Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Monarchy in Egypt is toppled; people's rule has come to be established. Dictators “You can never cross the ocean
are on the run, 'Vox populi' if unheeded, would prove to be catastrophic for the unless you have the courage to lose
incumbent. This is the cover story of the current edition of PrepTalk. sight of the shore.”
– Christopher Columbus
At the brighter side is the World Cup, the cricket carnival, participated by 14
countries across the globe. In a country where cricket is a 'religion' this 'Mahakumbh' “You can avoid reality, but you
is indeed a momentous occasion. The issue devotes some pages for entertaining cannot avoid the consequences of
readers with goings-on in cricket. With the passing away of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, the avoiding reality.”
country has lost a titan of classical Music, who was a non-conformist and loved to - Ayn Rand
experiment in the realm of Classical Music.
“ When you do the common things
It is important to know certain things about cement industries, their economics in life in an uncommon way, you
and operations, their contribution towards the national economy. Some pages are will command the attention of the
earmarked towards this. The saga of Wal-Mart, a major brand, whose presence is felt world.”
in emerging India, would inspire each one of you. - George Washington Carver
Since many among you would be gearing up to encounter the GD/PI phase of “A friendship founded on business
selection to the IIMs and the B-schools, being equipped with the right arsenal would is better than a business founded
matter. Ideas on Budget, its features, factors behind its formulations, its on friendship.”
presentation, repercussions, fall out in the context of the economy, the finer and - John D. Rockefeller
subtler aspects, et, al, need to be gathered. The issue comes out with interesting
information regarding the budget. “ Research is what I'm doing when
I don't know what I'm doing.”
As always, PrepTalk aims to enrich, enlighten and elucidate on matters, issues - Wernher Von Braun
and concerns of contemporary interest. Many among you would have experienced
the GD/PI phase of selection. Many among you might be waiting for your turn. Life is “Democracy does not guarantee
dynamic. Move on, with full zeal and awareness, ready to take on the next challenge, equality of conditions – it only
unaffected by the outcome of the previous one. guarantees equality of opportunity.”
– Irving Kristol
The full-throated cries of KARKEDIKHAYENGE should fill the air.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in
Manish Saraf every opportunity; an optimist sees
COO, PT education the opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Sir Winston Churchill
INS Shivalik:
India's first indigenous stealth warship
A 250-member crew, including 35 officers, will man INS INS Shivalik can hoodwink enemy radars, sensors by
Shivalik. The new design features give the ship enhanced concealing its size. It has three-dimensional warfare
operational capabilities in terms of survivability, stealth, sea capability–surface, air, underwater. Its weapons suites have anti-
keeping, ship handling and weapons. ship, anti-submarine and air defence missiles.
The sea king Choppers on board will carry torpedoes to The ship is powered by a unique combination of gas, diesel
target submarines which are out of the ship's ranges. It will have engines and can stay in sea for more than 3 weeks or cover 10,800
an array of sensors and an anti-missile defence for its own km without refuelling. Its filters can protect crew during a
protection and also coordinate the firing of on-board weapons. nuclear, biological or chemical attack.
a
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 07
Cover story
Egypt rejoice,
Mubarak has gone
From the oil-rich Gulf states in the east to Morocco in the Mubarak, a former air force commander came to power after
west, regimes both pro- and anti-U.S. could not help but worry the 1981 assassination of his predecessor Anwar Sadat by
that they could see a similar upheaval. Several of the region's Islamic radicals. Throughout his rule, he showed a near
rulers have made pre-emptive gestures of democratic reform to obsession with stability, ensuring control through rigged
avert their own protest movements. elections, a constitution his regime wrote, a ruling party that
monopolized the levers of state, and a hated police force accused
The lesson many took: If it could happen in only three weeks of widespread torture.
in Egypt, where Mubarak's lock on power appeared unshakable,
it could happen anywhere. Only a month earlier, Tunisia's
president was forced to step down in the face of protests.
Protesters stormed the main security headquarters in For the moment, concerns over the next step were
southern Egypt's main city Assiut, and two were killed by police overwhelmed by the wave of joy and disbelief – and an
opening fire before the province's governor was forced to flee, overwhelming pride that they had waged a peaceful campaign
escorted to safety by the army. crowned with success.
The ousted Mubarak himself flew to his isolated palace in In Tahrir Square, the crowds of several hundred thousand
the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, 250 miles from the watched and listed to Suleiman's speech on televisions and on
turmoil in Cairo. mobile-phone radios. When he finished, they burst into wild
cheers, waving flags and chanting "Allahu akbar," or "God is
Suleiman – who appears to have lost his vice president's post Great" and "the people have brought down the regime."
as well in the military takeover – appeared grim as he delivered
the short announcement on state TV Friday night that Mubarak Spontaneous lines of dancers threaded through the packed
was stepping down. mass of people. One man kissed the ground and thanked God
while others screamed, "Hosni is gone, Hosni is gone." Around
"In these grave circumstances that the country is passing the capital of 18 million, cars honked their horns in
through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his celebration.
Egypt's military and logistical role in the US-led coalition Egyptian authorities accused al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, a
during the first Gulf War violent group which had targeted Egyptians and tourists in
earned for it Washington's previous attacks in Egypt in a bid to overthrow the government,
favour, which, in turn, of orchestrating the attack.
pressured G8 countries to
write off much of Cairo's Shortly after Mubarak's return to Cairo, the authorities
foreign debt. cracked down on Islamist groups, imprisoning hundreds,
leading human rights organisations to accuse the government of
The 1990s saw an increase in US financial aid to Egypt and human rights violations.
revived US-Egyptian strategic talks. The talks resulted in a
strategic alliance between the two countries and the
implementation of the US-Egypt Science and Technology
POLITICAL REFORMS
Cooperation Agreement.
In February 2005, Mubarak
The agreement was vital for Egypt, which is known to have called on parliament to amend
considerable high-calibre manpower, but suffers enduring Article 76 of the constitution to
financial problems. allow multiple candidates to run
in elections scheduled for later
One of the main objectives of the US-Egyptian alliance was a that year.
commitment to the peace process in the Middle East.
Throughout the 1990s, Egypt became the main peace broker However, opposition groups
between the Israelis and Arabs, including the Palestinians. said that the reforms imposed
new restrictions on independent
In 1994, Jordan followed Egypt's diplomatic route and signed presidential candidates that were not fielded by the ruling NDP.
a peace treaty with Israel.
Nevertheless, elections were held in September 2005, and
In successive years, the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh, for the first time, Egyptians were able to vote for multiple
which lies on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula - an area candidates. Mubarak won the elections with 88% of the vote.
seized by Israel in 1967 but returned in the 1980s as part of the
peace treaty - hosted several peace summits. Since his win, opposition and civil rights organisations have
accused Mubarak of planning to pass the presidency on to his
Arab press metaphorically nicknamed the resort the Arabian youngest son Gamal, who was appointed in 2002 as secretary-
Camp David. general of the NDP's policy committee.
In 2008, Mubarak managed to draw up a lull between Hamas The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement founded
and Israel. Mubarak's government is also currently playing a in 1928, is considered one of the most effective and popular
major role in Hamas-Fatah talks in Cairo for Palestinian national opposition groups in Egypt and is perhaps Mubarak's greatest
reconciliation. anathema.
The dichotomy of classes in Egypt has exacerbated criticism Although pardoned by Mubarak, Eissa went on to criticise
that Mubarak, and his son Gamal, favour a group of the lack of press freedom in his country.
businessmen within the NDP.
"This verdict isn't just about freedom of the press and
Opposition groups say that the NDP's business cartel have freedom in this country. This proves that anything concerning
used their authority to monopolise the country's wealth, while the president is a sacred and untouchable matter," he said.
most of the Egyptian people are living in despair.
"In this country, it's normal for journalists to be jailed while
The NDP has denied these accusations repeatedly and businessmen are freed," he said in reference to an acquittal in
stressed that the party is open to all Egyptians. August of five defendants over a 2006 ferry sinking, in which
more than 1,000 people died.
Egyptian opposition groups also blame Mubarak's
government for not doing enough to fight corruption. According
to the corruption perceptions index compiled by Global
Coalition Against Corruption, Egypt ranked 105 in the list of
least corrupted countries in 2006, tied with Burkina Faso and
Djibouti, and 115 in 2008.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Born May 4, 1928, north of Cairo in Monufia governorate,
r Al-Ahali - opposition
where Sadat was also born.
r Al-Wafd - opposition
Married to Egyptian-Welsh Suzanne Mubarak. They have r Al-Messa - pro-government
two sons: Alaa, a businessman not involved in politics; and r The Egyptian Gazette - pro-government daily
Gamal, a banker who has reportedly been groomed to succeed r The Daily News Egypt - private daily
his father. Mubarak is in his 83rd year.
r Egypt Today - English-language monthly
EGYPT FACTS:
r Full name: Arab Republic of Egypt Television
r Population: 84.5 million (UN, 2010) r Egypt Radio Television Union (ERTU) - state-run,
r Capital: Cairo operates domestic and satellite networks, including Nile
r Area: 1 million sq km (386,874 sq miles) TV International and Nile TV thematic channels
r Majorlanguage: Arabic r Dream TV - private satellite network, operates Dream 1
r Majorreligions: Islam, Christianity targeting young viewers and Dream 2, an entertainment
r Lifeexpectancy: 69 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN) channel
r Monetary unit: 1 Egyptian Pound = 100 piastres r Al-Mihwar - private, via satellite
r Mainexports: Petroleum, petroleum products and cotton
r GNIpercapita: US $2,070 (World Bank, 2009) Radio
r Internationaldiallingcode: +20 r Egypt Radio Television Union (ERTU) - state-run,
operates eight national networks and external services
The press Radio Cairo and Voice of the Arabs
r Al-Ahram - state-owned daily, the oldest newspaper in the r Nile FM - private, Western pop
Arab world r Nogoum FM - private, Arabic pop
r Al-Ahram Weekly - English-language
r Al-Jumhuriyah - state-owned daily News agency
r Al-Akhbar - semi state-owned daily Middle East News Agency (MENA) - state-run
=
14 PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011
What is the 2G spectrum
scam about?
H ere is a background on the 2G spectrum controversy
that resulted in Communications and IT Minister A.
Raja of DMK resigning.
First downloaded media content was also introduced in 2G The final blow came after the Comptroller and Auditor
phones. Ringtones were downloaded and paid for. Mobile General of India said that the entire process of spectrum
advertising was also introduced when SMS was used for allocation was undertaken in an arbitrary manner and that the
sending advertisementsand short headlines of news. advice of the industry watchdog was ignored and misused.
=
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 15
Current events
India
GOVT SCRAPS ISRO-DEVAS DEAL ON S-BAND VETERAN VOCALIST PT BHIMSEN JOSHI DEAD
SPECTRUM ALLOCATION
Legendary vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, who enthralled
The controversial S-Band spectrum generations of connoisseurs with his renditions of Hindustani
deal between ISRO's commercial arm classical music, passed away at a city hospital, Pune after a
Antrix and private firm Devas prolonged illness. He was 84.
Multimedia was scrapped.
A recipient of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, Joshi
The decision to annul the deal was had been put on life support system, following old age- related
taken at a meeting of the Cabinet ailments leading to kidney and respiratory failure after his
Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister admission to hospital on 31st December, his family said.
Manmohan Singh on the basis of a recommendation from the
Space Commission. Joshi, the most-celebrated exponent of 'Kirana gharana' of
Khansahib Abdul Karim Khan, leaves behind three sons and a
The annulment comes in the wake of a raging controversy daughter.
over the deal for handing over 70 MHz of S-Band spectrum to
the private firm for Rs 1,000 crore on which the CAG has already A pall of gloom descended on the city as the news of his
initiated action. demise spread, with people making a beeline to his residence to
pay their last respects to the singer who was the most powerful
According to certain estimates, this deal may have resulted figure on the Hindustani music concert platform of 'khayal gayki'.
in a loss of Rs two lakh crore to the exchequer.
tututu
After news reports about the possible revenue loss appeared,
the Government and ISRO said the project was already under ALL SPECTRUM DECISIONS SINCE 2003-08 WERE
review and action has been initiated for termination of the WRONG: TELECOM PANEL
contract.
All decisions on spectrum allocation since 2003 by
The Prime Minister said that the deal had never been successive govts, including the UPA, were procedurally wrong,
operationalised and rejected suggestions that his office had held concluded the one-man committee, which probed into the
"backroom" talks with Devas after the Space Commission's procedural lapses following the telecom scam.
decision to scrap the deal.
Unveiling the report of the Shivraj V Patil committee,
He had said that if there has been delay in scrapping the deal, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said in New Delhi that the
this has been "only procedural". findings on procedural lapses are being sent to the Central
Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into the criminal
Devas Multimedia had termed as "disturbing and culpability in the scam.
inappropriate" the government's "unilateral" decision to
terminate the agreement and threatened to take legal action. Addressing a press conference after the arrest of former
telecom minister A Raja, Sibal said his predecessor had said that
It said the government had reached the decision "without he had "not deviated from the previous policies (the NDA
due investigative process and without following the principles of government) but the problem was that the previous policies
natural justice". were wrong."
The committee has also recommended reforms in allocation The contract with the US includes training of aircrew and
of spectrum and penalty on hoarding of the scarce natural maintenance technicians, spares, ground support and test
resource. equipment, servicing carts, forklifts, loading vehicles, cargo
pallets and a team of technical specialists who will be based in
The former telecom minister has been arrested by CBI, India during a three-year initial support period.
which is investigating the case under the supervision of the
Supreme Court. The Super Hercules is a highly integrated and sophisticated
configuration, primarily designed to support India's special
tututu operations requirement.
IAF INDUCTS 'SUPER HERCULES' TRANSPORT Equipped with an Infrared Detection Set (IDS), the aircraft
AIRCRAFT can perform precision low-level flying, airdrops and landing in
blackout conditions.
After four decades, the Indian
Air Force (IAF) inducted an But in absence of defence agreements such as the CISMOA,
American origin aircraft, the C- the C-130Js will be without some of the critical communication
130J 'Super Hercules' transport equipment that is fitted on the American aircraft.
plane, augmenting its special
operational capability. The USAF, which is executing the government-to-
government deal, had taken possession of the first C-130J at a
Defence Minister A K Antony ceremony at Marietta near Atlanta on 16th Dec last year and
formally commissioned the handed it over to the IAF the same day.
aircraft into the newly formed 77 Squadron of the IAF by
handing over the keys of the aircraft to Unit Commanding The IAF along with Lockheed Martin has modernised the
Officer (CO) Group Captain Tejbeer Singh at Hindon air base home base of the C-130Js and created infrastructure for housing
near UP. 12 such aircrafts there, along with creating servicing and
operations facilities for the aircraft.
"C-130J will help the IAF to maintain its qualitative edge and
enhance its war fighting capabilities," Antony said in his address The company has also reinvested over USD 260 million into
at the induction ceremony. Indian defence sector under the offsets clause, which mandates
investment of at least 30 per cent of the worth of deals over Rs
Besides the Defence Minister, IAF chief P V Naik and the 300 crore in Indian defence companies.
American Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer were also
present at the ceremony. Referring to the growing defence relationship between the
two countries as a key component of the US-India strategic
The C-130Js, the latest version of Hercules, with four partnership, the US ambassador said, "The sale of six C-130J
powerful engines and around 20-tonne payload-carrying aircraft strengthens our bilateral military relationship and
capacity, will enhance India's rapid reaction capabilities since enhances joint regional security efforts between our two
the rugged aircraft can land on unprepared. democracies."
Asked if the IAF would exercise the option of procuring Roemer also mentioned that the US President Barack
another six aircraft, the Defence Minister said, "We will increase Obama also, while addressing the Parliament during his India
the number of aircraft in the transport fleet of the IAF". visit, referred the two countries as "two global leaders".
Dismissing the petitions of Janata Party leader Subramanian As per estimates, nearly $1 trillion is currently being
Swamy and others, a division bench headed by Chief Justice J. managed by about 400-odd Islamic banks worldwide.
Chalameshwar gave the go ahead to Al-Baraka Company to start
the institution, with Kerala State Industrial Development Corp "However, Islamic banking is possible through a separate
as an investor. legislation." Swamy had objected to Al-Baraka's concept on the
principle that since public money was involved, with a state-run
agency proposed as a partner, the application would favour one
Al-Baraka has 14 promoters who have contributed Rs.4.20
particular community in a secular country.
crore toward its capital and a 17-member board, with prominent
Gulf-based businessmen P. Mohammed Ali as Chairman and
Islamic banking has been a major demand of Muslims in
C.K. Menon as the Vice-chairman.
India, who number more than 160 million – the third-largest
such population in the world, after Indonesia and Pakistan
Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation will have a where they number 200 million and 175 million respectively.
11-percent stake in the firm, which will have to follow some
strict rules that specify which areas or businesses money can be In Kerala, Muslims form the second largest community, with
extended. The company also cannot charge interest as per close to 24 percent of the 32 million populations. According to a
sharia laws. study done by Prof. S. Irudayarajan of the Centre for
Development Studies, out of 1.85 million non-resident Keralites
"We welcome the honourable court's order. We will very in 2007, nearly 50 percent were Muslims and accounted for half
soon convene a meeting of our board of directors and discuss the remittances into the state.
the future course of action to begin operations," member and
another prominent businessman E.M. Najeeb said. tututu
"The basic principle which our company would follow is: 2G CASE: FORMER TELECOM MINISTER A RAJA
There will be no interest charged, no interest taken. There are
ARRESTED BY CBI
many people who are willing to put in their money and need no
interest. We will pool this money and invest in infrastructure Former Telecom Minister A Raja has been arrested by the
projects," Najeeb added. CBI in the 2G Spectrum case while his former aides R K
Chandolia and Sidharth Behuria have been also arrested.
Al-Baraka Company, accordingly, will not operate as a bank
and extend loans, but make direct investments into such Earlier, CBI questioned A Raja for the fourth time in
projects, after which profits would be shared in the form of connection with the funding and allegedly showing favours to
dividends and not as interest. some telecom companies in granting 2G spectrum between
October 2007 and 2008.
In its interim judgment last year the bench had asked the
state government and agencies under it to keep off from the Raja, who was questioned earlier on 24th December and
proposed bank but said in its final order that there was nothing 25th December 2010 and 31st January 2011, was called to the
wrong in granting permission. CBI office and quizzed.
tututu
The DMK MP would be confronted with some questions The humble 25 paise coin
and documents recovered from the computers seized during representing 'four annas' of a bygone
raids conducted by the investigation agency earlier at his era will soon be history. The RBI has
premises. said that coins with a denomination of
25 paise and below will be pulled out of circulation by June 2011
Raja was on earlier occasions questioned at length on the after which they will cease to be legal tender.
circumstances leading to spectrum allocation which has been
criticised severely by the Central Vigilance Commission and the Raging inflation has reduced the monetary value to such an
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). extent that it will not buy even the cheapest lozenge. Also, the
cost of minting these coins is higher than their value because of
He was also asked about his conversations with corporate which they are no longer minted. Although many traders already
lobbyist Niira Radia and the reasons of advancing the cut-off refuse to accept payments in small change below 50 paise, these
date of allocation of the spectrum in 2007. coins are currently legal tender and it is an offence to refuse
them.
Raja was forced to resign on November 14 last year in the
wake of the CAG report which held that the spectrum allocation The RBI has for some time now been working on a strategy
at undervalued prices resulted in a notional loss of Rs.1.76 lakh for the reverse flow of coins from circulation before withdrawing
crore to the state exchequer. them as legal tender. Having now put in place a process, the RBI
has asked 45 banks, including all government-owned banks,
Raja got the telecom portfolio on 18th May, 2007 and was re- which maintain small coin depots to arrange for exchange of
elected as a Member of the 15th Lok Sabha and continued as coins.
Telecom Minister from 31st May, 2009, till 14th November, 2010
before he tendered his resignation. The general public can exchange small denomination coins
at any branch of these banks.
The Supreme Court has asked CBI and Enforcement
Directorate to submit status reports on their investigations into The government had earlier under Section15A of the
the 2G spectrum case to it by February 10 when the case will Coinage Act, 1906 decided to withdraw the coins of
come up for further hearing. denomination of 25 paise and below from circulation, with effect
from June 30, 2011. From this date, these coins shall cease to be
In its FIR, CBI mentioned the loss as Rs 22,000 crore based legal tender for payment as well as on account.
on CVC findings which had referred the case to it.
Some time back, the RBI had recommended that the
Radia was quizzed by CBI as she had come under the government should withdraw coins below 50 paise. The central
scanner after her tapped telephonic conversations with various bank had also asked for coinization of low-denomination notes
influential people including industrialists, politicians and of up to Rs 10, since these are high velocity notes and have to be
journalists became public. replaced very frequently.
For the records, Nakamura tallied 9 points in all, a half point The plant in eastern Orissa state has been delayed by
more than Anand in this category-20 super tournament between criticism that it would ruin lives of thousands of poverty-stricken
14-players. people, who say the plant will disrupt their betel leaf plantations
and forest-based livelihoods.
The American not only performed way beyond his rating of
2751 but also finished ahead of the world's top four ranked India, one of the world's fastest growing major economies,
players. needs foreign capital to boost infrastructure and allow its
economy to grow at near double digits. But projects have met
Anand got the better position with his black pieces but could with protests from local farmers in this densely-populated
not find a breakthrough AS Nepomniachtchi simply got an country.
impregnable position in the end game arising out of a Sicilian
defense game. A government panel had earlier said that there were no
ecological concerns over the plant and the final decision was
The Indian ace settled for a draw in 37 moves. with Ramesh.
“Disappointing," said Anand after the final results were out.
Posco is among several corporations, including Vedanta
"When I reached a plus-four score (Four wins and rest Resources, which have come under scrutiny from Ramesh,
draws), I felt I was well on my way to a final victory but Hikaru putting his ministry in conflict with others in the government
just kept winning, picking up six points in a row, which was quite who are pushing for rapid industrialization.
amazing.
tututu
"But I'm not unhappy; it's difficult to be unhappy with a plus-
four score. It's a pity I didn't manage to win the tournament but I
think I performed above my rating, which isn't bad at all," the
CBI REGISTERS CASE IN ADARSH HOUSING SOCIETY
World Champion said. SCAM
The third place was shared by Magnus Carlsen and Levon The Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case
Aronian of Armenia who both scored 8 points apiece. The last against some retired Army officials and bureaucrats of
round of the tournament turned out to be a damp with all the Maharashtra Government in connection with the Adarsh
games ending in draws for the first time in the event this year. housing society scam.
“It has been more than two months since CBI has been "In the event, the licence holder would like to offer wireless
conducting a preliminary inquiry into the case. Why have you services, it will have to obtain spectrum through a market driven
(CBI) not registered FIR as yet?” it had asked. process," the minister said.
Two former army chiefs Gen. Deepak Kapoor and Gen. N.C. This means the new operators, if their licences are held
Vij and ex-navy chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh owned flats in valid, would have to pay a market price for the additional 1.8 Mhz
the scam-hit society building in upscale Colaba. However, the of 2G spectrum and this may make their operations financially
former top chiefs have claimed that they have now surrendered unviable.
the flats.
While the old operators, who are holding spectrum beyond
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had on 6.2 Mhz, would have to pay market driven price for the extra
January 16 ordered demolition of the building within three airwaves.
months, holding it as “unauthorised” and built in violation of the
spirit of coastal regulations. These changes would be implemented with immediate
effect, Sibal said.
Apart from violating the CRZ norms, the society is alleged to
have got clearances from various authorities through dubious "We need to seriously consider the adoption of an auction
means. process for allocation and pricing of spectrum beyond 6.2 Mhz
while ensuring that there is adequate competition in the auction
The plush housing society, built on prime defence land has process," Sibal said.
been constructed in alleged violation of rules. The building was
originally meant to be a six-storey structure to house Kargil war He also announced that there would be a uniform rate of
heroes and their kin but was later extended to 31 floors without revenue share to be paid by the operators as spectrum charge to
mandatory permission. the government, as part of level playing field for all players.
Mr Chavan had resigned as chief minister in the wake of the These changes would be part of new telecom policy being
scam. framed by the Department of Telecom.
STATES NOT READY FOR SUGAR DECONTROL: SHARAD Up to 10 per cent of paddy crop had suffered in quality due
PAWAR to weather conditions in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa but no
drop in output was expected. As for cotton, he said that
Decontrol of the sugar industry (from levy and monthly free production this year was estimated to be more than last year,
sale quota obligations) will seem “difficult” as several producing but whether more exports should be allowed before cotton
States, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil from the United States hit the global market would have to be
Nadu are not ready for it, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad decided by the Empowered Group of Ministers, headed by
Pawar said in New Delhi. Pranab Mukherjee.
The statement expressed surprise that the Prime Minister During her meeting with Mr. Prachanda, Ms. Rao is learnt to
had ignored not only an Andhra Pradesh High Court ruling have asked him about his party's “anti-India” stance. Mr.
suspending the notification freezing wages for workers under Prachanda clarified that the Maoists were not anti-India but felt
MGNREGA, but also the opinion of the Additional Solicitor that “certain historical issues like treaties” had to be looked at
General and the Labour Ministry that non-payment of “in a new manner,” sources said.
minimum wages was a violation of the Constitution.
The Maoist leader asked Ms. Rao about India's position on
Even the pleas of United Progressive Alliance chairperson government formation in Nepal and expressed concern that
Sonia Gandhi failed to influence the Prime Minister, who also India may be seeking to “isolate” the Maoists. She stressed that
ignored the request of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister to abide this was entirely up to Nepal's political parties and that India was
by the High Court ruling. willing to work with any government in Nepal.
=
The World Tourism Day is observed on September27.
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 23
Current events
World
ASEAN TO DISCUSS THAI-CAMBODIA SKIRMISHES Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has sent a letter to the
UN Security Council saying Thailand's action during the
OVER SHRINE DISPUTE clashes in recent months with Cambodia was appropriate and is
in line with international principles.
As tension continues to simmer
on the Thailand and Cambodia
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged both the
border over a 11th century Hindu
countries to come up with mechanisms to solve their disputes
Shiva temple, a concerned Asean
and end armed confrontation as soon as possible. US has also
grouping has asked all its foreign
called for Thailand and Cambodia to exercise restraint.
ministers to meet for an urgent
conclave to discuss the Preah Vihar
The construction of the first temple at the site began in the
shrine dispute.
early 9th century and continued in the following centuries
The invitations to the foreign ministers have been sent by dedicated to Shiva in his manifestations as the mountain gods
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the current Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara.
ASEAN chair and the meeting is set to be held on 22nd February.
The earliest surviving parts of the temple dates from early
While Cambodia has sought an urgent Security Council 10th century, when the empire's capital was at the city of that
meeting calling for a UN buffer force to be put in place, name.
Thailand has said that the dispute should be resolved bilaterally.
In the wake of the decline of Hinduism in the region, the site
Meanwhile, Thailand has said that more than 20,000 soldiers was converted to use by Buddhists. In 1954, Thai forces
will be deployed on the Thai-Cambodian border as part of a occupied the temple, following the withdrawal of French troops
national defence plan and an incident action plan approved by from Cambodia.
the army commander, 'Bangkok Post' quoted army sources as
saying. The plan is to remain in effect till 30th March . Cambodia protested and turned to the International Court
of Justice, which later ruled in 1962 that the shrine belonged to
The main entrance of the Shiva temple known as Preah Vihar Cambodia.
is officially on the Cambodian side but most of the other parts of
the temple spill over to the Thai side. tututu
Officially the foreign ministers have been invited to discuss BENNY GANTZ APPOINTED HEAD OF ISRAELI MILITARY
"regional and international issues," but the purpose of the
meeting is clear, senior Asean officials told the Bangkok Post. The Israeli cabinet unanimously approved the appointment
of Maj Gen Benny Gantz as the next chief of the armed forces.
The Indonesian foreign minister has met both Cambodian
and Thai foreign ministers so far. He has said that Asean's role is The appointment of Maj Gen Gantz comes at a time when
one that supports bilateral efforts to resolve the conflict. the region, engrossed in a strong political turmoil, faces one of
its worst instability in decades.
Recent reports had said that parts of the temple had been
damaged in the recent skirmishes between the two neighbours "Maj Gen Benny Gantz is an outstanding officer and an
after Cambodian troops used the shrine as a military base to fire experienced commander," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin
on the Thai soldiers. Netanyahu told his ministers.
Gantz's appointment was authorised by the Turkel PROTESTERS CLASH WITH COPS IN YEMEN
Committee for senior public appointments and was approved by
the cabinet. Young Yemeni protesters have
reportedly squared off against
The official transition ceremony between Ashkenazi and security forces, with some
Gantz would be held at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem. marching to the presidential
palace in Sana'a (Yemen) in the
The farewell ceremony for the outgoing Chief of Staff will be hope of repeating and emulating
held at Tel Aviv University. the revolution in Egypt.
Barak was scheduled to deliver a speech at the ceremony, but The protests, organized largely via text messages, were the
continuing tensions between him and Ashkenazi have raised largest yet by young Yemenis, with more than 1,000 marching,
doubts that he will participate. the New York Times reports.
He said that Thailand was confident that it could make a Earlier, demonstrators were violently repulsed by armed
strong case at the closed-door meeting in New York to show that security forces both uniformed and in plain clothes, some armed
Phnom Penh sparked the standoff over the disputed territory, with sten guns, witnesses said.
which left eight people dead.
There were reports of several injuries, but no deaths.
"We're confident that we can explain that (Cambodia's
claims) are wrong," he said in his weekly television address. The Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), a coalition of opposition
"Cambodia is calling for (intervention by) a third country, the parties, have said that it will continue to press for a change of
UN and peacekeeping forces. leadership in Yemen.
The opposition coalition said at a news conference in Sana'a The detailed charge-sheet said that there was a conspiracy
that it welcomed the new street protests, but cautioned that the behind Bhutto's assassination, and that Musharraf allegedly
situation could quickly escalate if mass uprisings took hold in provided slain Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah
Yemen, a country with a well-armed populace. Mehsud with the opportunity to carry out a suicide attack on
Bhutto by failing to provide her adequate security.
President Saleh, an important ally of the United States in the
fight against terrorism, in recent months sought to counter a A report compiled by the FIA's investigation team said:
rising tide of opposition and preserve his three-decade rule by "Musharraf was equally responsible for facilitation and
raising army salaries, having income taxes and ordering price abetment of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto through his
controls, among other concessions. government and justified failure in providing her the requisite
security protection that her status demanded twice. There was a
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has urged security lapse."
Saleh to enter into a dialogue with the opposition, in the interest
of preserving stability in Yemen. The FIA has also alleged that two top former police officials,
who were recently arrested for alleged negligence in providing
The opposition coalition has said it would be willing to security to Bhutto, were acting on the orders of Musharraf.
restart talks with the ruling party if specific conditions were met,
like including members of the southern separatist movement in Musharraf's spokesman and legal aides have dismissed the
the dialogue. charges levelled against him, saying that the Pakistan People's
Party-led government was trying to deflect attention from
It remained unclear to what degree a widening popular charges of inefficiency and corruption levelled against it.
uprising could set off renewed armed clashes in the south.
Protests across the south have been notably more violent than Bhutto was killed by a suicide bomber shortly after she
those in the country's north. addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
tututu The former military ruler has been living out of Pakistan
since April 2009. Former Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah
PAK COURT ISSUES NON-BAILABLE ARREST WARRANT Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in 2009.
AGAINST MUSHARRAF tututu
A Pakistani anti-terrorism
court issued a non-bailable KHANAL SWORN IN AS PM AMID POWER SHARING
arrest warrant against former ROW WITH MAOISTS
President Pervez Musharraf to
secure his presence in the Nepal's veteran communist leader Jhalanath Khanal was
hearing in the Benazir Bhutto sworn in as the new prime minister, even as his party failed to ink
assassination case. a power sharing deal with its key ally Maoists, delaying the
cabinet formation.
The court in Rawalpindi
issued the warrant after President Ram Baran Yadav administered the oath of office
hearing the arguments of prosecution lawyers. and secrecy at a grand function in the presence of top Nepalese
leaders, including Vice President Parmananda Jha, caretaker
The Federal Investigation Agency also submitted a detailed prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maoist chairman
chargesheet that named Musharraf as an accused in the case Prachanda, Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala and
related to the murder of Bhutto. Parliament Speaker Subhas Chandra Nembang.
Two Terai based parties, Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum led "The movement will not participate in this farce," Hamas
by former Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav and Madhesi said in a statement in response. "The movement will not
Peoples Rights Forum (Nepal) led by Mahendra Yadav are likely recognise the result of this process."
to join the government, sources said.
Hamas has refused to recognise the authority of the West
Nepali Congress, the second largest party with 114 members Bank-based government of president Mahmud Abbas since his
in the House, has decided to sit in the opposition. four-year term expired in January 2009 and was then indefinitely
extended by his supporters pending new elections.
There is growing anger in a section of the CPN-UML party
and the Nepali Congress, which supported the Communist The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are separated by Israeli
party-led government since 2009, over a secret deal with the territory and are ruled by rival administrations. Abbas's
Maoists during the voting in the parliament, sources said. government called a general election for January 2010, then
backed down after Hamas refused to hold parallel polls in the
Khanal's party, which is the third largest party in the Gaza Strip.
parliament, got support from the main Opposition Maoist Party
after Prachanda quit the race in a last minute decision. Hamas, which won the 2006 parliamentary race by a
landslide, has said that there can be no fresh vote without
Nepal's parliament voted under revised election rules reconciliation with the rival Fatah party, which is headed by
designed to break a deadlock that had left the country without a Abbas and dominates the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
government even after 16 rounds of elections.
The Islamist movement took power in Gaza in June 2007
The political deadlock over the last seven months has been when it drove out forces loyal to Abbas in a week of bloody street
hugely damaging for Nepal, which is still reeling from its decade battles, the culmination of years of struggle between the two
of civil war that ended in 2006. main Palestinian movements.
"There are backups distributed amongst many, many people, He would then announce a new election date, which must be
100,000 people and all we need to do is give them an encrypted within 30 days. That election is expected to result in a drubbing
key and they will be able to continue on," Assange said. for Cowen's Fianna Fail, Ireland's long dominant political party,
and usher in a new team led by the Fine Gael party.
"If a number of people were imprisoned or assassinated,
then we would feel that we could not go on, and other people Cowen, who was Ireland's finance minister from 2004 to
would have to take over our work, and we would release the keys," 2008, is widely blamed for Ireland's stunning slide from Celtic
he said. Tiger boom economy to the brink of bankruptcy. The finance
bill is designed to comply with a massive international rescue
Last year, WikiLeaks, an online whistleblower organization loan.
published hundreds of thousands of classified material on the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as diplomatic cables that put The European Union-International Monetary Fund support
the spotlight on backdoor meetings among US officials and their is contingent on Ireland cutting euro15 billion (USD 20.56
counterparts in different countries. billion) from its deficit spending over the coming four years and
is imposing the harshest cuts this year.
Since then, the US government has been trying to nab and
prosecute Assange for espionage but no specific charges against
It includes a 90 per cent tax on bonuses paid to employees of
him have been framed.
any of the Irish banks that needed state support to survive after a
runaway property market collapsed.
The former Australian hacker has argued that all the actions
taken by his organization are protected under the First
tututu
Amendment that protects free speech in America.
When questioned about the material on Bank of America, JUNTA-LED NIGER VOTES FOR CIVILIAN PRESIDENT
Assange did not confirm or deny but simply said, "I won't make
any comment in relation to that upcoming publication". At the Niger goes to the polls to replace a military junta with a
same time, Assange said that he didn't mind making these big civilian president who will rule one of the world's poorest
banks 'squirm'. countries living under the growing menace of Al-Qaeda
militants.
Last year, he had said that WikiLeaks would be releasing
documents on a US bank. The North African state of 15 million people covered mostly
by the Sahara desert has watched helplessly as the influence of
“We have all these banks squirming, thinking maybe it's the regional offshoot of Al-Qaeda has grown in recent years.
them," he said.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has staged a
The WikiLeaks founder, who did not discuss the allegations series of kidnappings of foreigners, the latest being two young
of sexual assault that have been levied against him, has Frenchmen snatched by militants from the capital, Niamey,
previously said that these charges are false. killed during an abortive rescue mission launched by France.
India has launched year-long "This generous contribution will make Carleton's centre a
activities and programmes for its unique resource for the university, the community and our
'Year of India in Canada' to country," Runte said.
showcase the country's rich art
and culture, as well as its rise as an Carleton currently has 25 faculty members conducting
economic power. India-related research, partnerships with seven Indian post-
secondary institutions and many formal relationships with
Indian high commissioner S M Indian businesses and organizations.
Gavai launched the programme, with a major investment in
Canada-India Centre for Excellence in Science, Technology, Last Fall, the university hosted Canadian business leaders
Trade and Policy at the Carleton University. for round-table discussions with two top Indian ministers and
hosted other Indian government delegations.
Gavai and Roseann O'Reilly Runte, Carleton University
president, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
As part of the celebration, the 2011 regional PBD (Pravasi
governing the visiting chair in the field of humanities and social
Bharatiya Divas) would be held in Toronto on June 9 and 10th,
sciences that would bring together key members of the
Preeti Saran, consul general of India, said in Toronto after
academic, business and public policy communities in both
hoisting tricolor to commemorate India's Republic Day.
countries to provide cutting-edge research, analysis, training
and exchanges.
Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce would be the nodal
Gavai said that the year-long festivities would include agency for the event. The theme is Building Bridges: Positioning
exhibitions of Indian art and culture, seminars on promoting Strategy of the Indian Diaspora.
trade and business, conferences on enhanced co-operation,
food and film festivals and more in different parts of the country. Indian diaspora members in Canada, USA, Mexico and the
Caribbean countries are expected to attend the PBDCanada
The celebratory year was designated for 2011 by the Prime 2011 convention in large numbers.
Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart
Stephen Harper during the latter's visit to India in November For the first time, the 12th edition of the IIFA awards will
2009. take place in Toronto later this year, which has become the first
North American city to host the glittering ceremony, popularly
"The aim is to showcase India's rich art and culture, as well known as the Oscars of Bollywood.
as its rise as an economic power, thereby promoting closer
people-to-people ties across a broad range of sectors, including The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) takes
business," Gavai said. place in a different world city each year.
The Administration funds USD 2.5 billion to prevent the They also agreed to sell substantial quantities of cocaine to
proliferation of nuclear weapons by fully funding efforts to the undercover agents that the Taliban could sell at a profit in the
secure and dispose of nuclear material, develop technologies to US. Saade, along with US citizens Pouryan and Orbach, agreed
detect and deter nuclear testing and smuggling and support to sell weapons to the militant group including surface-to-air
international non-proliferation treaties, regulatory controls and missiles to be used to protect Taliban-owned heroin laboratories
safeguards. against US attack in Afghanistan.
It also proposed USD 1.2 billion for naval reactors, to include Five of the men were arrested in Liberia last week and were
construction of new reactor fuel handling infrastructure and due to be extradited to the United States to face the charges.
continued reactor development for a new ballistic missile The two American citizens Pouryan and Orbach were arrested
submarine to sustain a robust nuclear deterrent. in Bucharest, Romania last week where they will remain pending
extradition to the US.
The budget also includes USD 31.8 million for the
reorganised chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high- According to the indictment, the men communicated with
yield explosive consequence management structure, which will the undercover DEA agents through telephone, email and
be in place prior to the end of 2012. videotaped meetings over several months in 2010 in Benin,
Ghana, Ukraine, and Romania.
It also proposed USD 665 million to enhance the
development of next generation medical counter-measures During these meetings, Saade, Pouryan and Orbach agreed
against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats; to arrange the sale of weapons, including surface-to-air missiles
USD 200 million for a public-private partnership of a vaccine to the undercover agents for the Taliban's use in Afghanistan.
manufacturing facility, in support of the Administration's new
Medical Counter Measure Initiative and USD 138 million to Saade introduced the agents to Pouryan, whom Saade
continue building DOD's (Department of Defense) Institute of described as a weapons trafficker affiliated with Hezbollah.
Infectious Disease at the new Interagency Biodefense Campus.
Pouryan and Orbach told the agents about specifications,
The budget proposes USD 97 million to improve the pricing and the provision of training for the sale of various
security of online transactions, enhance cyber security weapons, including anti-tank missiles, grenade launchers, AK-
education efforts, increase cutting-edge cyber security R&D, 47s and M-16s.
=
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 31
Current events
The GDP numbers announced by the government earlier In December, Twitter raised $200
this week also hinted at slowing of economy. million in financing in a deal that valued it
at $3.7 billion. The company, which allows
Reacting to the weak numbers in industrial growth, Finance users to broadcast 140-character messages
Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, “ The numbers are to groups of followers, had 175 million
unfortunate and disappointing. But weekly and monthly figures users as of September.
do not reflect the whole picture. We’ve to take into account the
numbers for the whole year.” The Wall Street Journal reported on its website that
executives at Twitter have held “low level” talks with executives
The government has pegged the economic growth for the at Facebook and Google in recent months about a possible
financial year 2010-11 at 8.6 per cent, which is signal to a slowing takeover of Twitter.
economy as the growth stood at 8.9 per cent during the first half
of the current fiscal. Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ said other
companies have also held similar talks.
The industrial growth for November stood at 2.7 per cent.
“But what’s remarkable is the money that people familiar
“The numbers are on expected line and it is difficult to pick with the matter say frames the discussions with at least some
out any fundamental story from the numbers. The slowing in potential suitors; an estimated valuation in the neighbourhood
Industry is corroborated by GDP number which showed a of $8 billion to $10 billion,” the report said. The paper said the
decline. Investment revival also doesnot seem to be panning talks have so far gone nowhere and that Google, Facebook and
out,” said Abheek Barua, chief economist at HDFC Bank. Twitter all declined to comment.
The manufacturing growth fell further to 1 per cent from 2.3 Despite the valuation, the report said Twitter’s executives
per cent in December. Mining output for the month also and board were working on building a large, independent
dropped to 3.8 per cent from 6 per cent a month ago. The company.
electricity sector growth, however, rose to 6 per cent from 4.6
per cent in November. “People familiar with the situation said the company believes
it can grow into a $100 billion company,” the WSJ said. Twitter,
However, the good news was the growth in consumer goods, created in 2006, is among a crop of popular Internet social
which jumped from a negative 3.1 per cent recorded in networking services that includes Facebook, Zynga and
Novemeber to 3.9 per cent in December. LinkedIn.
Most of the telecom firm, including Bharti, Vodafone, Idea The company, which already has a network of sales offices in
and state-owned companies like BSNL and MTNL, hold extra North America and Europe, said more than 80 of the top 100
spectrum beyond 6.2 Mhz and the new norms would put a huge advertisers in the United States advertise on Facebook, adding
financial burden on these telcos. that it is working with major brands across Asia.
In addition, the licences of some of the operators, including "We are investing in a team to scale with the business here in
Bharti, are due for renewal after completing 20 years periodicity the region, and will start with a handful of employees and add
in several circles. Such companies would have to pay to renew more as the business grows," a spokeswoman said.
their licences as per the new norms recommended by Trai.
She declined to disclose the number of Facebook users in
When contacted, Trai Chairman J S Sarma said, "Yes we have Hong Kong and Taiwan. The site has about 500 million users
submitted the recommendations to the DoT on the revised worldwide.
norms for 2G spectrum pricing."
Blake Chandlee, Facebook's vice-president and commercial
According to the report, the spectrum prices for both director for emerging markets, played down the idea that the
categories - up to 6.2 Mhz and beyond 6.2 Mhz - vary from circle Hong Kong office is a sign that Facebook is eyeing a move into
to circle. China - where it remains banned.
India has been complaining, even to the SAARC Secretariat, Bashir said the two Foreign Secretaries would focus on
that the issue of restricted import of goods from India by carrying forward the directives of the two Prime Ministers to
Pakistan under the SAFTA was against the letter and spirit of engage with each other. "Hopeful there will be positive
SAFTA. comments coming out after the meeting," he said.
Once registered with the bank for the service, a unique US INDIA BILATERAL TRADE INCREASES BY OVER 30
mobile money identifier (MMID) is issued to the customers, PERCENT IN 2010
which along with the mobile phone number, is used for both
credit and debit transactions. Though the service is enabled The Indo-US bilateral trade is
through a mobile application download, it can also be used in expected to increase by more than 30
low-end phones by regular SMS facility. percent in the first 11 months of 2010
to touch USD 50 billion.
“Since IMPS does not use the customer’s account number,
there is no fear of misuse of accounts through hacking of mobile The bilateral trade could even
phones,” Mr Balakrishnan said. touch the magical figure of USD 50
billion when the statistics for
The maximum daily credit limit for encrypted phones is
December are available, officials said,
50,000 spread over five transactions and for low-end phones is’
adding this reflects the growing trade
1000/day. With over 600 million mobile users in the country, the
relationship between the two
system is ideal to take banking services to rural areas, he added.
countries.
tututu
According to the latest figures
made available by the US Department
GOVT REVISES GDP GROWTH FIGURE FOR FY'10 of Commerce, between January to November 2010, the total
UPWARD TO 8 % bilateral trade between India and the United States was USD
45,011 million.
The government revised the GDP growth rate for the 2009-
10 financial year upward to 8 per cent from the earlier estimate of This is in comparison to USD 34,416 million during the
7.4 per cent on the back of improved performance of the same period in 2009; showing an increase of 30.79 percent.
manufacturing and services sectors. The total bilateral trade in 2009 was 37,607 million(about
USD 37.61 billion), which was a a significant drop from USD
"The growth rate of 8 per cent in the GDP during 2009-10 43,386 million in 2008 mainly because of the downturn in the
has been achieved due to high growth in manufacturing (8.8%), global economy.
Textiles exports to the US, which account for 23 percent, fell tututu
by 10.3 percent from USD 5.42 billion in 2008 to USD 4.86
billion in 2009. Iron & Steel products which account for 5.3 INDIA TO ALLOW PAYMENT FOR IRANIAN CRUDE
percent of India’s exports to the US, fell by 33.8 percent from THROUGH GERMAN BANK
USD 1.68 billion in 2008 to USD 1.12 billion in 2009.
India decided to pay for Iranian crude oil in euro through a
Exports of Organic Chemicals fell by 10.2 percent from 1.46 German bank based in Hamburg, a finance ministry official
billion in 2008 to USD 1.32 billion in 2009. Exports of said.
pharmaceutical products grew from USD 1.43 billion in 2008 to
USD 1.66 billion in 2009. The conduit (route) was decided at a high level meeting
chaired by National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar
tututu Menon."State Bank of India (SBI) has been instructed to clear
over USD 2 billion of backlog payment beginning this evening,"
GOOGLE OPENS ONLINE STORE FOR ANDROID USERS the official said.
In an effort to compete with the rival The meeting was also attended by Economic Affairs
Apple in the wireless sector, search Secretary R Gopalan, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Oil
engine giant Google has launched a new Secretary S Sundareshan.SBI will route euro payments to
online store of advanced software National Iranian Oil Co's account in the Hamburg-based
applications that run on mobile phones Europäisch-Iranische Handelsbank AG (EIH Bank).
powered by Android software.
The official said over USD 2 billion payment is pending
Google's new online store, Market. since September and another USD 1.3 billion is outstanding
Android.com, will allow Android users since December 23.This is when the Reserve Bank of India
find new applications more easily from their computers, see (RBI) disallowed payments for Iranian crude using a long-
recommendations by friends and download applications to their standing clearing house system, run by the central banks of nine
mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal reported. countries – including India and Iran – dubbed as the Asian
Clearing Union.
Users of Android devices such as Motorola Mobility Inc.'s
Droid or HTC Corp.'s Evo smartphones have previously had India imports 12 million barrels of crude oil every month
access to the application market via their devices, but many from Iran. Iran accounts for 12 per cent of India's supplies and is
application makers complained it was difficult to get noticed its second-largest supplier behind Saudi Arabia.Iran had
there because the marketplace was partly built around lists of continued to supply crude oil to India on credit after the RBI
featured applications and top downloads. move, the official said.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, mainland China These initiatives, the RBI said will "rein in rising inflationary
exported ICT goods valued at $356 billion in 2009, followed by expectations, which may be aggravated by the structural and
Hong Kong ($142 billion) and the US ($113 b), UNCTAD said. transitory nature of food price increases."
Reliance on exports of ICT products is most pronounced in The apex bank further said its monetary action was aimed at
Hong Kong, where the goods represent more than 43 percent of reining in rising inflationary expectations, while at the same
all merchandise exports, it said. time being moderate enough not to disrupt growth.
tututu The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has instructed all the
commercial banks to ensure that post- shipment credit is
INDIA TO CUT EXPORT DEAL COSTS BY RS. 21BN available at prescribed rates up to 180 days as stipulated in case
of overdue bills.
India announced a slew of
measures, including round-the-clock tututu
customs clearance at eight ports and
reduction in levies, that will cut export HP LAUNCHES RECLINING PC
transaction cost by nearly Rs. 2100
billion ($466.66 million), making the Computers are increasingly coming in all shapes and sizes.
countr y's overseas trade more Now there is even a reclining computer.
competitive.
HP announced the new
Fi n a n c e M i n i s t e r Pr a n a b form factor, saying that it
Mukherjee released a report of the task force on transaction believed the ability to lay the
costs that has made 44 recommendations aimed at improving screen almost horizontal
competitiveness of Indian exports. would be eagerly welcomed by
consumers and companies
The government has agreed to implement 32 of the 44 such as hotels and other
identified issues that are related to various ministries and customer-facing businesses.
departments, said Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia. Analysts said HP was hoping that the devices could help the
world's top computer maker fend off the challenge posed by
"Of these, 21 issues have been implemented and another two Apple's iPad, which is being widely adopted by businesses such
are likely to be implemented in a couple of months. The as hotels, car dealers and others who like to share online
remaining issues are under the process of examination and information with customers.
consultations for implementation," Scindia said.
Part of HP's TouchSmart line, the new devices feature 58-cm
"It is expected that implementation of 23 issues is likely to touch screens that can recline to a 60-degree angle and be
mitigate the transaction cost by approximately Rs. 21 billion. swiveled from side to side. Both the consumer and business
Permanent reduction of transaction cost through these versions of the device run on Windows 7.
initiatives will have a long term positive impact on the
competitiveness of India's exports," Scindia, who chaired the The consumer device goes on sale with prices starting at
task force, added. $899. The business version will be available in May.
The major recommendations that have been implemented "As a leader in touch computing, HP has made each iteration
include round-the-clock customs clearance at eight ports - of the TouchSmart PC more intuitive, resourceful and fun for
Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Jamnagar, Mangalore, Jawaharlal users," said HP executive James Mouton.”
Nehru Port Trust (Navi Mumbai), Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and
Chennai - and reduction in various levies. “The latest generation is no exception with a new design that
makes it easier and more comfortable to use, and it allows
Booking charges for the foreign currency have been reduced businesses to integrate the TouchSmart where convenience,
from Rs. 750 per transaction to Rs. 400-500 per transaction. space constraints and appearance matter." he added.
Delhi International Airport has reduced the charges levied HP is expected to unveil its own line of tablet computers also.
for screening express cargo and courier shipments from Rs. 6 to The devices will run the company's WebOs operating system
Rs. 1.65 per kg for the export courier at its Express Courier that it acquired as part of its $1.6-billion purchase of Palm last
Terminal at Indira Gandhi International Airport. year.
On cloud computing, Chatterjee said it offered great To meet the growing air traffic demand, he said the policy on
opportunity and MSIDC has a team focusing only on cloud airport infrastructure aimed to increase airport capacity to stay
computing. ahead of demand and garner the maximum share of traffic in the
region.
Chatterjee said the centre has contributed to 270 patents
filed during last five years. "We wish to make our airport facilities user friendly and
achieve high levels of customer satisfaction. We also seek to
He denied that Microsoft downsizing workforce elsewhere ensure the safety and security of airport operations and develop
had any impact on MSIDC here. "We will continue our robust multi-modal transport linkages," he said, adding aviation
campus hiring. We will continue to recruit 150 to 170 graduates infrastructure was being modernized through joint ventures
every year from the campuses across India," he said. under the private-public partnership model.
One of Microsoft's largest product development centres Complimenting the Airports Authority of India, he said the
outside Redmond, MSIDC along with its Bangalore unit has a entire investment of the new International Terminal Building in
strong team of 1,650 employees and is developing new products Thiruvananthapuram at a cost of Rs 289 crore was being met
and technologies for the global Microsoft portfolio. through AAI's internal resources.
=
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 39
W. Edwards Deming:
Quality Guru
D r. W. Edwards Deming, the father of Japanese post-war
industrial revival, was regarded by many as the quality
guru in the United States. Trained as a statistician, his
expertise was used during World War II to assist the United
States in its efforts to improve the quality of war materials.
WORK IN JAPAN
After World War II (1947), Deming was involved in early
planning for the 1951 Japanese Census. He was asked by the
Department of the Army to assist in this census. While he was
there, his expertise in quality control techniques, combined with
Deming's business philosophy is summarised in his famous “14 his involvement in Japanese society, led to his receiving an
Points”, which have inspired significant changes among a invitation from the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers
number of leading companies in the world striving to compete in (JUSE) for his lectures. A number of Japanese manufacturers
the world's increasingly competitive environment. applied his techniques widely and experienced unheard-of
levels of quality and productivity. The improved quality,
INTRODUCTION combined with the lowered cost, created new international
demand for Japanese products.
William Edwards Deming (1900–1993) was an American
statistician, college professor, author, lecturer and consultant. When Deming declined to receive royalties from the
Deming is widely credited transcripts of his 1950 lectures, JUSE established the Deming
with improving production Prize (1950) to repay him for his services. The Deming Prize –
in the US during World War especially the Deming Application Prize, which is given to
II, although he is perhaps companies – has exerted an immeasurable influence directly or
best known for his work in indirectly on the development of quality control and quality
Japan. From 1950 onwards management in Japan.
he taught top management
in Japan how to improve WORK IN THE US
design (and thus service), Ford Motor Company was one of the first American
product quality, testing and corporations to seek help from Deming. In 1981, Ford recruited
sales through various Deming to help jump-start its quality movement. Ford's sales
methods, including the were falling. Between 1979 and 1982, Ford had incurred $3
application of statistical billion in losses. Deming questioned the company's culture and
methods and hypothesis the way its managers operated. To Ford's surprise, Deming
testing. talked not about quality but about management. He told Ford
that management actions were responsible for 85 percent of all
Deming made a problems in developing better cars.
significant contribution to
W. Edwards Deming Japan's later renown for In a letter to Autoweek Magazine, Donald Petersen, then
innovative high-quality products and its economic power. He is Ford Chairman, said, “We are moving toward building a quality
regarded as having had more impact on Japanese manufacturing culture at Ford and the many changes that have been taking
and business than any other individual not of Japanese heritage. place here have their roots directly in Dr. Deming's teachings.”
Despite being considered something of a hero in Japan, it was By 1986, Ford had become the most profitable American auto
only at the time of his death that he was beginning to win company. For the first time since the 1920s, its earnings had
widespread recognition in the U.S. Deming was the author of exceeded those of arch rival General Motors (GM). Ford had
Out of the Crisis (1982–1986) and The New Economics for come to lead the American automobile industry in
Industry, Government, Education (1993), which includes his improvements. In the following years, Ford confirmed that its
System of Profound Knowledge™ and the 14 Points for success was not a fluke, for its earnings continued to exceed
Management (described below). those of GM and Chrysler.
r Find problems. It is the management's job to work r “Experience by itself teaches nothing.” This statement
continually on the system (design, incoming materials, emphasises the need to interpret and apply information
composition of material, maintenance, improvement of against a theory or framework of concepts that is the basis
machine, training, supervision, retraining). for knowledge about a system. It is considered as a contrast
to the old statement, “Experience is the best teacher”. To
r Institute modern methods of training on the job. Dr. Deming, knowledge is best taught by a master who
explains the overall system through which experience is
r The responsibility of the foreman must be to change from judged; experience, without understanding the underlying
sheer numbers to quality, which will automatically improve system, is just raw data that can be misinterpreted against a
productivity. Management must prepare to take immediate flawed theory of reality.
action on reports from the foreman concerning barriers
such as inherent defects, poor maintenance of machines, r “Devise a policy of acceptable defects rather than waste
poor tools and fuzzy operational definitions. efforts on zero-defect goals”. Dr. Deming stressed the
importance of establishing a level of variation, or
r Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the anomalies, acceptable to the recipient (or customer) in the
company. next phase of a process. Often, some defects are quite
acceptable, and efforts to remove all defects would be an
r Break down barriers between departments. People in excessive waste of time and money.
research, design, sales and production must work as a team
to foresee problems of production that may be encountered r “The worker is not the problem. The problem is at the top
with various materials and specifications. Management!” Deming states that workers represent only
15 percent of the problem and that “system” is responsible
r Eliminate numerical goals, posters and slogans for the for the other 85 percent. The “system” is the responsibility
workforce, asking for new levels of productivity without of management. Instead of blaming production and service
providing methods. problems on the work force and demanding that workers
work harder to do their jobs in the way they were taught,
r Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas. management should evaluate the system and work to
transform it. The essence of quality management is the
r Remove barriers that stand between the hourly worker and ability to treat problems of the system and of the people
his right to pride of workmanship. simultaneously.
a
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 41
PT Panorama
Abounding in about 130 big and 300 small cement plants, In spite of seeing fall during 2008-09, the export segment of
India's cement production capacity stands at 167.36 million the industry is expected to grow again on account of various
tonnes. Currently, the cement industry in India is positioned at infrastructure projects that are being taken up all over the world.
number 2 in the world. With incorporating modern techniques
in the production, the Indian cement industry has not only been TYPES OF CEMENT IN INDIA
able to meet domestic demands but also serving well to the
international arena. Undoubtedly, the credit for this can be The booming cement industry in India is well recognizedfor
attached to the superlative quality of the cement produced in producing vast varieties of cement that conform to Bureau of
India, which in turn has helped in registeringboom in exports. Indian Standards (BIS).
MY GUZAARISH
Lt. Col P. Deogirikar (Retd.)
I had the privilege of viewing Bhansali’s “Guzaarish” last week. A masterpiece all right despite many shortcomings.
The media was full of reviews and experts’ opinions. I neither have the expertise nor the intention to add to it. But I
would like to take a different approach. This movie raises the question, “Should we permit an individual to take
his/her life, if it becomes unbearable?” Now, should we not start from the basics and then reach this ‘life and death’
question? Here is the elaboration.
Birth- Start at the beginning. Does a female fetus in our Location- I get scores of requests from the parents of the
society have exactly the same freedom to take birth as the male girls that they should be considered for a job in Indore only. Look
one? How many times have you seen a girl being born in a family at the logic, ‘Look we have given her education. It is the privilege
after three or even two sons? And have you not seen a boy being of her would be in-laws to decide whether she pursues a career
born after two, three or even four daughters? Q.E.D.! When we or not. As for as we are concerned, she works in Indore if she
don’t give some of them the choice to exist, how can we even works!” Case dismissed!
think about the choice of ‘wish-death’ ?
And why only girls, we have considerable number of boys
Water- If it is a fact that there is even one well in one village who do not step out of their home town just to be under the
in this country where particular caste(s) are not allowed, do we ‘aanchal’ of their mothers! ‘Indorilals’, as they are known, are
have the moral right of even considering this ‘Guzaarish’ ready to sacrifice their career (and later crib about it) just to be
question? with their parents and just to meet their friends every evening at
‘56 dookan’ or sarafa! And we are talking about giving the right to
Education- Would you bet that the girls have the same die!
encouragement in our society to have the education as the boys?
Across the country? Let us admit that the word ‘son’ is Marriage- I thought the scene was changing for better, but
synonymous to ‘career’ here and the daughter to ‘marriage’. then ‘khap’ happened! Forget about getting married in other
Hasn’t a lady Supreme Court Judge written her daughters religion, we do not permit them to get married in the same
names under liability? So, the girls do not have the freedom to ‘gotra’! If they do, the punishment is ‘death penalty’! And it was a
get educated as they want. The government does acknowledge shock to know that some very formidable members of the society
this by handing over free bicycles to school-going girls but not concur with this view point.
boys! Our collective energies should be spent in getting this
right for all.
r On November 26, 1947, Chetty r The finance minister is required to submit the Budget to
presented the first Budget of the Parliament usually on the last working day of February
independent India. Actually, it was so that the Lok Sabha has one month to review and modify
a review of the economy and no new the Budget proposals.
taxes were proposed as the Budget
day for 1948-49 was just 95 days r The Budget proposed by the finance minister comes into
away. effect after parliamentary discussion on the Budget has
been completed by April 1.
r Chetty resigned in 1949 due to differences with the then
prime minister Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru. r Indira Gandhi has been India's only woman finance
minister for a year from 1970 to 1971.
r The Budget is discussed in two stages in Lok Sabha. First,
there is the general discussion on the Budget as a whole. r Moraji Deasi has presented the
This lasts for about four to five days. maximum number of Budgets,
He has presented 8 Budgets.
r Only the broad outlines of the Budget and the principles (Under Nehru and three years
and policies underlying it are discussed at this stage. The under Indira Gandhi). He holds
'Annual Financial Statement' is laid on the table of Rajya a unique record of presenting 2
Sabha at the conclusion of the speech of the finance budgets on his birthday
minister in Lok Sabha. (29/2/1964 and 29/2/1968).
r Two finance ministers, Yashwant Sinha and Manmohan r Of 17 Budgets since 1991-92, on 10 occasions the stock
Singh have presented 5 budgets in a row. markets fell in the one month following the Budget.
r R Venkataraman was the only Finance Minister who later r In the present history, budget is the political tradition which
became the President of India. is steeped in every part of human life.
r Yashwant Sinha has the distinction for maximum rollbacks r The government of India makes its own guidelines and also
in the Union Budget that was presented in 2002; he went some outlines for the budget for the next upcoming years.
back on at least five budget proposals.
r There will be two economic forecasts to which the
r Finance Minister who has been for 13 days is Jaswant Singh. government treasury will be legally bound.
a
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 47
PT Panorama
Problem-solving Skills
Introduction In an era when information technology is one’s primary tool,
knowledge the strategic asset, and problem-solving the
In the digital age business organizations are being paramount skill, problem-solving ability is now the most
challenged by global competition, as well as technological and sought-after trait in up-and-coming executives, according to a
social change, to solve bigger, tougher problems faster, better, recent survey of 1,000 executives by Caliper Associates, reported
and cheaper than ever. Improved problem-solving capability is in the Wall Street Journal by Hal Lancaster. To put it bluntly, if
the. Ultimate competitive advantage and the best organizations one is not a problem-solver, one’s career potential is limited.
are increasing the sophistication with which they systematize
their problem-solving processes. Individuals who wish to lead The Problem-solving Journey
organizations or build successful careers in the digital age will
need to build their understanding of problem-solving as a field The problem-solving journey is referred to because the
in itself. mixture of problem-solving and adventure blends two rich
sources of knowledge into one. After all, every problem is an
Sophisticated problem-solving is based on simple adventure, involving a movement from situation A to situation B,
and every adventure is a problem to be solved, involving a
essentials movement from point A to point B. Exactly like an adventure,
problem-solving is a journey from a starting point to some
Knowing how simple distant destination. It is a journey into the unknown through fear
elements generate complex and exhilaration, confidence and disappointment.
results is the ultimate source of
power. Three primary colours Thinking of the solutions of problems (or opportunities) as
blend to make up the paintings journeys brings the topic alive. Professional knowledge about
and films that capture our problem-solving is, by definition, abstract. But the language,
imagination. Two binary states images, ideas, and principles of adventure and exploration make
are the foundation of the digital it accessible and invest it with the drama that real problem-
processing that underpins the solvers experience: the disciplined planning, the long waits, and
information age. the moments of crisis and celebration. Moreover, since we
people have all traveled, this metaphor helps them tap into their
In the same way, there are six own undiscovered sources of wisdom about the principles and
essential skills involved in human practices of problem-solving journeys.
problem-solving: generating mindset, acquiring "knowledge,
building relationships, managing problems, creating solutions,
and delivering results. The tougher, larger and more demanding The Difference between the best and the worst
a problem or opportunity is, and the faster and more competitive problem-solvers
your environment is, the more important these skills become.
The difference; between the best and the worst problem-
One is not talking about the 'old' problem-solving solvers is how many of the six essentials they can marshal (by
–traditional cookbook approaches that are small-scale, linear, themselves or with others"), and how deeply the skills are
deficiency-oriented and tactical. What is talked about is a 'new', understood, individually and collectively. Poor problem-solvers
rapidly-evolving definition of problem-solving that understand the skills incompletely and therefore cannot
encompasses large-scale, nonlinear, opportunity-oriented and marshal a complete capability; great problem-solvers know the
strategic work. This is problem-solving in the age of biotech, the skills well enough to pull together and manage all six, or exhibit
Web, smart materials, and the global economy. one in great depth as part of a team.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
r Master the six problem-solving essentials and the stages of
any problem-solving journey so that you can locate yourself
designing, building, and maintaining optimal solutions. in problem-solving situations and organize your attack on
Creators help to bring the best technology, people and tools the problem
together in complete, flexible solutions that will fit the problem
one is trying to solve. A creator takes the requirements and goals r Diagnose yourself to understand your strengths and
of a playmaker, which define the journey, and works out what it weaknesses and how to compensate for them. Do a tree
will take to get the group where they want to go. When there is diagnostic self-assessment to find out what type of
more innovation and better knowledge, when there are richer problem-solver you are at-www.exolve.com
relationships and better-defined problems, then solution design
is more focused and efficient. r Move in the new direction, and fill the gaps in your
problem-solving team.
Great creators such as Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Steve Jobs,
Steve Wozniak, and Thomas Edison exemplify the passion, Conclusion
talent and will required to build new solutions. Companies such
as Microsoft, Toyota and General Electric have built corporate The new professional economy is placing an increasing
systems and cultures that sustain quality creative ability over premium on the mind, body and soul of the adventurer the
long periods of time. problem-solver–on people who can conceive, organizes, and
lead expeditions that add value to society, business and
Delivertheresults(theperformer) humanity. These problem solvers have an adventurer's blend of
The performer concentrates on moving from power to innocence and wisdom, self-reliance and a willingness to
sustainable advantage through intuitive and disciplined collaborate, professional competence and the capacity to scale
implementation which allows him/her communally to exceed new peaks, as well as the resilience to persevere through
expectations. Performers can help to conquer complexity, uncharted territory.
friction and scale with simplicity, discipline and a competitive
edge. Performers take the goals and strategies of the playmaker And just as in the old economy or the next economy after this
and the solutions of the creator and work to achieve lull one, no amount of buzz, momentum or technology will cover the
resolution of the problem. Innovation, knowledge and well- lack of problem-solving essentials for long. True problem-
developed relationships aid in their efforts. When all the other solving capability is what drives enduring advantage in any field,
roles arc done well, the performer is able to focus completely on at any time, in any place.
=
Facebook
Facebook's user base is constantly growing and now it reaches more than 300 million active Facebook users. With 50 million
mobile users Facebook wants you to stay connected to your friends and family whereever you go. The interesting fact is that
Facebook just recently started making profits (in 2009). Enormous expenses and growing databases pushed Facebook inventors to
re-invent their advertising market. 2009 was the great year for Facebook, even this being the year of greatest recession since 1930's.
We, as users, hope that Facebook will continue working on privacy issues and never share our individual information with
companies and government agencies. Soon we can expect voice chat directly from Facebook.
Fact File
Founders: Sam Walton.
Distinction: Parlayed retailing innovations into worldwide
dominance.
Primary Products: Softgoods, hardgoods, electronics,
groceries..
Numberof employees: 2,100,000.
Majorcompetitors: Costco Wholesale, Kmart, Target.
Chairman: S. Robson Walton;
Chairmanof the ExecutiveCommittee: H. Lee Scott Jr.
CEOand President: Mike Duke
Headquarters: Bentonville, Ark.
Year founded: 1962.
Web site: www.wal-mart.com.
Still, Walton persevered and his vision proved a winner long
Career highlights of former Brazil striker Ronaldo, who r His best season came at Barcelona in 1996-97 when he
announced his retirement from soccer in Sao Paulo on scored 47 goals in 49 games. Totalled more than 400 goals in
February 14, 2011. his career with seven clubs having made his debut at
Cruzeiro.
r Born, September 22, 1976 on outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
r His moves to Barcelona (USD 19.5 million) and Inter Milan
r Together with Zinedine Zidane, he is the only player to have (USD 27.9) were both then world record fees. Real Madrid
won the FIFA World Player of the Year award on three paid 43 million euros (USD 58.26 million) for him in August
occasions (1996, 1997 and 2002). He also won the European 2002.
Footballer of the Year award twice (1997 and 2002).
r Won only one league title in his first season at Real Madrid.
r Won two World Cups (1994, 2002) for Brazil and holds the Never won the European Cup but won the Cup Winners'
record for goals scored in World Cup tournaments with 15. Cup with Barcelona, the UEFA Cup while at Inter and the
Also won the Copa America twice representing Brazil (1997, old Intercontinental Cup with Real Madrid.
1999).
r Married Brazilian female footballer and model Milene
r Won his first cap for Brazil as a 17-year-old and went on to
Domingues in December 1999. The couple had a child,
score 62 goals in 97 international appearances.
Ronald, and were divorced four years later. In 2005, got
engaged to Brazilian model Daniella Cicarelli, marking the
r Suffered a mysterious illness hours before the 1998 World
occasion with a lavish St Valentine's celebration at a French
Cup final in France but after first being named as a
substitute, he was included in the starting lineup. He played chateau. The couple split up three months later.
badly and Brazil lost 3-0 to France.
r Following another knee operation while at AC Milan, he
r Had problems with his knees throughout his career, returned to Brazil and joined Corinthians in 2009 but an
undergoing surgery while at Inter Milan and AC Milan. arrival heralded as key in the team's bid to win South
Spent almost two years out of the game while recovering America's Libertadores Cup for the first time ended in
from surgery after his knee buckled in the Italian Cup final disappointment with only the lesser Copa Brasil and Paulista
against Lazio in April 2000. (Sao Paulo) state titles.
2. The ancient Indian text Panchasiddhantika deals with the 5 9. World Population Day is observed on
principles of which among the following? (1) December 12
(1)Vedic Rituals (2) October 8
(2)Philosophy (3) May 21
(3)Astronomy (4) July 11
(4)Medicine
10. Who is known as the father of modern economics?
3. The source of “Satyameva Jayate” is (1) Adam Smith
(1) Bhagavad Gita (2) John Maynard Keynes
(2) Ashoka Pillar (3) Thomas Robert Malthus
(3) Rigveda (4) Karl Marx
(4) Mundaka Upanishad
11. “A Tale of Two Cities” was written by
4. “Ariel” laundry detergents is a product of (1) Willian Shakespeare
(1) Dabur (I) Ltd. (2) Geoffrey Chaucer
(2) Marico Industries Ltd. (3) Charles Dickens
(3) Unilever Ltd. (4) Thomas Jefferson
(4) Procter & Gamble
12. The President is administered the oath of office by
5. Which automobile company launched “Libero”? (1) the Chief Justice of India
(1) Maruti Udyog Ltd. (2) the Prime Minister
(2) Lohia Machines Ltd. (3) the Vice-President of India
(3) Tata Motors Ltd. (4) None of the above
(4) Yamaha Ltd.
13. “Tejas” is a lightweight multirole jet fighter developed by
6. India's permanent station in Antartica is (1) France
(1) Manas Gangotri (2) Russia
(2) Dakshin Gangotri (3) Brazil
(3) Kanchenjunga (4) India
(4) Sagar Kanya
14. The scientist, who discovered that the earth revolves round
7. The Indus Valley houses were built of the sun, was
(1) bamboo (1) Newton
(2) bricks (2) Dalton
(3) wood (3) Copernicus
(4) stone (4) Einstein
16. What is the ratio between width and length of the Indian 23. Name the business area in which the French company,
flag? Peugeot is operating
(1) 1 : 2 (2) 2 : 3 (1) Banking
(3) 5 : 7 (4) 4 : 5 (2) Toys
(3) Automobiles
17. Who was the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade in (4) None of these
2011?
(1) Vladimir Putin 24. The McMohan line is the boundary line between which
(2) Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono two countries?
(3) King Abdullah (1) India and Bangladesh
(4) Gordon Brown (2) India and Nepal
(3) India and China
18. At present, Subramanian Ramadorai is the Chairman of (4) India and Pakistan
which body?
(1) Bombay Stock Exchange 25. Who, out of the following rulers, did not embrace
(2) SEBI Buddhism?
(3) State Bank of India (1) Ashoka
(4) National Stock Exchange (2) Harsha
(3) Kanishka
(4) Samudragupta
19. Who, among the following, are appointed by the President
of India?
26. Zaveri Sisters are famous in the field of
I. Governors of states
(1) Manipuri dance
II. The Chief Justice and judges of High Court
(2) Mural painting
III. The Chief Justice and judges of Supreme Court
(3) Classical music
IV. Vice-President
(4) Sculpture
(1) I and II
(2) I, II and III
27. The velocity of light was first measured by
(3) I, III and IV
(1) Einstein
(4) I, III and IV (2) Newton
(3) Romer
20. Who, among the following are appointed by the President of (4) Galileo
India?
I. Chairman, Finance Commission 28. NCERT stands for
II. Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission (1) National Committee of Educational Research and
III. Chief Minister of a Union Territory Training
(1) I only (2) National Council of Educational Research and
(2) I and II Training
(3) I and HI (3) National Council of Education Rural Training
(4) II and III (4) None of the above
21. Bharat Natyam, the classical dance form, comes from the 29. The name of Professor Guru Dutt Sondhi is known behind
state of the foundation of which among the following?
(1) Tamil Nadu (1)Olympic Association of India
(2) Assam (2)Asian Games Federation
(3) Punjab (3)Indian Premier League
(4) Uttaranchal (4)Indian Badminton League
31. 'Bishop' is the term associated with which sports 39. “Xenophobia” means fear of
(1) Cricket (1) religion
(2) Polo (2) strangers
(3) Chess (3) genetic diseases
(4) Golf (4) opposite sex
32. Which of these has brands like CellOne for its mobile 40. “Straight from the Heart” is the autobiography of
services, Bfone for fixed line telephone and Tarang for (1) Imran Khan
CDMA-based WLL limited mobility phones? (2) Kapil Dev
(1) Reliance Comm (3) Richard Hadlee
(2) MTNL (4) Ian Botham
(3) BSNL
(4) Bharti Airtel 41. The biggest producer of uranium in the world is
(1) France
33. At present, who is the chairman of the State Bank of India (2) India
(3) Canada
(SBI)?
(4) Zaire
(1) S K Bhattacharya
(2) Abhijit Dutta
42. Who benefits the most from inflation?
(3) Bharti Rao
(1) Government pensioners
(4) O P Bhatt
(2) Creditors
(3) Saving bank account holders
34. Which among the following exchanges launched the
(4) Debtors
TASIS SHARIAH 50 Index?
(1)National Stock Exchange
43. Which is the deepest point on the Earth's crust?
(2)Dubai Stock Exchange (1) Mariana Trench
(3)Bombay Stock Exchange (2) Tonga Trench
(4)Singapore Stock Exchange (3) Grand Canyon
(4) None of these
35. Which advertising agency devised the campaign for the
change of brand name Hutch to Vodafone? 44. After the Chauri-Chaura incident Gandhiji called off the
(1) Rediffusion DYR non-cooperation movement because
(2) Ogilvy & Mather (1) The people were fed up with the movement.
(3) J Walter Thompson (2) He did not want the movement to turn violent.
(4) McCann Ericsson (3) He realized that the government had almost crushed
the movement.
36. The Indus Valley Civilization is associated with (4) The masses did not display the desired enthusiasm.
(1) Egyptians
(2) Sumerians 45. The human face has .......... number of bones.
(3) Chinese (1) 10 (2) 4
(4) Mesopotamians (3) 14 (4) 20
37. We can know about early Vedic period from 46. Shivaji was coronated at
(1) Archaeological excavations (1) Raigard
(2) Jatak Katha (2) Aurangabad
(3) The Rig Veda (3) Peshawar
(4) Contemporary culture (4) Bundela
60. Which company owns the rural retail chain, Hariyali Kisaan 68. To which company does the brand “Baby Dreams” belong?
Bazaar? (1) Wipro Consumer Care
(1) DCM Shriram (2) J L Morison
(2) ITC Agro (3) Hindustan Unilever
(3) Mahindra & Mahindra (4) Johnson & Johnson
(4) Chambal Fertilisers
69. Which famous cosmetics company has launched its Visage
61. Which famous European company was founded by cousins range of products?
of Communist ideologue Karl Marx? (1) L'Oreal
(1) Siemens (2) Oriflame
(2) Philips (3) Maybelline
(3) Bayer (4) Nivea
(4) Volkswagen
70. Which of the following is not a brand owned by Shahnaz
62. Which company owns the “Ambi Pur” brand of air Hussain?
fresheners? (1) Veda Dynamics
(1) Reckitt Benckiser (2) Kaya Skin clinics
(2) Godrej Sara Lee (3) Shahnaz Herbal
(3) Marico Industries (4) Forever Beautiful
(4) Hindustan Unilever
71. Right to Safety, Right to information, Right to Choose,
63. “Air Wick” is the air freshener brand from which company? Right to be heard & Right to Seek Redressal are the
(1) Reckitt Benckiser essential components of which among the following?
(2) Godrej Sara Lee (1) Fundamental Rights in the Constitution of India
(3) Marico Industries (2) The Consumer Protection Act
(4) Hindustan Unilever (3) The Essential Commodities Act
(4) Prevention of Corruption Act
64. How many Gold medals were won by India in 2010 Asian
Games ? 72. During the last 60 years, how many General Elections have
(1) 14 (2) 16 been conducted by the Election Commission of India?
(3) 18 (4) 20 (1) 14 (2) 15
(3) 16 (4) 17
65. Which business family owns the world's oldest active
sailing ship, “The Foundroyant” that started its life in 73. Which company exports marine products under the
Mumbai in 1817? “Shogun”, “Hima”, “Gold Seal” and “Tara” brands?
(1) Wadia (1) Godrej Agro
(2) Tata (2) Nestle India
(3) Godrej (3) Temptation Foods
(4) Bajaj (4) Hindustan Unilever
66. Which company has tied up with lifestyle design company 74. Which company has launched sugar-free Choco Zoo,
Giorgio Armani for designing its portable devices? Bindaaz and Fundoo brands?
(1) Samsung (1) Nestle India
(2) Sony (2) Amul
(3) Nokia (3) Britannia
(4) LG (4) Parry's
77. Which retailing company has introduced the snacks brand 85. Which company has launched “Penryn” chips?
“Tasty Treat”? (1) American Micro devices (AMD)
(1) Pantaloon (2) Intel
(2) Reliance Retail (3) Texas Instruments
(3) Subhiksha (4) Samsung
(4) Shopper's Stop
86. Which company has launched its “Barcelona” processor?
78. Which beer giant operates in India through its fully-owned (1) American Micro devices (AMD)
subsidiary, South Asia Breweries? (2) Intel
(1) Carlsberg (3) Texas Instruments
(2) Anheuser-Busch (4) Samsung
(3) Heineken
(4) Scottish & Newcastle 87. Which company has acquired the American PC maker,
Gateway?
79. Approximately what fraction of India's trade by volume is (1) Hewlett Packard
moved by sea? (2) Acer
(1) 70% (2) 80% (3) IBM
(3) 90% (4) 95% (4) BenQ
80. The US-based $26-billion Bunge Ltd owns which cooking 88. Which Indian PC maker has launched a range of
oil brand in India? supercomputers under the brand “Supernova”, in
(1) Dalda association with the US-based Z RESEARCH Inc.?
(2) Dhara (1) HCL
(3) Saffola (2) Zenith
(4) Postman (3) Wipro
(4) Moser Baer
81. Which company owns “Paradiso” that markets luxury
holiday packages for affluent Indians? 89. Which IT company has introduced its social networking
(1) Cox & Kings site called “Mash”?
(2) Captain Cook (1) Microsoft
(3) Club Mahindra (2) Yahoo
(4) Sahara India (3) Google
(4) America Online
82. Ritz Carlton Hotel and Campton Palace acquired by Indian
Hotels in 2007 belong, respectively, to which American 90. Which of these has introduced its personalised e-mail
states? service in India?
(1) Boston, San Francisco (1) Microsoft
(2) New York, Seattle (2) Yahoo
(3) Las Vegas, Washington DC (3) Google
(4) Atlanta, Honolulu (4) America Online
93. What is the new name of TV 18 Group? 101. Where is the Caparo School of Excellence for
(1) Newsline18 Manufacturing and Material Technology located?
(2) Network18 (1) Ludhiana
(3) Media18 (2) Amritsar
(4) News18 (3) Chandigarh
(4) Jalandhar
94. How many states of India are covered under the National
Horticulture Mission?
102. Which PC peripheral was introduced by Douglas
(1) 18 (2) 20
Ingelbart?
(3) 22 (4) 25
(1) Keyboard
(2) Flat monitor
95. Which Australian Cricketer has signed up to be the brand
(3) Modem
ambassador of the lubricant “Valvoline”?
(4) Mouse
(1) Ricky Ponting
(2) Brett Lee
(3) Adam Gilchrist 103. Which well-known beverage brand, now owned by Coca
(4) Mathew Hayden Cola, was introduced by John M Fox of Florida Food
Corporation in 1945?
96. Which oil marketing company has launched “Aadhaar (1) Fanta
Express” in association with Godrej Aadhaar? (2) Minute Maid
(1) Bharat Petroleum (3) Georgia Coffee
(2) Indian Oil (4) Sprite
(3) Reliance Industries Ltd
(4) Hindustan Petroleum 104. Which university in the UK has conferred an honorary
degree on former President, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam?
97. What does Gokaldas supply to leading global brands? (1) University of Sheffield
(1) Marine food (2) University of Warwick
(2) Apparel (3) Wolverhampton University
(3) Cosmetics (4) Lancaster University
(4) Toys
105. Which bank, in association with the RBI, has introduced
98. Which district in Gujarat is to be bifurcated to create an all- “Raju and the Money Tree”, a comic book about the basics
tribal district? of banking?
(1) Surat (1) ICICI Bank
(2) Vadodara (2) State Bank of India
(3) Ahmedabad (3) IDBI Bank
(4) Dahod (4) Bank of Baroda
107. Which mission marked an attempt by the British 115. Where are the headquarters of "Organization for Security
government to secure Indian cooperation and support for and Co-operation in Europe"?
their efforts in World War II? (1) Paris
(1) Rowlett Act (2) Astana
(2) Cripps Mission (3) Vienna
(3) Wavell Plan (4) Auckland
(4) Cabinet Mission Plan
116. The World Military Cup organized by the International
108. Which company owns the Bravia brand of LCD TVs? Military Sports Council (CISM) involves which among the
(1) Sony (2) LG following sports?
(3) Samsung (4) Philips (1) Cricket
(2) Football
109. Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu showcases the architecture (3) Volleyball
of which dynasty? (4) Basket Ball
(1) Pallava
(2) Chola 117. Which of the following facts about the Yangtze River in
(3) Chalukya China is/are true?
(4) Rashtrakuta
I. It is the longest river in Asia
II. It is the second longest in the world, after the Nile in
110. Which institution publishes the World Investment Report
Africa
every year?
III. It flows from its source in Qinghai Province and
(1) World Trade Organization (WTO)
drains into East China Sea
(2) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
(3) United Nations Conference on Trade and
(1) I, II and III
Development (UNCTAD)
(2) I and II only
(4) World Bank
(3) II and III only
(4) I and III only
111. Which economist became the first Indian to be awarded
Brazil's highest civilian honour, “Commander of the Order
of the Southern Cross” for pioneering VAT in Brazil? 118. Which company is setting up a 4000 MW Ultra Mega Power
(1) Parthasarathi Shome Project at Sasun in Sidhi District of Madhya Pradesh?
(2) C Rangarajan (1) GMR Infrastructure
(3) Vijay Kelkar (2) Reliance Power
(4) Ashok Lahiri (3) Tata Power
(4) NTPC
112. Who is Zahi Hawass?
(1) Novelist 119. The Lumière brothers were pioneers in which industry?
(2) Zoologist (1) Automobile
(3) Archaeologist (2) Motion pictures
(4) Journalist (3) Printing and publishing
(4) Aviation
113. In Financial Language, Fixed to Floating and Floating to
Floating are used in context with which among the 120. Indian Petrochemicals Ltd is a subsidiary of which
following? company?
(1) Interest rates (1) Reliance Industries Ltd
(2) Swaps (2) Indian Oil Company
(3) Foreign Exchange Rates (3) Essar Oil
(4) None of them (4) Bharat Petroleum
138. IndiaSoftware Labs (ISL) is the R&D unit of which 146. When the Central Bank feels that the asset prices in the
company in India? country are near a bubble situation, it will most probably
(1) IBM take which of the following steps?
(2) Intel (1) Inject liquidity in the system by conducting Open
(3) Microsoft Market Operations
(4) Media Lab Asia (2) Extract liquidity from the system by buying out
rupees
139. The cigarette brands “Chancellor”, “Panama”, “Style” and (3) Inform the Government to tone down the market
“Flair” belong to which company? borrowings
(1) Golden Tobacco India (4) All of above measures will be taken
(2) Godfrey Philips India
(3) Vazir Sultan Tobacco 147. In the Budget session, which among the following is known
(4) Indian Tobacco Company as 'guillotine'?
(1) General discussion on the Budget
140. Where is the headquarters of the Pakistan army located? (2) The speaker puts all the outstanding demands to vote
(1) Quetta (3) The opposition expresses desire to bring a cut
(2) Islamabad motion
(3) Rawalpindi (4) The demand for grants are cut by Re. 1
(4) Lahore
148. Consider the following statements about a well known
141. What is the name of the first tri services Joint exercise of Economist:
Indian Armed Forces conducted in 2009? 1. He is the winner of Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for
(1) TIRANGA I developing the New Trade Theory and New Economic
(2) SANGAM Geography.
(3) AKASHGANGA 2. He has been a vehement critic of US Economic policies,
(4) MADAD II repeatedly criticized the Bush tax cuts
3. He appeared in a 2010 comedy film "Get Him to the Greek"
142. Maximum Jute mills are located in which of the following
states? Identify this famous personality:
(1) West Bengal (1) Paul Krugman
(2) Assam (2) Joseph Stiglitz
(3) Andhra Pradesh (3) Peter A. Diamond
(4) Uttar Pradesh (4) Thomas Schelling
143. Which were the first products manufactured by the then 149. Which among the following is the 2010 Word of the Year by
Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO)? American Dialect Society?
(1) Wagons and boilers (1) Tweet
(2) Locomotives (2) Spillion
(3) Automobile spare parts (3) App
(4) Tractors and trucks (4) Google
151. Which among the following is the correct order of 154. The Union Cabinet has recently approved declaration of
decreasing agricultural sector contribution in the GDP of which among the following dates to be celebrated every
the IBSA countries? year as the "National Voters' Day"?
(1) India, Brazil, South Africa (1) 24 January
(2) India , South Africa, Brazil (2) 25 January
(3) Brazil, India, South Africa (3) 27 January
(4) South Africa, Brazil , India (4) 28 January
=
Answers to General knowledge
1. Ans.(3) 26. Ans.(1) 51. Ans.(1) 77. Ans.(1) 103. Ans.(2) 129. Ans.(2)
2. Ans.(3) 27. Ans.(2) 52. Ans.(4) 78. Ans.(1) 104. Ans.(3) 130. Ans.(2)
3. Ans.(4) 28. Ans.(2) 53. Ans.(3) 79. Ans.(4) 105. Ans.(1) 131. Ans.(3)
4. Ans.(4) 29. Ans.(2) 54. Ans.(1) 80. Ans.(1) 106. Ans.(2) 132. Ans.(1)
5. Ans.(4) 30. Ans.(3) 55. Ans.(1) 81. Ans.(4) 107. Ans.(2) 133. Ans.(2)
6. Ans.(2) 31. Ans.(3) 56. Ans.(1) 82. Ans.(1) 108. Ans.(1) 134. Ans.(3)
7. Ans.(2) 32. Ans.(3) 57. Ans.(1) 83. Ans.(1) 109. Ans.(1) 135. Ans.(1)
8. Ans.(4) 33. Ans.(4) 58. Ans.(4) 84. Ans.(2) 110. Ans.(3) 136. Ans.(1)
9. Ans.(4) 34. Ans.(3) 59. Ans.(1) 85. Ans.(2) 111. Ans.(1) 137. Ans.(4)
60. Ans.(1) 86. Ans.(1) 112. Ans.(3) 138. Ans.(1)
10. Ans.(1) 35. Ans.(2)
61. Ans.(2) 87. Ans.(2) 113. Ans.(2) 139. Ans.(1)
11. Ans.(3) 36. Ans.(2)
62. Ans.(2) 88. Ans.(3) 114. Ans.(2) 140. Ans.(3)
12. Ans.(1) 37. Ans.(3)
63. Ans.(1) 89. Ans.(2) 115. Ans.(3) 141. Ans.(4)
13. Ans.(4) 38. Ans.(2)
64. Ans.(1) 90. Ans.(1) 116. Ans.(2) 142. Ans.(1)
14. Ans.(3) 39. Ans.(2) 143. Ans.(1)
65. Ans.(1) 91. Ans.(1) 117. Ans.(4)
15. Ans.(2) 40. Ans.(2) 144. Ans.(1)
66. Ans.(4) 92. Ans.(2) 118. Ans.(2)
16. Ans.(2) 41. Ans.(3) 67. Ans.(2) 93. Ans.(2) 119. Ans.(2) 145. Ans.(2)
17. Ans.(2) 42. Ans.(2) 68. Ans.(2) 94. Ans.(1) 120. Ans.(1) 146. Ans.(2)
18. Ans.(1) 43. Ans.(1) 69. Ans.(4) 95. Ans.(1) 121. Ans.(2) 147. Ans.(2)
19. Ans.(2) 44. Ans.(2) 70. Ans.(2) 96. Ans.(1) 122. Ans.(1) 148. Ans.(1)
20. Ans.(2) 45. Ans.(3) 71. Ans.(2) 97. Ans.(2) 123. Ans.(3) 149. Ans.(3)
21. Ans.(1) 46. Ans.(1) 72. Ans.(2) 98. Ans.(1) 124. Ans.(1) 150. Ans.(2)
22. Ans.(1) 47. Ans.(3) 73. Ans.(4) 99. Ans.(4) 125. Ans.(1) 151. Ans.(1)
23. Ans.(3) 48. Ans.(2) 74. Ans.(2) 100. Ans.(2) 126. Ans.(3) 152. Ans.(1)
24. Ans.(3) 49. Ans.(1) 75. Ans.(2) 101. Ans.(4) 127. Ans.(3) 153. Ans.(1)
25. Ans.(4) 50. Ans.(4) 76. Ans.(2) 102. Ans.(4) 128. Ans.(1) 154. Ans.(2)
Joshi's rendition of 'Mile Sur Tumhara' along with other The third is a conventional 45-minute documentary shot in
doyens of music–Balmurli Krishna and Lata Mangheskhar– 1993 by noted poet Gulzar, which bagged the national award.
virtually became an unofficial national anthem in a humble way
in 1988, and captured the hearts of millions of Indians. Louis Panditji has sung on occasions of national importance. He,
Banks and the late P Vaidyanathan, a classically trained along with Lata Mangeshkar, performed at Parliament house on
musician, got the right fusion of music for the song that was the 50th anniversary of India's independence.
beamed on Doordarshan to countless homes.
Awards and accolades:
Rise to fame: Joshi’s meeting with vocalist Begum Akhtar There have been many awards. The nation's highest civilian
fetched him a job as a staff artiste at Lucknow radio station award Bharat Ratna was conferred on him in 2008, Padma Shri in
where he became friends with shehnai player Ustad Bismillah 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1985 and Padma Vibhushan in 1999.
Khan. In 1943, he moved to Mumbai, but his real break came in The Maharashtra government honoured him with the
1946 at a concert to mark the 60th birthday of Sawai Gandharva. Maharashtra Bhushan in 2002. In between, he also received the
His guru and the audience appreciated the performance. Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1975 and was made a fellow in
1998. The Madhya Pradesh government awarded him the
Bhimsen started as a recording artiste in 1944 with HMV Tansen Sanman award in 1992. The Karnataka Rathna was
when the company released two Hindi and two devotional songs presented to him in September 2005. His voice opened the short
in Kannada. He recorded prolifically for the company and in film on national integration ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ and the
1984 became the first Hindustani vocalist to win a platinum disc. second film on Des raga also became equally popular.
a
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 65
Business trivia
r Volkswagen's Bugatti, costing r Krishna Poonia won India's first
upwards of Rs 16 crore, is Commonwealth Games athletics
India's most expensive car. gold, in 2010 Games, after Milkha
Singh in 1958.
r From January 1, 2011, India
extended “visa on arrival” r T h e R a i l C o a c h f a c t o r y,
facility to nationals of Kapurthala, has rolled out India's
Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and Laos. first AC double-decker rake from its
premises. The first AC double-decker train has been
r The Union government has okayed two new naval bases on introduced between Howrah (West Bengal) and
the eastern coast of India, at Paradip (Orissa) and Dhanbad (Jharkhand).
Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu).
r Finance Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee has won
r The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Castrol, 2010 Finance Minister of the Year for Asia award,
the world's leading lubricant company, have announced an conferred by Emerging Markets, part of Euromoney
agreement that makes Castrol the official performance Institutional Investor Plc.
partner of ICC, with a unique presence at all ICC cricket
events for the next five years. r World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10.
r The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) r Three Indian women–all from the corporate sector–find a
spot on the Forbes list of 100 most powerful women in the
has raised the application limit for retail investors to Rs 2
world, topped by US First Lady Michelle Obama. Chennai-
lakh, from Rs one lakh.
born PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi came in at No 6, while
Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma and ICICI Bank
r The International Renewable Energy Conference was held
Managing Director & CEO Chanda Kochhar were
in New Delhi in October 2010.
ranked 89th and 92nd, respectively. Surprisingly missing
from 2010 list is Congress President Sonia Gandhi. She
r India became a sectoral dialogue partner with ASEAN in came in at No 13 in 2009.
1992. It became a full dialogue partner in 1995. India and
ASEAN have been holding annual summits since 2002. r Beijing Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra led the
The 8th India-ASEAN Summit was held in Hanoi, 619-strong Indian contingent in the opening ceremony of
Vietnam on October 29, 2010. the Commonwealth Games, 2010.
r Bharat Diamond Bourse in Mumbai is said to be the r A high-speed train in China has set a new world speed
world's largest bourse, with all the essential record during a trial run. The train hit a maximum of 416.6
facilities–cutting, polishing, trading, banking and km per hour on its journey between Shanghai and
customs–under single roof. Hangzhou. The train is designed to run at a speed of 350
km per hour.
r World Standards Day and World Sight Day are
observed on October 14. r Amir Khan's “Peepli Live”, a satire on media's
trivialisation of farmers' suicide, has been selected as
r “Conversations with Myself ” has been written by India's official entry at the 2011 Oscars, in the Best Film
former South African President Nelson Mandela. category.
r The six living species of Tigers are: Amur, Bengal, r The 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities has
Indochinese, Malayan, South China and Sumatran. The ranked Harvard University as the top University of the
Bali, Caspian and Javan tigers have become extinct. world for the eighth year in the annual ranking. Harvard is
followed by University of Cambridge, Yale University,
r Navodaya Vidyalayas celebrated 25 years of existence in University College London (UCL), Imperial College
2010. A befitting match to costly private schools, the London, University of Oxford, University of Chicago,
Navodayas have shown in last 25 years how gifted children Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of
with humble means can rise to life. Technology (MIT) and California Institute of Technology.
r India has replaced the US as the second most important r As per the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination for trans- University rankings, Cambridge University, UK, is the
national corporations, according to a survey conducted by top university of the world, followed by Harvard University,
UNCTAD. Global FDI flows are expected to jump from USA, Yale University, US, University College London
$1.2 trillion in 2010 to $1.5 trillion in 2011 and $1.6-2.0 (UCL), UK, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
trillion in 2012. USA, in that order.
a
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 67
Logo Story
Adidas
Being the largest sportswear manufacture in Europe as well ShapeofAdidaslogo:
as the second largest all over the world, Adidas Company not Adidas logo comprises three
only specializes in sportswear but also in bags, shoes, shirts, parallel lines symbolizing the
clothing and other sports related areas. Adidas logo, outstanding athletic performance,
representing the durability and elegance, is a three parallel reaching out to the goals of
striped design that symbolizes the mountain, which is to point excellence amidst the challenges to
towards the goals and challenges that lie ahead. Adi Dassler, come. It portrays the strong picture
together with his brother Rudolf Dassler, created the Adidas of the Adidas corporate well being.
logo, aiming to provide the athletes with the finest possible gear.
ColoroftheAdidaslogo:
Started off as a three striped motif in Black color of the Adidas logo comes as an inspirational
1967, Adidas logo was imprinted on shoes motif to the youth importantly involved in sports and athletic
only. Following its success, in 1971 it activities, reviving their spirits and bringing upon a striking
changed to a Trefoil logo. Later on, it youth culture.
merged with Salomon, which formulated
the Adidas logo to a combination signifying FontoftheAdidaslogo:
both the designs; blue color for Adidas and Like the design itself, the font of the Adidas logo remains
red denoting Salomon. Sequentially, the simple, nevertheless catchy and prominent, with its plain style.
Adidas logo in 2005 changed itself to a “World mark”, remaining As it is said “The simpler, the better,” Adidas continues to follow
simple, confident and clear. the ritual by maintaining the simple yet innovative design.
DesignelementsofAdidaslogo: Despite the changes it has gone through, Adidas logo still
Adidas logo holds an influential position imposing an remains to be the design known for motivating all groups of
impression of sophistication and durability through its simple young. So far, it has achieved nearly all the goals that the founder
yet impressive design. had dreamt of, but still carries on towards its road of triumph.
=
r Sports brand Adidas was originally founded in1949 by Adi Dassler who began designing sports-orientated shoes, which
were aimed to be stylish yet practical and functional.
r We all recognise Adidas as the label with three stripes and Dassler decided to brand his products with this design because
it was simple and unusual at the time. This proved to be very effective and allows all Adidas products to be immediately
recognisable.
r The president of Adidas today is Eric Stamminger who feels that the success of the Adidas brand is largely due to
Dassler’s genuine passion for sport that enabled him to create a product that other athletes or aspiring athletes would
benefit from. He was also the first person to think of such an innovative idea and product.
r Adidas has recently celebrated its 61th birthday and decades on, the brand maintains its simplistic styling and original
core values which its customers recognise and therefore often stick with Adidas for a number of years.
r It has become a highly recognisable lifestylebrand and the product lines have extended to clothing and accessories.
Jairam Ramesh
J airam Ramesh is the Indian Minister of State
(Independent Charge) for Environment and
Forests and a Member of the Indian Parliament
from Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha.
reorganizing the CSIR in 1986 and for analyzing
energy policy during 1983-85. The present central
government invited him to join the official delegation
to the WTO meeting in Seattle in 1999.
He was born on 9 April 1954 at Chikmagalur in Ramesh has performed multiple roles that
Karnataka. He married K. R. Jayashree in 1981 and include a brief assignment at the World Bank in 1978,
has two sons, Anirudh and Pradyumna. From 2004 to two stints as an adviser in the Planning Commission,
2009, he was the Minister of State for Commerce and an officer on special duty during the National Front
Industry as well as the Minister of State for Power in the administration of the V.P. Singh government and as an official in
Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) the finance ministry headed by Manmohan Singh in the 1990s.
government.
As an environment minister, the suave 56-year-old
He studied public management at Carnegie Mellon technocrat-turned-politician has pitchforked a low-key ministry
University during 1975-77. He thereafter spent a year at the into front-page headlines. Be it mega projects like Vedanta and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) studying Posco, the Navi Mumbai airport, GM foods or tortuous climate
technology policy, economics, engineering and management as change negotiations, Ramesh, India's chief climate change
part of the newly-established inter-disciplinary technology negotiator, has an uncanny ability to be in the limelight.
policy programme. His undergraduate degree is in mechanical
engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), He has authored a number of key government reports in
Mumbai in 1975. In 2001, IIT Mumbai presented him with the areas as diverse as energy, technology, capital goods, industrial
Distinguished Alumnus Award. policy and telecom. He was a key player in the team that
formulated and implemented India's economic reforms in 1991
He is also a member of the National Advisory Council that is and 1997. He serves on the boards of a number of public
chaired by Smt. Sonia Gandhi. He helped put together the institutions in India and abroad. He has been a founding
National Common Minimum Programme of the United member of the Indian School of Business promoted by
Progressive Alliance (UPA) that came to power in May 2004. McKinsey in Hyderabad and is a member of the International
Earlier, he was part of the Congress election strategy team for Council of the New York-based Asia Society.
the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
He has been a columnist under the pen-name Kautilya in
He was former secretary in the AICC, formerly deputy The Times of India and is the author of the book 'Making Sense
chairman Karnataka Planning Board (2000-2002), formerly of Chindia'. He has also anchored a number of popular television
member of the Rajasthan Development Council (1999-2003), programmes on business and the economy including Business
formerly Economic Advisor to the government of Chattisgarh Breakfast and Crossfire.
(2001-03).
Ramesh made headlines when he discarded the idea of the
Jairam has earlier been Advisor to the Finance Minister inter-linking of rivers in October 2009. His visit to Bhopal in
during 1996-98, Advisor to the Deputy Chairman, Planning September last year put the spotlight on the toxic waste lying
Commission 1992-94 and Advisor to the Prime Minister 1991. there since the 1984 Union Carbide plant gas leak. Later in April
He has served in the Planning Commission, Ministry of 2010, he announced the setting up of the first National Green
Industry and other economic departments of the Central Tribunal in Bhopal.
government. He has been entrusted with numerous special
assignments like, for example in J&K during 1993-95, for Whatever critics may say, Ramesh, say insiders, is just the
reorganizing India's international trade agencies in 1990 and for kind of environment minister India needed when climate
implementing the technology missions during 1987-89, for change has climbed to the top of the global agenda.
a
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 69
Cricket World Cup Trivia
r Breaking Sanath Jayasuriya's record,
Mahela Jayawardene hit the fastest
century for Sri Lanka in the World
Cup, off 80 balls, against Canada at
Hambantota.
r Brett Lee has taken 22 wickets in 10 World Cup matches at r One of the greatest knocks in World Cup history, Kapil
an average of 17.91. He has claimed a wicket every 22.68 Dev's 175 against Zimbabwe during 1983 World Cup, was
balls, or once every fourth over, a strike-rate unmatched by neither recorded nor broadcasted because the BBC
any bowler. cameramen were on strike at the time.
r West Indies batting great Vivian Richards scored 1013 r Kepler Wessels played for Australia in the 1983 World
runs in 23 World Cup innings, at an average of 63.31, with a Cup before playing for South Africa in the 1992 World Cup.
strike rate of 85. The 138 he scored against England in the
1979 World Cup is considered by Wisden as the best World r India's Madan Lal bowled the first ball of the World Cup
Cup innings. history to England's Denis Amiss at Lord's on June 7, 1975.
r Herschelle Gibbs smashed the Dutch leg-spinner Dan r Australia is the only team thus far in the history of World
van Bunge for six sixes in an over in the 2007 World Cup Cup to remain undefeated throughout the World Cup (in
to become the first to achieve the feat in an ODI. both 2003 and 2007 World Cups).
r I n t h e 2 0 0 3 Wo r l d C u p ,
Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar,
bowled cricket's first recorded
100 mph delivery. At the
receiving end was England's
Nick Knight.
Sreesanth
r Sri Lanka became the first side
batting second to win the World
Cup when they beat Australia in
the 1996 World Cup final.
a
PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011 71
Book Review
A s the title of the book suggests -“It’s not about the bike”-
and it is not. Although Lance Armstrong is a world
famous athlete, you don’t need to be a cycling enthusiast
to read this book. The book does contain some technical terms
but Lance Armstrong has explained them quite finely for a
It is indeed interesting to see how Armstrong connects his
cycling experiences with his cancer experience in his book. As
his life story progresses, one starts developing respect for the
cycling legend and his independent strong-willed mother, as two
great human beings. For me, it’s Armstrong’s mother Linda
layman to understand. The sub-title rightly conveys the who is the greatest pillar of strength for him. The hardships that
message of the book. If it was up to me I would have described it the two go through together is inspiring and the bond that they
in just one word – “Life”. The one who respects life and also the share is indeed emotionally moving.
ones who have struggled courageously through their hardest
battles and come out triumphant should definitely give it a go. The positive way in which Armstrong looks at his cancer
treatment and the way in which it helps him evolve as a more
Lance Armstrong with his compassionate and considerate person is one thing that
writer Sally Jenkins has written captivates the reader. After recovering from cancer, Armstrong
the book in simple and started his own cancer organization- Livestrong – to help cancer
uncomplicated language without patients physically, mentally and emotionally.
use of grandiloquence that help
keep the focus of the reader The manner in which he connects every dot and links every
intact.
following chapter with the succeeding one is delightful thereby
maintaining a perfect flow throughout and not making the
The book discusses
Armstrong’s life and how he
reader feel disillusioned.
struggled through deadly cancer
and came out victorious. At the The turmoil that he goes through after surviving cancer is
age of 25, having a great and even more distressing but how equally valiantly he comes out of
established career in the sport, it is detailed out in a separate chapter ’Survivorship‘. Chapters
Armstrong gets to know that he is covering ’The Tour‘ (Tour de France) and ’Kik‘ (his better half)
suffering from testicular cancer are equally commendable, as by the end, there’s an automatic
in its final stage and that it had respect that transpires for the two protagonists of the stories-
spread all over his body. His life is summarized in ten chapters Lance Armstrong and Kik (who is kik?)respectively.
and chronichles all his life- how it was before cancer, with cancer
as a valiant patient and finally after cancer as an inspiration. It’s not a book for some, it’s a book for everyone because we
all need to ‘live’ life and not just live with it. This account of
The journey of life, which Armstrong has unfolded for the Lance Armstrong teaches everyone the importance of
readers at large, is remarkable as well as very inspiring. And this appreciating each moment of the precious and beautiful lives we
is the one reason Armstrong has come forward with his cancer all have been blessed with.
experience, so that people don’t lose hope however bad the
circumstances may be, rather learn something from them. The It truly ascertains the saying of Napoleon Hill -“Whatever
story revolves around many people, the most important ones the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
being his dauntless single mother, his friends like Bill Stapleton, Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed
his team mates, doctors and nurses at the hospital, his wife Kik with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be
and son Luke, with Armstrong taking the centre stage. translated into riches.”
a
72 PT’s PrepTalk – February 2011