AUGUST: 2015 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE -...
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Transcript of AUGUST: 2015 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE -...
AUGUST: 2015 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE
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Contents
Ksheera Bhagya for five days a week ................................................................................................... 8
Twitter Adds Kannada Support ............................................................................................................. 9
Rules for purchasing farmland eased in State ...................................................................................... 9
The Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill ................................................................................ 10
Dubbing Content ................................................................................................................................. 10
Tiger corridors ..................................................................................................................................... 10
Bill to allow fixing price for Bt cotton seeds ....................................................................................... 11
Motor Bill ............................................................................................................................................ 11
Learner’s licence in a day .................................................................................................................... 12
Sellixo .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Greenfield airports in Karnataka ........................................................................................................ 12
Karnataka to get institute on conservation of Western Ghats .......................................................... 13
Karnataka: smart cities project list. .................................................................................................... 13
Operation Smile .................................................................................................................................. 14
Tourism MoU hits roadblock with stringent norms in place .............................................................. 14
A2 milk in Karnataka ........................................................................................................................... 15
Doctors have to now watch out for ‘less fatal’ strain of malaria too ................................................ 15
Poet, freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai no more ...................................................................... 16
Karnataka State proposes to replace 136 crest gates of KRS ............................................................. 16
Pvt. hospitals targeting Lambani women: study ................................................................................ 17
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Deficient rainfall in Karnataka ............................................................................................................ 17
Baduku Besaya .................................................................................................................................... 18
M-sand units can avail 5% subsidy on loan interest .......................................................................... 18
Special court set up to try land-grabbing cases ................................................................................. 18
Yettinahole work against laws, allege environment activists ............................................................ 19
Mysuru cleanest city, Bengaluru cleanest capital .............................................................................. 19
Taiwan firms to invest Rs. 3,200 cr. in Karnataka .............................................................................. 20
Committee to focus on farmers, outreach programmes, education ................................................. 20
State to build libraries in every GP ..................................................................................................... 21
Dedicated jetty for Lakshadweep vessels to come up at Mangaluru Port ........................................ 21
Committee to probe ‘medically unwarranted’ hysterectomies......................................................... 22
Status of drought in the state ............................................................................................................. 22
‘Champions’ among students will now sensitise peers on gender issues ......................................... 23
Proposal to Plant Melia dubia trees instead of eucalyptus................................................................ 24
AIR to release CD of Jambaladinni’s recordings sourced from its archives ....................................... 24
Cubbon Park Police Station: e-visit of Prime Minister ....................................................................... 25
Voting ink marker pens ....................................................................................................................... 25
State drug testing lab has vital role in national survey ...................................................................... 26
Karnataka Governor gives nod for Lokayukta Bill .............................................................................. 26
Improving accessibility to the disabled in Bengaluru ......................................................................... 27
Police constables to get smart ............................................................................................................ 27
Rationalist MM Kalburgi's cold blooded killing shocks Karnataka’s literary capital .......................... 28
GI footprint spread across Karnataka ................................................................................................. 29
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Priceless heritage artworks to be restored ........................................................................................ 31
Swaminathan to head Karnataka Vision Group on agriculture .......................................................... 32
Centre has lauded Karnataka's solar energy policy ............................................................................ 32
Mahadayi water dispute ..................................................................................................................... 33
Spices Board launches subsidy scheme to boost production ............................................................ 36
Centre inks peace accord with Naga insurgent outfit ........................................................................ 37
Draft Indian Financial code ................................................................................................................. 39
RBI releases Rs 10 coin on International day of Yoga ........................................................................ 39
Rs. 25,000 crore for banks this year itself .......................................................................................... 40
Citizenship soon for those who fled religious persecution ................................................................ 40
New guidelines for visiting jails .......................................................................................................... 41
Govt. to partially lift the curbs on pornography sites ........................................................................ 42
Rare Chera, Chola coins found in Thanjavur ...................................................................................... 43
NHRC seeks report on exclusion of enclave dwellers in census ........................................................ 44
National Highways Construction Cost Index ...................................................................................... 44
BSNL to hive off tower assets ............................................................................................................. 45
Mandatory export rules likely ............................................................................................................ 46
Inland Water Transport (IWT) ............................................................................................................ 46
Western Ghats development versus conservation ............................................................................ 47
Kolleru lake ......................................................................................................................................... 47
Boosting digital footprint in rural areas ............................................................................................. 48
Mumbai gets a flamingo sanctuary .................................................................................................... 49
Govt to allow Aadhaar enrolments of NRIs, PIOs, OICs ..................................................................... 49
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1st National Handloom Day ................................................................................................................ 50
Space programmes will use indigenously made titanium sponge ..................................................... 50
Individuals to come under terror ban list ........................................................................................... 51
School Nursery Yojana ........................................................................................................................ 51
Nai Manzil ........................................................................................................................................... 52
Suraksha Bandhan Drive ..................................................................................................................... 53
Bio-diesel being sold at select pumps ................................................................................................ 53
DRDO developed medicine to treat leucoderma ............................................................................... 54
Freedom fighters to get 218 per cent DA hike ................................................................................... 54
India on top in exporting beef ............................................................................................................ 54
French fighter talks deadlocked over cost, offset stipulation ............................................................ 55
Indian sailors get international identity ............................................................................................. 55
24x7 situation room to track social media networking sites and mobile applications. .................... 56
Telangana knocks on SC door for rightful share of Krishna water ..................................................... 56
Italian marines case ............................................................................................................................ 57
Decks cleared for India’s role in Iranian Chabahar port ..................................................................... 57
India-Seychelles pact .......................................................................................................................... 58
GLSV-D6 Successfully launched .......................................................................................................... 58
Centre unveils list of 98 smart cities .................................................................................................. 60
Gujarat HC stays compulsory voting in local polls .............................................................................. 62
Some improvements in child malnutrition: data ............................................................................... 62
Farmer suicides must end: Supreme Court ........................................................................................ 63
Scientists discover the protein behind human intelligence ............................................................... 64
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Diversion of welfare cess funds irks SC .............................................................................................. 64
Centre likely to waive retrospective tax on FIIs ................................................................................. 65
Political parties and RTI ...................................................................................................................... 65
Confusion over eco-sensitive zones ................................................................................................... 66
Domestic airfares can’t be capped: CCI chief ..................................................................................... 67
Manta Ray spreads to A.P. coast ........................................................................................................ 67
Alcoholism, a major killer of Chenchu tribals in two States ............................................................... 68
A shot in the arm for vulture conservation ........................................................................................ 68
Researchers one step closer to cracking Alzheimer’s puzzle ............................................................. 69
Russia, China set to counter US-led ‘Asia Pivot’ in the Pacific ........................................................... 71
Beijing was chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.............................................................................................................................................. 72
India:Myanmar ................................................................................................................................... 72
U.S. President Barack Obama: Clean Power Plan .............................................................................. 72
India defers FTA talks with EU on drug ban issue .............................................................................. 73
South China Sea tensions flare at ASEAN talks .................................................................................. 74
Russia bids at U.N. for vast Arctic territories ..................................................................................... 74
Former LTTE members seek self-rule for Tamils ................................................................................ 75
India flies aid to flood-hit Myanmar ................................................................................................... 75
China and Iran may barter weapons for oil ........................................................................................ 75
Nepal inks breakthrough pact on new Constitution .......................................................................... 76
Egypt unveils $9-bn ‘new Suez Canal’ ................................................................................................ 76
TurkmenGaz to lead TAPI pipeline consortium .................................................................................. 76
Greece, lenders clinch ‘deal’ after marathon talks ............................................................................ 77
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Sundar Pichai to spearhead Google ................................................................................................... 77
China devalues yuan ........................................................................................................................... 77
China, Pakistan sign deals worth $1.6 billion to beef up CPEC project .............................................. 78
Memorandum of Understanding between India and United States of America ............................... 78
Forum for India Pacific Island Countries ............................................................................................. 79
SAARC moots participatory management of forest resources .......................................................... 79
Ranil sworn in Sri Lanka PM ................................................................................................................ 80
IS destroys ancient monastery ........................................................................................................... 80
Cabinet approves pact with the Seychelles to fight black money ..................................................... 81
Iran no longer on restricted visa list ................................................................................................... 81
UN court for status quo in Italian marines case ................................................................................. 82
IS destroys temple at Palmyra ruins in Syria ...................................................................................... 82
India, US set to ink pact on terror database ....................................................................................... 83
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STATE ISSUES
KKSSHHEEEERRAA BBHHAAGGYYAA FFOORR FFIIVVEE DDAAYYSS AA WWEEEEKK
Students of government schools, who are getting milk three days a week under the
Ksheera Bhagya scheme, may now get it for five days.
Ksheera Bhagya Yojana (KBY) is a nutritional supplementation program launched by Govt.
of Karnataka from 1st August 2013. This Yojana is working in coordi-nation of Karnataka
Milk Federa-tion (KMF) and all its milk unions. This scheme is under Department of
Education in Karnataka.
Students from Class one to Class tenth studying in governmentand government-aided
schools and Anganwadi children are the beneficiaries
Objective of Ksheera Bhagya Yojana: To prevent malnutrition in children and To improve
the nutritional and health status of children
This scheme entitles all students 150 ml of milk three times a week.
The milk powder will be hygienically reconstituted with hot water before distributing it to
students.
The government had also agreed in-principle for KMF’s other proposal to make use of 32-
lakh litres of excess milk being produced in the State.
They discussed increasing infrastructure facility to make use of excess milk by setting up
more chilling, processing and Ultra Heat Treatment Plants to increase the shelf life.
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TTWWIITTTTEERR AADDDDSS KKAANNNNAADDAA SSUUPPPPOORRTT
Twitter added support for four more Indic languages. Twitter is now available in Gujarati,
Kannada, Marathi, and Tamil, on the Web and on Android
According to a Twitter blog post, the translations were partially carried out by the Twitter
user community, via Twitter's Translation Center, and if your language isn't supported, you
can also join Twitter's translator community to contribute to ongoing efforts.
Keen to boost its user base in the country, the social networking site has made it easy for
twitterati to tweet in more regional languages
Over the last two years, Twitter has become hugely popular in India with politicians,
filmstars and other newsmakers commanding lakhs of followers. Support for more
vernacular languages could widen the social network’s reach even further.
RRUULLEESS FFOORR PPUURRCCHHAASSIINNGG FFAARRMMLLAANNDD EEAASSEEDD IINN SSTTAATTEE
The State Legislature passed the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2015, easing
rules governing purchase of agricultural land by non-agriculturalists.
The bill seeks to enhance the annual income limit for purchasing agricultural land from Rs
2 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
Non-agriculturists who purchase farm land under this Act have to use it for agricultural
purposes only. Through this amendment, more people will now be able to buy agricultural
land.
The bill also proposes to hand over the power to allow such purchases from the assistant
commissioner to the deputy commissioner.
Besides, the government will tighten rules for granting permission to purchase agricultural
land for industrial and educational purposes under Section 109 of the Act. Measures will
be taken to conduct land audit, he added.
The amendments will have a major impact on the agriculture sector.
Section 79(A), inserted by way of an amendment in 1974, bars individuals with an annual
income of Rs 2 lakh and above from non-agriculture sources from buying farmland. The
law empowers the revenue authorities to declare such purchase "null & void" and take
away the ownership of the land.
Section 79B prohibits holding of farmland by entities such as educational, religious or
charitable institutions or a society, trust, or a company. The law, however, provides a
remedy.
Section 109 of the same Act empowers the revenue authorities to allow buying a piece of
farmland for purposes like running an educational institution or to set up an industry . But
the entity concerned must first apply to the Deputy Commissioner asking for exemption.
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TTHHEE KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA LLAANNDD RREEVVEENNUUEE ((AAMMEENNDDMMEENNTT)) BBIILLLL
The State legislature also passed the Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2015,
which aims to enhance the limit for regularisation of unauthorised dwellings from 2,400
sqft to 4,000 sqft
The provision, however, will be restricted to rural areas.
This was a long-standing demand of the economically weaker sections living in rural areas.
The bill also provides for construction of farm building or house in up to 10 per cent of the
total land holding, but not exceeding 10 guntas
The government would not levy any charges on the SC/ST community, pourakarmikas and
ex-servicemen.
The government will levy Rs 1.40 per sqft for regularisation of constructed houses on 4,000
sqft area, Re 1 per sqft on 2,400 sqft area and 50 paise per sqft on 1,200 sqft area.
Deadline for submitting applications seeking regularisation will be extended till December
DDUUBBBBIINNGG CCOONNTTEENNTT
A recent order of the CCI fined representative film bodies, including Karnataka Film
Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), Karnataka Television Association (KTA) and Kannada Film
Producers’ Association (KFPA), “for not allowing dubbed content” in films and television
into Kannada.
CCI is a legal authority under the Union government responsible for enforcing the
Competition Act 2002.
The main contention of the industry bodies, that film and television content cannot be
construed as “product”, was not accepted by the CCI.
The CCI has upheld the Constitutional rights of Kannadigas of having a choice over what
they watch, which was denied to them through unconstitutional methods
TTIIGGEERR CCOORRRRIIDDOORRSS
Tiger corridors running through nearly 250 villages, housing nearly 2.5 lakh people, are
being proposed as one of the ways to ensure a sustainable tiger population in the State.
In a push for corridors across the Western Ghats, researchers from the Wildlife Institute of
India, Dehradun – an autonomous Union government institute that oversaw the recent
tiger census – suggested three “regulated” corridors for Karnataka, stretching from
Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve in the north to Nagarahole and Bandipur in the south.
The study, ‘Connecting tiger populations for long-term conservation’, notes that these
corridors pass through 246 villages in Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Chikkamagaluru,
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Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagara and Bengaluru (Rural
and Urban) districts.
This “circuit” would connect to similar corridors in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.
The corridors were based on ‘least cost’ and ‘least resistance’ pathways – that is, the
optimal areas for connections between reserves based on ecology and habitations.
Bottlenecks in corridors need special attention through enhanced protection and
restoration of ecology inputs. Infrastructural development within corridors should be
minimal
The corridors allow for long-term conservation and exchange of gene flow between
fragmented tiger populations.
A corridor connecting reserves along the Western Ghats may absorb the increasing tiger
population in the reserves of south Karnataka.
BBIILLLL TTOO AALLLLOOWW FFIIXXIINNGG PPRRIICCEE FFOORR BBTT CCOOTTTTOONN SSEEEEDDSS
In a move that will allow fixing the sales price of transgenic and Bt cotton seeds, the
Assembly passed the Karnataka Transgenic and Genetically Modified Cotton Seeds
(Fixation of Sale Price and Payment of Compensation) Bill, 2015.
There is no provision in the present seed laws to fix price for cotton seeds.
The Bill also makes a provision to compensate farmers in case of failure of transgenic and
genetically-modified cotton crops, by fixing the responsibility on seed producers to
compensate farmers suitably, thus mitigating hardship.
It was very difficult to provide compensation to aggrieved farmers, as there were no
provisions in the existing laws to compensate them in case of crop failure
The present seed laws implemented in the State are enacted by the Union government.
Amendments in this regard and other lacunae to the present central seed legislation were
proposed by the State government to the Centre in the last two decades, but it is yet to be
passed.
MMOOTTOORR BBIILLLL
The Assembly passed the Karnataka State Motor Vehicle (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015, to
grant permission to private bus operators to run services on routes that are not covered by
the KSRTC.
The Bill will enable the government to grant temporary permits to private bus operators to
start carriage vehicles in areas approved by the government.
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LLEEAARRNNEERR’’SS LLIICCEENNCCEE IINN AA DDAAYY
Getting a Learner’s Licence (LL) will soon be a one-day affair, thanks to the new software
that the Transport Department is working on with the National Informatics Commission
(NIC), which will enable applicants to upload their documents online before attending the
test.
The move is likely to benefit thousands of LL applicants, with the 10 RTOs in the city
receiving over 1,500 applications for LL each day
Once implemented, the process will be paperless and uploading of documents, such as
address and birth date proof, can be done online. As of now, only the application can be
filled up online. Once uploaded, the applicant will be issued a reference number, which can
be used to pay the fees and get documents verified.
The candidate then has to go to RTO to take the Screen Test Aid for Learners Licence
(STALL), which is a computerised test comprising 15 questions.
Currently available at five RTOs in the city, the Transport Department will call for tenders
to spread the STALL system across all RTOs in the city, and in Shivamogga and Mysuru
SSEELLLLIIXXOO
Students of the New Horizon Public School, Bengaluru, won the Technovation Challenge
2015 held at San Francisco in June for their app named Sellixo (means waste in
Portuguese).
The Android mobile application provides an online marketplace for users to buy and sell
dry waste. Their main targets are shopkeepers, dry-waste collectors and apartment
associations.
Five girls from the city, who have made the country proud by developing a mobile phone
app around the Swachh Bharat initiative, got a pat on their back from Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
GGRREEEENNFFIIEELLDD AAIIRRPPOORRTTSS IINN KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA
Karnataka was probably among the earliest States to proactively think of linking its tier-2
and distant cities by air with the State capital and cities across the country.
The idea was driven by the need to decongest a burgeoning Bengaluru; develop the
northern and inland regions with infrastructure that is attractive to industrial investors;
and tap the numerous tourism hotspots up north.
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The efforts, however, have not paid off and in 2015, after attempts of nearly two decades,
the small airports it dreamt of are yet to materialise on the aviation map. Apart from
Bengaluru, the State now has scheduled airlines operating at the Mangaluru international
airport, Hubballi and Belagavi, while Mysuru has blipped on and off.
The reasons:
location of the airport
land acquisition issues
Extent of the land
Cost of the project
internal disputes between partners who were to develop two airports leading to
them walking out of the project
KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA TTOO GGEETT IINNSSTTIITTUUTTEE OONN CCOONNSSEERRVVAATTIIOONN OOFF WWEESSTTEERRNN GGHHAATTSS
The Centre has agreed to sanction Western Ghats Development Institute to Karnataka for
conservation of the ecologically sensitive areas of Western Ghats in six States.
The institute would be set up on 117 acres at Chakra in Shivamogga district for undertaking
research and management of the Western Ghats, one of the eight biodiversity hotspots in
the world.
The institute would take up environment management with active participation of locals
KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA:: SSMMAARRTT CCIITTIIEESS PPRROOJJEECCTT LLIISSTT..
Six city municipal corporations that made it to the list are: Mangaluru, Shivamogga,
Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Tumakuru, and Davangere
Six smaller cities of Karnataka have outdone their bigger counterparts for inclusion in the
coveted smart cities project list.
Low recovery of property taxes, water cess, incomplete audit, delay in execution of
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects and failure to utilise
JNNURM funds, inefficient waste disposal, and heavy debt were major reasons for denial
of smart city project for Bengaluru and Mysuru city corporations
Under the five-year project (2015-2019), each smart city will be given Rs. 500 crore from
the Centre and an additional Rs. 500 crore from the State government.
The State government has sent the proposal on the six cities to New Delhi
Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation is the nodal agency
for smart cities, Karnataka Sewerage and Water Supply Board will monitor the Atal Mission
for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project in 27 cities.
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Under the smart city project, cities will have a smart grid system, well maintained roads,
smart traffic lights, advanced CCTV cameras installed on traffic signals, good water and
sewerage system, and e-governance systems for all major public services.
OOPPEERRAATTIIOONN SSMMIILLEE
A campaign called ‘Operation Smile’ by Bangalore Police, a drive to rescue and rehabilitate
children from beggary
In a major operation against begging by minors, police conducted simultaneous raids
across the city and rescued 190 children, including 25 infants.
The drive, ‘Operation Smile’, began at 10 a.m. across seven divisions of the
commissionerate.
The rescued children will be rehabilitated at the Bala Mandiras run by the State
government and NGOs, where they hope the smile returns to these under-privileged
children.
Several teams had been formed to visit public places like malls, temples, railway stations,
bus stops, theatres and major junctions.
TTOOUURRIISSMM MMOOUU HHIITTSS RROOAADDBBLLOOCCKK WWIITTHH SSTTRRIINNGGEENNTT NNOORRMMSS IINN PPLLAACCEE
Stringent forest and archaeological protection norms may come in the way of the Tourism
Department’s ambitious plans to rope in private players for the development of tourism
spots.
In the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with West Coast Paper Mills
Ltd., the company offered to take up the task of developing Kavala caves, which is in the
heart of the Dandeli Anshi Tiger Reserve in Uttara Kannada, under its Corporate Social
Responsibility initiative.
However, five proposals sent by the company have been rejected by the Department of
Forests.
National Tiger Conservation Authority’s regulations on eco-tourism — issued on October
15, 2012 — in the protected area, state clearly: “No new tourist infrastructure is to be set
up within the core/critical tiger habitat of tiger reserves, in compliance with the Indian
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the directives of the Supreme Court
The limestone caves are located around 25 km from Dandeli, and can be accessed through
375 steps that run up the mountain. After a crawl of nearly 40 feet in the tiny cave, the
visitor gets a view of stalagmite formations, one of which has been considered by the
locals as a natural Shivalinga. The temple at the base of the caves currently sees thousands
of pilgrims congregating on Shivaratri.
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AA22 MMIILLKK IINN KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA
A2 milk is cow's milk that contains only the A2 type of beta-casein protein rather than the
more common A1 protein commonly found in regular milk
Cows' milk is about 87 percent water and 13 percent solids—the solids being a
combination of fat, carbohydrates in the form of lactose, minerals and protein. The major
component of the milk proteins is casein; in turn about 30-35 percent of the casein
(equivalent to two teaspoons in a litre of milk) is beta-casein, of which there are several
varieties, determined by the genes of the cow
The most common of these variants are A1 and A2
A1 and A2 beta-casein proteins are processed differently
Health freaks can soon expect indigenous cow milk from the Karnataka Milk Federation
(KMF) stable.
Around 3,000 litres of milk from Deoni cows of four villages in Bhalki taluk in Bidar district
will be collected and marketed as a premium brand, and at a higher cost
The Deoni cow milk is called A2 milk that has health benefits for easy digestion due to the
presence of A2 type of beta caesin protein rather than the A1 protein found in the popular
Nandini brand of milk.
Deoni cows such as Saigon and Lakhangaon are grazed naturally and are not fed with
compounds/ mixtures, and have local germplasm that suits the local environment
The pilot project is being implemented in Bhalki, coming under the Gulbarga Milk Union,
under a Rs. 2-crore Centrally-sponsored project.
There is a demand for A2 milk for its health benefits. Procurement centres for collection of
such milk will be opened
Deoni cows, reared in parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana, are at present more
of a sentimental value for farmers than for their commercial viability as milk yield is low.
DDOOCCTTOORRSS HHAAVVEE TTOO NNOOWW WWAATTCCHH OOUUTT FFOORR ‘‘LLEESSSS FFAATTAALL’’ SSTTRRAAIINN OOFF MMAALLAARRIIAA TTOOOO
Deaths in Mangaluru of patients suffering from Plasmodium vivax strain of malaria —
which was till recently considered a “less fatal” strain — has been a cause of concern for
the health authorities here.
Even as the district death audit committee has said the fatality was owing to “related
factors” and not malaria alone, these deaths gain significance in the light of World Health
Organization (WHO) coming out with a report expressing the need for new tools for
control and elimination of P. vivax malaria parasite as conventional methods have been
less effective.
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vivax and P. falciparum are the two malarial parasite variants prevalent in Dakshina
Kannada. Of the two, P. falciparum variant has been considered a virulent parasite. These
two parasites are transmitted by anopheles mosquito that breeds in fresh water sources.
PPOOEETT,, FFRREEEEDDOOMM FFIIGGHHTTEERR KKAAYYYYAARRAA KKIINNHHAANNNNAA RRAAII NNOO MMOORREE
Kannada poet and freedom fighter, 101-year-old
Kayyara Kinhanna Rai died at his residence at
Badiyadkka in Kasaragod district of Kerala on August 9.
He was in the forefront of the movement to merge the
Kannada-speaking region north of the Chandragiri river
with Karnataka to fulfil its linguistic and development
aspirations after the 1957 States reorganisation.
Rai founded Kasaragod Vileenekarana Kriya Samiti to
fight for the cause.
He was born on 8 June 1915 in Kasaragod in then
Madras Presidency of British India.
He had started his career as a secondary school teacher and later delved into journalism
and contributed his writings to various newspapers.
Some of his famous poems are Aikyagana, Shreemukha, Chethana, Punarnava and Koraga.
His other important works are Sahithya Drushti and Malayala Sahitya Charithre (History of
Malayalam literature) which is a translation of an original work by P. K. Parameshwaran
Nair.
In 1998, he had served as President of 67th Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana
which was held in Mangalore.
Activist career: He was forefront in the movement of merging the Kannada-speaking
region north of the Chandragiri river (Kasaragod district) with Karnataka in order to fulfill
its linguistic and development aspirations after the 1957 States Re-organisation. For this
cause, he had founded Kasaragod Vileenekarana Kriya Samiti.
Awards: Karnataka Sahitya Academy Puraskar (1969), National Award for Best Teacher
(1969), Karnataka Ekikarana (Unification) Award (2007) etc.
KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA SSTTAATTEE PPRROOPPOOSSEESS TTOO RREEPPLLAACCEE 113366 CCRREESSTT GGAATTEESS OOFF KKRRSS
A team of consultants and experts from various agencies including the World Bank
inspected the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir in the district on Tuesday to gauge safety
and operational performance of several structures of the reservoir.
The reservoir constructed across Cauvery River near Srirangapatna, was conceived by
Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1911 and completed in 1931-32
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The efficiency and strength of some of the decades-old structures of the reservoir have
been diminishing.
Therefore, the State government had sought financial assistance from the World Bank
under the ‘Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project’ (DRIP) to take up rehabilitation
and strengthening works of the reservoir.
The DRIP is a multi-State project and the World Bank would take up works such as
replacements of sluice gates and stopping leakages of reservoirs under the project.
PPVVTT.. HHOOSSPPIITTAALLSS TTAARRGGEETTIINNGG LLAAMMBBAANNII WWOOMMEENN:: SSTTUUDDYY
Private hospitals seem to be putting women of the backward Lambani community through
“medically unnecessary” hysterectomies, if a sample study by an NGO in Kalaburagi is an
indication
A study by the Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali (KJC), an NGO working on health issues,
shows high incidence of women undergoing hysterectomy in private hospitals in
Kalaburagi — particularly those living in the Banjara tandas and in the neighbouring
Omerga and Solapur cities of Maharashtra.
A random sampling of 76 women (of 487 who underwent hysterectomy in the recent past)
has revealed that most hysterectomies were medically unnecessary.
DDEEFFIICCIIEENNTT RRAAIINNFFAALLLL IINN KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA
After slump in prices and harassment from moneylenders, the farming community now
faces another hardship – failure of kharif crops owing to severe drought.
About 26 per cent of the sown area has withered owing to scanty rainfall in more than 20
districts of the State. Already nearly 200 farmers committed suicides owing to
indebtedness and other reasons in the last four months in the State.
The South-West monsoon being 27 per cent deficit up to now (June 1 to August 11) in the
State, nearly 12 lakh hectares of sown area had been adversely affected, according to
official sources in the Government.
The State had witnessed severe drought this year after a gap of 43 years, the last major
drought was in 1972.
Deficient rainfall has adversely affected the sowing operations in more than 100 taluks in
the State.
Monsoon continued to be weak since June and the cumulative rainfall till August 11 was
404 mm against a normal 558 mm.
Though the pre-monsoon showers had set early in the fag end of April bringing cheer to
farmers, deficit rainfall during June, July and August has brought about a tardy progress in
the sowings of paddy (39%), ragi (33%), bajra (36 per cent), minor millets (44 per cent),
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horsegram (14per cent), avare (26per cent), groundnut (46 per cent), sunflower (37per
cent).
Scanty rainfall has not only created shortage of fodder for over a crore milch animals in the
State but also severe drinking water shortage in thousands of villages.
BBAADDUUKKUU BBEESSAAYYAA
The spree of suicides by farmers owing to debts and failure of crops has made government
agencies to find various means and ways to reach out to the farmers in order to instil
confidence in them.
The district administration and the Department of Information and Public Relations in
Kolar, a perennially drought-hit district, have harped on an awareness campaign among
the farming community.
Named ‘Baduku Besaya’, the campaign includes performing of street plays, singing songs,
interaction with farmers and providing counselling by psychologists to the needy farmers.
Making farmers realise the importance of life and agriculture, and ill-effects of suicides on
their family members and motivating them to face the hurdles boldly was the main
intention of the campaign
MM--SSAANNDD UUNNIITTSS CCAANN AAVVAAIILL 55%% SSUUBBSSIIDDYY OONN LLOOAANN IINNTTEERREESSTT
To encourage production of manufactured sand (M-sand), the State Cabinet has decided to
provide five per cent subsidy on interest on loans taken to set up M-sand units in districts
which lack natural sand resources.
A Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to grant
interest subsidy for conversion of crusher units into M-sand units and to promote
production of M-sand in districts.
The decision was taken following depletion of groundwater in rivers and water bodies
owing to extraction of natural sand by the sand mafia.
SSPPEECCIIAALL CCOOUURRTT SSEETT UUPP TTOO TTRRYY LLAANNDD--GGRRAABBBBIINNGG CCAASSEESS
The Karnataka State government has issued a notification to establish a special court in
Bengaluru for speedy inquiry and trial of land-grabbing cases. It will start functioning in a
month.
The court has been formed under section 7 of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition
Act, 2011.
It will deal with all cases related to land grabbing and offences.
The term of the chairman and members will be three years.
The court will have jurisdiction over the entire State with its headquarters in Bengaluru.
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The court will be headed by a chairman and he or she must be a retired High Court judge.
Members of the court should be persons who have served as district judges.
Revenue members should be persons who hold or held a post not below the rank of
Deputy Commissioner of the district.
The court will look into alleged land encroachments of both government and forestlands
by individuals in cities as well as rural areas.
It will also hear cases related to land encroachments identified by the A.T. Ramaswamy
and T.S.R Subramanian committees.
Salaries and allowances of the chairman and members of the court will be decided after
consultation with the Finance Department.
A government officer — not below the rank of tahsildar — will be authorized to be the
officer responsible for administration and effecting implementation of the provisions of
the Act and initiating legal action against persons contravening the provisions.
YYEETTTTIINNAAHHOOLLEE WWOORRKK AAGGAAIINNSSTT LLAAWWSS,, AALLLLEEGGEE EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTT AACCTTIIVVIISSTTSS
A group of environmental activists from Mangalore, Karnataka have alleged that the
karnataka State government has begun Yettinahole diversion project in Sakleshpur taluk,
Hassan district, forcibly brushing aside the opposition to it.
Major allegations:
The government has taken up the works by violating Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act,
1976.
Before the work was taken up, land acquisition process wasn’t taken up, land losers were
not given compensation, and environmental hearing was not conducted.
The project would dry the Nethravathi, the lifeline of Dakshina Kannada, in the coming
days.
The state government is following a dual policy, as in one hand it is stating that forest
should be preserved for elephant corridor and on the other hand it is ravaging the forest
for diversion of a water source.
MMYYSSUURRUU CCLLEEAANNEESSTT CCIITTYY,, BBEENNGGAALLUURRUU CCLLEEAANNEESSTT CCAAPPIITTAALL
Bengaluru has been billed the cleanest among capital cities in India and Mysore has topped
the charts in Swachh Bharat ranking of 476 cities in the country by the Urban Development
Ministry.
Karnataka has done well for itself with two other cities — Hassan and Mandya — making it
to the top-10 list.
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Ranking is done on two parameters of cleanliness — of solid waste management and
eradication of open defecation.
Karnataka is the only State to have four cities ranking among top 10.
TTAAIIWWAANN FFIIRRMMSS TTOO IINNVVEESSTT RRSS.. 33,,220000 CCRR.. IINN KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA
Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association and the State government
have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set up a Taiwan Electronic
Manufacturing Cluster (TEMC) in the city. It will come up on 100 acres of land in
Devanahalli IT Park, with an investment of $500 million (about Rs. 3,200 crore).
The Karnataka government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Taiwan Electrical and electronic manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA) to set up a Taiwan
Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (TEMC) near Bengaluru.
The Karnataka government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Taiwan Electrical and electronic manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA) to set up a Taiwan
Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (TEMC) near Bengaluru.
It will come up on 100-acre area in Devanahalli IT Park.
TEEMA is the industry body which represents around 3,039 Taiwanese electronic
manufacturers and has a total capital investment of $52,639.5 million.
The Taiwanese investment comes at a time when the state government aims to woo
investments in electronics manufacturing.
TEEMA has also proposed to Karnataka government to set up training and incubation
centre in the cluster providing employment to more than 20,000 to 30,000 once TEMC is
fully operational.
TEMC will help the State to become the electronic and hardware manufacturing hub in the
future. In the first phase, the manufacturing cluster will be set up on an area of 100 acres
of land. However, it has potential to expand to 800-1,000 acres in the future
CCOOMMMMIITTTTEEEE TTOO FFOOCCUUSS OONN FFAARRMMEERRSS,, OOUUTTRREEAACCHH PPRROOGGRRAAMMMMEESS,, EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONN
The State government has constituted an advisory committee to oversee the functioning
of the regional centre of the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST)
established in Kalaburagi district a year back.
The 13-member advisory committee included two-time B.C. Roy Award Winner and
Professor Emeritus P.S. Shankar. The KSCST, with the support of the Indian Institute of
Science, had been providing support to the government for formulating science and
technology-based policies.
A regional centre was established in Kalaburagi in 2014 to coordinate activities in the north
Karnataka region.
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In the first meeting of the advisory committee chaired by Dr. Shankar in Kalaburagi city
recently, members decided to focus on outreach programmes to improve the quality of
education in schools and colleges in the region, conduct entrepreneurship programmes for
unemployed graduates, and take up weather forecasting to provide the farming
community with information on climatic changes and rainfall.
SSTTAATTEE TTOO BBUUIILLDD LLIIBBRRAARRIIEESS IINN EEVVEERRYY GGPP
In a bid to inculcate reading habit among the rural youth and to ensure that they would
not take to bad habits, the State government would set up a library in each gram
panchayat (GP) in the State
Inaugurating the centenary celebrations of the Mysuru City Central Library
Siddaramaiah said all the 6,000 GPs in the State would soon have a library.
The government would provide libraries to all the villages in the State in a phased manner.
Rural youth must be motivated to read extensively, and the proposed libraries would
create interest in reading books and journals among them, he said, adding that rural
people must be made to imbibe “library culture”.
DDEEDDIICCAATTEEDD JJEETTTTYY FFOORR LLAAKKSSHHAADDWWEEEEPP VVEESSSSEELLSS TTOO CCOOMMEE UUPP AATT MMAANNGGAALLUURRUU PPOORRTT
The Karnataka government and Lakshadweep administration on Wednesday inked a pact
for the construction of a dedicated jetty at Mangaluru Old Port to cater to vessels to and
from Lakshadweep. Construction of a dedicated jetty is expected to improve the
movement of goods to Lakshadweep from the mainland and boost tourism in
Lakshwadweep.
As per the MoU, the Lakshadweep administration would bear the cost of new dedicated
jetty that includes a 300-m long wharf for cargo and passenger vessels, waiting lounge with
amenities for passengers, a godown, dredging of the channel up to 7 m draft and other
ancillary works.
The entire project is estimated to cost about Rs. 60 crore and would be executed by
Karnataka.
Mangaluru and Lakshadweep had historic connections with portions of Lakshadweep being
under the Karnataka rule during the Tipu Sultan regime and subsequently under the British
rule.
The two regions had strong trade and commerce network. However, owing to paucity of
space at Mangaluru Old Port, the trade activities had come down.
Besides financing building of the jetty, the administration would also undertake periodical
dredging of the canal leading to the jetty to keep it vessel-worthy
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CCOOMMMMIITTTTEEEE TTOO PPRROOBBEE ‘‘MMEEDDIICCAALLLLYY UUNNWWAARRRRAANNTTEEDD’’ HHYYSSTTEERREECCTTOOMMIIEESS
Health Department is awaiting a formal complaint to act on the issue
Although the State Health Department is yet to act on the controversy over “medically
unwarranted” hysterectomies in Kalaburagi district, the issue has attracted the attention
of the Karnataka State Commission for Women.
The commission has set up a five-member committee to probe the issue. The Hindu had
carried reports about a study conducted by an NGO on the “unwarranted” surgeries
performed in several private hospitals where doctors targeted women, mainly young and
poor from marginalised communities in Kalaburagi.
Violation of ethics
Taking cognisance of the issue, the women’s commission has termed it a violation of
medical ethics and standard treatment protocols.
Such profiteering interests of private doctors have led to serious complications among
vulnerable women.
A committee headed by K. Neela from the All India Democratic Women’s Association had
been set up to conduct a detailed investigation. The committee would have a doctor, an
advocate, a retired government official from Kalaburagi district and a representative from
the Karnataka Janarogya Chaluvali, the NGO that conducted the study. The committee had
been asked to submit its report within a month.
The commission, which has got reports that such “unwarranted” surgeries were mainly
happening in the border districts, has also written to the Kannada University, Hampi, to
find out the ground reality.
Meanwhile, the NGO has demanded a CID inquiry into all hysterectomies conducted in the
district.
SSTTAATTUUSS OOFF DDRROOUUGGHHTT IINN TTHHEE SSTTAATTEE
State government may include some more taluks in the list of drought-affected taluks soon
Based on the drought indicators of deficit rainfall, four consecutive weeks of dry spell,
moisture stress and poor kharif sowing, the State government has already declared 126
taluks in 27 districts as drought affected
The Cabinet sub-committee would meet in Bengaluru on Thursday and review the
situation and may announce some more taluks as drought affected
that the State had not witnessed such a serious drought in the past 40 years and all
reservoirs in the State were not even filled by half. North Karnataka is the worst affected,
with districts under it facing facing serious drinking water problem. North interior
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Karnataka, which constitutes 48 per cent of the geographical area of the State, was
experiencing deficit rainfall of 46 per cent.
Water is being supplied through tankers in 813 villages and 61 urban local bodies, he said.
Mr. Jayachandra said that the State had a bovine population of 106.66 lakhs in 126
drought-affected taluks.
The prolonged dry spell had affected the quality of milch cattle.
Mysuru division--Between August 1 and August 25, 264 mm rain occurred against the
normal rainfall of 359 mm in. As per statistics furnished by the district administration, 80
hoblis in the eight districts under Mysuru division have received deficit rainfall. As many as
24 taluks of eight districts of the Mysuru division have been declared as drought-hit,
including seven taluks of Mandya, three taluks of Chamarajanagar, seven taluks of Hassan,
two taluks of Chikkamagaluru, two taluks of Kodagu and three taluks of Mysuru district. At
least another six to eight taluks of the eight districts of Mysuru division are likely to be
declared as drought hit soon.
Ground water has depleted considerably in Kadur taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, and
Bantwal and Puttur taluks of Dakshina Kannada due to excessive use of ground water. Of
the 487 tanks coming under the minor irrigation, 48 per cent of tanks have dried.
Chikkamagaluru--coffee, cardamom, arecanut and pepper crops were damaged.
‘‘CCHHAAMMPPIIOONNSS’’ AAMMOONNGG SSTTUUDDEENNTTSS WWIILLLL NNOOWW SSEENNSSIITTIISSEE PPEEEERRSS OONN GGEENNDDEERR IISSSSUUEESS
Catch them young, this is what the
Ministry of Women and Child Development
(MWCD) is all set out to do in order to
sensitise children on gender issues.
The Ministry’s plan is to identify gender
champions in educational institutions and
facilitate an enabling environment where
girls are treated with dignity and respect
The University Grants Commission has
already instructed institutes to identify students and train them as gender champions, and
this is likely to be implemented in schools across the State shortly.
Students who will be trained as gender champions shall be identified by a screening
committee formed by the head of the institution concerned.
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PPRROOPPOOSSAALL TTOO PPLLAANNTT MMEELLIIAA DDUUBBIIAA TTRREEEESS IINNSSTTEEAADD OOFF EEUUCCAALLYYPPTTUUSS
In a suggestion that could ease the worries of eucalyptus farmers and plywood industry in
the country, Indian Plywood Industries Research Institute (IPIRTI) has said melia dubia
trees (also called malabar neem or kaad bevu) should be grown instead of the water-
guzzling eucalyptus tree.
Eucalyptus plantations have come under the scanner after the High Court recently directed
the forest officials to consider the ban on the tree in Kolar and Chickballapur, where
eucalyptus plantations are being blamed for the declining groundwater table.
IPIRTI, which is a research and development institution under the Ministry of Environment
Kaad bevu consumes less water compared to eucalyptus and can grow to a girth of 100 cm
(or one metre) in less than eight years in well-irrigated areas. Its peeling qualities also help
get the best veneers for the plywood industry
AAIIRR TTOO RREELLEEAASSEE CCDD OOFF JJAAMMBBAALLAADDIINNNNII’’SS RREECCOORRDDIINNGGSS SSOOUURRCCEEDD FFRROOMM IITTSS AARRCCHHIIVVEESS
While Hindustani vocalist Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur’s Vachanas are amongst All India
Radio’s rare CD collections ringing record sales for its archival material, now it is Mansur’s
favourite student, late Siddharama Jambaladinni of Raichur district, whose recordings
would be added to its heritage collection of CDs available for public.
Pandit Siddharama Jambaladinni’s nearly 50-year-old precious recordings of 14
Basaveshwara Vachanas, along with a rendering of his two classical ragas would be
amongst AIR Bengaluru’s latest Archival CD series.
It is officially approved and Akashvani soon plans to release Jambaladinni’s CD. We have
meticulously sourced and collected them from several of our old recordings from 13 AIR
stations of Karnataka
R.K. Srikantan, Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, Kalinga Rao, Mallikarjun Mansur and
Basavaraj Rajguru are amongst Akashavani’s 2000 hours of “identified preserved music
material” in Bengaluru.
Jambaladinni’s CD will contain his rare classical ragas as Chayanat and Bhairav too, apart
from Vachanas of Basaveshwara, Allama Prabhu, Akkamahadevi and Akhandeshwara.
He was one of the Vachana artistes selected by HMV-Sangeetha cassettes to be recorded
nearly 30 years ago as he had put to music hundreds of Dasa and Vachana sahitya
Born in 1918, Jabaladinni initially learnt for 20 years under Panchakshari Gavayi of
Veereshwara Punyashrama in Gadag.
His love for the Vachanas brought him closer to becoming Mansur’s student and started
performing with him.
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“If it is Vachanas, one has to hear them only from Jambaladinni who handles them with his
signature classical touches,” Mansur is often said to have publicly told.
Jambaladinni brought in a combo of Gavayi’s Gwalior gharana and Mansur’s Jaipur
gharana. That is why his combo-raag renderings as Saawani-Kalyan, Basanti-Kedar amongst
several others were crowd-pullers
CCUUBBBBOONN PPAARRKK PPOOLLIICCEE SSTTAATTIIOONN:: EE--VVIISSIITT OOFF PPRRIIMMEE MMIINNIISSTTEERR
Cubbon Park Police Station is one among the three police stations in the country chosen
for e-visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 26
The station was selected since it is fully digitised under the Crime and Criminal Tracking
Network Systems (CCTNS).
The CCTNS is not only about crime and investigation but also focuses on 21 citizen-centric
services, including verification of all sorts, passport services, availing permission for
programmes and functions.
Those who want to avail themselves of the services need not have to run around but can
download the application from the city police website and apply through single window or
through Bangalore-one centres from any part of the State.
Apart from this, the CCTNS also helps tracking the anti-social elements through digital
prints through one of its state-of-the-art command centre that monitors cyber-related
issues for the City Police
As many as 20,000 police personnel across the State have been trained to handle the
CCTNS while 5,000 police personnel have been trained to work on real-time such as crime
and criminal tracking and network systems
VVOOTTIINNGG IINNKK MMAARRKKEERR PPEENNSS
Marker pens are set to replace ink vials and brush/plastic applicators
Acting on the advice of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Mysore Paints and Varnish
Ltd. (MPVL), a government of Karnataka company, which has been supplying ink for
elections since 1962, recently made a presentation to the ECI on its plans.
MPVL is the sole supplier of ink for elections in the country. The indelible ink is made of a
special chemical combination formulated by the National Physical Laboratory.
The ink supplied in vials spills over after application. To address this, the ECI asked us to
find a solution, which should be user-friendly and eco-friendly — a marker pen with a
cartridge containing indelible ink in different formulation. This reduces waste and the
application becomes easier
Marker pens are convenient to store and also lasts longer.
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MPVL is reckoned to be a one-of-its-kind (among the PSUs) in the country to manufacture
voters’ ink. Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, maharaja of the erstwhile princely State of
Mysore, founded the company in 1937.
SSTTAATTEE DDRRUUGG TTEESSTTIINNGG LLAABB HHAASS VVIITTAALL RROOLLEE IINN NNAATTIIOONNAALL SSUURRVVEEYY
The State drug testing lab has a significant role to play in the Union Health Ministry’s
national drugs survey, a mammoth scientific study taken up to assess the extent of
spurious drugs and drugs not of standard quality (NSQ) in the country.
The lab, among the three government NABL-accredited in the country (Gujarat and
Maharashtra are the other two), is responsible for analysing 2,000 of the 45,000 drug
samples collected from across the country.
The survey is one-of-its-kind. Initiated in April this year by National Institute of Biologicals,
the survey involves sampling drugs followed by complete testing of drugs for the first time
in India
It is a statistically-designed collection of samples under 15 therapeutic categories. Of the
45,000 samples, 2,064 samples have been collected from Karnataka
KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA GGOOVVEERRNNOORR GGIIVVEESS NNOODD FFOORR LLOOKKAAYYUUKKTTAA BBIILLLL
Governor of Karnataka Vajubhai R. Vala has given assent to the Karnataka Lokayukta
(Amendment) Bill, 2015, which was passed by the legislature primarily for removal of
Karnataka Lokayukta Y. Bhaskar Rao.
According to the Bill, once the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court or the judge
nominated finds the Lokayukta guilty of misconduct or incapacity, then both the Houses of
the legislature can pass a motion with two-third majority stating that the Lokayukta should
be removed.
As per the new bill, a judge who has served not less than 10 years is eligible to be the
Loakyukta, and a judge who has put in not less than five years as high court judge, can
become the Upa Lokayukta.
The Lokayukta is appointed by the Governor of Karnataka on advice of Chief Minister of
Karnataka in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka, the
Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council, the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly,
the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council and the Leader of the
Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
The Lokayukta has the power to investigate Chief Minister, all other Ministers and
Members of the State Legislature and all state government employees.
The Lokayukta has the power to investigate Chief Minister, all other Ministers and
Members of the State Legislature and all state government employees.
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IIMMPPRROOVVIINNGG AACCCCEESSSSIIBBIILLIITTYY TTOO TTHHEE DDIISSAABBLLEEDD IINN BBEENNGGAALLUURRUU
With hundreds of government buildings imposing a challenge for those with physical
disabilities Bengaluru will be featured in the ‘Accessible India’ programme envisioned by
the Centre.
around 50 cities would be chosen for the scheme, and Bengaluru would be featured as an
‘A’ city. “Depending on the proposals from the State, disability audits will be conducted for
50 to 100 buildings.
Funds will be given to ensure infrastructure is disabled-friendly. The long-term goal is to
make buildings, transport and even websites more accessible
The State governments should send proposals, for which we will provide auditors to gauge
and can even grant funds under the Centre’s SIPDA (Scheme for Implementation of
Persons with Disabilities Act) programme
The need for such a programme in the State is seen in the regular accessibility audits
conducted by the Commission for Disabilities.
Barely 30 per cent of the government buildings were accessible for the disabled.
PPOOLLIICCEE CCOONNSSTTAABBLLEESS TTOO GGEETT SSMMAARRTT
Police constables in the State are set to get ‘smart’ with an exclusive mobile app ‘First
Responder’, which will help them handle crime scene investigations better. The constables
will soon be equipped with smartphones to access the app.
It was developed by Target Corporation in collaboration with Indiana University.
It will enhance professional training and provide step-by-step guideline to investigate
crime
The information collected will also provide a database to help senior officers examine and
analyse the investigation for further improvement
The initiative demonstrates the effort of the State police in implementing technology to
enhance citizen safety.
Constables are the first responders to any crime and they need to interact with
complainants, victims and people while taking charge of the situation. The app has a set of
guidelines incorporated from the Karnataka police manual.
It also provides a mechanism to supervise the constable’s actions. The app records the
different steps followed by the constable while handling the situation.
‘First Responder’ has been launched as a pilot project and will soon be extended to other
parts of the State.
How it works
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The app will connect to a server set up at the police headquarters. A login ID can be
obtained by providing required details (like name, rank, badge number, location), which is
authenticated by the State police.
The constable, who visits a scene of crime, should select the type of crime and enter the
data. The data is stored in the server and will be available for senior police officers for
further investigation.
RRAATTIIOONNAALLIISSTT MMMM KKAALLBBUURRGGII''SS CCOOLLDD BBLLOOOODDEEDD KKIILLLLIINNGG SSHHOOCCKKSS KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA’’SS LLIITTEERRAARRYY CCAAPPIITTAALL
Dr MM Kalburgi (78), renowned Kannada writer, research scholar and rationalist has
entered the history books as the first litterateur from Karnataka to be shot dead allegedly
for his views on idol worship and Hindu rituals
Though no group or persons have claimed responsibility for shooting Dr Kalburgi at point
blank range at his home
Initial reports suggest that right-wing activists might be involved.
People and political leaders in Dharwad, the literary capital of Karnataka that has produced
the highest number of Jnanpith awardees in Kannada, are still in a state of shock and
disgust.
For, this kind of cold-blooded murder targeting litterateurs was unheard of Karnataka till
date.
Born in Vijayapura (Bijapur) district in 1938, Dr Kalburgi studied Kannada literature and
taught at the Department of Kannada, Karnatak University, Dharwad, one of the oldest
universities in Karnataka
He was also the vice-chancellor of the Kannada University, Hampi, Ballari (Bellary) district.
He had won several important awards, including those from Central Sahitya Academy,
Karnataka Sahitya Academy, Pampa Award, Nadoja Award and Nrupathunga Award.
He had authored over 100 books in Kannada and was a natural orator too. He was
considered an authority on Vachana literature (propagated by the 12th Century
philosopher and social reformer Basavanna).
In fact, Basavanna was opposed to religion, religious practices and Brahminical rituals.
Followers of Basavanna are called Lingayats in Karnataka and Dr Kalburgi belonged to the
same community.
Of late, Dr Kalburgi had developed a penchant for such subjects and they reflected in his
public speeches, which led to anger among a section of society.
Last year, the police had filed a case against him for allegedly hurting the sentiments of
Hindus after he criticised idol worship quoting a literary work of another celebrated writer
and Jnanpith awardee late Dr UR Ananthamurthy. Not to be cowed down by such
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intimidations, Dr Kalburgi continued his campaign against idol worship and Brahminical
rituals.
His home in Dharwad town was targeted by miscreants, who pelted stones and bottles. In
another instance, activists disturbed his public speech when he raised the issue of idol
worship.
For the last eight months, the police had deployed personnel outside his home and they
also accompanied him wherever he went, as he faced threats because of his comments.
The litterateur had never revealed in public whether he received any threats directly or
indirectly.
GGII FFOOOOTTPPRRIINNTT SSPPRREEAADD AACCRROOSSSS KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA
With 33 of its products obtaining the Geographical Index tag, Karnataka has established
itself as the capital of GI products. The state leads the nation on GI certification followed
by TN which has 24 products obtaining the GI tag
The bitter battle between West Bengal and Orissa over the origin of delectable Rasagulla
has put spotlight on Geographical Index (GI) products.
While the preparations are on full swing at the national level for the preparation of nation
wide GI products registry, it has also cut open the intense competition between states to
grab GI tag for various products from their states.
The GI tag not only helps the states brand themselves but also provide market with good
returns for the GI products at global level
Even as the race to obtain GI tag is gaining momentum, Karnataka has already established
itself as a capital of GI products. With 33 of its products obtaining GI tag already, Karnataka
leads the nation on GI certification followed by Tamil Nadu which has 24 of its products
obtaining GI tag.
Aimed at providing global market to unique products of the nation with a legal cover,
Government of India had brought GI of Goods (Registration and Protection) act way back
in 1999 and the act came into force in 2003.
Headquartered at Chennai, the GI Registry, every year, receives hundreds of applications
for certification and thereby claiming market attention.
Though not all products will succeed in getting the GI tag, a few products after passing
thrugh rigorous tests qualify for the GI tag which will be valid for a 10-year period.
As per the information by GI Registry, Darjeeling 'Tea' was the first product to obtain GI tag
back in 2003 and till date a total of 191 products have been certified and awarded GI tag
by the registry. While the tag provides much required legal cover for the products, it also
helps in safeguarding products that are entwined with the history, culture and heritage of
the country.
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What's in GI Tag?
Geographical Indication of goods is nothing but authentication of products either grown or
produced from a specific geographical location or place of origin. The GI tag typically conveys an
assurance of quality and distinctiveness of the product largely attributed to products'
geographical origin. The GI tag also protects goods from copyright violation and put an end to
illegal trade of spurious goods in the name of original products.
Mysuru tops the state list
While Karnataka tops the list at the national level, it is Mysuru which has the highest GI tag for
variety of products either grown or manufactured within Mysuru district. As many as 10 different
products of Mysuru have obtained GI tags and thus endorsing the sobrquet culture capital of
Karnataka.
How do you get GI tag?
If you have come across any products that deserve GI tag, such products must first be reported to
Bio-Centre of the Horticulture Department located on Bannerghatta Road at Hulimavu,
Bengaluru. The expert will examine the product as per the parameters set by GI registry.
Subsequently, it will be enrolled in the application and registered with the GI Registry in Chennai.
Thereafter, the products will be notified through an official gazette and if there are no objections,
an expert committee will submit a report to the registrar for award of GI tag.
How many more from Karnataka?
Already at the top, Karnataka has further registered for GI tags for 5 more products and decision
of the GI Registry is awaited. The fresh applications include—Kolhapur Sandals (Karnataka-
Maharashtra), Durries (Blankets) of Guledgudda, Cotton Sarees of Udupi and Arecanut products
of Sirsi, Siddapura and Yallapura.
GI Tag valid for 10 years
Is GI tag valid for entire life? Though people normally think so, the actual validity of GI products is
only 10-years. Subsequently the applicants have to resubmit application extending GI tag.
Depending on the circumstances, the GI Registry will take a call whether the tag should be
extended or not.
Mysuru: * Mysore silk (handicraft) * Mysuru incense sticks (manufacturing) * Mysuru betel leaves
(agri produce) * Nanjanagudu banana (agri produce) * Mysuru jasmine (agri produce) *
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Rosewood carvings (handicraft) * Mysuru sandal oil (manufacturing) * Mysuru Sandal Soap
(manufacturing) * Traditional painting (handicraft) * Ganjifa art (handicraft)
Bengaluru Rural:Bengaluru Blue Grapes (Agri Produce) n Bengaluru Red Onion (Agri Produce)
Kodagu: Green Cardamom (Agri Produce) n Coorg Mandarin-Oranges (Agri Produce)
Ramanagara: Chennapattana wooden toys (handicraft)
Chikkaballapura:Devanahalli Pumello
Chitradurga: Sarees of Molakalmur (handicraft)
Ballari: Hadagali jasmine (agri produce) n Red banana of Kamalapura (agri produce) n Banjara
embroidery of Sandur (handicraft)
Dharawad: Peda (food) n Navalagund durries (blanket)
Bagalkot: Ilakal sarees (handicraft)
Haveric: Byadagi Red Chilli (Agri Produce)
Koppal: Toys of Kinnala (Handicraft)
Shivamogga: Appe Midi (Tender Mango) of Sagara (Agri Produce)
Udupi: Udupi jasmine (agri produce) n Udupi Mattagulla (brinjal) (agri produce)
Dakshina Kannada: Malabar Arabica Coffee (agri produce) n Malabar Robusta Coffee (agri
produce)
PPRRIICCEELLEESSSS HHEERRIITTAAGGEE AARRTTWWOORRKKSS TTOO BBEE RREESSTTOORREEDD
Hundreds of heritage paintings, some more than 300 years old, at Bengaluru’s Venkatappa
Art Gallery and the Government Museum will be restored to their former glory.
Officials have sought the advice of art consultants to consider the 17th and 18th century
museum collections for conservation.
Of the 750 paintings in the gallery and the museum, at least one-third, which were sourced
nearly 60 years ago for the collections, have considerably faded, aged and even damaged.
Around 250 paintings from the gallery and museum will be taken up for conservation to
restore their glory and extend longevity.
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Professionals from INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre (ICKPAC) made an
initial study and submitted a status report with details of conservation
The works selected include drawings, paintings, ivory and plaster of Paris works of artist K.
Venkatappa, who was court painter of the then Mysore royals, Mysore and Thanjavur art
works, Deccani and Rajput paintings, Rajasthani miniatures of Malwa, Bikaner, Jodhpur,
Bundi and Mewar, Rajasthani paintings on cloth, the deft brushes of Bundelkhand, the
distinctive Basohli paintings of Jammu and Kashmir, the pictorial art of Kangra in Himachal
Pradesh, original oil on canvas Malva painting, the Sikh paintings of Punjab, the South
Asian Mughal works and Persian miniatures.
In 2014–15, Rs. 17 lakh was approved for protection of the paintings
This will be the first time these old paintings will be refurbished
Artworks to be restored include
1. ‘Epic Ramayana’ done in Mysore style on a 7ft X 7ft canvas with 41 depictions of the
Ramayana
2. Rare Krishna-Rukmini series playing Pagade (game of dice) in the darbar
3. Portraits of Krishnaraja Wadiyar and his son-in-law Lingaraja Urs.
Presence of dust and dirt, high humidity (leading to water stains and fungal growth),
improper storage, presence of insects, abrasion of the paintings due to mishandling etc.,
are a few factors for deterioration
SSWWAAMMIINNAATTHHAANN TTOO HHEEAADD KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA VVIISSIIOONN GGRROOUUPP OONN AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREE
Renowned agriculture scientist Prof M S Swaminathan will chair a Vision Group for the
agriculture sector for Karnataka
The vision group has been formed to bring about changes in agriculture and allied industry.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced the creation of a 'Vision Group' for
development of agriculture in Karnataka in his Budget Speech on March 13.
CCEENNTTRREE HHAASS LLAAUUDDEEDD KKAARRNNAATTAAKKAA''SS SSOOLLAARR EENNEERRGGYY PPOOLLIICCYY
Centre has lauded Karnataka's solar energy policy and expressed a desire to include some
of its provisions into their policy
The minister said that the government has decided to produce as much as 9,500 mw solar
power by giving farmers a chance to produce the alternate energy after installing solar
plants.
The state government had last year cleared the solar energy policy, which encourages
farmers to set up small solar power plants in their farms to produce energy and sell it to
electricity supply companies
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MMAAHHAADDAAYYII WWAATTEERR DDIISSPPUUTTEE
The river
The Mahadayi originates in the Western Ghats and flows 35
km in Karnataka and 52 km in Goa. The downstream state
constitutes a large part of the river’s catchment (78 per
cent), which also includes runoff from Maharashtra,
although the main stem of the river does not flow through
that state. Maharashtra, as a result, is also party to the
water-sharing dispute
The dispute
Karnataka side
Mahadayi or Mandovi river is said to be the life line of Goa, about two-third of it flows in
Goa. Two of its tributaries are Kalasa & Banduari nalas. Karnataka wants to construct dams
across the Kalasa and banduri and divert water to Malprabha river which flows in the
Belgaum District. This diversion of water will cater to the drinking water needs of villages
and towns of Belgaum, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gadag districts.
Goa
This diversion has been opposed by Goa. Goa claims the transfer of water violates the
National Water Policy, which does not allow transfer of water from a deficient basin. In
their correspondence with the Union water resources ministry, Goa said its annual
demand for water in 2050 would be 2,674 mcm, which is much more than the river’s
usable yield.
Goa depends upon the flow of River Mahadoyi for keeping its Zuari River navigable till the
Mormugao harbor in Panaji.
Background
The farmers in Navalgund and Naragund taluk, which lie in the Malaprabha command
area, launched an agitation in 1980 against the government for forcibly collecting
betterment levy without providing water. Shortage of water in Malaprabha was the reason
for non-supply of water for irrigation.
The then chief minister R Gundu Rao appointed a committee headed by S R Bommai, to
study the problem and suggest remedies. The Bommai Committee recommended linking
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of Mahadayi to Malaprabha. However, nothing moved in this connection till Bommai
became the chief minister in 1989.
Bommai entered into a pact with the then Goa CM Pratap Singh Rane and Karnataka
signed an MoU with Goa providing for construction of a dam near Kalasa in Karnataka.
According to the MoU, Karnataka would get 45 tmc of water from Kalasa stream and set
up a power generation unit. Goa also used power as per the pact. But because of the
sudden fall of Bommai government and the dissolution of the assembly, the MoU
remained stalled.
Subsequent governments in Goa have objected to the implementation of the project citing
damage to ecology.
The matter was referred to National Environment Engineering Institute (NEEI) which gave a
green signal to the project.
Karnataka again started pursuing the project while the Goa government kept on opposing
it.
S M Krishna government took up the issue and renamed the project as Kalasa-Banduri nala
project envisaging diversion of nine tmc of water from Mahadayi to Malaprabha to solve
the drinking water problem in Hubli-Dharwad. The Central Water Commission cleared the
project in April 2000 and the central government accorded an in-principle clearance to the
project.
Karnataka began the work on diversion in 2002. It planned two dams, one each on the
Kalasa and the Banduri tributaries of the Mahadayi, to store water to be diverted via
canals to the Malaprabha. Work came to a halt the same year.
Goa had approached Supreme Court seeking order, staying the implementation of the
project. The Supreme Court, while refusing to accede to Goa's request, has allowed
Karnataka to go ahead with the project and asked it to obtain Centre's clearance before
utilizing the water.
Setting of river water tribunal- timeline
In July, 2002, the State of Goa made a request under Section 3 of the Inter-State River
Water Disputes Act, 1956 (as amended) for constitution of the Tribunal under the said Act
and refer the matter for adjudication and decision of dispute relating to Mandovi River.
The issues mentioned in the request included the assessment of available utilisable water
resources in the basin at various points and allocation of this water to the 3 basin States
keeping in view priority of the use of water within basin to decide the machinery to
implement the decision of the tribunal etc.
Meanwhile the Govt. of Goa filed a suit in the Hon’ble Supreme court in Sept, 06 for
setting up of a water dispute tribunal
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Central government has constituted Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) in 2010.
headed by a Retired Supreme Court judge J.M. Panchal.
In this dispute along with Goa and Karnataka, Maharashtra is also a party.
The tribunal
The tribunal setupto resolve the Mahadayi river water dispute among Karnataka, Goa and
Maharashtra, headed by retired Justice JM Panchal, visited the project area in Belgaum
The team visited the proposed sites of Haltara dam, Kalsa dam, Kotani dam, and Surala and
Kalsa river connecting areas. They were accompanied by legal and technical experts from
Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The project aims at utilising only about 7.50 tmcft of water of the Mahadayi basin through
a diversion project at the confluence of Kalasa and Banduri nalas near Kanakumbi in
Khanapur taluk, Belgaum district.
The tribunal is expected to give its final verdict by the end of 2015.
In News:
With their hopes of an early solution to the Mahadayi river water dispute getting dashed
following the reported lukewarm response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the all-party
delegation from Karnataka, farmers from Navalgund and Nargund taluks are up in arms against
the State and Union governments.
While the farmers have decided to intensify their agitation by continuing road blockade
indefinitely and launching a relay hunger strike, a call for ‘Dharwad bandh’ has been given by a
non-political forum of various organisations
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SSPPIICCEESS BBOOAARRDD LLAAUUNNCCHHEESS SSUUBBSSIIDDYY SSCCHHEEMMEE TTOO BBOOOOSSTT PPRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN
Under this scheme:
Financial assistance: To farmers cultivating and planting various spices will be provided.
The assistance will be provided for irrigation, mechanisation, land development, soil
conservation, replanting and organic farming of various spices.
Under this scheme financial aid will be also given to purchase farming equipment and
irrigation tools.
Cultivators of small cardamom in Kerala and Tamil Nadu would be provided with a sum of
70,000 a hectare for replanting, while farmers in Karnataka would get up to Rs.50,000 a
hectare. The cultivators would also be given aid for planting material production, Irrigation
and land development.
Small Scale cardamom farmers from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka financial assistance
up to 25 per cent of actual cost for acquiring irrigation sprinkler sets, pump sets,
equipment for gravity-fed irrigation system will be provided.
Farmers will be also given a subsidy of 1 lakh rupees for purchasing improved cardamom
curing devices and 50 per cent subsidy for bee-keeping boxes and Good Agricultural
Practices (GAP) kits.
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Under the Board’s farm mechanisation programme, small cardamom growers in these 3
states will be provided with 50 per cent subsidy for purchasing equipment for cardamom
plant protection and grading, washing and polishing.
CCEENNTTRREE IINNKKSS PPEEAACCEE AACCCCOORRDD WWIITTHH NNAAGGAA IINNSSUURRGGEENNTT OOUUTTFFIITT
The government signed a peace accord with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland
(Isak-Muivah), one of the largest insurgent outfits, which has been demanding a unified
Naga identity and a separate ‘Nagalim’ State for over six decades.
The details of the accord were not released by the government, and there is no clarity on
the “sovereignty clause,” being demanded by the insurgent group.
Besides the IM faction, there are two more groups — Khole-Kitovi (KK) and Reformation
(R) — which were not part of the accord.
They have signed a ceasefire agreement with the government till April 27, 2016.
In March this year, the Khaplang faction, led by S.S. Khaplang, broke the ceasefire with
India and is suspected to be behind a series of violent attacks in Mizoram and Arunachal
Pradesh, where 18 personnel were killed in an attack on an Army convoy.
The NSCN (I-M) has been fighting for an independent Nagaland, but later on demanded a
‘Greater Nagaland’ by slicing off parts of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to unite
1.2 million Nagas. The demand was opposed by the three States.
In 2012, the UPA government formulated an agreement to be signed with the Naga
groups, but it was shot down by Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh of the
Congress.
The agreement was the culmination of over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 16 years,
with the first breakthrough coming in 1997 when a ceasefire agreement was sealed.
About: The ethnic Naga movement
The ethnic Naga movement began its journey in 1918 with the formation of the Naga Club
by 20 Naga members of the French Labour Corps, who had served in World War-I in
Europe. The wartime knowledge motivated the few who came in contact with the
European battlefield to politically organise themselves as a distinct ethnic entity
It also aroused in them a feeling of Naga nationalism, which shaped the idea of a ‘Naga
nation’.
The Club submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission in 1929, in which it stated
that the people of Naga areas and those of mainland India had nothing in common
between them and hence the Nagas should be left alone
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In 1946, Naga National Council (NNC), a successor to the Naga Club, was formed under the
leadership of A.Z. Phizo. Phizo, with the collaboration of eight other Nagas, declared Naga
independence on August 14, 1947.
It is important to note that several efforts were made to resolve the Naga issue. On June
27-28, 1947, the Akbar Hydari Agreement was signed between the then Governor of
Assam, Sir Akbar Hydari and the NNC, in which the Nagas’ right to freely develop
themselves was respected.
However, Clause 9 of the Hydari Agreement created divisions as it stated, “The Governor
of Assam as the Agent of the Government of the Indian Union will have a special
responsibility for a period of 10 years to ensure the observance of the agreement, at the
end of this period the Naga Council will be asked whether they require the above
agreement to be extended for a further period or a new agreement regarding the future of
Naga people arrived at”. This was interpreted by the NNC as terminating in sovereignty.
The NNC took to arms in 1955
Indian security forces responded with counter-insurgency operations, which resulted in
the imposition of the Assam Disturbed Areas Act on the Naga Hills on August 27, 1955. This
later became the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, further amended in 1972.
Those were turbulent times in Naga history, with the landscape plagued by violence,
counter-insurgency and civilian deaths. The hills came alive with a complex mix of political
ideology, a desire for self-determination, ethnic alignments and tribal divisions.
The insurgency and the deployment of armed forces resulted in civilian deaths.
In 1963, as a mechanism for conflict resolution, the Nagaland State was established. Yet,
the insurgency continued, as most Naga inhabited areas were left outside the purview of
the new State.
In 1964, a Nagaland Peace Mission was created and a ceasefire agreement was signed that
lasted till 1968. After years of violence, another effort at peace was attempted with the
signing of the Shillong Accord in 1975, where the NNC members agreed to give up violence
and accept the Indian Constitution.
However, Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chishi Swu, then members of the NNC, interpreted
the Shillong Accord as a complete sellout and revolted, going on to form the National
Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1980.
NSCN that split in 1988 to form the two divisions: NSCN (I-M) and the NSCN (K).
The ceasefire by NSCN (I-M) attained greater significance after NSCN (K) abrogated its
ceasefire on March 27, 2015. Also, unlike NSCN (K), whose leader Khaplang has failed to
maintain unity within the group, the NSCN (I-M)’s leaders and cadres have stayed with it
since 1988.
Where the NSCN (I-M) has succeeded while groups like NSCN (K) have failed is in
establishing a presence across all Naga-inhabited areas. It has achieved this by holding
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regular People’s Consultative Meetings (PCMs) with groups such as the Naga Hoho; Naga
Students’ Federation; Forum for Naga Reconciliation; and the larger Naga civil society
across States.
The PCMs have reinforced the much-needed local social networks that are the mainstay of
any insurgent group. This largely representative structure has also kept violence in check
and created an accountability mechanism where aspirations for Naga dignity and pride
have taken centre stage.
DDRRAAFFTT IINNDDIIAANN FFIINNAANNCCIIAALL CCOODDEE
The Centre, says the draft, will appoint four out of seven members of this proposed
Committee that will take decisions by majority vote. The draft also proposes to strip the
RBI Governor’s veto over monetary policy decisions.
It also proposes to take away from the RBI the role of regulation of the foreign exchange
and the government securities markets, which in turn will reduce its leeway in managing
the impact of capital flows.
The draft IFC also proposes to strip the RBI of its registry and depository functions for
government bonds markets and also to dilute its powers to regulate the banking sector.
Criticism
Credibility would be lower
Politics would drive decisions
Transparency would be reduced
Would make it difficult to anchor inflation expectations
Would weigh on india’s economic prospects, particularly financial market stability
RRBBII RREELLEEAASSEESS RRSS 1100 CCOOIINN OONN IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL DDAAYY OOFF YYOOGGAA
The inscription Anthar rashtriya yoga divas in Devnagri script is on the left periphery and
“international day of yoga” in English on the right periphery is written on this side of the
coin. The obverse of the coin bears the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the centre with the
legend Sathyamev Jayate inscribed below
This is flanked on the left periphery with the word Bharat in Devnagri script and on the
right periphery flanked with the word “INDIA” in English.
The coins have been minted by the Central government and are legal tender as provided in
The Coinage Act 2011. They will be put into circulation shortly
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RRSS.. 2255,,000000 CCRROORREE FFOORR BBAANNKKSS TTHHIISS YYEEAARR IITTSSEELLFF
Of the Rs. 70,000 crore planned to be infused out of budgetary allocations into state-
owned banks over the next four years, as much as Rs. 25,000 crore will be provided to
public sector banks this year itself, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told Parliament
Public sector banks will need to raise Rs. 1,10,000 crore more from the market by 2018-
2019, in addition to the equity infusion from the Centre, for them to remain adequately
capitalised to support economic growth
Projects becoming strained on account of delays in approvals and land acquisition as well
as due to the global and domestic economic slowdown have in turn lowered the
profitability of Public Sector Banks and also added to their non-performing assets (NPA)
As of now, these banks are adequately capitalised and meeting all the Basel III and Reserve
Bank norms. The Centre, however, wants to adequately capitalise them and keep a safe
buffer over and above the minimum norms.
It is expected that the banks will be able to raise the additional funds from the market as
their valuations will improve significantly on the back of governance reforms; NPA
management and risk controls; improvements in operations; and, of course, the capital
allocation from the government.
About 40 per cent of the total Rs. 25,000 crore to be allotted this year will go to those
banks which require support.
Another 40 per cent will be allocated to the top six big banks — State Bank of India, Bank
of Baroda, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, and IDBI Bank — in order to
strengthen them to play a vital role in the economy.
The remaining portion of 20 per cent will be allocated to the banks based on their
performance during April to December in the current year judged on the basis of certain
performance.
CCIITTIIZZEENNSSHHIIPP SSOOOONN FFOORR TTHHOOSSEE WWHHOO FFLLEEDD RREELLIIGGIIOOUUSS PPEERRSSEECCUUTTIIOONN
In a move that will have far-reaching implications in Assam and some parts of north-west
India, the Union Home Ministry will amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, to grant citizenship
to undocumented migrants who fled religious persecution in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The migrants include not just Hindus but also Buddhists, Christians, Zoroastrians, Sikhs and
Jains.Top Home Ministry sources have confirmed that a Bill is in the works to amend the
Act and make changes to some provisions in the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Passport (Entry
into India) Act, 1920, and the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950.
The Law Ministry has vetted the amendments.
Basically, two changes need to be made to the Passport Act, 1920, and Passport Rules,
1950, to exempt people who fled religious persecution from Pakistan or Bangladesh from
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being termed illegal migrants and offer them long-term visas while their case for
citizenship is being considered
But the External Affairs Ministry has cautioned the Home Ministry that the move could
hurt India’s relations with its neighbours. Nevertheless, the political call has been taken.
The cut-off date proposed for victims of religious persecution from Pakistan and
Bangladesh who can apply for citizenship is December 31, 2014. Citizenship by registration
(a minimum stay of seven years) and naturalisation (a minimum of 12 years) will be the
two routes.
The Citizenship Act, 1955, would have to be amended to reflect the exemption from the
status of illegal migrant.
Section 2, sub-section 1’s clause (b) will have a proviso which will reflect this exemption
The amendment to the Passports Act, 1920, and Passport Rules, 1950, will have to be
notified and tabled in Parliament for two months to allow for objections, if any, before
being deemed clear. The amendments to the Citizenship Act, 1950, will be cleared as a Bill
after being debated in Parliament.
NNEEWW GGUUIIDDEELLIINNEESS FFOORR VVIISSIITTIINNGG JJAAIILLSS
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has come out with a set of stringent guidelines
regulating jail visits by individuals, NGO workers and the media.
The four-page guideline issued is explicit that the restrictions were being brought in
because cases have come up where private individuals and documentary filmmakers have
accessed the prisoners unauthorised or have misused the permission for their own benefit.
The guidelines
It says they should not be “ordinarily allowed” inside jails, but puts restrictions in place if
they need to be
Further no private individual, press, NGO or company should ordinarily be allowed entry
into a prison for research, for making documentaries, or for writing articles and interviews.
But the State or Union Territory governments may consider it if they feel that a particular
documentary, article or research is for the purpose of creating a positive social impact or if
the proposed work is relating to prison reforms,
The jail superintendents should immediately intervene on-the-spot, if a certain video clip
or an interview being conducted in the jail does not seem to be ‘desirable’.
Visitors must apply to the Jail Superintendent or the Home Department at least 30 days
before the date of visit. For foreigners, it will be 60 days.
In the case of an article to be written by the print media the application should be
submitted seven days in advance
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The jail superintendents should send the applications to the Home or Prison Department
to seek the permission.
The visitors need to furnish a security deposit of Rs.1 lakh by demand draft or cheque in
the name of the jail superintendent.
The rider is, the governments may dispense with or modify this requirement in the case of
research studies by students.
GGOOVVTT.. TTOO PPAARRTTIIAALLLLYY LLIIFFTT TTHHEE CCUURRBBSS OONN PPOORRNNOOGGRRAAPPHHYY SSIITTEESS
There was a PIL to block porn websites in the supreme court.
The issue is definitely serious and some steps need to be taken,” Chief Justice H.L. Dattu
had remarked while hearing a public interest litigation petition by advocate Kamlesh
Vashwani to block porn websites
He had directed the government to reply in four weeks. The next hearing in the Supreme
Court on this matter is scheduled for August 10he government on Friday asked Internet
service providers to restrict “open and free” access to 857 porn websites to protect Indian
cultural fabric.
Following massive uproar over its move government on Tuesday said the ban would be
lifted. However, sites that promoted child porn would continue to be prohibited.
The Supreme Court petition pertained to child pornography, so sites promoting it will
continue to be under the ban.
A communication will soon be sent out to Internet services providers
The action taken by the government was basically to comply with the observation of the
Supreme Court when it asked the department to take action on the list of alleged porn
sites provided by the petitioner
There are enough legal provisions to bring pornographic content under the ambit of criminal
law.
Section 292 of the indian penal code makes distribution of obscene material a crime
Section 67 of the information technology act makes it an offence to publish or transmit
obscene material in electronic form
The protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act makes using children in pornographic
acts and storing such material for commercial purposes punishable
There is a law that prohibits indecent representation of women.
Therefore, making pornographic films involving children or in a manner that represents
women indecently is illegal. Uploading such content on the Internet is an offence too.
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Yet, it may be argued that it is no crime if adults consent to be videographed during sexual acts
and the footage is uploaded from outside the country. In any case, watching such content in the
privacy of one’s home can be no crime. Enforcing such a body of law is not easy. Even the
question of what constitutes pornography may be open to misinterpretation
RRAARREE CCHHEERRAA,, CCHHOOLLAA CCOOIINNSS FFOOUUNNDD IINN TTHHAANNJJAAVVUURR
Ten coins including a Sangam age Chera coin datable to circa second century BCE, eight
Chola period coins and a Vijayanagara period coin have been found in a trench excavated
by Tamil University, Thanjavur, at Senthalaipattanam, Thanjavur district.
Of the eight Chola coins, one belongs to the emperor Raja Raja Chola (regnal years 985 CE
to 1014 CE) and another to his son, Rajendra Chola (regnal years 1012 CE to 1044 CE). The
other coins are being cleaned. The miniscule Vijayanagara silver coin was issued by
emperor Krishnadevaraya.
Three trenches — two at Senthalaipattanam and one at the nearby Mandripattanam —
have yielded gold core, glass beads, micro beads, potsherds and a terracotta pipe for
transporting water. Both Senthalaipattanam and Mandripattanam are coastal villages. The
trenches are five metres by five metres and half a metre deep.
The excavation is being done by the Department of Maritime History and Marine
Archaeology of Tamil University.
What led them to choose this site for excavation was that when the shore was dug up on
this stretch about 15 years ago to set up prawn farms, several Sangam age, Roman and
late Chola period coins were found.
Coin of Raja Raja Chola
The Senthalaipattanam trench yielded the Chera lead coin of second century BCE. It has
the image of a bow on the reverse side and the obverse probably has a carving of an
elephant.
This kind of Chera coin is generally found [on the surface] in the Karur region in Tamil
Nadu. This is the first time that we have found it in a trench in an excavation on the
eastern coast
Of the eight copper coins of the Chola period, one was issued by Raja Raja Chola. It has the
image, on the obverse, of a man standing and holding a flower.
The reverse shows a seated man and a legend in Nagari, reading “Rajaraja.” This type of
coin is called “Eelam Kasu” (coin). The coin issued by Rajendra Chola has the Nagari script
“Uttama” [Chola], his grandfather’s name, on the observe. The reverse side is not clear.
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The Vijayanagara coin has a seated goddess on the obverse, and a leaf with horizontal lines
and dots on the reverse. While the Chera coin was found at the lowermost level, the Chola
coins were found above and the Vijayanagara coin at the topmost level.
The excavation yielded a heap of beads made out of glass, terracotta and semi-precious
stones, terracotta pipes and big pots. There are several lakes with fresh water in the area.
The findings confirm that Mandripattanam must have been a port-town during the pre-
Christian era and a naval base to load the ships with food and water during the Chola
period
NNHHRRCC SSEEEEKKSS RREEPPOORRTT OONN EEXXCCLLUUSSIIOONN OOFF EENNCCLLAAVVEE DDWWEELLLLEERRSS IINN CCEENNSSUUSS
Inquiring into allegations that many residents have not been included in the census carried
out for exchange of enclaves, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC issued
notices to the Union Home Ministry, the External Affairs Ministry and the Chief Secretaries
of West Bengal and Assam asking them to give a detailed report in four weeks.
Notices have also been issued to district magistrates of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri in West
Bengal.
Referring to the letters exchanged between the Foreign Secretaries of India and
Bangladesh
The NHRC notice emphasised the point that both governments shall facilitate orderly, safe
and secure passage to residents of enclaves along with their personal belongings and
movable property to the mainland of India or Bangladesh.
Therefore, it is observed that if the allegations of the complainant are true, these incidents
amount to violation of not only human rights but also the agreement between the two
nations.
The complaint was made by the Kuchlibari Sangram Committee.
The NHRC notice stated that complainants have approached the office of the Prime
Minister, the Government of India and the Chief Minister of West Bengal but no action had
been taken.
While there are reports of people being left out in the 2011 census and the joint
estimation exercise, the organisation has sought a new process to count them.
NNAATTIIOONNAALL HHIIGGHHWWAAYYSS CCOONNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONN CCOOSSTT IINNDDEEXX
In a move that should make it easier to gauge costs and price movements in the road
construction sector, the National Highways Authority of India has released for public
comment an index of prices pertaining only to the sector.
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The index takes into account 60 items clubbed into three categories—material, labour and
equipment—and arrives at a composite index figure. The reference date for the index has
been taken as April 2013.
The aim of the index, which NHAI clarified, is still tentative pending consultation,
improvements and more data, is to eventually replace the Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
when it comes to measuring the escalation of prices to do with road construction.
The WPI is a national index which covers a number of representative items. Although it is
robust at an aggregate level and at the group levels, it is not reliable at item level due to
small number of price quotations. It doesn’t include all the items as required by the
highways projects of India
Many of the critical components of a highways project are not included in the WPI as they
may not be important in the overall economy
A comparison of WPI (manufacturing) and the NHCCI shows that the latter, despite being
tentative, still follows the WPI’s overall movement, if not matching the magnitude of
change. For example, while the WPI manufacturing was at 3.7 per cent in April 2014 and
the NHCCI was at 5.8 per cent, they both plummeted by June 2015.
The WPI, measuring far more items, fell more drastically to -0.77 per cent in June, but the
NHCCI also reflected a sharp fall in inflation by that time to come in at 1.2 per cent.
BBSSNNLL TTOO HHIIVVEE OOFFFF TTOOWWEERR AASSSSEETTSS
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday is learnt to have approved hiving off mobile towers
assets of BSNL into a separate subsidiary as well as compensating it and MTNL for the
surrendered CDMA spectrum
The move is likely to help turn fortunes of both the loss making telecom PSUs.
BSNL has the second largest mobile tower infrastructure with about 65,000 towers. The
forming of new subsidiary, which is expected to be valued at Rs 20,000 crore, will make
sharing of towers with other operators easier.
Demerger of the tower business will help unlock the value. The demerged entity can
improve tower tenancies by making available the towers to all private sectors. This will
also lead to better usage of national assets
Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also approved to extend financial
support of Rs 169.16 crore to BSNL and Rs 458.04 crore to MTNL on surrender of 800 MHz
CDMA spectrum.
BSNL had surrendered spectrum for 4 circles and MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai. The
surrendered spectrum was also put on sale in the auctions held in March this year.
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MMAANNDDAATTOORRYY EEXXPPOORRTT RRUULLEESS LLIIKKEELLYY
India is likely to bring in rules to make it compulsory for sugar mills to export millions of
tonnes of surplus supplies to support local prices
In a move that could quell growing anger among farmers but add to a glut on global
markets.
The proposal, which could mean mills selling at loss, comes at time when the world sugar
market is grappling with a flood of supplies and prices at 6-1/2-year lows.
The mandatory export rule, which could be introduced from the start of the next crop year
on October 1, would apply only when output was higher than local demand, said the
officials, who are directly involved in formulating the policy.
If approved, India could overtake Australia as the world’s third-largest exporter behind
Brazil and Thailand.
Apart from boosting farm exports, the government-backed overseas sales of sugar could
also help mills clear about $2.5 billion they owe to 50 million cane growers
India, the world’s largest sugar consumer and biggest producer after Brazil, has been
producing more sugar than it needs for the past five years and the trend is likely to
continue.
there was also discussion on an additional tax, which the government calls a cess, on sugar
to prop up domestic prices that are the lowest in six years
Mandatory exports may force mills to sell sugar at a loss now, but they would (eventually)
gain because lower domestic stocks mean higher domestic prices, which will get a leg up
because of the cess
The federal government fixes the price that mills pay to cane growers yearly and some
states, invariably, raise it further.
In the past six years, government-set prices have soared by 70 per cent but sugar prices
have slumped to Rs.2,200 ($34) a tonne, against an average cost of production of Rs.3,100.
IINNLLAANNDD WWAATTEERR TTRRAANNSSPPOORRTT ((IIWWTT))
Inland water transport (IWT) may be a significant resource for the country but proper
planning has failed to harness the potential of water transport
Inland Water Transport (IWT) that offers cheaper mode of transport, is safe, energy
efficient, environment friendly, and causes least carbon dioxide emission.
The steps to divert a part of cargo to IWT and thus decongest roads, reduce accidents, and
substantially reduce the line, transportation and fuel cost has not succeeded.
the declaration of Kottapuram–Kollam section of the West Coast Canal, including
Champakara and Udyogamandal canals (205 km), as National Waterway (NW) 3 in 1993.
Even after two decades of this, the waterway development remains incomplete.
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Targets in terms of fairway capacity, cargo, vessels and IWT operations have only declined
the major bottlenecks encountered in implementation of development schemes in NW-3
have been delays in land acquisition, difficulties in disposal of dredged material,
insufficient Plan fund allocations, delays in project execution, and poor fund utilisation.
Conflicts of interests between traditional fisher folks and navigational operation, tussles
between transport-IWT operators, insufficient navigation lock/bridge clearances, and gap
between supply and demand with respect to vessels and cargo are the other hurdles.
WWEESSTTEERRNN GGHHAATTSS DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT VVEERRSSUUSS CCOONNSSEERRVVAATTIIOONN
Six States — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat — which the
forest region encompasses, were supposed to submit recommendations to the Centre on
demarcating Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) here by July 31, but only Kerala and Goa did
so.
A key finding of the citizen’s report is that local residents interviewed for the report knew
nothing about what an ESA demarcation would entail. Many feared that if a particular
village is designated as ESA, the villagers will be relocated or they will be deprived of
access to basic facilities, such as water supply or electricity, though both the Madhav
Gadgil Committee report and the Kasturirangan Committee report, suggest nothing of that
sort.
Koraga tribe member Susheela Koraganad of Udipi is quoted in the citizen’s report as
saying that the government refused to provide copies of both the Committee reports in
Kannada, which might have helped them understand its recommendations better
KKOOLLLLEERRUU LLAAKKEE
The Kolleru Lake a repository of avifauna was almost lost once earlier when the Grey
Pelican which was the seen as the ecological mascot of the lake went in search of “greener
pastures”.
Now this habitat of thousand of birds seems to be under threat for the second time with
the State government proposing diversion of water from feeder rivulets and drains for
irrigation.
The Central government is even examining a proposal to reduce the size of the Wildlife
sanctuary
Even before the lake was declared a wildlife sanctuary and a Ramsar Site, Kolleru, one of
the largest fresh water lakes in the country was know to tourists, wildlife enthusiasts,
amateur birdwatchers and professional ornithologists as a Pelicanery—a location were the
Grey Pelicans, a large magnificent bird, nest and breed.
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But these birds vanished from the lake in 1973 for nearly 35 years and returned to it to
nest again in December 2006.
The Grey Pelican also called the Spot Billed Pelican is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife
Protection cans and in the Red Data Book. It is also considered a “globally threatened
species” under the “vulnerable” category.
The reason for the disappearance of the Pelicans was large-scale felling of Palmyra trees
used by the birds to build nests.
Later the aquaculture boom came and all fish eating birds were driven away by the
pisciculturists. The Grey Pelican returned to the lake only after Operation Kolleru, in which
the fish tanks were destroyed implementing a Supreme Court order.
Ornithologists have been documenting the birds of Kollery Lake from the time of
Independence
It is also listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA Site Code—IN-AP-04). Important avifauna of
the lake include a variety of water fowls, ducks, teals, storks, egrets, herons, ibises,
bitterns, cormorants and a number of waders.
As many as 224 species of birds have been from in and around the lake A large number of
Lesser Whistling teals were recorded in 1997.
BBOOOOSSTTIINNGG DDIIGGIITTAALL FFOOOOTTPPRRIINNTT IINN RRUURRAALL AARREEAASS
A research group at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) has set up India’s first
pilot test-bed which uses unused TV spectrum to provide broadband Internet connectivity.
It could be used by the NDA government’s flagship Digital India programme to enhance
broadband Internet connectivity to rural areas at a cheaper cost.
The project taps unused frequencies allocated to broadcasting and exploits this “white
space” spectrum to provide broadband Internet connectivity in rural areas.
The Department of Telecom (dot) has also granted an experimental licence to IITB to
conduct tests in TV’s UHF band.
The pilot test-bed has been deployed by the IIT team in seven villages — Khamloli,
Bahadoli, Dhuktan, Ganje, Pargaon, Haloli and Maswan — spread over 30 sqkm in coastal
Palghar district about 80 km from Mumbai.
Under this project, the wifi hotspots for testing Internet connectivity have been deployed
at a few locations across the villages and these are connected to the Khamloli tower of
Tata Teleservices using TV band radios.
To access the Internet, the villagers have been provided with low cost wifi tablets by IITB
and have received the help of an NGO (PUKAR) in educating the villagers about the use of
Internet.
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This technology is capable of providing coverage within the radius of one to 10 km from
the access network such as WiFi zones, access points and clusters to an optic fibre point of
presence
MMUUMMBBAAII GGEETTSS AA FFLLAAMMIINNGGOO SSAANNCCTTUUAARRYY
Mumbai is setting another record after being home to a national park for decades.
If the Sanjay Gandhi National Park is right in the heart of the city, the Thane Creek
Flamingo Sanctuary, which came into being on its periphery.
The Maharashtra Revenue and Forest Department notified the northern part of the creek
as a wildlife sanctuary under Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972.
The sanctuary will be the State’s second marine sanctuary after the one at Malvan. The
1,690-hectare bird haven — 896 hectares of mangrove forests and 794 hectares of a
waterbody — is on the western bank of the creek, between the Airoli and the Vashi
bridges connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
The creek has been attracting flamingos in large numbers since 1994. By November every
year, over 30,000 of these birds, along with their chicks, descend here and occupy the
mudflats and the bordering mangroves. They stay here till May, after which most of them
migrate to Bhuj in Gujarat for breeding, leaving a small resident population.
Besides supporting a large congregation of flamingos, the area is a refuge for many
resident and migratory birds. In all, 200 species have been reported, even globally
threatened species such as the greater spotted eagle and others. such as osprey.
Pied avocet, western reef heron, black-headed ibis, common redshank, marsh sandpiper,
common greenshank, curlew sandpiper, brown-headed gull, whiskered, gull-billed, Caspian
and little terns, white-bellied sea eagle and Eurasian marsh harrier have been spotted.
BirdLife International has declared the creek an important bird area.
GGOOVVTT TTOO AALLLLOOWW AAAADDHHAAAARR EENNRROOLLMMEENNTTSS OOFF NNRRIISS,, PPIIOOSS,, OOIICCSS
The government has decided that a longer term goal should be to expand Aadhaar
enrolment activities in order to ensure that all persons on the Indian soil (Resident Indian,
NRIs, OCI/PIO and visa holding visitors) shall be empowered with a unique
identity/identifier that can authenticated on a digital platform any time anywhere
At present, all residents including Indian national and foreigners with valid visas can be
enrolled and provided Aadhaar number by the UIDAI.
Under the Aadhaar project, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is providing
a unique identity numbers to residents, which can be digitally verified using the database.
UIDAI is working on the policy for Aadhaar enrolment of NRIs, PIOs and OICs after receiving
a direction from the government on the issue.
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The Aadhaar number helps in availing various services and benefits provided by the
government.
It is a valid know your customers (KYC) document for various services including banking,
telecom, cooking gas subsidy, vehicle registration driving licence, government scholarships,
pension and public distribution system.
11SSTT NNAATTIIOONNAALL HHAANNDDLLOOOOMM DDAAYY
Inaugurating the 1st National Handloom Day in Chennai, Mr. Modi said he had asked
people to use at least one khadi garment to help artisans during his ‘Mann ki baat’
programme last October and the sale of khadi products had since then gone up by 60 per
cent compared to the same period last year.
Handlooms constituted 15 per cent of the total cloth consumption in the country. “If you
raise this to 20 per cent, it will be a huge boost to the sector as the turnover will increase
by 33 per cent
The Prime Minister said there was a need to make handlooms fashionable by constantly
evolving and innovating, and at the same time ensuring quality.
The fashion and design education in the country needs to reorient itself with the
traditional handloom as the centrepiece
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on new designs, branding and e-commerce to
launch the rich, colourful heritage on a global scale.
Modi launched the India Handloom Mark to win the trust and confidence of customers and
presented Sant Kabir awards and National awards for weavers for the past three years.
SSPPAACCEE PPRROOGGRRAAMMMMEESS WWIILLLL UUSSEE IINNDDIIGGEENNOOUUSSLLYY MMAADDEE TTIITTAANNIIUUMM SSPPOONNGGEE
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently said that the indigenous Titanium
Sponge Plant at Chavara in Kerala has been fully commissioned and has started
commercial production required for space applications.
ISRO took the initiative to set up a Titanium Sponge Plant (TSP) in the country to meet the
requirements in strategic areas.
The plant is set up to enhance the production capacity to 1,000 tonnes per annum in
future, it said, adding that this is the only integrated plant in the world that undertakes all
activities right from mining of Ti minerals to manufacturing of aerospace grade Ti sponge
under one roof.
With this, India has become the seventh country in the world producing Titanium sponge
commercially.
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This will also mean a big saving on foreign exchange considering that the Indian Space
Research Organisation alone has been importing a significant 200-300 tonnes of titanium
sponge each year from Russia, Japan or China.
The annual requirement of titanium sponge for space programme is approximately 200-
300 metric tonnes.
Titanium (Ti) alloy products find extensive applications in aerospace and defence areas.
Properties like high strength to weight ratio and excellent corrosion resistance make
Titanium alloys useful for liquid propellant tanks for launch vehicles and satellites, gas
bottle/liners, inter tank structures and interface rings for satellites.
Nationally important sectors of aerospace and Defence extensively use alloys of titanium,
(scientifically shortened to Ti) because of the high strength and non-corrosive quality of
these materials.
Currently, the raw material for aerospace grade Titanium alloys with high purity Titanium
sponge is being imported from countries like Russia, Japan and China despite the fact that
India is endowed with the third largest reserve of Titanium bearing minerals.
IINNDDIIVVIIDDUUAALLSS TTOO CCOOMMEE UUNNDDEERR TTEERRRROORR BBAANN LLIISSTT
The Union government is all set to amend the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)
to bring in a clause that would pave the way to “designate individuals” along with terror
organisations under the “banned list of entities.”
The law change would cover the case of an individual not being associated with any
terrorist organisation but committing an offence outside India.
Presently, there is no provision for an individual, suspected of having terror links making it
to the list of terrorist entities banned, maintained centrally by the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA).
SSCCHHOOOOLL NNUURRSSEERRYY YYOOJJAANNAA
The Union Government has launched the School Nursery Yojana, an initiative to bring
students closer to nature, by involving them in raising of saplings in nurseries created in
schools.
The underlying theme of the Yojana is to plant a tree for sustainable future and to make
the nation clean and green.
The main objective of the School Nursery Yojana is to create an everlasting bond between
the young students and plants and trees.
Some of the other objectives of the Yojana include – providing an opportunity to the
students to learn about nature and work with soil, develop among the students an organic
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linkage and positive emotions for the environment, keep the schools and the
neighbourhood green.
Under the Yojana, students will sow the seeds, grow saplings in the school nursery, as part
of practical exercise for Biology classes and extra-curricular activities for students of other
streams.
The students will also carry out a tree census in their school and the locality.
The Yojana is being launched in 1, 000 schools this year. It will be expanded to cover
around 5, 000 schools next year and to about 10, 000 schools in the third year.
Through the School Nursery Yojana, the Environment Ministry will support schools to
provide all the essential facilities for raising of saplings for use of students and schools.
A school Nursery will have a small space of a minimum of 100 sq meter for preparing beds
for raising saplings and for nursery-related activities, including preparing, planting a
mixture of good earth, soil and manure, filling earthen pots and storage of seeds.
Each School Nursery is expected to create a 1,000 saplings every year.
The schools will be encouraged to take up composting, rain water harvesting and water
recycling to inculcate best practices in young minds.
NNAAII MMAANNZZIILL
The Union government recently launched a new Central Sector Scheme – Nai Manzil in
Patna.
The scheme will address educational and livelihood needs of minority communities in
general and muslims in particular as it lags behind other minority communities in terms of
educational attainments.
The scheme aims at providing educational intervention by giving the bridge courses to the
trainees and getting them Certificates for Class XII and X from distance medium
educational system and at the same time also provide them trade basis skill training in 4
courses :
1. Manufacturing
2. Engineering
3. Services
4. Soft skills
The scheme is intended to cover people in between 17 to 35 age group from all minority
communities as well as Madrasa students. This scheme will provide avenues for continuing
higher education and also open up employment opportunities in the organised sector.
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SSUURRAAKKSSHHAA BBAANNDDHHAANN DDRRIIVVEE
The Union Government of India has launched Suraksha Bandhan Drive in a Mission Mode
through Participating Banks and Insurance Companies.
This drive aims to take forward the Government’s objective of creating a universal social
security system in the country, targeted especially at the poor and the under-privileged.
Through this drive the government aims to push its flagship social security plans through
innovative schemes like gift cheques and special deposits.
This drive aims to facilitate Enrolment Under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana
(PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY).
Participating Banks supported by the participating Insurance Companies will work towards
local outreach, awareness building and enrolment facilitation during this drive.
The drive envisaged in the backdrop of Raksha Bandhan, will be supported through the
Jeevan Suraksha Gift Cheques, which will be available for purchase for Rs.351 in Bank
branches by persons wishing to gift them to facilitate one year payment of premium for
PMJJBY and PMSBY by the recipient.
The recipient of the gift cheque would deposit the instrument in his / her bank account for
a realizable value of Rs.342 (Rs.12 + Rs.330) to cover one year subscription to PMJJBY and
PMSBY. The balance of Rs.9 from the purchase price of Rs.351 would be retained by the
issuing Bank as a service charge.
In addition Banks will make available a facility to account holders under the Suraksha
Deposit Scheme and the Jeevan Suraksha Deposit Scheme aimed at enabling them to
deposit Rs.201 or Rs.5001, respectively in their accounts either on their own initiative by
cash, regular cheque etc. or based on cash / regular cheques etc. received as gifts during
the festive season of Raksha Bandhan for long term subscription to PMSBY or to both
PMSBY and PMJJBY, respectively.
BBIIOO--DDIIEESSEELL BBEEIINNGG SSOOLLDD AATT SSEELLEECCTT PPUUMMPPSS
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas celebrated ‘World Bio Fuel Day’ with Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan announcing the availability of high-speed diesel (HSD) blended with
bio-diesel at select outlets around the country.
This is the first time in India that biofuel-blended diesel will be sold in retail outlets.
The sale of bio-diesel blended HSD was inaugurated at one of HPCL’s outlets in Delhi.
Recently, the Ministry had permitted the sale of bio-diesel to bulk consumers such as the
Railways, shipping and road transport corporations. “Bio-diesel can be made through a lot
of biomass material. Currently, most of this material is considered waste by farmers
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The great advantage of using bio-diesel is that it not only reduces carbon emissions, but
also provides farmers with an additional source of income by making their waste biomass
into something marketable.
DDRRDDOO DDEEVVEELLOOPPEEDD MMEEDDIICCIINNEE TTOO TTRREEAATT LLEEUUCCOODDEERRMMAA
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a poly-herbal
medicine for the treatment of leucoderma (white patches on skin).
The ointment has seven ingredients of plants having properties such as skin photo
sensitizer, anti-blister, anti-irritation, anti-septic, wound healing and copper supplementing
properties.
The oral dose has been formulated to check the emergence of new spots.
The technology of the herbal product has been transferred to AIMIL Pharmaceutical
Private Limited for commercial production and marketing.
The product has been launched by the company by the trade name of “Lukoskin”.
FFRREEEEDDOOMM FFIIGGHHTTEERRSS TTOO GGEETT 221188 PPEERR CCEENNTT DDAA HHIIKKEE
Pension of freedom fighters has been increased, with the introduction of a hike of 218 per
cent in DA in 2014-15 was announced on the occasion of 73rd anniversary of Quit India
movement
The revised rate of pension, as on August 1, 2014, after enhancement of DA (from 193 per
cent), is Rs. 23,309 per month for former Andaman political prisoners, Rs. 20,129 for
freedom fighters/spouses and Rs. 4,770 for unmarried/unemployed daughters.
The Freedom Fighters’ Pension Scheme (FFPS) was introduced on August 15, 1972 during
the Silver Jubilee year of Independence. Till July 31, 1980, the Freedom Fighters’ pension
was available only to those who needed financial assistance on account of their meagre
gross income; and the minimum pension sanctioned to a freedom fighter was Rs. 200 per
month.
The benefit of FFPS was extended to all freedom fighters as a token respect (Samman) with
effect from August 1, 1980 under Swatantarta Sainik Samman Pension Scheme.
The highest number of freedom fighter pensioners live in Telangana (6,204), followed by
Andhra Pradesh (6,031), West Bengal (4,394), Maharashtra (3,866), Bihar (2,972), Tamil
Nadu (2,005) and Uttar Pradesh (1,710).
IINNDDIIAA OONN TTOOPP IINN EEXXPPOORRTTIINNGG BBEEEEFF
India retains its top spot as the world’s largest exporter of beef, according to data released
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and has extended its lead over the next highest
exporter, Brazil
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According to the data, India exported 2.4 million tonnes of beef and veal in FY2015,
compared to 2 million tonnes by Brazil and 1.5 million by Australia.
India itself accounts for 23.5 per cent of global beef exports. This is up from a 20.8 per cent
share last year.
Most of India’s buffalo meat exports go to Asian countries — Asia receives more than 80
per cent, while Africa takes around 15 per cent. Within Asia, Vietnam is the largest
recipient, at 45 per cent.
India’s buffalo meat exports have been growing at an average of nearly 14 per cent each
year since 2011, and fetching India as much as $4.8 billion in 2014.
FFRREENNCCHH FFIIGGHHTTEERR TTAALLKKSS DDEEAADDLLOOCCKKEEDD OOVVEERR CCOOSSTT,, OOFFFFSSEETT SSTTIIPPUULLAATTIIOONN
Four months since the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of direct purchase
of 36 Rafale fighters from France citing “critical operational necessity” of the Air Force,
price negotiations are stuck again due to differences over cost and offset requirements.
Negotiations between two sides have been held up over the issue of offsets which also
drove up the cost.
As per the Defence Procurement Procedure, offset applies to all deals worth over Rs.300
crore under which companies have to invest 30 per cent of the value of the contract back
in the country.
This is reminiscent of the original Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest
for 126 fighter jets under which Rafale was shortlisted. The negotiations were stuck for
three years as the cost shot up to over $20 billion from $10 billion and on issues of
technology transfer which eventually forced Mr. Modi to announce a government-to-
government deal to cut time and cost.
The Defence Ministry has made it clear that offsets apply to the deal which is 50 per cent
for the MMRCA deal. This is driving up the cost per aircraft
The Air Force has also sought some changes in the configuration which also add to the cost
and time overruns.
IINNDDIIAANN SSAAIILLOORRSS GGEETT IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL IIDDEENNTTIITTYY
In a move that could improve the employability of Indian sailors in international shipping,
the Union government has ratified the International Seafarers’ Identity Documents
Convention, 2003, which will provide for a globally recognised seafarers’ identity
document.
In addition to facilitating mobility of seafarers, the smart card will improve maritime
security with a verifiable identification. Many countries require such identification before
they grant special facilities to seafarers
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Every year, several hundred Indian sailors are incarcerated abroad for various reasons, and
without proper internationally recognised identification, they do not have the full support
of the law.
In addition, this ratification by India will increase the employability of Indian sailors by
allowing them to cross into foreign waters unhindered
Soon, the biometric data of Indian seafarers will be collected and the identity document
will be issued in the form of a globally recognised smart card within the next six months.
The Convention, under the International Labour Organisation, has been ratified by 30
other countries.
2244XX77 SSIITTUUAATTIIOONN RROOOOMM TTOO TTRRAACCKK SSOOCCIIAALL MMEEDDIIAA NNEETTWWOORRKKIINNGG SSIITTEESS AANNDD MMOOBBIILLEE AAPPPPLLIICCAATTIIOONNSS..
All government departments may be asked to follow the External Affairs Ministry’s model
on ways to be a “social media success”.
In the works is a “24x7 situation room” to analyse social media content and generate social
media intelligence. Through it, the government aims to build a “counter-narrative” in real
time to ensure that “credible information is disseminated”.
Such a set-up — the New Media Wing — exists in the Information and Broadcasting
Ministry.
The “24x7 situation room” to be set up to analyse social media and generate social media
intelligence could be a collaborative initiative of six or seven Ministries but headed by the
Home Ministry.
A similar set-up — the New Media Wing — in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry
generates social media reports and sends it to top bureaucrats twice a day.
The current agitation by the Patel community in Gujarat was mobilised with the help of the
social media. Around half-a-million people from the Patel community gathered at the
Gujarat University grounds in Ahmedabad, where their leader Hardik Patel addressed
them.
TTEELLAANNGGAANNAA KKNNOOCCKKSS OONN SSCC DDOOOORR FFOORR RRIIGGHHTTFFUULL SSHHAARREE OOFF KKRRIISSHHNNAA WWAATTEERR
Claiming before the Supreme Court that the right to access water is a human rights issue,
the Telangana government sought fresh allocation of the disputed waters of the Krishna
river in the light of the bifurcation of the State of Andhra Pradesh and formation of the
new State of Telangana.
In a fresh writ petition, Telangana sought the issuance of a mandamus to Union
government to notify the setting up of a fresh tribunal under the Inter-State River Water
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Disputes Act of 1956 to decide the issue the sharing of the river water among the four
neighbouring States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
It said that under the 1956 Act, the Union, once it gets a complaint or a reference in
relation to the sharing of water between two States, has to refer the case to a tribunal
formed under the statute.
It said that Telangana is restricted by the terms of reference of Section 89 of the Andhra
Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, which considers only the prospect of carving out its
share of the Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh’s share.
Prima facie opposing the petition, the States of Maharashtra and Karnataka said the
interests of Telangana were represented by the undivided Andhra Pradesh, and there
cannot be any new proceedings for fresh allocation of the water.
IITTAALLIIAANN MMAARRIINNEESS CCAASSEE
Additional Solicitor-General P.S. Narasimha, appearing for the Centre, and Soli J. Sorabjee,
representing the Italian government, submitted before the Supreme Court on Wednesday
that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) had on August 24 directed for
a stay on the proceedings.
The Supreme Court acknowledged the governments’ submissions that the international
tribunal would go into the question of India’s jurisdiction to try Italian marines Salvatore
Girone and Massimiliano Latorre.
Mr. Narasimha told the Bench that an UNCLOS Annex VII Tribunal would be soon set up to
decide on the question of jurisdiction.
DDEECCKKSS CCLLEEAARREEDD FFOORR IINNDDIIAA’’SS RROOLLEE IINN IIRRAANNIIAANN CCHHAABBAAHHAARR PPOORRTT
The decks have been cleared for India to lease and develop the strategically important
Iranian port of Chabahar.
This will provide an alternative route for India to trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia,
bypassing Pakistan and also reduce transportation costs
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Chabahar port will be used to ship crude oil
and urea, greatly reducing transportation costs for importing these two commodities. The
port is to be developed via a special purpose vehicle, which will be owned by the two sides
with an investment of around $85 million. A multi-purpose cargo and container terminal is
to be developed at the port.
India’s presence in Chabahar will offset the Chinese presence in the Pakistani port of
Gwadar. It also takes advantage of the centuries-old connection with Iran, especially at a
time when Iran’s economic sanctions are expected to be lifted, thanks to the nuclear deal
it signed with the West.
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IINNDDIIAA--SSEEYYCCHHEELLLLEESS PPAACCTT
India inked a taxation agreement with the Seychelles for allowing exchange of information
to curb tax evasion and avoidance and is looking at strengthening maritime security ties
and cooperation on blue economy with the island nation.
As the Seychelles is considered one of the preferred offshore havens for routing of funds,
the Union Cabinet recently approved the signing and ratification of the taxation pact with
the island nation to unearth black money.
An air services agreement signed here is expected to enable more and easier connections
between the two countries, while cooperation in space, including in the areas of managing
land and marine resources, fisheries advisory, weather forecasting and disaster
management, is being explored.
India would gift a second Dornier aircraft to the Seychelles. An agreement for the same
was signed on Wednesday.
The bilateral agreement for cooperation on blue economywas a huge step forward in
promoting sustainable ocean economy in the region. India, which recently reached out to
Pacific Island nations to collaborate with them for combating the challenge of climate
change, ahead of the U.N. Climate Summit in Paris later this year, is looking at partnering
with the Seychelles on the issue.
Agreements to be signed on agricultural research, space cooperation
GGLLSSVV--DD66 SSUUCCCCEESSSSFFUULLLLYY LLAAUUNNCCHHEEDD
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 27th August Successfully put in orbit GSAT-6
communication satellite staging yet another spectacular launch of three-stage heavy
weight rocket GSLV D-6 with indigenous cryogenic upper stage,
The GSLV D-6 is the second successful consecutive launch of the GSLV series with
indigenous cryogenic upper stage.
ISRO had on January 5, 2014 launch GSLV D-5, after a similar attempt failed in 2010.
About 17 minute after the 49.1 metre high spacecraft lifted off raised from the second
launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre with a lift-off weight of 416 tonne at 4.52 pm,
the rocket placed GSAT-6 in the intended orbit.
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The satellite would be
eventually fine tuned into the
final geostationary orbit at 83
degree East longitude. GSAT-6
will provide S-band
communication services in the
country.
The satellite would be
eventually fine tuned into the
final geostationary orbit at 83
degree East longitude. GSAT-6
will provide S-band
communication services in the
country.
The 2,117 kg-weighing GSAT-6
communication satellite is aimed at primarily benefiting the country's strategic users and
other specific authorised users. The cuboid-shaped satellite with a mission life of nine
years also includes a first-of-its-kind S-Band unfurlable antenna with a diameter of six
metre. This is the largest antenna ISRO has ever made for a satellite.
The launch is the nine time ISRO was using GSLV rocket, this is the third time the rocket
was being launched with indigenous cryogenic upper stage. "GSLV-D6 flight is significant
since it intends to continue the testing of CUS
The cryogenic stage was "technically a very complex system" compared to solid or earth-
storable liquid propellant stages due to its use of propellants at extremely low
temperatures and the associated thermal and structural challenges
A cryogenic rocket stage "is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogram of
propellant it burns" compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages
The cryogenic stages fires for a nominal duration of 720 seconds during the launch.
How is an important milestone for ISRO
By using India’s GSLV and not going for space agencies abroad for launching satellites
weighing up to 2 tonne would help save on foreign exchange
GSLV will cost just one third of the cost we have to spend on foreign agencies
The successful launch of the GSAT-6 satellite by GSLV-D6, earned the launcher the “operational
rocket” tag, will signal joint collaboration between India’s ISRO and NASA of the United
States. NASA ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) is expected to be launched on board GSLV-D6 in 2020-
21. NISAR would be optimised for studying hazards and global environment change.
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CCEENNTTRREE UUNNVVEEIILLSS LLIISSTT OOFF 9988 SSMMAARRTT CCIITTIIEESS
Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a list of 98 cities with Uttar Pradesh
taking the largest share of developing 13 smart cities followed by Tamil Nadu, which
qualified to develop 12.
With an aim to achieve “inclusive growth”, the Smart City Mission promotes integrated city
planning, where the government’s policies such as Swachh Bharat Mission and Atal
Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation complement each other.
The Ministry will impose fines on States that violate the timeline of 60 days of finalising the
projects.
Of the 98 cities and towns that five years down will graduate into smart cities, 24 are
capital cities, another 24 are business and industrial centres, 18 are culture and tourism
influenced areas, five are port cities and three are education and health care hubs.
Nine cities, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Shimla, Puducherry, Daman, Patna, Itanagar,
Thiruvananthapuram and Gangtok did not qualify for being a smart city
The success of the government’s Smart City Mission is largely dependent upon the finance
generation at the State-level as well as private investments. The Centre has set aside Rs.
48,000 crore for the mission and the money will be released to urban local bodies at
frequent intervals in the next five years. The Centre has asked the State governments to
generate the rest of the Rs. 48,000 crore as the grand total of the mission is estimated at
Rs. 96,000 crore.
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The list of nomination marks the first stage in the selection process of smart cities, in which
the state governments nominated potential cities and the Centre shortlisted 100.
In the second stage, the government will provide Rs 2 crore each to the nominated cities
with which they have to prepare their "smart city proposals".
From these 100 cities, 20 will be shortlisted as smart cities, following which the central
government will allocate Rs 100 crore to each for its development. The government will
spend about Rs 3 lakh crore over the next five years on the smart city project.
The smart cities mission envisions "smart solutions" in terms of citizen services, open
spaces, waste management, urban mobility and housing opportunities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Smart Cities Mission in June and had said
that the selected cities will have "very high quality of life comparable with any developed
European city".The list of nomination marks the first stage in the selection process of
smart cities, in which the state governments nominated potential cities and the Centre
shortlisted 100.
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GGUUJJAARRAATT HHCC SSTTAAYYSS CCOOMMPPUULLSSOORRYY VVOOTTIINNGG IINN LLOOCCAALL PPOOLLLLSS
Gujarath government had issued a notification making voting compulsory in the local civic
bodies and panchayat polls scheduled to be held later this year,
In a major setback to the Gujarat government the Gujarat High Court on Friday stayed the
government notification.
A division bench noted that the ‘right to vote’ provided in the Constitution also provided
the right to refrain from voting and it could not be made a “duty to vote” for the citizens.
The court acted on a petition that challenged Gujarat Local Authorities (Amendment) Act
2009.
The right to vote cannot be termed as the duty by the state and, therefore, the provision
of compulsory voting Act is violative of the fundamental rights given to the citizens under
the Indian Constitution
SSOOMMEE IIMMPPRROOVVEEMMEENNTTSS IINN CCHHIILLDD MMAALLNNUUTTRRIITTIIOONN:: DDAATTAA
New official data on nutrition in India’s nine poorest States has shown that while most
states have successfully reduced the number of underweight children over the last decade,
their record in reducing child stunting has been more mixed.
While Bihar and Uttarkhand improved on all indicators, Uttar Pradesh got worse on all.
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The Office of the Registrar General of India released the findings of the Clinical,
Anthropometric and Bio-chemical (CAB) Survey this week.
The survey was conducted in 2014 as a sub-component of the Annual Health Survey, which
collects health information from a representative sample of every district in India’s eight
Empowered Action Group (EAG) States — Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – and Assam.
A one-time survey, the CAB collected district-level data on key anthropometric indicators
including child stunting, child wasting and children underweight.
The last time India collected anthropometric data was in 2005-2006, as part of the
National Family Health Survey III. While the NFHS III and the CAB were conducted on
different samples, both sets of findings are meant to be representative at the State level
A comparison between the NFHS and the CAB shows that eight of the nine States were
successful in substantially reducing the proportion of underweight children; Uttar Pradesh
was the only State, where the proportion actually rose slightly over the last decade.
The new data comes in the backdrop of the NDA government’s flip-flop over the release of
the Rapid Survey of Children (RSOC), a nation-wide sample survey commissioned by the
previous government and conducted by Unicef. The RSOC had shown substantial
improvements in all child health indicators, but its findings were initially not released by
the new government, and later made public after media reported on leaked findings.
The RSOC’s findings on other child anthropometric indicators like child wasting (weight for
height more than two standard deviations below the expected) and child stunting (height
for age more than two standard deviations below the expected) are far more optimistic
than the CAB’s.
While the RSOC found improvements in all CAG States on child stunting, the CAB finds that
only five States — Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Uttarakhand — improved. On
child wasting, only four — Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand —
improved. The CAB confirms the RSOC’s finding that while girls were more likely than boys
to be underweight in 2005-2006, boys were slightly more likely to be underweight as of
2014.
FFAARRMMEERR SSUUIICCIIDDEESS MMUUSSTT EENNDD:: SSUUPPRREEMMEE CCOOUURRTT
Decrease in number [of suicides] is not enough, there should be no case of farmer suicide
in the country,” SC observed, asking the government to respond on the issue on re-visiting
its eight-year-old policy on farmers.
The court indicated that suicides may be linked to certain inherent deficiencies in the
National Policy for Farmers 2007.
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SSCCIIEENNTTIISSTTSS DDIISSCCOOVVEERR TTHHEE PPRROOTTEEIINN BBEEHHIINNDD HHUUMMAANN IINNTTEELLLLIIGGEENNCCEE
Researchers have discovered that a small change in a protein in our cells could hold the
key to how we evolved to become the smartest animal on the planet.
The change in a protein called PTBP1 that can spur the creation of neurons — cells that
make the brain — could have fuelled the evolution of mammalian brains to become the
largest and most complex among vertebrates, the findings showed.
A cell’s ability to regulate protein diversity at any given time reflects its ability to take on
different roles in the body.
The researchers earlier found that prevalence of alternative splicing (AS), whereby gene
products are assembled into proteins, which are the building blocks of life, increases with
vertebrate complexity.
So though the genes that make bodies of vertebrates might be similar, the proteins they
give rise to are far more diverse in animals such as mammals than in birds and frogs.
And nowhere is AS more widespread than in the brain.
The researchers showed that in mammalian cells, the presence of a second, shorter
version of PTBP1 unleashes a cascade of AS events, tipping the scales of protein balance so
that a cell becomes a neuron.
What is more, when the researchers engineered chicken cells to make the shorter,
mammalian-like PTBP1, this triggered AS events that are found in mammals.
The study was published in the journal Science.
DDIIVVEERRSSIIOONN OOFF WWEELLFFAARREE CCEESSSS FFUUNNDDSS IIRRKKSS SSCC
“State governments across the country collect thousands of crores as cess, which are not
being used for the benefit of construction workers or daily wage earners for whom it is
collected. Instead the money is shown as spent on advertisements and administration
expenses. It is ridiculous. Money for the benefit and welfare of the poor is used by some
babus,” the SC said.
The Supreme Court said about Rs. 27,000 crore is collected as cess from the public,
including from the hard-earned savings of residential flat buyers. However, less than a
fraction of this fund is spent for the welfare of construction workers.
The Building and other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess Act of 1996 provides for levy of
cess on cost of construction incurred by employers. The amount collected is deposited
with the Building and Other Constructions Workers Welfare Boards.
The Act requires State governments to constitute a State welfare board to provide succour
for workers, right from financial assistance for their children’s education to help in case of
accidents and provide pensions, loans and group insurance to workers.
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The lack of implementation of the law was brought to fore in a PIL filed by NGO, National
Campaign Committee for Central Legislation on Construction Labour.
The Bench has now asked the Centre to compile a comprehensive report before the
Supreme Court on the funds spent by each State.
Less than a fraction of the cess is spent on the welfare of construction workers
CCEENNTTRREE LLIIKKEELLYY TTOO WWAAIIVVEE RREETTRROOSSPPEECCTTIIVVEE TTAAXX OONN FFIIIISS
The Centre is likely to waive the controversial minimum alternate tax (MAT) on capital
gains made by Foreign Institutional Investors, (FIIs) prior to April 1, 2015
The Centre was considering ‘favourably’ a recommendation from the A.P. Shah Committee
that there is no legal basis for levying 20 per cent MAT on past capital gains
The Committee that submitted its report to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on July 24
was appointed by the government to go into the question of levy of MAT on capital gains
made by FIIs.
The tax department has slapped notices on 68 FIIs demanding MAT dues of Rs.602.83
crore for previous years.
The FIIs, however, moved the High Court challenging the demand.
In his Budget for 2015-16, Mr. Jaitley exempted FIIs from the levy from April 1 onwards,
but did not clarify on its applicability on past transactions.
FIIs have argued that MAT is applicable only to domestic companies that had their base in
India. By virtue of not being established in India, they should be ‘exempted.’ They have
also alleged inconsistency and called for avoiding arbitrary application.
The A.P. Shah Committee report has not been made public by the government as this case
in which the Mauritius-based Castleton Investment has sought clarity on tax consequences
including the imposition of MAT on foreign companies without permanent establishment
in India, is pending before the Supreme Court.
So far, FIIs have not paid the MAT, which has been levied on all companies except those in
infrastructure and power sectors since the late 1980s.
In 2010, Castleton approached the Authority for Advance Rulings (AAR) seeking a
confirmation that it was not required to pay MAT on a transaction it was planning to
execute.
The AAR in 2012 ruled that even foreign companies are subject to MAT.
PPOOLLIITTIICCAALL PPAARRTTIIEESS AANNDD RRTTII
Political parties cannot disclose their internal functioning and financial information under
the Right to Information Act as it will hamper their smooth functioning and become a weak
spot for rivals with malicious intentions to take advantage of.
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This was the answer given by the Union government to the Supreme Court against making
political parties publicly accountable under the RTI Act.
The Supreme Court had earlier issued notice to six national parties, including the BJP and
the Congress, asking them why they can’t come clean and explain their hesitation to
disclose complete details of their income, expenditure, donations, funding, including donor
details, to the public under the RTI Act.
The Supreme Court had earlier issued notice to six national parties, including the BJP and
the Congress, asking them why they can’t come clean and explain their hesitation to
disclose complete details of their income, expenditure, donations, funding, including donor
details, to the public under the RTI Act.
The EC and the Centre were also asked to file responses.
The basis of the case was a petition filed by noted RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal,
represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, and NGO Association for Democratic Rights
through its founder-trustee Jagdeep S. Chhokar.
They had approached the Supreme Court following the non-compliance of political parties
to repeated orders of the Central Information Commission in both 2013 and March 16,
2015.
The CIC had declared all national and regional political parties as public authorities under
the RTI in its 2013 order. In March this year, it had reiterated the order as “final and
binding.”
The CIC has made a very liberal interpretation of Section 2 (h) of the RTI Act, leading to an
erroneous conclusion that political parties are public authorities under the RTI Act. Political
parties are not established or constituted by or under the Constitution or by any other law
made by Parliament
It said there were already provisions in the Income Tax Act, 1961, and Representation of
the People Act, 1951, which demand “necessary transparency regarding financial aspects
of political parties
The Centre said registration of a political party under the 1951 Act was not the same as
establishment of a government body.
It said information about a political body was already in the public domain on the website
of the Election Commission.
CCOONNFFUUSSIIOONN OOVVEERR EECCOO--SSEENNSSIITTIIVVEE ZZOONNEESS
In December, 2006, the Supreme Court had ordered all States and Union Territories for
sending proposals to the MoEF for demarcation of ESZs. The court also said that in case no
ESZ proposal is sent, ESZ of 10 km shall apply around Protected Areas (PAs).
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The NDA government, since coming to power, has since reviewed 113 proposals for ESZ
demarcation, approving 176 proposals in the process. Draft notifications have been issued
in 31 cases, and final notifications have been issued in 32 cases
The proposals submitted by the State governments were sent to Wildlife Institute of India
for assessment.
The purpose of declaring an Eco-Sensitive Zone is to create a buffer zone, where activities
will be regulated to protect areas demarcated as Protected Areas.
The entire exercise has been completed in two States, Sikkim and Goa.
DDOOMMEESSTTIICC AAIIRRFFAARREESS CCAANN’’TT BBEE CCAAPPPPEEDD:: CCCCII CCHHIIEEFF
Capping [of airfares] is antithetical to the policy of deregulation as well as to the whole
philosophy of competition and what market determines
Capping [of airfares] is antithetical to the policy of deregulation as well as to the whole
philosophy of competition and what market determines
The fair trade regulator is investigating if carriers have formed a cartel to fix airfares. The
CCI had looked into it thrice previously, but did not find any evidence of violation of fair
trade norms.
Stakeholders, including parliamentarians, have been demanding curbs on highly fluctuating
domestic airfares, especially for travel at short notice.
MMAANNTTAA RRAAYY SSPPRREEAADDSS TTOO AA..PP.. CCOOAASSTT
The migration of Giant Reef Manta Ray (Manta alfredi), a variety of fish, from the Indian
Ocean is posing a threat to its survival along the East Coast.
It was listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the list of the threatened species of the International Union
for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
Though fishermen operating from the Machilipatnam coast are not making any attempt to
catch it, a huge number of Manta Rays were getting entangled in their nets. Sighting
Manta Rays establishes its seasonal migration to Machilipatnam coast.
At least six Giant Reef Manta Rays got entangled in the nets of the local fishermen near the
Hamsaladeevi area in Krishna district in 2013 and another weighing above a half tonne was
netted near the same location this week.
Many a time, the fishermen had to release the Manta Rays in the sea, in the absence of
channels to export it to the right market destinations.
However, there were several instances of the fish being caught in the gill nets during the
rainy season, according to local fishermen.
Found mostly in the Pacific, Atlantic and the Indian Oceans, it tends to inhabit warm
tropical or subtropical waters and near-shore environments such as islands. “Availability of
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abundant prey and suitable sea conditions in the Bay of Bengal is one of the reasons that
attract the Giant Reef Manta Rays to migrate to Machilipatnam coast, which is becoming
the safest place even for the Indo-Pacific Dolphin
The Reef Rays might have entered the AP coast from Sri Lanka via Tamil Nadu coast. This
variety has high value in international market. The filter plates (Gill Rakers) are preferred in
medicinal products in Asian countries, mostly in China, while liver for making oil
AALLCCOOHHOOLLIISSMM,, AA MMAAJJOORR KKIILLLLEERR OOFF CCHHEENNCCHHUU TTRRIIBBAALLSS IINN TTWWOO SSTTAATTEESS
A recent study by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) on diet and nutrition profile of
the primitive tribal group Chenchus in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has found
alcoholism to be the predominant cause of death among the adults.
The study was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research and published in the
Indian Journal for Medical Research.
It is a comprehensive analysis of mortality data collected from 42 of the 254 tribal villages
(‘gudems’) in both States for a year preceding the study in 2013. In a total of 55 deaths
among adults reported in the year, 13 were related to alcoholism, amounting to nearly 24
per cent of the whole.
Alcoholism is highly prevalent among the Chenchus. Other similar tribal groups drink rice
beer which is alright. But here, the Chenchus are in contact with outsiders, and use
chemicals in the drink for a high
AA SSHHOOTT IINN TTHHEE AARRMM FFOORR VVUULLTTUURREE CCOONNSSEERRVVAATTIIOONN
The Central government gazette
notification banning the use of
multi-vial dose of Diclofenac
comes as a shot in the arm for
conservation of vulture
population. The ban restricts the
production to single 3 ml dose,
thereby stopping production of
injectable diclofenac of larger
quantities that were being used
for veterinarian purposes.
Saving Asia’s Vulture’s from
Extinction (SAVE), formed in
2011 has been battling for the
enforcement of the ban. It
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campaigned long and hard and urged the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to
cease production of the larger vials to treat livestock, as 3-ml vials are more than sufficient
for human use.
“The drug will therefore become more expensive and less accessible to those who might
use it illegally
Further, it could encourage people to use Meloxicam, the safer alternative
vultures act as scavengers, which play a valuable role eating animal carcasses.
They destroy pathogens, recycle nutrients and prevent contamination of water bodies.
By consuming the carcasses, they act as anti-agents of parvo, brucellosis, tuberculosis, foot
and mouth, rabies and anthrax.
Of the 23 species of vultures worldwide, nine are present in India.
Four are migrant species and five are resident species. Four of the species are critically
endangered, one is endangered, three are near threatened and one is of least concern as
per data available with the International Union for Conservation of Nature. “Of the nine
species only four are present in Tamil Nadu.”
RREESSEEAARRCCHHEERRSS OONNEE SSTTEEPP CCLLOOSSEERR TTOO CCRRAACCKKIINNGG AALLZZHHEEIIMMEERR’’SS PPUUZZZZLLEE
Research groups at TIFR, Mumbai, IISc, Bangalore and the University of Toronto working
together, may have gotten the closest yet to figuring out how the toxic form of the
Alzheimer’s molecule looks.
This brings with it implications of development of better drugs to treat patients.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of dementia that is characterised by loss of short-
term memory, deterioration in behaviour and intellectual performance, besides slowness
of thought.
It may occur in middle age or in old age, and while a lot of research is on for drug
treatments, none has been successful.
While it is widely accepted that a specific form of the Amyloid beta molecule is a major
player in causing Alzheimer’s, the shape and form of this remained elusive, experts say.
The excitement now is that scientists have caught a glimpse of the molecule during its
attempt to enter a cell membrane, using a new method involving laser light and fat-coated
silver nanoparticles.
It is a rare protein and is difficult to probe. It was slightly fortuitous that we found it, using
a modified version of Raman Spectroscopy. Usually the signal from this is weak, but we
mimicked the cell’s outer layer by encasing silver nanoparticles in a fat membrane,” says
Sudipta Maiti, of TIFR, who co-directed the research with P.K. Madhu.
The Amyloid beta molecules were fooled into piercing this ‘membrane’ and the
nanoparticles enhanced the signals, allowing scientists to see it at that point.
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When proteins aggregate, or gang up to form a structure, they shift shapes. “At some
stage of ganging up they suddenly start attacking the cell membrane and that’s where
toxicity begins. How they enter the membrane, and what they look like when entering the
membrane is key
The ‘lock’ looks like a bunch of Amyloid beta molecules each in the shape of a hairpin, but
with a twist, TIFR has said in a release.
This has been suspected earlier, but what we found was an unexpected twist in the
structure, now
becoming a beta-
hairpin — very different
from the typical hairpin
structure people
imagined.” This
technique might also
help in finding the
shape of similar
proteins in future
The findings were
published in the journal
ACS Nano this week.
If indeed it turns out to
be the ‘lock’ for Alzheimer’s then the discovery will facilitate new efforts to finding a key —
an intelligent drug candidate designed to attack the lock.
The use of technology to identify peptides and peptide transformations, which helps us
understand the structure in great detail, is important — both for definitive diagnosis and
definitive treatments. Once defined, researchers could adopt the technique to study wider
samples, and this will lead to a greater understanding and modification of processes,
eventually to better clinical care
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RRUUSSSSIIAA,, CCHHIINNAA SSEETT TTOO CCOOUUNNTTEERR UUSS--LLEEDD ‘‘AASSIIAA PPIIVVOOTT’’ IINN TTHHEE PPAACCIIFFIICC
Russia has released a new naval doctrine that singles out China as its core partner in the
Pacific, signaling Moscow and Beijing’s push towards countering the Japan backed “Asia
Pivot” of the United States.
Regarding the Pacific, the amended naval doctrine, which will be valid till 2020,
underscored that friendly ties with China in the Pacific were one of the cornerstones of
Moscow’s new policy.
Moscow and Beijing appear to have responded strongly to Japan’s budding post-war
doctrinal shift, which will allow Tokyo to deploy its armed forces overseas even without an
imminent threat to Japanese territory or citizens.
Opponents say that the two security bills being debated in Parliament could draw Tokyo
into U.S.-led conflicts around the globe. Specifically, the legislations can cement
Washington’s “Asia Pivot” doctrine which envisages that 60 per cent of the total US armed
forces would be deployed under the Pacific Command, with China as its focal point.
Earlier this month, Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu announced that troops on Kuril
islands, disputed by Japan, will be rearmed. On their part the Japanese have raised an
alarm about a Russian military build-up in the east of the country, including on the Kuril
Islands.
The clearest signal that the Russians and the Chinese were factoring the reinforcement of
the U.S.-Japan military alliance in the Pacific came on July 7 when it was announced that
Moscow and Beijing will conduct joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan. The Russian
Navy’s Pacific fleet will deploy 20 warships as well as aircraft and helicopters, in the August
drill, which is a follow up of a similar exercise that the two countries had held in the
Mediterranean Sea two months ago.
At the heart of the tensions in the Pacific are the South China Sea maritime disputes, which
have pitted China against Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
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BBEEIIJJIINNGG WWAASS CCHHOOSSEENN BBYY TTHHEE IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALL OOLLYYMMPPIICC CCOOMMMMIITTTTEEEE ((IIOOCC)) TTOO HHOOSSTT TTHHEE 22002222 WWIINNTTEERR OOLLYYMMPPIICCSS
Becoming the first city to be awarded both the Summer and Winter Games.
The Chinese capital beat Kazakhstan's Almaty in a secret ballot of 85 IOC members held at
a convention centre in downtown Kuala Lumpur in a decision that drew immediate
criticism from human rights activists.
Despite concerns about a lack of natural snow in the city's distant mountains, and protests
from human rights groups, Beijing had been the clear favourite to win the vote after it
successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics.
IINNDDIIAA::MMYYAANNMMAARR
The commander in chief of the Myanmar's armed forces Senior General Min Aung Hlaing
visit India
The visit saw the two sides committing to deeper defence and security cooperation.
The two sides are looking to cooperate more robustly in managing their long border and in
tackling Indian insurgents taking sanctuary in Myanmar. That the Myanmar army chief
visited the headquarters of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command in Kolkata, which is
responsible for security in India’s North East and along its border with Myanmar, is
significant.
Security analysts predict that joint operations to tackle the Khaplang faction of the
National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) and other Indian insurgents operating
from Myanmar can be expected in the coming weeks and months.
The two sides are likely to have charted out their counter-insurgency strategy.
It holds significance because only a couple of months ago bilateral relations ran into
trouble when India ruffled feathers of the Myanmar Army top brass. In early June, India’s
special forces carried out military operations against the Naga militants inside Myanmar
territory. The operation painted the Myanmar government in a poor light, raised hackles in
Naypyidaw.
A meeting of the India-Myanmar Joint Consultative Commission in Delhi on July 16 went
off well, raising India’s hope that relations were limping back to normalcy. As India
intensifies security cooperation with Myanmar in the coming months, it must bear in mind
the lessons from the recent crisis.
UU..SS.. PPRREESSIIDDEENNTT BBAARRAACCKK OOBBAAMMAA:: CCLLEEAANN PPOOWWEERR PPLLAANN
The U.S. is the world’s second biggest carbon emitter after China.
The rules are expected to trigger a “tsunami” of legal opposition from States and utilities
who oppose the plans, which will significantly boost wind and solar power generation and
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force a switch away from coal power. Republican presidential hopefuls moved quickly to
voice their opposition, saying they would be economically damaging.
The final rules propose a 32 per cent cut in carbon emissions from power plants by 2030
on 2005 levels, up from the initial proposal of 30 per cent.
However, states will only have to comply by 2022 rather than 2020 as originally proposed,
and will be able submit their plans on meeting the targets by 2018 instead of 2017.
IINNDDIIAA DDEEFFEERRSS FFTTAA TTAALLKKSS WWIITTHH EEUU OONN DDRRUUGG BBAANN IISSSSUUEE
Disappointed by the European Union action of banning 700 pharma products, New Delhi
has decided to defer the India-EU free trade talks.
The decision has been taken as the Government is disappointed and concerned by the
action of EU in imposing illegally binding ban on the sale of around 700 pharma products
clinically tested by GVK Biosciences, Hyderabad
The India-EU trade talks, formally known as the Broadbased Investment and Trade
Agreement, were launched in 2007, but have consistently missed deadlines with consensus
not emerging on various issues. The negotiations were scheduled to resume this month
after almost two years.
The controversy began when French medicines agency ANSM alleged that its inspection of
GVK Biosciences revealed manipulation of electrocardiogram data over five years during
research on generic medicines.
Following this, in January, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended that
drugs for which authorisation in the EU were primarily based on studies conducted at the
GVK facility should be suspended.
New Delhi had challenged these allegations and kept engaging with both the EMA and
ANSM. But these efforts yielded nothing and on July 25, the German drug regulator, the
Federal Institute for Medicines and Medical Products, announced a ban on marketing of
the 700 generic medicines.
The ban will affect India’s annual exports of $15 billion. According to industry estimates, it
could lose $1-1.2 billion worth of exports. The ban is to come into effect from August 21
and will apply in all the 28 member-nations.
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the flagship sectors of India which has developed its
reputation through strong research and safety protocols over the years and, therefore, the
government will examine all options in this regard
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SSOOUUTTHH CCHHIINNAA SSEEAA TTEENNSSIIOONNSS FFLLAARREE AATT AASSEEAANN TTAALLKKSS
The U.S. and some Southeast Asian states have watched with growing alarm as Beijing
expands tiny reefs in the South China Sea, topping some with military posts to reinforce its
disputed claims over the strategic waters and fanning fears of future conflict.
The flashpoint issue has taken centre-stage at the annual security forum hosted by the 10-
member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that began on 4th August. But
China has insisted it will not discuss the dispute during the meetings.
That prompted a sharp rebuke from the Philippines, which, along with Vietnam, has been
involved in the most direct territorial confrontations with China. Southeast Asian diplomats
said that China’s controversial island-building drive is raising regional tensions, with the
Philippines slamming its “unilateral and aggressive activities”
Beijing claims control over nearly all of the sea, a key shipping route thought to hold rich
oil and gas reserves.
RRUUSSSSIIAA BBIIDDSS AATT UU..NN.. FFOORR VVAASSTT AARRCCTTIICC TTEERRRRIITTOORRIIEESS
Russia has submitted its bid for vast territories in the Arctic to the United Nations, the
Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry said in a statement that Russia is claiming 1.2 million square km of Artic sea
shelf extending more than 650 km from the shore.
Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction
over parts of the Arctic, which is believed to hold up to a quarter of the planet’s
undiscovered oil and gas. Rivalry for Arctic resources has intensified as shrinking polar ice
is opening up new opportunities for exploration.
Russia was the first to submit its claim in 2002, but the U.N. sent it back for lack of
evidence.
The ministry said that the resubmitted bid contains new arguments. “Ample scientific data
collected in years of Arctic research are used to back the Russian claim,” it said.
Russia expects the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to start looking
at its bid in the fall, the ministry said.
In 2007, Moscow staked a symbolic claim to the Arctic seabed by dropping a canister
containing the Russian flag on the ocean floor from a small submarine at the North Pole.
Amid tensions with the West over Ukraine, the Kremlin also has moved to beef up Russian
military forces in the Arctic.
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FFOORRMMEERR LLTTTTEE MMEEMMBBEERRSS SSEEEEKK SSEELLFF--RRUULLEE FFOORR TTAAMMIILLSS
The Crusaders for Democracy, a group of former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE), on Tuesday urged the Sri Lankan government to “honour its commitments”
made in the past at the international level on the Tamil question.
According to the 1987 India-Sri Lanka Accord and the Oslo Communique of December
2002, the Sri Lankan government had agreed to the concepts of federalism and internal
self-determination, besides recognising the Northern and Eastern Provinces as areas of
historical habitation of Tamil speaking people, said the group, which released its manifesto
in Sudamalai near Jaffna.
While adhering itself to an undivided Sri Lanka, the group of former militants resolved that
it would strive to achieve its goals through “peaceful and non-violent means
IINNDDIIAA FFLLIIEESS AAIIDD TTOO FFLLOOOODD--HHIITT MMYYAANNMMAARR
India has flown rice, medicines and other emergency relief supplies to Myanmar on a
request from the flood-hit country
Widespread floods and landslides have wreaked havoc in the nation on India’s eastern
border, affecting 2.5 lakh people and damaging over five lakh acres of farmland
On July 31, Myanmar President Thein Sein declared Chin and Rakhine states and the
Magway and Sagaing regions “natural disaster zones”
On August 4, the government sought international assistance.
CCHHIINNAA AANNDD IIRRAANN MMAAYY BBAARRTTEERR WWEEAAPPOONNSS FFOORR OOIILL
China appears set to reap the “peace dividend” following Iran’s sanctions-lifting nuclear
accord by selling Tehran 24 J-10 fighter jets in exchange for a 20-year access to a major
Iranian oil field.
China will barter the 24 fighter planes for access to the giant Azadegan oil field under the
weapons-for-oil deal
J-10s now going to Iran are an adaptation of the Lavi aircraft, whose manufacture Israel
terminated in the 1980s at the prototype stage.
The Lavi was built and developed by Israel Aircraft Industries, though the government
eventually decided to terminate the programme due to the high costs of production and
after the U.S. offered to sell Israel F-16s as an alternative. After the cancellation, the Israeli
government resolved to sell the plans to China
The J-10 fighters have a range of 2940 km, which will cover Iran’s entire air space as well as
of the Persian Gulf.
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The transfer of only 24 planes, or two squadrons, is unlikely to shift West Asia’s strategic
military balance that is heavily tilted in favour of Israel.
China signed an agreement in 2009 to supply 36 J-10B planes to Pakistan, but none of the
aircraft, which were part of $ 1.4 billion contract, has been delivered to Islamabad as yet.
NNEEPPAALL IINNKKSS BBRREEAAKKTTHHRROOUUGGHH PPAACCTT OONN NNEEWW CCOONNSSTTIITTUUTTIIOONN
Nepal’s rival parties have signed an agreement drawing up the country’s internal borders
in a breakthrough that paves the way for a new national Constitution,
Spurred by April’s devastating quake, Nepal’s parties struck a historic deal in June to divide
the country into eight provinces but left the crucial task of delineating state borders to a
federal commission.
The deal comes after a series of public consultations held across the Himalayan nation last
month.
Opposition parties have long pushed for new provinces to be created along lines that could
favour historically marginalised communities like the Madhesis. Other parties have
attacked this model, calling it a threat to national unity. As a result of the negotiations, the
number of provinces was reduced to six
EEGGYYPPTT UUNNVVEEIILLSS $$99--BBNN ‘‘NNEEWW SSUUEEZZ CCAANNAALL’’
President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently unveiled an expanded Suez Canal in a lavish
ceremony, with the first ships passing through the waterway in what Egypt hopes will
boost its economy and global standing.
Dubbed as Suez Canal Axis, the 72-kilometre project is aimed at speeding up traffic along
the existing waterway by reducing the waiting period of vessels, as well as boosting
revenues for Egypt.
The project will run part of the way along the existing canal that connects Red Sea to the
Mediterranean.
TTUURRKKMMEENNGGAAZZ TTOO LLEEAADD TTAAPPII PPIIPPEELLIINNEE CCOONNSSOORRTTIIUUMM
Turkmenistan’s government-owned TurkmenGaz is all set to lead a consortium of the
national oil companies of the four nations that will build and operate the ambitious
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.
Turkmenistan state-owned company TurkmenGaz would lead the consortium for the TAPI
project with a majority investment.
All the four countries have endorsed the Turkmen proposal.
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Work on the TAPI project is yet to commence as the four nations that are party to the
project have so far not succeeded in finding an international firm that could lead the
consortium that will construct and operate the 1,800-km pipeline.
GGRREEEECCEE,, LLEENNDDEERRSS CCLLIINNCCHH ‘‘DDEEAALL’’ AAFFTTEERR MMAARRAATTHHOONN TTAALLKKSS
Greece and its international lenders reached a multi-billion euro bailout agreement after
talking through the night, officials said, potentially saving the country from financial ruin.
The agreement, reached after a 23-hour session of talks, must still be adopted by Greece’s
Parliament and Eurozone countries.
The bailout negotiations appeared to have resolved all the main outstanding issues, after
Greece’s Leftist government effectively capitulated last month to creditors’ demands for
deep austerity measures in order to receive loans.
SSUUNNDDAARR PPIICCHHAAII TTOO SSPPEEAARRHHEEAADD GGOOOOGGLLEE
Google has formed a new parent company dubbed Alphabet that will include the Internet
search unit as one of several entities.
Alphabet will be run by Google chief Larry Page. And Indian born Sundar Pichai will be the
new CEO, Google.
Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies, the largest of which is Google
Alphabet will include units focusing on life sciences such as a glucose-sensing contact lens
and the health research firm Calico.
Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly traded entity, and all shares of Google
will automatically convert to shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights.
CCHHIINNAA DDEEVVAALLUUEESS YYUUAANN
China’s central bank has devalued the yuan to its lowest rate against the US dollar in
almost three years.
The bank said that this move to make the exchange rate more market-oriented.
The move, which makes exports cheaper, comes after weak economic data from the
world’s second largest economy.
With this China has indicated that the changes announced are another step in its move to
a more market-determined exchange rate.
This move comes amid speculation that China is preparing to widen the trading band for
the currency from the current two percent ranges.
China has long kept tight control of the yuan value on concerns over financial volatility and
losing its policy control. Yet it is also under pressure to reform its currency policy as it
pushes to become one of the International Monetary Fund’s “special drawing rights” (SDR)
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reserve currencies. These are currencies which IMF members can use to make payments
between themselves or to the Fund.
Implications:
The decision of the People’s Bank of China to devalue the yuan by 1.9% will have global
ramifications, in the short, medium and long term.
Immediately it will increase the competitiveness of China’s exports at a time when the
country’s economy is growing at its slowest rate for six years – and when many economists
fear that the slowdown will become much more painful and acute.
And for all the spur to growth it may give, the devaluation will reawaken concerns that
Beijing is still a million miles from having re-engineered the Chinese economy to deliver
more balanced growth based on stronger domestic consumer demand.
CCHHIINNAA,, PPAAKKIISSTTAANN SSIIGGNN DDEEAALLSS WWOORRTTHH $$11..66 BBIILLLLIIOONN TTOO BBEEEEFF UUPP CCPPEECC PPRROOJJEECCTT
China and Pakistan recently signed 20 more agreements worth $1.6 billion to implement
the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The agreements were signed at the CPEC Forum held at Karamay city in Xinjiang province
bordering Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
MMEEMMOORRAANNDDUUMM OOFF UUNNDDEERRSSTTAANNDDIINNGG BBEETTWWEEEENN IINNDDIIAA AANNDD UUNNIITTEEDD SSTTAATTEESS OOFF AAMMEERRIICCAA
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation to establish the Pace Setter Fund
– a fund to support the Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy track of the U.S. –
India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) between India and United States of
America.
This MoU was signed on 30th June, 2015.
The MoU will help accelerate commercialization of innovative off-grid clean energy
solutions by providing early-stage grant funding, which would allow businesses to develop
and test innovative products, systems and business models.
The MoU will help cooperation through technical and commercial innovation and
advancement of clean energy in off-grid space.
The India-U.S. corpus of about Rs.500 million ($8 million U.S. Dollars) has been drawn on a
50:50 sharing basis.
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FFOORRUUMM FFOORR IINNDDIIAA PPAACCIIFFIICC IISSLLAANNDD CCOOUUNNTTRRIIEESS
Having reached out to the Pacific Island Countries to support its bid for a permanent seat
at the UN Security Council, India also wants to collaborate with them for combating the
challenge of climate change, ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Paris later this year.
Addressing the second summit of the Forum for India Pacific Island Countries (FIPIC), Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said climate change is clearly a pressing concern for all and
combating it is India’s national priority.
The Prime Minister said India and the Pacific Island Countries can enrich each other
through bilateral and regional cooperation, and suggested they work together for UN
reforms.
He sought their support for the quick adoption of the draft presented by the President of
the General Assembly as the negotiating text to conclude negotiations during the 70th
Session of the General Assembly and promised that India would stand by them at
international forum.
India, which has been trying to match China’s growing influence in the region, assured the
PICs that India stands shoulder to shoulder with them for a dedicated seat for SIDS (Small
Island Developing States) in an expanded and reformed UN Security Council in both
categories.
Rich in seabed resources, the Pacific Island Countries (PIC) are keen to partner with India in
the area of exploration of minerals. China, which has made staggering investment in the
region, is also eyeing to be a part of the venture
The PICs are also eager to give tourism a fillip using the Hindi film industry. Fiji, for
instance, offers a close to 50 per cent tax rebate to overseas film-makers to encourage film
producers to shoot in their country.
Pacific Island nations are keen to partner with India in the area of exploration of minerals
SSAAAARRCC MMOOOOTTSS PPAARRTTIICCIIPPAATTOORRYY MMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT OOFF FFOORREESSTT RREESSOOUURRCCEESS
Livelihood support mooted for local communities
Faced with depletion of forest resources due to over exploitation and destructive
harvesting, eight member-countries of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation) have decided to join hands to promote community-based sustainable
management of Non-wood Forest Produce (NWFP).
A three-day meeting of the SAARC Expert Group on Community-based Sustainable
Management of NWFP and Income Generation for Communities held at the Kerala Forest
Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, last week mooted the establishment of legal, fiscal and
market mechanisms to ensure sustainability of NWFP harvesting with community
participation.
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Delegates from the eight member-nations resolved to set up a comprehensive policy
framework to legalise the collection, processing and certification of the products and to
facilitate value addition.
The meeting also came to a general consensus on establishing a real-time market
intelligence and monitoring system for high value forest produce.
The meeting was organised by KFRI in association with the SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC),
Thimphu, Bhutan.
NWFP is estimated to be more valuable than timber and is renewable, with high potential
for rural livelihood generation. To curb over exploitation, the expert group mooted steps
to entrust local communities with the proprietorship of these resources.
RRAANNIILL SSWWOORRNN IINN SSRRII LLAANNKKAA PPMM
United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was on Friday sworn in as Prime
Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time.
President Maithripala Sirisena administered oath of office to Mr. Wickremesinghe at a
brief ceremony attended by leaders of various parties, including former President Mahinda
Rajapaksa.
On the occasion general secretaries of the UNP and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)
signed an agreement to form a national government.
The UNP general secretary later told that social equality, ethnic integration and
betterment of the country were the three salient features of the agreement, for which the
two parties would work together. It has also been decided to have the national
government at least for two years, he added.
Mr. Wickremesinghe, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1977, became the PM
for the first time in May 1993. In 2001, he was elected the Prime Minister for the second
time after the United National Front got a majority.
In January this year when Maithripala Sirisena defeated Mr. Rajapaksa in the presidential
elections, he made Mr. Wickremesinghe the PM as part of a pre-poll understanding.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike of the SLFP was the only other person to become Prime Minister
four times since Sri Lanka’s independence.
IISS DDEESSTTRROOYYSS AANNCCIIEENNTT MMOONNAASSTTEERRYY
The Islamic State group demolished an ancient monastery founded more than 1,500 years
in central Syria.The extremist group posted photos on social media Friday showing
bulldozers destroying the Saint Elian Monastery near the town of Qaryatain, which IS
captured in early August.
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CCAABBIINNEETT AAPPPPRROOVVEESS PPAACCTT WWIITTHH TTHHEE SSEEYYCCHHEELLLLEESS TTOO FFIIGGHHTT BBLLAACCKK MMOONNEEYY
Adding one more to the list of countries that have joined India in the fight against black
money, the Union Cabinet approved on Thursday the signing and ratification of an
agreement between India and the Seychelles for exchange of information on taxes.
This is part of the ongoing initiative of the Government of India to unearth black money
The agreement would stimulate information exchange between India and the Seychelles
for tax purposes to help curb tax evasion and avoidance
India has already signed an inter-governmental agreement with the U.S. to implement the
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), a significant step towards curbing overseas
tax evasion and black money.
Prior to that, India joined 59 countries in the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement
on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in May. This agreement
obliges signatories to exchange periodically and automatically a wide range of financial
information among themselves.
All types of taxes imposed by India or the Seychelles, irrespective of the manner in which
they are levied, are covered
The Cabinet announced its approval for the signing of a revised Air Services Agreement
with the Seychelles to modernise and update the pact signed in 1978. Under the new
agreement, the number of flights between the two countries will be increased from three
a week to seven.
IIRRAANN NNOO LLOONNGGEERR OONN RREESSTTRRIICCTTEEDD VVIISSAA LLIISSTT
The Union government has removed Iran from the list of countries put under the restricted
visa category, indicating that it wants to reach out to the Persian Gulf nation.
India sees Iran as a key supporter in the wake of the growing threats and influence of
Islamist terror groups such as the Islamic State in Central Asia.
India has liberalised its visa policy for Iran and struck it off the prior referral category (PRC)
of countries.
Three categories of visas — employment, conference, students and research visa — were
on the restricted list till now.
PRC list, which has countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.
The order means that Iranians can easily apply for visas at our consulate in Iran and each
application will not have to be forwarded to [the] Intelligence Bureau and [the] Research
and Analysis Wing here for verification
The two countries have agreed to facilitate development in various fields including ports,
north-south corridor, petrochemicals, steel industries, pharmaceuticals, and medical
equipment.
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In May this year, India inked a memorandum of understanding to develop the Chabahar
Port in Iran. India is keen to open new avenues of connectivity with Iran, which will pave
the way for its entry into Afghanistan and the Central Asian region.
The decision also comes in wake of the P5 + 1 (U.K, China, France, Russia, U.S. and
Germany) nations clinching a nuclear agreement with Iran, easing economic sanctions on
it.
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The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has put a “status quo” in the
Italian marines case and asked both India and Italy to “suspend” all court proceedings and
refrain from initiating new ones that might “aggravate or extend” the dispute that
triggered a diplomatic row.
Hearing Italy’s appeal, ITLOS president Vladimir Golitsyn asked the two countries to submit
the initial report on the entire incident by September 24.
ITLOS, the 21-member U.N.-mandated court located in Hamburg, Germany, issued the
order with 15 in favour and six against.
Italy had moved ITLOS in July, challenging India’s jurisdiction to try the two marines. It said
the incident took place in international waters, and as per international norms they ought
to be tried in Italian courts.
ITLOS said: “Italy and India shall both suspend all court proceedings and shall refrain from
initiating new ones which might aggravate or extend the dispute submitted to the Annex
VII arbitral tribunal or might jeopardize or prejudice the carrying out of any decision which
the arbitral tribunal may render.”
The incident was reported on February 12, 2012, when Sergeants Massimiliano Latorre
and Salvatore Girone allegedly opened fire on the boat, St. Antony, killing two fishermen of
Kerala on board. The marines were arrested by the Kerala police. The case was later
transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Latorre is now in Italy on health grounds. The case has become a point of diplomatic tussle
between India and Italy
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Islamic State militants have destroyed a temple at Syria’s ancient ruins of Palmyra
Realising the worst fears archaeologists had for the 2,000-year-old Roman-era city after
the extremists seized it and beheaded a local scholar.
The temple dates to the first century and is dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and
fertilising rains
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Palmyra, one of the Middle East’s most spectacular archaeological sites and a UNESCO
World Heritage site, sits near the modern Syrian city of the same name.
Activists said the militants used explosives to blow up the Baalshamin Temple on its
grounds, the blast so powerful it also damaged some of the Roman columns around it.
The Sunni extremists, who have imposed a violent interpretation of Islamic law across their
self-declared “caliphate” in territory they control in Syria and Iraq, claim ancient relics
promote idolatry and say they are destroying them as part of their purge of paganism.
However, they are also believed to sell off looted antiquities, bringing in significant sums of
cash.
The temple dates to the first century and is dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and
fertilising rains.
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India could soon get access to a U.S. database of 11,000 terror suspects if the countries
sign a pact to exchange information on terrorists, during the Homeland Security dialogue
in December
The information would be shared through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s legal
attache at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi.
Though some security agencies expressed concern over giving unhindered access to the
U.S. on such “sensitive database”, the government is of the view that it would be beneficial
in the long run
India is, however, insisting that “privacy issues” be taken care of, and the agreement not
be a tool to serve only the interests of the U.S. In return, it wants access to Internet-
related data from U.S.-based service providers like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, among others.
India has proposed that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) should be made the nodal agency for
sharing such information.
The U.S. has already finalised such agreements with 30 countries
The agreement is likely to be signed during the U.S.-India Counter-terrorism and Homeland
Security Cooperation dialogue to be attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and
his American counterpart Jeh Johnson in December next.
TSC is a multi-agency organisation administered by the FBI, which consolidates several
terrorist watch lists maintained by different U.S. government agencies into a single
terrorist database on terror suspects.
AUGUST: 2015 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE
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