one-China policy during a telephone conversation with his
Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping has cleared the air for a
substantive dialogue between Washington and Beijing.
A White House statement said Mr. Trump and President Xi
spoke at length on the phone. President Trump agreed, at
the request of President Xi, to honour our one-China
policy, the statement said.
China had been angered by earlier remarks by Mr. Trump,
questioning Beijings sovereignty over Taiwan under the
one-China principle.
Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said China
and the U.S. were discussing the early convening of a
possible meeting of the two Presidents.
Following the telephone conversation, a statement by the
spokesman for Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen stated that it
was in Taiwans interest to maintain good relations with both
the U.S. and China.
A separate statement by Chinas Foreign Ministry said
President Xi appreciated Mr. Trump for upholding the one-
China policy.
- -- in fourth place with six nominations, including best actor
Donald Trump has said he is considering signing a brand-
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new executive order on immigration, following the court
ruling blocking his travel ban.
The U.S. President said he was confident he would win the
court battle over the hugely controversial executive order
suspending the countrys refugee programme and barring
citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries.
He said the White House was also considering a lot of other
options, including just filing a brand new order. Asked if
he meant a new executive order, he said: It very well could
be. We need speed for reasons of security, so it very well
could be.
There was confusion about whether the administration
intended to take the fight to the Supreme Court, following
his setback in a San Francisco federal court.
Despite the President claiming he would win that [legal]
battle over the travel ban, a White House official told
Reuters the President had decided not to go to the Supreme
Court.
Minutes later the Washington Post quotedWhite House chief
of staff Reince Priebus as saying the administration was
reviewing all of our options in the court system
including the Supreme Court.
Separately, an unidentified judge on the ninth circuit
case en banc or by a full panel of 11 judges.
The courts 25 judges will vote on the issue after both sides
file briefs, which are due on 16 February.
- - -
- -
Fresh from victory at the Golden Globes, Hollywood
musical La La Land leads the nominations for Britains Bafta
awards, which are seen as a good indicator for future Oscar
triumphs.
Damien Chazelles poetic love story has 11 nominations,
including Best Film, Best Actor for Ryan Gosling and Best
Actress for Emma Stone.
Chazelle, Gosling and Stone are all expected at the ceremony
along with a clutch of stars including Amy Adams, Casey
Affleck, Emily Blunt and Nicole Kidman.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling will also be there as the
spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is
nominated for Outstanding British Film.
Sci-fi film Arrival and psychological thriller Nocturnal
Animals , both starring Amy Adams, come second in the
nomination ranks with nine each. Manchester by the Sea is
for Affleck.
Meryl Streep is nominated for best actress for Florence
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Foster Jenkins, a tragi-comedy about a wealthy U.S.
socialite.
UN condemned North Koreas latest ballistic missile test
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned North
Koreas latest ballistic missile test and called for a united
international response to the further troubling violation of
UN resolutions.
His statement came ahead of an urgent UN Security Council
meeting called to discuss missile test nuclear-armed
North Koreas first since U.S. President Donald Trump
assumed office.
The Norths leader Kim Jong-Un expressed great
satisfaction over the possession of another powerful nuclear
attack means which adds to the tremendous might of the
country.
Permanent UN Security Council members China and Russia
joined a chorus of international criticism of the launch near
the western city of Kusong.
Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said it
opposes North Korean missile launches that violate UN
resolutions.
Human Rights Watch says chemical gases used in Aleppo
Syrian government forces carried out at least eight chemical
attacks during the final weeks of the battle for Aleppo, killing
nine people, among them four children, Human Rights
Watch (HRW) said.
The rights group said it interviewed witnesses, collected
photos and reviewed video footage indicating that chlorine
bombs were dropped from government helicopters during
the offensive from November 17 to December 13.
Around 200 people were injured by the toxic gases used on
opposition-controlled areas of the northern city, according
to HRW.
The actual number of chemical attacks could be higher, said
the group, adding that journalists, medical personnel and
other credible sources had reported at least 12 attacks in that
period.
The use of chlorine gas as a weapon is banned under the
Chemical Weapons Convention, which Syria joined in 2013
under pressure from Russia.
-- - - However, with members from different political parties
differing on key aspects, the steering committee could not
Michael Flynns resignation as the National Security Adviser
to Donald Trump over his Russia contacts could reset the
U.S. Presidents attempts to reset ties with Moscow.
At the core of the controversy is whether or not Mr. Flynn
told the Russian Ambassador in Washington that Mr. Trump
would reverse the new sanctions that Mr. Obama was
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imposing on Russia for allegedly interfering in the U.S.
elections.
Democrats, critical of Mr. Trumps overtures to Russia, have
seized the opportunity to attack the administration. John
Conyers Jr. and Elijah Cummings, senior members of the
House committees, have demanded a classified briefing on
the entire fiasco.
More challenging for Mr. Trump will be questions about the
extent of his own knowledge of Mr. Flynns contacts with
the Russian envoy.
After initial news reports about the monitored phone calls,
Vice-President Mike Pence and White House spokesperson
Sean Spicer had defended Mr. Flynn. They had said that the
conversations did not touch upon sanctions.
Mr. Flynn and the Russian Ambassador spoke several times
during the transition, but in one conversation on December
29, 2016 the day Mr. Obama announced new sanctions
on Russia and ordered 35 Russian diplomats to leave the
country.
Democratic lawmakers and some commentators have said
Mr. Flynns promise to the Russian Ambassador to review
the U.S. sanctions was in violation of the Logan Act that
forbids any private U.S. citizen from conducting foreign
policy.
- - - - -
--
In a bid to break the apparent impasse on Sri Lankas
constitutional reform process, President Mathripala Sirisena
has begun talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
and Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan.
Chairing the first tripartite discussion on January 30, the
President reiterated his commitment to a genuine
constitutional process to the leaders, underscoring the need
to accelerate its pace.
After it rose to power in the January 2015 presidential
elections, the Sri Lankan government embarked on a
Constitution-making exercise, aimed at offering a just
political solution to the islands minority Tamils following
a bloody civil war.
It appointed a 21-member committee to steer the process.
meet its initial deadline of presenting an interim report to
the Constitutional Assembly comprising 225 legislators.
Six sub-committee reports addressing different aspects of the
draft Constitution also await discussion in Parliament.
Amid growing domestic political pressure, particularly from
former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who sits in opposition
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

in Parliament, Mr. Sirisena reportedly stepped in to expedite
the Constitution-making process.
-
The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, which is the first elaborate
personal law for the minority community in Pakistan, was
adopted by the Senate.
The bill had already been approved by the lower house or
the National Assembly on September 26, 2015, and it now
just needs signature of the President, a mere formality, to
become a law.
The bill relates to marriage, registration of marriage,
separation and remarriage, with the minimum age of
marriage set at 18 years.
- -
Around 3,50,000 children are trapped in western Mosul,
Save the Children warned as Iraqi forces launched a fresh
offensive on jihadists defending the strategic city.
Iraqi forces and their allies, including the U.S. and U.K.,
must do everything in their power to protect children and
their families from harm, and avoid civilian buildings like
schools and hospitals as they push deeper into the city.
Escape is not an option for most families, who risk summary
execution by fighters from the Islamic State but they are also
running out of food, water and medicine.
- - estimated 260,000 people had died, mostly in a two-month
The Trump administration is greatly expanding the number
of people living in the U.S. illegally who are considered a
priority for deportation, including people arrested for traffic
violations.
The documents represent a sweeping rewrite of the nations
immigration enforcement priorities.
The Homeland Security Department memos, lay out that any
immigrant living in the United States illegally who has been
charged or convicted of any crime and even those suspected
of a crime will now be an enforcement priority.
That could include people arrested for shop lifting or minor
traffic offences.
The memos eliminate far more narrow guidance issued
under the Obama administration that focussed resources
strictly on immigrants who had been convicted of serious
crimes, threats to national security and recent border
crossers.
One of the memos says that foreigners sent back to Mexico
would wait for their U.S. deportation proceedings to be
complete. This would be used for people who arent
considered a threat to cross the border illegally again.
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Its unclear whether the United States has the authority to
force Mexico to accept foreigners. That provision is almost
certain to face opposition from civil libertarians and officials
in Mexico.
The pair of directives do not have any impact on President
Barack Obamas program that has protected more than
750,000 young immigrants from deportation.
-
In a world filled with excess food, 20 million people are on
the brink of famine, including 1.4 million children at
imminent risk of death.
In the face of such grim numbers, a stark question confronts
the worlds most powerful: Why in 2017 cant they avert
such a catastrophe?
UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres raised the alarm
about the risk of famine in northern Nigeria, Somalia and
Yemen. And this week, the United Nations declared famine
in a patch of South Sudan.
Famine is declared after three criteria are met: when one in
five households in a certain area face extreme food
shortages; more than 30% of the population is acutely
malnourished; and at least two people for every 10,000 die
each day.
Famine was last declared in Somalia in July 2011, after an
period.
Mr. Guterres cited two reasons for the crisis. First, he said,
there is not enough money; the UN needs $5.6 billion to
address the needs. Barely 2% of that money is in hand.
Second, all four countries facing the threat of famine are
reeling from conflict, and in many instances, the leaders of
warring parties are blocking aid workers from delivering
relief where it is most needed.
The situation in Somalia today is different from what it was
in 2011. The government is functioning, although there are
vast pockets where al-Shababthrives.
But Somalia has already had two consecutive years of
drought. In South Sudan, 100,000 people are affected by
famine in a part of the country that is most troubled by the
civil war.
In northern Nigeria, where the military is battling Boko
Haram, there was probably a famine in two towns, called
Bama and Banki, according to an early warning system
funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The biggest crisis is inYemen, where a coalition led by Saudi
Arabia and backed by the U.S. is battling Houthi rebels.
More than seven million people need urgent food aid,
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according to the UN . Among them, 462,000 children face
severe acute malnutrition, which means that even if they
survive, they will probably have developmental disabilities.
- -- - this sun-scorched patch of East African desert.
- China is constructing its first overseas military base in
Syrian peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations
resumed in Geneva, 10 months after falling apart over
escalating bloodshed in the war-torn country.
The talks come as Turkish troops and Syrian opposition
forces seized the centre of the Islamic State-held town of al-
Bab, breaking a weeks-long deadlock between the two sides
at the periphery of the town.
Pro-government forces are just three km south of al-Bab,
though clashes with the opposition forces in the area have
so far been limited.
The Geneva talks are the latest bid to end Syrias catastrophic
six-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people
and displaced some 11 million more.
UNs Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura convened separate
meetings with representatives of the government and
opposition delegations on Thursday morning.
The Geneva talks come after ceasefire discussions inAstana,
Kazakhstan, that were coordinated largely by Turkey, the
oppositions closest state backer in the civil war, and Russia,
whose air power has supported Mr. Assads forces.
In those meetings, the rebels sat face-to-face with a
government delegation a first and the exiled political
opposition was present only on the sidelines. They have not
yet sat face-to-face under UN auspices.
This is the fourth round of U.N.-mediated talks since early
last year. Despite the ceasefire, violations nevertheless occur
on a daily basis, in part because of the ambiguous wording
of the original agreement, signed in Ankara.
- - many countries through the Gulf of Aden, the Ministry said.
Chinas military has also evacuated its citizens caught in the
Irans Navy began an annual drill on Sunday near the
strategic Strait of Hormuz, its first major exercise since the
inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Two-day manoeuvre will cover an area of two million sq.
km in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean near the strait.
It showed Iranian warships taking part in the exercise.
Nearly a third of all oil traded by sea passes through the strait
and it has been the scene of confrontations between the U.S.
and Iran.
But the drill does not involve Irans elite Revolutionary
Guard, a paramilitary force the U.S. Navy often criticises
for harassing its vessels.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
- -
United States and China are about to become neighbours in
Djibouti just a few miles from Camp Lemonnier, one of
the Pentagons largest and most important foreign
installations.
With increasing tensions over Chinas island-building efforts
in the South China Sea, U.S. strategists worry that a naval
port could provide a front-row seat to the staging ground for
U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Arabian Peninsula
and North Africa.
Established after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Camp
Lemonnier is home to 4,000 personnel. Some are involved
in highly secretive missions, including targeted drone
killings in West Asia and the Horn of Africa.
The base, which is run by the Navy and abuts Djiboutis
international airport, is the only permanent U.S. military
installation in Africa.
Billions of dollars in Chinese loans to Djiboutis heavily
indebted government, wonder about the long-term durability
of an alliance that has served Washington well in its global
fight against Islamic extremism.
Just as important, experts say, the bases construction is a
milestone marking Beijings expanding global ambitions
with potential implications for the United Statess long-
standing military dominance.
Chinese officials play down the significance of the base,
saying it will largely support anti-piracy operations that have
helped quell the threat to international shipping once posed
by marauding Somalis.
In addition to having 2,400 peacekeepers in Africa, China
has used its vessels to escort more than 6,000 boats from
worlds trouble spots. In 2011, the military plucked 35,000
from Libya, and 600 from Yemen in 2015.
It helps that the Chinese are paying $20 million a year in rent
to the country, on top of the billions they are spending to
finance critical infrastructure, including ports and airports.
Also a new rail line and a pipeline that will bring desperately
needed drinking water from neighbouring Ethiopia.
- -- -
U.S. President Donald Trump teased a budget plan that
includes a substantial increase in defence spending and
cuts in foreign aid.
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Previewing a plan that will attempt to translate campaign
promises into dollars and cents, Mr. Trump promised a
public safety and national security budget.
An administration official said that Mr. Trumps plan would
include a $54 billion increase in defence spending and a
corresponding decrease in non-military programmes.
The proposal, which will be picked over and must ultimately
be approved by Congress, would increase defence spending
already the largest in the world by almost 10%.
Meanwhile, officials said the Pentagon has finished plans
to intensify the fight against the Islamic State (IS). Mr.
Trump had demanded that top brass find additional ways to
defeat jihadists.
That review is now complete, and Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis was to present the findings to Mr. Trumps top
national security advisors.
- exemptions was re-introduced on Wednesday by Republican
Two Indians died in a New Years eve terror strike at a night
club in Istanbul, Turkey, that claimed 39 lives. External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made the announcement on
Twitter.
The Rizvis are well-known businessmen in Mumbai with
interests in real estate, education and entertainment. Turkish
police launched a massive manhunt for the gunman who
went on the rampage at the nightclub.
The assailant shot dead a policeman and a civilian at the club
entrance and then turned his gun on partygoers.
Myanmar said it has detained several police officers over a
video shot by a fellow police- man that shows them beating
Rohingya civilians, a rare admission of abuse against the
Muslim minority.
Tens of thousands of people from the persecuted ethnic
group loathed by many of Myanmars Buddhist majority
have fled a military operation in Rakhine State, launched
after attacks on police posts in October.
The refugees stories have raised global alarm and
galvanised protests against Myanmars de facto leader, Aung
San Suu Kyi, who has been accused of not doing enough to
help the Rohingya.
The footage shows police hitting a young boy around the
head as he walks to where dozens of villagers are lined up
in rows seated on the ground, hands behind their heads.
- -- Attempts to forge a Transatlantic Trade and Investment
-- Partnership (TTIP) also reflected the U.S.s eagerness to
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter again to
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promise North Korea would not develop a nuclear missile
capable of reaching U.S. territory.
His comments come a day after the North Korean leader Kim
Jong-un announced that his country is in the final stages
of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Reacting to Mr. Trumps comments, South Koreas Foreign
Ministry said, it could be interpreted as a clear warning
to the North.
- -
--
A bill backing key changes in the H1-B programme that
allows skilled workers from countries like India to fill high-
tech jobs in the U.S. has been re-introduced in the U.S.
Congress.
The Protect and Grow American Jobs Actmakes important
changes to the eligibility requirements for H1-B Visa
Darrell Issa and Scott Peters both from California.
The Bill, among other things, increases the minimum salary
of H-1B visa to $1,00,000 per annum and eliminate the
Masters Degree exemption.
The legislation, they argued, will help crack down on abuse
and ensure that these jobs remain available for the best and
brightest talent from around the world.
The Bill comes after a number of companies Disney,
SoCal Edison and others have come under fire for abusing
the H1-B visa programme to replace American workers with
foreign workers.
- - - - - -
British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to visit the U.S.
and meet President-elect Donald Trump shortly after his
inauguration this spring.
The visit coming just months after her less-than-
successful visit to India will test the appetite of the
worlds largest economies for a post-Brexit Britain.
The enduring partnership between the two countries
famously described many decades ago by Winston Churchill
as a special relationship has gone through peaks and
troughs.
The Obama administration prioritised relations with other
European nations such as Germany, describing Chancellor
Angela Merkel last year as his closest international partner
over the past eight years.
broaden its relations with Europe beyond Britain.
However, with the future of TTIP looking decidedly dim
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even before the U.S. election and the election of Mr. Trump,
2017 will throw up new opportunities and challenges
for the relationship.
The May administration has been eager to distance itself
from the stance of former Prime Minister David Cameron,
who was less-than-complimentary about the then-
presidential candidate.
Britain has already made a number of concessions to the U.S.
when it comes to foreign policy: while Britain supported last
years UN resolution condemning Israels expansion of
settlements in occupied territories.
While Britain is eager to position itself as open to building
trade relationship outside the EU, Mr. Trump has adopted a
protectionist tone on many issues.
- - - - Malaysian port has a naval base facing the SCS.
Pakistan was to wind up its special military courts, two years
after they were set up for a speedy trial of hardcore militants
following a Taliban attack on an Army school that killed
nearly 150 children.
The courts were established through an amendment in the
Constitution after the attack in Peshawar on December 16,
2014.
There was no formal statement either from the government
or the military announcing the end of the extraordinary
powers for trial of civilians by the military.
However, the insertion of a sunset clause in the amendment
ensures that the courts will be wound up.
They handled 275 cases during two years and sentenced 161
to death, whereas another 116 were given varying jail terms,
mostly life sentences. Twelve convicts have been executed.
-- - - The U.S. is increasingly worried over the rising range and
Ashley Tellis, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace, could be named the next U.S.
Ambassador to India.
Mr. Tellis was not available for a response, but had last week
declined to comment on speculations about him joining the
administration.
Mr. Trump has said that Ambassadors who are political
appointees will not be given a grace period after he takes
over as President on January 20th. The current U.S.
Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, is a political
appointee.
Mumbai-born Tellis was a key figure in negotiations for the
India-U.S. nuclear deal and is a proponent of stronger ties
between the two countries, particularly in the area of defence
cooperation.
He has served in the U.S. embassy in Delhi as an adviser to
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the Ambassador. He has also been on the National Security
Council.
Mr. Tellis has good relations with both the Democrats and
the Republicans and, if selected, could easily be confirmed
by the U.S. Senate.
- - - -
-
For the first time, a Chinese submarine has docked at a port
in Malaysia, signalling deepening military ties between the
two countries, which are already partners in the development
of the Beijing-led Maritime Silk Road.
The four-day stopover of the submarine from January 3 at
the port of Kota Kinabalu is being seen as a trigger for
elevated tensions in the South China Sea (SCS). The
Analysts say docking of Chinese submarine signals the
emergence of special ties between Beijing and Kuala
Lumpur.
The visit of the submarine is adding a prominent military
dimension to Chinas ties with Malaysia which is fast
emerging as Beijings top partner, close to the Strait of
Malacca, along the Maritime Silk Road (MSR).
The MSR is part of the China-led Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) a massive connectivity undertaking on land and
sea, which covers 65 countries.
The Malacca industrial park is part of the giant Malacca
Gateway Project that China and Malaysia signed last year.
It also includes the establishment of the strategically vital
deep water port in the Strait of Malacca in Malaysia.
- ---
variety of Pakistans missile capability and that the recent
decision of the Obama administration to impose trade
restrictions on seven Pakistan entities came out of this
concern.
The official announcement of the decision did not detail the
reasons, but said there was reasonable cause to believe,
based on specific and articulable facts, that these entities
have been involved in actions contrary to the national
security or foreign policy interests of the United States.
All the entities are linked to Pakistans missile programme.
With the addition of these seven, there are 47 Pakistani
entities that are under strict watch of U.S. agencies.
What has triggered the alarm bells in Washington is
Shaheen-III, which has a range of 2,750 km.
Pakistan has officially explained its longest-range missile
to date, tested for the first time in 2015, as a capability to
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

strike the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the farthest Indian
territory from its shores.
But the missile also has Israel in its range, along with several
European countries something that the U.S. strategic
community finds unnerving.
The incoming administration will continue with the existing
U.S. policies towards India, Pakistan and Asia in general,
Defence Secretary-designate indicated during his
confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Forces
Committee.
- - - - -
- --
In a message to Israel and Trump administration, dozens of
countries are expected this weekend to reiterate their
opposition to Israeli settlements and call for the
establishment of a Palestinian state as the only way to
ensure peace in the region.
France is hosting more than 70 countries at a West Asia peace
summit, in what will be a final chance for the Obama
administration to lay out its positions for the region.
According to a draft statement obtained by The Associated
Press, the conference will urge Israel and the Palestinians
to officially restate their commitment to the two-state
solution.
It also will affirm that the international community will not
recognise changes to Israels pre-1967 lines without
agreement by both sides.
The draft says that participants will affirm that a negotiated
solution with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by
side in peace and security, is the only way to achieve
enduring peace.
Israel has settled some 600,000 of its citizens in the West
Bank and east Jerusalem occupied territories claimed by the
Palestinians for a future independent State. Israel captured
both areas in the 1967 war.
The summit comes on the heels of a U.N. Security Council
resolution last month that condemned the settlements as
illegal. The resolution passed 140 after the U.S. declined
to use its traditional veto power and instead abstained.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a
return to the 1967 lines, and many members of his nationalist
coalition oppose Palestinian independence and support
expanded settlements.
Mr. Netanyahu has rejected the U.N. resolution and accuses
the Obama administration of conspiring behind Israels back.
Israel has refused to participate in the French conference.
The Palestinians, who also are not invited to this weekends
conference, have welcomed the French initiative. In recent
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years, they have campaigned for the international
community to assume a greater role in resolving the conflict.
- -- -
China has handed over two ships to the Pakistan Navy to
safeguard the strategic Gwadar port and trade routes under
the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a move
likely to raise alarm in India.
China handed over the two ships to the Pakistan Navy joint
security along the sea route of the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC).
-
-
-
--
Trump says NATO has become absolete
NATO is obsolete, Germanys Angela Merkel made a
catastrophic mistake on refugees, Brexit will be great
and the U.S. could cut a deal with Russia: Donald Trump
unleashed a volley in interviews with European media.
Five days before his inauguration as the 45th President of
the U.S., the billionaire leader let loose a torrent of
controversial comments about European allies.
He extended a hand to Russia, which has been hit by a string
of sanctions under his predecessor Barack Obama over
Moscows involvement in Ukraine, the Syrian war and for
alleged cyberattacks to influence the U.S. election.
The President-elect suggested a deal in which nuclear
arsenals would be reduced and sanctions against Moscow
would be eased, but gave no details.
Washingtons European allies imposed sanctions against
Russia over Ukraine in 2014. Those measures were renewed
on December 19.
In comments set to cause further consternation among
eastern European NATO countries nervous about Moscow
following Russias annexation of Crimea and involvement
in Ukraine, Mr. Trump said NATO was obsolete.
Number one, it was obsolete, because it was designed many,
many years ago. Number two, the countries arent paying
what theyre supposed to pay.
In other remarks, Mr. Trump said Brexit is going to end up
as a great thing and said he backed a trade deal with post-
EU Britain, which would be good for both sides.
Other countries will leave the European Union in future,
Mr. Trump prophesied, largely due to the pressure the bloc
was put under following a significant rise in migrants and
refugees arriving.
Mr. Trump also criticised Ms. Merkel for letting Germany
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

admit undocumented migrants enter the country, insinuating
that this posed a security risk.
In response to Mr. Trumps comments, Chancellor Merkel
said Europe now had to take responsibility for itself.
- -
-
Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain would leave the
EUs single market in order to restrict immigration in a clean
break from the bloc, but lawmakers can vote on the final
deal.
Brexit must mean control of the number of people coming
from Europe, and that is what we will deliver. What I am
proposing cannot mean membership of the single market,
she said in a highly-anticipated speech at Londons
Lancaster House.
She added Britain would seek a trade deal giving the
greatest possible access to the market on its departure.
She also announced that any divorce deal with the remaining
EU members must be approved by votes in both chambers
of Parliament.
Britain has two years to negotiate a break-up deal once Ms.
May triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, officially
declaring the countrys intention to quit, or face leaving with
no agreement.
Ms. May has promised to trigger Article 50 by March-end
and said she believed a final settlement and trade deal could
be simultaneously negotiated within the time-frame.
Seeking to calm fears of a sudden jolt to the economy on
abruptly leaving the EU, Ms. May said she would seek a
phased process of implementation.
Her direction will be cheered by those who want to leave
the EU, but dismay those who fear the impact on the
economy.
EU countries accounted for 44% of Britains total exports
in goods and services in 2015, with the country recording a
68.6 billion ($82.7 billion) trade deficit with the bloc.
- - - -
- - -
Chinas President Xi Jinping warned against scapegoating
globalisation for the worlds ills or retreating behind
protectionist walls, days before Donald Trump takes office.
In what amounted to a rewriting of the global economic
order, led for decades by the United States, Mr. Xi used his
dbut speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos to
insist that globalisation was irreversible despite a populist
backlash in the West.
There is no point in blaming economic globalisation for the
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worlds problems, he said, saying that the process was not
at the root of the Syrian refugee situation or the 2008
financial crisis.
Globalisation should be more inclusive, more sustainable,
he added, adding that currently existing global institutions
are inadequate and should be more representative.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly accused China of carrying out
trade policies that have led to massive U.S. job losses. He
has threatened to slap tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese goods.
But addressing a hall packed with government leaders,
captains of industry, stars of entertainment and agenda-
setting thinkers, Mr. Xi issued a rebuke to such thinking.
A World Economic Forum study said that within advanced
economies, median per capita income fell on average 2.4%
over the past five years, helping to explain why disaffection
is so high across the West.
- - - -
- -
Days after losing two relatives in the Kandahar bomb blast,
former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the incoming
U.S. President must keep the promises on ending terror
camps in Pakistan that President Obama failed to.
Mr. Karzai confirmed claims made by his former aide Aimal
Faizi, who says President Obama had written to then-
President Karzai in 2012, where he had expressly promised
to degrade safe havens in Pakistan.
He [Mr. Obama] gave many such promises to me, and my
disappointment with him was the reason for the difficulties
in our [U.S.-Afghanistan] relationship,.
The former Afghan President had been in India for a
conference, but had also been attending to his cousin,
businessman Hashim Karzai, who had been flown to India
for treatment after he was grievously wounded.
The Kandahar blast has set off a massive blame-game in the
region, with Afghanistan blaming the Haqqani group and
Pakistan for the blast, a charge India concurred with in its
condemnation of the blast.
The Taliban, however, denied any involvement it the attack.
Speculation has grown that the UAE diplomats were targeted
as a warning over India and UAE coming closer.
Crown Prince and deputy supreme commander Mohammed
Bin Zayed Al Nahyan expected in India next week as the
Republic Day Chief Guest.
- - - -
-
The Islamic State group has demolished more treasured
monuments in Syrias ancient Palmyra, a month after
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

recapturing it from government forces, the countrys
antiquities chief said.
The news is a fresh blow for the UNESCO World Heritage
site, which had already been ravaged by the jihadist group
during the nine months it held the site before being expelled
in March last year.
Before being forced out of Palmyra in a Russian-backed
offensive in March, the IS razed world-famous temples and
tower tombs at the site.
The tetrapylon, built during the rule of the Roman Emperor
Diocletian in the 3rd Century AD, consisted of four sets of
four pillars each supporting massive stone cornices.
The monument had suffered considerable damage over the
centuries and only one of the 16 pillars was still standing in
its original Egyptian pink granite. The rest were cement
replicas erected by the antiquities department in 1963.
The Roman amphitheatre dates to the 1st Century AD and
was used by the IS for public executions during its
occupation of the city between May 2015 and March last
year.
The IS recaptured Palmyra late last year as Syrias
government waged a fierce battle to take back all of the
northern city of Aleppo from rebel forces.
- - -
Pakistan urged the World Bank to form a court of arbitration
to mediate the dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty between
the two countries.
Pakistans two parliamentary committees in a rare joint
resolution asked India to immediately suspend work on two
hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir and agree on
the constitution of an arbitration court to resolve the water
dispute.
The National Assemblys Committee on Foreign Affairs and
Water and Power held a joint sitting in Islamabad to discuss
water issues with India. A joint resolution adopted at the
meeting asked India to halt the construction work.
The resolution also called upon the World Bank to constitute
a court of arbitration to adjudicate on issues raised by
Pakistan against Indias ongoing construction of
Kishanganga and Ratle hydro projects.
The construction of dams on the western rivers by India has
brought the two countries at loggerheads and Pakistan has
engaged the World Bank, a facilitator of the IWT, to stop
India from going ahead with the construction.
-
Japan is threatening to take India to the WTO over
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
restrictions that nearly halved its steel exports to the South
Asian nation over the past year, a step that could trigger more
trade spats as global tensions over steel and other
commodities run high.
The worlds second-biggest steel producer typically tries to
smooth disputes quietly through bilateral talks, but with
global trade friction increasing, Japans defence of an
industry that sells nearly half of its products overseas is
getting more vigorous.
Besides concern over Indias protection of its domestic steel
industry, Japan is also worried about the more rough and
tumble climate for global trade being engendered by
incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, and feels it must
make a strong stand for open and fair international markets.
India imposed duties of up to 20% on some hot-rolled flat
steel products in September 2015, and set a floor price in
February 2016 for steel product imports to deter countries
such as China, Japan and South Korea from undercutting
local mills.
Tokyo says Indias actions are inconsistent with WTO rules
and contributed to the plunge in its steel exports to India,
which dropped to 11th-largest on Japans buyer list in 2016
through November, down from sixth-largest in 2015.
There has been a series of trade disputes over the past few
years amid massive exports of cheap steel products from
China, the worlds top producer, with Vietnam, Malaysia and
South Africa taking or planning measures to block incoming
shipments.
Japan is also monitoring its small volume of imports for
signs of dumping, fearing that steel products with nowhere
to turn because of import restrictions may head to it own
market.
-- - -
A gigantic chunk of ice that is breaking away from West
Antarctica is now attached to its parent ice shelf just by a
thread, scientists reported.
Covering 5,000 sq km and nearly 100 storeys-deep, the
formation is poised to snap off from Larsen C ice shelf,
creating one of the largest icebergs ever recorded.
A widening rift running the length of the finger-shaped, 350
metre-thick ice block grew 10 km longer some time during
the last three weeks, satellite images revealed.
Ice shelves float on the sea, extending from the coast, and
are slowly fed by glaciers from the ice sheet on land. They
act as giant brakes, preventing the glaciers from sliding
directly into the ocean.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

- -- and a mobile phone application which does the diagnosis.
Scientists have developed a new method for medical testing
that may lead to faster diagnosis of HIV, Lyme disease,
syphilis and rotavirus infections.
Researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in
the U.S. combined cutting-edge nanoscience with a
magnetic phenomenon discovered more than 170 years ago
to create the method for speedy medical tests.
The team coated nanoparticles with the antibody to BSA,
or bovine serum albumin, which is commonly used as the
basis of a variety of diagnostic tests.
By mixing the nanoparticles in a test solution, the BSA
proteins preferentially bind with the antibodies that coat the
nanoparticles.
Nanoparticles with an iron core and applied a magnetic field
to the solution, causing the particles to align in a particular
formation.
As proteins bind to the antibody-coated particles, the
rotation of the particles becomes sluggish, which is easy to
detect with laser optics.
-- - The team is also working on patenting the kit, which is
A new view of the dark, contorted centre of a sunspot that
is nearly twice the diameter of the Earth, along with other
invisible details of our Sun, has been unveiled by scientists.
The results are an important expansion of the range of
observations that can be used to probe the physics of our
nearest star.
The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array
(ALMA) antennas had been carefully designed so that they
could image the Sun in exquisite detail using the technique
of radio interferometry.
Astronomers have harnessed ALMAs capabilities to image
the millimetre-wavelength light emitted by the Suns
chromosphere.
- - as President from 2003 to 2012.
A team of Ugandan engineers has invented a smart jacket
that diagnoses pneumonia faster than a doctor, offering hope
against a disease which kills more children worldwide than
any other.
The idea came to Olivia Koburongo, 26, after her
grandmother fell ill, and was moved from hospital to hospital
before being properly diagnosed with pneumonia.
Ms. Koburongo took her idea to fellow telecommunications
engineering graduate Brian Turyabagye, 24, and together
with a team of doctors they came up with the Mama-Ope
(Mothers Hope) kit made up of a biomedical smart jacket
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
Pneumonia is a severe lung infection which kills up to
24,000 Ugandan children under the age of five per year,
many of whom are misdiagnosed as having malaria,
according to the UN childrens agency UNICEF.
A lack of access to laboratory testing and infrastructure in
poor communities means health workers often have to rely
on simple clinical examinations to make their diagnoses.
With the easy-to-use Mama-Ope kit, health workers merely
have to slip the jacket onto the child, and its sensors will pick
up sound patterns from the lungs, temperature and breathing
rate.
The processed information is sent to a mobile phone app (via
Bluetooth) which analyses the information in comparison
to known data so as to get an estimate of the strength of the
disease.
The jacket, which is still only a prototype, can diagnose
pneumonia up to three times faster than a doctor and reduces
human error, according to studies done by its
inventors.Traditionally doctors use a stethoscope to listen
for abnormal crackling or bubbling sounds in the lungs.
shortlisted for the 2017 Royal Academy of Engineering
Africa Prize.
According to UNICEF, most of the 900,000 annual deaths
of children under five due to pneumonia occur in south Asia
and sub-Saharan Africa. This is more than other causes of
childhood death such as diarrhoea, malaria, meningitis or
HIV infections.
- - -
Mauritius Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth announced that
he would be stepping down to make way for his son Pravind,
a move that could spark turmoil in the Indian Ocean island.
In 2014, Mr. Jugnauth was elected to his sixth term as Prime
Minister, 22 years after first being voted in. He also served
Pravind Jugnauth, the current Minister of Finance, is also
leader of the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), the
largest party in the governing coalition.
Some people believe that Pravind Jugnauth should not be
able to succeed his father without elections.
Mauritius is a multi-ethnic archipelago nation of 1.2 million
people off the east coast of Africa. It is the only Hindu-
majority country in Africa.
Mauritius was colonised by the Dutch in the 17th century,
then the French and finally Britain before gaining
independence in 1968.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

- Not only did his World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge land a
U.S. President Donald Trump could sign an executive order
as early as Monday intended to renegotiate the free trade
agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
In addition to wanting to renegotiate the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the new Republican
President also intends to sign an executive order pulling out
of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Mr. Trump, who was sworn in as the 45th U.S. President on
Friday, targeted both trade pacts during his White House
campaign.
The President said he planned talks soon with the leaders
of Canada and Mexico to begin renegotiating NAFTA.
NAFTA, which took effect in 1994, and other trade deals
became lightning rods for voter anger in the U.S. industrial
heartland states that swept Trump to victory.
Mr. Trump intended to sign was to pull out of the TPP, the
trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries that
Democratic President Barack Obama strongly backed.
The agreement, seen as a counter to Chinas rising economic
influence, was promoted by Washington and aimed to set
trade rules for the 21st century. Although signed in 2015, it
has not yet gone into effect.
Mr. Trump promised to cut taxes massively and slash
regulations by 75%. He also warned the corporate CEOs that
he would impose a border tax on goods imported by
companies that move jobs out of the U.S.
Israel approved hundreds of new settler homes in east
Jerusalem, just hours before the telephone call, which an
Israeli statement described as very warm.
-- - - - propulsion and advanced guidance and navigation features,
- duly augmented by Global Navigation, Terrain and Scene
The candy-coloured love letter to musicals La La Land
landed a record-tying 14 nominations to the Academy
Awards, which fielded a notably more diverse field of
nominees following two straight years of OscarsSoWhite
backlash.
La La Land matched Titanic and All About Eve for most
nominations ever, earning nods for best picture, stars Emma
Stone and Ryan Gosling, its jazz-infused songs and its 32-
year-old writer-director, Damien Chazelle.
The other nominees for best picture were Moonlight , Arrival
, Manchester by the Sea , Hell or High Water , Lion , Fences
, Hidden Figures and Hacksaw Ridge .
After two straight years of all-white acting nominees, seven
people of colour were among the 20 actors nominated on
Tuesday.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
best picture nod, but Mr. Gibson scored an unexpected best
director nomination.
The nominees for best actor were Mr. Gosling, Casey
Affleck ( Manchester by the Sea ), Andrew Garfield (
Hacksaw Ridge ), Viggo Mortensen ( Captain Fantastic ) and
Denzel Washington ( Fences ).
Nominated for best supporting actor were Mahershala Ali (
Moonlight ), Jeff Bridges ( Hell or High Water ), Michael
Shannon ( Nocturnal Animals ), Lucas Hedges ( Manchester
by the Sea ) and Dev Patel ( Lion ).
- - -
- --
Pakistan conducted the first flight test of long range surface-
to-surface ballistic missile Ababeel.
It claimed that the missile has the capability to carry nuclear
warheads and engage multiple targets with high precision,
defeating the enemys hostile radars.
It is said that development of Ababeel Weapon System is
aimed at ensuring survivability of Pakistans ballistic
missiles in the growing regional Ballistic Missile Defence
(BMD) environment and that it will further reinforce
deterrence.
In an obvious reference to India, officials said a second strike
capability gives Pakistan the option of a measured response
to nuclear strategies and postures being adopted in the
neighbourhood.
Babur-3 is a sea-based variant of cruise missile Babur-2,
which was successfully tested in December. It incorporates
state-of-the-art technology, including under water controlled
Matching System.
It also features terrain-hugging and sea-skimming flight
capabilities that will enable it evade hostile radars.
China is hoping to galvanise two regional trade proposals
the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP) and the Free-Trade Agreement of the Asia-Pacific
(FTAAP) following the formal exit of the U.S. from the
Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
President Donald Trump signed an executive order,
withdrawing the U.S. from the 12-nation trade deal, widely
seen in China as a Washington-led attempt to contain its rise.
Instead of the TPP, Prof. Wang backed the RCEP, which has
the 10 countries of the Association of South East Asian
Nations as the core of the proposed free trade agreement.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

Besides, six other nations India, China, Japan, South Korea,
Australia and New Zealand are part of the arrangement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying
pointed out that Beijing will back further negotiations on
RCEP, which have already made substantial progress and
should be completed at an early date.
In the Asia-Pacific, the U.S.s exit has triggered different
responses from calls to re-focus on the RCEP to revive
the TPP with China as its new member.
-- - -
Nikki Haley was sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations, becoming the first Indian American to serve
on a Cabinet rank position in any U.S. presidential
administration.
Ms. Haley (45), former South Carolina Governor, was sworn
in by Vice-President Mike Pence. She was approved
overwhelmingly by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
with wide bipartisan support.
She is the first woman to be confirmed to Mr. Trumps
Cabinet.
-- $316.4 billion.
President Donald Trump was poised to suspend the U.S.
refugee programme for four months and to halt visas for
travellers from seven Muslim countries, according to U.S.
media.
A draft executive order said refugees from war-torn Syria
will be indefinitely banned, while the broader U.S. refugee
admissions programme will be suspended for 120 days as
officials draw up a list of low risk countries.
Meanwhile, all visa applications from countries deemed a
terrorist threat Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and
Yemen will be halted for 30 days.
Alongside this, the Pentagon will be given 90 days to draw
up a plan to set up safe zones in or near Syria where
refugees from its civil war can shelter.
It is unclear whether the published draft is the final version,
or when Mr. Trump will sign it, but it would make good on
his campaign promises.
Banning the admission of Syrian refugees contradicts
American values, undermines American leadership and
threatens American security by making the ISIS case that we
are at war with Islam, he argued.
- -
As President Donald Trump appears determined to
implement his protectionist campaign promises, the U.S.
could be headed for a trade war with partners.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
The White House said that a 20% tariff on imports from
southern neighbour Mexico is among the ideas under
consideration to fund a border wall between the two
countries.
Mr. Trump crossed swords with his Mexican counterpart on
Twitter, in a first. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto
announced the cancellation of his first meeting with Mr.
Trump, which was scheduled for next week, on Twitter.
The wall and the tariff proposal have outraged Mexico, many
U.S. leaders, including Republicans, but Mr. Trump is
unfazed. The order was issued without any calculation of
costs or timeline.
The U.S.-Mexico border is 3,200 km long and nearly one-
third of it has barriers of some sort. Mr. Trump has repeatedly
said he would force Mexico to pay for the wall. Mexico has
rejected the idea.
After questions were raised, the White House initially said
a 20% tariff on Mexican imports to the U.S. would fund the
wall. It later clarified that a tariff was one of the several
proposals on the table.
Imports to the U.S. from Mexico in 2015 were valued at
- - -
Iraqi forces discovered a mustard chemical warfare agent in
eastern Mosul alongside a cache of Russian surface-to-
surface missiles, an Iraqi officer said.
Iraqi and U.S. officials have repeatedly warned of Islamic
State (IS) groups efforts to develop chemical weapons.
When Iraqi forces retook Mosul University earlier this
month, they found chemistry labs they believed had been
converted into makeshift chemical weapons labs.
The number of casualties due to IS chemical weapons is a
small fraction compared to the hundreds of civilians killed
in car and suicide bombings carried out by the group.
Experts say that is largely due to the low grade of the
weapons and the groups lack of access to efficient delivery
systems.
- -
-
A judicial order stayed the deportation of people from seven
Muslim-majority countries who arrived in the U.S. after
President Donald Trump barred their entry through an
executive order.
As the world watched Mr. Trump's move with dismay,
protests erupted across America, particularly at airports
where travellers were detained.
The judicial order does not deal with the merit of the
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

executive order issued by Mr. Trump that could be deemed
unconstitutional as it effectively sanctions religious
discrimination.
The New York court order extends to all of America and
provides relief to people in similar situations but at least
three more similar court rulings were reported from other
States by Saturday night.
Earlier, Mr. Trump said the travel restrictions did not amount
to a ban on Muslims.
Its not a Muslim banvery strict ban, and were going to
have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this
country for many years, he said, as he signed executive
order, to prepare within 30 days a blueprint for defeating the
IS.
-- - -- - Mr. Putin, however, said that Russia would continue to fight
France won its first Miss Universe crown in 64 years in a
made-for-television spectacle where finalists spoke out on
the refugee crisis and other hot-button global issues.
Iris Mittenaere, a dental surgery student from Lille in the
north of France, beat 85 of the worlds most beautiful women
at the event in the Philippines scheduled for primetime
viewing in the United States.
Ms. Mittenaere (24) edged out Miss Haiti, the first runner-
up, and Miss Colombia, the second runner-up, to win
Frances first Miss Universe title since 1953.
- -- - development, saying it hoped it would lead to fresh talks
Chinas State Grid Corporation is set to build a $1.5-billion
power line across Pakistan to enable the transmission of
4,000 megawatts of electricity from the countrys north to
south.
Pakistani and Chinese officials signed an investment
agreement in Beijing to build the countrys first high-
voltage, direct current line, according to a government
statement.
The power transmission line would link the national grid
between the southern Pakistani town of Matiari and
easternmost city of Lahore, some 1,000 km apart.
Pakistan has been struggling to provide enough power to its
nearly 200 million citizens, and Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif has vowed to solve the crisis by 2018.
- -- that it would move ahead with thousands of new homes in
Russia President Vladimir Putin announced a nationwide
ceasefire deal to come into effect across Syria from midnight
and that the warring parties had agreed to sit down for peace
talks.
The deal brokered by Russia and Turkey could represent a
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
major breakthrough in nearly six years of war in Syria and
comes a week after rebel resistance was crushed in the
second city of Aleppo.
Although on opposing sides in the conflict, Turkey and
Russia have been working intensively to find a ceasefire
after the fall of Aleppo, in a process that conspicuously does
not include the United States.
Syrias Army said it would halt all military operations from
midnight, and the opposition National Coalition also said it
backed the truce.
Mr. Putin also said he would reduce Moscows military
contingent in Syria, which has been flying a bombing
campaign in support of President Bashar Al-Assad since last
year.
terrorism in the war-torn country and maintain its support
for the government in Damascus.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the seven
opposition groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham,
that have signed up to the agreements after months of talks
comprise some 62,000 fighters and control a large portion
of territory in central and northern Syria.
Syrias political opposition and rebels confirmed their
backing for the truce, saying it applied to all parts of the
country.
The United States called the ceasefire deal a positive
on the countrys political future.
- -- -- -
- -
Colombias Congress passed a law granting amnesty to
Marxist FARC rebels as part of the countrys peace deal, a
development the government hailed as historic.
The measure grants special legal treatment, amnesty and
pardons to members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC) accused of political and related crimes.
The Senate passed the bill 69-0, after the House of
Representatives approved it 121-0.
-
Undeterred by a defeat at the UN, Israels government said
disputed areas and warned nations against further action,
declaring that Israel does not turn the other cheek.
Jerusalems municipal government signalled that it would
not back down: The city intends to approve 600 housing
units in the predominantly Palestinian eastern section of
town.
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 http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses

The defiant posture reflected anger among Israels pro- When completed, the FC-31 will become the countrys
settlement political leaders, who not only blamed the United second fifth-generation fighter after the J-20, which put on
States for failing to block the council resolution. its first public performance at the Zhuhai Air Show in
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out at November.
Security Council countries by curbing diplomatic contacts, - - -
recalling envoys, cutting off aid and summoning the U.S.
Ambassador for a scolding. A focus on establish-ing soft borders between India and
Pakistan, rather than a final settlement of boundaries in
He cancelled a planned visit this week by Ukraines Prime
Kashmir, can lead to New Delhi's rapid integration into an
Minister even as he expressed concern on Monday that Mr.
expanded CPEC, says a top Chinese academic.
Obama was planning more action at the United Nations
before his term ends next month. An endorsement of soft borders by New Delhi and
Islamabad would address India's core objection to the CPEC
Mr. Netanyahu defended his retaliation. Israel is a country
its passage through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
with national pride, and we do not turn the other cheek, he
said. The concept of soft borders as a pragmatic solution to the
Kashmir dispute is not new. In 2005, shortly after a bus
Palestinian leaders made clear that they would use the
service from Srinagar and Muzafarabad had star-ted.
resolution in international bodies to press their case against
Israel. Prof. Li has ex-tended the idea of soft borders to both
Kashmir and Afghanistan in order to impart regional
With the imprimatur of a UN finding of illegality, they said
inclusiveness to China's Belt and Road' connectivity
they would campaign to require that other countries not just
project, manifested in the CPEC.
label products made in the settlements, but ban them.
Prof Li also highlighted that Pakistan and Afghanistan
Mr. Trump publicly pressed for a veto of the resolution and
should accept soft borders' as the touchstone for resolving
has chosen a settlement advocate as his administrations
their differences along the Durand Line. The Chinese scholar
Ambassador to Israel.
stressed that Afghanistan is the heart of Asia.
- - - Chabahar, which is being jointly developed by Iran, India
China has tested the latest version of its fifth-generation andAfghanistan, and Gwadar, are separated from each other
stealth fighter, as it tries to end the West's monopoly on the by only around 100 km.
world's most advanced warplanes. - -- -
The test comes as the nation flexes its military muscles,
Israel scrambled to contain the fallout from the UN Security
sending its sole air-craft carrier the Liaoning into the western
Council vote to halt settlements in Palestinian territory after
Pacific in recent days to lead drills there for the first time.
lashing out at U.S. President Barack Obama over the
The newest version of the J-31 now renamed the FC-31
shameful resolution.
Gyrfalcon took to the air for the first time.
The council passed the measure on Friday after the United
The so-called fifth-generation twin-engine jet is China's
States abstained, enabling the adoption of the first UN
answer to the U.S. F-35, the world's most technically
resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement
advanced fighter.
policy.
The new FC-31 has better stealth capabilities, improved
By deciding not to veto the move, the U.S. took a rare step
electronic equipment and a larger payload capacity than the
that deeply angered Israel, which accused Obama of
previous version which debuted in October 2012.
abandoning its closest West Asia ally in the waning days of
AVIC has said that the FC-31 will put an end to some his administration.
nations' monopolies on the fifth-generation fighter jet, the
The text was passed with support from all remaining
China Daily reported.
members of the 15-member council, with applause breaking
China is aggressively moving to develop its domestic out in the chamber.
weapons industry, from drones and anti-air-craft systems to
The landmark vote came despite intense lobbying efforts by
home-grown jet engines.
Israel and calls from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to
In the past it has been accused of copying designs from block the text.
Russian fighters, and some analysts say the FC-31 bears a
While the resolution contains no sanctions, Israel is
close resemblance to the F-35.
concerned it couldwiden the possibility of prosecution at the

www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

International Criminal Court (ICC).
They are also worried it could encourage some countries to
impose sanctions against Israeli settlers and products
produced in the settlements.
The U.S. has traditionally served as Israel's diplomatic
shield, protecting it from resolutions it opposes. But the
Obama administration has grown frustrated with settlement-
building in the WestBank, which Israel hasoccupied for
nearly 50 years.
Settlements are built on land the Palestinians view as part
of their future state and seen as illegal under international
law.
- -- potential.
Italian police shot dead the prime suspect in the Berlin
Christmas market attack, ending a frantic four-day hunt for
Europe's most wanted man.
But just as German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed
relief that suspected attacker Anis Amri no longer posed a
threat, she pledged a "comprehensive" analysis of how he
was slipped through the net in the first place.
Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian, is believed to have hijacked
a lorry and used it to mow down holiday revellers at the
market on Monday, killing 12 and wounding dozens more.
The Islamic State jihadist group has claimed responsibility
and released a video on Friday in which Amri is shown
pledging allegiance to Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-
Baghdadi.
He had been missing since escaping immediately after the
attack, but his time on the run was cut short thanks to a
combination of luck and the quick reflexes of rookie Italian
police officer Luca Scata.
be on training Nepali forces in dealing with hostage
Chinasignalled that it was ready to consider India's
participation in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) after a Pakistani general counselled New Delhi to
shed enmity and join the project.
The CPEC is an important part of China's Belt and Road
initiative and it is an open proposal, and we are willing
towork with Pakistan to dis-cuss the participation of any
third country, (on the) principle of wide consultation and
joint contribution.
The CPEC links the Pakistani port of Gwadar with Kashgar
in China's Xinjiang province.
Pakistan's Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General
Aamir Riaz, based in Quetta, said India should shunenmity
with Pakistan and join the $46-billion CPEC along with Iran,
Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries and enjoy its
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bene-fits.
Chinese academics are also actively debating on how to
prevent the emergence of rivalry between India-supported
port of Chabahar in Iran and Gwadar, which is a short
distance away.
- - -
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called for the country to
expand its nuclear weapons capabilities until the world
comes to its senses a signal he may support costly
efforts to modernise the ageing U.S. nuclear arsenal.
His comments came on a day Russian President Vladimir
Putin called for his country to reinforce its military nuclear
We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic
nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can
reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile
defence systems, the Russian leader said
During the next decade, U.S. ballistic missile
submarines,bombers, and land-based missiles the three
legs of the nuclear triad - are expected to reach the end of
their useful lives.
Maintain-ing and modernising the arsenal is expected to cost
about $1 trillion dollars over 30 years.
Next year four additional S-400 anti-missile de-fence
systems will be de-livered to the army, and Russia would pay
particular attention to its Western flank and the Arctic.
- -
Beginning a new level of bilateral military engagement,
Nepal will hold its first ever joint military exercise with
China on February 10.
The focus of the military exercise, named Pratikar-1, will
scenarios involving international terror groups.
Nepal has conducted exercises with India earlier. Analysts
say that though the military drill with China does not violate
the 1950 India-Nepal treaty of peace and friendship, it does
appear unconventional.
Reports suggested that the exercise will firm up Kath-
mandu's preparedness to deal with hostage situations like the
one that caused large number of deaths in Dhaka's Holey
Artisan bakery in July.
- -- --
The United States targeted more Russian businessmen and
companies over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the
conflict in Ukraine, slap-ping them with U.S. sanctions in a
move Moscow criticised as hostile.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

The measures come a month before U.S. President Barack
Obama hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump,
who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said
it would be good if the two countries could get along.
Mr. Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, Exxon
Mobil Corp CEO Rex Tillerson, has opposed U.S. sanctions
on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013.
The United States introduced sanctions on Russia after it
annexed the Crimean peninsula fromUkraine in 2014 and
expanded them over its support for separatist rebels.
--
But it is un-clear if the United States will maintain the
sanctions on Russia under Mr. Trump.
The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned several companies and
government enter-prises for operating in Crimea, including
two Russian firms it said were help-ing to build a multi-
billion-dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with the
peninsula, a project import-ant to Mr. Putin.
- hoarding Venezuelan cash abroad in a U.S.-backed plot to
The bloody carnage at a Berlin Christmas market
immediately emboldened right-wing populist critics of
Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal refugee policy.
Ms. Merkel has been under fire over her decision in
September last year to let in tens of thousands fleeing war
and poverty from mostly Arab and Muslim nations.
The arrival of around a million people over the past two
years has deeply polarised society, and the German leader
has said next year's election would be more difficult than
any other she has contested.
The Islamophobic and anti-immigration populist party AfD
wasted no time in laying the blame on Merkel.
The milieu in which such acts can flourish has been
negligently and systematic-ally imported over the past year
and a half, the group's co-leader FraukePetry saidin a
statement.
Ms. Merkel's popularity has waned over the refugee influx,
although her decision to seek a fourth term in next year's
elections was greeted with approval from 64 per cent of the
- - -
population as measures to curb the refugee influx began to
show results.
In a worldupended by Brexit and the surprise election of
Donald Trump, questions are flying on how she plans to
counter rising populism. For now, most mainstream
politicians have been adopt-ing a cautious stance.
-- -- - Subic Bay of the Philip-pines just as the USNS Bowditch,
The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot in the back and
killed while giving a speech at an art gallery. Turkish security
sources said the gunman, who shouted Don't forget
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
Aleppo, was an of-duty police officer.
Turkey has struggled with a string of at-tacks by Islamist and
Kurdish militants but the killing of a Russian envoy could
have resonance throughout the region.
Russia is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-As-sad
and its air strikes were instrumental in helping Syrian forces
end rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.
Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan, however, has been
a vociferous opponent of Mr. Assad.
-
With protests rock-ing his unpopular government, embattled
President Nicolas Maduro delayed until January 2 taking
Venezuela's highest denomination bill out of circulation.
The 100-bolivar bills would temporarily remain legal tender,
Mr. Maduro said, but the borders with Colombia and Brazil
will remain closed to hit what he claims are mafias
destabilise the country.
The bill is worth about 15 U.S. cents at the highest official
rate, and until recently ac-counted for 77 per cent of the cash
in circulation in Venezuela.
Venezuela has the world's highest inflation rate, set to hit
475 per cent this year ac-cording to the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
The government is trying to introduce new bills in
denominations up to 200 times higher than the old ones, but
the plan derailed when Mr. Maduro banned the 100-bolivar
note before the new bills arrived.
Four airplanes with the new currency set to arrive from
abroad were delayed by international sabotage, Mr. Maduro
said. He did not say where the money was coming from, or
what type of sabotage.
Rioting and angry protests erupted in several Venezuelan
cities as the chaotic reform left people without cash to buy
food or Christmas presents.
A Chinese warship has seized an underwater drone deployed
by a U.S. oceanographic vessel in the South China Sea,
triggering a formal diplomatic protest and a demand for its
return.
The incident, the first of its kind in recent memory, took
place on December 15 about 50 nautical miles northwest of
an oceanographic survey ship, was about to retrieve the
unmanned, under water vehicle (UUV).
The Pentagon later con-firmed the incident at a news
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

briefing. It said the drone used commercially available
technology and sold for about $1,50,000. Still, the Pentagon
viewed China's seizure seriously since it had effectively
takenU.S. military property.
A U.S. think tank this week said new satellite imagery
indicated China has installed weapons, including anti-air-
craft and anti-missile systems, on all seven artificial islands
it has built in the South China Sea.
The drone was part of an unclassified program to collect
oceanographic data including salinity, temperature and
clarity of the water.
- - Donald Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, a team that
The incoming administration of Donald Trump hopes to
break new ground in selling advanced weapons systems to
India, news that would likely be music to the ears of the
government in Delhi.
Along with a sharp focus on increasing the quantity and
quality of weapons procurement from the U.S. by India,
Washington would also hope to lift bilateral trade from a
little over $100 billion to at least $300 billion during Mr.
Trump's first term and even up to $1 trillion by the end of
his second term.
Mr. Kumar added: As soon as we could manage to get
[new] legislation through Congress, which is controlled by
Republicans, it should be no problem at all. We should have
that legislation in a pretty short time.
- - the forum will be charged with providing theirindividual
An operation to evacuate thousands of civilians and fighters
from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo was under way, part of
a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city
and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar Al-
Assad.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the
evacuation of around 200 wounded people had star-ted.
Russia, a major ally of Assad, said 5,000 Syrian rebels and
family members were being brought out of eastern Aleppo.
The convoy of 10 ambulances and at least 17 green buses
with nearly 1,000 aboard drove from the Ramousah district
next to the rebel-held area of Aleppo, which was besieged
for months by Syrian government forces.
Rebel officials have said that civilians who wish to leave
will also be able to do so as part of the ceasefire and
evacuation deal. Footage of the buses appeared to show that
most ofthose inside were young men.
Columns of black smoke could be seen rising from the rebel-
held area, where residents hoping to departwere burning
personal be-longings they do not want to leave for
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government forces to loot.
Syria had guaranteed the safety of rebels and their families,
who would be taken towards Idlib, a city in north-western
Syria which is out-side government control.
The evacuation agreement would include the safe passage
of wounded from the Shia villages of Foua and Kefraya near
Idlib that are besieged by rebels, accord-ing to a military
media unit run by Hezbollah, a group al-lied to Mr. Assad.
- - - -
Indian-American PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has joined
aims to assist him in implementing his economic agenda, the
presidential transition team said.
Ms. Nooyi (61) is the only Indian-origin executive in the 19-
member Strategic and Policy Forum', which was first
announced early this week.
Three new members were also announced in addition to the
current 16. The other corporate bigwigs to join the forum
are Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and SpaceXand Tesla
chairman Elon Musk.
The forum, composed of some of America's most highly
respected and successful business leaders, will meet with the
President frequently to share their specific experience and
knowledge as he implements his economic agenda.
According to the presidential transition team, members of
views to Mr. Trump on how government policy impacts
economic growth, job creation and productivity.
During the general election, Ms. Nooyi was a known
supporter of Mr. Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
After Mr. Trump's victory, she had said that there was
serious concern among many, including her daughters,
about their safety in the U.S.
- - - -
Hindus are the best-educated of all religious groups in North
America and Europe, a new study re-leased by Pew Research
Centre found.
This is in sharp contrast with the Hindus who live in India,
who are among the least-educated of all religious groups
worldwide, the study found.
Ninety-six per cent of Hindus in the U.S. have college
degrees compared to 36 per cent for Christians who are a
majority in the country.
Among Jews, 76 per cent have college degrees, com-pared
to 54 per cent of Muslims and 53 per cent of Buddhists.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

Hindus in Europe also are highly educated, averaging 13.9
years of schooling, the study, titled Religion and Education
Around the World, said. However, Hindus still have the
lowest level of educational attainment of any major religious
group.
Globally, Hindus average 5.6 years of schooling and on-ly
one-tenth of them havepost-secondary degrees. Forty-one
per cent of Hindus have no formal education of any kind.
The gender gap in education has been bridged to some extent
among Hindus in recent years, but they still have the largest
educational gender gap of any religious group.
- the U.S. since 1979.
Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of petroleum multinational
ExxonMobil, will be the U.S. Secretary of State under the
incoming President Donald Trump.
The selection of Mr. Tiller-son, who has close ties with
Russia and President Vladimir Putin, portends a significant
deviation from the U.S. foreign policy.
The announcement came close on the heels of a dis-closure
by the Central Intelligence Agency that the Russian
government authorised cyberattacks on the U.S. in order to
facilitate Mr. Trump's election.
Mr. Trump has ridiculed the claim, even as Congressional
leaders of both parties called for an investigation.
The latest addition to it could set the Trump administration
on a collision course with some Republican and Democratic
leaders in Congress and the U.S. strategic policy
establishment, all of who consider Russia inimical to the
U.S. interests.
The Secretary of State requires confirmation by the Senate.
Mr. Tillerson has never held any public office and little is
known about his views on international affairs.
But the 64-year-old has developed ties with leaders of many
countries in his 40-year career.
Under him, ExxonMobil turned around to accept that climate
change is real, and it issued a statement in support of the
Paris Climate Agreement. The company also favours a
carbon tax now.
-- -
China's Foreign Ministry on Monday warned that any
change in the U.S.'s one-China policy will impair ties
between Beijing and Washington.
Upholding the one China' principle is the political basis
for developing China-U.S. ties.
If this basis is interfered with or damaged, then the healthy
development of China-U.S. relations and bilateral
cooperation in important areas is out of the question,
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China's Foreign Ministry spokesman GengShuang told.
Mr. Geng was responding to a spate of queries follow-ing a
interview on Fox News by Donald Trump, where he
questioned the U.S.'s persistence with the one-China policy,
unless there were concessions from Beijing on trade and
other issues.
He also blamed China for devaluing its currency, and not
cooperating with Wash-ington on North Korea and the South
China Sea.
The one-China policy underscores recognition ofChina's
sovereignty over Taiwan a position that has been held by
The one-China policy is not something that can be
negotiated... It seems Trump knows only about business. He
thinks he can put a price on everything, GlobalTimes said.
- - -
Venezuela, mired in an economic crisis and facing the
world's highest inflation, will pull its largest bill, worth two
U.S. cents on the black market, from circulation this week
ahead of introducing new higher-value notes, President
Nicolas Maduro said.
The surprise move, announced by Mr. Maduroduring an
hours-long speech, is likely to worsen a cash crunch in
Venezuela.
Mr. Maduro said the 100-bolivar bill will be taken out of
circulation and Venezuelans will have 10 days after that to
exchange those notes at the central bank.
48% of all currency Critics slammed the move, which Mr.
Maduro said was needed to combat contra-band of the bills
at the volatile Colombia-Venezuela border, as economically
non-sensical, adding there would be no way to swap all the
100-bolivar bills in circulation in the time the President has
allotted.
Central bank data showed that in November, there were more
than six billion 100-bolivar bills in circulation, 48 per cent
of all bills and coins.
Authorities are due to start releasing six new notes and three
new coins, the largest of which will be worth 20,000
bolivars, less than $5 on thestreets.
No official inflation data is available for 2016 though many
economists see it in triple digits. The oil-producing nation's
bolivar currency has fallen 55 per cent against the U.S. dollar
on the black market in the last month.
Mr. Maduro previously has said that organised crime
networks at the Colombia-Venezuela border buy up
Venezuelan notes to in turn buy subsidised Venezuelan
goods and sell them for vast profits in Colombia.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

Strict currency controls introduced in 2003 in the country
that had pegged the bolivar to the dollar, coupled with heavy
reliance on oil, are seen as the root of the crisis by most
economists.
- -
The European Union (EU) and Cuba signed a deal to
normalise ties that had been blocked for decades by human
rights concerns.
Cuba was the only Latin American country not to have a
dialogue and cooperation deal with the 28-nation EU
covering issues such as trade, human rights and migration.
But EU Ministers last week dropped a policy in place since
1996 which stated that Cuba first had to improve its human
rights record before getting closer links with the bloc.
Asked what impact Donald Trump's election might have on
U.S. policy, he noted angrily that despite easing tensions,
Washington had kept its economic embargo against Cuba.
EU-Cuba relations do not go via Washington, he added.
Ms. Mogherini said she saw no reason for concern al-though
Mr. Trump's shock election victory has stoked doubts in
Europe about Washington's global stance and its crucial
security guarantee.
- -
Portuguese pottery and Belgian beer also named intangible
cultural treasures
Cubas sensual rumba dance and Belgiums thriving beer
culture brought new effervescence to UNESCOs coveted
list of intangible heritage.
UNESCO noted that Belgium produces some 1,500 types
of beer, while in Cuba because the rumba sprang from poor
communities the dance is an enduring expression of
resistance and self-esteem.
The list of intangible cultural treasures was created 10
years ago, mainly to increase awareness about them, while
UNESCO also sometimes offers financial or technical
support to countries struggling to protect them.
- principle of the U.S.-China relations and Mr. Trumps
Iceland's president invited the anti-establishment Pirate
Party to form a government, after both the right and left-wing
parties each failed in their bids.
President Gudni Johannesson made the announcement after
meeting with the head of the Pirates parliamentary group,
Birgitta Jonsdottir.
Iceland held snap legislative elections on October 29, in
which none of the seven parties or alliances obtained a clear
majority.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
Giving the Pirate Party, which came third in the election, the
chance to build a government has been seen as a bold move
that is not guaranteed to be a success. With voters keen to
see political change, the small and controversial Pirate Party
had vowed during the election campaign to implement
radical institutional reforms for more direct democracy and
greater transparency in public life. It won 14.5 percent of
votes, less than pollsters had predicted.
- - -
Ms. Kehkashan Basu is being honoured for the work done
by her child-run organisation Green Hope, based in the
United Arab Emirates, which now has more than 1,000
volunteers in 10 countries around the world.
The ambitious teen founded Green Hope at the age of 12 and
within four years managed several successful environmental
projects, including planting 5,000 trees in Colombia, France,
Mexico, Nepal, Oman and the United States.
Ms. Basu, who was inspired by her grandmother's rooftop
garden in Kolkata, India, received the prize from 2006 Nobel
Peace laureate and anti-poverty campaigner Muhammad
Yunus.
The prize is awarded annually "to a child who fights
courageously for children's rights," KidsRights said. It also
includes a 100,000 euro ($106,000) investment for projects
in the winner's home country.
Past winners include Pakistani education campaigner Malala
Yousafzai and the prize's first recipient, Nkosi Johnson, a
South African boy who shone a light on the plight of children
with HIV/AIDS.
-
The U.S President-elect Donald Trump signalled a potential
rupture in the countrys China policy by holding a telephone
conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. He is
the first American President or President-elect to talk to a
Taiwanese President since 1979, when the U.S. cut off
diplomatic ties with the island while getting closer to China.
Recognising Taiwan as a part of China is a fundamental
engagement with the Taiwanese leader drew strong reactions
from Beijing.
During the campaign, Mr. Trump had repeatedly called
China a currency manipulator and threatened to impose
high tariffs on Chinese imports to the U.S. He had also
promised to remain unpredictable in international affairs.
His engagement with a territory that China considers its own
is in sharp contrast with that of Barack Obama, who in 2009
became the first American President to visit China in the first
year in office.
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Mr. Obamas Pivot to Asia policy and the push for the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal had increased
tensions between the countries. Now, China is trying to make
sense of Mr. Trumps policy toward it.
- - - The U.S. Congress has cleared the decks for India to become
Indias decision to rapidly develop ports, especially along
the east coast, and Chinas renewed focus on an expansion
of its harbours are resulting in an unintended fusion of the
Sagarmala initiative and Beijings Maritime Silk Road
(MSR).
The conference was co-hosted by the Indian Consulate
General in Guangzhou and the local branch of the China
Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
Unlike India, China is now at the cusp of a second cycle of
port-led growth as part of the MSR. An inter-ministerial
document on the Belt and Road initiative, which includes
both the land and maritime wings of a massive connectivity
plan spanning Asia, Europe and Africa, earmarks some of
the lesser-known ports for major expansion.
Apart from Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Guangzhou,
the document lists Zhanjiang, Qingdao, Yantai and Dalian,
as among the shore-based gateways that are set for a facelift.
- starts again on Mr. Erdogans two maximum five-year
Uzbekistans interim leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev has won a
crushing presidential election victory to succeed the late
strongman Islam Karimov,official results showed. The
Central Election Commission said Mr. Mirziyoyev scooped
88.6 per cent of the vote, according to a preliminary count,
while Western monitors reported signs of fraud.
Mr. Mirziyoyev's massive margin over rivals for the five-
year term echoed the past successes of predecessor Karimov,
who died in September after 27 years at the helm.
-- elections due by Feb 2018.
Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the UN and
chairman of Myanmars Advisory Commission on Rakhine
State, where Rohingya Muslims were killed and displaced
recently, expressed concern about the alleged human rights
violations .
The latest developments in Rakhine have divided ASEAN,
with Muslim majority countries like Indonesia and Malaysia
demanding international intervention.
The Rohingyas have faced persecution in mainly Buddhist
Myanmar for generations. They were derecognised as
citizens in 1982.
Violence between them and Buddhist hardliners erupted in
Rakhine in 2012, displacing an estimated 100,000
Rohingyas.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
-
The 2017 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA),
passed earlier by the U.S. House of Representatives, now
goes to Obama for signature
a major defence partner, with the Senate overwhelmingly
passing the $618-billion American defence budget for 2017
by 92 to 7 votes.
The budget was passed earlier by the House of
Representatives by 375-34 votes.
- - - -
Turkeys ruling party will submit a bill to Parliament
expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogans powers just
months after the July failed coup, Prime Minister Binali
Yildirim said.
The constitutional change, which has been sought by Mr.
Erdogan since he became president in 2014, would see
Turkey switch to an executive presidency along the lines of
the U.S. or France. But it has been bitterly criticised by
opponents who fear the strongman is heading towards a near
one man rule.
A key question will be if under a new constitution the clock
presidential mandates meaning he could stay in power
to 2029.
- -
Paolo Gentiloni was named as Italys new Prime Minister
follow- ing reformist leader Matteo Renzis resignation in
the wake of a crushing referendum defeat.
Mr. Gentiloni, who served as Foreign Minister under Mr.
Renzi, was asked by President Sergio Mattarella to form a
new Centre-Left government that will guide Italy to
Mr. Gentiloni said there was an urgent need for a fully
functioning government to address a series of pressing
international, economicand social issues.
Chief among those is a looming crisis in the troubled
banking sector andongoing relief efforts after a series of
deadly earthquakes between August and October.
-
U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has
expressed concern over the possibility of Pakistans nuclear
weapons falling into the hands of jihadists, which she said
was a threatening scenario, according to a media report.
Pakistan is running full speed to develop tactical nukes in
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

their continuing hostility with India, the former Secretary
of State told a close door fundraiser in Virginia in February,
The New York Times reported.
Such remarks from the former secretary of state gains
significance in view of an interview of Pakistani Defence
Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif to the local TV channel
in which he threatened to unleash nukes against India.
- YoshinoriOhsumi of Japan won the Nobel Medicine Prize
European Union ministers approved the ratification of the
Paris Agreement at a historic meeting of the Environment
Council in Brussels. This decision brings the Paris
Agreement closer to entering into force.
The 28 EU member nations together account for close to 12
per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Their addition will take the cumulative emissions of
ratifying parties well beyond the 55 per cent minimum
required for the treaty to enter into force.
The Paris treaty had already crossed the first condition of
55 countries ratifying the treaty to enable its entry into force
on September 21 at the UN Secretary-Generals special
ratification ceremony organised at the UN headquarters.
Thirty one countries submitted their ratification instruments
during that ceremony.
As of now, 61 countries, accounting for almost 48 per cent
of global emissions have ratified the deal. India, which
accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions, has agreed to
ratify the deal on October 2.
Together with the EU, the total global emissions covered by
ratifying parties will make the treaty ready to enter into force,
30 days after all the agreed parties submit their ratification
instruments.
- - - ravaged nation.
The United States has conveyed to Pakistan that nuclear
threats are not acceptable, a senior State Department official,
who did not want to be named, said.
The message was conveyed after Pakistans Defence
Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said twice in the span
of a week that his country could use tactical nuclear weapons
against India.
The U.S is concerned about the safety of Pakistani nuclear
weapons otherwise also, the official said The safety of these
weapons is always a concern for us. So we are always
monitoring it, regardless of what they said on this particular
occasion,.
Meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner
said the U.S Secretary of State John Kerry is talking to the
Indian leadership to ensure that the situation does not
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
escalate.
Mr. Toner said: I would just say nuclear-capable states have
a very clear responsibility to exercise restraint regarding
nuclear weapons and missile capabilities. And thats my
message publicly and thats certainly our message directly
to the Pakistani authorities.
--
for his pioneering work on autophagy a process whereby
cells eat themselves which when disrupted can cause
Parkinsons and diabetes.
A fundamental process in cell physiology, autophagy is
essential for the orderly recycling of damaged cell parts and
understanding it better has major implications for health and
disease, including cancer.
Researchers first observed during the 1960s that the cell
could destroy its own contents by wrapping them up in
membranes and transporting them to a recycling
compartment called the lysosome.
A discovery that earned Belgian scientist Christian de Duve
a Nobel Medicine Prize in 1974.
It was de Duve who coined the term autophagy, which
comes from the Greek meaning self-eating.
Mr. Ohsumis findings opened the path to understanding the
importance of autophagy in many physiological processes,
such as how the body adapts to starvation or responds to
infection.
- - -
The EU said it has struck a tentative deal with Afghanistan
to take back migrants ahead of a conference in Brussels
aimed at securing international financial aid for the war-
However, European Union (EU) officials have denied that
aid pledges would depend on the Kabul government
accepting the return of tens of thousands of Afghans from
an overstretched Europe.
EU member states endorsed the plan to pave the way for
signing the deal in the run-up to the Brussels aid conference.
Like other parties to international treaties, the EU is legally
obliged to admit people fleeing war and persecution.
- -
In a historic vote held at the plenary session of the EU
Parliament in Strasbourg, a majority of the members voted
in favour of ratifying the Paris Agreement.
The vote paved the way for the entry into force of the
Agreement in November this year, with 610 out of 678
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

Parliament members voting in favour of the ratification.
As per the rules of the Agreement, adopted in Paris last year,
the cumulative emissions of the ratifying parties must cross
the minimum required threshold of 55 per cent of global
emissions for it to enter into force.
Accounting for approximately 12 per cent of greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions globally, the EU-28 nations will add to the
52 per cent of global emissions that the 62 ratifying parties
have covered already.
Only seven EU nations France, Germany, Malta,
Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Portugal have ratified the
Paris Agreement at the national level.
However, after the EU submits its instrument of ratification,
the member nations will work on following the requisite
procedures back at home.
- - - -- - Baghdadi, who had a $25 million bounty on his head, has
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the
Orlando shooting that killed 50 people, saying in a radio
bulletin that it was carried out by one of the soldiers of the
caliphate.
The jihadist group declared its caliphate in Syria and Iraq
in 2014. The IS-linked news agency Amaq said on Sunday
that the attack on the gay night club had been carried out
by an Islamic State fighter.
U.S. media reported that the gunman, identified as Omar
Mateen, a 29-year old American citizen, had pledged
allegiance to the Islamic State.
- - Meanwhile, the government said categorically that
A U.S. appeals court panel upheld hotly contested Open
Internet regulations that prohibit broadband carriers from
playing favourites or blocking competing online services.
The so-called Net neutrality rules, which aim to prevent
a two-speed Internet, won court approval after two past
efforts failed.
The U.S. Appeals Court panel in Washington dealt a
setback to major broadband firms like Verizon and AT&T,
which claimed the rules unfairly restrict providers and
discourage investment.
Mr. Tatel wrote that the role of broadband providers is
analogous to that of telephone companies: they act as
neutral, indiscriminate platforms for transmission of speech
of any and all user.
The ruling is a victory for consumer groups and others who
argued that a handful of Internet providers, without these
rules, could effectively block or hamper big online services
or smaller ones that compete with those backed by the
broadband provider.
The new rule also applies the concept to mobile Internet
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carriers. The cable and Internet providers, which contend the
regulation limits their ability to invest and innovate, could
appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
-
-- -
The Islamic State (IS) s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has
been killed in an air raid in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition,
reports said.
Baghdadi died in an air strike on ISs stronghold of Raqqa
in northern Syria, Iranian state media and pro-government
Turkish daily YenisSafak said, citing IS-affiliated Arabic
news agency al-Amaq.
The coalition did not immediately comment on the report.
Iraqi TV channel Al-Sumaria said that Baghadi had been
wounded on Sunday in a coalition air strike on a location
65 km west of IS-held Mosul.
moved around within the past six months and had travelled
to Mosul.
--- -
As Bangladesh reels under a spate of targeted killings, the
United Nations has expressed concern at the dramatic
increase in murders, including that of people belonging to
religious minority groups.
In a wide-ranging opening speech at the Human Rights
Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid
Raad Al-Hussein called for investigation and prosecution
of the perpetrators.
Bangladesh does not need help from any foreign country or
government to protect members of its minority communities.
Press Trust of India (PTI) said that two leaders from
Bangladeshs Hindu community had sought assistance
from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Minister claimed that the governments tough stance has
already ensured the rights of religious minority groups.
Since the beginning of a crackdown on terrorists and
extremists, law enforcement officials have arrested a total
of 5,287 people, of which 85 have suspected militant links.
- -
Prime Minister David Cameron warned on Sunday that
Britain faces a lost decade if it leaves the EU, as he races
to persuade undecided voters less than two weeks before a
close referendum.
With several recent opinion polls suggesting momentum is
with the Leave camp, Mr. Cameron is making a string of
television appearances to try to convince people to back
Remain on June 23.
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A string of global institutions including the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and G7 have backed Mr. Camerons
argument that Britains economy would be damaged by
Brexit.
But Leave supporters argue that Britain could thrive
outside the EU, where they say it would be freed of red tape.
The Prime Minister told the BBC that there could be a lost
decade for Britain after a vote to leave the EU as the
political system gets gummed up with negotiations.
A Sunday Times/YouGov online poll found that Mr.
Camerons Remain campaign is lagging the "Leave" side
by 42 percent to 43 percent.
Averaging out the last six opinion polls, both sides are tied
on 50 per cent, according to academics at the What U.K.
Thinks project. Their figures exclude undecided voters.
- - sterling falling after indicating that 55 per cent of Britons
- want to leave the EU, compared to 45 per cent who want to
Bangladesh police have arrested more than 3,000 people in
a sweeping nationwide crackdown following a spate of
gruesome murders, as the Prime Minister vowed to catch
each and every killer.
Those detained include 37 suspected Islamist militants and
hundreds of potential criminals who previously had warrants
out against them, as well as several hundred ordinary arrests,
police said.
Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of brutal killings that
have spiked in recent weeks, with religious minorities,
secular thinkers and liberal activists the chief targets.
The Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is one of the
main domestic militant outfits blamed by the government,
which rejects claims from Islamic State group that they are
behind the killings.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a meeting of her ruling
Awami League party on Saturday that police would stamp
out the violence.
However, Bangladesh opposition parties immediately
accused the police of using the crackdown to suppress
political dissent.
Police detained some 350 people in the countrys second-
largest city of Chittagong and its surrounding areas.
In recent days an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly
decapitated in a rice field, while a Christian grocer was
hacked to death near a church, with Islamic State group
claiming responsibility for the killings.
A Hindu monastery worker was found hacked to death on
Friday in the northwestern district of Pabna.
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--- -
Thirteen of Britains top scientists signed a letter backing
the campaign to remain in the EU after a dramatic new poll
boosted the momentum behind the Brexit campaign less than
two weeks before the June 23 referendum.
Nobel Prize winners including Peter Higgs after whom
the Higgs Boson is named and geneticist Paul Nurse said
the loss of research funding would be one consequence of
leaving the bloc.
Science thrives on permeability of ideas and people, and
flourishes in environments that pool intelligence, minimise
barriers, and are open to free exchange and collaboration.
The EU provides such an environment and scientists value
it highly.
An online ORB poll for The Independent newspaper sent
stay.
An average of the last six opinion polls by academics at the
What U.K. Thinks project indicates the race is tied, with each
side on 50 per cent.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Germanys top selling weekly
magazine Der Spiegel urged British voters: Please don't
go! in a special pre-referendum issue.
- - - -
Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Nepal in
October following his participation in the Brazil-Russia-
India-China-South Africa (BRICS) summit in Panaji, the
South China Morning Post reported.
The presidential visit will cap growing ties between
Kathmandu and Beijing, which acquired a high profile after
China became an energy supplier to Nepal, breaking Indias
monopoly in fuel exports, in the midst of a violent agitation
over the adoption of Nepals new Constitution.
First, the visiting Admiral discussed the extension of the
Qinghai-Tibet railway to Kathmanduand further to Lumbini,
close to the border with India.
Last month an international freight train left for Nepal from
Lanzhou in Chinas Gansu province, to cover a distance of
2,431 km to Xigaze in Tibet, the last railhead.
Second, the two sides discussed Nepals integration in
Chinas One Belt One Road, Eurasian connectivity project.
China-Nepal ties acquired fresh momentum during the visit
to China by Nepals Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in
March.
Nepals Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun left for a week
long visit to Kunming, which is hosting a China-South Asia
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expo, apart from a meeting of the China-South Asia think
tank forum.
- - Looking forward to her presidential campaign, the first
German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed she hoped that
Britain would vote to remain in the European Union in a June
23 referendum that her Finance Minister labelled a wakeup
call.
Britain and Germany have traditionally been allies in the EU
on matters such as free trade.
She added that we have very close cooperation on many
questions with Great Britain, and would of course like to
continue this within the framework of the European
Union.
Germany has the biggest economy in the 28-nation bloc,
and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schuble told Der Spiegel
magazine that a British exit, known as Brexit, would bad
for both Britain and the EU.
Mr. Schuble said if it comes to a British exit, that the
possibility of other countries following Britains lead
cannot be ruled out.
Even if Britains voters choose to remain in the European
Union, the referendum itself shows a dissatisfaction that
EU leaders cant ignore, the Finance Minister added in his
remarks.
- - - - - - December 2015 when Indian Foreign Minister Sushma
- Swaraj visited Islamabad, he said.
The U.S. has asked Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not
used for planning attacks in India, after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said terrorism is being incubated in Indias
neighbourhood.
We believe that Pakistan and India stand to benefit from
practical cooperation and encourage direct dialogue aimed
at increasing cooperation and reducing tensions, State
Department Deputy Spokesman said.
And that includes steps by Pakistan to ensure that its
territory is not used to plan attacks in India and that Pakistan
takes steps to address or to go after, I think, all the terrorist
groups that are currently using its territory.
That continues to be an area of collaboration and
cooperation that we pursue with Pakistan is its
counterterrorism operations, Mr. Toner said.
- - - Sea.
U.S. President Barack Obama endorsed Hillary Clinton to
succeed him, declaring in a video message Im with her.
The endorsement comes after a hard fought Democratic
primary season, in which Ms. Clinton struggled against her
rival Bernie Sanders.
I dont think theres ever been someone so qualified to hold
this office. I have seen her judgment. Ive seen her
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
toughness. Ive seen her commitment to our values up
close, Mr. Obama said of Ms. Clinton.
major decision Ms. Clinton will have to make ahead of the
national convention in July is that of choosing a vice-
presidential running mate.
The selection of the V-Pcandidate is normally part of a wider
agreement the nominee reaches with other sections of the
party, and with an eye on reaching out to crucial
constituencies or winning a swing State.
The most talked about woman in this context is Elizabeth
Warren, Senator from Massachusetts who has emerged as a
leading liberal voice in the party.
Ms. Warren, the only woman Senator who has not endorsed
Ms. Clinton, shares most of the concerns with Mr. Sanders
and could be attractive to his supporters who are now feeling
dejected.
- -- -
Pakistan accused India of using the Pathankot terror attack
as an excuse to derail the bilateral dialogue process and
said talks are the best way forward to resolve outstanding
issues, including mutual concerns related to terrorism.
Pakistan and India had agreed to start the dialogue in
But before the Foreign Secretaries could meet and finalise
a schedule for resuming the Comprehensive Dialogue, the
Pathankot incident of January 2 gave India an excuse to
postpone the resumption of the dialogue. He said
India has accused Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-
Mohammed for the Pathankot attack and has linked the
resumption of the dialogue process to Pakistan taking action
against the group.
- - - -
Chinese state media has called the Beijing-Washington
strategic dialogue that concluded as being marginally helpful
in easing tensions, which had spiralled on account of the
growing discord between the two countries over South China
The China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED)
dialogue took place following weeks of tensions that peaked
when U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, responded harshly
to a poser from the Chinese side that Beijing could impose
an Air Defence Identification zone (ADIZ) in the South
China Sea (SCS).
The remarks had followed an article in South China Morning
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Post (SCMP), which, quoting sources close to the Peoples
Liberation Army (PLA), said that China is preparing an
ADIZ in the SCS.
The possibility that China may enforce anADIZ, in turn, was
fuelled by the U.S. conduct of freedom of navigation
patrols in the SCS moves which evoked a robust response
from China.
In May, the U.S. had launched its third freedom of
navigation operation in the disputed Spratly Islands,
followed by the flight of a U.S. EP-3 Aries surveillance
aircraft, which was challenged by two Chinese fighter jets.
The back and forth between the U.S. and China mirrored
Chinas vocal response in the SCS to President Barack
Obamas Pivot to Asia doctrine.
- - - head in the port city of Chittagong.
Syrias President Bashar Al-Assad promised to retake every
inch of the country from his foes in a defiant speech.
The speech by Mr. Assad was his first major address since
the effort to mediate an end to the civil war broke down in
Geneva in April.
It reflected his sense that Russian intervention in the war has
bolstered his position and his ability to remain in power
for the foreseeable future as the war enters its sixth year.
Every one of the directives has been broken. A ceasefire
devised in Munich in February collapsed.
Mr. Kerrys demand at that time that humanitarian access
had to begin within weeks was briefly observed in a few
towns before access was again largely blocked.
Mr. Assad was clearthat he had no intention of compromising
with his adversaries, and seemed to reject the next deadline:
an Aug. 1 target for developing a transition plan that
President Barack Obama and Mr. Kerry have said must
ultimately result in someone else running what is left of
Syria.
- -- - -- -
The recent India-Iran deal to develop the strategic Chabahar
Port is part of Indias larger geostrategic calculations to
gain access to West Asia and Central Asia and to counter the
Pakistan-China plan to develop Gwadar port, a media report
said.
The sea-land route of Chabahar Port is designed to bypass
Pakistan. Indian strategists suggest that India can take further
advantage of its ties with Iran and Afghanistan and gain new
leverage, the report said.
It added that Indian also views the investment as a
counterweight against Pakistans Gwadar Port.
However, it said that India may not be able to meet its
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generous offers and high-sounding rhetoric.
The report said that if India expected too much from Iran,
it is bound for disappointment.
-
Unidentified assailants shot and hacked to death a Hindu
priest in Jhenaidah in southwestern Bangladesh in an attack
that bore the hallmarks of the recent murders of activists and
writers in the country.
Farmers discovered Mr. Gangulys body in a rice field near
his home in the village of Naldanga. The Islamic State terror
group has claimed responsibility for the murder.
In the last two days, two other people have been killed in a
similar manner. The wife of a senior police officer, who was
involved in counter-terrorism, was stabbed and shot in the
Bangladesh has seen a rise in suspected Islamist attacks in
the last two years targeting bloggers, online activists, secular
intellectuals, and members of religious minorities.
The IS and the al Qaeda have reportedly claimed
responsibility for many of these attacks, though the
government has kept denying any organisational presence
of such terrorist groups in the country.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh police launched a deadly
crackdown on Islamist militants.
Two high-ranking members of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
Bangladesh (JMB) were shot dead in a battle in Dhaka and
another was killed in a northwestern district, police told AFP.
Home Minister again linked the main opposition Bangladesh
Nationalist Party to the attacks, saying they were part of a
wider conspiracy that also involved Mossad.
Amnesty International demanded "a prompt, thorough,
impartial and transparent investigation" into the recent
killings, adding that the government must protect those still
under threat.
Americans voted in the last major State primaries of the 2016
White House race from New Jersey to California, after
delegate counts showed Hillary Clinton clinching the
Democratic nomination.
Ms. Clinton declare victory as the first woman in U.S. history
to secure the presidential nomination of a major party,
putting her on course for a showdown with New York
billionaire Donald Trump,
Her challenger Bernie Sanders ignored media reports that
she has already clinched the magic number of delegates.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi who was the first
woman speaker of the House of Representatives and is a
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California super-delegate this year formally endorsed Ms.
Clinton shortly before voting kicked off in her home State.
The comments came on the heels of a weekend phone call
with President Barack Obama, who has stayed out of the
Democratic primary to date but is poised to endorse Ms.
Clinton as early as this week.
- - - zone in the contested South China Sea.
Former Maldives Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb was jailed
for 10 years on on a terrorism charge, weeks after ex-leader
Mohamed Nasheed was granted asylum in Britain.
With Adeebs sentencing, almost all of President Abdulla
Yameens key rivals are either in jail or living in exile.
A court official said the case record will not be released to
the public as it was considered a matter affecting national
security.
Adeeb (34), once a close confidant of Mr. Yameen, had
enjoyed a meteoric rise until he was dramatically impeached
in November after being accused of trying to assassinate his
boss by blowing up his speedboat.
Mr. Yameen was unhurt in the explosion last September, but
his wife and two others were injured. A trial related to those
allegations is yet to conclude.
He was jailed for 12 years after being tried under a
controversial 1990 anti-terrorism law for allegedly inciting
unrest during an anti-government rally in May 2015 on the
capital island.
the delicate balancing act that both countries play in dealing
with the Asian giant will be unmistakable when Prime
North Korea may have reactivated a plant for reprocessing
plutonium for use in nuclear weapons, the UN atomic
watchdog said, citing satellite imagery.
North Korea mothballed the Yongbyon reactor in 2007 under
an aid-for-disarmament accord, but began renovating it after
its third nuclear test in 2013.
The director of U.S. National Intelligence, James Clapper,
warned in February that the North could begin recovering
plutonium from the reactors spent fuel within a matter of
weeks to months.
- -- lingering tensions between the two countries do not
crystallise into a new Cold War.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is on visit to Mangolia,
sandwiched between undemocratic China and increasingly
authoritarian Russia, the desire for deeper relations with US
is mutual.
Mr. Kerrys stop in this nation of 3 million people included
heaps of praise for its unlikely democratic story.
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But the top American diplomat also pushed for greater
transparency in Mongolia, a sensitive issue given the foreign
scramble for its rich resource deposits.
He also reached Beijing for annual U.S.-China strategic and
economic talks.
Reports are suggesting China may establish an air defence
Mr. Kerry warned against what he said would be a
provocative and destabilising act.
Such action would raise tension between China and its Asian
neighbours, he said, and undermine Chinas commitment to
diplomatically resolve disputes over islands and maritime
claims.
The matter is likely to be a major focus of discussions in the
next days.
-
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Shia rebels in Yemen
rejected a UN report that placed it on an annual blacklist over
the deaths of hundreds of children in air strikes.
The report, released on Thursday by the office of UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said 785 children had been
killed and 1,168 injured in Yemen last year, blaming the
Saudi-led coalition for 60 per cent of the toll.
China has been a constant factor in the India-U.S. ties, but
Minister Narendra Modi meets U.S. President Barack
Obama.
When Mr. Modi takes off for the U.S., Secretary of State
John Kerry will be headed to Beijing for interactions with
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice-Premier Wang
Yang.
The eighth edition of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic
Dialogue on June 5-7 will have representatives from 20 U.S.
departments and agencies.
The Obama administration is eager to ensure that the
While tensions repeatedly crop up last month in Vietnam,
Mr. Obama spoke of big countries trying to bully small
neighbours"
The U.S. has roped in China in several international
initiatives, the Paris climate conference and the Iranian
nuclear deal being the most successful examples.
This week in Beijing, on top of the agenda of the dialogue
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will be reining in North Koreas nuclear adventurism.
China and the U.S. cooperated in the UN for stricter
sanctions against North Korea, but the U.S. believes China
can do more on this front.
Prime Minister Modi also said: There was an age when the
world was divided into two camps. That is not true anymore.
Today, the whole world is interdependent."
"Even if you look at the relationship between China and the
U.S., there are areas where they have substantial differences
but there are also areas where they have worked closely.
Thats the new way.
- - An official committee on constitutional reforms has
Sections of young Maldivians are at risk of becoming
radicalised and some have already joined violent extremist
groups, the U.S. Department of State said in its 2015 report
on terrorism.
The youth within the penal system and otherwise
marginalised members of society have been identified in
the report as those falling within this category of Maldivians.
The new Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing
of Terrorism Act (PMLFT) has set forth penalties of 7-25
years imprisonment for those convicted of terrorist acts or
of inciting others to do so.
At the end of 2015, President Abdulla Yameen had not yet
published the mandatory list of terrorist entities, as required
by the law.
The State Department said the Maldives continued to
recognise that counter-radicalisation efforts are a critical
component to long-term success against violent extremism.
A government-sponsored Islamic university in Male opened
in 2015 and its key objective would be to promote the
academic study of religion and moderate Islam as a
counterweight to extremist discourses and messaging.
-- - as the nature of state, religion, merger of provinces and land
powers.
Nepali soldiers have kicked off efforts to partially drain a
giant glacial lake near Mount Everest, fearing possible
flooding that could threaten the lives of thousands.
Scientists say climate change is causing Himalayan glaciers
to melt at an alarming rate, creating huge glacial lakes which
could burst their banks and devastate mountain
communities.
ImjaTsho, located at an altitude of 16,437 feet, just 10 km
south of the worlds highest peak, is the fastest-growing
glacial lake in Nepal.
The surface area covered by the lake expanded from 0.4 to
1.01 square km between 1984 and 2009, triggering concerns
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that it may breach its banks and flood villages downstream.
The work began in April and the army expects to complete
the project by the end of the year.
A flood would have a catastrophic impact on the lives of
more than 56,000 people living in villages located as far
away as Nepal's densely populated Terai plains.
Dozens of villages located nearby and in the downstream
Terai districts up to 50 kilometres away from the lake are
vulnerable.
- -- --
-- -
supported the idea of forming internal autonomous units
for Muslims in the East and hill-country Tamils in the Central
Province.
Though three out of 20 members in the panel have proposed
the idea, the panel has chosen to make this as one of its
recommendations in the chapter dealing with devolution.
The panel, which gave an account of the plight of the hill-
country (Malayaha) Tamils, felt the proposed unit needed
to be empowered to address economic, social, cultural and
religious issues concerning the community.
Autonomous units should enjoy legislative and executive
powers over defined matters, having an impact on the lives
of the community.
Also, it recommended that members of the two
communitiesbe included in the proposed National Land
Commission.
- -
-
The official committee on constitutional reforms in Sri
Lanka has not been able to arrive at a consensus while
making recommendations on several contentious areas such
Despite this, the 20-member committee has come up with
an exhaustive Bill of Rights and provisions for curtailment
of powers of the office of Governor, a subject that has been
of great interest to the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
It covers 32 types of rights, ranging from right to life (not
included in the 1978 Constitution) to freedom of religion to
rights of people with diverse sexual and gender identities.
In many ways, views of the committee also presented a
microcosm of diversities of views and positions in society.
On the issue of religion, the committee points out that despite
the existing constitutional position of providing Buddhism
the foremost place, the Supreme Court has called Sri
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Lanka a secular State.
The committee is also for retaining the present national flag
or designing one without any reference to ethnicity, while
representing Sri Lankan collective life, or framing a new flag
symbolising the equality of all ethnic groups.
Terming the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces
as the most controversial, the committee makes six
recommendations.
One of them is for allowing the current structure of nine
provinces with constitutional provisions for power- sharing.
- highest-ranking German official who has called the killings
U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter arrived in Singapore
ahead of a regional security summit likely to be dominated
by Chinas continued military build up in the South China
Sea.
His attendance at this weekends Shangri-La Dialogue is part
of a broader U.S. diplomatic push to build and maintain
alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, which America sees as
key to its own long-term economic and security interests.
In the year since the last summit, China has stepped up its
maritime patrols across the South China Sea and built up a
series of military bases on small islands it reclaimed from
the ocean.
Mr. Carter has spoken forcefully about Chinas military
moves in the South China Sea and last week said Beijing
risked building a Great Wall of self-isolation.
China has indicated it may soon declare an Air Defense
Identification Zone (ADIZ) that would require civilian
aircraft to identify themselves to military controllers in the
region.
-- - -- - go after threats on Pakistani soil.
- Gen. Sharif added the border management with Afghanistan
German lawmakers passed a resolution recognising the First
World War massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as
genocide, defying Turkeys warnings that the vote could hurt
ties.
Only one MP voted against and another abstained, as
Parliament approved overwhelmingly by a show of hands
the resolution titled Remembrance and commemoration of
the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities
in 1915 and 1916.
Turkey, however, recalled its envoy to Germany and
summoned the German charge d'affaires to a meeting at the
foreign ministry in Ankara.
The resolution, put forward by the ruling left-right coalition
and the opposition Greens, carries the contentious word
throughout and also puts partial blame on the German
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Empire.
The genocide recognition comes at a particularly
awkward time as Germany and the European Union are
relying on Turkey to help stem a record influx of migrants
even as tensions are rising between both sides over human
rights and other issues.
Acknowledging Turkeys fury over the Bundestag move,
political leaders argued, however, that a clear recognition
of historical facts was a key step to healing old wounds.
Berlin has until now not taken a clear position on the WWI
massacre, and President Joachim Gauck had been the
a genocide.
His speech last year during commemorations of the 100th
anniversary of the killings had drawn fire from Turkey.
The issue is particularly sensitive in Germany, as it has
special ties with Ankara not least due to its three-million-
strong ethnic Turkish population which settled following a
massive guest worker programme in the 1960s and 1970s.
-- -- -
- -
U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan must stop, Pakistans Army
chief General Raheel Sharif said, days after American
special forces killed Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour
in a drone attack in the countrys restive Balochistan
province.
Gen. Sharif said: U.S. drone strikes in Pakistani territory
are regrettable and must stop.
U.S. President Barack Obama, hailing Mansours death as
an important milestone in efforts to bring peace to
Afghanistan, had said American forces would continue to
was improving and urged Kabul to take matching measures
on its side of the border.
He declared that the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor was a national project and it would be completed
at any cost.
The security situation in the country, especially in Karachi
city and Balochistan province, is improving, he added.
- -- -
-
The UN childrens fund on Wednesday issued a stark
warning to Iraqi troops and Islamic State (IS) militants in
the battle for Fallujah to spare the children.
Children are the most vulnerable among tens of thousands
of civilians trapped in the city west of Baghdad.
Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led air strikes and mainly Shia
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

militias, launched an operation more than a week ago to
recapture Fallujah, which has been held by the extremist
group for more than two years.
More than 50,000 people are believed to be trapped inside
the Sunni majority city. Government forces have imposed a
tight blockade on the city and IS militants are reportedly
preventing residents from leaving.
UNICEF estimated the number of the children trapped with
their families inside the city at about 20,000, warning that
they face a dire humanitarian situation, in addition to the risk
of forced recruitment by IS.
Iraqi special forces, meanwhile, continued their push into
the city from its southern edge, said Brig. Haider al-Obeidi,
who said fierce clashes were under way on Wednesday.
The fight for Fallujah is expected to be protracted because
IS has had more than two years to dig in. Hidden bombs are
believed to be strewn throughout the city, and the presence
of trapped civilians will limit the use of supporting airstrikes.
- -- to drug trafficking on the Silk Road website
At a brand new industrial park in southwest China, where
buildings still smell of fresh paint and masonry, the National
Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) is gearing up to
train 50,000 Chinese students over the next five years.
The training contract was signed on the sidelines of Chinas
Big Data conference and exhibition at Guiyang.
Separately, the company sealed an agreement with the
provincial government to establish a Big Data Talent
Research Centre in Guiyang to enhance innovation and
research.
The once impoverished city of Guiyang, well known in
history for its role during Mao Zedongs Long March is
now fast emerging as one of the most prominent landmarks
in Chinas cyberspace.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, who addressed a
conference last week, formally endorsed Guiyang as the
countrys Big Data hub.
Analysts say this endorsement dovetails with Chinas
transition from a low-end manufacturing hub to an advanced
digital economy based on high-end consumption and
production.
Big Data refers to a massive accumulation of information,
siphoned from multiple sources and domains, which can
then be analysed to make informed decisions.
Several factors have gone Guiyangs way to emerge as
Chinas Big Data core.
The climate here is mild, power is plentiful and cost of
establishing businesses lower than in Chinas more
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developed parts along the coast. Besides, the local
government has been relentless in pushing the hi-tech
industry.
- -
About $13 million in bitcoins will be auctioned in Sydney
in June after Australian police confiscated the digital
currency as proceeds of crime.
Ernst & Young was running the process, which is only the
second such bitcoin auction in the world after the U.S.
Marshals Service sold 1,44,000 bitcoins over a two-year
period that had been confiscated from Ross Ulbricht.
Based on current bitcoin price of $533.80, the
cryptocurrency is valued at almost $13.1 million.
The Victoria State government has confirmed that is had
seized about 24,500 bitcoins in late 2013 from a Melbourne
drug dealer.
Richard Pollard, 32, was sentenced in the Melbourne County
Court in October to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty
Like the U.S. auction, the Australian bitcoins will be mostly
sold in lots of 2,000. One lot will contain 2,518.
Bitcoin is a digital currency that allows people to purchase
goods and services and exchange money without involving
banks, credit card issuers or other third parties.
-- - -
-
The Dalai Lama said in an interview that Europe has
accepted too many refugees, and that they should
eventually return to help rebuild their home countries.
A human being who is a bit more fortunate has the duty to
help them. On the other hand, there are too many now, he
said.
He added that from a moral point of view too, I think that
the refugees should only be admitted temporarily.
-- - -
- --
The United States warned its citizens that this summers
Euro 2016 soccer tournament and related events across
France and Europe will present potential targets for
terrorists.
The month-long European Championship finals start in Paris
on June 10, drawing the best international teams from the
continent and hundreds of thousands of fans.
The French government has ruled out cancelling the
prestigious tournament, which is expected to draw two
million fans to cities across the country.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

To strengthen security at Euro 2016, France has extended a
state of emergency put in place after attacks last November
on a concert hall, cafes, police and a football crowd.
The State Department travel warning also noted that huge
crowds and extra security should be expected in Krakow,
Poland, during the Catholic ChurchS World Youth Day
event between July 26 and 31.
- -- - attacks from within his own party intensified.
Iraqi forces thrust into the city of Fallujah from three
directions marking a new and perilous urban phase in the
week-old operation to retake the jihadist bastion.
The drive to recapture the first city to be lost from
government control in 2014 came as fighting also raged in
neighbouring Syria, leaving huge numbers of civilians
exposed.
Iraqi forces entered Fallujah under air cover from the
international coalition, the Iraqi air force and army aviation,
and supported by artillery and tanks.
The involvement of the elite CTS marks the start of a phase
of urban combat in a city where in 2004 U.S. forces fought
some of their toughest battles since the Vietnam War.
The week-old operation had previously focused on retaking
rural areas around Fallujah, which lies just 50 km west of
Baghdad.
It had been led by the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force,
which is dominated by Tehran-backed Shia militias.
Only a few hundred families have managed to slip out of
the Fallujah area ahead of the assault on the city, with an
estimated 50,000 civilians still trapped inside, sparking fears
the jihadists could try to use them as human shields.
Fallujah is one of just two major urban centres in Iraq still
held by IS jihadists.
They also hold Mosul, the countrys second city and de-facto
jihadist capital in Iraq, east of which Kurdish-led forces
launched a fresh offensive. The jihadists holed up in Fallujah
are believed to number around 1,000.
Fallujah is expected to give Iraqi forces one of their toughest
battles yet but IS has appeared weakened in recent months
and has been losing territory consistently over the past year.
According to the government, the organisation that has sewn
havoc across Iraq and Syria over the past two years now
controls around 14 per cent of the national territory, down
from 40 per cent in 2014.
However, as the caliphate it declared two years ago
unravels, IS has been reverting to its old tactics of bombings
against civilians and commando raids.
A fresh wave of bomb attacks struck the Baghdad area on
Monday, killing 11 people in three separate blasts.
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The IS onslaught has threatened tens of thousands of people,
many of them already displaced from other areas, who have
sought refuge in camps near the Turkish border.
- - -
Prime Minister David Cameron put aside recent animosity
with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to make a joint call for
Britain to stay in the European Union (EU), as personal
Mr. Cameron told a campaign event in London that he and
the new Labour Mayor backed Britains EU membership
because we love our country and we want our country to
be the best it possibly can.
Last month, Labour MPs had branded Mr. Cameron racist
after he told Parliament he was concerned about Labours
mayoral candidate who had appeared again and again and
again on stage with extremists.
While Mr. Cameron was building bridges with former
adversaries, dissent within his own ranks escalated with
some Tory MPs demanding he quit even if the country voted
to remain in the bloc at the June 23 referendum.
Mr. Cameron admitted he himself was a eurosceptic, but
said his campaigns criticisms of the European Union were
a strength because we are levelling with people, which is
something the other side refuses to do.
-- -
The verdict brings a long-awaited reckoning to families of
the up to 40,000 people killed and the many kidnapped,
raped or tortured under his 1982-1990 rule as President of
Chad.
Victims groups who had travelled to Dakar to hear the
verdict were visibly moved by a judgement that comes a
quarter century after the abuses they suffered.
The case was heard by the CAE special tribunal set up by
the African Union under a deal with Senegal, and is the first
time a country has prosecuted a former leader of another
nation for rights abuses.
Reed Brody, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch, said the
conviction was a warning to other despots.
-- -
A week of shipwrecks and death in the Mediterranean
culminated with harrowing testimony from migrant
survivors who said another 500 people including 40 children
had drowned, bringing the number of feared dead to 700.
Brought to safety in the Italian ports of Taranto and Pozzallo,
survivors told the UNs refugee agency (UNHCR) and Save
the Children how their boat sank.
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With some 100 people missing after a boat sank earler, and
45 bodies recovered from a wreck that happened, the
UNHCR said it feared up to 700 people had drowned in the
Mediterranean this week.
The first boat, carrying some 500 people, was reportedly
towing the second, which was carrying another 500. But the
second boat began to sink. Some people tried to swim to the
first boat, others held onto the rope linking the vessels.
Italys Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said that Europe
needed a quick agreement with Libya and African
countries to halt the crisis.
The chaos in the North African country since Muammar
Qadhafis fall in 2011 has been exploited by people
traffickers.
European Parliament President said in an interview that
Italys migration compact idea was the best proposal so
far for stopping the boat crossings and preventing deaths.
-
A breakaway Taliban faction is willing to hold peace talks
with the Afghan government but will demand the imposition
of Islamic law and the departure of all foreign forces.
Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi told a group of around 200
followers in eastern Afghanistan that his faction had no faith
in the government but was willing to negotiate without
preconditions.
Niazi is deputy to Mullah Mohammad Rasool, who split
from the Taliban last summer after Mullah Akhtar Mansoor
was chosen to succeed the groups late founder, Mullah
Omar.
Mansoor was killed earlier this month in a U.S. drone strike
in Pakistan.
- ---
Pakistan seems to have failed to seal the $700 million deal
for the purchase of eight F-16 fighter jets from the U.S.
following a row between the two countries over their
financing.
The Pakistani government was required to provide the Letter
of Acceptance for purchase of the jets by May 24, but Dawn
reported that the document was not issued leading to expiry
of the offer.
Initially, the $700 million deal for eight F-16 multi-role
fighters, was to be partially financed through the U.S.
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme but the
Congress disallowed subsidising the sale.
Pakistan, which expected to get the fighters at the subsidised
rate of $270 million, was subsequently asked by the U.S.
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administration to make the full payment for the eight aircraft
from its national resources.
Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj
Aziz said last month that Pakistan could look to buy the
aircraft from some other country if the deal did not go ahead.
- - --
The U.S. has asked Pakistan to go after terrorists, especially
the Taliban leadership, days after an American drone killed
Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Balochistan
Province.
We continue to cooperate closely with Afghanistan, but
also urge Pakistan to go after terrorists, especially Taliban
leadership, and that cooperation continues, State
Department Deputy Spokesman said.
Meanwhile, a former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan,
James B. Cunningham, said the drone strike that killed
Taliban leader Mullah Mansour inside Pakistan should send
a signal that the U.S. will not tolerate terrorist safe havens.
- - - -
In an apparent snub to Pakistan for its opposition to Indias
bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group,
the U.S. has said it is not about an arms race, but about the
peaceful use of nuclear energy.
This is not about an arms race and its not about nuclear
weapons. This is about the peaceful civil use of nuclear
energy, and so we would certainly hope that Pakistan
understands that, State Department Deputy Spokesman
said.
He was responding to questions about Indias application for
NSG membership and Pakistans opposition to it on the
grounds that it will lead to a nuclear arms race in the region.
- - -
Barack Obama paid moving tribute to victims of the first
atomic bomb, offering a comforting embrace to a tearful man
who survived the devastating attack on Hiroshima.
In a ceremony loaded with symbolism, the first sitting U.S.
President to visit the city clasped hands with one survivor
and hugged another after speaking about the day that marked
one of the most terrifying chapters of World War-II.
Mr. Obama also chatted with a smiling Sunao Tsuboi (91),
who had earlier said he wanted to tell the U.S. President how
grateful he was for his visit.
The trip comes more than seven decades after the Enola Gay
bomber dropped its deadly atomic payload, dubbed Little
Boy, over the western Japanese city.
The bombing claimed the lives of 140,000 people.
As expected, Mr. Obama offered no apology for the
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

bombings, having insisted that he would not revisit decisions
made by Truman at the close of a brutal war.
Shinzo Abe praised the courage of the visit, which he said
offered hope for a nuclear free future.
-- - - Mr. Trump has said that a regulation or rule should be tested
Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Greece in a visit
aimed at reinforcing a relationship with one of his few
friends in the European Union (EU) amid tensions with the
West.
The visit comes at a low ebb in relations between Russia and
Europe over the conflict in Ukraine that broke out in 2014,
with sanctions still in force against Moscow.
It also comes as Athens desperately seeks to come out of
recession. Greek officials say increased trade with Russia
could play a part in recovery efforts.
EU leaders are to discuss next month whether to renew
sanctions on Russias banking, defence and energy sectors
that expire in July.
While the sanctions are likely to be extended, German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said resistance is
growing within the EU to extending them, and a unanimous
vote is required.
Italy and Hungary have been among the most sceptical while
Poland and the Baltic states have repeatedly pressed for
maintaining pressure on Moscow.
Greek leader Alexis Tsipras, urged Europe to cooperate with
Russia, and to move away from what he branded a futile
cycle of sanctions and militarisation.
- - --
- -
With a view to overturn the existing U.S. policies,
presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald
Trump has promised to increase oil and gas production and
to incentivise fracking, while ridiculing renewable energy
technologies.
This is the first time that he has promised to scrap the deal
altogether. Throughout his campaign season, he has been
stating that he would at minimum renegotiate the Paris
deal.
Republicans and conservatives have been increasingly
sceptical of the science of climate change, while Democrats
and liberals are convinced of the phenomenon and that
human interventions caused it.
For Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trumps position could turn out to
be advantageous.
While there is convergence between Mr. Trump and Mr.
Sanders on a range of popular issues, climate change is one
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
topic that places them miles apart.
Jobs and wages are the primary issues likely to determine
the polls this year and both Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton
articulate their respective positions within that framework.
by the single question of whether or not it is good for the
American worker.
He holds that climate priorities are damaging the American
economy and its workers. Ms. Clinton on the other hand, has
been trying to project the challenges posed by climate
change as a big opportunity to create jobs in clean
technologies.
When it comes to the India-U.S. bilateral ties, combating
climate change has been repeatedly cited as a key area of
cooperation.
One of the main arguments in favour of the civil nuclear deal
was that it will reduce carbon emissions in a fast growing
economy.
---- -
Cordial and clear discussions on sensitive issues marked
India-China talks during President Pranab Mukherjees visit
to Beijing but no significant change in divergent positions
was realised.
Meetings with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li
Keqiang and National Peoples Congress chairman Zhang
Dejiang marked a busy third day of a four-day visit by Mr.
Mukherjee to China.
Mr. Mukherjees delegation apprised its Chinese
counterparts about Indias aims to rapidly expand its civilian
nuclear programme in line with the countrys energy needs.
He also asked Mr. Xi to give this matter personal attention.
Director-General of Asian region in Chinas ministry of
foreign affairs, briefing the press following the meeting also
said that the two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation
in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Mr. Mukherjee led a delegation to meet Mr. Xi after
receiving a grand welcome in a ceremony held at the Great
Hall of Peace in Beijing.
The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen cooperation
in investment, trade and tourism.
Specifically, China has also agreed to accommodate more
Indian tourists (seven batches or around 400 people this
year) to visit Kailash Mansarovar via the Nathu La pass into
Tibet.
The two leaders also agreed to advance the ongoing
boundary negotiations under the Special Representatives
mechanism, and at the same time resolved to take actions
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-
In the first high level contact between the defence
departments of India and the U.S. since President Donald
Trump took charge, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and
his U.S. counterpart agreed to expand cooperation.
Two discussed cooperation under the Defence Technology
Trade Initiative (DTTI) and the Major Defence Partner status
and agreed to take forward the joint development of defence
platforms.
The Defence Ministry said Mr. Parrikar and Gen. Mattis
emphasised the high priority placed by both countries on the
relationship, and resolved to work together to expand this
partnership.
Earlier Mr. Parrikar had written a letter congratulating Gen.
Mattis after his appointment. On the course of the defence
cooperation.
Key appointments in the Pentagon are yet to made. There
will be some clarity only after that on the defence front.
For instance the portfolio of Frank Kendall, Under Secretary
for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics is likely to be
bifurcated. He heads the DTTI from the U.S. side.
- - --
-
India rejected criticism from the U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that religious
minorities in the country continued to face vigilantism and
constitutional challenges.
In the report titled Constitutional and Legal Challenges
Faced by Religious Minorities in India made available
online, the USCIRF cited the killing of Mohammed Akhlaq
in September 2015 over beef eating, and said such violence.
It further criticised the Indian Constitution for giving
favourable treatment to the majority Hindu community and
curtailing the unique identity of the minority groups.
Questioning the authority of the report, the Ministry said the
government did not see the locus standi of the USCIRF to
pronounce on the state of Indian citizens constitutionally
protected rights.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
-
India is among six nations participating in a conference on
Afghanistans future in Moscow, two months after Russia
hosted a similar conference with only China and Pakistan.
After India and particularly Afghanistan objected to being
cut out of the discussion, Moscow agreed to expand its
ambit, announcing a six-nation conference of Russia, India,
Iran, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.
The issue of exclusion was raised by Foreign Secretary S.
Jaishankar during his talks with the Russian delegation at
the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar in early December
last year.
The invitation may not however, smooth over serious
differences between New Delhi and Moscow over the past
few months on their moves in the region. To begin with,
India is increasingly uncomfortable with Russias overtures
to Pakistan on defence issues.
Significantly, Russia did not join the U.S., U.K. and France
in sponsoring a resolution against Jaish chief Masood Azhar
at the U.N. sanctions committee last month, a resolution
which China then put a hold on.
Russia has been seen as favouring a softer line on the Taliban
as a counter to the spread of Islamic State (IS) in
Afghanistan; Russia and China have also been coordinating
to demand the delisting of senior Taliban leaders designated
as terrorists by the U.N. sanctions committee.
-- -
India moved to stabilise ties with China, saying there was
nothing political in the ongoing visit of a delegation from
Taiwan, which criticised Beijings One China policy.
Indias statement came after China filed a diplomatic protest
after the delegation argued that Taiwans independence is
an international reality.
The statement, which came within hours of a major dinner
hosted by BJP leader Ram Madhav in Delhi in honour of the
delegation, Foreign Secretary is expected to visit Beijing,
which will be the 1st high-level visit from India to Beijing
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in 2017.
The reason why China lodged the representation is because
that we have been requiring countries that have diplomatic
relations with China to fulfil their commitment to the One
China policy, China said.
Some Indians view the Taiwan question as anAchilles heel
of the mainland. They have long wanted to use the Taiwan
question and the South China Sea and Dalai Lama issues as
bargaining chips in dealing with China, said Global Times.
Leader of the delegation Kuan Bi Ling had emphasised that
Taiwans freedom and sovereignty is a reality in international
affairs.
--- - - at the end of President Obamas tenure, Afghanistans
-- government has been hoping President Trump will increase
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas
Swarup has been appointed the new High Commissioner to
Canada.
Mr. Swarup, a well-known author, became the MEA
spokesperson in April 2015. He is expected to join his new
post in Ottawa by mid-March.
Canada is a crucial country in Indias diplomatic agenda.
Relations between the two countries have expanded in recent
months following Prime Minister Justine Trudeaus push for
engagement with India.
Last year, the North American country sent the ministers of
infrastructure and immigration to India to bolster ties.
However, it is yet to support New Delhis candidature for
permanent membership in the U.N. Security Council.
A visible face of the government, Mr. Swarup dealt with
several high-tension matters, including Indias campaign to
isolate Pakistan following the Pathankot and Uri attacks.
- - - any increase in the power shared with provinces, the process
- -- appears to have hit a major roadblock.
India and Afghanistan took a hard line at the six-nation talks
in Moscow, opposing the dominant view from Russia, China
and Pakistan to involve the Taliban in reconciliation efforts.
External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that
denying safe havens or sanctuaries to any terrorist group
or individual in countries of our region, was essential to
stabilising the situation in Afghanistan.
Reconciliation efforts must be driven by the Afghanistan
government and could only be facilitated by friends and
well wishers of Afghanistan, he said.
He indicated that the previous round of QCG (Quadrilateral
Cooperation Group) hosted by Pakistan was not acceptable.
He said: The key challenge to the process remains a policy
selectivity by some to distinguish between good and bad
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
terrorists, even though terrorism is a common threat that
confronts the whole region."
He also siad "where if one of us doesnt stand firm against
it, others counter-terrorism efforts will not bear the results
we all seek.
Another point of contention that emerged was over the
composition of the talks hosted by Russia. Afghanistan made
a strong pitch for the United States to be included as one of
its most important partners.
It said it was a necessary part of all processes to end war
and usher in sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
With U.S. troop levels down to their lowest of about 8,400
assistance to the country.
-
-
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar has asked Sri Lankas Tamil
leadership to continue negotiating a political solution with
the government, without being fixated on the demand for
merging the islands northern and eastern provinces.
TNA leader briefed him on some pressing issues faced by
the Tamil people, including the lack of progress on the
release of military-occupied land by the government,
lingering concerns over enforced disappearances.
The TNA delegation also updated Mr. Jaishankar about the
new Constitution, pointing to the process being stalled.
Sri Lanka is currently drafting a new Constitution, but the
countrys minority Tamils are worried about the pace of the
exercise.
With a section of Sinhalese lawmakers in the south opposing
Mr. Jaishankar reportedly assured the TNA that he would
raise the issues with President Maithripala Sirisena and
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Mr. Jaishankar, who served as political counsellor in
Colombo between 1988 and 1990, observed that a lot had
happened since the neighbours signed the agreement, such
as the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
He suggested that the Tamils continue pushing for a broader
political solution rather than be fixated on the merger.
Offering support to Sri Lanka to tackle drought, Mr.
Jaishankar said that India would donate eight water bowsers
and 100 tonnes of rice as immediate assistance, according
to a press release from the Indian High Commission.
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 http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses

- - Mr. Singh also highlighted that the surgical strike of

- September 28, ten days after the Uri attack, had delivered
Members of the European Parliament Delegation for the expected results.
Relations with India urged the government to consider a The aim of the surgical strike was we have sent a
six-month extension of bilateral investment treaties until the message to the whole world that terrorism will not be
FTA or the comprehensive BTIA negotiations are restarted. acceptable as the new normal, said Mr. Singh.
The delegation, one of three with senior officials from the -- -
EU and European Parliament visiting India this week, met
Russia has amended its laws, allowing long-term contracts
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Commerce Minister
for spares and support for military equipment supplied to
Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss their concerns.
India. This will address long-standing concerns on the
Nearly 11 months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi serviceability of the imported equipment.
visited Brussels and spoke about the issue, EU diplomats say
In the next step, India is also discussing the possibility of
there has been no movement on the BTIA/FTA talks that
Russian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
were suspended in 2013 after 16 rounds of negotiation.
allowing licence-manufacture of spares locally by Indian
The officials said there was a need for a greater sense of
vendors.
urgency, given that BITs with most EU countries would
Currently, procurement of spares is a long and cumbersome
lapse within the first half of 2017.
process as India cannot deal directly with the OEMs but with
The Bilateral investment treaty with The Netherlands, a
designated intermediaries like Rosoboronexport. The
country that is home to the second largest population of change in law does away with that.
people of Indian origin in Europe, after the UK, lapsed on
Indian military largely constitutes platforms and equipment
November 30, and the rest are expected to follow shortly.
of Russian origin and a constant concern has been the
Amongst the other arguments put forth by the delegation availability of spares for them.
were that businesses in their countries would like to invest
To address this, the two countries began discussions for a
in India only once the government guarantees the process
long-term agreement on spares for five years, which would
in India, which would follow the conclusion of the BTIA.
ensure quick delivery of spares and support from the OEMs.
Apart from the BTIA, the MEPs said they were also
One of the biggest beneficiaries of this will be the frontline
concerned by growing violence in Jammu and Kashmir
Su-30MKI fighter jets of the Indian Air Force, the
that was hampering better ties between India and Pakistan.
serviceability of which had at one time fallen below 50 per
- -- - cent.
-
-
India said that China is following double standard on
Japan and India have had a long trade and economic
terrorism and asked Beijing to support its campaign to
relationship starting from the later part of the 19th century.
blacklist Pakistan-based terror mastermind Masood Azhar.
However, post World War II and the establishment of
Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar said
diplomatic relations, the imperatives of the cold war kept
Chinas block at the 1267 committee of the UN Security
the relations between the two countries at a sub-optimal
Council that prevented India from blacklisting the terror boss
level.
was self-defeating.
In the late 1980s, with the cold war fading, Japan-India
Mr. Akbar said, as a responsible and mature nation, China
relations again looked promising.
will understand the double standards of this self-defeating
purpose,. It is worth noting that even during the cold war period,
Japans Overseas Development Assistance(ODA) was still
Govt acknowledged that despite tranquillity on India-China
active in India.
border, there remained divergences in bilateral ties,
including Chinas stand on Pakistan-based terror outfits such Indias nuclear tests in 1998 again led to severe
as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). condemnation and harsh sanctions by Japan and the relations
moved to a low keel.
India, however, was not in favour of stalling dialogue with
Pakistan on the need to stop cross-border terrorism as it had The current NDA governments focused efforts in this regard
delivered the necessary message to Pakistan and the world, seem to stem from awareness of the fact that the economic
with the surgical strike of September 28, Mr. Akbar said. value created by way of trade and investment between the

www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

two countries is significantly lower than the potential.
The annual outward flow of Japanese FDI is about $130
billion and the U.S. gets about $40 billion annually. India
should target at least $25 billion annually for the next 10
years.
The two-way trade in 1994-1995 between Japan and India
was $4067 million, between India and China was $1015
million and between India and South Korea was $961.9
million.
By 2015-16, Japan-India two-way trade had increased to
$14,512 million (a cumulative annual growth rate of 6.3%),
China-India two-way trade had grown to $70,758 million
(CAGR of 22.6%).
There are three main challenges which have constrained the
Japan-India partnership from achieving its full potential.
First, Indias complex regulations, red tape, ad hoc nature
of state-level interventions.
Second, Japanese companies face considerable logistics
challenges and non-availability of uninterrupted power
supply constrains their manufacturing plans in India.
Third, while India can emerge as a large market for Japanese
infrastructure system exports, there have been incredible
delays in the commencement of the projects.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has funded
the Tamil Nadu Investment Promotion Program for
strengthening policy framework and urban and industry
infrastructure to facilitate foreign investment.
Japan is working on developing 12 Industrial townships
called Japan Industrial Townships (JITs) which will operate
like Little Japan with all the infrastructure to support the
operations of Japanese companies.
The Tokyo Declaration of November 2014 sets a target for
doubling Japans foreign direct investment, the number of
Japanese companies operating in India and an ambitious
investment target of JPY 3.5 trillion within a five-year
period.
The cumulative Overseas Development Assistance
disbursement by Japan (India is the largest recipient of
Japanese ODA) in 2014 was JPY4.6 trillion and in FY 15-
16 only JPY 185.6 billion was disbursed.
Given the under-performance on all the benchmarks set up
under the Tokyo Declaration, timely intervention from the
highest levels of both governments can still ensure that the
ambitious metrics can be achieved.
-- --- - the project.
Asserting its territorial sovereignty, India said on Wednesday
that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes
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through its territory.
Addressing the Raisina Dialogue, Foreign Secretary S.
Jaishankar said China was yet to respond to Indias territorial
concerns on CPEC.
China is very sensitive on matters concerning its
sovereignty.We expect they will respect other peoples
sovereignty. CPEC passes through a territory that we see as
ours. Surely people will understand Indias reaction, said
Mr. Jaishankar
Prime Minister Modi too had drawn attention to the
territorial sovereignty of India. Respect for sovereignty is
important for regional connectivity to improve, Mr. Modi
said in his inaugural speech.
China and Pakistan have fast-tracked the construction work
of the CPEC, a large part of which passes through Pakistan-
occupied Kashmir (PoK). Once completed, CPEC will
provide an all-weather energy route for China from the Gulf.
Indias concerns have also increased in recent weeks with
reports of China-Pakistan naval cooperation in Gwadar port
of Balochistan, which will serve as the entry point to CPEC.
The Foreign Secretary said that Chinas rise was a major
dynamic factor in the Asian affairs and reminded the
audience that differences with China had not gone away.
The Foreign Secretarys comments about CPEC and the
political issues are significant as both India and China
have dealt with the differences over the last several months.
Chinas territorial assertion over Asia, however, received a
jolt in July 2016 when the Permanent Court of Arbitration
gave an adverse verdict on the South China Sea issue.
Mr. Jaishankar said that Indias position on South China Sea
was in sync with the international position.
- -
Sri Lanka is in talks to offer the port of Trincomalee to India.
Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the Raisina
Dialogue here, Colombos Minister, said that the decision
on offering the port to India will be taken soon.
Sri Lankas experience with the Chinese, who carried out
major infrastructural work at the Hambantota port in
southern coast of the island nation, has put a heavy burden
on the country, said Mr Fonseka.
The port of Hambantota was conceived as a major Sri Lanka-
China project during the presidency of MahindaRajapakse,
but the controversy around the debt burden has slowed down
Mr. Fonseka, who led the Sri Lankan defence forces during
the 2009 Eelam war against Tamil rebels, said that Colombo
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is aware of its responsibilities in the Indian Ocean region,
and is committed to freedom of navigation.
- Tightening the noose around Lashkar-e-Taiba, the U.S.
In a token measure to put pressure on developed countries
to deliver on climate change commitments, India will soon
ratify an amended version of the Kyoto Protocol.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi gave its approval to ratify the deal that is set to expire
in 2020 and was shunned by several developed countries,
most prominently the United States.
Until now, 75 countries have ratified the so-called Doha
Amendment of the Kyoto Protocol, which spans from 2012
to 2020, and falls far short of the 144 needed to bring it into
force .
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol came into effect in 2005 and
obligated the rich and industrialised countries to reduce
emissions by 5.2% of 1990 levels during the 2008-2012
period.
However, the refusal of the U.S., the second largest polluter,
to be part of the Protocol and lack of commitments by
Canada, Japan and other major developing countries meant
that global emissions actually rose during this period.
Implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
projects under this commitment period in accordance with
sustainable development priorities will attract some
investments in India as well. The Kyoto Protocol
incentivised several firms in India to retrofit their polluting
plants with newer technology in the hope of earning carbon
credits.
However after an initial spike, carbon credit prices that
could be traded in emission-trading markets like shares
have crashed to rock-bottom prices.
-
A new draft proposal circulated among NSG member-states
early this month could pave the way for India to become a
member of the elite club, but this is unlikely to happen before
the end of the Obama presidency next month.
The American push for India to become a full-fledged NSG
member would now have to be pursued by the incoming
Trump administration.
The outgoing Obama administration is unlikely to fulfil its
promise made to the Modi government before its term
expires on January 20.
A draft formula for NSG membership to countries like India
and Pakistan, that are not a signatory to the Nuclear non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT), was submitted by Rafael
Mariano Grossi, the former NSG Chair, who prepared the
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report on behalf of South Korea, the current NSG chair.
- --
designated the terror groups student wing Al-Muhammadia
Students a terrorist organisation and slapped sanctions
against its two top leaders.
LeT was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United
States in December 2001.
Since the original designation occurred, LeT has repeatedly
changed its name and created front organisations in an effort
to avoid sanctions, said the State Department.
Simultaneously, the U.S. Treasury Department designated
two LeT senior leaders, Muhammad Sarwar and Shahid
Mahmood, as global terrorists. Both the LeT leaders are
based in Pakistan.
- - -
Nepal has rejected Indias open sky offer to allow unlimited
flights between the two countries.
Nepal said it was not yet ready for the agreement. India has
been keen on countering Nepals recent engagement with
China on the road, railways and port connectivity.
Airlines from India and Nepal are now allowed to operate
30,000 seats from each side.
India and Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding to
set up a joint technical committee to examine Nepals request
for developing new air routes and air entry points at
Janakpur, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj.
India signed an agreement with Sri Lanka, Jamaica, Guyana,
Czech Republic, Finland and Spain to allow airlines to
operate unlimited flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Nepal has long been pushing for new airspaces to ease
congestion on the existing routes and to save time and cost
for air passengers.
- -
Overstaying Indian nationals violating visa norms prompted
Hong Kong, a China-administered territory, to alter its visa
agreement with India.
Hong Kong, which used to be part of a block of countries
that gave Indians unconditional visa-free entry, has
introduced pre-registration for Indian nationals to prevent
illegal immigration.
Under the previous visa agreement, Indian visitors could
visit the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for 14
days. However, the region had complained about abuse of
the agreement by illegal immigrants from India.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

Indian nationals must apply for, and success-fully complete,
pre-arrival registration online before they can visit or transit
the HKSAR visa-free.
It clarified that such registration would not be necessary for
those transiting through the Hong Kong airport without
leaving the airport transit area. The arrangement will be
introduced on January 23.
Hong Kong's unilateral decision came a year after its
government sent a delegation headed by the
AssistantDirector of Immigration from the Immigration
Department and the Hong Kong Police in December 2015.
- - -
India and Kyrgyzstan finalised plans for joint military
exercises in the New Y ear, and re-iterated the need for a
global convention against terrorism.
Visiting President AlmazbekAtambaev high-lighted the
common historical heritage, and sought cooperation to deal
with current global challenges like terrorism.
Following a bilateral summit, the delegations finalised plans
to hold the annual joint military exercises named Khanjar-
IV. The Khanjar-II exercises were held in March 2015
in Kyrgyzstan and Khanjar-III in March-April 2016 in
Gwalior.
A joint statement which marked the end of the visit took note
of the IT sup-port that India had provided to the Kyrgyz
military institutions, including building three IT centres in
the past two years.
It also noted the high-altitude Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain
Training Centre being built in the city of Balykchi, which
will be used to train Indian military personnel.
The visiting delegation also welcomed India's proposal for
training Kyrgyz forces for U.N. peacekeeping assignments.
Both sides reiterated the demand for global counter-terror
norms to fight terror-ism in Asia, and called for the adoption
by the United Nations of the draft Comprehensive
Convention on Combating International Terrorism.
-- -
China has slammed India for inviting the Dalai Lama for a
function in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and urged New Delhi
to respect China's core interest in order to avoid any
disturbance in ties between the two nations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said: Recently in
disregard of China's solemn representation and strong
opposition, the Indian side insisted on arranging for the 14th
Dalai Lama's visit to the Indian presidential palace.
The spokesman asserted that Beijing was strongly
dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to that.
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The Dalai Lama was present in the opening session of the
Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit, organised by
Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthis Children's Foundation
on December 10.
We urge the Indian side to see through the anti-China
separatist nature of the Dalai Lama clique, fully respect
China's core interest and major concerns, take effective
means to remove the negative impact caused by the incident
so as to avoid any disturbance to China-India relationship,
he said.
The Government of India sought to play down the
comments, saying the event the Dalai Lama had attended
was not a political one.
India has always resisted Chinese criticism of the Dalai
Lama's movements, and maintains that he does not
undertake any political activity in India. This is the fifth time
that China has expressed its annoyance in the past
fewmonths.
Earlier, Chinese government spokespersons objected to the
Dalai Lama's visits to Arunachal Pradesh, Mongolia and the
U.S., as well as the government's permission to the Karmapa
Lama to travel to Arunachal as well.
China's strong objections towards the perceived promotion
of Tibetan separatism coincide with remarks by U.S.
President-elect Donald Trump questioning Washingtons
unqualified endorsement of Beijing's sovereignty over
Taiwan.
Mongolia's crisis followed its reception of the Dalai Lama
last month, apparently triggering a slew of economic
measures by Beijing against Ulan Bator.
- - -
- -
Blaming India for derailing the SAARC Summit, Pakistan
announced that the summit in Islamabad will now be held
on an alternative date, even as Sri Lanka joined others in
opposing the summit under the prevailing environment.
Nepal subsequently issued an official statement seeking an
indefinite postponement of the summit.
Sri Lanka joined India, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh
in demanding the summit should not be held.
Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding, Sri
Lanka condemns terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations, and stresses in this regard the need to deal
with the issue of terrorism in a decisive manner.
Addressing the media in Delhi, Afghan envoy Shaida M.
Abdali demanded that SAARC should focus on counter-
terror initiatives. Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs
spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, We note Pakistans
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decision 2 postpone SAARC Summit.
--- -
He assured India that it did not need to worry about the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Kozhikode on
September 25 that India would ratify the Paris climate deal.
The ratification document will be submitted at the offices
of the UN Secretary-General by Syed Akbaruddin, Indias
Permanent Representative to the UN, or his representative,
said Environment Ministry officials.
It is still unclear what led India to alter its position
dramatically from mere weeks ago.
At the G20 summit in China last month, NITI Aayog Vice-
Chairman Arvind Panagariya said India wasnt ready in
terms of the domestic actions required to ratify, or at least
commit to ratify, the Paris deal within 2016.
After Indias bid to enter the NSG was rebuffed by China in
Seoul in June, the External Affairs Ministry said, An early
positive decision by the NSG would have allowed us to
move forward on the Paris agreement.
Mr. Dave said that at the climate talks in Morocco in
November, India would stress most on trying to
operationalise the $100 billion corpus called the Green
Climate Fund committed by developed countries.
Fund will aid policy, projects and technology transfer as a
buffer against the impact of climate change. Only a fraction
of it has been pledged so far.
The funds will help nations work on fulfilling their Intended
Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) which aim to
reduce carbon emissions through a host of solutions.
Mr. Dave said that India has already completed 12 per cent
of all pre-2020 Intended National Determined Contributions
(INDC), or the road map by which it will make good on its
commitments to reduce carbon emissions.
As part of its INDC plans, India had promised to bring down
its emissions intensity, or emissions per unit of the GDP, by
at least 33 per cent by the year 2030 as compared to 2005
levels.
- - - --
Days after it asked Islamabad to take effective steps to stop
the activities of terrorist groups on its territory, Russia
welcomed the surgical strike by India, saying every
country had a right to defend itself.
Russias Ambassador to New Delhi Alexander M. Kadakin
said his country had always been with India in fighting cross-
border terrorism.
Greatest human rights violations take place when terrorists
attack military installations and attack peaceful civilians in
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India. We welcome the surgical strike. Every country has
right to defend itself, the Russian Govt.said.
Russia-Pakistan joint military exercise, saying it did not take
place in the Pakistan-occupied Indian State of Jammu and
Kashmir.
Last week, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said Russia
stood for a decisive struggle against terrorism in all its
manifestations.
-
-- -
Pushing for revising the agenda of SAARC, Sri Lanka on
Wednesday joined the growing demand that the regional
organisation counter cross-border terrorism.
After a meeting with PM Modi, visiting Srilankas PM cited
Sri Lankas experience with war and terrorism, and warned
that SAARC would become irrelevant without addressing
terrorism.
Cross-border terrorism might worsen if SAARC is thrown
away, he said and added that three countries out of the eight-
member regional grouping was afflicted by security
problems. He, however cautioned against war.
Sri Lanka was the fifth country to issue a statement against
holding the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad in November.
He said Sri Lankas decision against attending the summit
was decided through a process of democratic consultations,
and highlighted that Sri Lanka was discussing several
options in shaping the South Asian regional order.
Indias preparation to deal with the emerging challenges
figured in Mr. Wickeremesinghes meeting with Mr. Modi
and both sides discussed bilateral issues such as Indias aid
and technical support to Sri Lanka.
He said that in the midst of the crucial phase in South Asia,
his country would continue with the peace-building process
that started following the end of the war against the Tamil
Eelam fighters.
Mr. Wickremesinghes demand on SAARC with a counter-
terror focus follows India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and
Bhutan citing cross-border terrorism, imposed war and
interference from Pakistan.
- --- - - --
-- -
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia remains
one of Indias leading suppliers of advanced weapons and
defence technology as India is Russias especially
privileged strategic partner.
Mr. Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected
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to sign an agreement on the delivery of S-400 Triumph anti-
missile defence systems and other deals during the BRICS
Summit in Goa.
Russia has deployed the S-400, its most modern air defence
system, for the bombing campaign Syria.
Our countries actively collaborate in the military technical
field. Russia remains in the lead in terms of both direct
supplies of most advanced weapons and military equipment
and conducting joint researches with India, as well as
producing goods for military purposes, Mr. Putin told.
He said many of the Russian projects in India had
commercial importance and played a social and economic
role for the two economies. The S-400 anti-missile system
can track some 300 targets and shoot down around three
dozen simultaneously over a range of several hundred
kilometres.
India has signed a series of key defence deals under the Modi
government as part of a $100-billion upgrade of its Soviet-
era military hardware, making it an attractive proposition for
arms exporters.
- -
The Maldives angrily quit the Commonwealth on Thursday
after years of wrangling over its human rights record since
the toppling of its first democratically-elected leader four
years ago.
The island nation said it had been treated unjustly and
unfairly by the bloc, a voluntary association of more than
50 countries, many of them former territories of the British
empire.
The Commonwealth put Male on notice after Mr. Nasheed
stood down as President in February 2012 and said he had
been forced out in a coup.
It has since criticised the government over its crackdown on
dissidents and its controversial judiciary, and sent a special
envoy to try to improve the archipelagos rights record.
In its statement, the Maldives, which had previously
threatened to pull out of the bloc, accused the London-based
Commonwealth Secretariat of interfering in its affairs.
The United States has said democracy is under threat in the
strategically located archipelago, which sits on key
international shipping lanes.
A UN panel has also ruled that Mr. Nasheeds imprisonment
last year was illegal and ordered the regime of President
Abdulla Yameen to pay him compensation.
Mr. Nasheed secured political asylum in Britain this year
after travelling to London for medical treatment while on
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prison leave from a controversial 13-year prison sentence.
The country becomes the latest to leave the Commonwealth
after Gambia which quit in October 2013.
-- - -
The UN General Assembly on formally appointed Antonio
Guterres as the new Secretary-General of the United
Nations, replacing Ban Ki-moon.
The 193 member states adopted by acclamation a resolution
appointing the former Prime Minister of Portugal for a five-
year term beginning January 1.
Mr. Guterres, who also served as UN refugee chief for a
decade, is expected to play a more prominent role than Mr.
Ban, who will step down after two five-year terms.
Mr. Guterres won unanimous support from the UN Security
Council during a vote last week that capped the most
transparent campaign ever held at the UN for the top post.
He campaigned on a pledge to promote human rights and
enact reforms within the United Nations system, seen as
clunky and too slow to respond to unfolding disasters.
--
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will raise Indias concerns
regarding Russian cooperation with Pakistan during the
bilateral summit meeting.
Diplomats said the recent Russia-Pakistan military exercise
was an isolated episode but expressed the hope that as a
special privileged partner Russia will address Indias
Pakistan-related concerns.
Mr. Putin said Russia was moving towards having a
regional" approach to deal with threats from South Asia.
India and Russia are likely to ink a deal on the S-400 Triumf
long range air defence system estimated to be worth Rs.
39,000.
The S-400 is considered one of the most advanced long
range defence systems in the world and can tackle all
incoming airborne targets at ranges of up to 400 km.
The second deal likely to be signed is for a Joint Venture to
be set up by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited of India and
Rostec State Corporation of Russia to manufacture Kamov-
226T utility helicopters in India.
It is understood that under the agreement, at least 200
helicopters would be produced to replace the ageing Cheetah
and Chetak fleets of the armed forces.
In addition, the FGFA, Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft is
also expected to be taken up during the summit.
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- aspects of humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
In a first of its kind deal, UAEs national oil company
Adnoc has agreed to store crude oil in Indias maiden
strategic storage and give two-thirds of the oil to it for free.
India is building underground storages in Visakhapatnam
and Mangalore and Padur in Karnataka to store about 5.33
million tonnes of crude oil to guard against global price
shocks and supply disruptions.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is keen on
taking half of the 1.5- million-tonne Mangalore facility.
It will stock 0.75 million tonnes or 6 million barrels of oil
in one compartment of the Mangalore facility.
Of this, 0.5 million tonnes will belong to India and it can
use it in emergencies. Adnoc will use the facility as a
warehouse for trading its oil.
- - - - high standards for the international trading regime could
- be similar to those experienced by India post the 1991
India and the Unit- ed Arab Emirates are set to strengthen
cyber security mechanism to track radicalisation of youth
in South Asia and West Asian region.
Over the last several months, India-UAE cooperation has
prevented several radicalised youths from joining the ranks
of the Islamic State (IS).
Both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements
on cyber security and law enforcement during the February
10-12 visit by Abu Dhabis Crown Prince Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Security collaboration has become the centrepiece of
India-UAE cooperation, especially since Prime Minister
Narendra Modi visited Dubai in August 2015.
Cyber security experts have point- ed out that the
cooperation between the UAE and India on cyber security
has helped in tracking radicalisation in
India as well as inside Pakistan. Agreements on security
and cyber security will be part of a total of 16 agreements
that are expected to be signed during the visit which will
also include an agreement on nuclear research and
development, and aerospace collaborations.
- - - Pointing out that the TPP, RCEP and the Transatlantic
- Trade and Investment Partnership (a proposed mega-
The border troops of India and China held their first joint
tactical exercise in the Chushul-Moldo area along the
northern border. This is part of the ongoing initiatives taken
by India and China to ensure greater interaction between
troops stationed along the Line of Actual Control, and
thereby ensure peace and tranquillity along the border.
As previously agreed by both countries, the exercise
focussed on actions to be coordinated to tackle jointly
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This exercise complements the Hand-in-Hand series of
India-China Joint Exercises and the recently conducted
joint exercise in Sikkim.
-
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), or the mega-regional
free trade pact led by the U.S. and including 11 other Asia-
Pacific countries, is likely to indirectly impact Indias
exports in several industrial sectors.
Sector such as textiles, plastics, leather, clothing, cotton
and yarn, besides the countrys regime on investment,
labour standards, intellectual property rights (IPR),
government procurement and State-owned enterprises
(SOE) will face problem.
The challenges arising from the TPP which has set very
economic liberalisation.
The External Affairs Ministry would soon do a study in the
context of TPP and in- form the government what the
priorities should be in terms of policy-making in the next
six months.
The TPP agreement (which India is not a part of) was
reached in October last year and the member countries
have two years to ratify the pact. In the meantime, the
Indian government will have to consider improving the
countrys standards in areas such as labour laws by holding
stakeholder consultations.
The investor-State dispute settlement mechanism adopted
by the TPP was also a concern from Indias point of view.
Some of the TPP standards were higher than that of the
WTO norms, including on IPR and possible ever-greening
of patents, which could hurt Indias pharma sector.
The operations and the production methods of Indias
public sector units (or SOEs) could also be constrained due
to the TPP.
Several Indian export sectors such as cotton and yarn could
be affected as trade may be diverted to the TPP region due
to its benefits of low or nil duties.
regional between the U.S. and the European Union)
excluded African countries, the Minister said India would
also have to focus on improving its trade with African
countries.
Meanwhile, India is also considering engaging with the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries to ensure
that it did not miss out on the emerging trade dynamics.
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- India is also pushing the world body for an international
--
Worried over the possible proxy use of narcotics and
human trafficking networks by terror operators, India and
Thailand have started talks on exchanging prisoners that
are of mutual interest.
One of the first cases that both sides have begun to look
into involves a Kindergarten teacher, Mitu Mandal, who
has been in Thai custody since May, 2014, when she was
arrested in Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport with 1.62
kilogram of Ya Ice (meth- amphetamine).
Ms. Mandal reportedly confessed to Thai authorities that
she was used by a narcotics network covering Thailand,
India and Nigeria.
Prisoners exchange is one of the steps being planned in
bilateral legal collaboration following two major
extraditions from Thailand since January 2015.
- would like to open a new chapter to help give countries
Fighting terror, visa liberalisation and improving India-
Afghanistan business ties are on the agenda as Afghanistan
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah lands in Delhi.
Dr. Abdullahs visit comes a month after Prime Minister
Narendra Modis unannounced visit to Kabul on Christmas
day, when he had also travelled to Lahore.
This is the first meeting between the Indian and
Afghanistan leadership since the attacks on the Pathankot
airbase and the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif.
Dr. Abdullah is down to deliver the key- note address at a
counter-terrorism conference in Jaipur, which he will
attend along with President Pranab Mukherjee.
During his talks with Mr. Modi and External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj, Dr. Abdullah is expected to
discuss leads in the attacks, cooperation on counter-terror
operations, as well as the latest round of the four-nation
Taliban talks that concluded this month.
The two sides are expected to sign a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) for visa exemption on diplomatic
passports.
Another MoU will be signed between the Afghan Chamber
of Commerce and ASSOCHAM.
- - - as a satellite launch and a thermal infrared observation mis-
Indias new Permanent Representative to the United
Nations Syed Akbaruddin presented his credentials to U.N
Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon.
Mr. Akbaruddin takes charge at the U.N at a time when
India is pushing hard for a permanent seat for itself in the
Security Council.
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convention on terrorism.
Mr. Akbaruddin, a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service
officer, served as the spokesperson of the Ministry of
External Afairs from 2012 to 2015.
Mr. Ban appreciated the significant role that India plays
at the U.N. as a long trusted partner of the multi- lateral
system, receiving the credentials. Mr. Akbaruddin is
Indias 21st Permanent Representative at the U.N.
-
-
French President Francois Hollande committed 300
million over the next five years for the global development
of solar energy and said the real challenge was to at- tract
investments worth a trillion dollars to promote the
renewable source.
Through this solar alliance, the French President said, he
with no resources other than the sun an opportunity to
produce electricity for meeting the needs of most of their
people.
The International Solar Alliance, envisaged to bring
together 122 countries that lie wholly or partly between
the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, is an ini-
tiative announced by Mr. Mo- di at the COP 21 Summit in
Pa- ris in November.
The member countries are to be those that enjoy 300 or
more days in a year of bright sunlight.
The Alliance, Mr. Hollande said, would focus on three
broad areas. First, it is about pooling together the requests
of countries with a huge potential in order to reduce their
cost of capital. Second, it is about opening the markets in
order to reduce the cost of in- vestment. Third, it is about
transferring the necessary technology and know-how from
developed to developing countries,.
- - -
At least three of the 14 agreements signed by India and
France on Monday were on expanding space collaboration.
The Indian Space Research Organisation and its French
counterpart CNES (National Centre for Space Studies)
agreed to work together in the next Mars mission, as well
sion.
Under the Make in India banner, India and France signed
a deal that will allow French industrial major Alstom to
make 800 high horse power locomotives in India.
The locomotives are expected to be made in the electric
locomotives factory in Madhepura, Bihar.
Both sides also signed an agreement on upgrading the
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- As per the revised numbers, growth in real GVA in 2015
The eight core industries registered a growth of 5.6% in
December 2016 on the back of healthy output recorded by
refinery products and steel.
The growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors coal, crude
oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement
and electricity was 2.9% in December 2015. It stood at
4.9% in November 2016.
The core sectors, which contribute 38% to the total industrial
production, expanded 5% in April December 2016
compared with 2.6% growth in the same period in the last
financial year.
Refinery products and steel production jumped 6.4% and
14.9%, respectively, during the month under review.
However, crude oil, fertiliser, natural gas and cement output
reported contraction. Coal output declined by 4.4% in
December 2016 from 5.3% in the same month previous year.
Similarly, electricity generation, too, dipped by 6% as
compared with 8.8% in December 2015.
- - the States will require the Centre to be an exemplar of sound
fiscal management itself.
The government has marginally revised upwards the GDP
growth for 201516 to 7.9% from the earlier estimate of
7.6% after factoring in the latest data on agriculture and
industrial production.
Real GDP or GDP at constant (201112) prices for 2015
16 and 201415 stands at Rs. 113.58 lakh crore and Rs.
105.23 lakh crore respectively, showing growth of 7.9%
during 201516 and 7.2% during 201415, stated CSO.
However, the figure for 201415 has remained unchanged
at 7.2% in the second revision of the national accounts for
the fiscal. Last year, CSO had estimated GDP growth rate
for 201516 and 201415 at 7.6% and 7.2%, respectively.
CSO said the Gross Value Added (GVA) at constant (2011
12) basic prices grew at 7.8% in 201516 as against 6.9%
in 201415.
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16 has been higher than that of 201415, mainly due to
stronger growth in agriculture, forestry and fishing (0.8%),
manufacturing (10.6%), trade, repair, hotels and restaurants.
Per capita net national income at current prices is estimated
at Rs. 86,513 and Rs. 94,178 respectively for 201415 and
201516.
Per capita PFCE (private final consumption expenditure) at
current prices is estimated at Rs. 57,402 and Rs. 61,571 for
201415 and 201516, respectively.
- - -
The Economic Survey recommended the Centre to
incentivise good fiscal work by States to keep the overall
fiscal performance on track.
Greater reliance will need to be placed on incentivising good
fiscal performance, not least because States are gradually
repaying their obligations to the Centre, removing its ability
to impose a hard budget constraint on them.
It, however, added that incentivising good performance by
The average revenue deficit has been eliminated, while the
average fiscal deficit was curbed to less than 3% of GSDP.
The average debt to GSDP ratio has also fallen, it said.
Survey noted that much of the improvement in financial
positions was possible because of exogenous factors, most
notably assistance from the Centre in the form of increased
revenue transfers, the assumption of state debt, and the
introduction of centrally sponsored schemes.
The Survey also highlighted that Pay Commission
recommendations, and mounting payments from the UDAY
bonds will lead to increase in fiscal challenges for the States.
Further, the Survey has further suggested that Redistributive
Resource Transfers should be significantly linked to fiscal
and governance efforts on the part of the States.
Redistributive Resource Transfer or RRT to a state (from the
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Centre) is defined as gross devolution to the state adjusted
for the respective states share in aggregate GDP.
The top 10 recipients are: Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Jammu
and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Assam.
It also recommended using a part of the RRTs or redistribute
the gains from resource use, as a Universal Basic Income
directly to households in relevant states which receive large
RRT flows and are more reliant on natural resource revenues.
Smaller States such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and
Goa trade more, while the net exporters are the
manufacturing powerhouses of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and
Maharashtra, according to the Economic Survey.
One other finding on internal trade between States, of the
first-ever estimates for interstate trade flows, is that cross-
border exchanges between and within firms amount to at
least 54% of GDP (in 2015).
Implying that Indias interstate trade is 1.7 times larger than
its international trade of 32% of GDP.
Belying their status as agricultural and/or less developed,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh appear to be manufacturing
powerhouses because of their proximity to the national
capital region, according to the Survey.
Indias aggregate interstate trade (54% of GDP) is not as high
as that of the U.S. (78% of GDP) or China (74% of GDP),
but substantially greater than provincial trade within Canada
and greater than trade between Europe Union countries.
The costs of moving (within India) are about twice as great
for people as they are for goods, the Survey said. However,
it said there is a potential dampener on the finding that trade
in goods is high within India.
Devoting considerable attention to Indias twin-balance
sheet problem, the Survey said that the agency could take
charge of the largest, most difficult cases, and make
politically tough decisions to reduce debt.
Indias NPA ratio at its current level of 9.1% of the gross
loans is higher than any other major emerging market (with
the exception of Russia), higher even than the peak levels
seen in Korea during the East Asian financial crisis.
Advocating PARA to resolve the problem of twin-balance
sheets (corporates and banks) to be funded by the windfall
gain to the government (from the unreturned old
demonetised notes).
Economic Survey said, so far, public discussion of the bad
loan problem had focused on bank capital, under the
assumption that the main obstacle to resolving the twin
balance sheet (TBS) concern was finding the funds needed
by the public sector banks.
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India has changed utterly over the last 13 years since the
Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) was
enshrined in law for prudent fiscal management and
therefore.
FRBM operational framework designed in 2003 needs to
be modified to reflect the India of today and even more
importantly, the India of tomorrow, according to the
Economic Survey.
This suggestion assumes significance in the backdrop of the
N.K. Singh panel recently submitting its report on revising
the FRBM Act to finance minister Arun Jaitley.
Noting that Indias economic experience shows that the
fiscal activism embraced by advanced economies giving a
greater role to counter-cyclical policies and attaching less
weight to curbing debt was not relevant for India.
The Survey said Indias fiscal experience has underscored
the fundamental validity of the fiscal policy principles
enshrined in the FRBM Act.
However, Indias experience has reaffirmed the need for
rules to contain fiscal deficits because of the proclivity to
spend during booms and undertake stimulus during
downturns, it observed.
Even as these FRBMs basic tenets or the fundamental
validity of the fiscal policy principles remain valid,
the task of the FRBM Review Committee (will be) to set out
a new vision, an FRBM for the 21st century.
The government has set a target for fiscal deficit of 3.5% of
GDP for FY17, a lower target than the 3.9% set for 2015-
16 which was achieved. In value terms, the 3.5% is Rs. 5.33
lakh crore.
According to data released, fiscal deficit in the April-
December (2016-17) period was 93.9% of the Budget target
against 87.9% for the same period a year ago. The April-
December fiscal deficit in value terms was Rs. 5.01 lakh
crore.
Economic Survey acknowledged the adverse impact of
demonetisation in the short term as it projected that GDP
growth this year would be slowed by 0.25-0.5 percentage
point as a result of the withdrawal of high-value currency
notes.
The question is: how much? The short answer is between
one-quarter and half-a-percentage point relative to the
baseline of about 7%, it said.
The Reserve Bank of India had in December trimmed its
projection for Gross Value Added growth for the current
financial year to 7.1% from 7.6% after considering the short-
term disruptions caused by demonetisation.
The survey acknowledged that GDP growth in the second
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half of the current fiscal would understate the overall impact
because the most affected parts of the economy, informal and
cash based,were either not captured in national income
accounts or measured based on formal sector indicators.
- - -
The Budget presented marks a paradigm shift in multiple
ways. For one, it seeks to reconcile the consequences of
international headwinds with domestic economic
compulsions.
The international headwinds of rising protectionism,
reinventing globalisation and interest rate behaviour by
leading central bankers necessitate adherence to continued
macroeconomic stability.
Mitigating the consequences of demonetisation particularly
employment in the informal sector and lifting sagging
investors sentiment would, inter alia , need fresh stimulus.
Stimulus both in terms of regulatory framework, ease of
doing business and enhanced public outlay. Seeking synergy
between agriculture and the corporate sector is an important
initiative.
A sharp decline in corporate rate taxes for small and medium
industries, which covers 97% of all corporates, would
enhance their profitability and trigger investment green
shoots.
This would be supported by enhanced agricultural credit,
crop insurance, rural skill development leading to significant
rise in rural demand.
At any rate, markets have applauded the budget package in
no uncertain way. Perhaps after a long time sentiments have
improved so decisively after the budget speech.
What does this imply? First and foremost, it is a thumbs up
for adherence to the path of macroeconomic stability. This
is also a coherent response to some debilitating features of
adverse exogenous circumstances.
The centrepiece of the macro stability is adherence to the
path of fiscal consolidation. However, there is a paradigm
shift. Debt and not fiscal deficit, is being recognised as the
principal stabilisation anchor.
Indeed, this was the quest during the debate in the constituent
assembly to place fetters on executive discretion and
borrowing.
In the new fiscal framework it is recognized that India in
relation to other emerging markets is among the most debt
ridden nations in the world, with a debt to GDP of 70%.
The Finance Minister mentioned the FRBM Committees
recommendation on optimum debt to GDP ratio for India of
60%, consisting of 40% for Central Government and 20%
for State Governments.
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The fiscal deficit is only an enabling instrument for
achieving this optimal debt GDP target. The Finance
Minister has not resorted to the provision of escape clause
suggested by the Committee which has an upper ceiling of
0.5% of GDP in any fiscal year.
Markets have perceived this as governments decisive
commitment towards macroeconomic stabilization. This has
spurred investor sentiment, found favour with rating
agencies and augurs well for congruence of monetary and
fiscal policy.
There are other initiatives too like, encouraging labour
intensive industries, going beyond leather and textiles
packages, by taking a fresh look at the regulatory framework
for labour and to harmonize their conflicting regulations.
Similarly, public private partnership was a breeding ground
for crony capitalism.
The recommendations of the Vijay Kelkar committee on a
new act for dispute resolution as well as an ombudsman is
sought to be implemented through an amendment to the
Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1997. This can rekindle
innovative financing and public private partnership.
- - -
- -
The government plans to divest Rs. 11,000 crore worth of
stake in PSU general insurance companies to meet the steep
disinvestment target of Rs. 72,500 crore next fiscal.
Of the total target, Rs. 46,500 crore will be mobilised
through minority stake sale and Rs. 15,000 crore from
strategic disinvestment.
The goal of Rs. 72,500 crore is higher than Rs. 45,500 crore
the government has estimated to raise in the current fiscal.
A sum of Rs. 11,000 crore is budgeted from the listing
exercise.
-- -
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cautioned the users,
holders and traders of virtual currencies (VCs), including
Bitcoins, about the potential financial, legal and security
risks.
RBI advises that it has not given any licence/authorisation
to any entity / company to operate such schemes or deal with
Bitcoin or any virtual currency.
As such, any user, holder, investor, trader, etc. dealing with
virtual currencies will be doing so at their own risk,it said.
-
Budget 2017-18, is a pragmatic, growth-oriented and smart
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policy statement, taking forward the reform agenda in a
convincing and progressive manner. Its stand-out features
are many and innovative.
Adhering to the path of fiscal prudence is a key message
reiterating the Governments commitment to sound
macroeconomic management even when the situation calls
for enhanced public spending.
The high emphasis on infrastructure through big increase in
government expenditure, particularly transport facilities and
affordable housing, is very welcome as it would kick-start
a new cycle of investment in downstream sectors.
Reduction of corporate tax for companies with less than Rs.
50 crore turnover is another pertinent measure that can
greatly boost their competitiveness and encourage more job
creation.
Consumer demand can be expected to receive a fillip with
the higher allocation for rural and agricultural sectors, as also
halving of tax rates at the lower end.
Budget has taken a step towards public asset monetisation
with airport land in tier 2 cities, where the proceeds can be
used for upgradation of airports. This is an innovative move,
and will gain pace in other sectors in time to come.
Institutional reform is evident in the abolition of FIPB and
listing of PSEs. The FIPB was rendered redundant after
continued liberalisation of FDI regime, and the FM has
promised further opening up to foreign investments.
The listing of PSEs is evidence of governments effort to add
efficiency to their operations, besides promising to raise
resources.
Demonetisation goes a step further with the stress on
digitalisation and formalisation of the economy, which will
have benefits for tax revenue and a better investment climate
over the longer term.
The Budget has also come out with an innovative electoral
bond to clean up political funding, adding to the overall
campaign against black money.
Further, the National Innovation Fund was announced earlier
for boosting R&D.
We would like to see a shift in R&D spending towards higher
education institutes to bring it on par with the global average
expenditure by universities, currently about 0.4% of GDP
as compared to Indias average of 0.04%.
This would also help to incentivise private sector outlay on
R&D to make India a source of global innovation at a time
when Industry 4.0 is rapidly converging on us.
There is one item in the Budget of introduction of 10%
surcharge on the incomes between Rs. 50 lakh and Rs. 1
crore which we feel is not in the spirit of rewarding the
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honest taxpayer.
The data on taxpayers mentioned in the Budget speech was
eye-opening and it is important to expand the tax base.
Employment creation has been a central idea of the Budget,
and the inclusion of leather and footwear for promotional
attention at par with the apparel sector is laudable.
The Budget crucially reassures investors that the strategic
direction of the economy will remain on course.
The need of the hour is to revitalise the critical drivers of
growth of private consumption and investment, boost
employment generation, create new infrastructure and
stabilise the economy at a time of global turmoil.
-
-
The Cabinet approved the appointment of Sanjeev Sanyal,
a former managing director at Deutsche Bank, as the
Principal Economic Adviser in the Department of Economic
Affairs for three years.
Mr. Sanyal was the chief economist and director of Global
Markets Research at Deutsche Bank in Singapore until 2008
and is currently an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Policy
Studies in Singapore.
He is a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University, chief adviser
to the John Templeton Foundation, director of the Green
Accounting for Indian States Project, and Member of the
Governing Council of the Economic Society of Singapore.
Mr. Sanyal has authored four books, including The
Incredible History of India's Geography.
- -
The increased focus on human capital development in
Budget 2017 to empower the youth is indeed a welcome step.
The several key announcements in education, skills and
youth development shall have structural and long term
impact on quality of education, availability of qualified
manpower and preparing the next generation.
All aspects of human capital development have been
addressed in the Budget. The provision to introduce
measurement of annual learning outcome in schools of 3,479
educationally backward blocks could be a game changer in
improving the quality of elementary education.
To ingrain the element of innovation at the school level, an
innovation fund is to be created for secondary education for
ideation on solutions for universal access, gender parity and
quality improvement.
The quality of higher education is sought to be improved
through greater autonomy for colleges based on quality
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metrics and accreditation.
These efforts will be further amplified by online courses
through the SWAYAM platform which will offer at least 350
online courses.
In medical education and healthcare, the Budget has made
provisions for increasing 5000 PG seats to tide over the
severe lack of specialists in clinical practice.
It has also proposed to allow select private hospitals to offer
DNB courses in specializations and has added to the
provision of public sector tertiary care through 2 additional
AIIMS in Gujarat and Jharkhand.
Budget has emphasised on reforming the UGC and has
proposed a new authority for conducting all entrance exams,
thereby freeing the CBSE and ICSE from the tedious
administrative exercise.
The skills ecosystem will be improved by extending the
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras to more than 600 districts.
Separately, 100 India International Skills Centres are
proposed across the country to make life easier for outbound
immigrants looking for soft skills and foreign language
proficiency.
The next phase for Skill India is envisaged as Strengthening
for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) to be launched
with an additional budget of INR 2,200 crore.
STRIVE will focus on improving the quality and market
relevance of vocational training provided in ITIs and
strengthen the apprenticeship programmes through industry
cluster approach.
India was ranked 130th among 188 countries in the 2015
edition of the UNDP HDI Index which broadly measures life
expectancy, education and per capita income.
This was despite the fact that real per capita GDP has grown
6.2% during 1990-2014; improving the education and health
standards are therefore imperative for raising living
standards of the population.
This holds true for an evolving world driven by new age
technologies, automation and digitisation.
The announcements in the Budget aim at creating an
enabling ecosystem for financing social sector and
channelising private sector capital towards actualising the
much needed change in Indias socio-economic
development.
6- - reward or compensate their senior employees with non-cash
Talks on the proposed global rules on e-commerce are likely
to take centre stage during the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevdos two-day visit
to India starting February 8.
India has been opposing attempts, mainly by the rich nations,
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to incorporate what it calls, new issues such as e-commerce
and investment in the ongoing Doha Round talks of the
WTO.
It is on the grounds that it would lead to the dilution of the
development agenda (that is to improve the trading
prospects of developing countries) of the negotiations.
While it is not against informal and non-binding discussions
on issues like e-commerce, New Delhi has said these topics
cannot be made part of the formal agenda of WTO
negotiations without consensus among all the WTO member.
Several Indian companies had expressed reservations
regarding a global, regional or bilateral pact on e-commerce
fearing it would favour multinational firms.
Indias e-commerce policy is not yet evolved for it to take a
stand regarding a global e-commerce pact, they said, adding
that there were differences between ministries on issues such
as data localisation.
As per the WTO, in 2015, global e-commerce in goods and
services was worth about $22 trillion, and has grown the
fastest in emerging economies.
The ICC and the B20 had proposed that WTO members
(should) give active consideration to launching new talks on
a holistic package of trade disciplines, rules and assistance
to boost MSME e-commerce with an overriding objective
to promote inclusive growth.
ICC had said: Recognising the importance of e-commerce
for the world economy, WTO Members agreed in 1998 to a
standstill whereby no customs duties are imposed on e-
commerce transmissions.
-
Company employees receiving large gifts, whether from the
company itself or from somebody else, will now have to pay
tax if they are valued at more than Rs. 50,000, according to
changes made in this Budget.
The Finance Bill 2017 has introduced an amendment to
Section 56 of the Income Tax Act, which delineates the tax
treatment meted out to income from other sources.
The earlier provisions were that if you get more than Rs.
50,000 from anybody but your close relatives, then the
amount was subject to taxation.
According to tax experts, a large number of companies
gifts, which will now be taxed.
Section 56 outlines the kinds of gifts and from whom they
can be received to still be exempt from tax (close family, on
the occasion of the marriage of the individual, by way of
inheritance, for example).
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But the Finance Bill 2017 seeks to widen the scope of the
section, by applying it to more kinds of assessees.
The Revenue Secretary said that there was a need to
continuously update the provisions of the Income Tax Act
since people were always looking for ways to bypass and
evade tax.
The Finance Bill 2017 also states that the existing exceptions
contained in the section are proposed to be rationalised by
including certain additional exceptions that will be added
subsequently.
Towards this, it has been decided to sunset some of the
clauses in the section such as clause (vii) which deals with
the precise nature of the gifts and who can give them, and
clause (vii a) which delineates the rules for companies
receiving such gifts.
The amendments made to Section 56 of the Income Tax Act
will come into force from the next financial year.
- -- - dependent on loans and the NSSO survey revealed that half
In a bid to check generation of black money, a steep penalty
awaits those accepting cash in excess of Rs. 3 lakh,
beginning April 1, to settle any transaction.
A ban on cash transaction of more than Rs. 3 lakh has been
proposed in the Budget for 2017-18.
The penalty for doing cash transaction will be steep and the
receiver will have to pay an amount equivalent to the cash
received.
So, if someone buys an expensive watch for cash, it is the
shopkeeper who will have to pay the tax, he said, adding that
the provision is to deter people from doing large cash
transactions.
Demonetisation brought to account the stock of black money
and now the government wants to stop future generation of
the same.
The government, he said, will track all large cash
transactions, and also curb the avenues of conspicuous
consumption through cash.
People with large sum of unaccounted money usually spend
it on holidaying or buying luxury items like cars, watches
and jewellery.
The new cash curbs will mean that such spending avenues
are curtailed, disincentivising people from generating black
money.
However, the restrictions will not apply to the government,
any banking company, post office savings bank or co-
operative bank.
-- - fund size to Rs. 40,000 crore.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a slew of measures
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in the Union Budget 2017 to boost the agriculture sector.
Higher agricultural credit, higher allocation for irrigation
projects, a crop insurance scheme and increased allocations
for MGNREGA to dig farm ponds were among the measures
announced on February 1.
But will these help attain the goal of doubling the farmers
income by 2022, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first
suggested last year?
The average monthly income of the Indian farm household
was estimated to be about Rs. 6,426 by the Situation
Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households in its NSS
70th round.
This included net receipts from cultivation, farming of
animals, non-farm business and income from wages. During
the same period, the average monthly consumption
expenditure per agricultural household was Rs. 6223.
For cultivation-related expenses, the farmer is mostly
of the farm households were neck-deep in debt.
Professor M. S. Swaminathan, noted that it was high time
that the recommendations of the National Commission on
Farmers - to provide the minimum price of the total cost of
production plus 50% - are implemented.
Agriculture will have to grow at 12 or 14% to realise such
rise in earnings, he said. At present, the growth rates stand
at a poor 1.2%, according to World Bank data.
Tackling climate change and its potential impact also
requires a budget to safeguard farmers.
Given the drought and errant rainfall affecting farmers, the
governments step to create five lakh more farm ponds that
will work as a drought-proofing measure in gram panchayats
is welcome, but everything depends on how well the
schemes are executed on the ground.
National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change with the cost
of Rs. 350 crore for 2015-16 and 2016-17, the government
made only a paltry allocation of Rs. 130 crore to this Fund
in the 2017-18 budget.
The credit ratings agency ICRA welcomed the expansion in
coverage of National Agriculture Markets (e-NAM), an
online agriculture market, from 250 to 585 APMCs in the
Budget.
The subsidy hike of 6% for the phosphatic and potassic
segment was also seen as a positive thrust for the
manufacturers and traders of these fertilisers.
NABARD welcomed the hike in the corpus of the long-term
irrigation fund by another Rs. 20,000 crore, taking the total
The setting up of a dairy processing and infrastructure
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development fund at NABARD, with a corpus of Rs. 8,000
crore over three years, was also appreciated by them.
Indian farmers do not constitute a homogenous community.
There are rich, land-owning farmers and then there are poor,
landless farmers.
Also, in spite of food price inflation in recent times, farmers
gross income will not increase automatically. Being both
producers and consumers of food, farmers do not stand to
gain from inflation either.
-- - --- concessions including easing labelling and local sourcing
Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she would
soon take up withWorld Trade Organisation (WTO) Director
General Roberto Azevdo the need to ensure that processes
on outstanding issues.
Issues including on food security of the WTOs Doha
Round negotiations are completed before the December
2017 Ministerial Conference (MC) in Argentina.
India is clear that new issues including e-commerce and
investment cannot be brought into the formal agenda of the
WTO-level negotiations on liberalisation of global trade
without consensus among all the WTO members.
The MC, which is the WTOs highest decision-making body,
usually happens every two years.
After the December 2015 MC in Nairobi, the government
had said: In view of the reluctance of developed countries
to agree to continue the Doha Development Agenda post-
Nairobi, India negotiated and secured a re-affirmative
Ministerial Decision on public stockholding for food
security purposes.
-- - or 201718 would be entitled to concessional tax rate of
The applications on foreign direct investment (FDI) in
India in sectors under the approval route considered by
the FIPB will soon be taken up by the concerned ministries
and sectoral regulators.
The Centre had, in the Budget 2017-18, proposed that the
FIPB which offered a single window clearance
mechanism for FDI applications in sectors under the
approval route will be abolished in FY18.
Ms. Sitharaman said more than 92% of the FDI inflows were
through the automatic route.
The whole idea was to make doing business in India easier.
Now that majority of the investments coming in are through
the automatic route, a superfluous or an additional layer in
the form of FIPB is not any longer required.
On the proposal by American multinational technology
major Apple for establishing a manufacturing unit in India
for products, including iPhones and iPads, the Centre said
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it had so far not taken the final call.
It said whenever a policy decision is taken on the matter it
will be applicable to the entire sector and not just one
company.
On January 25, a high-level panel had heard out Apples
demands including tax and duty concessions to help it go
ahead with its Make In India plans.
There were more than 40 companies manufacturing mobile
phones in the country, none of them had sought similar
norms for starting manufacturing in the country.
- -- -
The I-T Department said companies that had a turnover of
less than Rs. 50 crore in 201516 will pay tax at the reduced
rate of 25% from April 1 even if they crossed the threshold
in 201617 or 2017-18.
Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman said the I-T
department would come out with a clarification as to which
companies would be eligible to avail the tax benefit.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in Budget 201718, reduced
the income tax rate for smaller firms with annual turnover
up to Rs. 50 crore to 25% as against the usual rate of 30%.
According to the Finance Bill 2017, in case of a domestic
company, the rate of income tax shall be 25% of the total
income if the total turnover or gross receipts in the previous
year, 201516, did not exceed Rs. 50 crore.
Concerns have been raised as to whether a company having
breached the turnover threshold of Rs. 50 crore in 201617
25%.
A ministry official said firms with a total income of less than
Rs. 50 crore in 201516 can continue to avail the tax benefit
even if the turnover had been breached in the subsequent
year.
- -
Japan is wooing foreign direct investment through a slew
of measures such as an easier visa regime and lower
corporate taxes, at a time when the proposed visa curbs
continue to trouble Indian firms.
In a bid to attract global talent, from India and other nations,
Japan has said it will soon introduce a new Green Card
programme billed as the fastest such system in the world
and expedite the granting of permanent residency to
highly skilled foreign professionals.
The new Japanese Green Card for Highly Skilled Foreign
Professionals will substantially reduce the period of stay
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required.
before highly skilled foreign professionals can apply for
permanent residence from the current five years to just
one year in cases where the applicant secures the required
points.
Incidentally, there is a fall in native-born population in
Japan, a country where foreign workers account for a
minuscule 1-2% of its total workforce.
Currently there is an investment imbalance between Japan
and India. The investments by Japan in India as at the end
of 2015 were $14.1 billion, while investments from India
into Japan were worth only $0.074 billion.
FDI (2015 figures) from India to Singapore ($5.27 billion),
to the U.S. ($3 billion) and to the U.K. ($779 million) were
much more than to Japan (just $27 million).
Japanese government had also said it will make the Points-
based System for highly skilled foreign professionals more
user-friendly by revising requirements and promoting
further awareness.
In the case of significant investors and human resources in
growth fields such as IT and regenerative medicine, Japan
is looking at expediting applications for permanent residence
by highly skilled foreign professionals.
Besides, there is a plan to reduce corporate real tax rate from
34.62% in 2014 to 29.74% in 2017. To address the issue of
language barrier, Japanese laws and regulations will be
translated into foreign languages.
- - government or even the courts.
The global economic order is expected to shift from
advanced to emerging economies over the next few decades,
and by 2040 India could edge past the U.S. to become the
worlds second largest economy in PPP terms, according to
a report.
According to PwC, E7 economies comprising Brazil, China,
India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Turkey would grow
at an annual average rate of almost 3.5% over the next 34
years, compared to just 1.6% for the advanced G7 nations.
In fact, China has already overtaken the U.S. to become the
worlds largest economy in PPP terms, while India currently
stands in third place and is projected to overtake the U.S.
by 2040 in PPP terms, PwC said.
PwC opines Vietnam, India and Bangladesh would be three
of the worlds fastest growing economies over this period.
- - by some rich countries to work towards a global investment
All Public Sector Banks are expected to join the Bharat
Interface for Money (BHIM) app for digital payments by the
end of February, the National Payments Corporation of India
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said.
BHIM app enables digital transactions using the Unified
Payments Interface (UPI) and has been downloaded by 13.8
million users by the end of January. However, just 3.6
million users have linked the app to their bank account.
The gap in the number of app downloads and the number
of customers linking the app to their bank account has been
because it is observed that most of these customers have
downloaded BHIM without checking if their bank is active
on the platform, the NPCI added.
- -- --
--
FM says that there should be no fear of disclosure of names
of those buying electoral bonds since banking confidentiality
laws state that banks cannot divulge account details to the
government or even to the courts.
Mr. Jaitley further urged the opposition to not find problems
with every solution and that he was ready for a discussion
if they had any improvements to proposals on electoral
funding.
On the Oppositions charges that banks NPAs had grown
under the current govt,FM said that one major reason for the
increase in NPA levels was that several such bad loans were
kept hidden until the RBI conducted its Asset Quality
Review last year.
The banking companies regulation act has a secrecy law
which says that banks cannot give account details to the
The Rs. 2,000 limit on cash donations to parties was
suggested by the Election Commission, Mr. Jaitley added.
- - ---
The Centre will send an expert team to the WTO next month
to ensure that negotiations on food security issues and the
proposed global services pact are expedited, Commerce
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.
This development follows Ms. Sitharamans meeting with
WTO Director General Roberto Azevdo, who is on a two-
day visit to India.
The Minister maintained that India was against introduction
of new issues including e-commerce into the formal agenda
of the WTO-level negotiations on liberalisation of global
trade without consensus among all the WTO Members.
The Minister also reiterated Indias opposition to attempts
agreement at the WTO-level that would incorporate a
contentious Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanism.
Besides, she said, India would consider the proposed
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multilateral disciplines on fisheries subsidies, provided they
ensure that the countrys resource-poor fisherfolk were
protected.
Direct tax collections rose 10.8% in the April-January period
to Rs. 5.82 lakh crore compared with the same period a year
earlier, official data showed.
Net indirect tax collections in the same period grew 23.9%
to Rs. 7.03 lakh crore. While excise duty collections made
up the bulk of indirect tax collections growth, personal
income tax collections bolstered direct tax collection growth.
During January 2017 itself, net indirect tax collections grew
16.9% compared with the corresponding month last year.
However, this is far slower than the 26.9% growth seen in
January 2016.
The growth rate in net collection for customs, central excise
and service tax was 10.1%, 26.3% and 9.4% respectively
during January, compared to the same month last year.
Excise duty collection growth is much less than last year.
The growth rate in January has even fallen below the average
growth rate for the year so far. It is indicative of a declining
trend.
Excise duty collection grew 44% in January 2015, far more
robust than the 26.3% seen this January.
- -
Solar tariffs hit a record low of Rs. 2.97 per unit following
the completion of bids for three 250 MW units of Madhya
Pradeshs Rewa Solar Power plant.
Mahindra Renewables won Unit 1 at a price of Rs. 2.979
per unit, ACME won Unit 2 at Rs. 2.970 per unit and
Solenberg Power won Unit 3 at Rs. 2.974 per unit.
However, Secretary General, Solar Thermal Federation of
India, said that the problem lay with the piled up inventory
in a neighbouring country that was sold at low prices to
Indian firms. If this continues, then prices can fall even
further.
- considerably less, Dr. Patel said after a customary post-
Industrial production contracted 0.4% year-on-year in
December 2016 due to a decline in capital and consumer
items output as well as impact of demonetisation.
According to the data, manufacturing output shrank 2%
while mining and electricity registered positive growth of
5.2% and 6.3% in December 2016. The data comes despite
a low base in December 2015.
In December 2015, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
with base 2004-05 had contracted 0.91%.
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The overall industrial output performance in December 2016
was much lower than the 5.71% growth seen in November
2016, the fastest pace in 13 months, largely on account of a
low base effect.
While basic goods output registered a growth of 5.3% in
December 2016, capital and intermediate goods production
shrunk 3% and 1.2% respectively. Consumer durables and
non-durables output contracted 10.3% and 5% respectively.
There has been a yo-yoing of IIP growth numbers on a
monthly basis this fiscal with a 1.8% contraction in October
2016, 0.67% growth in September preceded by two months
of contraction in July and August, two months of growth in
May and June and a contraction of 1.35% in April.
In the April-December 2016 period this fiscal, IIP rose
marginally by 0.3% against a 3.2% increase in the year-
earlier period.
In terms of industries, 17 out of the 22 industry groups in
the manufacturing sector had registered negative growth in
December 2016.
Capital goods have been declining throughout the year
reflecting a fall in capital formation. Low capacity utilisation
has already pushed down demand for fresh investment. Fall
in consumer goods growth will further depress conditions.
- - -
RBI Governor said that banks are in a position to reduce their
lending rates further as they have so far slashed interest rates
only on a few products such as home and personal loans.
The central bank, in its monetary policy review last week,
had not only decided to hold its benchmark policy interest
rates but also shifted its stance from remaining
accommodative on these key rates to neutral.
The amount of reduction in the repo rate that we have
undertaken, combined with the fact that banks have
benefited immensely from the influx of CASA (current
account, savings account) deposits that have come into the
system.
The weighted average lending rate reduction has been
Budget meeting of the RBI board with Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley.
While Dr. Patel had referred to the scope for rate cuts in the
RBIs monetary policy review as well, bankers arent on the
same page. Bank of Baroda had ruled out any further interest
rate cut in the near term.
The bank has lowered its home loan rate to 8.35%. SBI chief
Arundhati Bhattacharya has also pointed out that the bank
has reduced its interest rates by 200 basis points since March
2015.
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SBI had reduced its marginal cost of fund based lending rate
(MCLR) by 90 bps to 8% in early January as its cost of funds
came down due to demonetisation.
Concurring with the Finance Ministers assertion that high
non-performing assets in the banking system are largely a
legacy issue.
The RBI governor said: The fact of the matter is that the
sectors in which the NPAs have emerged over the years, do
pertain to the long-gestation projects that were funded before
2011-12, for the most part.
Mr. Jaitley said that the resolution of NPAs is an ongoing
process, with the Centre and the RBI putting systems in place
to deal with them.
- timelines for implementing various safety-related works to
be financed from the rail safety fund.
SEBI laid out a road map for reforms for the financial year
2017-18 and plans to bring in a host of changes in various
segments including primary market, commodities and
foreign investors among others.
The capital markets regulator plans to reduce the listing time
gap by bringing down the public issue timeline from the
existing requirement of T+6.
In other words, shares of a company are currently listed
within six days from the day of the issue closure.
It also plans to allow institutional participation in the
commodity derivatives markets in a phased manner. Further,
it will work towards integration between the commodity spot
market and the derivatives segment.
The regulator will also initiate consultation with various
stakeholders and also design a system of risk-based
supervision for commodity brokers.
Among other things, the watchdog will also set up a
cybersecurity lab for the securities market and set up a
facility for online registration of intermediaries.
It also plans to allow listing and trading of securitisation
receipts issued by Assets Reconstruction Companies.
The SEBI board, will introduce a common application form
for registration, opening of a bank and demat account, and
issue of PAN for Foreign Portfolio Investors.
In what could be a major reform for institutions like
exchanges, depositories and clearing corporations, the
regulator plans to review the regulations pertaining to such
Market Infrastructure Institutions.
The SEBI board took note of the memorandum related to
the co-location facility of the National Stock Exchange
(NSE) and the examination carried out by the regulator
under the guidance of its Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC).
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- - - -
--
The Railways Ministry is planning to consult the World
Bank to identify areas that require investment from the
special rail safety fund announced in the Budget.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced setting up a special
safety fund named Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh with a
corpus of more than Rs. 1 lakh crore over a period of five
years in Budget 2017-18.
The Railways is exploring advanced ways to automate track
inspection and track surveillance.
The Minister in his Budget speech had said that the
government would lay down clear-cut guidelines and
The Finance Ministry will contribute 75% towards the fund
and the remaining amount will be generated by the Railways
from its own resources.
The Railway Ministry had asked the Finance Ministry to set
up the fund last year and proposed spending one-third of the
special fund towards eliminating unmanned level crossings.
Other areas included: track works, bridge rehabilitation
works and track vehicular ultrasonic testing system, among
others.
-
Indias future trade (policy) model should have the
Commerce Department at the helm, supported by ministries
including External Affairs and Finance.
While a transformed Directorate General of Foreign Trade
(DGFT) should be the apex body for all trade promotion
activities for the country, according to a government-
commissioned report.
Indias foreign trade strategy and policy is currently being
piloted predominantly by the Prime Ministers Office and
External Affairs Ministry.
The report also makes a strong case for a higher profile for
the Indian Trade Service (ITS) in matters of trade policies
& systems.
At present, the officials belonging to the Indian
Administrative Service, Foreign Service and Revenue
Service evidently have a relatively superior role over ITS
cadre regarding decisions on crucial trade policy matters.
The Frost & Sullivan report advocated that the operational
implementation of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) should
reside with the department of commerce providing the trade
community one single entity to deal with.
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The FTP should be considered a dynamic document,
according to the report. It added that any change necessitated
with respect to the ongoing requirements must be approved
by the (commerce) departmental arm responsible for
policymaking.
Noting that the DGFT needs to re-skill its resources to be
successful, the report said: Future recruitment should focus
on professionals with experience and qualifications in trade
and commerce from reputed institutions.
The report comes at a time when Indias goods exports have
not yet recovered fully from the impact of a prolonged
contraction from December 2014 to May 2016, as well as
the governments demonetisation exercise early November.
For an improvement in Indias performance on the ease of
doing business and trading across borders it is imperative
to deploy digital technology to transform the experience of
doing trade in the country, according to the report.
- - She said that the results had been very encouraging as, in
The government plans to come out with Indradhanush 2.0,
a comprehensive plan for recapitalisation of public sector
lenders, with a view to make sure they remain solvent and
fully comply with the global capital adequacy norms, Basel-
III.
Indradhanush 2.0 will be finalised after completion of the
Asset Quality Review (AQR) by the Reserve Bank, The
review is likely to be completed by March-end.
The RBI had embarked on the AQR exercise fromDecember
2015 and had asked banks to recognise some top defaulting
accounts as non-performing assets (NPAs) and make
adequate provisions for them.
It has had a debilitating impact on banks numbers and their
stocks. The central bank has set a deadline of March 2017
to complete the AQR exercise.
Under Indradhanush roadmap announced in 2015, the
government had announced an infusion of Rs. 70,000 crore
in state-run banks over four years while they will have to
raise a further Rs. 1.1 lakh crore from the markets to meet
their capital requirement in line with global risk norms,
known as Basel-III.
In line with the plan, public sector banks were given Rs.
25,000 crore in 2015-16, and a similar amount has been
earmarked for the current fiscal. Besides, Rs. 10,000 crore
each would be infused in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The government has already announced fund infusion of Rs.
22,915 crore, out of the Rs. 25,000 crore earmarked for 13
PSBs for the current fiscal. Of this, 75% has already been
released to them.
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- --
-
The Centre is targeting an investment of about Rs. 2,200
crore by 2019 in start-ups working on new technologies in
the electronic sector under the Electronics Development
Fund (EDF).
The EDF is a fund of funds that works with venture
capitalists to create funds, known as daughter funds, which
provide risk capital to companies developing new
technologies in the area of electronics, nano-electronics and
IT.
The EDF would put in 10% of the capital in daughter funds
and the rest would be invested by venture capitalists.
Hence, a targeted investment of Rs. 2,200 crore by the
government will help mobilise Rs. 22,000 crore for the
daughter funds, which will then invest primarily in start-
ups.
one year, the government had been able to mobilise Rs.
6,870 crore, of which the governments share has been Rs.
687 crore.
- -- -
With labour law reforms back on the Centres agenda, fresh
discussions begin with trade unions to push through a long-
pending overhaul of the Factories Act of 1948.
However, the Labour Ministry has tweaked its draft
amendments to put the ball on contentious issues in the
domain of State governments.
Instead of increasing the threshold limit set for the number
of workers in an industrial unit to be statutorily covered by
the factories law.
Centre is now proposing an enabling provision that lets State
governments decide the threshold over which a unit will be
considered a factory for the purpose of the law.
Earlier, the Centre had proposed that the Factories Law be
applicable to all factories that employ at least 40 workers
a move that was strongly opposed by the central trade
unions.
The present Factories Act 1948 applies to establishments
with 10 or more workers, if the premise is using power and
to establishments with 20 or more workers, without
electricity connection.
Factories with less than 40 workers were to be covered under
a new law for small factories. However, the fate of the
proposed Small Factories Bill, 2015 is unclear as the Labour
Ministry note has no mention about the proposed law.
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- Mr. Goyal added that companies will incur only a nominal
Retail inflation eased in January to 3.17% on the back of a
sharp slowdown in food price inflation.
Growth in the consumer price index (CPI) slowed from the
3.4% seen in December 2016, extending the streak of easing
retail inflation to six months.
The food and beverages category registered an inflation rate
of 1.3% in January, down from the 2% witnessed in
December 2016. Food price gains have also been easing for
six consecutive months.
Inflation in the fuel and light segment slowed to 3.4% in
January from 3.7%, while the housing segment saw inflation
quicken marginally to 5.02% from 4.98% over the same
period.
The curious part of this inflation rate is that the non-food
components have shown higher price increases such as pan,
intoxicants (6.4%), clothing and footwear (4.7%), housing
(5.0%), fuel and light (3.4%).
Higher global commodity prices will get ingrained in these
components while food items will be unaffected. Also, as
the economy is remonetised, some pent-up demand will have
returned, Crisil Research said.
The stickiness in core inflation despite continued decline in
other parts of the index is a worry since wage-price
negotiations based on a sticky core can potentially lift overall
inflation.
According to Care Ratings, CPI inflation is expected to
accelerate 3.5-3.6% in the next couple of months.
- - - -
Power Minister called for the immediate implementation
of a policy allowing public sector power generators like
NTPC to sell surplus power on exchanges without waiting
for permission from the State governments.
Can we have the policy implemented immediately, that if
the State does not say no, then even NTPC should be
allowed to sell surplus power on the exchange, Mr. Goyal
asked officials of his Ministry.
The Power Minister said that he doesnt expect States to
object to the policy because it would only benefit them by
reducing the costs and losses to the States.
Mr. Goyal said that the decision to implement such a policy
was made during the monsoon of last year.
Mr. Goyal also said that NTPC should not incur any more
expenditure on the renovation of power plants older than 25
years. He said that he had already asked NTPC to replace
11,000 MW worth of plant capacity that is older than 25
years.
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increase in their capital expenditure if they replace old plants
with new ones with modern technology.
-
The Wholesale Price Index grew 5.25% in January on the
back of accelerating inflation in the crude oil and minerals
sectors. The index saw its growth accelerating from 3.39%
in December 2016.
While inflation in the primary articles category quickened
to 1.3% in January from0.3% in Dec 2016, prices in the food
segment within this period contracted for the second
consecutive month by 0.56% compared with a contraction
of 0.7%.
The minerals segment, however, saw the rate of inflation
almost doubling in January to 25.4% from 12.9% in
December.
In the fuel and power category, inflation accelerated sharply
to 18.14% in January, from 8.65% in the preceding month.
Inflation in the manufactured goods category accelerated
marginally to 4% in January from 3.7% in December.
- - - -
--
The central trade unions, in a meeting with Labour Minister,
have opposed the Centres proposed change to empower
states to increase threshold limit for coverage of factories
under the Factories Act, 1948.
The central trade unions strongly object to the amendment
proposed to the definition of factory giving powers to State
Governments to increase the threshold limits of workers up
to 20 and 40 in the case of establishments working with and
without the aid of power respectively.
The unions demanded covering all manufacturing firms
under the Factories Act.
The present Factories Act, 1948 applies to establishments
with 10 or more workers, if the premise is using power, and
to establishments with 20 or more workers, without power
connection.
The Centre has proposed an enabling provision that lets State
governments decide the threshold over which a unit will be
considered a factory for the purpose of the law.
The unions also opposed another proposal allowing
entrepreneurs to set up a factory without getting a licence.
The Centre had said that registration on a web portal would
be enough.
The unions requested the Centre to circulate the draft Bill
to amend the Factories Act, 1948. The Labour Ministry
circulated a note to the unions stating the proposed changes
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to the Act instead of a copy of the draft Bill.
-
The information technology (IT) industry lobby body
Nasscom said the sector will grow at the lower end of its
revised target in fiscal 2017 but deferred guidance for the
next financial year by a quarter as it faces headwinds.
Amid continuous technology disruptions, political
upheavals and slowdown in IT-BPM global spending, the
Indian IT-BPM industry is projected to grow 8.6% (in
constant currency) to cross $155 billion in FY2017.
Nasscom had earlier revised downward its fiscal 2017
revenue growth target to 8%-10% from an initial 10%-12%
as the headwinds started emerging.
Nasscom president said the association will come out with
its guidance for the IT and the BPM sector in the next
quarter, most probably in May, once it is done with deeper
interactions with customers and other stakeholders.
While the world and especially Indian IT industry tries to
adjust to Mr. Trumps policies, Reliance Industries chairman
Mukesh Ambani opined that the protectionist policies were
blessings in disguise for India. Stressing the significance
of data Mr. Ambani said, Data is the new oil and Indians
should not have scarcity of it in terms of quality, quantity
or affordability.
- - - - approval for the merger and sent it to the respective banks
Indias goods exports recorded positive growth for the fifth
consecutive month with shipments in January rising by
4.32% to $22.1 billion following good performance by major
sectors such as engineering and petroleum.
The slowdown in global trade continues to impact India as
well, he said adding Indias goods exports for 2016-17
would be about $270 billion.
Increasing protectionism, volatility in currencies and
uncertainties clouding over global economy pose major
challenges for Indias exports in 2017.
Imports in January, meanwhile, increased by 10.7% a five-
month high to $31.9 billion. This resulted in trade deficit
increasing to $9.8 billion, more than $7.6 billion seen in
January 2016.
Gold imports shrunk by about 30% to $2 billion in January.
In December, imports of the yellow metal had contracted
50.1% to $1.8 billion after having risen in the previous two
months.
As per WTO statistics, the growth in exports is positive for
the U.S. (2.63%), the European Union (5.47%) and Japan
(13.43%) but was negative for China (1.51%) for November
2016 over the corresponding period of previous year.
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Non-petroleum exports in January rose 1.6% to $19.4 billion
while petroleum exports increased by 29% to $2.7 billion.
Oil imports in January surged 61% to $8 billion while non-
oil imports were marginally up by 0.01% to $23.8 billion.
Exports during April-January 2016-17 were also marginally
higher by 1.09% to $221 billion while imports during the
period shrunk 5.8% to $307.3 billion.
Trade deficit in April-January 2016-17 also narrowed to $86
billion from $107.7 billion during the same period in the
previous fiscal.
The Cabinet approved the merger of State Bank of India with
five of its associate banks State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur,
State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank
of Patiala, and State Bank of Travancore.
The merger is likely to result in recurring savings, estimated
at more than Rs. 1,000 crore in the first year, through a
combination of enhanced operational efficiency and reduced
cost of funds.
Existing customers of subsidiary banks will benefit from
access to SBIs global network. The proposal was announced
in May 2016 and scheduled for March 2017.
While announcing the decision, Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley said the Cabinet had earlier given in-principle
for their suggestions.
The suggestions were taken on-board and decision formally
approved by the Cabinet.
-- -
Reliance Aerostructure Limited has incorporated a 51:49
joint venture with Dassault Aviation to capture a major share
of the offset business arising from the 7.87 billion deal for
Rafale fighter jets.
The joint venture, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited
(DARL), will have Mr.Eric Trappier, Chairman of Dassault
Aviation France, as its chairman and Mr.Anil Ambani,
chairman of Reliance Group, as its co-chairman.
India and France signed a purchase agreement for the supply
of 36 Rafale fighter jets for 7.87 billion in September last
year.
The contract includes a 50% offset obligation or about Rs.
30,000 crore, the largest-ever offset contract in India. DRAL
will aim to grab a major share of this business, including
components and parts.
The joint venture will execute the offset in phases with Phase
I resulting in the generation of more than 700 highly-skilled
direct jobs and 2,800 indirect jobs.
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DRAL will support the Centres Make in India and Skill
India policies and develop major Indian programmes with
high levels of technology transfer to benefit the entire
aerospace sector.
The proposed strategic partnership between Dassault and
Reliance will also focus on promoting research and
development projects under the IDDM programme
(Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured).
- - - - Bank Note Mudran Pvt Ltd and the Mysuru facility of the
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to rationalise the
merchant discount rate (MDR) for debit cards and said there
would be different charges for different kinds of merchants.
According to the draft norms on MDR, the merchants have
been categorised in four categories, small merchants with
turnover outside the ambit of GST, government transactions,
special category of merchants.
For small and special category of merchants, the MDR has
been capped at 0.4% of the transaction value for physical
point-of-sale (PoS) machines and 0.3% for digital PoS.
For all other categories of merchants, MDR is capped at
0.95% of transaction value for physical PoS and 0.85% for
digital PoS. For government transactions, a flat fee of Rs. 5
has been proposed for transaction value up to Rs. 1,000.
-- - thick skin fast doing its job and stressed that the economy
---- -- will make a sharp V recovery after a short drop.
Amid an ongoing war between incumbent telcos and new
entrant Reliance Jio over its predatory pricing and
promotional offers, TRAI issued a consultation paper to
undertake a review of the tariff assessment process.
The paper, sought views on which offers should qualify as
promotional offers, what should be the features of a
promotional offer, and whether there is a need to restrict the
number of promotional offers.
The consultation paper comes after the three incumbent
operators Airtel, Idea and Vodafone, moved TDSAT
against TRAI alleging that the regulator failed to prohibit
Reliance Jio from violating the tariff regulations.
In response to complaints, TRAI had said that Reliance Jios
promotional tariff plans comply with existing regulations
and tariff orders, allowing promotional offer that provides
free unlimited data and calling to users till March 31.
- -- - - Higher growth rate is possible if very fundamental reforms,
Finance Minister said it may be easy to criticise the Centres
demonetisation and remonetisation drive, but tough to
implement, and it has been largely incident-free mainly due
to the round-the-clock functioning of printing presses.
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It was among the biggest exercises of demonetisation and
remonetisation in the world, Mr. Jaitley said.
Many people said it would take around seven months to one
year to bring back normalcy and to ensure that there is no
shortage of currency notes, but they were done in a few
weeks and that too without any major incidents.
The currency printing presses include those of the
Government-owned SPMCIL, and of the Bharatiya Reserve
Bank Note Paper Mill India Private Limited.
Terming the employees of these presses as the unsung and
unknown heroes who silently and tirelessly worked 24x7
without a break and by maintaining secrecy in order to
ensure normalcy quickly.
Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said SPMCIL
needed to leverage its debt-free status to modernise its
operations and increase its productivity by using most
modern equipments.
SPMCIL currency presses had airlifted 60 million numbers
of Rs. 500 notes amounting to Rs. 21,500 crore to different
parts of the country to expedite remonetisation efforts.
-- -
Unfazed by criticism of the way the note ban was handled,
RBI Governor Urjit Patel said the central bank has grown a
Dr. Patel, who took over the reins of the RBI just two months
before the note ban, said the remonetisation has been done
at a very quick pace and the central bank has managed to
bring the situation to normal.
He said everyone agrees that not just the RBI, but the wider
banking system has done a Herculean job over the last few
months when there were many challenges.
On the impact of demonetisation on the economy, Dr. Patel
said: Almost everyone agrees that the impact is going to
be a sharp V, that we would have a downgrade of growth
for a short period of time.
RBI last week lowered its economic growth forecast for the
current fiscal to 6.9% from the previously projected 7.1%,
but saw it bouncing back in a big way to 7.4% in 2017-18.
Dr. Patel said the benefits of junking 86% of currency in
circulation, will take time to fully play out and needs more
work to ensure they are lasting.
especially in factors of production like land and labour, are
undertaken, the Governor said. So, 7.5% growth rate is not
something to be disappointed [about], he said.
The 6-member monetary policy committee (MPC) headed
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by Dr. Patel had last week kept interest rates unchanged at
6.25% for the second straight meeting and took its policy
stance to neutral from accommodative.
The change in stance, he said, gives more flexibility to cut,
raise or hold rates as compared with an accommodative one
on inflation outlook.
The RBI Governor also expressed concern over the U.S.
moving towards protectionism under U.S. President Donald
Trump.
On protectionism under the Trump administration, he felt
that India has sustained opening up of its economy since the
1990s.
- -
India-Bangladesh trade ties are troubled by poor rail- and
river-connectivity at the region bordering Assam as well as
a delay in the operationalisation of four new border haats
(or border markets) at the area bordering Meghalaya.
Among other things, the historic ceremony of exchange
of instruments of ratification of the India-Bangladesh Land
Boundary Agreement, 1974 and its 2011 Protocol.
It also resulted in an agreement on several measures to
widen bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation
in a balanced and sustainable manner to mutual benefit but
also open up opportunities for regional trade.
Bangladesh was Indias largest South Asian trading partner
in 2015-16 with bilateral trade worth $6.8 billion that
fiscal.
The trade balance was heavily in favour of India with its
exports of $6.03 billion to Bangladesh in FY16. Indias
imports amounted to $5.3 billion from that country.
Assam, during a meeting with the Centre last month, said
road connectivity in the Bangladesh side for Mankachar
Border Trade Point (BTP) is very poor, and trade is possible
only in summers.
Assam also said dredging of the Brahmaputra River on the
Bangladesh side was essential to make river vessels route
navigable.
According to the Centre, talks are on to augment National
Waterway-2 (on the Brahmaputra River at the India-
Bangladesh border) and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol
Route (related to inland water transit and trade).
Though India wants this proposal to be formulated under
South-Asia Sub Regional Economic Cooperation, it has not
yet been done due to lack of details on dredging under the
Protocol Routes on the Bangladesh side.
On Regional Waterway Project-1 for dredging of rivers with
World Bank assistance, India has said it will lend support
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provided Bangladesh promises that in the said proposal.
Development of India-centric Protocol Route under Indo-
Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade
(PIWTT) would also be considered.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya has informed the Centre that joint
inspection for operationalisation of six new Border Haats
was pending due to an inadequate response from
Bangladesh.
The Centre said, two of these new border haats are
operational and the remaining four are under implementation
stage.
- ----
Telecom regulator TRAI will review the rules of tariff
assessment with regard to promotional offers and predatory
pricing, issues that have triggered a public spat between
Reliance Jio and incumbent operators.
These contentious issues would be debated as part of a
consultation paper on Regulatory Principles of Tariff
Assessment issued by TRAI.
TRAI said the consultation aims to bring about greater
clarity in interpretation of various regulatory principles set
out in the Telecom Tariff Order in consonance with the best
global practices.
The industry and other stakeholders have been asked to
submit written comments on these issues by March 17, 2017.
The issues to be debated include new measures that need to
be prescribed by the regulator to ensure transparency in the
tariff offers made by telecom operators, and strengthening
of definition relating to nondiscrimination.
TRAI has sought views on which tariff offers should qualify
as promotional offers and the need to limit the number of
promotional offers that can be launched by an operator in a
year one after another.
It also seeks suggestions on definition and criteria for
dominance in relevant telecom markets.
It will also review the methods and processes that should
be applied by the regulator to assess predatory pricing by a
service provider in a relevant market.
The review comes amid a standoff between newcomer
Reliance Jio and incumbent operators such as Bharti Airtel,
Vodafone and Idea Cellular on issues such as predatory
pricing, market dominance and extension of promotional
offers.
The tribunal is currently hearing a plea by Bharti Airtel and
Idea Cellular challenging the regulators decision to allow
Reliance Jio to continue free promotional offer beyond the
stipulated 90 days.
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- - where companies bid for a unit by offering the lowest tariffs
The U.K.s Vodafone and Aditya Birla group firm Idea
Cellular are likely to finalise within a month the mega
merger deal that will create Indias largest telecom firm.
The companies are likely to announce a definitive signing
agreement by February 24-25.
The British telecom major has brought its ex-India unit chief
Marten Pieters to work on the proposed merger.
If the deal is successful, the combined entity will create
Indias largest telecom firm with a revenue share of around
40% and a subscriber base of over 380 million, according
to India Ratings and Research.
The proposed merger of Vodafone India and Idea will create
an entity with a revenue of around Rs. 77,500-80,000 crore
besides eliminating duplication of spectrum and
infrastructure capex, the rating agency said in its report.
Further, the spectrum of Vodafone India in seven circles and
that of Idea in two, whose permits are expiring in 2021-22,
is together valued at around Rs. 12,000 crore as per the last
auction price.
These permits are not in common circles, and hence there
could be potential spectrum capex synergies between the two
companies.
According to the merger and acquisition rules, an entity
should not hold more than 25% spectrum allocated in a
telecom circle and 50% on spectrum allocated in a particular
band in a service area.
The merged entity should also not have more than 50%
revenue and subscriber market share. As per CLSA report,
the merged entity would breach revenue market share,
subscriber and spectrum caps in five markets.
- - - ramping up capacities.
In production and productivity parameters, PSUs are far
Solar energy has become the cheapest it has ever been in
India, thanks to historically low tariffs achieved in the
reverse auction bid for three units in the Rewa plant in
Madhya Pradesh earlier this month.
The two-day reverse auction bid for three 250 MW blocks
in the Rewa solar plant in Madhya yielded a tariff of Rs 2.97
for each of the blocks and a levelised tariff of Rs. 3.3 over
the course of the 25-year power purchase agreement.
The winners of each of the bids were Mahindra Renewables,
ACME, and Solenberg Power. The Rewa plant is a joint
venture of Solar Energy Corporation of India and Madhya
Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN).
A reverse auction in such a scenario is basically a situation
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at which they will sell the energy generated from the unit.
The lowest tariff wins the bid.
Companies bidding for the Rewa units were able to commit
to such low tariffs because of various factors, some to do
with the industry, and others to do with the specific bid.
The industry-related factors include the fact that solar energy
producers in India have been able to greatly reduce their
costs due to the import of cheap photovoltaic panels from
China.
In addition, in keeping with the governments renewable
energy push, especially its commitment to achieve 100 GW
of solar energy by 2022, it has expedited the land acquisition
process and has reduced excise duties on various
components required to set up a solar plant.
Specific to the Rewa bid, the Madhya Pradesh government
implemented a few favourable and unique structures in the
project power purchase agreements.
While this does mean that solar energy will be cheaper,
several industry experts have warned that, at such low tariffs,
margins are also very slim.
This could mean that even a slight increase in input prices
such as pricier imports from China could push many
of these projects into unprofitability.
- - -
In a stern warning, Steel Minister Birendra Singh has asked
PSUs, including SAIL, to perform or perish saying
complacency cannot be tolerated at a time when private
players are excelling on various parameters.
Minister pulled up public sector firms like SAIL and RINL
for not only lagging behind on international benchmarks, but
were behind their private counterparts and complacent in
behind their counterparts in private sector, he said.
- - -- -
-
Within three weeks of the Budget announcement, the
Finance Ministry on Monday started the process of listing
three rail PSUs IRCTC, IRFC and IRCON.
The government is considering divesting a portion of the
paid-up equity share capital through an IPO and has sought
Expression of Interest (EoI) from merchant bankers by
March 16.
The Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management is scouting for merchant bankers to manage the
IPO of the three PSUs. The government currently holds
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100% stake in these three companies.
Finance Minister had said that the government will put in
place a revised mechanism to ensure time-bound listing of
identified CPSEs on stock exchanges as it would foster
greater public accountability and unlock their true value.
The government intends to raise Rs. 72,500 crore through
disinvestment of PSUs in the next fiscal.
- - -
Mr. Nadella, who leads the worlds largest software maker,
announced a strategic partnership with Flipkart, where the
e-commerce company would adopt the company's cloud
computing platform, Microsoft Azure.
Flipkart said that it planned to leverage artificial intelligence
(AI), machine learning and analytics capabilities in Azure
to optimise its data for innovative merchandising,
advertising, marketing and customer service.
AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by
computer systems and machine learning and gives
computers the ability to learn without being explicitly
programmed.
We are on the right ladder this time, I don't think we are
going back to AI winter, said Mr. Nadella at the event where
the audience consisted of hundreds of start-up founders,
investors and industry experts.
He said that the real challenge in AI is understanding of the
human language, which still doesn't exist.
Tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani said that he was excited
about the advent of technologies like AI and the cloud.
He said that there was a challenge of taking the country from
$2,000 per capita income to $20,000 and there was also a
need to fix sectors like healthcare, education and financial
services.
The only way to square the circle is by using AI and cloud
to deliver personalised health, education and financial
services to a billion people, said Mr. Nilekani.
Through his social enterprise EkStep, he said that he aimed
to fix the learning challenges of Indias 200 million children
using AI and smartphones.
-- -
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the U.S. to develop a
reflective, balanced and farsighted perspective on
movement of skilled professionals.
Mr.Modis comments come in the backdrop of proposals in
the U.S. for restrictions on short-term work visas for foreign
skilled professionals.
It augurs a good start to bilateral exchanges following the
new U.S. Administration and Congress, Mr. Modi was
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quoted as saying in a statement issued by the PMs office.
Modi also shared his perspective on areas where both
countries can work even more closely, including in
facilitating greater people-to-people linkages that have over
the years helped contribute to each others prosperity.
The PM referred to the role of skilled Indian talent in
enriching the American economy and society, the statement
added.
Changes could impact the $110 billion Indian IT sector as
well as issues concerning intellectual property rights (IPRs)
and market access for certain farm products.
While India took up its IT sector's concerns on the proposed
restrictions on the U.S. non-immigrant visas for foreign
skilled workers, the American lawmakers led by Bob
Goodlatte, raised concerns on IPR issues.
- -
Banking on your provident fund savings for critical
contingencies will now become far simpler with the EPFO
introducing a single page composite form for such
withdrawals before retirement age.
Over eight crore Employees Provident Fund account
holders will no longer be required to submit evidential
documents for withdrawing PF for availing housing loans,
grant of advances in case of factory closure, marriage, higher
education of children, among other things.
Till now, employees were required to fill and submit three
different forms to EPFO for withdrawing provident fund for
various purposes.
The EPFO has introduced forms in two categories one, for
those whose Aadhaar number is seeded with Universal
Account Number a common number for all PF accounts,
and the other for those without an Aadhaar number.
Employees whose Aadhaar number is seeded will not be
required to get employers attestation for withdrawing PF
but employees without the seeded Aadhaar number will need
the employers approval on their forms before submitting it
to the EPFO.
Further, a single form signed by the employee will be treated
as self-certification instead of the present requirement of
submitting various documents.
However, in case PF is being withdrawn for medical
purposes, a doctors certificate will still be required.
-
-
India signed an agreement with Japan last week on
enhancing railway safety in the Indian Railways with focus
on railway track and rolling stock safety.
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The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed here on
February 17 between Railway Board Chairman A.K.Mittal
and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
of Japan Vice-Minister Hiroshi Tabata.
The areas of cooperation include rail inspection, rail
wielding and providing automatic railway track safety
inspection, maintenance of rolling stock and any other
relevant railway safety matters jointly determined by both
sides with the aim to prevent major rail accidents.
The agreement with Japan comes at a time when the train
derailments are on the rise. In 2016-17, the number of
consequential train accidents remained the same level as last
year at 95 while derailments rose from 56 to 74.
- - automotive manufacturing, consumer products, engineering
The Cabinet has approved the doubling of solar park
capacity to 40,000 MW, which will entail an additional 50
solar parks to be set up at a cost of Rs. 8,100 crore to be borne
by the Centre, Minister of New and Renewable Energy
Piyush Goyal said.
Mr. Goyal said while most of the additional 50 solar parks,
to be commissioned by 2019-20, will be of 50 MW capacity,
the Centre is also considering smaller parks in Himalayan
and other hilly states where contiguous land is difficult to
acquire.
The solar parks and ultra mega solar power projects will be
set up by 2019-20 with Central Government financial
support of Rs. 8,100 crore.
The total capacity when operational will generate 64 billion
units of electricity per year which will lead to abatement of
around 55 mt of carbon dioxide per year over its life cycle.
Mr. Goyal explained that the state governments will first
nominate the solar power park developer (SPPD) and will
also identify the land for the proposed solar park.
The Cabinet also approved a Rs. 5723.72 crore investment
for the Arun-3 900 MW hydroelectric plant in Nepal.
Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for the existing
implementing agency, already incorporated in the name of
SJVN Arun-3 Power Development Company (SAPDC) for
the implementation of the project.
The project, located on the Arun river, is expected to provide
any surplus power not used by Nepal to India.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and
Australia for the promotion and development of cooperation
in civil aviation security also got the green signal.
- 915.95 kg and amounting to Rs. 246 crore sold, while the
Salaries in India are expected to grow only 9.5% in 2017
compared to a growth of 10.2% in the previous year,
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according to a survey report by Aon Hewitt.
This low growth, driven by demonetisation, as well as global
factors like Brexit and the new U.S. governments policies,
would be the lowest increase in salaries since 2009, when
the financial crisis hit Indias wages.
However, despite this expected dip in the growth of salaries,
the annual Aon Salary Increase Survey still sees India as
having the highest growth in salaries among other Asian
economies.
In comparison, China is expected to see a 6.9% growth in
salaries, Japan 2.4%, Malaysia 5.5% and Singapore 4.1%.
The survey report found that some industries like consumer
Internet, professional services, entertainment media,
manufacturing and ITeS expected higher than average salary
increases.
The survey, the largest conducted by the company so far,
covered 1,003 companies across 20 industries. Of the
respondents, 575 were service companies and 428 were
engaged in manufacturing.
Regarding the business outlook, the survey found that 67.5%
of the respondents expected an improvement in business
conditions in financial year 2017-18 compared with 61.9%
in the previous financial year.
- - - -- -
-- -
Rising global oil prices will not pose a serious risk to the
economy if they remain within the range of $55-65 a barrel,
said chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian.
As long as it is in that range it should not be a serious risk
to our macroeconomy, he said. International prices of crude
oil have started to trend up.
-
-
The Centre announced that it would issue applications for
the fourth tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bond scheme from
February 27 to March 3. The bonds will be issued on March
17.
The bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding
Corporation of India, designated post offices, and the
National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange.
The first three tranches of the scheme saw the sale of
5,114.95 kg worth of bonds amounting to Rs. 1,373 crore.
The first tranche, in November 2015, saw bonds worth
second tranche in January 2016 witnessed 3,071 kg of gold
bonds worth Rs. 798 crore being sold, and the third tranche
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in April collected 1,128 kg of gold worth Rs. 329 crore.
The aim of the scheme, as stated by the government at the
time of its introduction in September 2015, was to help in
reducing the demand for physical gold by shifting a portion
of the estimated 300 tonnes of physical bars and coins
purchased every year to gold bonds.
The minimum amount that can be bought are eight-year
bonds worth 1 gram.
-- -- --- ---
The creation of a bad bank will speed up resolution of
Industries will have to maintain only five registers for
compliance with nine Central labour laws as against the 56
registers required earlier, according to a notification issued
by the Labour Ministry.
The move will give relief to about 4.54 crore establishments
as it will save efforts, cost and lessen the compliance
burden, the Labour Ministry said in an official statement.
Such an exercise has reduced number of data fields in 5
registers to only 144 from the then existing 933 fields in 56
registers.
The Ministry will develop a software for these common
registers so that they can be maintained in digitised form,
and write to States asking them to follow a similar practice
for State labour laws.
- - -
Wind power tariffs closed at Rs. 3.46 per kWh in India's first-
ever auction for wind energy projects as the country aims
to tap renewable energy to overcome its power shortages.
The bid was called by government-owned Solar Energy
Corporation of India for 1 GW of wind capacity.
Mytrah Energy, Green Infra, Inox and Ostro Energy each
won the rights to set up 250 MW of wind capacity in a
location of their choice and to sell the energy generated to
state-run Power Trading Corporation.
Such low tariffs in wind energy come on the back of
historically low solar tariffs achieved in a recent auction of
a total capacity of 750 MW.
The reverse auction completed in Rewa in Madhya Pradesh
saw solar tariffs fall to Rs. 2.97 per unit and Rs. 3.3 per unit
when levelised over the 25-year power purchase agreement
period.
After solar cost reduction below Rs. 3 per unit, wind power
cost down to Rs. 3.46 per unit through transparent auction.
A green future awaits India.
However low tariffs could prove to be a problem for
developers since the focus will now have to shift to ensuring
low costs.
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The choice of location is with the bidder so that they can
choose to locate the project where there is enough wind
resource.
"Wind is a gift to mankind by environment & the historic
low cost of Rs. 3.46 per unit wind power shows our
commitment to leverage clean energy, Mr. Goyal said in a
subsequent tweet.
-
stressed assets in the banking system, but it will also require
significant capital infusion in the state-run banks to meet any
shortfall, says a report.
The recent economic survey mentioned about formation of
a bad bank that will purchase stressed assets and take them
to resolution.
The creation of a bad bank could accelerate the resolution
of stressed assets in countrys banking sector, but it may face
significant logistical difficulties, international agency Fitch
Ratings said in a report.
It said the countrys banks have significant asset quality
problems that are putting pressure on profitability and
capital, as well as constraining their ability to lend.
It expects the stressed-asset ratio to rise over the coming year
from the 12.3% as at end-September 2016, with the ratio
significantly higher among state-owned banks.
The rating agency said the banking sector will require around
$90 billion in new total capital by financial year 2018-19 to
meet Basel III standard and ongoing business needs.
This estimate is unlikely to be significantly reduced by the
adoption of a bad-bank approach, and could even rise if
banks are forced to crystallise more losses from stressed
assets than currently expected, the rating agency said.
It said bad banks most likely form would be that of a
centralised asset-restructuring company (ARC).
Bad banks proponents believe it could take charge of the
largest, most complex cases, make politically tough
decisions to reduce debt, and allow banks to refocus on their
normal lending activities, it said.
- - - --
Indias demonetisation led to huge cash shortages that have
adversely affected consumption and like a vacuum
cleaner it sucked in cash and then was slowly replacing the
currency, a senior IMF official has said.
Given the shortage of cash in the market, IMF in its report
urged the Indian government to continue to enhance the
supply of new banknotes.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

If needed consider extending or expanding targeted
temporary exemptions, including on use of old banknotes,
particularly for rural and remote areas.
IMF said the repercussions from Indias currency exchange
initiative will likely persist through the first quarter of 2017.
Real GDP growth is projected to slow to 6.6% in FY2016/
17 and then rebound to 7.2% in FY2017/18, due to
temporary disruptions (primarily to private consumption)
caused by cash shortages accompanying the currency
- -
exchange initiative.
- - - - listed firms discharge their duties, including for appointment
and removal of directors, and also wants their audit
The Indian Railways is mulling a new metric to measure its
performance. This comes at a time when it is staring at a five-
year high for the operating ratio by the end of this fiscal year.
The Railways formed a committee of executive directors
from its budget, finance efficiency and research departments
last week to look at some of the best corporate practices and
suggest a new financial ratio.
The financial performance of the Indian Railways is
measured in operating ratio which is expected to be at a five-
year high of 94.9% in 2016-17.
Till December this year, the Railways operating ratio in
2016-17 stood at 109% which is expected to improve by
March this year. This means, the Railways spent Rs. 109 to
earn Rs. 100 from April-December 2016.
A lower ratio means better efficiency. The ratio touched
91.3% in 2014-15 and has only been lower in other years in
the 5-year period.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within a
month, adding that it may also hire a private agency to help
with a new performance indicator.
The Railways finances took a hit this financial year due to
the Seventh Pay Commissions pay hike recommendations,
Railway Ministry officials said.
tenure of current chairman U.K. Sinha. The proposed moves
India and Germany have ratified the Social Security
Agreement (SSA), which will come into force from May 1
this year, to help promote more investment flows between
the two countries.
The SSA will also integrate the provisions of the 2008 social
insurance pact that exempts detached workers of the two
countries from making social security contributions in either
countries so long as they were making such contributions
in their respective countries.
The new agreement establishes the rights and obligations
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of nationals of both countries and provides for equal
treatment of the nationals of both countries.
The requirements to be entitled to a pension can be met by
aggregating the periods of insurance completed in India and
Germany, whereby each country pays only the pension for
the insurance periods covered by its laws.
The period of posting will be up to 48 calendar months, the
ministry said.
SEBI is in favour of a major overhaul of the way boards of
committees to be empowered to identify future risks.
There is also a need for greater tolerance and transparency
in discussions and decisions taken at the board level and by
various board committees of listed companies.
However the regulator would prefer them to adopt best
global practices in this regard voluntarily rather than being
dictated to do so with a new set of stringent rules.
While a guidance note was issued last month by the
Securities and Exchange Board of India on board evaluation
at listed companies, there is a view that SEBI should come
out with a new set of regulations to ensure greater
compliance.
The regulator may soon come out with a further detailed
guidance note while it is also mulling launching a public
consultation process to understand whether there is a need
for a new set of rules and what those could be, a top official
said.
The move assumes significance in the wake of the recent
boardroom battle at the Tata group and the controversy
surrounding the reported differences between some
promoters and the top management at Infosys.
Corporate governance has been a key focus area, with a huge
emphasis on safeguarding the interests of minority
shareholders in listed companies, during the sixyear
will also take into account the suggestions made in this
regard by the regulators International Advisory Board,
which was set up to advise it on best global regulatory
practices and evolution of various policies.
The IAB suggested that a matrix of expertise may be
introduced to make the boards diverse, balanced and in tune
with the requirements for effective functioning of the
company.
It has also called for full transparency in board
appointments and removal process.
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- - Data from Prime Database shows that the current financial
For stock market, the most interesting and common thread
of discussion currently is that of buy-back offers and how
investors can profit from some of the mega offerings that
are scheduled to hit the market in the near future.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has already said that it
plans to buy back up to 5.61 crore equity shares at a price
of Rs. 2,850 per share.
The offer size of Rs. 16,000 crore makes it the largest buy-
back offer till date in India, surpassing the Rs. 10,400 crore
offer by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) in 2012.
Sector heavyweight Infosys has also initiated the process to
amend its Articles of Association (AoA) to include the
provision for a buy-back as mandated by the new Companies
Act.
Market participants are of the view that Indian software
majors should look at buy-back offers since they have large
cash reserves and, at a time when business is showing signs
of slowdown, it would be a good exercise to keep
shareholders happy by way of such offers.
TCS has a cash and cash equivalent balance of close to Rs.
38,000 crore, as per the financials for the quarter ended
December 31, 2016. Infosys reported a balance of Rs. 32,697
crore at the end of the financial year 2015-16.
For Infosys, the cash balance had steadily increased from
Rs. 25,950 crore in FY14 to Rs. 30,367 crore in FY15.
Does the shareholder gain or the company in a buy-back, is
the oft-asked question from investors.
Simply put, the two are intertwined since its the shareholder
that gains if the company does well in terms of better
profitability and earnings upgrade.
In a report released February 8, global financial major BNP
Paribas said that large and mid-sized Asian companies with
a market capitalisation of more than $1 billion that bought
back more than 10% of their equity since 2009.
In the case of a buy-back, since the equity shares bought
back are extinguished, the companys financial metrics
including earnings per share (EPS) and return on equity
(RoE) typically improve.
A management team typically plans a buy-back when it feels
that the company shares are under-valued or, in other words,
do not reflect the true fundamentals of the entity.
Indian companies like Cairn India, Bharat Electronics,
Piramal Enterprises, Bayer Cropscience and National
Aluminum, among others, have opted for buy-backs in the
recent past.
There is an increasing trend among Indian companies to use
the buy-back route to reward shareholders.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
year saw 33 buy-back offers amounting to Rs. 28,460 crore
the highest in any fiscal till date.
Still, on the global map it is too little to catapult India to the
top league. As per BNP Paribas, barring companies in Japan,
Asian companies are not known for their buy-back penchant.
- -
SEBI plans to further tighten the regulations for algorithmic
trading to minimise instances of misuse of such systems that
can be used to execute complex trading strategies at a very
high speed.
SEBI chairman said that while India was one of the few
countries in the world to regulate algorithmic trading, the
market watchdog is looking to further strengthen the norms
so that instances of flash crashes could be minimised.
India is one of the very few countries in the world which
have some mechanism for controlling the misuse of algo.
SEBI has been able to come out with some minimal
regulations on algos.
For instance, we have provided for high order to trade ratio
penalty system. We are reviewing whether that penalty
should be enhanced further, the outgoing SEBI chief,
whose tenure ends.
Algorithmic trading refers to the use of software
programmes to execute trading strategies at a much faster
pace. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), algo trades
accounted for close to 16% of all trades. On the BSE, it was
8.56% in January.
The SEBI chairman also said that while many countries and
regulators, including the International Organization of
Securities Commissions (IOSCO), have been debating on
this issue for many years, only India had been able to come
out with proper regulations.
He said that the one regret he has is that not one
Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) or Real Estate
Investment Trust (REIT) was launched while he was the
chairman.
- -
World Bank Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva
has described India as a laboratory, for the world to learn
about what works in development and to find new ways to
collaborate.
Ms. Georgieva, who is in India , said in a statement: India
is our biggest middle income client. Its economic growth
influences global growth. Its achievements in health and
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

education contribute to the world achieving the SDGs.
While on a visit to Pakistan in January, Ms. Georgieva said
she had constructive discussions with that countrys
leadership on the Indus Waters Treaty.
India, Pakistan and the World Bank are signatories to the
Treaty and are in discussions on resolving disagreements the
two countries have over Indias construction of two
hydroelectric power plants.
Maintaining its neutrality as a signatory, the Bank had
announced a pause in the separate processes initiated by
India and Pakistan under the Treaty to allow the two nations
to resolve their disagreements amicably.
- - - -
- The benefits of this are already flowing into the system.
Days after Bharti Airtel announced a takeover of Telenors
India operations, the Indian companys chairman Sunil
Mittal said there was perhaps scope for further consolidation
in the telecom sector and more network sharing by players.
Governments have got it wrong for too long giving out
new licences means more money for the government and
more competition for the customers. It is quite the contrary,
he said.
The Indian telecom industry is undergoing a fresh round of
consolidation, triggered by the entry of Mukesh Ambani led-
Reliance Jio.
While Bharti has said it will buy the local unit of Norways
Telenor, Vodafone India and Idea are in talks for a merger.
Last year, Reliance Communications, and Aircel Ltd. had
announced a plan to merge. Tata groups telecom arm is now
reportedly in talks with Reliance Communications and its
partners for a merger.
Consolidation in the market was likely to yield five major
players ensuring enough competition but not fragmentation
of spectrum.
The consolidation debate is underway across the globe, with
the U.K. scuttling a proposed merger and Italy allowing
another with some conditions attached.
With the global industry having invested $2.25 trillion in
capex, with almost $200 billion in hard capex added every
year excluding spectrum costs, he said returns on
investments had been falling sharply.
-- -
The future agenda of the government, as stated by PM in his
speech on New Years eve, is to channel the wealth that was
previously being hoarded as black money into cheaper
capital for affordable housing, womens health, the
agriculture sector.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
Mr. Jaitley added the remonetisation process is progressing
extremely well and would be completed very soon.
While saying that 2016 saw several major economic reforms
like the passage of the insolvency law, the creation of the
Monetary Policy Committee, and the passage of the
constitutional amendment bill on the Goods and Services
Tax.
On demonetisation, Mr. Jaitley said that it process has been
completed in a very successful and peaceful manner, with
the whole country supporting it overwhelmingly.
The remonetisation process has progressed extremely well
and I am sure in the days to come it will be very soon
completed, he said.
What was the shadow economy and black money has now
lost its anonymity and come into the banking system. This
will lead to a changed spending habit of the people.
There will be more taxation receipts of the government, so
the governments ability to spend and support the spending
will also increase.
- -
The widening of the tax net due to demonetisation will give
the Centre an opportunity to lower corporate tax rates,
according to the Confederation of Indian Industry.
The trade body, in a statement, added that the roll-out of the
GST will also be facilitated due to the increasing
formalisation of transactions.
CII noted that there were 32 incentives applicable on
corporate profits before calculating tax, which resulted in
an effective tax rate of about 19.8 per cent.
Apart from reducing corporate tax rates, CII also
recommended that the government boost its infrastructure
investments, quicken disinvestment in public sector
enterprises and encourage public-private partnerships.
CII also recommended the government work towards the
creation of better quality jobs in the formal sector, and a
national technology strategy with a ten-fold increase in
public investment in research in higher education
institutions.
Public investment in research in the higher education sector
is currently 0.04 per cent of GDP and this should be
increased to the global average of 0.4 per cent.
Demonetisation of high-value currency notes in November
has begun to hit the manufacturing sector, according to a
private sector survey.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers
Index fell to 49.6 in December, the first time it hit below the
50-mark in 2016, from 52.3 in November. A reading below
50 implies contraction while one above 50 indicates
expansion.
Companies saw new work and output dip for the first time
in 2016. In turn, quantities of purchases were scaled back
and employment lowered. Meanwhile, input costs increased
at a quicker rate, whereas output charge inflation eased.
Having held its ground in November following the
unexpected withdrawal of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes from
circulation, Indias manufacturing industry slid into
contraction at the end of 2016.
Rates of contraction in new work and production were
marginal overall, but in both cases the reductions were the
first in 2016.
Order backlogs rose for the seventh consecutive month but
at the slowest rate in this sequence, according to the report.
With the window for exchanging notes having closed at the
end of December, January data will be key in showing
whether the sector will see a quick rebound.
- entrepreneurs, women and the rural poor along with a
The eight core industries recorded a year-on-year growth in
output of 4.9 per cent in November 2016, slower than the
previous two months that is, a 6.6 per cent increase in
October and 5.01 per cent in September.
Output in electricity and coal posted healthy growth rates
of 10.2 per cent and 6.4 per cent respectively in November
as against 2.85 per cent and (-) 1.5 per cent respectively in
October 2016, according to government data.
In November 2015, electricity and coal production posted
a growth of 5.6 per cent and 3.8 per cent respectively.
The 10.2 per cent growth in output of electricity in
November is the highest since 14.68 per cent in April 2016.
The eight core industries comprise close to 37.9 per cent of
the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial
Production (IIP) and electricity has the maximum weight (of
10.32 per cent) among the eight sectors.
The coal sector posted a positive growth after three
consecutive months of contraction in output, and the 6.4 per
cent growth in November was the highest since 12.05 per
cent in June 2016.
Steel production slowed to 5.6 per cent in November 2016,
down from about 17 per cent growth during the August-
October 2016 period.
The 5.6 per cent growth was also the lowest since 6.15 per
cent in April 2016. In November 2015, steel output had
contracted by 6.8 per cent.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
Crude oil and natural gas output have been shrinking for
several months now, and the trend continued in November
2016 as well.
Crude oil production contracted 5.4 per cent in November
2016 shrinking for the ninth consecutive month. Natural
gas production shrank 1.7 per cent in November 2016,
falling for the fourth straight month.
- - -- -
The Centre will meet its fiscal deficit target of 3.5 per cent
of the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2016-17 despite a
slew of sops announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The voluntary income disclosure scheme has already given
us some revenue and this (demonetisation) scheme will also
bring in some revenue so we will be able to meet the (fiscal
deficit) target.
The Prime Ministers announcement will be definitely
honoured in terms of ensuring fiscal adherence to all our
commitments as well as fiscal prudence, Railway minister
said.
PM announced a package for farmers, senior citizens, small
housing scheme for the poor and the middle-class.
The Centres fiscal deficit remained high at Rs. 4.6 lakh
crore, which was 85.8 per cent of the budget estimates for
the entire financial year, till the end of November this fiscal
year.
Till October, the deficit was slightly lower at 79.3 per cent
of the full fiscal deficit target.
The Union Budget had estimated fiscal deficit at Rs. 5.33
lakh crore for 2016-17 which works out to 3.5 per cent of
the GDP. The fiscal deficit widened in November mainly due
to muted gross tax revenues.
-- -
The output at foundries in the country has declined between
20 and 30 per cent in the last two months following
demonetisation.The situation is expected to improve in
another three to six months.
For the last two years, the foundries average capacity
utilisation was just 60 per cent. Last year, it went down to
about 40 per cent because of the slowdown in automobiles,
a major client industry for foundries.
Though the foundry industry has installed capacity of about
15 million tonnes a year, the production is only 10 million
tonnes of castings.
Up to 30 per cent production could be affected because of
demonetisation. The overall turnover and profitability might
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come down this year.
On GST, the IIF had commissioned a study on the impact
on foundries. The total tax paid by the foundries is close to
25 per cent. The tax proposed under GST is between 14.5
per cent and 17.5 per cent.
- TRAI has sought comments on what principles for ensuring
Paytm Payments Bank received the final approval from the
Reserve Bank of India to commence operations.
The payments bank is expected to start operations next
month with its first branch in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
At Paytm Payments Bank, our aim is to build a new
business model in banking industry, focussed on bringing
financial services to millions of un-served or underserved
Indians, he said.
More than Rs. 200 crore has been invested till now for the
bank, with Mr. Sharma putting in Rs. 112 crore.
- - -
RBI has directed banks to ensure that at least 40 per cent of
the supply of banknotes should reach rural areas while
currency chests and automated teller machines in such areas
should have Rs. 500 and Rs. 100 denomination banknotes.
The banking regulator has observed that banknotes, being
supplied to rural areas, at present, are not commensurate with
the requirements of rural population.
RBI said banks should advise their currency chests to step
up issuance of fresh notes to rural branches of Regional
Rural Banks, District Central Cooperative Banks and
commercial banks, white label ATMs in rural areas on a
priority basis.
Of the 4,000-odd currency chests in the country, most are
managed by public sector banks.
The RBI added that chests operating in a district should
maintain the proportion on a weekly average basis.
-- - --
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India issued a
consultation paper on the issue of net-neutrality as it looked
to formulate final views on policy or regulatory
interventions on the subject.
The regulator, given the complexity of the subject, had
decided to undertake a two-stage consultation process.
The earlier issued pre-consultation, released in May 2016,
was an attempt to identify the relevant issues in all the areas
on which the Department of Telecom had sought TRAIs
recommendations.
The purpose of this second stage of consultation is to
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proceed towards the formulation of final views on policy or
regulatory interventions, where required, on the subject of
net neutrality.
The last date for public comments on the paper is February
15 and for counter comments is February 28.
non-discriminatory access to content on the Internet could
be in the Indian context.
Also as to how Internet traffic and providers of Internet
services should be understood in the context of net neutrality.
It has also raised the issue of traffic management practices,
seeking comments on approaches that would be preferable,
defining what constitutes reasonable traffic management
practices.
- -
HDFC Bank, the second largest private sector lender of the
country, has decided to reduce its marginal cost of funds-
based lending rate (MCLR) by 75 to 90 bps across various
loan tenures.
Accordingly, its one-year MCLR rate will be 8.15 per cent
as compared with 8.9 per cent while its six-month MCLR
will be 8 per cent as against 8.85 per cent earlier.
The new rates come into effect from January 7. Public sector
lender Canara Bank has also reduced its MCLR by about 70
basis points and its one-year MCLR stands at 8.45 per cent.
- - - -
Reeling under the cash crunch, the services sector contracted
for the second consecutive month in December as the
demonetisation move took a heavy toll on business activities.
It also led to the sharpest fall in more than three years in new
orders, a monthly survey showed.
The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) survey further
showed that the business confidence slumped to the third-
lowest level in its 11-year history, while suggesting that any
imminent recovery was unlikely from the demonetisation-
triggered downturn.
The Nikkei India Services PMI, which tracks the services
sector companies on a monthly basis, stood at 46.8 in
December, largely unchanged from Novembers 46.7
reading.
A reading below 50 denotes contraction. The index had
slipped into the contraction territory in November.
-
The Centre will tie up with the States to soon roll-out a new
scheme called TIES or Trade Infrastructure for Export
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Scheme to boost export infrastructure, Commerce
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.
States must develop their own export strategy in alignment
with the national foreign trade policy, as well as enhance co-
operation with Central agencies to set up common facilities
for testing, certification, trace-back, packaging and labelling.
Indian roads carry nearly 65 per cent cargo against the global
trend where railway is the major contributor.
Therefore the States should focus on improving the last mile
connectivity of major exporting hubs to Inland Container
Depot/Ports. Quality of roads including their load bearing
capacity may be upgraded for smooth transit of export
goods.
States should cooperate with the Centre for setting up
common facilities like testing labs and training institutes as
well as to ensure packaging and storage support to the Indian
industry.
So far only 17 States (of the 29 States and seven Union
Territories in the country) have prepared their export
strategy.
On services, IT and ITeS had an overwhelming
predominance in Indias services exports but were largely
restricted to the U.S. and EU markets and are therefore
vulnerable to changes imposed by these two trading blocs.
There is a need to diversify our services exports. Areas like
medical tourism, nursing and healthcare, education, audio-
visual media have an excellent potential that can be
harnessed.
For this, we need to develop the right competencies like
language skills for the East and North East Asian markets.
Meanwhile, the Centre has decided to soon bring out a
Logistics Performance Index to rank states on steps taken
to facilitate trade and improve logistics.
Measures in the pipeline include expediting the proposal for
a north east corridor to improve connectivity with south east
Asian countries and exports to that region.
-- - - Railways towards loss-making routes is estimated at Rs.
- 4,301 crore.
The Telecom Commission has given approval to the second
phase of BharatNet project that seeks to provide broadband
connectivity to 1.5 lakh grampanchayats at an estimated cost
of Rs. 27,000 crore.
Both the strategy and elements of BharatNet Phase II have
been approved by Telecom Commission and we will now
place it before the Cabinet for their decision.
The first phase entailed a cost of Rs. 18,000 crore and for
the second phase the estimates are likely to be in ballpark
range of Rs. 27,000 crore.
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The figures of cost will be fixed only after the Cabinet
approval. Govt is working on it and will try to take it to the
Cabinet in this quarter itself.
The ongoing BharatNet phase I seeks to connect 100,000
gram panchayats by March this year, and the next phase is
expected to begin from mid-2017 running all the way up to
September 2018.
- - -
-- -
The Finance Ministry may grant the Indian Railways a more
than six per cent increase in gross budgetary support to Rs.
48,000 crore, a figure that the operator of the worlds fourth
largest railway network wants raised further.
The Finance Ministry has pegged the budgetary support at
Rs. 48,000 crore for 2017-18.
The Budget, which is likely to be presented on February 1,
will be the first time that the state-owned Railways will have
its allocation announced in the Union Budget as the colonial-
era practice of a separate Railway Budget has been dispensed
with.
While the public utility had sought Rs. 60,000 crore for the
coming fiscal to rev up investments, the Finance Ministry
had pointed out that the Railways wont have to pay any
dividend from the coming year.
The GBS will, however, be more than six per cent higher
than Rs. 45,000 crore provided by the Finance Ministry in
2016-17.
The increase in budgetary support is significant as the Indian
Railways will no longer be required to pay dividend to the
Finance Ministry for the capital invested in it following the
Budget merger from 2017-18.
The dividend waiver will allow the Railways to step up
investment towards track renewal, maintenance, station
improvement and passenger amenities.
In 2016-17, Indian Railways is budgeted to pay Rs. 9,731
crore as dividend, whereas the subsidy claimed by the
As a result, the net dividend payment to the Finance Ministry
is estimated at Rs. 5,430 crore in 2016-17 against the gross
budgetary support of Rs. 45,000 crore.
The Indian Railways meets its planned expenditure through
a combination of GBS, market borrowings and internal
revenue generation.
Over the last five years, the GBS provided to the Railways
has been substantially lower than its actual requirement.
While the Railways had sought from the Finance Ministry
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budgetary support of Rs. 2, 29,399 crore from 2012-13 to
2016-17, the actual GBS (including diesel cess) was 25 per
cent lower at Rs. 1, 67,511 crore.
-
The Centre is planning to amend the Plantation Labour Act
(PLA), 1951 in a major way to exclude in kind
components being regarded as wages.
It may be mentioned here that under the PLA 1951,
plantation workers get various benefits either subsidised or
free. These include rations, housing, education, firewood
and medical facilities.
Accordingly, a large section of the mainstream tea industry
bears the cost of providing these services. The industry does
not pay statutory minimum wages, saying that the monetised
value of the facilities provided compensates for this.
The tea industry , which is the largest among the plantation
sectors (which includes coffee, rubber and spices), pays Rs.
137 in cash in Assam and Rs. 132 in West Bengal.
In 2014, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had come
down hard on the tea industry for not paying minimum
wages.
The proposed amendment is now seeking to exclude from
the definition of wage the in-kind benefits that were being
hitherto included, an industry source told The Hindu .
The Central and State governments rolled out a clutch of
social sector schemes which can be implemented in the tea
estates. This, they felt, would obviate the need for the
industry to extend these benefits.
The Centre now wants the plantation industry to share this
cost with the government under the amended PLA.
A 2009 Report of a Committee on the Cost Competitiveness
of India Tea Industry, too had pointed out that the PLA had
added to production costs and lowered competitiveness.
-
- -
Telecom regulator TRAI will soon form a joint committee
with telecom operators to review tariff rules, telephone
numbering plan and work towards making its monitoring
more transparent.
We will form a committee consisting of TRAI officers and
telecom operators representative to suggest which are the
provisions that have become obsolete and need to be
changed. This includes tariff order, regulations, licensing
and others, TRAI said.
TRAI has put forward five subjects before telecom operators
that need to be reviewed.
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director said that regulatory
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intervention is required in the area of infrastructure sharing
to bring cost of operations down and improve service quality.
- - -
The Centre would shortly introduce an exclusive scheme for
women entrepreneurs.
Earlier, government started myloanassocham.com, a portal.
ASSOCHAM said the site provides MSMEs online access
to funds at an affordable rate from a mix of banks and
financial institutions.
Ministry is in the process of creating an MSME data bank
based on which it can project the actual requirements of the
sector, he said and asked these enterprises to register
themselves.
The Reserve Bank of India, had issued guidelines for the
creation of committees for revival and rehabilitation of
MSMEs facing stress. Banks were in the process of setting
them up at state levels.
--- -
-
Loan disbursals by Micro Units Development and Refinance
Agency (MUDRA) slowed down in the third quarter of
current financial year following demonetisation of high-
value currencies.
We have disbursed Rs. 80,000 crore (from April 1 to
December 31, 2016). There has been some lull during the
last two months because of currency exchanges and those
kind of things, Jiji Mammen, CEO of MUDRA, said.
Asked if he was confident of reaching the disbursal target
of Rs. 1.8 lakh crore for FY17, Mammen replied in the
positive.
The agency was established by the government with an
initial corpus of Rs. 5,000 crore.
-- -
Taxmen call for data on deposits before, after demonetisation
move.The tax department has now asked banks and post
offices to provide details of cash deposits made from April
1, 2016 till November 8.
Bank account holders, who have not yet submitted their PAN
or Form 60 to their respective banks, have been asked to so
by February 28, 2017.
failing which no withdrawals will be allowed from such
accounts having a substantial credit balance, as per an
earlier decision by the Reserve Bank of India.
Income-tax Rules have been amended to provide that banks
shall obtain and link PAN or Form No 60, where PAN is not
available, in all existing bank accounts (other than basic
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savings bank deposit accounts) by 28 02.2017, if not already
done.
The banks and post offices have been mandated to submit
information in respect of cash deposits from April 1, 2016
to November 8, 2016 in accounts where the cash deposits
during the period November 9, 2016 to December 30, 2016
exceeds the specified limits.
Since it had come to the Centres notice that people were
paying impoverished account holders to deposit large sums
of cash into their accounts so as to convert it into white
money.
of digital payments net banking, mobile wallets or plastic
Tax anti-avoidance rule GAAR will kick in from April 1,
2017, the tax department said.
In its 2016 year-end review, the Central Board of Direct
Taxes, which is the apex policy-making body of the I-T
department, listed its major achievements.
Major achievements of CBDT in the current financial year
2016-17 so far include,among others, Enactment of The
Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016,
Implementation of The Direct Tax Dispute Resolution
Scheme, 2016 and of GAAR from Assessment Year 2018-
19.
- - -
- according to figures released by Mr. Jaitley.
Allaying security concerns over the Centres flagship digital
payment application BHIM, the CEO of cybersecurity
solutions firm Lucideus, said it was currently among the
most secure ways to make digital payments.
Imany firms involved in testing the UPI-based applications
safety, said that the increasing adoption of Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) payment mechanism would spell doom for
mobile wallets, which saw a surge in their usage in two
months.
The encryption used for the application to communicate with
the payments server is the same that is used in Google Wallet
or Apple Pay.
While e-wallets use a one-factor authentication mode by
default, both net banking and credit or debit cards use two-
factor authentication.
BHIM uses three-factor authentication and hence, is
relatively more secure from a consumer point of view. It also
combines the convenience of a mobile wallet with the
security of net banking.
When a user opens BHIM application for the first time, the
application automatically binds itself to their device ID and
phone number both of which are unique.
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This means that the same UPI cannot be used from two
phones. The BHIM application will also not work on a phone
which doesnt have a SIM card.
Once the BHIM App is installed, the user can select her bank
out of the 35 listed banks.
The application, which already knows the phone number,
runs a check to match the mobile number against the selected
banks data base to automatically detect the account whose
KYC details you have already filled in while opening the
bank account.
For consumers, before UPI, there were three popular options
cards.
Net Banking allows a users to access the bank account
without going to the bank, but a third party transfer even
within the same bank takes a minimum of 30 minutes.
- -- --
- -
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dismissed reports of a
slowdown due to demonetisation as anecdotal, and said the
real tax collection numbers gave a more accurate picture
of how the economy was faring.
Direct and indirect tax collections for the nine months
through December grew by 12% and 25% respectively,
Tax consultants, however, said the performance in some key
areas had been disappointing, pointing to a slowdown in the
economy.
Central excise duty receipts grew 43% in the period while
service tax collections grew 23.9% and customs duty
collections advanced 4.1%.
Last year, the same period saw excise duty collections grow
68.2%, service tax rise 24.45%, and customs collections up
17.6%.
- -
Companies can soon make statutory provident fund
contributions to the Employees Provident Fund
Organisation via private sector banks.
A Labour Ministry notification dated January 4 allows
employers to make such payments through scheduled banks
in India, including private sector banks.
At present, contribution can be made only through
nationalised banks and payment portal PayGov.
- - - - --
-
The Centre will soon hold discussions with insurance and
pension regulators on a proposal to enable pension funds and
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insurance companies such as Life Insurance Corporation to
invest in start-ups.
It also said that online sales of medicines was allowed under
the existing law and the Health Ministry would soon issue
a clarification in this regard.
Stating that the Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP), the nodal agency on the start-up policy,
had held preliminary discussions on the proposal of
insurance and pension funds investing in start-ups.
- - - -
- On the impact of demonetisation on growth, he said, It is
The real estate sector is estimated to have suffered notional
revenue loss of Rs. 22,600 crore in the fourth quarter of 2016
due to demonetisation as home sales plunged 44%,
according to real estate consultancy Knight Frank India.
The drop in sales volume during Q4 of 2016 due to the
demonetisation move had resulted in a massive notional
revenue loss of Rs. 22,600 crore to the real estate industry
across the country, across top eight cities.
If the Centre had not taken the demonetisation move, the
residential segment would not have suffered such a huge
revenue loss, it said. State governments had also suffered a
notional loss of Rs. 1,200 crore on account of loss on stamp
duty in the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter numbers were a testament to the effect
that the demonetisation move had had on the real estate
market of the country that was barely recovering from its
earlier sloth.
Sales volume dropped by 44% year-on-year in Q4 of 2016
and new projects fell by a massive 61% year-on-year during
the same period, it said.
The new projects number was much worse at just 24,300
units in Q4 2016, which was not even one-fifth of peak
quarterly levels during 2010, the report said.
All cities in India witnessed a crash during the fourth quarter
of 2016. Mumbai with notional sales revenue loss at Rs.
9,100 crore bore the maximum brunt while the impact in
Chennai was Rs. 1,100 crore and for Bengaluru it was Rs.
4,800 crore.
The notional revenue loss witnessed in Hyderabad and NCR
Delhi was Rs. 800 crore and Rs. 3,700 crore respectively.
- - - -
A day after former RBI Governor Y.V. Reddy flagged
reputational risk being faced by the central bank, another
former Governor, Bimal Jalan, said its autonomy was
fundamental and needs to be maintained.
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The autonomy of the RBI that is a very fundamental fact
and we have to maintain it and I hope the government would
give attention to that part also, Dr. Jalan said in an interview
to a private television channel.
Mr. Reddy regretted on January 9 that the institutional
identity of the RBI has been damaged and stressed that for
a central bank reputational risk is worst risk.
Dr. Jalan said one would have to wait and see how the
relationship between the government and RBI develops
which ultimately is a matter of coordination.
very difficult to go through the percentage points...but
everybody agrees that there would be a decline in the rate
of growth.
How far it is due to demonetisation and how far it is the trend
from 7.6 to 7.1, you have seen last year itself...Let us wait
and see.
- - -
Post-demonetisation, cash-based transactions worth Rs.
25,000 crore have moved to the digital mode, says a survey.
The Economic Research Department of State Bank of India
carried out the survey from December 30, 2016, to January
3, 2017, to understand the nuances of demonetisation.
It showed that 15 per cent of transactions moved to
electronic payments such as mwallets and Point of Sale
machines.
This means that Rs. 25,000 crore of cash-based transactions
have moved to digital in the last two months. If this is so,
this is a good beginning.
This number could have been higher because the
behavioural shift has not happened yet.
-- --
On-road emission tests for vehicles plying on Indian roads
will be mandatory once the Bharat Stage VI norm kicks in
from 2020, for which testing agency ARAI is developing a
unified test cycle.
The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is
devising ways to determine the on-road emission
benchmarks in the wake of the Volkswagen emission
cheating scandal of 2015.
In 2015, Heavy Industries Ministry had said ARAI would
conduct checks on emission levels of diesel passenger
vehicles.
-
-
NITI Aayog has estimated a growth rate of 8% for 2016-17
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as per a cautiously optimistic prognosis it has laid out in
the appraisal document for the Twelfth Five-Year Plan.
Flagging the lack of reforms in land acquisition, labour and
simplification of administrative procedures as impediments
to growth.
The review, however, does not take into account the impact
of demonetisation.
The 12th Plan is the last five-year Plan and from 2017-18,
the Centre would adopt a three-year action plan and a fifteen-
year vision document.
NITI Aayogsaid the new action plan would be finalised in
two months time and will also take into account the impact
of demonetisation.
The government think-tank said caution was essential as
reforms in areas such as skill development, infrastructure,
labour laws and land acquisition are far from complete.
NITI Aayog stated that much needed to be done to spell out
tax laws clearly so that future investors can assess their
liabilities with reasonable certainty.
A key lacuna in the Indian growth story has been slow
growth of manufacturers in general and labour-intensive
manufacturing in particular. Sectors in which India lags
behind are electronics, food processing, leather, and textiles
and garments.
-- - because many sectors had witnessed a significant
WB has cut its 2016-17 growth forecast for India to 7% from
7.6%, citing a slowdown in consumption and manufacturing
due to demonetisation, an ongoing decline in private
investment and credit constraints due to impaired bank
balance sheets.
The Indian economy is, however, set to recover its
momentum subsequently, with growth projected to
accelerate to 7.6% in FY18 and further strengthen to 7.8%
in FY20, according to the World Banks Global Economic
Prospects.
Unexpected demonetisation the phasing out of large-
denomination currency notes which were subsequently
replaced with new ones weighed on growth in the third
quarter of FY2017, the World Bank observed.
Weak industrial production and manufacturing and services
purchasing managers indexes (PMI), further suggest a set
back to activity in the fourth quarter of FY2017.
However, four key recent reforms could help growth
rebound, the bank said.
These, it said, were the passage of the bankruptcy and
insolvency code, the liberalisation of FDI norms across
sectors, the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
Amendment Bill, and the agreement between the
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government and the Reserve Bank of India on a monetary
policy framework.
Demonetisation could still cause major problems in the short
term, slowing reforms and affecting smaller economies such
as Nepal and Bhutan that are dependent on the Indian
economy.
- - -
Industrial output expanded by 5.7% , the fastest pace in more
than four years, largely on account of a low base effect,
government data showed.
The sharp increase in the Index of Industrial Production in
November 2016, which analysts have called a 'false positive',
comes on the back of a contraction of 3.37% in the same
month of the previous year.
The index of industrial production (IIP) grew by 5.7% on-
year in November, on account of a weak base, Crisil
Research said in a report.
The trend was similar across manufacturing and electricity,
which displayed high growth of 5.5% and 8.9% respectively
in November on a weak base.
The last time the IIP witnessed a higher growth rate was in
October 2012, when it grew 8.4%. The index contracted
1.9% in November 2016.
The base effect had a significant impact in November 2016
contraction in November 2015.
The manufacturing sector, for example, contracted 4.5% in
November 2015, while the capital goods sector contracted
24.4% that month.
This led the capital goods sector to show growth for the first
time in a year in November 2016, with the sector growing
15%. Consumer goods production grew 5.6% in November,
with consumer durables growing 9.8% .
Overall, the current number is more likely to be an outlier
given the uncertainty on account of demonetisation and the
industrial growth momentum is likely to have slowed down
in the near term.
In fact the IIP in November 2016 (175.8) is lower than
October 2016 (178.1) indicating that factory output has
actually declined sequentially.
- -
Retail inflation eased for the fifth straight month in
December to a more than two-year low, with price gains
based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) slowing to 3.4%
compared with the same month of the previous year.
Inflation as measured by the CPI was slower than this only
in November 2014, when it was at 3.27%.
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The main contributor to slower inflation was the softening
in food prices, with inflation in the food and beverages
category of the CPI falling below the 2% mark (1.98%) for
the first time since January 2012.
Retail inflation at 3.41% in December 2016 is on expected
lines reflecting the combined effect of demonetisation and
seasonality on food particularly fruits and vegetables.
However, prices of food items such as sugar which is in
double digit and cereals whose prices are showing upward
escalation are cause for worry.
Fuel inflation is trending upwards, with the fuel and light
segment seeing inflation accelerate to 3.77% in December
compared with 2.8% in November.
- - - other, said a senior government official.
Airtel Payments Bank, the first to commence operations in
the country, said it would charge a fee of 0.65% on all cash
withdrawals from savings accounts.
It is also promising an interest rate of 7.25 per cent on
deposits in the savings accounts.
The bank a joint venture between Bharti Airtel (80.1%)
and Kotak Mahindra Bank (19.9%) will invest Rs. 3,000
crore to build a pan-India banking network enabling
customers to mainly operate accounts from their phone.
The bank will allow transfer of money to any bank account
in India at a cost, but money transfers from an Airtel number
to another Airtel number within the Payments Bank will be
free.
Airtels payments bank will look to tap its more than 250
million telecom subscriber base.All customers mobile
numbers will double up as their bank account number.
In a bid to woo customers, Airtel is offering one minute of
telecom talk time for every rupee deposited at the time of
opening an account as well as free personal accident
insurance of Rs. 1 lakh with every savings account.
There are about 1.5 million individual stores that people go
to for getting their prepaid recharges.
For feature phones used by a majority in rural areas, the bank
has rolled out USSD shortcodes for account holders to carry
out transactions.
- - - rise by 1 lakh in 2017 and another 2 lakh in 2018, according
India has imposed anti-dumping duty on certain variety of
steel products imported from China and European Union to
protect the domestic players from cheap inbound shipments.
The duty was slapped on pre-painted, colour coated or
organic coated flat steels in coils or not in coils whether or
not with metallic coated substrate of zinc, aluminium-zinc
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or any other substrate coating, excluding plates of thickness
6mm or more.
The Department of Revenue in a notification said that the
anti-dumping duty is being imposed for six months on the
imports from these countries.
The measure follows recommendation by the Directorate
General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties.
-
NITI Aayog, the governments premier think-tank, will soon
set up an expert committee to arrive at a new poverty line,
according to an official.
We have said that we needed an expert committee to look
at poverty line as most states are not much in sync with each
Pursuant to the decision taken at the first meeting of the
Governing Council of NITI Aayog held at 2015, a Task
Force on Elimination of Poverty in India was set up by NITI
Aayog on March 16, 2015.
-
Indias trade deficit narrowed to $10.36 billion in December
2016 the lowest in the last three months as exports
expanded year-on-year for the fourth consecutive month and
outpaced imports, government data showed.
Exports in December 2016 posted a 5.72% year-on-year
growth to $23.88 billion thanks to a low base of (-) 14.40
% growth in December 2015, according to data released by
the Commerce Ministry.
The 5.72% growth in December 2016 was up from 2.26%
in November 2016 but slower than 8.22% in October 2016.
Imports rose by just 0.46 % to $34.25 billion in December
2016. Gold imports shrunk (-) 48.5 % to $1.96 billion after
having risen in the previous two months.
In terms of growth, this was the lowest since (-) 77.44 % in
August 2016, while in value terms it was the lowest since
$1.94 billion in September 2016.
-
-
The number of unemployed people in India is expected to
to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The ILO predicted that the number of jobless will increase
from 17.7 million in 2016 to 18 million by 2018 even though
the countrys unemployment rate is expected to go down
from 3.5 per cent to 3.4 per cent in 2017.
Globally, the ILO reckons that the number of jobless people
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will increase by 3.4 million in 2017, in its report on World
Employment and Social Outlook for 2017, with projections
based on econometric modelling carried out in November
2016.
The global unemployment rate is expected to rise modestly
from 5.7 to 5.8 per cent in 2017 as the pace of labour force
growth outstrips job creation.
Vulnerable forms of employment, which include
contributing family workers and own account workers, are
expected to stay above 42 per cent of total employment.
About 1.4 billion people are likely to be engaged in such
employment in 2017, with the number rising by 11 million
per year, with Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa being
the most affected.
- As a result, the general government deficit will remain
In signs of rising income inequality, Indias richest 1% now
hold a huge 58% of the countrys total wealth higher than
the global figure of about 50%, a new study showed.
The study, released by rights group Oxfam showed that just
57 billionaires in India now have same wealth ($216 billion)
as that of the bottom 70% population of the country.
Globally, just 8 billionaires have the same amount of wealth
as the poorest 50 % of the world population.
84 billionaires in India with a collective wealth of $248
billion, led by Mukesh Ambani ($19.3 billion), Dilip
Shanghvi ($16.7 billion) and Azim Premji ($15 billion). The
total Indian wealth in the country stood at $ 3.1 trillion.
The total global wealth in the year was $ 255.7 trillion of
which about $ 6.5 trillion was held by billionaires, led by
Bill Gates ($75 billion), Amancio Ortega ($67 billion) and
Warren Buffett($60.8 billion).
The richest 10% of the population in China, Indonesia, Laos,
India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have seen their share of
income increase by more than 15%. While, the poorest 10%
have seen their share of income fall by more than 15%.
The study said India suffers from huge gender pay gap and
has among the worst levels of gender wage disparity men
earning more than women in similar jobs with the gap
exceeding 30%.
In India, women form 60% of the lowest paid wage labour
but only 15% of the highest wageearners.
It means that in India women are not only poorly represented
in the top bracket of wageearners, but also experience wide
gender pay gap at the bottom.
- -
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is likely to soften to 4.5%
in 2017 from 4.9% in 2016, rating agency ICRA said in a
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report.
Key factors that will dominate retail inflation in 2017 include
monsoon dynamics, the impact of the GST on prices,
commodity price movements, and the rupee U.S. dollar
exchange rate, said Moodys Investors Service.
Monetary Policy Committees Dec 2016 meeting revealed
a renewed emphasis by some members on achieving the mid-
point, or 4%, of the inflation target range of 2%-6%.
The room for incremental repo rate cuts will prove limited,
at 25 basis points over the next six months.
Moodys explained that the implementation of the pending
GST and other measures aimed at enhancing income
declaration and tax collection will help widen Indias tax
base and boost revenues.
sizeable, and any reduction in Indias government debt
burden will largely rely on robust nominal Gross Domestic
Product(GDP) growth.
Moodys expected that Indias debt-to-GDP will hover
around the current levels (at 68.6 per cent in 2015) before
falling gradually, as nominal GDP growth is sustained and
revenue-broadening and expenditure efficiency-enhancing
measures take effect.
On the fiscal front, Moodys said that the government would
likely remain committed to achieving its fiscal deficit target
of 3.5% of GDP for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017.
However, room to reduce the deficit further to the target of
3% of the GDP in the following year will be limited, due to
the need for increased infrastructure spending and higher
government salaries.
-
- --
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hinted
that the government was likely to come out with incentives
including tax-related ones for start-ups in the upcoming
Union Budget.
A suggestion to exempt start-ups from the minimum
alternate tax had also been forwarded to the Finance
Ministry, she said, adding that the government was looking
to do away with the legislative hurdles faced by start-ups.
The Centre is also roping in States and local authorities to
look into issues relating to local taxes and other problems
that trouble start-ups.
DIPP will hold a meeting with the RBI, banks, SIDBI and
venture capital funds to discuss the hurdles on start-up
funding. DIPP Secretary said while many States were
bringing in policies to boost start-ups, they needed to do
more.
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Several top companies had been asked to use their corporate
social responsibility funds to help start-ups. States were
looking to ease labour and environment norms for start-ups.
- - In brief, the TFS Agreement is aimed at ensuring that the
--
Demonetisation move could dampen Indias growth by one
percentage point in the current fiscal year and 0.4 percentage
point the next year, compared with its earlier projections, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
The IMF now expects India to record a growth of 6.6% for
the current year, and 7.2% next year. Earlier, the IMF had
projected 7.6% growth for this year and the next.
According to the IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO)
update, there is marginal upward shift in prospects for the
U.S. and China until 2018, but India, Brazil, and Mexico
have had their projections revised downwards.
Other Asian countries such as Thailand and Indonesia will
also face headwinds in the medium term, while stimulus
policies expected and already underway in the U.S. and
China will hold the world economy from further slowdown.
The IMF said. Global growth for 2016 is now estimated at
3.1%, in line with the October 2016 forecast, according to
the report.
According to the IMF, the revised estimate for Indias growth
in 2016-17 is 6.6% as against 7.6% in 2015-16. In earlier
estimates, IMF had expected India to sustain its 2015-16
growth rate in 2016-17 too.
For next year, the IMF has projected a growth rate of 7.2%
as against its previous forecast of 7.6%. In 2018-19, the
Indian economy should be growing at 7.7%, as estimated
earlier.
For China, the growth forecast for 2017 was revised
upwards, to 6.5%, 0.3 percentage point above the October
forecast. In 2018, Chinas growth rate is projected to be 6%
against Indias 7.7%.
-- Low-cost airline SpiceJet had the highest average load factor
Indias top industry bodies are attempting to build a coalition
with counterparts in other nations with similar interests to
give a fillip to the countrys proposal for a Trade Facilitation
in Services (TFS) Agreement at the WTO.
The proposed TFS pact, among other things, aims to make
it easier for professionals and skilled workers to move across
borders for short-term work, as well as ensure portability of
their social security contributions.
Two leading industry bodies CII and FICCI will next
month hold a global seminar in Delhi and Mumbai on the
topic.
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India said the TFS Agreement will address the key issues
pertinent to facilitating services trade, such as transparency,
streamlining procedures, and eliminating bottlenecks.
market access arising out of existing as well as future
liberalisation commitments is effective and meaningful.
While Indias industry bodies have begun attempts to form
a global coalition on services, the Centre is also in talks with
other countries on coalition building.
Indias proposal for a TFS agreement was welcomed by
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevdo and trade
ministers from many WTO-member nations.
- - --
Indias domestic air passenger traffic grew 23.18% to about
10 crore in 2016 compared with the previous year, data
released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) showed.
In 2016, Indias air traffic stood at 9.98 crore passengers
compared with 8.19 crore in 2015 which had seen a 21%
growth.
Low-cost airline IndiGo continued to dominate in 2016 with
a 2.6% increase in its market share to 39.3%. In 2016, 63.8%
of all passengers flew using low-cost airlines, such as
IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, up from 59.7% in 2015.
The passenger share of full-service airlines Air India, Jet
Airways and GoAir declined in 2016.
SpiceJets passenger share rose to 12.7% from 11.6% a year
ago. New airlines also saw a rise in their market share with
Vistara carrying 2.5% of the total passengers and AirAsia,
2.4%.
A dip in aviation turbine fuel prices by 8% on an average in
2016 allowed airlines to offer fares that were lower by about
14%. Aviation turbine fuel cost contributes about 40% of the
total cost of the operations of airlines.
with the airline managing to fill up 92.66% of its seats
throughout the year.
This was followed by GoAir (87.22%), IndiGo (84.9%),
AirAsia (84.56%), Jet Airways (81.03%), Air India (79.01%)
and Vistara (75.51%).
SpiceJet also reported the highest on-time performance in
December (70%).
According to CAPA, Indias domestic market is on track to
surpass 10 crore passengers in 2016-17 and India will likely
overtake Japan this financial year to become the third largest
domestic market behind the U.S. and China.
India will witness the third consecutive year of domestic
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growth above 20% in 2017-18 and the growth could be as
high as 25%, CAPA said in its report titled Aviation Outlook
for 2017-18.
- -
- Airlines have shown interest in flying out of underserved
The government is considering allowing 100 % FDI through
automatic route in single brand retail. According to sources,
there is a proposal to allow 100 % FDI in single brand retail
sector through automatic route with certain conditions.
Currently, FDI up to 49 % is permitted under the automatic
route but beyond that limit, governments nod is required.
Foreign investment is allowed subject to certain conditions,
which require products to be of a single brand only and to
be sold under the same brand globally.
For proposals involving FDI beyond 51 %, it is mandatory
to source 30 % of the value of goods purchased from India,
preferably MSMEs.
- - The routes or networks would be awarded to bidders who
-- quote the lowest requirement of Viability Gap Funding
The Union Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval for a larger
package supporting small and medium enterprises a
promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his New
Years eve address to the nation.
The Corpus of Credit Guarantee Trust Fund for Micro and
Small Enterprises will increase from Rs. 2,500 crore to Rs.
7,500 crore.
The Centre has increased the coverage of loans covered
under the credit guarantee scheme to Rs. 2 crore from Rs. 1
crore.
The government will put another Rs. 5,000 crore to make it
Rs. 7,500 crore and the intent is to extend the credit
guarantee scheme, just as the Prime Minister had announced,
to allow guarantees up to Rs. 2 crore instead of the present
Rs. 1 crore.
- -- The two schemes, aimed at incentivising the consumers and
- the merchants to promote digital payments, were unveiled
Dormant airports such as Hosur, Bikaner, Bidar, Jalandhar,
Jalgaon or Jaisalmer may soon start receiving flights as
airlines have shown interest in flying out of these airports
under the Centres ambitious regional connectivity scheme.
Passengers may soon be able to fly out of these airports by
paying Rs. 2,500 for an hours flight.
The Airports Authority of India, which is implementing the
regional connectivity scheme, has received 45 proposals
from 11 bidders covering more than 200 routes as the
deadline for submitting the proposals ended.
The operators have submitted plans covering 65 airports, out
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of which 52 are un-served airports which havent seen a
single flight for more than a year and the remaining 13 are
under-served airports where less than seven commercial
flight departures take place in a week.
airports including Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, Jamnagar and
Bhavnagar in Gujarat, Jorhat in Assam, Kullu in Himachal
Pradesh, Diu, Puducherry, Agra in Uttar Pradesh etc.
Some of the unserved airports, proposed to be revived for
regional flights, include Bilaspur and Jagdalpur in
Chhattisgarh, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand etc
As per the scheme, the Centre will subsidise the losses
incurred by airlines flying out of dormant airports, to allow
airlines to charge Rs. 2,500 for an hours flight to passengers.
About 80% of the subsidy will be collected by charging a
levy of up to Rs. 8,500 on each departing flight of domestic
airlines and the rest 20% will come from the respective state
governments.
(VGF) against such routes, the ministry said in an official
statement.
- -
--
The Centre has so far awarded Rs. 60.9 crore as prize money
to over 3.81 lakh consumers and 21,000 merchants under
its two lucky draw schemes Lucky Grahak Yojana and
Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana announced to boost digital
payments post demonetisation.
The winners, an official release said, includes small farmers,
anganwadi workers, housewives and labourers.
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh
and Karnataka have emerged as the top five states with the
maximum number of winners, Niti Aayog said adding that
most of the winners were in the age group of 21-30 yrs.
on December 25 last year and will remain open till April 14.
The Niti Aayog statement said over 100 Digi-Dhan Melas,
where lucky draws are organised, will be held across the
country to inculcate digital payment among the people.
Additionally, the Common Service Centres (CSCs) have so
far trained about 1.94 crore citizens and 5.93 lakh merchants
on transacting using digital payment systems.
National Informatics Centre or NIC is the technology
infrastructure arm of the government and plays a key role
in Digital India. As a pilot project, 150 District NIC offices
would be upgraded during 2017-18.
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- - - -- - Act, 1949 applies, the official notification states.
This follows reports of irregularities in book-keeping at
The tax department has asked banks to report deposits in any
account aggregating Rs. 10 lakh in a year, as well as cash
payments of Rs. 1 lakh or more on credit card bills.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) listed cash
transactions which need to be reported to tax authorities and
set up an e-platform for doing so.
It reiterated its November 2016 instruction asking banks to
report all cash deposits of Rs. 2.5 lakh or more made in one
or more accounts of a person during November 9 to
December 30, 2016.
Post demonetisation of old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000, the
government had allowed the junked currency to be deposited
in bank accounts during a 50-day window ending December
30, 2016.
Also, cash deposits during April 1, 2016 to November 9,
2016 in any account that are reportable should also be
intimated to the the tax authorities by January 31, 2017, the
notification said.
It made it mandatory for a banking company or a cooperative
bank to report cash deposits aggregating to Rs. 10 lakh or
more in a financial year, in one or more accounts (other than
a current account and time deposit) of a person.
- - - - have a PAN card.
- - The Finance Act of 2015 had first introduced the deduction
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed
penalties totalling about Rs. 2.92 crore on three firms for bid
rigging of tenders floated by Indian Railways for procuring
brushless DC fans in 2013.
The CCI imposed a penalty of Rs. 2.09 crore, Rs. 62.37 lakh
and Rs. 20.01 lakh on Western Electric and Trading
Company, Pyramid Electronics and R. Kanwar Electricals
respectively.
CCI has held that the firms had shared the market by way
of allocation of tenders of Indian Railways for Brushless DC
fans amongst themselves under an agreement/ arrangement
and indulged in bid rigging or collusive bidding, an official
statement said.
- - -- advertisements of traditional systems of medicine in
domains such as ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy.
The government announced that cooperative banks will not
be authorised to accept deposits under the Pradhan Mantri
Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme.
Application for the deposit in the form of Bonds Ledger
Account shall be received by any banking company, other
than co-operative Banks, to which the Banking Regulation
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cooperative banks.
-
The Labour Ministry has sought a fourfold increase in the
threshold limit for tax deduction on provident fund
withdrawals, from the existing Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 2 lakh, in
the coming Budget.
This means that if the proposal gets a go-ahead, one can
withdraw provident fund savings of up to Rs. 2 lakh without
any tax deduction even if one has not completed five years
of continuous service.
At present, provident fund withdrawals of more than Rs.
50,000 before completing five years in service attracts
income tax of up to 34.608%.
The Centre in 2016 increased the threshold limit of PF
withdrawal for deduction of tax (TDS) from Rs. 30,000 to
Rs. 50,000.
The Labour Ministry has also requested the Finance Ministry
to remove tax deduction of 34.608%, known as the
maximum marginal rate, for workers who do not furnish
PAN card details.
While a 10% tax is deducted for workers disclosing PAN
details, 34.608% tax is deducted for workers who do not
of income tax on payment of accumulated provident fund
balance due to an employee with less than five years of
service.
The Labour Ministry has also sought retrospective service
tax exemption for the EPF scheme.EPFO was exempted
from the purview of service tax from April 2016.
The Labour Ministry has now said the exemption should
come into effect retrospectively arguing that EPF is a social
security scheme and doesnt come in the category of
banking and financial services.
- - -
The Ministry of AYUSH has tasked the advertising industry
watchdog to proactively identify potentially misleading
Usually, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)
scans the advertisements based on complaints it receives.
ASCI has been given a self-monitoring mandate by the
Ministry of AYUSH to identify potentially misleading
advertisements in the AYUSH sector and process complaints
through its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC).
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These will include advertisements on ayurveda, yoga and
naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy medicines,
treatment and related services.
The arrangement would ensure that any advertisement
making claims for diseases and disorders, in violation of the
notification issued by our ministry for indications that have
been prohibited from claiming, are immediately brought to
- -
our attention.
The watchdog will comprehensively monitor these
advertisements across 900 publications and 500 TV
channels. The Ministry will also redirect complaints against
misleading advertisements to ASCI which will be reviewed
using ASCIs code and guidelines.
The MoU also requires ASCI to report to the Ministry of
AYUSH, advertisements in potential violation of the Drugs
and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act,
1954 and Rules thereunder as well as non-compliance of
ASCIs CCC recommendations for the Ministry of AYUSH
to take further action.
- services.
- - - The Ministry took a benchmark GST rate of 18% and
The ongoing boardroom tussle in the Tata Group has
compelled the Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) to review the norms for removal of independent
directors in listed companies.
At the SEBI board meet, the capital market watchdog took
note of the fact that promoters by virtue of their majority
holding in large listed companies can easily remove an
independent director.
An internal note presented to the SEBI board stated that the
regulator should evaluate the option of barring the promoters
from voting on resolutions seeking removal of independent
directors.
It is felt that the present provisions make the removal process
less stringent than the appointment process. Therefore, since
a special resolution is required for the re-appointment of an
independent director, the same principle should be applied
for his removal also i.e special resolution may be made
necessary.
The capital market regulator has brought this issue to the
notice of Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) as well, based
on the letters it received from Nusli Wadia who was removed
as an independent director from Tata Motors, Tata Steel and
Tata Chemicals.
SEBI listing regulations and Companies Act, 2013 needs to
provide independent directors a fair process and the
opportunity to debate their dismissal before the non-
promoter independent shareholders, currently it does not
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require legally sufficient cause for dismissal, or any similar
test.
Meanwhile, the note presented to the board also stated that
it would not be right on SEBIs part to question the
commercial decisions of the boards of companies unless
there is any kind of violation of the securities laws.
--
The Ministry of Power has recommended that renewable
energy be given a zero-rate tax status under the Goods and
Services Tax, predicting several adverse effects to the
economy if there was any increase in power tariffs due to
the new tax regime.
Any further tariff increase due to GST may have a multiplier
effect on economic development (such) as: (i) difficulty in
passing through the impact to agriculture and domestic
consumers, (ii) adverse impact on industrial production and
GDP, (iii) adverse impact on Make in India, and (iv) adverse
impact on export competitiveness of Indian products and
calculated that, if renewable energy was taxed at this rate,
then capital expenditure in the sector would increase
between 10% and 12% and tariffs for wind and solar energy
could increase by as much as Rs. 0.5 per unit.
The Power Ministrys recommendation was for the GST
Council to choose one of two options: either give renewable
energy supply a zero-rate status, or give it a deemed export
status.
The Ministry also asked for the inclusion of all hydro
projects as renewable energy projects. Currently, only small
hydro projects of a capacity of up to 25 MW are deemed
renewable energy projects.
The Ministry also requested that supplies made to under-
construction hydro power projects be granted deemed export
status in line with what is being contemplated for solar
projects.
- --
Telecom regulator TRAI is likely to recommend to the
Department of Telecom (DoT) that Aadhaar-based eKYC be
allowed even for outstation customers who want to get a
mobile connection in a particular service area.
Further, the regulator may suggest that the existing mobile
subscribers in the country should be encouraged to go in for
Aadhaar-based electronic Know Your Customer verification,
for which telecom service providers could offer incentives
such as free data or talk time.
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The facilitation of Aadhaar-driven eKYC for the existing
customer base would ensure proper verification of
subscribers and address the security concerns pertaining to
fake or bogus mobile connections.
It would also help telecommunication operators to avoid the
hassle of storing physical customer verification paper
documents that could get damaged or misplaced in the long
run.
- - security challenge.
India, along with Brazil, Argentina and some other nations,
has rejected an informal attempt by the European Union
(EU) and Canada to work towards a global investment
agreement at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)-level.
This would also incorporate a contentious Investor-State
Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism.
The ISDS mechanism has become contentious as it permits
companies to drag governments to international arbitration
without exhausting the local remedies and claim huge
amounts as compensation citing losses they suffered due to
reasons, including policy changes.
Only after all local options have been exhausted for settling
disputes between a corporate and a government, do we want
to permit issues to be taken up in international arbitration
tribunals, Ms.Sitharaman said.
The pact, among other things, aims to facilitate easier
movement of skilled workers and professionals across
borders for short-term work.
Meanwhile, the EU has indicated to India that it wants to
first conclude talks on a new Bilateral Investment Treaty
(BIT) with India and then restart negotiations on the
proposed bilateral free trade agreement.
- - - Farmers in the whole of India availing short term crop loans
from cooperative banks will be benefited, according to an
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has
recommended the use of Aadhaar-based e-KYC for
verification of existing mobile subscribers.
Aadhaar linked e-KYC service provides a robust
mechanism to verify the identity of a person electronically
and instantaneously from the source itself, based on the
biometrics of a person, the regulator said in a statement.
TRAI has also recommended that the use of Aadhaar-based
e-KYC be permitted for outstation customers.
DoT may work with TSPs (telecom service providers) to
evolve a framework to verify the existing mobile subscribers
through Aadhaar based e-KYC services in a phased manner
and within a defined time frame.
However, this process should be optional to the service
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providers as well as mobile subscribers, the regulator said.
It added that as e-KYC verification could not be made
mandatory, a scheme could be formulated to encourage the
existing subscribers to undergo the e-KYC process.
Stating that it had received several cases from state police
departments where it had been found that hundreds of SIM
cards have been obtained using fake documents, TRAI is of
the view that the existence of such SIM cards posed a real
- - --
-
With a little more than a week before Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley presents the Budget, the N.K. Singh panel submitted
its report on revising the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management Act to Mr. Jaitley.
The five-member committee including RBI Governor
Urjit Patel, former Finance Secretary Sumit Bose, Chief
Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, and National
Institute of Public Finance and Policy Director Rathin Roy.
Committee was constituted in May 2016 following Mr.
Jaitleys announcement, in Budget 2016-17, of the creation
of a panel to review the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management Act.
- - -
- -
The Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for an
interest waiver for the two months of November and
December, 2016 for farmers accessing short-term crop loans
from cooperative banks.
It also approved an interest subvention to NABARD on the
additional refinance by NABARD to cooperative banks.
official statement.
The decision intends to ensure availability of resources with
cooperative banks helps farmers in easily accessing crop
loans from cooperative banks to overcome the difficulties
in view of the reduction in availability of cash for carrying
out Rabi operations.
The Cabinet also approved NABARD to make short-term
borrowings.
- -
The Cabinet gave its post-facto approval for introduction of
the Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017.
The scheme will be implemented through LIC during the
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current financial year to provide social security to persons
aged 60 years and above against a future fall in their interest
income due to uncertain market conditions.
The scheme will provide pension based on a guaranteed rate
of return of 8% per annum for 10 years, with monthly/
quarterly/half-yearly or annual basis options.
The difference between the return generated by LIC and the
assured return of 8% per annum would be borne by the
government as a subsidy.
- feet per day to 12.8 bcfd while coal consumption is project
Finance Ministry is yet to take a final view on the
suggestions made by a panel on encouraging digital
payments, which include a recommendation to levy a
handling charge on cash transactions over Rs. 50,000.
In its interim report submitted to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on January 24, the panel has recommended levying
of a handling charge for cash payments above Rs. 50,000,
while pitching for tax breaks to consumers and merchants
using digital modes of payments.
It also suggested the abolition of merchant discount rate to
make digital payments cheaper than cash.
- -
With the cash crunch situation easing, Reserve Bank of India
may do away with the weekly withdrawal limits from banks
as well as ATMs by the end of February.
The RBI had recently raised the ATM withdrawal limit to
Rs. 10,000 a day but maintained the weekly cap at Rs. 24,000
for savings account and Rs. 1 lakh for current account
holders.
According to SBIs research report Ecowrap, By the end
of February, 78-88% of the currency could be back in the
system under the best case scenario in terms of an optimal
currency distribution (more small denomination notes),.
Urjit Patel could not set a time frame before the Standing
Committee on Finance for return of normalcy in the banking
system even as the central bank asserted that Rs. 9.2 lakh
crore or 60% of demonetised currency had been replaced.
-- - adequately considered the tax implications, then GAAR
Having pipped Japan to become worlds third-largest oil
consumer, Indias oil consumption growth will be the fastest
among all major economies by 2035, BP Statistical Review
of World Energy.
India, Asias second-biggest energy consumer since 2008,
had in 2015 overtaken Japan as the worlds third-largest oil
consuming country behind US and China.
Indias energy consumption grows the fastest among all
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major economies by 2035. As a result, the country remains
import dependent despite increases in production.
While energy consumption will grow by 4.2 per cent per
annum faster than all major economies in the world Indias
consumption growth of fossil fuels would be the largest in
the world.
Oil consumption will rise beom 4.1 million barrels per day
in 2015 to 9.2 million bpd in 2035.
Natural gas consumption would jump from 4.9 billion cubic
to more than double to 833 million tons.
Indias energy demand growth at 129 per cent is more than
double the non OECD average of 52 per cent and also
outpaces each of the BRIC countries as China (47 %), Brazil
(41 %), and Russia (2 %), all expand slower.
Its share of global energy demand increases to 9 per cent by
2035, accounting for the second largest share among the
BRIC countries with China at 26 per cent, Russia at 4 per
cent and Brazil at 2 per cent.
-
The Centre has reiterated that the General Anti Avoidance
Rules aimed at curbing tax avoidance will come into
force on April 1.
The governments resolve to stick to the rollout date for the
GAAR regime announced in the 2016 Budget was reflected
in clarifications issued by the Finance Ministry.
Finance Ministry made clear its rules regarding several
issues that the industry had demanded greater clarity on,
including the specific cases in which GAAR would apply
to FPI, the treatment of Limitation of Benefits (LOB) clauses
and.
Most new treaties being signed are with the LOB clause.
Therefore, foreign investors have clarity now. Another
positive thing is that court-approved arrangements are
outside the purview of GAAR.
The official clarification also said that, if at the time of
sanctioning an arrangement, the court had explicitly and
would not apply to such an arrangement.
It has also been clarified that GAAR would not apply if an
arrangement was permitted by the Authority for Advance
Rulings.
-
A trade accord that will boost global exports by $1 trillion
should come into force within two weeks, the head of the
World Trade Organization said, just as the rhetoric of U.S.
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President Donald Trump clouds the outlook for global trade.
The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) will have a major
impact on poorer countries, because it standardises and
simplifies customs procedures, slashing the time, cost and
complexity of taking goods over borders.
There are estimates that once fully implemented, this could
have an impact of around 2.7 percentage points on trade
expansion throughout the world every year until say 2030,
and 0-5% of GDP growth around the world.
The United States, European Union, China and Japan were
among the early adopters, although big and rich countries
have less to gain since their customs procedures are already
at high levels.
Mr. Azevedo said it was too early to tell whether the new
U.S. admini would be on board with those reforms, adding
that much of what was being said about Mr. Trumps plans
for trade was speculation inferred from his previous
comments.
The education sector saw the highest increase of 51,000,
More than 111 crore people now have an Aadhaar number,
covering more that 99% of the Indian adult population, the
government said.
Enrolment for Aadhar has increased to 7-8 lakh per day post
demonetisation, against 5-6 lakh till October.
There has also been an increase in use of Aadhaar-enabled
payments systems from 2.57 crore transactions in October
2016, to 2.69 crore in November, to 3.73 crore in December
and to 2.06 crore transactions in the first 15 days of January.
It is becoming a powerful instrument to bridge the digital
divide As on date, Aadhaars total saturation percentage
is 91.7%, while over 99 % adult population above age of 18
have been assigned Aadhaar number.
He added that 22 states and UTs have more that 90%
Aadhaar saturation.
The Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AEPS) is now
connected with 119 banks across the country and more than
33.87 crore transactions have taken place using the platform,
mainly in the rural areas.
About 4.47 crore bank accounts have been opened till date
using Aadhaar eKYC as compared with one lakh accounts
opened as of May 2014.
- -- This is despite RBI, in a notification in May 2016, specifying
that payment or remittance or reimbursement can be made
Exporters wish-list for the 2017-18 Union Budget include
an Export Development Fund to help marketing of the
products of small exporters in global markets, extension of
the 3% interest subsidy to merchant exporters.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said the
government should create an Export Development Fund for
such marketing particularly for small and medium exporters
amounting to 0.5% of the previous years exports.
The present support through the marketing scheme was
inadequate.
Stating merchant exporters contribute to more than 40% of
Indias exports, FIEO said the 3% Interest Equalisation
Scheme, available now to small and medium manufacturing
units, must be extended to merchant exporters.
-- -
About 77,000 jobs were created in July-September 2016,
compared with the previous quarter, with the key sectors of
manufacturing, construction and information technology
showing a dip in job creation.
The survey showed that services sectors such as trade,
transport, accommodation, education and health saw an
overall increase in employment by 1.28 lakh.
followed by health, trade and transport. However, in July-
September last year, the IT-BPO sector saw a dip of 16,000
jobs compared with the previous quarter. While the
construction sector lost 23,000 jobs, analysts were surprised
by a dip in manufacturing jobs by 12,000.
Economists said data for the Oct.-Dec. quarter could show
a dip in job creation in the wake of the withdrawal of high-
value currency notes.
According to the latest survey, about 83% of the 12,000
manufacturing jobs lost affected female workers. Also, most
of the job losses in the sector were of casual and contract
labour.
The previous survey, released in March 2016, had shown
1.35 lakh jobs were created in 2015 the lowest in seven
years.
- - -
Indias trade with Iran is yet to be fully normalised even a
year after the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran.
Indian exporters are complaining of difficulties faced by
them due to some Indian nationalised banks refusing to deal
with Iran-related transactions, according to the Federation
of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).
from or to Iran in any freely convertible currency for imports
from Iran and exports to that country.
Both the nations had agreed in 2012 that 45% of Indias oil
import payments to Iran would be paid in rupees and
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deposited in UCO Bank as that bank hardly had an exposure
to U.S. or European Union.
In turn, Iran was to utilise that amount to pay for its imports
from India. It is learnt that the balance in the rupee account
may not be sufficient to cover three months of Indias exports
to Iran.
A senior official in a public sector bank, however, said on
condition of anonymity that there have been no problems
regarding Iran-related transactions in currencies other than
the U.S. dollar.
Exporters and importers have been advised to carry out their
transactions in currencies such as the Euro wherever
possible, banks still have apprehensions that the U.S.
regulators could take arbitrary decisions on Iran's
transactions.
Indias trade with Iran in FY16 was $9 billion, of which $6.3
billion were imports from Iran (of which $4.5 billion was
the oil import bill), while Indias exports were worth only
$2.7 billion.
Of the $5.4 billion worth imports from Iran in April-October
FY17, oil imports were $4.5 billion. Indias exports to Iran
during April-October FY17 were $1.4 billion.
The trade between these two countries were worth $16.2
billion in 2011-12 (Indias exports of $2.4 billion and
imports from Iran worth $13.8 billion).
- - - to create a non-lapsable safety fund named Rashtriya Rail
- Sanraksha Kosh over five years.
India Post has received payments bank licence from the
Reserve Bank of India to start roll-out of banking operations
commercially under the permit.
Payments banks can accept deposits up to Rs. 1 lakh per
account from individuals and small businesses.
The new model allows mobile firms, supermarket chains and
others to cater to banking requirements of individuals and
small businesses.
It will be set up as a differentiated bank and will confine its
activities to acceptance of demand deposits, remittance
services, Internet banking and other specified services.
In 2015, RBI had granted in-principle approval to 11
entities to set up payments banks.
- - -
The government is working on boosting infrastructure,
particularly ports, roads and waterways, to significantly
reduce logistics cost that is very high in the country, Union
Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
He made a pitch for port-led development which is crucial
for higher economic growth.
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Our logistics cost is very high. It is 18%. It is easy to take
any material from Mumbai to Dubai or from Mumbai to
London, but it is very difficult to take material from Mumbai
to Delhi as it is costly and complicated, Mr. Gadkari said.
The Road, Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister
hoped that the target 40 km of road construction a day will
be achieved by next year.
It was 2 km per day, last year, it was 18 km per day and by
the end of this March, it will be 30 km per day. But our target
was 40 km per day, and I am confident that next year, we
will complete that target, he added.
- -
-
The Finance Ministry has agreed to contribute partially to a
new dedicated railway safety fund in the upcoming Budget
to be presented on February 1.
Train derailments have increased to a six-year high of 74 till
January 23 this year compared to 65 in 2015-16 and this may
prompt the Railways to bring back a cess on railway tickets
to fund safety efforts.
Fund is proposed to be utilised for track improvement,
bridge rehabilitation work, rolling stock replacement, human
resource development, improved inspection system and
safety work at level-crossings, among other things.
The Railway Ministry had requested the Finance Ministry
However, the Finance Ministry is likely to grant a fresh
infusion of only Rs. 5,000 crore in the upcoming financial
year out of the initial proposed corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore.
About Rs. 10,000 crore will likely be earmarked from the
Central Road Fund (CRF) that is collected by levying a cess
on diesel and petrol at present for safety-related work.
The Railway Ministry, which was expecting an annual
budgetary support of Rs. 20,000 crore over five years from
the Finance Ministry for the proposed Rs. 1.19 lakh crore
safety fund, may now be asked to fund the remaining Rs.
5,000 crore for the initial corpus from its own resources.
Now, it may either have to bring back a cess on rail tickets
to finance its share of Rail Safety Fund or look to fund it
from non-budgetary resources.
In 2001, when a Special Railway Safety Fund of Rs. 17,000
crore was created, the Railways raised Rs. 5,000 crore
through safety surcharge on passenger fare and the
remaining Rs. 12,000 crore came from the Finance Ministry.
Back then, the Railways levied a fee of Rs. 1 for second-
class ordinary trains and Rs. 2 for second-class Mail or
Express trains, per person.
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For other classes, the surcharge on tickets had ranged
between Rs. 10 and Rs. 100 depending on the class and
distance of journey.
The Railways had asked for Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh
to be set up based on the recommendations of a high-level
safety review committee under former chairman Atomic
Energy Commission Dr. Anil Kakodkar.
The Committee, which submitted its report in 2012, had
projected an investment requirement of Rs. 1 lakh crore on
safety over five years.
The Centre has so far fully implemented 22 out of 87
partially or fully accepted recommendations made by the
panel.
- -
The Indian Railways (IR) is a behemoth employing 1.3
million workmen, lifting more than 1 billion tonnes of freight
annually and carrying 24 million passengers in its 12,000
passenger trains each day.
Only a few railway systems in the world match or outdo
these indices, but one factor that no other railway had
matched was that the Indian Railways had its own budget -
to be presented every year on the floor of the Parliament.
At least this was the case until last year. 2017 will go down
in history as the first year when the Rail Budget was
subsumed in the General Budget.
A separate rail budget has its genesis in the recommendations
of the Acworth Committee of 1920, pointed out the need for
unified management of the entire railway system.
It recommended that the Finance department should cease
to control the internal finances of the railway, that the railway
should have a separate budget of its own
This was considered necessary because the Railways
revenues far outstripped the general revenue and had the
potential of masking small yet important aberrations in the
general budget of the Government of India, if presented
together.
In 1947, when Independence was achieved, railway
revenues were still 6% more than the general revenue.
The Railway Convention Committee headed by Sir
Gopalaswamy Ayyangar recommended, separation of
Railway finances from General finance should continue.
A resolution to this effect was approved by the Constituent
Assembly on December 21, 1949.
The revised convention was to be effective for a period of
five years starting 1950-51, but continued for 66 years, just
as a few other constitutional provisions for language and
reservation have enjoyed an extended life.
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By the 1970s, the size of rail revenues had shrunk and was
about 30% the size of general revenues. By 2015-16 it was
down to 11.5%. The writing was on the wall; only the
Railway Board failed to read it.
Could the Indian Railways have avoided this fate? It erred
on two facets of its philosophy for growth. First and foremost
was its penchant for subsidising the passenger fares from
artificially jacked up freight rates.
The non-AC fares have remained static for the past 12 years;
this has been nothing short of suicidal. Freight rates now are
at such high levels that road hauliers successfully compete
with Railways on grounds of being cheaper.
It is not surprising that the rail share in the overall freight
kitty is down from 89% in 1950-51 to less than 30% in 2014-
15.
Secondly, the Railways themselves have been withdrawing
from their core areas of operations and concentrating on
peripheral items. They have withdrawn themselves from all
urban transport activities.
In the 1990s, if the IR had devised innovative solutions like
forming Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to catalyse
construction of metro lines, both the people of India and the
Railways would have benefited from it.
Instead, in the 1990s, a situation was created, albeit
unwittingly, which made transportation of petroleum
products cheaper by pipeline.
At that time, movement of petroleum products was the most
profitable business for the Railways and it had a lions share
of 75% in this sector. It is now down to 10%!
It will be harsh to contend that a separate rail budget has not
served the country well. In 1947, the same administration
controlled the areas in the present day Pakistan and
Bangladesh.
-
- -
UIDAI has cautioned people about sharing their personal
information with unauthorised agencies for printing Aadhaar
numbers on a plastic card.
It also stressed that the Aadhaar letter, with its cutaway
portion or the downloaded version, on an ordinary paper is
perfectly valid.
The UIDAI has also warned unauthorised agencies that
collecting such information or unauthorised printing of
Aadhaar card or aiding such persons in any manner amounts
to a criminal offence.
The UIDAI further said that if someone loses the Aadhaar
printout, they could download it for free from the website.
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Study Kit for Preliminary Examinations:
IAS (Pre) GS Paper 1
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IAS (Pre) GS Paper 2

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Contemporary Issues
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Public Administration
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Essay Writing
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English Grammar & Comprehension

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History
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Philosophy
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Study Kit for Other One Day Examinations:
SSC Combined Graduate Level (Tier - I)
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- - - -
- -
A researcher from India has taken the first definitive step to
produce high-speed electronic devices that can operate one
million times faster than modern electronics.
The electrons were found to be moving at a speed
(frequency) close to 1,015 (one million billion) hertz; the
best achievable speed in modern transistors is only 109 (one
billion) hertz. The results were published in Nature .
Conventionally, the motion of electrons (conductivity) is
achieved by applying voltage. But Dr. Garg and others
controlled the motion of electrons inside the solid material
by using laser pulses.
Light waves are electromagnetic in nature and have very
high oscillation frequency of electric and magnetic fields.
This ultra-high frequency of light waves can be used to drive
and control electron motion in semiconductors.
The performance of high-speed circuits rely on how quickly
electric current can be turned on and off inside a material.
The very short time interval needed to turn silicon dioxide
from an insulator to a conductor was possible as the team
used high-intensity and extremely short laser pulses and
silicon dioxide in the form of a nanofilm. In the bulk form.
Silicon dioxide tends to get damaged by high-intensity laser
as the material tends to accumulate heat produced by the
laser pulse.
But as a nanofilm, silicon dioxide becomes nearly
transparent to laser and absorbs less heat and therefore gets
less damaged.
-- explosion, to examine theories about the Moons formation
Researchers have developed a solar-powered purifier, which
could provide a highly efficient and inexpensive way to turn
contaminated water into potable water for personal use.
The device could help address global drinking water
shortages, especially in developing areas and regions
affected by natural disasters, researchers said.
The team built a small-scale solar still. The device, called a
solar vapour generator, cleans or desalinates water by
using the heat converted from sunlight.
http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses
In a new development, researchers have found out that a
cancer drug could promote regeneration of heart tissue.
An anticancer agent in development promotes regeneration
of damaged heart muscle. This is an unexpected research
finding that may help prevent congestive heart failure in the
future.
Many parts of the body, such as blood cells and the lining
of the gut, continuously renew themselves throughout a
persons life.
Others, such as the heart, do not. Because of the hearts
inability to repair itself, damage caused by a heart attack
causes permanent scarring that frequently results in serious
weakening of the heart, known as heart failure.
These molecules are crucial for tissue regeneration, but also
frequently contribute to cancer.
Essential to the production of Wnt proteins in humans is the
porcupine (Porcn) enzyme, so-named because fruit fly
embryos lacking this gene resemble a porcupine. In testing
the porcupine inhibitor, the researchers noted a curiosity.
Based on their initial results, the researchers induced heart
attacks in mice and then treated them with a porcupine
inhibitor. Their hearts ability to pump blood improved by
nearly twofold compared to untreated animals.
- -- - -
Scientists have used decades-old radioactive glass, found
blanketing the ground after the first nuclear test bomb
about 4.5 billion years ago.
Researchers from University of California San Diego in the
U.S. examined the chemical composition of zinc and other
volatile elements contained in the green-coloured glass.
It is called trinitite, which were radioactive materials formed
under the extreme temperatures that resulted from the 1945
plutonium bomb explosion.
Scientists have long suggested that similar chemical
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reactions took place when a collision between Earth and a
Mars-sized planetary body produced debris that formed the
Moon.
The analysis found similarities between the trinitite and
lunar rocks.
- - They would be based on the Airbus-A330. It has already
Comet hunters have a chance to spot comet 45P/Honda-
Mrkos-Pajdusakova in the next few days using binoculars
or a telescope, NASA said.
Its the first of a trio of comets that will, between now and
the end of 2018, pass close enough to Earth for backyard
observers to try to spot and for scientists to study using
ground-based instruments, the U.S. space agency said.
Its named Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdukov after the
astronomers who discovered it in 1948: Minoru Honda,
Antonn Mrkos, and Ludmila Pajdukov.
45P is a short-period comet, with an orbit that takes it around
the Sun and out by Jupiter about every 5-1/4 years. This
weekends encounter will be the comets closest with Earth,
passing by at a distance of about 12.4 million kilometres,
through the end of this century.
The comet will pass by our planet again in 2032 but will be
much farther away at a distance of nearly about 48 million
kilometres.
Scientists have taken advantage of 45Ps approach, making
observations using powerful ground-based telescopes such
as NASAs Infrared Telescope Facility to investigate the
gases, dust and ice particles that are released from the comet
nucleus and show up in the coma and tail.
By looking for water, methane and other compounds,
astronomers get clues about how the comet is put together
and where it originated in the cloud of material that
surrounded the young sun as the solar system formed.
NASA said ground-based observations also are planned for
comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak, which will pass closest
to Earth on April 1, and for comet 46P/Wirtanen, passing
closest to Earth on December 16, 2018.
By studying this trio of comets, astronomers can learn more
about the differences between comets information they
use to fill in the comet family tree.
- - India has registered an alarming increase of nearly 50% in
The IAF has formally inducted the first indigenously built
Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C)
Netra developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) at the Aero India exhibition.
These airborne warning systems, capable of long range
surveillance, are huge force multipliers. Netra is based on
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Embraer aircraft and three systems are to be developed.
This system gives a 240-degree coverage of airspace. The
three aircraft would be based at Bhatinda, facing the Western
border.
As the AWACS is much heavier, it needs a bigger aircraft.
been shortlisted through a global process and is in the final
stages.
-
The launch of 104 satellites on a single PSLV mission is
keeping the space community agog.
The entire flight of the PSLV-C37 rocket takes nearly 29
minutes, just four minutes longer than a regular PSLV that
may carry one or two satellites.
ISRO has scheduled the launch from the Satish Dhawan
Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in coastal Andhra
Pradesh. To date, the highest number of satellites, 37, in a
single mission was made in June 2014 by a Russian Dnepr
rocket.
Of the 104 on the PSLV, 96 satellites belong to two U.S.
customers: 88 Doves with Planet Labs and eight LEMURs
with Spire Global Inc. Half the cost of the PSLV was covered
by launch fees from the seven customers.
The rocket will release the first passenger, Cartosat-2 series,
about 17 minutes after lift-off. The commercial payloads will
be released a minute after Indian satellites.
Accommodation of all the satellites within the space
available in the last and fourth stage of the rocket was
another daunting task; it was handled by using customised
components called adapters.
Indias rapidly worsening air pollution is causing about 1.1
million people to die prematurely each year and is now
surpassing Chinas as the deadliest in the world, a new study
of global air pollution shows.
The number of premature deaths in China caused by
dangerous air particles, known as PM2.5, has stabilised
globally in recent years but has risen sharply in India,
according to the report.
premature deaths from particulate matter between 1990 and
2015, the report says.
Pollution levels are worsening in India as it tries to
industrialise, but the idea that policy-making should be led
by government is lacking.
As air pollution worsened in parts of the world, including
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South Asia, it improved in the U.S. and Europe, the report
said, crediting policies to curb emissions, among other
things.
Environmental regulations in the U.S. and actions by the
European Commission have led to substantial progress in
reducing fine particulate pollution since 1990, the report
said.
The U.S. has experienced a reduction of about 27% in the
average annual exposure to fine particulate matter, with
smaller declines in Europe.
A fraction of the width of a human hair, these particles can
be released from vehicles, particularly those with diesel
engines, and by industry, as well as from natural sources like
dust.
They enter the bloodstream through the lungs, worsening
cardiac disease and increasing the risk of stroke and heart
failure, in addition to causing severe respiratory problems,
like asthma and pneumonia.
Although deaths caused by air pollution grew to 4.2 million
in 2015 from 3.5 million in 1990, the rate of increase of about
20% was slower than the rate of the population rise during
that time.
China also offers an encouraging sign. Premature deaths
from particulate matter each year have stabilised at around
1.1 million since 2005, the report said. Still, that is an
increase of 17% since 1990, when it was a little more than
9,45,000.
India had yet to undertake sustained public policy initiatives
to reduce pollution, said Gopal Sankaranarayanan, an
advocate at the Supreme Court who successfully petitioned
it to ban licences to sell fireworks in New Delhi last year.
Weak environmental regulation in India leaves Indias
citizens with few alternatives other than to petition the courts
to take action to protect the publics health.
The National Green Tribunal, ordered farmers to stop
burning their crops in the region around New Delhi in 2015,
but the practice still continued last year.
Smoke from the farm fires contributed about one quarter of
the levels of the most dangerous air pollution in the Indian
capital, environmental experts said.
- - high. By raising or lowering altitude, the balloons can be
The UAE has unveiled plans to build the first city on Mars
by 2117 as the energy-rich country looks to transport people
to the Red Planet over the next few decades.
UAE announced the 100-year national project on which the
Gulf State would collaborate with specialised international
organisations and scientific institutes.
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The UAE will set out a plan to prepare national cadres that
can achieve scientific breakthroughs to facilitate the
transport of people to the planet over the next decades.
The 100-year plan will involve scientific research
programmes to nurture national cadres specialised in space
sciences at universities in the UAE. It will also entrench a
passion for space in younger generations.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World
Government Summit in the presence of representatives of
138 governments, six major international organisations, as
well as leading international tech companies.
The new project will be associated with research themes
featuring the exploration of transportation means, energy
and food on the red planet. It will also try to find faster
transportation methods for travelling to and from Mars.
The scientific initiative will first be implemented by an
Emirati scientific team, and will eventually expand to
include international scientists and researchers that will run
in parallel with the coordination of human research efforts
in the field of exploring and inhabiting Mars.
- - -
Researchers at Google have moved a step closer to rolling
out a network of huge balloons to provide Internet
connectivity to billions of people around the world,
particularly those in difficult-to-reach rural areas.
The Project Loon team, part of the companys X research
lab, said it can now use machine learning to predict weather
systems.
The advance means Google has much more control over
where its balloons reach, making it possible to focus on a
specific region, rather than circumnavigating the globe.
Real users will be able to make use of the system in the
coming months, however, the company did not specify
where the initial roll-out would take place.
The company has experimented with beaming down
connectivity from a network of huge, tennis-court sized
balloons rather than undertaking huge construction projects
to replicate connectivity networks in the developed world.
The balloons float in the stratosphere around 18 kilometres
caught in different weather streams, changing direction.
By using machine-learning algorithms, Google thinks it has
found a way to predict weather with enough accuracy to
make it possible to hover balloons over a relatively small
area for a long period of time.
The firm was last year able to keep a cluster of balloons over
Peru for three months.
www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

- - shuffling deck of cards.
- This energy distribution cycle keeps the crystal stable and
Scientists have developed the first DNA computer capable
of detecting several antibodies in the blood, paving the way
for smart drugs for better delivery of medication for
conditions such as rheumatism and Crohns disease, with
fewer side-effects and at lower cost.
If the camera recognises the person, the door unlocks, but
if the person is unknown, the door remains locked.
To be able to perform such an action, intelligence is needed,
a role that is performed in this system by a DNA computer.
DNA is best known as a carrier of genetic information, but
DNA molecules are also highly suitable for performing
molecular calculations.
The sequence within a DNA molecule determines with
which other DNA molecules it can react, which allows a
researcher to programme desired reaction circuits.
To date biomedical applications of DNA computers have
been limited because the input of DNA computers typically
consists of other DNA and RNA molecules.
-- - - -
---
Scientists have 3D-printed small, soft bio-bots with living
tissues that can not only walk and swim, but also have the
ability to age as well as heal if there is an injury.
Researchers at University of Illinois made a soft 3D-printed
scaffold measuring a centimetre or two in length and seeded
it with muscle cells. The cells then self-organised to form
functional tissues that make the bio-bots move.
As engineers, we usually build with materials like wood,
steel or silicon. Our focus here is to forward-engineer
biological or cell-based systems, said Rashid Bashir, head
of the bioengineering department at the University of
Illinois.
The design is inspired by the muscle-tendon-bone complex
found in nature. There is a skeleton or backbone, but made
out of soft polymers similar to the ones used in contact
lenses, so it can bend instead of needing joints like the body
does, he said.
-- - --
- -
Scientists have discovered why the crystallised iron core of
the Earth remains solid, despite being hotter than the surface
of the Sun.
Researchers at Sweden found that on the edge of the inner
core, pieces of crystals structure continuously melt and
diffuse only to be reinserted due to high pressure like
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the core solid. Spinning within Earths molten core is a
crystal ball actually a mass formation of almost pure
crystallised iron nearly the size of the moon.
Understanding this strange, unobservable feature of our
planet depends on knowing the atomic structure of these
crystals something scientists have been trying to do for
years.
As with all metals, the atomic-scale crystal structures of iron
change depending on the temperature and pressure the metal
is exposed to.
Atoms are packed into variations of cubic, as well as
hexagonal formations. At room temperatures and normal
atmospheric pressure, iron is in what is known as a body-
centred cubic (BCC) phase, which is a crystal architecture
with eight corner points and a centre point.
However at extremely high pressure, the crystalline
structures transform into 12-point hexagonal forms, or a
close packed (HCP) phase.
At Earths core, where pressure is 3.5 million times higher
than surface pressure and temperatures are some 6,000
degrees higher scientists have proposed that the atomic
architecture of iron must be hexagonal.
At low temperature, BCC is unstable and crystalline planes
slide out of the ideal BCC structure. But at high
temperatures, the stabilisation of these structures begins
much like a card game with the shuffling of a deck.
Such a shuffling leads to an enormous increase in the
distribution of molecules and energy which leads to
increasing entropy, or the distribution of energy states. That,
in turn, makes the BCC stable, he said.
- - -
The risk of running out of rare earth metals that are essential
to modern technology has led to a surge in interest in mining
the deep seas.
But fears have also mounted about the environmental impact
of disturbing vast areas of the pristine ocean floor, experts
said at the American Association for the Advancement of
Science annual conference in Boston.
Demographic growth and the acceleration of technological
innovations in the past 40 years have doubled the quantity
of minerals extracted worldwide, leading to shortages of
certain key metals, according to a recent UN report.
When it comes to copper, an essential element for electrical
equipment and numerous industries, a shortage could begin
around 2050, he said.
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This uncertainty highlights the importance of considering
deep-sea mining, even though the process involves
environmental risks.
Given the risks to fragile ecosystems, a new international
approach to managing mineral deposits should be put in
place, said a recent report published in Science.
-- - - - - for horns has dramatically depleted their population and
Scientists have spotted seven Earth-sized planets, with mass
similar to Earth, orbiting around a dwarf star the size of
Jupiter, just 39 light years from the Sun.
The planets temperature is low enough to make possible the
presence of liquid water on their surface.
In May last year, scientists found three planets passing in
front of TRAPPIST-1, the dwarf star. Based on further
monitoring of the star from the ground and space, scientists
have found four more exo-planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1.
The scientists have been able to make precise mass
measurement for six of the seven planets. Though the mass
measurements are preliminary, they do indicate that the
planets are terrestrial with liquid water.
The four newly discovered planets orbit around the star
every 4.04 days, 6.06 days, 8.1 days and 12.3 days
respectively; the orbital period of two of the three planets
discovered last year is 1.51 days and 2.42 days respectively.
Five planets have sizes similar to that of the Earth, while the
remaining two are intermediate in size between Mars and
Earth. Based on the mass estimates, the six inner planets may
have a rocky composition.
The sixth planet has low density suggesting a volatile rich
composition. The volatile content could be either ice layer
and/or atmosphere.
African black rhinoceros face risk of extinction
As the value of rhinoceros horn touches $65,000 per kg,
poaching has begun to drive the African black rhinoceros
to the verge of extinction - not just by reducing its
population size, but by erasing 70% of the species genetic
diversity.
Genetic variation is the cornerstone of evolution, without
which there can be no natural selection, and so a low genetic
diversity decreases the ability of a species to survive and
reproduce.
Two centuries ago, the black rhinoceros which roamed
much of sub Saharan Africa had 64 different genetic
lineages; but today only 20 of these lineages remain, says
the paper.
The species is now restricted to five countries, South Africa,
Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Genetically
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unique populations that once existed in Nigeria, Cameroon,
Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi and
Angola have disappeared.
The origins of the genetic erosion coincided with colonial
rule in Africa and the popularity of big game hunting.
From the second half of the 20th century, however, poaching
genetic diversity, especially in Kenya and Tanzania.
The paper calls for a complete re-evaluation of current
conservation management paradigms for the black
rhinoceros.
Greater the genetic diversity, the better is the population's
ability to respond to pressures such as climate change and
diseases.
Thus the loss of so much evolutionary potential in the black
rhino is worrying for its future adaptability.
-
A leap second was added to the Indian clock at 5:29.59
hours on Sunday to synchronise with the Earths rotational
clock.
As the atomic clock at the National Physical Laboratory
(NPL) here struck 23:59:59 last night, it was programmed
to add an extra second to 2017 to compensate for a
slowdown in the Earths rotation.
Adding a second barely has an impact on the daily life, but
it does matter in the fields of satellite navigation, astronomy
and communication.
The Earth and rotation around its own axis is not regular, as
sometimes it speeds up and sometimes it slows down due
to various factors, including earthquakes and moons
gravitational forces.
As a result, astronomical time (UT1) gradually falls out of
sync with atomic time (UTC), and, as and when the
difference between UTC and UT1 approaches 0.9 seconds,
a leap second is added to UTC through atomic clocks
worldwide.
Adding the leap second to the Indian clock is done by the
NPL under the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research.
Atomic clocks are so precise that the margin of error in its
functioning is just of a second in 100 million years.
---
New Year 2017 began on a happy note for the Strategic
Forces Command (SFC) and the DRDO with the flight-
testing of Indias long- range, strategic ballistic missile,
Agni-IV, turning out to be a grand success.
The SFC, which is entrusted with the launching of nuclear
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weapon delivery systems, fired the missile around 12 noon
froma road- mobile launcher positioned on the Abdul Kalam
Island, of Damra village on the Odisha coast.
The two-stage, surface-to-surface Agni-IV can carry a
nuclear warhead weighing one tonne over a distance of more
than 4,000 km. But on Monday, the SFC fired it for a range
of about 3,100 km only.
Agni-IV had been tested twice earlier for ranges between
3,000 and 3,500 km instead of its full range of more than
4,000 km. The DRDO conceived, designed and developed
the Agni-IV.
The latest victory, coming in the wake of the spectacular
success of the Agni-V mission on December 26, 2016,
confirmed Indias nuclear deterrence capability for, both the
missiles can cover the entire area on the other side of the
border.
Agni-V can carry a nuclear warhead weighing 1.5 tonnes
over a distance of 5,000 km and plus.
Agni-IV has already been deployed by the Army. It is 20
metres long and weighs 17 tonnes. Solid propellants power
its two stages. It had been flight-tested five times earlier
in 2011, 2012, twice in 2014 and in 2015.
- - - - of the galaxy clusters produced a rotating, tightlywound
With Israel traditionally running its economy on fossil fuels,
renewable energy has long been hobbled by bureaucracy and
a lack of incentives.
But the country is starting to make an effort, setting a goal
of generating 10 percent of its energy from renewable
sources by 2020, up from the current 2.5 per cent.
The Ashalim project, deep in the Negev desert, is made up
of three plots, with a fourth planned for the future, each with
a different solar technology. Together, the fields will be
Israels largest renewable energy project when completed by
2018.
They are set to generate some 310 megawatts of power,
about 1.6 per cent of the countrys energy needs enough for
about 130,000 households, or roughly 5 per cent of Israels
population, according to Israels Electricity Authority.
Solar towers use a method differing from the more common
photovoltaic solar panels, which convert sunlight directly
into electricity.
Instead, towers use a solar-thermal method Thousands
of mirrors focus the suns rays onto the tower, heating a
boiler that creates steam to spin a turbine and generate
electricity.
Encircling the Ashalim tower are 50,000 mirrors, known as
heliostats, in a shimmering blanket of glass over the desert.
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- -
Astronomers, using data from Indias Giant Metrewave
Radio Telescope (GMRT), have discovered a supermassive
black hole and the collision of giant galaxy clusters about
two billion light years from Earth.
The two phenomenon have combined to create a stupendous
cosmic particle accelerator.
By combining data from NASAs Chandra X-ray
Observatory, GMRT in Pune and other telescopes,
researchers found what happens when matter ejected by a
giant black hole is swept up in the merger of two enormous
galaxy clusters.
This cosmic combination is found in a pair of colliding
galaxy clusters called Abell 3411 and Abell 3412 located
about two billion light years from Earth.
The two clusters are both very massive, each weighing about
a quadrillion or a million billion times the mass of the
Sun.
The comet-shaped appearance of the X-rays detected by
Chandra is produced by hot gas from one cluster ploughing
through the hot gas of the other cluster.
First, at least one spinning, supermassive black hole in one
magnetic funnel.
The powerful electromagnetic fields associated with this
structure have accelerated some of the inflowing gas away
from the vicinity of the black hole in the formof an energetic,
high-speed jet.
- - -
A solar-panel powered coach, the first of its kind in Jan
Shatabdi in Southern Railway, was flagged off.
The 4.8 kW solar PV panels have been mounted on a
specially designed metallic structure to withstand wind
velocity, vibration and shock of the trains.
The solar panels will help the Railways in saving about 1,700
litres of diesel per annum per coach.
The Railways will have to replace the existing conventional
lights in the coach into LED lights before going ahead with
the green initiative.
The successful performance of this coach will later pave way
for having a full train with solar-panel powered coaches.
The Railways will take into consideration all the safety
aspects before plunging into this project in a full-fledged
manner.
NASA will send two spacecraft to explore asteroids
NASA will send two spacecraft to explore asteroids in the
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hopes of revealing new information about the solar systems
origins.
Psyche will journey to what could be the metallic heart of a
failed planet, and Lucy will investigate the Trojan asteroids
near Jupiter.
They were shortlisted by NASA in September 2015 and have
survived a final cut that eliminated two proposed missions
to Venus which has not seen a U.S. planetary mission
since Magellan launched in 1989.
Scheduled to launch in October 2021 and arrive at its first
major target in 2027, Lucy will explore six of Jupiters
Trojan asteroids, which are trapped in orbits ahead of and
behind the giant planet.
Named after the famous hominid fossil, the spacecraft will
investigate the origins of the giant planets by looking at the
fragments left over from their formation.
Psyche is slated to launch in October 2023 and should reach
its 210-kilometer-wide target in 2030. It will explore what
could be the exposed core of an early, now-vanished planet.
China is setting up the worlds highest altitude gravitational wave
telescopes
China is setting up the worlds highest altitude gravitational
wave telescopes in a Tibet prefecture close to the Line of
Actual Control (LAC) with India, which may reveal more
about the Big Bang theory.
Construction has started for the first telescope, code-named
Ngari No. 1, 30 km south of Shiquanhe Town in Ngari
Prefecture. Parts of Nagri is last Tibetan prefecture at Chinas
border with India.
The telescope, located 5,250 meters above sea level, will
detect and gather precise data on primordial gravitational
waves in the Northern Hemisphere.
It is expected to be operational by 2021, state-run Xinhua
news agency reported. The budget for the two-phase Ngari
gravitational wave observatory is an estimated 130 million
yuan ($18.8 million).
Ngari, with its high altitude, clear sky and minimal human
activity is said to be one of the worlds best spots to detect
tiny twists in cosmic light.
Gravitational waves were first proposed by Albert Einsteins
theory of general relativity 100 years ago, but it wasnt until
2016 that scientists with the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-Wave Observatory announced proof of the
waves existence.
China commissioned the worlds largest radio telescope in
a mountainous region of southwest Chinas Guizhou
Province to search for more strange objects space, gain better
understand the origin of the universe.
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The installation of the telescopes main structure a 4,450-
panel reflector as large as 30 football pitches was built at
unique valley in Guizhou Province.
- ---
Early diagnosis of certain eye diseases and studying the early
progression of the diseases has now become possible, thanks
to the work carried out by a team of researchers from three
institutes.
Early diagnosis of eye diseases and quantification of disease
progression has been a challenge.
For instance, the human retina has 10 layers and subtle
morphological changes in these layers do not lead to a
change in thickness that can be detected by OCT imaging.
But OCT images do contain data on subtle refractive index
variations and the researchers have successfully teased out
this information to help diagnose eye diseases early and
study the early progression of disease.
Using the software, the researchers are able to find a peak
at the junction between two layers from the refractive index
data extracted from the OCT images.
The thickness of a layer can be calculated by measuring the
distance between two successive peaks. When the thickness
of a layer becomes more as the disease progresses the
distance between two successive peaks increases.
In the case of the retina, different layers are affected by
different diseases. For instance, the photoreceptor layer is
affected in the case of diabetic macular edema, while the top
layer (retinal nerve fibre layer) is affected in the case of
glaucoma.
---
We depend on plants for much of our food, clothing and
shelter. Plants depend on the material in the soil and earth
below, water, air and sunshine for their growth. Sunlight is
thus an essential raw material for the growth of plants.
Using sunlight, water and carbon dioxide present in air,
plants synthesise what is needed for much of their own
metabolic needs (and thus our needs).
This process, known as photosynthesis, is carried out largely
by the leaves (and similar appendages) in plants. Humans
and many animals are dependent on the efficiency with
which plants photosynthesise, grow and multiply.
As human population increases, we would need more of
crops in order to cater to the global demands for food. One
way of approaching this is to find ways in which
photosynthesis can be improved.
Energy from sunlight is captured by the green pigment called
chlorophyll in the leaves in order to conduct these chemical
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reactions. But this energy can also damage the leaves (recall
how sunbathers in beaches can get sunburnt).
Plants protect themselves from such light-induced damage
by releasing heat (but we use sun-tan lotions or dark glasses
for protection).
In full sunlight, NPQ is activated so as not to harm the
chlorophyll too much. But as clouds shade the sunlight, in
such a low-light situation, NPQ is reduced.
Hastening the NPQ process, argues the team, could increase
the efficiency of the photosynthesis cycle by anywhere
between 8 per cent and 30 per cent. This, in turn, could be a
promising strategy for improving crop yield.
- But India had to notify CERN of its final approval for the
Khanderi, the second Scorpene submarine under Project-75
being built at Mazgaon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai
is all set to be launched into water.
Six Scorpene submarines are being built with assistance and
technology transfer from DCNS and others of France and
under a $3.75-billion deal signed in October 2005.
The submarines are being built using modular approach in
which different sections are built separately and later
assembled on a pontoon.
Khanderi, named after the Island fort of Maratha ruler
Chhatrapati Shivaji, was supposed to have been launched
in December last year but was slightly delayed.
It is scheduled to be commissioned into the Navy in
December 2017. The other four submarines are expected to
roll out at intervals of nine months.
After a series of delays in the project, the first submarine
Kalvari was launched in April last year and was expected
to be commissioned by year end.
The infamous 22,400-page data leak pertaining to Scorpene
submarines in Australia has also put a shadow on the
programme even before they joined the force. However, the
Navy has asserted that the leak was not serious.
- -
The U.S. Army is planning to use biodegradable bullets
loaded with special seeds that sprout into plants, which can
eliminate ammunition debris and contaminants, reducing
soil pollution in training grounds.
Spent shells litter U.S. Army training facilities around the
world as there is no efficient way to clean them up.
The shells, which contain metal and other chemicals, can rust
and pollute soils and groundwater.
Proposals are being solicited until February 8, after which
the chosen contractors will produce the biodegradable
bullets as part of a three-phase process.
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In phase one, the contractor will focus on making 40 mm to
120 mm training rounds. Phase II includes developing a
prototype and the means to manufacture it and phase III has
the biodegradable round transitioning to use at the Army
training facilities.
The plants that grow from the seeds could also help remove
soil contaminants or feed local wildlife.
--
India became an associate member of CERN, the European
Organization for Nuclear Research, after the government
completed internal approval procedures on the agreement
it signed in November last year.
agreement to enter into force and become an associate
member, which it did.
Becoming associate member of CERN will enhance
participation of young scientists and engineers in various
CERN projects and bring back knowledge for deployment
in the domestic programmes.
India has been actively involved in CERNs activities for
over 50 years. Indian physicists, engineers and technicians
have made substantial contributions to the construction of
the LHC accelerator and to the ALICE and CMS
experiments, as well as to accelerator R&D projects.
According to the release, being an associate member will
allow India to take part in meetings of the CERN Council
and its committees (Finance Committee and Scientific
Policy Committee).
Indian industry will be entitled to bid for CERN contracts,
which will open up opportunities for industrial collaboration
in areas of advanced technology. Also, Indian scientists will
become eligible for staff appointments.
In 1991, India and CERN signed a Cooperation Agreement,
setting priorities for scientific cooperation. India and CERN
have signed several other protocols since then.
But Indias involvement in CERN began in the 1960s with
researchers from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,
Mumbai, participating in experiments at CERN. In the
1990s, scientists from Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced
Technology, Indore, too got involved.
- - -
U.S. astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to set foot on
the moon, died at the age of 82, NASA and his family
announced.
Cernan was the spacecraft commander of Apollo 17 his
third space flight and the last U.S. manned mission to the
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moon in December 1972. We are saddened by the loss
of retired NASA astronaut Gene Cernan.
The space community quickly took to Twitter to pay tribute
to Cernan. Saddened by the loss of pioneer, fellow naval
aviator, astronaut and friend Gene Cernan #RIP
#lastmanonthemoon, said retired American astronaut Scott
Kelly.
Cernan was one of a class of 14 astronauts chosen to join
NASA in 1963, and went on to serve on Gemini and Apollo
missions.
- - - -
The cryogenic stage is vital for a GSLV rocket as it gets its
Gorillas, monkeys, lemurs and other primates are in danger
of becoming extinct, and scientists say its the fault of the
human race that its closest living relatives are in trouble, a
new international study warns.
About 60 per cent of the more than 500 primate species are
now threatened with extinction and three out of four
primate species have shrinking populations.
While scientists had tracked dwindling numbers of
individuals and groups of primates in forests around the
world, this is the first big-picture look. The result was a
bigger wake-up call than previously thought.
The decline has been blamed on human activities including
hunting, mining and oil drilling. Logging, ranching and
farming have also destroyed precious habitat in Africa, Asia
and South America.
Primates, which include apes, monkeys and humans, have
forward-facing eyes and grasping ability that set them apart
from other mammals. Scientists study them to learn about
human behaviour and evolution.
Much of the problems faced by primates are recent. For
example, the Grauers gorilla dropped from a population of
17,000 in 1995 to just about 3,800 now, mostly from
bushmeat hunting and mineral mining, the study found.
About 94 per cent of the lemur species in the world are
endangered, especially in Madagascar, which is one of
hardest-hit places for primate population loss.
- - - The rear membrane in each lens is connected to a series of
three mechanical actuators that push the membrane back and
A milestone crossed in the making of a new cryogenic rocket
engine set the stage for the first flight of the countrys most
powerful satellite launcher to date, the GSLV-Mark III.
The cryogenic stage and the entire launch vehicles readiness
is closer to fruition after the engine, technically called CE20,
passed the high altitude flight acceptance test lasting about
25 seconds.
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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to fly
its new launch vehicle powered by this new engine around
March, and send the 3,200 kg GSAT-19 communication
satellite to space on it.
The launch was earlier slated for December 2016. MkIII,
when it completes trials and commences functioning in the
coming years, will double ISROs lifting power for
communications satellites to 4,000 kilos.
Rockets complete cryogenic third stage, replete with fuel
tanks and systems built around the engine, will undergo its
qualifying test.
final and biggest push in space from this stage; it can take a
big communications satellite to higher reaches of 36,000 km
above ground.
The C25 cryogenic stage was approved at an estimated Rs.
600 crore as part of the overall Rs. 2,500-crore MkIII
launcher project.
- - - ---
The Indian Space Research Organisations Propulsion
Research Complex at Mahendragiri, successfully conducted
the stage level test of GSLV MK IIIs cryogenic upper stage
C-25.
The 50-second long test of C-25 of the countrys most
powerful launch vehicle that can carry satellites weighing
4,000 kg was successful.
The cryogenic upper stage of the GSLV is the large C-25,
the most difficult component of the launch vehicle to be
developed. It will be powered by the indigenously developed
CE-20 engine.
--- -
New smart glasses developed by scientists, including one
of Indian origin, that can automatically adjust the focus on
what a person is seeing, whether it is far away or close.
The glasses developed by researchers at University of Utah
in the U.S. contain lenses made of glycerin, a thick
colourless liquid enclosed by flexible rubber-like
membranes in the front and back.
forth like a transparent piston, changing the curvature of the
liquid lens and the focal length between the lens and the eye.
When the wearer looks at an object, the meter instantly
measures the distance and tells the actuators how to curve
the lenses.
If the user then sees another object that is closer, the distance
meter readjusts and tells the actuators to reshape the lens for
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farsightedness. The lenses can change focus from one object
to another in 14 milliseconds.
A rechargeable battery in the frames could last more than
24 hours per charge, he added.
The human eye has a lens inside that adjusts the focal depth
depending on what you look at.
However, as people age, the lens loses its ability to change
focus, which is why many people ultimately require reading
glasses or bifocals to see objects up close and regular
eyeglasses to see far away.
- - -
For the first time, biologists have succeeded in growing
human stem cells in pig embryos, shifting from science
fiction to the realm of the possible the idea of developing
human organs in animals for later transplant.
They would be generated by implanting human stem cells
into an early pig embryo, resulting in an animal composed
of mixed pig and human cells.
The Salk teams report was published in Cell and the
Stanford-Tokyo teams in Nature. The two reports together
establish the feasibility of trying to grow replacement human
organs in animals, though such a goal is still far off.
Many technical and ethical barriers have yet to be overcome,
but the research is advancing alongside the acute need for
organs; some 76,000 people in the U.S. alone are awaiting
transplants.
Mr. Belmontes and Mr. Nakauchis teams have both pursued
a strategy of directing the human donor cells to generate
specific organs in the recipient species. This is desirable for
both technical and ethical reasons.
The result provides proof of principle that Type 1 diabetes
can be treated by growing a pancreas from an individuals
cells in another animal, Mr. Nakauchi and colleagues
conclude.
-
After declaring the naval version of the indigenous Light
Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas unfit for operating from
aircraft carriers in its present form, the Indian Navy has
launched a global hunt for a carrier-based multi-role fighter
aircraft.
Last month, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said the
present LCA does not meet the carrier capability required
by the Navy.
The Navy currently operates Russian Mig-29K twin engine
fighters from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
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These will also fly from the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
(IAC) Vikrant once it enters service. The Navy has procured
45 Mig-29Ks in two batches.
The RFI says the aircraft are intended as day-and-night
capable, all-weather, multi-role, deck-based combat aircraft
which can be used for air defence, air-to-surface operations.
The IAC-II which is currently at the design stage can handle
twin engine, heavy aircraft, greatly extending the area of
operations.
This narrows down the selection to two aircraft now
available in the global market Boeings F-18 Super
Hornet and Dassault Rafale, 36 of which the Indian Air Force
has contracted.
The F-35 fifth generation aircraft of the U.S. is also an
option.
-- -
The test-firing of Indias most formidable ballistic missile,
Agni-V , from the Abdul Kalam Island, of the Odisha coast,
was an unalloyed success, signalling that India's nuclear
deterrence capability has come of age.
This is the fourth success in a row for Agni-V , which can
carry a nuclear warhead weighing about 1.5 tonnes over a
distance of 5,000 km and plus.
It was the second time that Agni-V was fired from a canister
mounted on a massive TATRA truck parked on the Island.
A gas generator at the bottom of the canister kicked out the
long-range, three-stage, surface-to-surface missile that
weighed 50 tonnes, was 17 metres long and had a two-metre
diameter.
The previous Agni-V flight from a canister was on January
31, 2015. A missile launched from a canister mounted on a
road-mobile launcher gives it operational flexibility.
This means it can be fired from a road in a city, after stopping
the traffic, giving reduced reaction time. The missile can be
made vertical in three minutes and the launch takes a few
more minutes.
The two stages jettisoned and the missile accelerated as it
plunged towards the earth. Its re-entry systems worked
perfectly.
The heat-shield made of carbon-car-bon composites and
encasing the dummy warhead, withstood a temperature of
about 4,000 degrees Celsius. The on-board computer guided
the missile towards its impact point in the Indian Ocean.
The bouquet of five Agnis form the bulwark of India's
nuclear deterrence capability. While Agni-I has a range of
700 km, Agni-II 2,000 km, and Agni-III 3,000 km, Agni-IV
can take out targets 4,000 km away.
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- components to ISRO.
If weather permits, two important missile launches are to
take place this month. India's long-range, sub-sonic cruise
missile, Nirbhay, will lift of from the Launch Complex-III
of the IntegratedTest Range, Balasore, Odisha.
The redoubtable Agni-V, which can carry nuclear war-heads
over a distance of about 5,000 km, will be fired from a
canister mounted on a massive truck from Wheeler Island,
of the Odisha coast, on December 26.
Nirbhay, which has a range of about 1,000 km, has blen-ded
missile and aeronautical technologies into a single
contraption. It will take of vertically like a missile.
Amechanism in its first stage will tilt it horizontally and the
first stage with its booster engine will then fall of. The
second stage with a turbo-jet engine will cruise horizontally
like an aircraftat a subsonic speed of 0.7 Mach.
The missiles will be fired by the Defence Research and
Development Organisation, which has conceived, de-signed
and developed them.
- - many time their size.
The U.S. government and the private sector must cooperate
to improve the security of digital networks, a U.S.
presidential commission on cybersecurity recommended in
a wide-ranging report.
The report urged the U.S. to seek harmonized international
cybersecurity policies and global norms of behaviour and
sought a nutritional label for impartial product safety
ratings.
Technological advancement is outpacing security and will
continue to do so unless we change how we approach and
implement cybersecurity strategies and practices, the 100-
page report said.
- - - Scientists have recorded haunting sounds cast by Jupiters
The Indian SpaceResearch Organisation has roped in a
consortium of six companies to deliver the countrys first
industry-built spacecraft by late 2017.
The contract includes assembly, integration and testing
(AIT) of two spare navigation satellites consecutively in
around 18 months.
From the third year, Indian industry could expect
competitive bids for a new lot of spacecraft of 300-500-kg
class, perhaps five a year, for both ISRO and for export, Col.
H.S. Shankar (retd), CMD of Alpha Design.
This is the first time that ISRO has out- sourced an entire
satellite to industry.
Alpha is a defence manufacturing contractor while the others
are small and medium-sized vendors that already supply
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The others in the consortium are Newtech Solutions, Aidin
Technologies and DCX Cables of Bengaluru, Vinyas
Technologies of Mysuru andAvantel Systems of Hyderabad.
The work will start around January and the first space- craft
will be brought out in around nine months.
--- -
-
A trio of French, British and Dutch scientists won the Nobel
Chemistry Prize for developing molecular machines, the
worlds smallest machines that may one day act as artificial
muscles to power tiny robots or even prosthetic limbs.
Inspired by proteins that naturally act as biological machines
within cells, these synthetic copies are usually constructed
of a few molecules fused together.
Also called nanomachines or nanobots, they can be put to
work as tiny motors, ratchets, pistons or wheels to produce
mechanical motion in response to stimuli such as light or
temperature change. Molecular machines can move objects
The first step towards a molecular machine was taken by Mr.
Sauvage in 1983, when he succeeded in linking together two
ring-shaped molecules to form a chain.
The second step was taken by Mr. Stoddart in 1991, when
he threaded a molecular ring onto a thin molecular axle and
demonstrated that the ring was able to move along the axle.
Mr. Feringa (65) was meanwhile the first person to develop
a molecular motor in 1999 he was able to make a
molecular rotor blade to spin continually in the same
direction. Using molecular motors, he has also designed a
nanocar.
-- -- -
auroras, captured by NASAs solar-powered Juno spacecraft
during its first full orbit around the king of planets.
The radio emissions cast by Jupiters auroras light shows
similar to the northern and southern lights on Earth were
recorded by an instrument, called Waves, as the Juno
spacecraft travelled about 4,100 km above Jupiters swirling
clouds.
The emissions from Jupiter were discovered in the 1950s but
had never been analysed from such a close vantage point,
according to NASA.
The scientists want to learn how electrons and ions are
accelerated along magnetic field lines above Jupiter to
eventually collide with the atmosphere, creating the bursts
of light that become the auroras.
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To do that, the Waves instrument will sample plasma waves
along different segments in the magnetic field lines with
each of its orbits around Jupiter.
- - - TB around the world which is a jump of 500,000 from
- -- 2014. The disease killed 1.4 million worldwide in 2015.
Even as it moves into making heavier communication
spacecraft weighing 4,000 kg to 6,000 kg, ISRO has also
firmed up a strategy to a make increasingly smaller satellites
for earth observation and scientific, experimental and other
missions.
The plan for small satellites is two-pronged and can range
from 10 kg micros to 300 kg-500 kg minis.
A series of 350-kg mini satellites, probably with high
resolution cameras and innovative features, will be built in
the near future for the ISROs own remote-sensing uses.
They will be built on the decade-old IMS-2 platform on
which the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) has earlier brought
out half a dozen EO (earth observation) satellites.
It also plans to build 10 kg or smaller nano and micro
satellites using a 100 kg IMS-1 platform.
This will offer ready and reliable micro and nano satellite
shells on which the Indian Institutes of Technology,
universities and even start-ups can put their experimental
payloads or devices.
The idea is to encourage users to save time to import a
suitable small satellite and instead focus on test novel
concepts on the satellites. IMS stands for 80 kg Indian Mini
Satellite, launched in 2008.
The 300 kg- 400 kg class may be the new norm in Indian
EO.
It estimates that more than 3,600 small satellites are expected
to be launched over the next 10 years, much more than
during the last decade.
Their market value, including the cost of satellites and their
launch fee, is put at at $22 billion which would be 76 per
cent more than what it was in the previous decade (2006-
15).
-- - --
Inaccurate estimates of the tuberculosis burden in India
between 2000-2015, has led the World Health Organisation
(WHO) to seriously underestimate the global TB epidemic.
The most crucial finding of the latest Global TB Report 2016
is that India had reported only 56 per cent of its TB burden
in 2014 and 59 per cent in 2015. This massive
underestimating will result in health authorities revising the
global TB data.
The WHO has noted with concern that the TB burden is,
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larger than previously estimated, reflecting new
surveillance and survey data from India.
In 2015, an estimated 10.4 million people were infected with
The report said In 2015, 6.1 million new TB cases were
notified to national authorities and reported to the WHO.
Notified TB cases increased from 20132015, mostly due
to a 34 per cent increase in notifications in India.
The revised estimates put the incidence of TB in India at 217
per 1,00,000 population in 2015 as against the previously
estimated 127 per 1,00,000.
The report and the WHO stated that the size of the epidemic
has increased considerably because researchers have
realised that earlier estimates in India for the previous
15 years were too low.
According to the WHO, the substantial increase in reporting
from India is due to the policy of mandatory TB notification.
- -
There are a dizzying two trillion galaxies in the universe,
up to twenty times more than previously thought,
astronomers have found.
The surprising find, based on 3D modelling of images
collected over 20 years by the Hubble Space Telescope, has
been published in the Astronomical Journal .
Even in the era of modern astronomy, getting an accurate
tally of the number of galaxies in the universe has proved
difficult.
To begin with, there is only part of the cosmos where light
given off by distant objects has had time to reach Earth. The
rest is effectively beyond our reach.
And even within this observable universe, current
technology only allows us to glimpse ten percent of what is
out there, according to the new findings.
The analysis reached back more than 13 billion years very
near the time of the Big Bang thought to have given birth
to the universe.
The mysterious ways of genes influencing the character of
crop plants through long periods of domestication, selection
and modern breeding continues to perplex specialists, as
found out by researchers working on coloured rice.
Even the whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of the
Purpleputtu rice variety has not fully opened the windows
to the genetic secrets to the researchers.
Researchers at the SciGenom Research Foundation, said the
genome sequencing of Purpleputtu revealed around 65,000
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unique genetic mutations compared with the reference
sequence, of which about 50 are in the genes of the colour
pathway.
The question of how specific genes and gene networks
control the expression of its uniqueness, the purple colour,
still remains an unanswered mystery, say researchers.
In most cultivated white grain rice varieties, a regulatory
gene, Rc is missing 14 base pairs, which is believed to have
changed the phenotype of seeds from coloured to white.
The presence of the 14 base pairs is believed to help regulate
the anthocyanin pathway enzymes to produce coloured
seeds, and its absence is accounted for the grains remaining
more or less white.
The sequencing revealed that the 14 base pairs of Rc gene
were absent in Purpleputtu variety.
This leads to the conclusion that there are alternative
regulatory pathways operating in Purpleputtu.
-- - waves, an India detector would improve the chances of
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) started the first
set of a series of ground and aerial tests related to the critical
moon landing of Chandrayaan-2.
ISRO Satellite Centre or ISAC, which is the lead centre for
the countrys second moon mission, has artificially created
eight to ten craters to make the terrain resemble the lunar
surface. This terrain is now the test bed for the lunar Landers
sensors.
The campaign for the Lander tests of Chandrayaan-2 has
started. The tests are conducted over the craters simulated
at Chitradurga.
Chandrayaan-2 is tentatively marked for late 2017 or early
2018 launch and includes a soft-landing on moon and
operating a rover on its surface.
Landing on an alien surface is a very complicated activity,
said Dr. Annadurai, who was also the Project Director for
the successful Chandrayaan-1 of 2008. The success of the
Lander hinges on the sensors.
As the Lander descends from the mother ship or Orbiter, its
sensors must judge the distance to the lunar surface.
- - radiation, they also boost cellular tolerance to desiccation
With the discovery of gravitational waves by the U.S.-
based LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave
Observatory), Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have
tweeted his support for a similar detector in India but such
a project is at least eight years away.
This is not counting the time it will take the Central
government to clear the proposal, estimated to cost around
Rs. 1,200 crore, and is further premised on the project not
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running into environmental or State-level hurdles.
Another ambitious mega-science project, the Indian
Neutrino Observatory (INO) project a proposed,
underground observatory inTamil Nadu to detect
ephemeral particles called neutrinos had been cleared
by the Union government in 2015.
Scientists associated with the India-LIGO project (called
INDIGO) say that they have, since 2009, done
considerable work in identifying suitable sites in India
and met officials in several States.
INDIGO will be a replica of the two LIGO detectors and
many of its components have already been built and are
ready to be shipped from the United States.
The project was initially tobe located in Australia but, since
2011, scheduled to be located in India. At least 25 sites
were considered for the detector that will, most saliently,
have two L-shaped four- kilometre-long arms.
Other than the benefit of having a third detector, which
will likely improve the chances of spotting gravitational
novel, exciting discoveries being made out of India and
being made by Indians.
-- -
Oceanographers are diving deep into the aquamarine seas
of Lakshadweep to unravel the mysteries of marine life
that thrive and wither deep down there around the colourful
corals.
A group of researchers from Kerala are looking at the
science behind the defence mechanism of corals to resist
coral bleaching, the biggest threat to their beautiful
submarine world.
Coral bleaching is considered as a stress response of corals
to a few biotic and abiotic factors. Increased solar
irradiance (photosynthetically active radiation and
ultraviolet band light) is an important factor.
Exposure to UV radiation when combined with thermal
stress could be lethal for corals. It could lead to the loss
of algal symbionts from coral tissue and coral bleaching.
Mycosporinelike Amino Acids (MAA)are small secondary
metabolites produced by organisms that live in
environments with high volumes of sunlight.
Besides protecting cells from mutation due to UV
and salt and heat stress.
The coral reefs are highly sensitive ecosystems facing
the threat of extinction. They are often compared to tropical
rainforests considering the ecosystemservices they deliver.
Coral reefs are considered valuable source of
pharmaceutical compounds from which drugs for the
treatment of cancer, HIV, cardiovascular diseases, ulcers,
and other ailments are extracted, highlighting the
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medicinal value of corals, the researchers noted.
% -
Scientists are coming to grips with how weather in
Antarctica is inuencing climate as far away as the tropics.
For example, researchers at Ohio States Byrd Polar
Research Center have discovered an inuence of
atmospheric circulation in the Wilkes Land and Ross Sea
regions of Antarctica on precipitation from the East Asian
monsoon.
In this context, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement
West Antarctic Radiation Experiment (AWARE) project
gains importance as it studies the skies above Antarctica
for answers to questions such as how climate change and
associated atmospheric physics are affecting Antarctica
and how the ripple effects of these phenomena are being
felt thousands of miles away in the mid latitudes and the
tropics.
The temperature gradient between the equator and the
poles essentially drives the atmospheric circulation in the
southern hemisphere in the form of three north- south
systems: the polar cell, the mid-latitude Ferrelcell and the
tropical Hadley cell. These cells are dynamically linked
together.
The AWARE project by the United States located at Mc
Murdo station in Antarctica will observe how climate
change affects the polar region as it has been determined
that when the polar region warms, the lo- cation of the
boundary be- tween the polar and Ferrel cells will change,
along with the strength of circulation in both cells.
Antarctica acts as a global heat sink. Near the equator the
Sun is highest in the sky and insolation (solar radiation
reaching the surface) is larger than thermal radiation loss
to space.
At the South Pole during winter there is no insolation and
the Antarctic continent loses energy to space.
Energy and warmth transported over the Antarctic
continent by global circulation patterns is lost to space by
radiative cooling.
Another wind system is the circumpolar westerlies which
prevents warm air from the northern latitudes of the
southern ocean from reaching the interior of eastern
Antarctica which remains a cold, isolated desolate region,
losing energy to space.
- - --
Aditya-L1, the Indian sun mission due after three years,
may turn out to be a unique formation of not one but two
spacecraft looking at the sun from two stable orbital points.
Aditya is the nations third big extra-terrestrial outing after
moon and Mars, all conceived and designed by AD- COS,
the multi-faculty body of the Indian Space Research
Organisation.
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ISRO has started activities to send a 400-kg spacecraft to
look at the sun from a special stable orbital slot called L1
around 2019-20. L1 or Lagrangian point # 1 is about 1.5
million km from Earth towards the sun.
There are four more Lagrangian points L2 to L5 for sun
and Earth where space objects can resist the pulls ofboth
the celestial bodies and stay relatively stable in that orbit.
According to ADCOS Chairman, and former ISRO chief
and cosmic ray scientist U.R. Rao, a second spacecraft
can be sent to Point L5, about 1.3 million km away and at
a 30-degree angle to L1, for a fuller picture of the sun. It
could follow L1 a few months or a year apart.
ADCOS has designed the 2008 Chandrayaan-1; its future
sequel; the 2013 Mars Orbiter Mission and is weighing
the pros of either a second Mars mission or a Venus trip
the last of which is attracting other space agencies as
potential partners.
The first task is to build a few ultra-sensitive instruments
to accurately measure minute details about the sun.
Dr. Rao said the bigger challenge is to create an all-
aluminium 20-metre-high magnetic test facility near
Bengaluru to specially assemble and test the spacecraft
and instruments in a magnetically clean manner with not
one electric material, not even a car, being nearby.
- -
The World Health Organization faced ak for its delay by
two months in 2014 in declaring the Ebola epidemic as a
Public Health Emergency of International Concern
(PHEIC).
This might not happen in the case of Zika virus when the
WHO will convene an emergency committee on February
1 (Monday) to help determine the level of the international
response to the outbreak.
It is alleged that WHO declared Ebola as a PHEIC only
after a U.S. health care person was infected with the virus.
Likewise, is it because the risk to the U.S. is very high in
the case of Zika virus that WHO has convened the
Committee meeting on Monday.
But in the rst place why should the Zika virus outbreaks
be declared a Public Health Emergency of International
Concern?
The term PHEIC is dened as an extraordinary event
which is determined if both these conditions are met
constitute a public health risk to other States through the
international spread of disease, and potentially requires a
coordinated international response.
According to the 2005 International Health Regulations
(IHR) agreement, this denition implies a situation that
is: serious, unusual or unexpected, carries implications
for public health beyond the affected States national
border, and may require immediate international action.
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The Zika outbreak in 23 countries meets these conditions.
Given the rapidly spreading Zika epidemic, WHO should
declare an emergency and use all their powers under the
International Health Regulations.
Since its outbreak in Brazil in May 2015, there have been
nearly 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly a foetal
deformation where infants are born with abnormally small
heads.
- -
Officials are still investigating whether Zika causes
-
microcephaly in newborns, but the link is strongly
suspected, ac- cording to the WHO.
The Zika virus infection usually is asymptomatic in nearly
80 per cent of the cases. As a result, many cases of Zika
go undetected, making it difficult to estimate the true scale
of the outbreak in the Americas.
One in four people infected with Zika develop symptoms
mild illness, such as fever, rash, muscle/joint pain, and
conjunctivitis.
- - - This is critical for mobile devices, which demand powerful
Travancore Bush Frog (Raorchestes travancorius), a rare
and endemic frog species reported from Western Ghats,
which was once recorded as extinct, has been located from
eight new locations within the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Incidentally, the species, according to researchers, was
wrongly classied as extinct in the Red data book of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature despite
spotting a live individual some 12 years ago.
Though the classication as extinct lasted till June last
year, it was subsequently reassessed as Endangered based
on its area of occupancy.
-
Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have
identified two large patches of water ice on the surface of
comet 67P, perhaps the most studied comet in history.
The elusive ice was detected, using data collected by the
European Space Agencys Rosetta spacecraft, on the
bottom part of the main lobe of the dumbbell-shaped
comet, in a region called Imhotep.
It appeared as noticeably bright patches in visible light
and was located on cliff walls and debris falls.
Data collected by Rosettas Visible Infrared and Thermal
Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) showed that the water
ice grains in the Imhotep region came in different sizes.
Some of the grains were tiny, just tens of micrometres
across, which were probably formed as a result of the
comets 12-hour rotation.
-
The 48-hour countdown to the launch of PSLV-C31 rocket
carrying IRNSS-1E satellite commenced at Satish Dhawan
Space Centre at Sriharikota.
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IRNSS-1E is the fifth of the seven-series Indian Regional
Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), which India is
hoping to put in place by the end of this year.
The regional navigation satellite system is aimed at
providing accurate position information service to users
in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km
from its boundary.
In a breakthrough for energy-efficient computing,
engineers at the University of California-Berkeley have
shown for the first time that magnetic chips can operate
with the lowest fundamental level of energy dissipation
possible under the laws of thermodynamics.
The findings mean that dramatic reductions in power
consumption are possible as much as one-millionth the
amount of energy per operation used by transistors in
modern computers.
processors that can run for a day or more on small,
lightweight batteries.
On a larger industrial scale, as computing increasingly
moves into the cloud, the electricity demands of the giant
cloud data centres are multiplying, collectively taking an
increasing share of the countrys and worlds
electrical grid.
Magnetic computing emerged as a promising candidate
because the magnetic bits can be differentiated by
direction, and it takes just as much energy to get the magnet
to point left as it does to point right.
ISRO successfully put into orbit Indias sixth dedicated
navigation satellite, the IRNSS-1F. The satellite was
launched on-board Indias workhorse launch vehicle, the
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
The Independent Regional Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS) is designed to pro- vide accurate position
information service to users in India and the region
extending up to 1,500 km from the border.
The IRNSS-1F carrying two payloads the navigation
payload and ranging payload was put into orbit 20
minutes after take-of from the second launch pad at the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
[PSLV] has taken the satellite into the right orbit. We have
only one more satellite in this constellation to complete
our sequence of seven satellites for the regional navigation
system
The satellite had a lift-of mass of 1,425 kg and was
powered by two solar panels generating 1660 W and one
Lithium-ion battery of 90 Ampere-hour capacity
With this launch, India inches closer to having its own
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navigation system (like a GPS).
The navigation payload of IRNSS-1F will transmit
navigation service signals and will operate in the L5 band
and S band. The ranging payload consists of a C-band
trans- ponder that facilitates accurate determination of the
range of the satellites.
ISRO is now preparing to launch the last satellite in the
IRNSS series, the IRNSS-1G, and work has already begun
on it.
Sirguppa taluk could potentially be a perfect habitat for
A team of Swiss scientists has enabled an amputee feel
smoothness and roughness in real-time with an artificial
fingertip that was surgically connected to nerves in his
upper arm.
The nerves of non-amputees were also stimulated to feel
roughness, meaning that prosthetic touch for amputees can
now be developed and safely tested on anyone, said the
team from the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology
(EPFL).
Mr. Sorensen is the first person in the world to recognise
texture using a bionic fingertip connected to electrodes
that were surgically implanted above his stump.
Nerves in his arm were wired to an artificial fingertip
equipped with sensors.
As the fingertip moved across textured plastic, the sensors
generated an electrical signal. This signal was translated
into a series of electrical spikes, imitating the language of
the nervous system, then delivered to the nerves.
- about the origin of these mysterious pulses have involved
Barely half a litre of water and two spoons of salt is the
recipe for light.
In a country where electricity is yet to reach millions and
where dim kerosene lamps overlook the life of many in
villages, researchers from Indian Institute of Science
(IISc.) have developed an eco-friendly lamp that runs
entirely on salt water.
The salt water-run battery is as powerful as four AA
batteries, and can power an LED lamp for 1,500 hours (or
a little more than two months) at a stretch.
The concept is one that most are familiar with in high
school chemistry. Electricity can be produced when two
electrodes (one that can readily give away its electrons,
and another to accept them as easily) are dipped in an
electrolyte.
Salt water or seawater, which is nearly free, has to be
replaced every 100 hours or so; while, after nearly 1,500
hours of use, the magnesium electrode has to be changed.
Currently, each electrode costs Rs. 50. It is this kind of
conversion of simple technology, using renewable
resources, that the fledgling company and the IISc.
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- -
-
The banks of the Tungabhadra in Karnatakas Sirguppa
taluk have provided a ray of hope for the revival of the
critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
They were among the first to spot the species here in 2006.
In the years preceding that, it was assumed that the GIB
had been wiped out from Karnataka.
The semi-arid and arid grasslands in the interiors of
the Bustard.
The sighting of the GIB has spurred the Forest Department
into action, with additional anti-poaching units and
personnel being deployed in the region.
At least six major government agencies and industries,
including the DRDO, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre,
the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and ISRO, have been
allotted and for industrial, research purposes.
- -
Astronomers have, for the first time, detected repeating
short bursts of mysterious and powerful radio waves from
an enigmatic source that is likely located well beyond the
edge of the Milky Way galaxy
The findings indicate that these fast radio bursts come
from an extremely powerful object, which occasionally
produces multiple bursts in under a minute
All previously detected fast radio bursts (FRBs) have
appeared to be one-of events as a result, most theories
cataclysmic incidents that destroy their source a star
exploding in a supernova, for example, or a neutron star
collapsing into a black hole
The new finding, however, shows that at least some FRBs
may have other origins. The FRBs, which last just a few
thousandths of a second, have puzzled scientists since they
were first reported nearly a decade ago. Despite extensive
follow-up eforts, astronomers until now have searched in
vain for repeat bursts
The finding suggests that these bursts must have come
from an object, such as a rotating neutron star having
unprecedented power that enables the emission of
extremely bright pulses
Scientists believe that these and other radio bursts,
originate from distant galaxies, based on the measurement
of an efect known as plasma dispersion.
- -
The rate of rise of sea level globally has lessened by 20
per cent during the last decade, according to a new study.
This is because of 3.2 trillion tons of excess liquid water
storage on land in aquifers, lakes and other water bodies.
Though glaciers and ice bergs have been steadily melting,
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the earth has been behaving like a sponge and absorbing
the water which should otherwise have owed back to the
oceans from the land, thus closing the hydrological cycle.
While increase in sea level can be attributed to glacier
and ice-sheet melting and transfer of water from aquifers
to ocean from humandriven pumping, the reason for the
slowing down of the sea level rise has not been accurately
attributed until this study, which states that climate driven
hydrology has a major role.
Human-induced changes in land water storage include the
direct effects of groundwater extraction, irrigation,
impoundment in reservoirs, wetland drainage, and
deforestation.
Several studies of large aquifers suggest that trends in
regional and global land-water storage are now strongly
- -
in?uenced by the effects of groundwater withdrawal..
- - reveals that tree-to-tree interaction in forests goes beyond
The seasonal melting of Greenland's vast ice sheet reached
record levels this week, data from the Danish
Meteorological Institute (DMI) showed.
Around 12 percent of the ice sheet was melting, almost
one month earlier than the previous top three dates for
when more than 10 percent of the ice had begun to melt
The record coincided with unusually warm weather in the
Arctic territory, with temperatures at some weather stations
on the ice reaching 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees
Fahrenheit).
The warm weather also affected regions outside the ice
sheet: In Kangerlussuaq on Greenland's west coast, the
mercury reached 17.8 degrees Celsius, one of the highest
April temperatures in Greenland since records began in
1873.
Rain and meltwater at this time of the year typically runs
back into the snow and freezes again, but by warming the
snow further down it reduces the amount of heating needed
to prompt the melting to start again later in the season.
The Greenland ice sheet, a potentially massive contributor
to rising sea levels, lost mass twice as fast between 2003
and 2010 as during the entire 20th century, researchers
said in December.
- -
Greenland ice loss contributed to a global average sea level
rise of 25 millimetres (about an inch) between 1990 and
2010 -- mainly from surface melt.
- The 1,425-kg spacecraft, IRNSS-1G, will be launched at
In the chill climes of polar waters, scientists are looking
for specific oceanographic factors that could influence
Indian monsoon.
IndARC, the countrys first moored-underwater
observatory in the Arctic, had recently been deployed for
the continuous monitoring of the oceanographic
parameters from various depths.
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IndARC is expected to provide significant inputs in the
understanding of the Arctic climate and its possible link
to tropical processes, specifically the Indian monsoon.
The observatory is presently anchored about 1100 km
away from the North Pole at a depth of 192 metres.
The observatory carries with it an array of high-end
oceanographic sensors strategically positioned at discrete
depths in the water column.
The sensors are programmed to collect real-time data on
seawater temperature, salinity, current and other vital
parameters of the fjord (creek),
Climate change is felt first and fastest in the Arctic. It
manifests as rising temperatures, loss of sea-ice and the
melting of ice sheets.
A chance discovery in a mixed forest in Switzerland
mere competition for resources.
Forest trees are even more interconnected than thought,
suggests a new study, which showed that around 40 per
cent of the carbon in fine roots of spruce trees came from
neighbouring trees.
This level of sharing can be crucial for forests, especially
under stress conditions like wildfires.
Human-driven activities have been releasing vast amounts
of CO2 into the atmosphere since industrialisation began
two hundred years ago.
Consequently, there is a lot of interest in understanding to
what degree forests the largest terrestrial pool of biological
carbon, are able to absorb this amount, thereby mitigating
climate change.
Much about the magnitude, direction and the regulation
of these transfers is yet unclear.
Since all the trees in the study were healthy, and stress-
free the authors acknowledged the possibility that the
labelled trees were transferring its excess carbon below
ground and, in turn, triggering mycorrhizal growth and
activity.
- -
Indias own Regional Navigation Satellite System, the
IRNSS, is all set to be completed in space next week when
the seventh and last of its spacecraft gets placed in orbit.
12.50 p.m. on April 28, Indian Space Research
Organisation said.
IRNSS will be to the subcontinent what the U.S. Global
Positioning System, GPS, is to its users worldwide, but
with far greater precision and in Indian control, according
to ISRO.
It will drive both everyday uses as a 24/7 standard service
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for air, sea, ship transport and will also be used for missile-
related applications as an encrypted and restricted service.
IRNSS-1G is slated to be launched from the PSLV-C33
from Sriharikota and will be the 35th PSLV flight in the
last two decades.
-- - -
Over the next three to six months, all the IRNSS satellites
in the fleet would be stabilised as a constellation, their
signals and performance verified and later put to use.
The fleet has two spare satellites ready in case of an
emergency, a full-fledged ground control centre in
Bengaluru and tracking stations across the country.
- -- ---- - into a sub geosynchronous transfer orbit with a perigree
To promote organic cultivation of fruits, plant breeders
are now focussing on developing disease-resistant fruit
varieties which can be grown without using pesticides.
Even as efforts are on to develop various cultivation
practices to reduce pest attack, scientists now feel that
developing varieties which are resistant to major diseases
will go a long way in promoting organic cultivation.
About 120 plant breeders and horticulturalists from across
the country are deliberating on issues related to
development of disease-resistant varieties of fruits, among
other things.
A symposium on Fruit breeding in tropics and sub-tropics:
an Indian perspective being jointly organised by the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research and Indian Institute of
Horticultural Research (IIHR).
organic fruits are not just healthier, but would also fetch
additional income to farmers, especially in the export
market. The symposium would look at conservation of
indigenous fruit varieties.
- - -
-
Architects and real estate developers who plan to construct
buildings close to national monuments can soon download
a new mobile app named Smarac Citizen, which will grant
them construction permits within a few minutes.
Based on a proposal from the National Monuments
Authority (NMA), the app has been developed by the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), containing
the maps of 3,686 Centrally-protected monuments across
the country.
Earlier, the NMA had to send teams to the areas close to
historic monuments, where developers sought construction
permits.
The teams had to ensure that permits were granted only to
projects beyond 300 metres from the outer boundary of a
monument.
Apart from easing the process of obtaining construction
permits, the app will help the NMA keep a tab on
encroachments around monuments.
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The app will tell you how far new constructions are from
any particular protected monument. The app will help
decide the height of the buildings according to the air rules
set by the Airports Authority.
--
Indias own navigational system, completed with the
launch of the seventh and final satellite, will be called
NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announced after the launch.
The seventh and final satellite of the Indian Regional
Navigation Satellite System, the IRNSS 1G, was launched
(nearest point to earth) of 284 km and an apogee (farthest
point to earth) of 20,657 km.
With this launch, the IRNSS constellation of seven
satellites is now complete.
This will allow the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) to focus on the process of designing front end chips
which will receive the navigational signals sent out by
the satellites.
The system will be similar to the Global Positioning
System (GPS) operated by the United States with 24
satellites and the Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou systems of
Russia, Europe and China respectively.
All satellites will undergo stabilisation testing and
verification of their performance over the next few months
before being pushed into use.
An area of 1,500 km from Indian boundaries will be
covered under the navigational system.
The Prime Minister invited other countries to make use of
this system as well. We have seven neighbours who rely
on technology provided by other countries. They can use
Indian services if they want, he said in a video message
addressed to ISRO engineers.
With an accuracy of better than 20 m being claimed by
ISRO, the navigation system will be offered as an open or
Standard Positioning Service and a superior, coded military
Restricted Service.
Explaining the name NAVIC, Mr. Modi said the system
was dedicated to Indias mariners and fishermen who have
been navigating using the sun and stars as waypoints for
hundreds of years.
They have shown strength and determination in venturing
out to sea for so many years. We have named this system
for them, the naviks (mariners), he said.
- - -
- -
In a major breakthrough, a team of researchers, including
an Indian origin scientist, has transformed skin cells into
heart cells and brain cells using a combination of
chemicals.
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The team used chemical cocktails to gradually coax skin
cells to change into organ-specific stem cell-like cells and,
ultimately, into heart or brain cells.
Reprogramming a patients own cells could provide the
safest and most efficient way to regenerate dying or
diseased heart muscle.
The research lays the groundwork for one day being able
to regenerate lost or damaged cells with pharmaceutical
drugs.
The researchers used genes to convert scar-forming cells
in the heart of animals into new muscle that improved the
function of the heart, using a chemical reprogramming
approach.
The team conducted two studies using a cocktail of nine
chemicals to change human skin cells into beating heart
cells and brain cells.
They began the process by changing the cells into a state
resembling multi-potent stem cells, which can turn into
many different types of cells in a particular organ.
With this method, more than 97 per cent of the cells began
beating and they also responded appropriately to
hormones, and molecularly, they resembled heart muscle
cells, not skin cells.
When the cells were transplanted into a mouse heart early
in the process, they developed into healthy-looking heart
muscle cells within the organ.
- -- - - to gauge how well the habitat protects against solar
In a first, researchers have shown that ribose a sugar
that is one of the building blocks of genetic material in
living organisms may have formed in ice on comets.
The genetic material of all living organisms on Earth, as
well as of viruses, is made up of nucleic acids, DNA and
RNA.
Scientists have long wondered about the origin of these
biological compounds.
Now, by simulating the evolution of the interstellar ice
making up comets in the laboratory, French research teams
have successfully obtained ribose a key step in
understanding the origin of RNA and of life.
- - First predicted 40 years ago, quantum spin liquids were
- thought to be hiding in certain magnetic materials, but
SpaceXs unmanned Dragon cargo ship, carrying lettuce
seeds, laboratory mice and an inflatable pop-up room,
arrived at a crowded International Space Station where
six spacecraft are now docked.
British astronaut Tim Peake reached out with the stations
robotic arm and grappled the Dragon, packed with 3,175
kilograms of supplies.
Four Russian spaceships two Progress cargo carriers
and two Soyuz capsules which ferry astronauts are
docked at the space station, along with Orbital ATKs
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Cygnus cargo ship and SpaceXs Dragon.
Not since 2011, during the final flight of the space shuttle
Discovery, have there been six vehicles parked at the ISS
at the same time, NASA said.
Included in the Dragons cargo is an expandable room
that will be attached to the orbiting outpost.
The cargo also contains Chinese cabbage seeds which
astronauts will grow in space, and lab mice that will test
whether certain drugs can help prevent muscle and bone
loss in microgravity.
The Dragon will remain at the station for a month before
returning to Earth with science samples.
For the first time, the International Space Station (ISS)
will be equipped with an expandable habitable structure
that has the potential to revolutionise work on the orbital
laboratory.
SpaceXs Dragon capsule, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket,
is delivering almost 3,175kg of cargo, including the
Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), to the ISS.
BEAM will arrive in Dragons unpressurised trunk and,
after about five days, will be removed and attached to the
station. Expansion is targeted for the end of May.
Expandable habitats are designed to take up less room on
a rocket, but provide greater volume once expanded.
This first in situ test of the module will allow researchers
radiation, space debris and contamination.
BEAM is a 21st-century reincarnation of NASAs
TransHab, which never got beyond blueprints and ground
mock-ups in the 1990s.
-
An international team of scientists has successfully
detected a mysterious new state of matter that causes
electrons, thought to be natures indivisible building
blocks, to break into pieces.
The state, known as a quantum spin liquid, was found in a
two-dimensional material with a structure similar to
graphene.
had not been conclusively sighted in nature.
In a typical magnetic material, electrons each behave like
tiny bar magnets. When a material is cooled to a low
enough temperature, they will order themselves so that
all the north magnetic poles point in the same direction.
But in a material containing a spin liquid state, even if
cooled to absolute zero, the bar magnets would not align
but form an entangled soup .
The researchers used neutron scattering techniques to look
for experimental evidence of fractionalisation in crystals
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of ruthenium chloride (RuCl3) to measure the first
signatures of fractional particles known as Majorana
fermions.
-- -- -
The fluctuations of your heartbeat may affect your wisdom,
according to a new study which suggests that heart-rate
variation and thinking process work together to enable
wise reasoning about complex social issues.
The study extends previous work on cognitive
underpinnings of wise judgement to include consideration
how the hearts functioning impacts the mind.
The new study is the first to show that the physiology of
the heart, specifically the variability of heart rate during
low physical activity, is related to less biased, wiser
judgement, researchers said.
Human heart rate tends to fluctuate, even during steady-
state conditions, such as while a person is sitting.
Heart-rate variability refers to the variation in the time
interval between heartbeats and is related to the nervous
systems control of organ functions, they said.
Researchers found that people with more varied heart rates
were able to reason in a wiser, less biased fashion about
societal problems when they were instructed to reflect on
a social issue from a third-person perspective.
--
-
Scientists have developed a novel technology that allows
them to read and interpret the human genome, a
breakthrough that may pave the way for new drug targets
to treat many genetic diseases.
The computational method, called TargetFinder, can
predict where non-coding DNA the DNA that does not
code for proteins interacts with genes.
This technology helps researchers connect mutations in
the so-called genomic dark matter with the genes they
affect, potentially showing new therapeutic targets for
genetic disorders.
Genes can be separated from their enhancers by long
stretches of DNA that contain many other genes.
Most genetic mutations that are associated with disease
occur in enhancers, making them an incredibly important
area of study.
Scientists originally believed that enhancers mostly affect
the gene nearest to them. The new study showed that, on
a strand of DNA, enhancers can be millions of letters away
from the gene they influence, skipping over the genes in
between.
They discovered several patterns that exist on the loops
that connect enhancers to genes. This pattern accurately
predicted whether a gene-enhancer interaction occurred
85 per cent of the time.
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The new computational approach is a much cheaper and
less time-consuming way to identify gene-enhancer
connections in the genome.
The technology also provides insight into how DNA loops
form and how they might break in disease.
- -
India is in talks with the United States to purchase 40
Predator surveillance drones, officials said, a possible first
step towards acquiring the armed version of the aircraft
and a development likely to annoy Pakistan.
India is trying to equip the military with more unmanned
technologies to gather intelligence as well as boost its
firepower along the vast land borders with Pakistan and
China. It also wants a closer eye on the Indian Ocean.
New Delhi has already acquired surveillance drones from
Israel to monitor the mountains of Kashmir, a region
disputed by the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals and the
cause of two of their three wars.
As defence ties deepen with the United States, which sees
India as a counterweight to China in the region, New Delhi
has asked Washington for the Predator series of unmanned
planes built by privately-held General Atomics, military
officials said.
The U.S. government late last year cleared General
Atomics proposal to market the unarmed Predator XP in
India.
- -- -
Large comets and asteroids that bombarded Mars some 4
billion years ago likely enhanced climate conditions
enough to make the red planet more conducive to life, at
least for a time, a new study has found.
If early Mars was as barren and cold as it is today, massive
asteroid impacts would have produced heat to melt
subsurface ice, said Stephen Mojzsis, a professor at
University of Colorado Boulder in the U.S.
Scientists have long known there was once running water
on Mars, as evidenced by ancient river valleys, deltas and
parts of lake beds.
In addition to producing hydrothermal regions in portions
of Mars fractured and melted crust, a massive impact
could have temporarily increased the planets atmospheric
pressure, periodically heating Mars up enough to re-start
a dormant water cycle.
Much of the action on Mars occurred during a period
known as the Late Heavy Bombardment about 3.9 billion
years ago when the developing solar system was a shooting
gallery of comets, asteroids, moons and planets.
-- - - --
Scientists have discovered a rare triple-star system with a
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6
- - -- - The 26-year-old world No.10, who had been desperately
looking for a title to boost her confidence after recovering
The Sports Ministry budget got a substantial hike of Rs. 350
crore in the Union Budget for 2017-18, presented by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley in the Parliament.
Jaitley allocated a total of Rs. 1,943 crore, compared to Rs.
1,592 crore earmarked last year.
The steep increase in the budgetary allocation comes at a
time when Indian athletes are preparing for the
Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2018.
The Sports Authority of India, entrusted with the task of
organising National camps, has been granted a total of Rs.
481 crore, compared to Rs. 416 crore it received last year.
What is striking is that the allocation for sports promotion
among disabled has been reduced to just Rs. one lakh, a
heavy reduction from Rs. 4 crore allocated last year.
The assistance to national sports federations has been
increased to Rs. 302 crore from Rs. 185 crore.
The allocation for the scheme for the Benefit of North
Eastern Area has been revised to Rs 148.4 crore this year as
compared to Rs 131.33 crore last year.
No change has been made in the allocation for sports in the
Jammu and Kashmir and it stays at Rs 75 crore.
- - - ahead of Nadal and Pete Sampras on the all-time winners
R. Ashwin became the quickest to bag 250 wickets when he
claimed Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim on Day 4 of
the India-Bangladesh test in Hyderabad.
He broke Australian Dennis Lillees record.
- - -- It was Federers fifth Australian title in his sixth final, and
Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal notched up her first title
after a career-threatening injury by claiming the Malaysia
Masters Grand Prix Gold with a hard fought victory in the
summit clash.
Up against 18-year-old Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong, the
top-seeded London Olympics bronze medallist triumphed
22-20, 22-20 in a 46-minute clash.
This was her 23rd title overall and the first after last years
Australian Open.
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from a knee surgery, was squaring off against a rival ranked
more than 50 places below her at 67th.
Bolt looses one of his golds
Usain Bolt lost one of his nine Olympic gold medals when
the IOC stripped Jamaica of its 4x100mrelay win at the 2008
Beijing Games after Nesta Carter tested positive for doping.
The decision, which follows the retesting of hundreds of
samples from the Beijing event, means that Bolt, as Carters
teammate, loses one of the three gold medals he won there.
This also meant the loss of one of Bolts triple triples
he won gold in the 100m, 200 and 4x100m at Beijing and
went on to repeat the feat in London 2012 and Rio 2016.
The IOC said a re-analysis of Carters 2008 samples
resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substance
methylhexaneamine.
- - -
Roger Federer was in tears as he won a thrilling, five-set
Australian Open final against his great rival Rafael Nadal
to clinch a record-extending 18th Grand Slam title.
Federer won a classic, fluctuating encounter 6-4, 3-6, 6-1,
3-6, 6-3 in three hours 38 minutes to move four Major titles
list.
After an astonishing comeback from six months out with
injury, the Swiss became the oldest man in the post-1968
Open era to win a Major since Ken Rosewall at the 1972
Australian Open.
ended a long, seven-year wait to win again in Melbourne
after his 2010 triumph over Andy Murray.
It was the 35th meeting between the two long-time rivals
with Nadal now leading 23-12 and 6-3 in Major finals,
including his five-set win over Federer in the 2009
Australian final.
Federer becomes the first man in history to win five or more
titles at three different Grand Slam events. He has won five
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 http://iasexamportal.com/civilservices/courses

Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, five US Opens and one French Open.
- - -
Jitu Rai rejuvenated his shooting career by winning the Champion of Champions pistol award, and a cash prize of 5000 in
the World Cup Final.
In the mixed knock-out competition meant only for the medallists in the World Cup Final, Jitu beat DamirMikec of Serbia
29.6 to 28.3 in the climax featuring three shots. Olympic champion Anna Korakaki finished third.
Shooters are eliminated after the first four shots, one each after every successive shot. The last two compete on a three-shot
format.
The honour in the rifle event went to Sergey Kamenskiy of Russia who beat two-time Olympian Du Li of China 31.7 to 31.6.
London Olympics champion Yi Siling of China took the third place.
Jitu Rai had earlier won the free pistol silver, but finished sixth in air pistol.
-
Khomsan Thongkham has been one of the bright sparks in the ongoing World Cup. The lanky raider has inspired Thailand
past four teams Poland, Kenya, USA and Japan carrying his team into the knock-out stages from Group-B.
Against India, Thailands prospects will depend heavily on Thongkhams individual brilliance.
India, meanwhile, has been in rollicking form shaking off a shock defeat to Korea in the inaugural match of the competition.
Since the defeat to Korea, India has beaten Australia, Bangladesh, Argentina and England, with Pardeep Narwal (33 points)
and Ajay Thakur (41 points) in superb raiding form.
Korea goes into the knock-outs as the only unbeaten team in the league. Its key player will be Jang Kun Lee.
All four semifinalists captains Anup, Dong, Thongkham and Irans Meraj Sheykh expressed hope that kabaddi would
become an Olympic sport in the future.
- - - --
Australian Open 2016 Winners
Mens Singles Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Womens Singles Angelique Kerber (GER)
Mens Doubles Jamie Murray (GBR) & Bruno Soares (BRA)
Womens Doubles Martina Hingis (SUI) & Sania Mirza (IND)
Mixed Double Elena Vesnina (RUS) & Bruno Soares (BRA)
French Open 2015 Winners
Mens Singles Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
Womens Singles Serena Williams (USA)
Mens Doubles Ivan Dodig (CRO) & Marcelo Melo (BRA)
Womens Doubles Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) & Lucie Safarova (CZE)
Mixed Double Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Mike Bryan (USA)
Wimbledon 2015 Winners
Mens Singles Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Womens Singles Serena Williams (USA)
Mens Doubles Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) & Horia Tecau (ROU)
Womens Doubles Martina Hingis (SUI) & Sania Mirza (IND)
Mixed Double Martina Hingis (SUI) & Leander Paes (IND)
US Open 2015 Winners
Mens Singles Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Womens Singles Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
Mens Doubles Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
Womens Doubles Martina Hingis (SUI) & Sania Mirza (IND)
Mixed Double Martina Hingis (SUI) & Leander Paes (IND)

ICC World Twenty20 is the prestigious cricket event which is usually contested in every two years and it is
organized by International Cricket Council. First edition of T20 world cup was played in 2007, hosted in South
Africa. India won the first ICC world twenty20 competition by defeating Pakistan in the final match. Since 2007,
six ICC World T20 events have been concluded successfully and the latest edition was played in India from 8
March to 3 April 2016 which was won by West Indies by defeating England in the final played at Eden Gardens.

www.iasexamportal.com/civilservices/study-kit

West Indies is the most successful team of ICC World
T20 as they are the winners of two tournaments in 2012
and 2016.
ICC Womens World Twenty20 championship is
an international cricket event for womens that is
organised in every two-year span time. International
Cricket Council holds this tournament for women
national cricket teams. The inaugural edition of
womens t20 world cup was played in 2009 which was
hosted by England and won by England team by
defeating New Zealand in the final. Since 2009, a total
of 5 womens world twenty20s have been concluded
and fifth edition of competition was played in India
which was won by West Indies womens. Australia
womens cricket team is the most successful nation in
ICC World T20 as they are the three time world
champions. Lets have a look at the complete list of
winners and runners-up for womens world twenty20.
maintained her focus in tough weather conditions to beat
The West Indies won the Under-19 World Cup for
the first time in their history after beating India by five
wickets with only three balls to spare in Dhaka.
India, whose had not lost a youth ODI in the two
years since the last tournament, were put in to bat on a
green surface by the West Indies captain, Shimron
Hetmyer. Under relentless pressure from sharp,
accurate bowling, the home side crawled to a meagre
145 all out in just over 45 overs.
- - players.
India edged Pakistan by a solitary point in the concluding
round-robin match of mens kabaddi here at the R.G. Barua
Sports Complex.
The slender win helped India top the league standings for
a place in the semifinals, where it will take on Bangladesh.
The Indian men had earlier dominated Bangladesh beating
them by 30-17 margin.
The other semifinal will feature Pakistan against Sri Lanka.
- - -
Indias 27-year-old Sandeep Sejwal who took the gold in
the mens 100m and200m breaststroke, proved unbeatable
once again as he clinched his third gold medal of the 12th
South Asian Games.
Sri Lanka picked up three of thefour remaining golds
which weredecided this evening, while Bangladesh took
the other through MahfuzaKhatun who won the
womens50m breaststroke her second inas many days.
Sri Lankas Komiko Raheem wontwo golds in a little over
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an hour the womens 100m backstroke andthe 50m
freestyle, the second one atthe expense of elder sister
Machiko.
India completed its dominance, winning five of the six
titles, on the concluding day of the wrestling events
Pakistan picked up the mensheavyweight gold to prevent
aclean sweep by the host, whichfinished with 14 out of
the total 16gold medals.
India walked away with all the gold medals on ofer in
badminton and archery at the South Asian Games
India steamrollered Sri Lanka3-0 in both the mens and
womens sections to win the badminton crown. The host
dominatedthe archery events as well clinching all the five
titles at stake:compound team mens andwomens,
individual mens andwomens and mixed.
- - -
Host India enjoyed a field day on the opening day of the
weightlifting competitions of the 12th South Asian Games,
picking three of the four gold medals.
Indias No. 1 womens ace archer Deepika Kumari,,
Sonam Deki (Bhutan) 6-2 in the quarterfinals and Beauty
Ray of Bangladesh 6-0 in the last-four to enter the final.
The Indian mens badminton team reached the semifinals
with 3-0 wins over Maldives and Bangladesh in Group A,
without losing a game.
India made a clean sweep of the gold medals on of- fer on
the opening day of the wrestling competition.
The latest auction will witness 351 players going under
the hammer and that includes 230 Indian and 121 overseas
With a majority of the teams having retained their core
players, attention will be riveted on the strategy adopted
by the two new entrants Rising Pune Supergiants and
Gujarat Lions as they try to beef up their respective
units led by M.S. Dhoni and Suresh Raina respectively.
Including the caption, both the Pune and Rajkot-based
outfits have picked five players each and should do the
lions share of the bidding.
Delhi Daredevils too can be an active player, flush as it is
with the highest available purse of Rs. 37.15 crore.
Missing from the auction will be the two suspended teams
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals which
in the previous auctions used to follow a set pattern. CSK
preferred continuity and Royals plumped for value-buys.
- - -
The 12th South Asian Games will be launched with pomp
and grandeur at the Indira Gandhi stadium, Sarurasajai,
Guwahati.
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Originally scheduled to be back in 2012, the prestigious
multi-discipline event encompassing competitions in 23
disciplines and 241 events well be held across two cities
- - --
Shillong and Guwahati.
From a historical perspective, the South Asian Games were
established as a movement to foster peace and friendship
through regular sporting contact between athletes from
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and current host India.
The first edition was held in Kathmandu in 1984.
This is the third time India will host the Games, after
Kolkata in 1987 and Chennai in 1995,and it will have
hopes of continuing with its overall dominance across
venues for a twelfth straight time.
- - in November last year.
Novak Djokovic crushed Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(3) at
Melbourne Park on Sunday to match Roy Emersons
record of six Australian Open titles.
The defending champion was at his ruthless best under
the lights at Rod Laver Arena, mauling Murray in the base-
line duels and closing out the match in two hours and 53
minutes.
Murray succumbed to his fifth loss in five Australian Open
finals, and fourth against the World No.1 Serbian, who
claimed his 11th Grand Slam title to draw level with Rod
Laver and Bjorn Borg.
- an unbeaten 34 from 16 balls (1x6, 1x4).
In a perfect climax to their stupendous run, Sania Mirza
- -
and Martina Hingis were crowned the Australian Open
womens doubles champions after they tamed the spirited
Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-
6(1), 6-3 for their 36th win in a row.
It was the third consecutive Grand Slam title for Sania
and Hingis, having won the Wimbledon and US Open in
the 2015 season.
In an incredible feat, Sania and Martina have now extended
their unbeaten run to 36 matches, winning eight titles in a
row.
- - helped by a strategic break and change of dress, for her
600th career win.
Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis stormed
into the final of the womens doubles event of the
Australian Open after notching up a comfortable straight-
set win.
However, Rohan Bopannas campaign ended with a shock
defeat in the mixed doubles quarterfinals with partner
Yung-Jan Chan of Chinese Taipei.
Sania and Hingis, who are on a record winning streak,
continued their run as they brushed aside Julia Goerges
and KarolinaPliskova, the 13th seeds, 6-1, 6-0 in just 54
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minutes at Rod Laver Arena to enter their third successive
doubles Grand Slam final.
Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu continued her rampaging run
to clinch the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title with
a straight-game win over Scotlands Kristy Gilmour,
making a resounding start to the new season.
The third-seeded Indian prevailed 21-15, 21-9 in a 32-
minute clash to clinch her fifth Grand Prix Gold title to
avenge a 2013 loss to the Scot, their only previous
encounter before this match.
This is also Sindhus second Malaysia Masters Grand Prix
Gold title, having won it in 2013 as well. She also
completed a hat-trick at the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold
The Indian had reached her maiden finals of a Super Series
premier event at the Denmark Super Series Premier.
-
World champion India held its nerve impressively on
Sunday, defeated Pakistan by 45 runs and lifted the first
T20 Asia Cup for the Blind at the Nehru Stadium.
Despite its big star Prakash Jayaramaiah considered
one of the worlds best batsmen in this version falling
for a duck and the consistent Ketan Patel not scoring big.
India still managed to make 206, thanks to some late
fireworks from cap- tain Ajay Kumar Reddy who made
Novak Djokovic underlined his supremacy in mens tennis
on Friday as he marched unstoppably into the Australian
Open fourth round along with Serena Williams, who
raced through in just 44 minutes.
As Roger Federer reached a landmark 300th Grand Slam
win, Djokovic still looked like the man to beat as he
weathered a strong challenge from Andreas Seppi to reach
the first weekend without dropping a set.
Maria Sharapova also weathered a fightback when she
beat pint-sized American Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-0,
- -
Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep went out of the Australian
open in the first round.
Nadal was sent packing by fellow spaniard Fernando
Verdasco in a five set thriller.
Women no. 2 Halep was defeated by the Chinese qualifier
Zhang Shuai.
- -
India may consider conditional use of the Decision Review
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System after consultation with the team management on
its return from Australia.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said that India was not
convinced the system was foolproof but it might be
inclined to consider its use if leg-before decisions were
left out of the ambit of the DRS.
The ICC, meanwhile, reaffirmed its commitment to the
Spirit of Cricket and bringing about positive social change
through the sport, by launching Cricket for Good, its
CSR programme, in association with UNICEF.
-- - -
Delhi Acers calculated gamble paid of as its British-
import Rajiv Ouseph pulled of his trump match against
a des- perate R.M.V. Gurusaidutt of Mumbai Rockets in
the tie-decider of the Premier Badminton League final.
The 4-3 triumph for Delhi was worth Rs. 3 crore. Mumbai
settled for Rs. 2 crore out of the total prize fund of
approximately Rs. 6.5 crore.
- - --
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingiss awe-inspiring run
continued unabated as they lifted their second trophy of
the season with the WTA Apia International title, after
clinching their 30th win in a row.
It was the 11th title for the In- do-Swiss pair, continuing
the good show from 2015.
- - -
There was no stopping Indian boxing star Vijender Singh
as he notched up his fourth successive knockout
professional win by pummelling Hungarys Alexander
Horvath in under three rounds here.
Vijender had little trouble outpunching his opponent, who
failed to get up after being thrown off balance by his body
blows in the third round of the six-round contest of the
middlewight (75kg) category late on Saturday night.
The 30-year-old Indian, who went into the contest on the
back of three successive knockout triumphs, continued to
be a cut above his rivals, who talk big but deliver little
inside the ring.
The 20-year-old Horvath, with an experience of seven pro
fights, had been drinking snake blood to prepare himself
but it seemed the bizarre routine helped little in countering
the ferocity of Indias first Olympic and World
Championships bronze medallist.
Vijender will next be seen in action on April 2, the
opponent and venue for which would be decided later.
- - -
Rest of India upset all predictions by chasing down 480
to win the Irani Cup match, against Ranji champion
Mumbai.
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Akhil Herwadkars direct hit from point, which saw the
exit of Rest captain Naman Ojha, kindled hopes of a home
team win but Stuart Binnys big blows (54, 3x4, 2x6) and
an equally dynamic performance by Sheldon Jackson (59
not out, 4x4, 1x6) took their side past the finishing line in
the mandatory overs.
It was the third-highest run chase in Indias domestic first-
class tournament history (see factbox) and Rests win was
memorable because it was be- hind in the first innings by
297 runs.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said
the India-Pakistan World Twenty20 Cricket match at
Dharamsala will be held as per schedule (on March 19)
and that the State government was on board.
After an hour-long meeting with senior officials of the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) at North Block,
Tournament Director M.V. Sridhar said the Himachal
Pradesh government was on board for the cricket match.
The statement assumes significance as Himachal Pradesh
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had opposed the match
and even told a visiting Pakistani team a day ago that the
State government would not provide any security to the
cricket team.
- -
India demonstrated its dominance in Twenty20 cricket and
regained continental supremacy, downing host Bangladesh
by eight wickets in the final of the Asia Cup at the Sher-e-
Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Bangladesh found its total of 120, after having been asked
to bat, too meagre to challenge the efficiency of the Indians
who completed the run chase with seven balls to spare.
The match was reduced to a 15-over affair after a
thundershower delayed the start by two hours.
Shikhar Dhawan played the lead with a chanceless 60 (44b,
9x4, 1x6) while Virat Kohli (41 not out) supported him
ably in a 94-run stand for the second wicket.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced late fireworks,
scoring 20 off just six balls (two sixes and a four), to ensure
Indias sixth Asia Cup title. This was the 10th win in 11
matches for India an encouraging statistic ahead of the
ICC World T20.
-
Patna Pirates had struggled to break the semifinal jinx in
the previous two editions of the ProKabaddi League
(PKL).
Having got past that hurdle, the side went all the way on
Saturday, defeating defending champion U Mumba 31-
28 in the dying seconds of the game to win the title but
not before Mumba gave it a scare till the last few seconds
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of the game.
Tied 28-28 till the last 45 seconds, it was more a case of
holding nerves than anything else and Patna, with the
monkey off its back, was the one that gave it the final
push.
Mumba skipper Anup Kumar its key raider and, on
this day, someone who almost took his team to the title
single-handedly had kept his calm and pushed his team
to fight back from an eight-point deficit at half time.
But his final raid, that saw him slip and go out of the play
area to concede a point, saw the trophy slip away.
--- Nepal was introduced as the host of the 13th edition of
New Zealands greatest batsman Martin Crowe died at
the age of 53 after a long battle with cancer
Crowe enjoyed a 13-year international career from 1982-
95, including four years as captain.
In his retirement, Crowe devised a new ultra-short form
of the game called Cricket Max for his new employer Sky
Television, which was pitched to British officials and
helped lay the foundation for the modern Twenty20
revolution.
- - encounter at 9-7, while the womens team hardly had to
Bangladesh quelled the demons within to surpass
Pakistan's modest total and ensure its first T20I final entry,
at the Sher- e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The hosts returned from the edge of the precipice playing
out a dramatic 19th over, where fortunes swung like a
pendulum, to overhaul the target of 130 with five wickets
and as many balls to spare.
Rendering the rest of the league phase inconsequential,
Bangladesh will now play India in the final on Sunday.
- brace as India scripted a convincing 4-0 win over Nepal
Swiss football executive Gianni Infantino vowed to lead
FIFA, the sports world governing body, out of years of
corruption and scandal after being elected president to
succeed Sepp Blatter.
He now inherits a very different job from that inhabited
by his compatriot Blatter, who toured the world like a head
of state for 17 years.
Before the election, the Congress had overwhelmingly
passing a set of reforms intended to make it more
transparent, professional and accountable.
India suffered a 0-4 drubbing at the hands of World
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum insisted the time
was right to quit international cricket despite hitting one
of his best innings just days earlier.
It was not the way the 34- year-old wanted to retire, as
Australia completed a 2-0 series sweep by winning the
second Test by seven wickets.
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But McCullum did mark his swansong in trademark
fashion, setting records for the fas- test century and most
sixes in Test history (107).
- -
The closing ceremony at the India Gandhi Stadium brought
the curtain down on the 12th South Asian Games.
Twelve days of competition saw action in 22 disciplines
15 in Guwahati and seven in Shillong and the
awarding of 789 medals to athletes representing the eight
participating nations.
the Games in 2018.
India finished its tally of medals at 308, with 188 golds,
90 silver and 30 bronze medals.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan took second and third position
respectively.
- -
The Indian victories in both the categories came in
contrasting fashion as the men had to put their best foot
forward against Pakistan, before winning the close
break sweat en route to an easy 36-11 victory over
Bangladesh.
India, made a clean sweep in the mens boxing event
bagging all the seven gold medalson offer
Nepal made a fine comeback in the second half to beat host
India 2-1 in the final of the mens football at the Indira
Gandhi Stadium. The win saw Nepal reclaiming the South
Asian Games gold after 23 years.
Kamala found her touch in the crucial match by scoring a
in the womens football final.
-
India produced an inspiring performance to beat host
Malaysia 6-1 in a must win match.
This assured Indias seventh appearance in final of the
sultan Azlan shah hockey tournament.
Indias opponent in the title encounter will be World
champion Australia, which prevailed 3-0 over Canada to
complete an all-win record in the preliminary league.
- - -
champion Australia to settle for a silver medal, its best
finish in six years, in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey
tournament.
This was Australias ninth title win as it continued its
stranglehold over the tournament.
India last won the tournament in 2010, its fifth title, when
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it was a joint-winner with South Korea. In 2012 and 2015
it was the bronze medallist.
Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla is
- confident the controversy over the usage of water for the
In a first for boxing administration in India, the proposed
new federation will have representation from current and
former pugilists by including them in the Executive
Committee after elections.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is expected to take
shape, under guidelines by the International Boxing
Association (AIBA), failing which the countrys boxers
might be barred from this Augusts Olympic Games to be
held in Rio de Janeiro.
Four boxers two men and two women will now be
duly elected in BFIs Executive Committee independently.
The former boxers one male and one female in the
committee will be picked through elections after
registering all the retired pugilists via an athletes
commission.
The active members will be elected during the National
Championships that will be held after BFI takes charge.
The process to have the new federation in place by May
14 is picking up pace with the Sports Ministry deciding to
give its No Objection Certificate (NOC) for BFIs
registration.
- - Justice F.M.I. Kalifulla asked whether the no-questions-
- asked policy of the BCCI was a ploy to influence voting
The Supreme Court mooted a proposal to have the
government take over the public functions of the BCCI
amid objections from the Boards members that this will
be a direct affront to the cricketing bodys identity as a
private registered society.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur and Justice
F.M.I. Kalifulla asked whether selection of players for the
national team, tours and organising of matches should be
taken up by a committee operating under the aegis of a
law.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Baroda
Cricket Association and a BCCI member protesting the
implementation of the Justice Lodha panel
recommendations to overhaul the Board, said such a move
by the judiciary would be a violation of the BCCIs
fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution.
The Mumbai Cricket Association rejected Justice Lodhas
recommendation to bar Ministers and government servants
from becoming cricket administrators.
The association said the reality is that their involvement
aids the smooth functioning of sporting bodies as their
influence is of help while organising big sporting events.
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-- - -
matches scheduled in Maharashtra will be resolved soon.
Mr Shukla said, We will try to convince the court that
its very difficult to move the matches outside the State in
the eleventh hour, and that we will try all other options to
make sure that water is not wasted and only non-potable
water is used.
The former Union Cabinet Minister is surprised that no
one raised the issue during the ICC World Twenty20.
Meanwhile, Rising Pune Supergiants skipper MS Dhoni
felt one should look at long-term solutions to address the
water scarcity in the State rather than finding a quick-fix
solution for the duration of the IPL.
-
Noting that the BCCI has done nothing to fulfil its mandate
to develop cricket on an equal basis across the country,
the Supreme Court said cricket bosses have transformed
the Board into a mutual benefit society, which allocates
huge amounts to members without bothering to ask how
they spend it.
A Special Bench of Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur and
patterns.
The Bench was hearing objections raised by the BCCI to
several recommendations made by the Supreme Court-
appointed committee, led by former Chief Justice of India
R.M. Lodha, to overhaul and bring transparency into
Indian cricket administration.
Virat Kohli has been named as the player of the
tournament. He has fend off completion from Badree of
West Indies, Joe root of England etc.
He said Although I am disappointed that we were not
able to make it throughto the final and win the ICC World
Twenty20 title on home soil,I am proud to be named
Player-of-the-tournament
- -
Darren Sammys men as their own and found ecstasy in a
last over of pulsating thrills. The West Indies, known for
its hoary past, won the ICC World Twenty20 title.
Marlon Samuels (85 n.o., 66b, 9x4, 2x6) anchored the
chase and Carlos Brathwaite (34 n.o.) mocked the 19 runs
required from the final six deliveries.
The burly Brathwaites riposte 6, 6, 6 and 6 stunned
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